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The Indian Cricket League (ICL) has sent a legal notice to Pakistan batsman Mohammad Yousuf for cancelling his contract. A top official with the ICL has said that action had to be taken after several unsuccessful attempts to get in touch with Yousuf to seek clarifications regarding certain statements made by him and the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) over the recent weeks.”We can confirm that we have indeed sent out a notice to Yousuf,” Ashish Kaul, executive president of the ICL, told Cricinfo. “We have been trying to reach out to him and sent out three reminders to discuss some crucial issues after the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) clarified recently that Yousuf will not play in the ICL and make himself available for Pakistan.”Yousuf had reversed his decision to commit to the ICL following a meeting with PCB chairman Nasim Ashraf. With the board adopting a tough stance on all players who’ve signed up for the ICL, Yousuf signed a central contract with the PCB and made himself available for Pakistan. He subsequently signed up for the Indian Premier League (IPL), a franchise tournament launched by the Indian board which has already roped in several international stars.Yousuf had explained his withdrawal from the ICL by stating that he wasn’t aware of a certain clause which says that priority had to be given to the league instead of Pakistan when international matches are happening simultaneously. Responding to this, Kaul said that there was no such clause, and that if a clash of dates were to occur, the ICL would have accomodated it. Kaul said that efforts had been made to get in touch with Yousuf and clarify such comments.The inaugural season of the ICL – a Twenty20 tournament – is set to begin in November, though the schedule is yet to be announced. Players who’ve already signed up have undergone a beginner’s camp in Chennai and an advanced camp is set to begin as well.”We are likely to announce the schedule, details of the teams and the team colours in a week’s time,” Kaul said. “The details of the venue of the advanced camp will be announced soon as well.”Kaul added that no new players have signed up over recent weeks, and denied reports that New Zealand’s Craig McMillan was one of those approached.

Paul Collingwood has given England an injury concern ahead of the first Test against New Zealand after suffering stiffness in his back and soreness in his right shoulder following Durham’s Championship defeat against Lancashire at Old Trafford.He is due to have an injection in his shoulder and an ECB statement said: “He will be assessed again over the next 48 hours.”The problem is in the same shoulder that Collingwood injured during the one-day series against Sri Lanka last October. He landed heavily as he tried to take a caught and bowled chance during the third ODI in Dambulla and required an injection. Although he continued playing, he didn’t bowl in the final match of that series.He again suffered discomfort during the New Zealand tour and needed another injection so any recurrence will cause a few worries in the England camp. His batting form this season has been poor with 32 runs in five innings, culminating in scores of 3 and 2 against Lancashire where he was dismissed by England team-mates James Anderson and Andrew Flintoff.Wicketkeeper Tim Ambrose wasn’t able to take up his position for Warwickshire in their Championship match against Derbyshire after waking up with a stiff neck. However, the move to keep him off the field was precautionary with the Test six days and he underwent massage treatment.

Shaun Tait, who took an indefinite break from the game, is feeling refreshed and planning to return without worrying about how fast he bowls. Tait, 25, walked away following his unsuccessful return to the Test team in January, citing physical and emotional exhaustion.”In the last two weeks I’ve started to feel like myself again,” he said after being named in the Australian Cricketers’ Association FR Cup team of the year. “I’m thinking about cricket more and thinking about playing cricket again. It’s a good sign.”The one big thing I have learnt about myself is I do enjoy cricket. It is a part of my life and will be a part of my life for the future.”Tait told the he was “feeling normal again”. “For a long time before I made the decision and then after, especially, I just didn’t feel normal,” he said. “It was all surreal in a way. It’s a hard thing to explain. You just don’t feel yourself.”After being picked for his third Test, against India in Perth, Tait went wicket-less and had a sore hamstring, which followed a long recovery from elbow surgery. “Obviously there’s a lot of stress on the body,” he said. “It started to affect me mentally as well.”I just wasn’t enjoying playing cricket. Even when I was back playing for the Redbacks I wasn’t enjoying it. I was just going through the motions for the sake of it. I was thinking everyone else is busting their guts except for me and I’m just not even feeling like playing when I’m playing for my country.”Australia’s next domestic season begins in October and at the moment it looks like Tait will be part of it with South Australia. He has not set a return date but when he comes back he will have a different approach. “I’m not going to worry about the speed gun as much as I used to,” he said.”I’m my own worst enemy. Everyone talks it up. Everyone looks at me for one reason. That I can bowl fast and that’s it. I’m going to work on other parts of my game as well.”Tait has also received advice from Brett Lee. “His trick was bowling better lines and just worrying about being a mature bowler rather than trying to be the fastest bowler of all time.”

