Duncan Fletcher, England’s coach, has insisted that Michael Vaughan’s fateis in his own hands as he continues to recuperate after the knee injuryhe suffered while batting at Bagh-e-Jinnah in Lahore last week. Vaughan,who missed England’s defeat in the first Test at Multan, was put throughhis paces in the nets at Faisalabad today, leaving Fletcher trusting inhis captain’s professionalism.”If he wants to play he can play,” Fletcher told reporters at the teamhotel in Faisalabad. “We can’t be absolutely confident, because he’s had thisknee problem before, but he’s got to live with it. He gave himself a goodtest today which was good to see, but we’ll be keen to monitor it over thenext couple of days.”Much as England would want their captain to return to shore up a brittlemiddle-order, the news that Marcus Trescothick will be staying with thetour, and not returning home to attend to a family incident, couldpersuade the England thinktank to take a more prudent approach.Trescothick’s father-in-law fell off a ladder and sustained serious headinjuries earlier this week, but his condition is now said to be stable.”From our point of view, Marcus is a world-class player who averages over40 and is batting as well as he ever has, so it’s great news he’s stayingon,” said Fletcher. “Having lost Simon Jones [before the tour began], tomiss another quality player would have been a big problem.”If there were any concerns that Trescothick would not be able to focus onthe job at hand, then Fletcher brushed them aside. “He got the news whileplaying [in the first Test], and it didn’t seem to affect him. It was moreserious at that time and it would have been a shock to him. But he wentout, captained the side very well, kept the energy levels up, and it neverlooked a problem. Hopefully he can adjust to that when this Test starts.”England could do without such speculation about two of their key players,as they look to regroup after their shock defeat in the first Test.Fletcher refused to speculate on the balance of the side until he had hada proper look at the wicket – which at present is covered in grassclippings to prevent any cracks appearing too soon – but he commended hissquad’s intensity during their first practice session since the Multandefeat.As to that disastrous final morning, in which England lost their last ninewickets for 111, Fletcher conceded: “We probably needed a little morepatience, because the opposition were allowed to bowl well for a period oftime. But it’s a fine line. We don’t want to become too patient and getbogged down, because our players are instinctive players to some degree.”But you’ve got to be a little careful,” Fletcher added. “The thing aboutTest cricket is that you can play well for four days then get into troublein just one hour. You’ve got to make sure you focus for every session offive days. But they’ve all done it before, and all our players work fortheir runs. It’s just a matter of reading the situation and playing thatsituation.”Of England’s middle-order, Kevin Pietersen – with a highest score of 19 insix innings on tour – is the man under the most scrutiny, but Fletcherbacked him to come good soon enough. “You could say he was a bit of aworry before the Oval Test, but then he got a big hundred. It’s only beenone Test. We expect him to get runs in this Test match, because he’s thetype of player who can hit a rich run of form.”As to whether England could bounce back with victory in their next Test,as they have done in every one of their four previous Test defeats of theVaughan era, Fletcher was guarded. “I’m confident but that’s noguarantee,” he said. “We’ve started well and finished badly, we’ve startedbadly and finished well, we’ve started well and finished well, and we’vestarted badly and finished badly. We’ve been right through them all, sofrom our point of view we’ve done it before, and we hope we’ll do itagain.”

