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Sourav Ganguly will miss the second Test against Pakistan at Lahore, after it was decided by the team management to fly him back to India for further investigation of his back injury.Ganguly hurt himself diving in the outfield trying to stop an Inzamam-ul-Haq drive during the final one-day match at Lahore, and despite Andrew Leipus – the team physio – having worked with him over the past few days, there was no visible improvement in his condition.”The MRI was clear, but he is still experiencing back spasms,” said Ratnakar Shetty, the team manager. “We have therefore decided to send him back to India. He will fly to Kolkata on April 1, where he will consult with a doctor who has treated him before.”Shetty went on to add that the management were going to ask the Indian Board to send Mohammad Kaif as a replacement. “There is a gap of ten days before the final Test,” he said, “and we hope he [Ganguly] will be fit for that.”Kaif is expected to reach Lahore on April 2. In Ganguly’s absence, Rahul Dravid will continue to lead the side.

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 Australia has decided Stuart MacGill will gain more from fitness work than match practice after ruling him out of New South Wales’ Pura Cup game with Victoria on Friday. MacGill, who struggled during the second Test against Sri Lanka, is battling a knee injury and has a month to prove he is capable of facing India on Boxing Day.MacGill will spend the next two weeks working on the problem and the New South Wales management will consider him for the match against Queensland starting on December 14, leaving him with only one game to show he is ready. Brett Lee has also been handed a four-day rest after winning the Man-of-the-Series prize in the Sri Lanka series, but he will play in the FR Cup fixture against the Bushrangers on Wednesday.While Lee’s workload is being managed ahead of a hectic international summer, Stuart Clark was chosen in both squads. Phil Jaques, who registered back-to-back centuries against Sri Lanka, was due to appear in each match but withdrew from the FR Cup contest with an ear infection. Michael Clarke will miss the limited-overs fixture but will appear in the Pura Cup after batting only twice during the Test series.Victoria have named a 12-man FR Cup squad with Shane Harwood returning from a groin injury and Bryce McGain also included. The pair has replaced Cameron White, who had surgery on Monday to have a pin inserted in the broken bone in his foot, and Gerard Denton, who has an ankle niggle.Victoria FR Cup squad Michael Klinger, Aiden Blizzard, Brad Hodge (capt), David Hussey, Robert Quiney, Andrew McDonald, Adam Crosthwaite (wk), John Hastings, Shane Harwood, Bryce McGain, Dirk Nannes, Allan Wise.New South Wales FR Cup squad Phillip Hughes, Ed Cowan, Simon Katich (capt), Peter Forrest, Dominic Thornely, Brad Haddin (wk), Moises Henriques, Nathan Hauritz, Brett Lee, Nathan Bracken, Stuart Clark, Doug Bollinger.New South Wales Pura Cup squad Phil Jaques, Peter Forrest, Simon Katich (capt), Michael Clarke, Dominic Thornely, Brad Haddin (wk), Grant Lambert, Matthew Nicholson, Nathan Bracken, Beau Casson, Stuart Clark, Doug Bollinger.

The inaugural ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier, which will take place in Belfast at the start of August, is the highlight of the Associates schedule for 2008 which was announced by the ICC today.The three-day Qualifier will feature the six leading Associates – Bermuda, Canada, Ireland, Kenya, the Netherlands and Scotland – with the winners going through to the ICC World Twenty20 in England in 2009. The two successful teams will also stand to gain US$250,000 each for qualifying.”The inaugural ICC World Twenty20 in South Africa was a great success with two Associate teams – Kenya and Scotland – qualifying through the ICC World Cricket League Division 1,” Matthew Kennedy, the ICC global development manager, said. “This event gives the top six Associates the opportunity to qualify for the 2009 World Twenty20 … [and] will also give cricket fans in Ireland a great opportunity to see some thrilling cricket in this, the shortest and newest form of the international game.””The Irish board is excited at the prospect of hosting this inaugural Associate World Twenty20 on home soil in Stormont,” Warren Deutrom, the CEO of the board, said. “Three games a day for three days in this highly popular form of the game will surely attract the interest of the Irish public.”All leading Associates have busy schedules with high-profile matches against Full Member countries the cherry on the cake. “This schedule of matches for the top Associates has been developed and refined over the past six months,” Richard Done, the ICC’s high performance manager, said. “It provides a challenging programme for each of the teams as they seek to improve their overall standing in world cricket and to continue the process of making themselves consistently competitive when facing the next tier.”Having been through an extensive consultation process this schedule has the full support and agreement of each of the participating countries.”The calendar will be closely examined by players from the Associates. An increasing number have been voicing concern about the increasing demands on their time and some have withdrawn from matches or even retired because they have been unable to balance work with playing for their countries.

