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The former India captain, Bishan Bedi, has laid the blame for his current row with Muttiah Muralitharan at the door of the International Cricket Council.Last week Bedi, a long-term critic of Muralitharan, compared his bowling action to that of a “shotputter”. The comment has led Murali to claim Rs. 750 million (US $7 million) in damages for defamation.The matter looks set to be decided in the courts, but Bedi believes that the ICC are guilty of “flouting the spirit of the game” in allowing Murali to continue with his controversial bowling action. In 2005, they amended the law regarded illegal bowling actions, to allow a 15-degree threshold of flexibility.”It’s not poor Murali’s fault,” Bedi was quoted as saying in the Times of India. “My grouse is against the ICC, which may yet rue this decision. Cricket has been a part of my existence for as long as I can remember and I can’t bear to see the spirit of the game being flouted.”Muralitharan’s manager, Kushil Gunasekera, said his lawyers had given Bedi 14 days to respond. “I am a free man and I have a right to express my opinion,” said Bedi. “I haven’t said anything new. Everyone knows for years my views on the matter.””The most worrying thing is that young boys are trying to emulate him. Murali’s success has prompted kids from Sri Lanka to Maharashtra to Gujarat (states in India) to emulate his action. Can that be a good thing for cricket?”

The Indian selectors have called up Subramaniam Badrinath, the Tamil Nadu batsman, to the ODI squad as replacement for Gautam Gambhir, who suffered an injury at the nets on Sunday.The board secretary, Niranjan Shah, said Gambhir slipped while batting in the nets and sustained a right groin muscle strain, which, while not serious, is expected to rule him out of action for the next two weeks. Badrinath has not been told how long he will be with the side, but only that he was replacing Gambhir. “I saw in the news that he is out for two weeks, so I presuming I will be there for the next three ODIs,” Badrinath told Cricinfo in Rajkot, where he is representing Rest of India in the Irani Trophy match. The current squad is till the next ODI, on Thursday, and a fresh side will be named for the last two games.To Badrinath the news didn’t really come as a surprise. He has been one of the most consistent batsmen on the domestic circuit for the last two seasons and especially prolific with the India A team over the last three months. He averaged 70.66 in 2005-06 when he was the second-highest run-getter in Ranji, 92 in 2006, 55.91 in 2006-07, and in the current season he has got out only twice and has scored 687 runs. His double-century against South Africa A was an effortless knock, and he also starred in the one-run win over the South Africans last week in the only unofficial ODI of the series that was completed, scoring 88 off 89 balls and taking 4 for 43. Badrinath said he has not been putting pressure on himself by thinking about the selection, despite the prolific run. “It’s tough to be expecting selection every time and you don’t make it to the team. So I’d say it has come at the right time.”Badrinath, 27, had emerged as a compact batsman – a grafter, but has expanded his repertoire of strokes with age. “I have worked really hard on my shots,” said Badrinath. “I have worked on getting stronger, so that I can play the big shots and clear the field, which is a good thing for even Tests.”There was also some speculation over Sachin Tendulkar’s fitness – he did not take the field for Australia’s innings after scoring 79 – but John Gloster, the physio, said he had a mild knee strain that would be assessed in the morning. “He has a little strain and that’s why he did not field today, ” Lalchand Rajput, the team manager, told . “It’s not serious and I guess he would be okay by tomorrow. It’s too trivial a niggle to make him doubtful for the next match.”