Mickey Arthur, South Africa’s coach, has filed a counter-charge against board president Norman Arendse after a heated exchange between the two and in response to disciplinary charges filed against him with regard to a selection dispute over the squad for the tour to Bangladesh.”Yes, there is animosity between us,” Arthur told . “I told him he was power-crazy and egotistical but I never swore at him.”I’ve taken him on about this team. The transformation policy that Arendse wants to be applied does not exist. He is out of bounds. I told him he was not a selector and should keep his nose out of team selections. I can say now that he regularly sends back teams,” Arthur said, while not elaborating when such incidents took place.”Unfortunately I felt I had no choice but to do likewise [file a counter-charge],” Arthur told Reuters. “The president accused me of all sorts of things apart from failing, or even refusing to implement CSA’s (Cricket South Africa’s) transformation policies. That is simply untrue.”Arthur’s comments come in the wake of his argument with Arendse in a second teleconference yesterday to sort out the team’s selection. Arendse, in the first discussion on Tuesday, reportedly refused to approve the the squad chosen by the six-man selection committee, of which Arthur is a member, as it contained less than seven coloured players.”What’s his problem? We have a good, established team and with the exception of one match we have fielded four black players in every Test this season,” said Arthur. “I don’t know where he gets the idea that there should be seven black players in the touring team.”Arendse alleged that Arthur had behaved in a “disrespectful” and “abusive” manner in the meeting, and had laid disciplinary charges against him and indicated that CSA policy about team selection was not followed. “If a coach says, ‘There’s no transformation policy’ [among selectors], if he says, ‘Sorry, I’m not prepared to implement CSA’s policies’, then his position is untenable.”Arthur, however, had a different take on it. “The president’s implication would appear to be that I prefer to select white players over black players, which is deeply insulting and hurtful,” he said. “[Coloured players like] Hashim Amla, Charl Langeveldt and JP Duminy have all established themselves in the national squad in my time as coach while Ashwell Prince became the country’s first black captain.”Arthur also said he had received an “insulting” email from Arendse, over which he had obtained legal advice.Meanwhile, Gerald Majola, the CSA chief executive, said the dispute between the two would be handled internally as per the board’s human resources procedures. “CSA has formal HR procedures, and this matter will be dealt with in this forum and a statement will be issued at the appropriate time.”It is regretted that these disputes have been aired in the public domain, particularly on the eve of an important touring season for the Proteas.”