South Africa have announced their World Cup squad for the forthcoming tournament in March and April in South Africa. Alison Hodgkinson retains the captaincy and, as expected, their rising star, the 15-year-old Johmari Logtenberg, also earns a place.There are three changes to the 16-player squad who played two warm-up matches against Under-17 boys’ sides at the weekend. Hanri Strydom, Yulande van der Merwe, Sunette Viljoen did not make the final squad, while Tamara Reeves – omitted from the warm-up squad – has been drafted in, and Susan Benade has been placed on standby for Magdaleen Terblanche, whose participation is subject to her passing a fitness test before 01 March 2005.South Africa reached the semi-final in the last World Cup in New Zealand in 2000 and lost their last ODI home series 4-1 to England but, as hosts, they will fancy themselves as lively outsiders behind Australia and the holders New Zealand.Their coach, Stephen Jones, was upbeat about South Africa’s chances. “No doubt home advantage will play a factor,” Jones told a media conference on Monday. “We know the wickets, and on tour you have to take other factors into account: food and water and so on. One good thing is that we’ve not got the huge expectations of the men’s side. There are 15000 in the ground, but hopefully, we’ll have only 10000!””Hopefully we’ll have 14 stars, but any cricket team a nucleus of four or five, six players. We have that nucleus, can compete with anyone,” he added.He expected Logtenberg to play another starring role. Logtenberg, who plays for Kwa-Zulu Natal, burst on to the international scene in 2003 when, aged 14, she struck 74 on her Test debut against England. Her one-day form is pretty good, too. She has hit scores of 61, 67 and 76 in her first eight matches.”She’s a young girl, but hugely talented,” Jones said. “The last thing I want to do is put any pressure on her, or expectation. But if she can play and have a lot of fun and enjoyment, at 25 you still have to enjoy the game, never mind at 15.””I have no doubt she will have a really good tournament – but I can’t say that South Africa relies just on Logtenberg. She is one of the team but, if looked after by the rest of them, then no doubt she will have a good tournament.”Louise Vorster, the president of SAWCA, was in equally positive mood. “Although the players are relatively young it is a well balanced squad,” she said. “They have prepared well and spent time together over the last three months. We are confident that Stephen Jones and the squad will do our nation proud during their campaign.”Squad Alison Hodgkinson (capt), Cri-Zelda Brits, Lonelle de Beer, Shandre Fritz, Ashlyn Kilowan, Johmari Logtenberg, Nolubabalo Ndzundzu, Shafeeqa Pillay, Alicia Smith, Tamara Reeves, Angelique Taai, Claire Terblanche, Daleen Terblanche, Charlize van der Westhuizen.