Skipper Parender Sharma spearheaded Haryana’s run spree on the secondday of their North Zone Ranji Trophy league match against HimachalPradesh at Mandi on Saturday. The 27-year-old right hander slammed anunbeaten 207 as he steered Haryana, who resumed at 240 for three, to atotal of 457 for five declared. In reply Himachal Pradesh were 34 forno loss at close of play.Parender Sharma and Rajesh Puri (55) took their overnight fourthwicket stand to 129 runs off 45 overs before the latter was out. Hefaced 119 balls and hit eight fours. Parender Sharma then foundanother able partner in Sanjay Dalal (61) with whom he added 168 runsfor the fifth wicket off 48 overs. At the declaration, Sharma who hadbatted 490 minutes, had faced 381 balls and hit 23 fours and a six.Rajinder Thakur took three of the wickets that fell but conceded 103runs from 36 overs in the process.Himachal openers Arun Verma (17) and Nischal Gaur (12) batted throughsafely for about an hour and 13.4 overs before bad light stopped play,47 minutes early.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsQuinton de Kock announced his arrival among the ranks of attacking wicketkeeper-batsmen to be reckoned with as he raced to an enterprising maiden Test century which has positioned South Africa for a consolation victory on a Centurion surface already showing signs of unreliability.Only two England batsmen have been prised out in the first 46 overs in their reply to South Africa’s 475 and their opponents have looked a pace bowler light, especially with Morne Morkel in one of his malfunctioning moods. But Nick Compton had reason for grievance after he was lbw to one from Kagiso Rabada from scuttled through low – this on only the second day. There was enough evidence that he might not be the last.England’s top three has offered low returns throughout the series: one half-century apiece for Alastair Cook, Alex Hales and Compton. But Cook remained at the close on 67, England’s deficit still 337 runs with eight wickets intact, and there were signs as he tried to plot a long route towards safety that that his long-limbed defence was creeping back into rhythm.Cook has rarely looked more exasperated as in England captain in the field than he has during the 132 overs that South Africa batted. England, with the series won, have lost a little intensity. His batting is all about such qualities, whatever the position of the series, and he will be hell bent upon coming up with a meaningful retort. Apart from an inside edge off Morkel, on 55, which popped safely into the off side and numerous attempts to have him caught down the leg side (the latest theory), he played soundly.England’s reply started badly: Alex Hales perishing in the nine overs up to tea. Hales is fast becoming the latest failed claimant in the past three-and-a-half years to the opening position vacated by Andrew Strauss. Unlike many other contenders, he has a limited-overs pedigree behind him, enough to encourage loyalty by many good judges, but in Test cricket his approach remains fraught with uncertainty, summed up by a weak drive at a floaty outswinger from Rabada and a catch for Dane Piedt at cover point.Hales, unbalanced in the shot and dismissed for 15, has one innings remaining to enhance a debut series that stands at 135 runs at 19.28 with only one half-century on a Cape Town featherbed.De Kock now has that settling maiden hundred under his belt. His return to the South Africa wicketkeeping role after a freakish accident that ruled him out of the third Test – he slipped while walking the dogs – had not been universally supported after a strong showing behind the stumps by Dane Vilas as his emergency replacement.But that debate was silenced as de Kock’s blithe-hearted strokeplay took full toll of a lethargic England attack that failed to respond to the rigours of a fourth Test in as many weeks. Unlike his fateful dog walk, this time he had provided a strong lead.He remained unbeaten on 129 from 128 balls when South Africa’s innings finally came to a halt. Such a breakthrough innings could not be more timely for South Africa as they seek to emerge from an uncertain period – illustrated by five changes for this Test – and establish a new-look side.De Kock survived two challenging catches on 28 when Ben Stokes could not hold on at gully off James Anderson and again on 90, Cook this time the culprit as de Kock drove the offspinner Moeen Ali to short cover.He was only 62 when South Africa lost their eighth wicket, but Piedt provided steadfast support for more than two hours as the home side, trailing 2-0 in the series, took a firm grip on the final Test.Just to add to England’s disenchantment, there was a mix-up between Jonny Bairstow, a wicketkeeper under scrutiny, and his captain, Cook, who was stood unsettlingly alongside him at first slip when an edge from de Kock, on 80, flew between them. Both could have gone for it; neither did.The poor alignment of keeper and slip should definitely be questioned before any other factor because Cook had virtually moved alongside Bairstow so confusing their areas of responsibility. On this occasion, it was a tactical error primarily, but it was not the first chance to go astray and the dissatisfied expressions on both faces told of a distrust and disappointment that is unlikely to aid Bairstow’s cause.England needed quick wickets at start of play with South Africa already 329 runs to the good. They missed out on de Kock, who had added only three to his overnight score when Stokes failed to hold on, but had a promising start nevertheless when Stuart Broad and Anderson struck in the first four overs, Temba Bavuma edging to the wicketkeeper and Rabada falling lbw first ball.Finally, nearing the end of an unrewarding tour, Anderson had made the ball swing and must even have found joy in Rabada’s decision to review the decision as it meant he could wallow in innumerable replays proving as much on the big screen. It was the only joy he found in the innings. Other have been equally unimpressive: Chris Woakes has looked trouibled; Moeen Ali’s length was all over the place.De Kock’s response to the loss of early wickets was emphatic. A modicum of width was enough for him to flay his next two balls, from Broad, for successive off-side boundaries. A wristy late cut against Moeen signalled his half-century. When Kyle Abbott deposited his first ball from Moeen for a long-on six, and de Kock also cleared the ropes later in the over, South Africa reached drinks in exuberant mood.Stokes silenced Abbott with a blockhole leg-before – the batsman’s review entirely pointless – but de Kock sallied forth. There was no dallying in the 90s as he again found Moeen to his liking , a pull and drive over the top taking him to 99, before stealing a single into the covers to reach his hundred at the start of Moeen’s following over.It was Stokes who eventually moved things on, breaking Piedt’s resistance with a rising delivery and Morkel lbw without scoring for his third wicket of the day and figures of 4 for 86.