Former West Indies batsman Desmond Haynes wants a regional cricket academy to be set up in order to get West Indies cricket back up the ladder.Speaking at the “Rebuilding West Indies Glory” Sports Desk Symposium in St Anne’s, Haynes said, “Too much money is being spent by the West Indies Cricket Board by bringing in these coaches from outside, when we in the Caribbean can do a better job. If I had to make a choice, I don’t think I would appoint a coach of the West Indies team.”Let me tell you, as a former player, that when you reach the West Indies senior-team level, it is very hard to change a player. I think that the WICB should concentrate on cricket at the youth level and mould these players into winners.”I am saying that a cricket academy in the West Indies is very crucial to our success. The former great players might not want to travel with the team day in and day out but they may want to still assist the players. Remember, these guys have families and they would have travelled a lot during their playing days. Now they may not want to continue that but more importantly, I think that they will be better served at the academy than being around the Test team for just a few days before a match.”Haynes, 52, believes former players can add value to an academy by conducting clinics. “What can be done is that the WICB sets up an academy and allows former players to come in and host clinics in the different disciplines. This would work well and will be of tremendous help to the young players.””With the technology available to us right now, the coaches can sit at the academy and view videos of the players during their net sessions and matches and make recommendations to them. You don’t have to be on the spot to make a change.”Haynes added that a number of mini-academies should be set up in each territory for the younger players before they move on to the major academy.Deryck Murray, the president of the Trinidad and Tobago Cricket Board and former West Indies wicketkeeper, believes the only way West Indies cricket can move forward is for officials to stop fooling themselves into believing that the team is in a rebuilding phase.Speaking at the same symposium, Murray said, “If we win a Test match in 2008 and people say that we have started the rebuilding process, then this is a disgrace to all the players who have worn the maroon cap before. We have a world record for a team in the rebuilding phase. We have been rebuilding for 15 years and the process still continues. The only time we would rebuild West Indies cricket is when we stop fooling ourselves and start doing the things that would take our cricket back up the ladder.”Another foolish thing some people say is that we would be back to winning ways because we have players with talent. Well, I have news for them, and that is, every country has talent and this means nothing if the talent is not turned into progress.”We in the Caribbean are always looking for the easy way out and this is doing us no good. What is needed at this time is for fans in the Caribbean to pressurise all stakeholders to ensure that they do the right things to initiate the rebuilding process.”Murray said the only way West Indies could start winning again was for the players to instill a measure of pride in their cricket.

The Twenty20 internationals Ashley Noffke and Luke Pomersbach return to their state teams on Friday after making useful contributions in the victory over New Zealand on Tuesday. Noffke, who picked up 3 for 18 in the 54-run win, will play for Queensland in the Pura Cup match against New South Wales at the Gabba as they try to get off the bottom of the table.The Bulls have only four points from five matches and will look to Noffke to provide more strong performances after an outstanding season. Ryan Broad, the opener who has recovered from a side strain, comes into the Queensland unit at the expense of Nick Kruger.Western Australia welcome back Pomersbach from suspension and his eventful Twenty20 performance – he scored 15 after being called-up when Brad Hodge was injured shortly before play. His inclusion came with a phonecall when he arrived at the WACA carpark, but he has two days to get used to playing for his state after being banned last month for heavy drinking.Pomersbach is one of a string of changes to the Warriors for the fixture with South Australia in Perth on Friday. They have lost Adam Gilchrist, Brad Hogg and Michael Hussey to international duty while Ben Edmondson has picked up a side strain and Sean Ervine has been dropped. Luke Ronchi, Aaron Heal, Brett Dorey and Theo Doropoulos join Pomersbach in the outfit.The injured Andy Delmont and Graham Manou travelled to Perth as part of South Australia’s 13-man squad, which also includes Daniel Christian, who is in line to make his first-class debut. Christian has performed strongly for the Redbacks in the one-day format since moving from New South Wales.Queensland squad Shane Watson, Ryan Broad, Clinton Perren, Jimmy Maher (capt), Aaron Nye, Chris Simpson, Ashley Noffke, Chris Hartley (wk), Daniel Doran, Michael Kasprowicz, Grant Sullivan, Chris Swan.New South Wales squad Greg Mail, Phil Jaques, Simon Katich (capt), Dominic Thornely, Phillip Hughes, Peter Forrest, Daniel Smith (wk), Grant Lambert, Beau Casson, Doug Bollinger, Stuart Clark, Matthew Nicholson.Western Australia squad Chris Rogers, Justin Langer, Adam Voges (capt), Shaun Marsh, Luke Ronchi, Luke Pomersbach, Theo Doropoulos, Darren Wates, Aaron Heal, Mathew Inness, Steve Magoffin, Brett Dorey.South Australia squad Matthew Elliott, Daniel Harris, Mark Cosgrove, Daniel Christian, Callum Ferguson, Nathan Adcock (capt), Shane Deitz, Andy Delmont, Graham Manou (wk), Jason Gillespie, Dan Cullen, Ryan Harris, Paul Rofe.