England hearts were made to flutter a little before they completed their expected victory over Namibia in the World Cup Group A match at Port Elizabeth. Set 273 to win, Namibia looked as though they might get there at the halfway stage, thanks to an innings of power and substance from Jan-Berry Burger. Once he had gone England’s attack reasserted itself to complete a 55-run win.James Anderson made England’s first breakthrough in the fourth over as Stephan Swanepoel pushed a full-length delivery on his leg stump straight to Michael Vaughan at mid-wicket. It heralded a double Burger partnership for Namibia, as Louis joined Jan-Berry (JB).Andrew Caddick, out of sorts to begin with, gradually settled, but the gathering clouds posed an additional threat to England in the early overs. He had JB missed by Matthew Hoggard at square leg before being carted through cover after the let-off. But the replacement of Anderson with Andrew Flintoff undid Louis, who returned a high, looping catch to the bowler as he essayed an ugly, not to say agricultural heave.JB Burger took a fortuitous boundary over Stewart’s head shortly before England lost Ian Blackwell, who had to go off with a back spasm. Burger reached an excellent 50 with another resounding square cut, and treated Craig White with the utmost severity in the Yorkshireman’s first over, pummelling four more through extra cover. Another straight drive went through Flintoff, White was hoisted over long-on and there was a jitter or two in the England camp at the halfway mark.White made a vital breakthrough to end Burger’s innings, which had graduated from the spirited to the downright ominous. Burger had made 85 at a run a ball (10 fours, one six) when he got the top of the bat on to a square cut for Collingwood to take a fine catch running round from backward point.The third-wicket partnership between Burger and Keulder ended just three short of three figures, and England could breathe again. Keulder’s valuable supporting knock ended when he was run out, beaten by Marcus Trescothick’s throw as he attempted a second. Snyman went first ball, bowled off stump by a White inswinger.The clatter of wickets virtually becalmed Namibia, and Ronnie Irani struck when Gavin Murgatroyd, straight after piercing the off-side boundary, was comprehensively bowled making room for another. Deon Kotze fell likewise, having an unsightly smear at Flintoff.Sarel Burger was taken by Collingwood, again at backward point. Irani was on a hat-trick after Bjorn Kotze, almost creasebound, fell lbw, and although Rudi Van Vuuren denied Irani, the writing was on the wall. Melt Van Schoor kept him company as they batted out their innings, and it ended with a straight six from Van Vuuren, emphasising Namibia’s spirit.Half centuries from Alec Stewart and Trescothick at the outset formed the basis for England’s total of 272. Stewart was standing in as captain after Nasser Hussain was forced to pull out of the game with a stiff neck.After a shaky start – he was almost caught behind off a long hop from Van Vuuren in the second over – Trescothick tucked into Gerrie Snyman with relish, taking four and six through mid-off and square leg,Nick Knight took his first boundary with a pull through mid-wicket, but was dismissed trying to repeat the shot in the next over, pulling a ball of indifferent length to Louis Burger, who held a fine catch tumbling to his right.Michael Vaughan had barely tuned up, with consecutive boundaries through extra cover and deep backward square off Snyman, before he departed as tamely as Knight, pulling Van Vuuren to the same fielder at mid-wicket.Stewart’s first boundary was emphatic, clubbed wide of mid-on, and the second no less so, straight in the same over, and Kotze had gone for 24 off three, and duly made way for his captain, Deon, who was more economical.England’s hundred came up off 133 balls, but the introduction of JB Burger proved too tempting a meal for Trescothick, who after successive boundaries down the ground looped a catch to another Burger, Louis, at backward square leg attempting another. Stewart also was eventually consumed by over-confidence. Shortly after reaching his fifty with a disdainful, flat six over wide mid-on off Deon Kotze, he holed out to Bjorn Kotze as he tried to hoist him over square leg.Flintoff drove Sarel Burger with characteristic aplomb for a crushing straight six, and hoisted England’s 200 with another before Collingwood, after a steady 38, drove Snyman low to Daniel Keulder in the covers. Flintoff followed in the same over, again taken in the covers as an attempted push to leg took the leading edge.White was within a cat’s whisker of being run out attempting a second run, and then almost caught as England sailed close to the wind in the closing stages. Another full toss appeared to have accounted for Blackwell, but umpire Simon Taufel had called a no ball with only three fielders (rather than the minimum four) inside the circle.Blackwell had made 16 by the time he fell to a legitimate delivery from Snyman, caught behind trying to force through the covers. With little time to make an impression Irani swung lustily to the boards at mid-wicket, before JB Burger missed a steepler off White at long-off.White was eventually taken at long-on in the final over for a robust 35 off 29 balls, and Irani, another long-on boundary to the good, hit another high catch to cover. Van Vuuren ended England’s innings with his fifth wicket, castling Caddick with a solitary boundary to his name.England now have eight points, with their three toughest matches – against Pakistan, India and Australia – still to come.