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England outclassed Bermuda by ten wickets after knocking them over for 55 at the Royal Selangor Club in Kuala Lumpur. Chasing 56 was never going to pose much of a problem, with James Taylor striking an unbeaten 43 which included eight fours.Bermuda were in self-destruct mode from the moment they chose to bat, losing their first four wickets to the new-ball combination of Steven Finn and James Harris. The two snared two wickets apiece as Bermuda slumped to 29 for 4.Christopher Douglas (21) was the only Bermuda batsman to reach double figures as they folded in 28.5 overs. Eight of the batsmen couldn’t even reach 5 and it was only thanks to the 11 extras that the total passed 50. Liam Dawson, the left-arm spinner, took three wickets and was duly rewarded with the Man-of-the-Match award.
Scorecard
Australia exposed Nepal’s batting frailties by bowling them out for 110 on course to their 107-run win at the University Sains Malaysia ground. Nepal’s bowlers had done a good job by restricting Australia to 206 before their batsmen crumbled during the run-chase.Nepal’s pursuit got off to an inauspicious start when Mahesh Chhetri was run out by Phillip Hughes and they soon collapsed to 36 for 4 when the right-arm fast bowler James Pattinson prised three wickets. Clive Rose, the left-arm spinner, then took the next three: he had Rom Shreshtha and Sagar Khadka caught by the captain Micheal Hill, before trapping Antim Thapa lbw. Rahul Vishwakarma had some fun out in the middle, smashing a six and three fours to remain unbeaten on 33, before Steven Smith removed the tail-enders with his legspin.Australia had made a solid start, with Hughes and Kirk Pascoe putting on 62 for the first wicket, but the tide turned in Nepal’s favour once Pascoe was bowled by Shrestha. Hill showed aggressive intent, striking a six and a four, but he tried one shot too many against Shrestha.Once Hughes, who was guiding Australia’s innings, was stumped off the bowling of Vishwakarma, Nepal pulled things back. Australia’s middle order all got starts but they could not capitalise on them. Michael Cranmer scored 32 and James Faulkner made 22 before Khadka ripped through the tail to finish with four.
Plucky knocks from Usman Salahuddin and Ali Asad helped Pakistan recover from a perilous 28 for 4 before the bowlers completed the fightback against New Zealand by rounding off a 27-run win.New Zealand’s medium-pacers seemed to have justified their captain’s decision to field, restricting Pakistan to 156 in 47.1 overs. Tim Southee and Trent Boult, the opening bowlers, shared four wickets between them before Anurag Verma picked up two towards the end.However Pakistan’s bowlers were up to the task, reducing New Zealand to 51 for 4 in the 23rd over. Harry Boam led the chase with a patient 38 and his partnership with Greg Morgan took them closer but legspinner Ahmed Shehzad grabbed three wickets to hasten the end.

David Williams, the former West Indies wicketkeeper who is currently coaching Trinidad and Tobago, has said he would have preferred a home-grown coach for the national side rather than John Dyson, an Australian recently hired for the position.”[If they had chosen] any other West Indian coach, I would not be disappointed, but I would have preferred a West Indian,” Williams, who also applied for the job, said. “But the [selectors] have a job to do, and they decided to go foreign again.”Williams had applied for the coach’s job following Bennett King’s exit after the World Cup and he assisted intermediate coach David Moore during the ICC World Twenty20 in South Africa. Former West Indies players Eldine Baptiste, Ottis Gibson and even Williams’ former T&T and West Indies team-mate Phil Simmons were rumoured to be interested in the job.The West Indies Cricket Board have not employed a coach from the region since the former West Indies batsman Gus Logie was in charge. He was replaced by King following the team’s Champions Trophy success in 2004.When asked why a foreign coach seems so attractive to the WICB, Williams said a trend has developed where international teams are favouring Australian coaches.”I don’t know if West Indies are following that trend. The last time they tried that [with King], and it didn’t work out. I don’t know if his [Dyson’s] style will fit into our culture. I guess we’ll just have to wait and see how it turns out. When they chose King, things were going well [for a while] until all broke loose.”Dyson’s first assignment with the side is likely to be West Indies’ tour of South Africa in December.