Mickey Arthur, the South Africa coach, expects the “attritional” Test series to continue on day three but is confident his side can post a formidable first-innings target through the unbeaten Herschelle Gibbs and Jacques Kallis. After cutting Australia to 9 for 248 and then watching them run away through Michael Hussey in the first session, the tourists produced a solid batting display to reduce the deficit to 186 with half-centuries to Gibbs and AB de Villiers.Arthur was content with the way his side recovered from the 107-run 10th-wicket partnership from Hussey and Glenn McGrath, but he predicted the match’s crucial hour would occur on the third morning. “It’s going to be a day of attrition from both sides where if nothing happens we’ll have [Shane] Warne bowling around the wicket,” he said. “It’s going to be a tough old day. The game is evenly poised and the first session will be crucial.”Kallis, who dropped a regulation slips catch when Hussey was 27, feels he owes the team for the miss and his chance for redemption will come tomorrow when he resumes on 17 with Gibbs. “We’ve still got a few batsmen left but Kallis is the wall and we can build around him,” Arthur said. “Gibbs scores so we are looking for a really big partnership from them. It’s going to be a day of absorbing the pressure first up because Australia will hit us quite hard. We want to absorb it and then put in on Australia.”Catching was again South Africa’s main concern – ten chances have been floored in the two Tests, including Andre Nel dropping Ricky Ponting on 17 yesterday – and Arthur said he might have placed too much emphasis on it during training. “Three have been must-haves but the rest have been one-handed diving efforts,” he said. “The catching has been disappointing but we bowled well and batted beautifully today.”Hussey accepted his life and added a further 95 to punish the lapse with McGrath. He did not contemplate his third Test century until he was in the nineties and he was thankful for the contribution of McGrath’s 11 as Australia reached 355. “If we can get a couple of wickets early it will be good and I think it will be a difficult pitch to bat last on,” Hussey said. “It’s going to be a great Test and we’re just in front at the moment.”

Virender Sehwag’s remarkable double-century against Pakistan at Lahore this week was not sufficient to lift him up from seventh position in the latest LG ICC Player Rankings. Ordinarily, an innings of 254 from 247 balls would have sent Sehwag surging up the list, but such was the torpid nature of the Gadaffi Stadium pitch that his efforts barely registered.In five days just eight wickets fell while 1089 runs were scored, even with men of the stature of Shoaib Akhtar and Danish Kaneria in the Pakistan attack. Five other batsmen scored centuries, including Sehwag’s opening partner and captain, Rahul Dravid, who climbed two places to joint-fourth with Australia’s Matthew Hayden.Inzamam-ul-Haq was a rare failure, making just 1, and has slipped down to sixth. But his middle-order colleagues Younis Khan and Mohammad Yousuf have both made gains after their scores of 199 and 173 respectively. Yousuf is ninth and Younis tenth, with career-best ratings for each of them.Further down the list, Shahid Afridi’s blitzkrieg batting on the second day has moved him up five places to joint 39th, while Kamran Akmal, whose 81-ball century was the fastest by a wicketkeeper in Test history, is up to 52nd spot. Both players have career-best hauls of rating points.There were five bowlers from among the world’s top 20 on show in Lahore and unsurprisingly, all of them lost rating points. Irfan Pathan has dropped out of the top ten, slipping two places to 12th position, but India are still represented in that top ten by Anil Kumble, down one spot to ninth place. Pakistan’s representatives are Shoaib Akhtar, unchanged in fourth, and Danish Kaneria, down one position to 14th.For the complete rankings click here

Shane Watson has been rushed into Australia’s one-day side for the tour of South Africa as the selectors continue to experiment ahead of the 2007 World Cup. Watson, who required surgery after partially dislocating his shoulder in the first Test against West Indies, returned for Queensland only last month, but he has been included instead of his state team-mate James Hopes for the five-match series starting on February 26.The withdrawal of Glenn McGrath, who will stay with his sick wife Jane, was not a surprise and neither was the omission of Brett Dorey, who struggled for impact during his VB Series opportunities. However, Trevor Hohns’s panel has gambled with Mitchell Johnson in the 14-man outfit ahead of internationally proven bowlers such as Michael Kasprowicz and Jason Gillespie.”We have picked what we consider a well-balanced squad,” Hohns said. “There is a good blend of youth and experience in the team for what promises to be a challenging series.”Johnson was a last-game selection for the Chappell-Hadlee Series in December and was also in the squad for the Twenty20 International against South Africa. A left-arm fast bowler, Johnson has 18 wickets at 30.05 in the Pura Cup and eight at 48.75 in the ING competition for Queensland this summer. “Mitchell gets another opportunity in Australian colours,” Hohns said. “He bowls with good pace and we’re keen to see what he has to offer at international level.”McGrath has delayed making a decision on whether he will play in the three-Test series next month and Hohns said they would discuss the situation over the next two weeks. The tour opens with a Twenty20 match at Johannesburg on February 24.Australia squad Adam Gilchrist (wk), Simon Katich, Ricky Ponting (capt), Damien Martyn, Andrew Symonds, Michael Clarke, Michael Hussey, Shane Watson, Brad Hogg, Brett Lee, Nathan Bracken, Stuart Clark, Mick Lewis, Mitchell Johnson.