Don’t feel so bad. Save your anguish for much worse that is yet to come.Given what West Indies cricket has been through in the past decade, defeats to South Africa and Bangladesh in two three-hour vupping sessions are no real cause for any additional weeping and wailing, unless you’re one of those who believes that success or failure in the ICC World Twenty20 is an indicator of anything meaningful in the longer versions of the game.If cricket’s latest and most popular hybrid is your bowl of , and lifting the new trophy after the final on September 24 would have soothed all the aches and pains of previous disappointments, go right ahead and bawl for murder.Test cricket too boring? One-day internationals too long? Cool. Should this abbreviated variety carry all your hopes and aspirations for a return to those increasingly distant years of Caribbean glory, then the mournful demeanour following elimination in the first round of the tournament in South Africa is fully justified. However, if you dare to entertain the radical notion that an obsession with the Twenty20 game will actually bury us even further down the pit of cricketing irrelevance, then there should be the realisation, in appreciating all of this in a wider context, that the two losses in three days at the Wanderers are merely symptoms of an incurable malaise.This bigger picture is only relevant if Test cricket is still accepted as the highest form of the game, a standard at which greatness is truly measured and a level to which all young players should aspire. If not, there’s no point reading any further, because what follows is an attempt to put the damaging consequences of the sport’s version of instant gratification within the sobering realities of a West Indian context.In the first place, we must appreciate that the vast majority of our current crop of cricketers lack the maturity to be able to adapt to the significantly different demands of the increasing varieties of the game. We lack the mental strength to concentrate for long periods, and as such, seem far more competitive the shorter the contest is.Yet even in the narrow confines of 50 overs-per-side, or now the 20-over version, we remain blighted by inconsistency: incomparably brilliant one day, woefully inadequate the next. Whereas every catch was held and every fielder fired in his returns over the top of the stumps in Nottingham in the finale to the England tour two months ago, the same players struggled often to fulfil the very basics of cricket in Johannesburg yesterday and last Tuesday.Chris Gayle was at his most spectacular in the tournament opener, but only the hopelessly naive would have been thrown into despair at the sight of the opening batsman walking back to the pavilion within the first over less than 48 hours later. All of the ingredients that contribute to consistency are critically deficient. There is brilliance, no question. But like the fireworks around the ground on that first night, they glow spectacularly for only a brief moment.With one or two exceptions, there aren’t too many boring old light bulbs around, the kind that glow continuously. Not always eye-catching, but almost always switched on to the context of the moment. Apologists may wish to tolerate this period as just a phase or a cycle, or use some other description which ties in the implication that it is only a matter of time before the good times start rolling again.

Yet more and more, the grim realisation takes hold that we are living in West Indies cricket’s Dark Age, not because of what happened yesterday or two days earlier, but because the social circumstances in the Caribbean that produce players and administrators of the current variety will not be reformed for at least another generation.But wouldn’t the fun and excitement of Twenty20 give us cause to smile? Only if we can see no further than the next towering six or the next bunch of dancing girls and boys that accompanies the white ball’s disappearance beyond the boundary. Batsmen who already suffer from a flawed temperament will only become more heavily addicted to measuring the worth of an innings by sixes, fours and strike-rates. Bowlers incapable of following one good spell with another will now see the sum total of their contribution to the game as 24 balls, barring wides and no-balls. Conversely, fielding should be much sharper, but only if players are able to cope with the concentrated pressure that the shorter forms of the game impose. Recent evidence is not encouraging.All of this analysis becomes irrelevant, however, if the men in the middle, and their assortment of minders and ego-protectors, fail to acknowledge that radical treatment is necessary to, at the very least, slow the spread of the cancer.Ricky Ponting accused his players and himself of playing diabolical cricket and not respecting the game in the aftermath of Australia’s shock defeat to Zimbabwe on Wednesday. Such strong words, though, are too insulting and demeaning for our proud, sensitive West Indian ears. “Learning experience” is as offensive as we are prepared to go.If we are so fundamentally insecure and lack the honesty and integrity to acknowledge the shameful reality of what lies before us, then we should accept that the last 12 years were just a prelude of what is to come.Thank goodness it’s only a game.

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