According to Tapan Chowdhury, Bangladesh’s Sports Advisor, the national cricket board will be restructured once a new chairman is named. Recent reports indicated that the Bangladesh Cricket Board’s (BCB’s) next president, whose identity is yet to be confirmed, will be announced upon his arrival in the capital next week.In regards to these reports, former BCB general secretary Syed Ashraful Haq told ,”It is no magic figure, but the number of members would be between nine to 13. I have asked him to keep it to around ten, as it is with the International Cricket Council or Asian Cricket Council but it is up to him.”He did not comment on who the new BCB boss would be.Haq, also the ACC chief executive, recently came to Dhaka for a meeting with Chowdhury. “We only talked about cricket. I told him about my ideas and how I see the board evolving into a more professional and a lot more accountable body,” he said. “There should be people who will not be holding honorary posts rather there should be people who will be paid for their job. That is what we basically talked about.”According to Haq, Chowdhury preferred 12 to 13 members on the new committee. “I did not discuss any names with him but whoever they are, must have cricketing background, both internationally as well as in the domestic front,” he said. “I gave him my views on how it should be structured, to be more specific. It should be structured like it is in a big cricket organisation so that we can compete with them in that regard too.”Haq believed the BCB should operate around a business plan, with an executive board, but felt that it also needed to have representatives from not just Dhaka, but exterior cities and towns, such as Chittagong, Khulna, Rajshahi, Barisal and Sylhet.He was also critical of the current board’s handling of domestic cricket.”In the next few years, the BCB will receive an astronomical amount of money from the ICC so it would not be wise for someone with an honorary post to handle that much because that person would not have any accountability,” he said. “A general secretary cannot exist when there is a CEO. But here, the CEO should be someone with some cricketing knowledge because he represents Bangladesh in the important ICC meetings. But for that matter, if you keep both, then I don’t think it makes any sense.”

England women have departed Heathrow to head to Australia in a bid to defend their Ashes title. The four-day match, which will be played at The Bradman Oval, starts on February 15.The team will also play a five-match ODI series, including games at the MCG and the SCG and a Twenty20 game at the MCG. After their tour of Australia, the players head to New Zealand for a five-match ODI series, with all games played at the Bert Sutcliffe Oval at Lincoln University.”We’re all really looking forward to it,” Edwards said. “We’ve all been working hard over the winter. It’s going to be a tough tour as both Australia and New Zealand are two of the best sides in world cricket, but we’re taking a young talented squad with lots of potential, and we’re fully prepared for it.”England certainly are a young squad: they are taking just three players who took part in the last Ashes on Australian soil: Edwards, Claire Taylor and Lydia Greenway.The side will arrive having not played an outdoor match since last September, although they will link up with five players who have been playing grade, and in Jenny Gunn’s case state, cricket.A standby player and first batting reserve, Ebony Rainford-Brent, has also made arrangements to head out to Australia, with Surrey paying for her flight, and she arrives on Tuesday in South Australia. She will play grade cricket for Port Adelaide, Karen Rolton and Emma Sampson’s team, and will be match-ready should England need her.

Sydney, by all accounts a city bubbling with life, has recently been associated with the dead Test. Visiting teams usually come here for the final Test, with the series gone. Don Bradman has a stand named after him in the SCG, as do other legends like Bill O’Reilly and Monty Noble, but there is reason enough to build a new one named Pride. Normally that’s the only thing left to play for once the teams land here.A large section of the bucket-seats are painted green but white would be more appropriate, considering how often Australia have applied the whitewash at this venue. England were left pale last year (5-0), Pakistan in 2005 (3-0), Zimbabwe in 2003 (2-0), South Africa in 2002 (3-0), West Indies in 2001 (5-0) and India in 2000 (3-0). It’s 13 years since Australia lost a ‘live’ Test here. This is the theatre where dead horses are flogged.Things are different this time. India are down but far from out and couldn’t have chosen a better ground to begin their fightback. Their eight previous Tests at the SCG have included four draws and a win and the surface is usually one that assists spin. There’s talk of this being a more lively pitch but the curator, Tom Parker, said it would be a sporting track that “changes as the game goes along”. Rain, which is forecast, could play a part too.India thrived on the pitch that was laid out in 2004. They amassed 705, built on a towering 