Former Guyana and West Indies spin bowling legend, Lance Gibbs, has been contracted by the West Indies Cricket Board to be the technical advisor at a five-day camp for orthodox spin bowlers (sometimes called finger spinners) in the Caribbean, starting next Monday here.Cricket fans will remember that Gibbs once held the world record for most Test wickets (309) and was the first spin bowler to pass 300 wickets in Test match cricket."The aim of the camp is to provide some of the region’s most promising orthodox bowlers with the fundamentals of a good bowling action and to examine and analyse techniques of effective spin bowling," remarked Dr. Michael Seepersaud, chief cricket development officer of the WICB."It also continues our programme of involving outstanding former players more and more in the development of our cricket. We believe that greats like Lance and Andy Roberts, who recently conducted a training camp for our fast bowlers, has much to offer and you will see more of this."Another former West Indies off-spin bowler, Clyde Butts, who holds the record for the most wickets in the West Indies first-class championship, will be the coach at the camp, where the young spin bowlers will cover a number of critical areas that have been identified by Gibbs. They include:

– the grip,- run-up and delivery,- effective use of height and body,- detecting and exploiting errors of batsmen,- field setting strategies,- flight, loop and spin, and- improving the spinner’s armory.

"We have targetted a number of promising spin bowlers, but a few had prior territorial commitments and could not make the camp," Dr. Seepersaud said."The camp has been timed to coincide with the beginning of the West Indies first-class championship and it is hoped that a number of these bowlers will be given an opportunity during the Championship to expose their talent."Even if this opportunity is not available now, they would have learnt from the best and would have acquired skills that will serve them well in the future."Dr. Seepersaud noted there was another strategic reason for the camp. He revealed the idea for the camp came out of a casual analysis of the weaknesses of the Australian team arriving in the Caribbean in April for a series of four Tests and seven limited-overs internationals."We noticed that as far back as the 1950s, the former great England off-spinner Jim Laker was effective against the Aussies and then the wiles of Lance troubled them in the 1960s and Harbhajan Singh destroyed them recently in India," Dr. Seepersaud said."We thought, therefore, that this was a good opportunity to provide our promising finger spinners with the skills and techniques that would improve their efficiency and effectiveness and, hopefully, enhance their chances for selection."Camp invitees are:1. Ryan Austin (Barbados)
2. Kevin Bazil (Guyana)
3. Chaka Hodge (Leeward Islands)
4. Lorenzo Ingram (Jamaica)
5. Amit Jaggernauth (Trinidad & Tobago)
6. Larry Joseph (Leeward Islands)
7. Philip Keating (Jamaica)
8. Dwayne Leverock (Bermuda)
9. Zaheer Mohammed (Guyana)
10. Orson Nurse (Leeward Islands)
11. Anderson Sealy (Barbados)
12. Shane Shillingford (Windward Islands)
13. Wayne Simpson (Jamaica)
14. Jason Smith (Barbados)
15. Rodney Sooklal (Trinidad & Tobago)

What is it like to be in the dressing room with the cream of Indian cricket?
It’s fantastic to be here because it is a carry-over from the Challenger series. It’s great just to be a part of the dressing-room with all these guys. You pick up a lot of small things just talking cricket.But the experience can’t possibly make up for the fact you’re not in the playing XI…
Obviously it is very disappointing not to be part of the XI. But you have to shrug off your disappointment and do the job at hand. Sometimes you have to field for a few overs when someone’s injured, and you try to do that as well as you can.And you might have some good advice for your team. After all, some of the opponents in the Mumbai team are your close friends…
These guys are my close friends off the field, but none of that matters on the field. I would always go up to the captain and offer my suggestions if the opportunity came up. But then Sourav (Ganguly) has been the captain of the Indian team for so long now, what am I going to tell him?There’s been a huge furore about your selection. What do you have to say about that?
I haven’t selected myself, so what can I tell you? The selectors obviously thought I was good enough and they’ve picked me. I’ve nothing to say about the furore that’s been caused. It’s got nothing to do with me, to be honest.Has the Gavaskar surname actually been a negative thing for you? More disadvantages than advantages, perhaps?
My father worked very hard to earn the name he has got. I’ll never consider it a disadvantage or something that puts pressure on me. I’m very proud of the last name I have. I wake up every morning feeling proud of what he’s done and what he’s achieved.How often do you speak to your father about cricket?
I speak to my dad quite often. Whenever I have a problem with my game I speak to him. If I have a technical problem, or am getting out in similar fashion more often than I should, then I discuss it with him. We try to analyse what mistakes I’m making and try to sort things out.Do you sometimes think it might have been a bad idea to take to cricket?
No, it’s fantastic. I play the game because I love the game. It’s given me a great deal. I’ve made so many close friends in the game. Ajit Agarkar and Kiran Powar are practically family now. I wouldn’t have known a lot of these people if not for cricket, and that would have been a tragedy. The game’s given me a lot of happy memories and some sad ones, but the happy ones definitely outlast the unhappiness.You did get some time out in the middle today, with a lot of players needing breaks because of the heat and humidity…
I started the day on the field and ended the day on the field, but really, that’s no solace.

Nothing is simple where Pakistan team matters are concerned, and their side for the second Test against New Zealand at Wellington (starting on Friday) is no exception.Early reports indicated that Shoaib Akhtar could be fit for the match. He missed the Hamilton Test because of a hamstring injury, but it was said that he was on the mend and faced a late fitness test before a final decision.Inzamam-ul-Haq, Pakistan’s captain, pronounced Akhtar fit and ready to go, insisting the team doctor had given him the all-clear. But then Javed Miandad, the coach, clouded the waters by saying that the matter wasn’t that straightforward. “I can’t say at the moment but he’s working hard,” Miandad told bemused reporters. “We have to see … it depends how he goes.”What Miandad was sure about was that New Zealand’s defensive tactics in the field were somewhat mystifying. “In my opinion, when you are defending 563 you have to attack more,” he said. “I feel the bowlers didn’t attack the stumps enough and they bowled a line just waiting for our batsmen to make a mistake and that was to our advantage. They didn’t try to make our batsmen play. Had that been my team, I would have said we must attack and make sure the other team didn’t make the follow-on.”Stephen Fleming explained that he believed the way New Zealand bat in the opening session of their innings could decide the outcome of the match. “No doubt about it, the first two hours we bat against them is going to be very important,” he said. “Shoaib hasn’t had a lot of overs so the more we deny them the better chance we’ve got of posting a big score again.”New Zealand made one change to their Test squad for the match. Richard Jones, the 12th man at Hamilton, was replaced by Paul Wiseman, the offspinner. Wiseman had been included in the squad of 13 named for the first Test, but was released to play State Championship cricket for Canterbury.New Zealand (from) 1 Mark Richardson, 2 Lou Vincent, 3 Stephen Fleming (capt), 4 Scott Styris, 5 Craig McMillan, 6 Chris Cairns, 7 Jacob Oram, 8 Robbie Hart (wk), 9 Daniel Vettori, 10 Paul Wiseman, 11 Daryl Tuffey, 12 Ian Butler.Pakistan (from) 1 Imran Farhat, 2 Taufeeq Umar, 3 Yasir Hameed, 4 Yousuf Youhana, 5 Inzamam-ul-Haq (capt), 6 Abdul Razzaq, 7 Moin Khan (wk), 8 Mohammad Sami, 9 Shabbir Ahmed, 10 Umar Gul, 11 Danish Kaneria, 12 Shoaib Akhtar.

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