241 not out from Sachin Tendulkar and a magical 178 from VVS Laxman. Tendulkar will also have fond memories of his 148 back in 1991-92, an innings which Richie Benaud called the best he had seen in Australia. There was a bit to cheer in 2000 too, when the then prime minister John Howard thanked Laxman for making his day.”When you come to foreign venues and do well, it has a bearing on what happens later,” Ricky Ponting said of India’s previous heroics here. “They scored 700-something last time but it’s a fresh game. They are capable of doing that but our plans and execution need to ensure they don’t. Take the MCG away and they’ve made a truckload of runs against Pakistan. Everyone has a bad Test. They’re an ultra-talented batting line-up.”It’s that ultra-talented bunch who may be currently giving Anil Kumble some sleepless nights. So often has the word “suffocated” been uttered in press conferences that you would think they were playing in a gas chamber. “Uptight” was how Kumble described them and wished for a more fluent display here. He’s asked them to stay away from practise and try to unwind instead.”Some people feel the more you are seen on the field, the better prepared you are,” Kumble said. “I’m someone who has played this game and understand what it takes. It’s about switching off, forgetting what’s happened in the past. One hit in the middle won’t make you a good player. It’s all in the mind at this level. So it’s important that we’re tuned in after the break.”The uncertainty surrounding Zaheer Khan meant that there was no way Kumble could reveal the playing XI. Zaheer’s niggling landing-heel problem cropped up during practice and made him a doubtful starter. He went to a local Sydney hospital for an MRI scan and the team management was awaiting results before taking a final decision. He missed the third and final Test against Pakistan recently with the same injury. If he’s ruled out, Irfan Pathan is likely to play.One batsman who had a bigger break than the rest was Virender Sehwag, but though he was one of the three batsmen to pad up first, he was eventually left out of the 13. It had been exactly a year since he figured in a Test and the temptation could have been to push him in to disturb the Australian bowlers’ rhythm. But with Sehwag left out and the decision to open with Rahul Dravid not a success in Melbourne, it could be Yuvraj Singh that misses out as India re-jig the combination. In that case, Pathan could even be asked to open the batting.Sachin Tendulkar was forced to practice indoors because of an allergy picked up in Melbourne. “He did so [practice indoors] because he wanted to make sure that he doesn’t aggravate it out in the sun,” said MV Sridhar, the media manager, talking to . “He should be absolutely fine by evening. We don’t expect him to face any discomfort when he turns out in the second Test.”Australia have no such problems. They will play the same XI and are in sight of equalling their record for the most Test wins on the trot. They’ve won eight of the last 10 Tests in Sydney and possess a bowling attack that’s growing in confidence with every hour.Ponting is talking of “600 contests they need to win in a day” and Mitchell Johnson has been practising his wrist position using a ball that’s partly white and partly red. The pitch might have something in it for the faster bowlers and both Stuart Clark and Brett Lee are local boys who would know the conditions. India need to pull out something special to inject some life into this series. Otherwise Sydney could be witness to some funereal scenes after all.Teams
Australia 1 Phil Jaques, 2 Matthew Hayden, 3 Ricky Ponting (capt), 4 Michael Hussey, 5 Michael Clarke, 6 Andrew Symonds, 7 Adam Gilchrist (wk), 8 Brad Hogg, 9 Brett Lee, 10 Mitchell Johnson, 11 Stuart Clark.India (likely) 1 Wasim Jaffer, 2 Rahul Dravid, 3 VVS Laxman, 4 Sachin Tendulkar, 5 Sourav Ganguly, 6 Yuvraj Singh, 7 Mahendra Singh Dhoni (wk), 8 Anil Kumble (capt), 9 Harbhajan Singh, 10 Zaheer Khan/Irfan Pathan, 11 RP Singh.

Cricket South Africa has agreed to a request from the team management that all members of the Test squad preparing for the tour of India should be rested for the semi-finals and final of the MTN Domestic Championship. The semi-finals are to be played this Friday and Sunday, with the final next Wednesday (March 19).Exceptions will be made in the cases of JP Duminy and Charl Langeveldt as neither has played any Test cricket this summer. The same applies to Makhaya Ntini, who has only played in a limited number of ODIs this season, and Ashwell Prince, who is not a member of the ODI squad. Contracted players who have not been chosen for the India series will all be available for their franchises.In effect, this means that both Ntini and Robin Peterson, who is not a contracted player and has only played one Test in 2007-08, can turn out for the Warriors in Friday’s MTN semi-final against the Eagles at St. George’s.The Cape Cobras will be able to call up Prince, Duminy, Langeveldt and Herschelle Gibbs for their semi-final against the Titans at SuperSport Park, while the Titans will have Andre Nel and Albie Morkel at their disposal.