The euphoria surrounding Bermuda’s qualification for the 2007 World Cup is fast disappearing, and three defeats (by six wickets, seven wickets, and 46 runs) in as many matches on the tour to United Arab Emirates has highlighted how far they have to progress before the tournament.While there was no underestimating the difficulties of facing UAE away from home, there is no doubting the disappointment of the performances. They follow on from losses in both ODIs against Namibia last October, and questions are now being asked about the quality of the side.The local media has been quick to lambaste the team. The Royal Gazette said that there was “little evidence of some our better players pulling their weight when it really mattered. Janeiro Tucker apart, there have been a succession of capitulations from players who have the ability to perform at international level but seemingly not the mental toughness.”The scale of the setbacks against UAE is underlined by the fact that they fielded not one player who had taken part in the ICC Champions Trophy in Ireland last July.With two matches remaining, there is still time for Bermuda to salvage something from the tour.

Scorecard
How they were out

A 93-run opening stand between Wasim Jaffer and Gautam Gambhir gave India the advantage at stumps on day one after Munaf Patel’s 5 for 59 had dismissed the England XI for 238 at the IPCL Stadium in Vadodara. Cutting, driving, glancing – and edging, on occasion – the dominating duo capped a good day’s performance for the home side.Matthew Hoggard banged it in and Gambhir flayed him over gully; Steve Harmison followed suit and Jaffer uppercut him for four. Then he sprayed it down leg, and was glanced fine for another four; pitched up, the same bowler was driven coolly through mid-wicket. At the other end, Gambhir eased Hoggard through the covers for another boundary, and the Indians were on their way. Andrew Flintoff was introduced in the 12th over and Jaffer greeted him with two back-foot cuts for four. It was hot, yes, and England’s bowlers were not at their peak, but that takes nothing away from Gambhir and Jaffer. Occasionally there was lift and late movement, but both batsmen knew where to draw the line between aggression and recklessness.Ian Blackwell, bowling from the Media End, snapped their solid partnership by trapping Jaffer leg before off the last ball of the day, but the platform for a thrilling day’s play tomorrow had been set.If their batting was aggressive, then the Indian bowling throughout the day was inspiring.The moment that got the smattering of a crowd on their feet – and broke the backbone of England’s resistance – was Munaf’s spell after tea. Following a series of productive stands, England had fought back from early setbacks, but Munaf produced two beauties late in the day to dismiss Geraint Jones (46) and Matthew Hoggard off successive deliveries. Jones, cleaned up by a full, swinging delivery that nipped back just a tad, was almost brought to his knees as the bowler raised his arms in triumph. Hoggard, pushing forward to an identical delivery first-ball up, looked back to see his stumps flattened to the first raucous cry from the sparse audience at the ground. Following these strikes, the hardworking Shib Paul removed Liam Plunkett (37) before Munaf castled Steve Harmison to signal the end of England’s innings.Munaf’s aggressive display was synonymous with the Board President XI’s bowling efforts in the first session. He, Vikram Singh and Paul vindicated their captain’s decision to bowl first on a green wicket by stifling England from the get-go. Vikram, bowling with control and good pace and setting the tone for England’s indiscretions, put the pressure on Marcus Trescothick (18) to take an unnecessary third run and run himself out. Paul was rewarded for a tight line with the wicket of Ian Bell (17), edging to second slip, while Andrew Strauss (23) – who cut a poor figure during 51 painful minutes at the crease – chopped a full delivery from Munaf right onto his stumps to signal a dreadful start for the tourists. And just when England needed their biggest star to see off the fast bowlers and produce a thriller, Andrew Flintoff (1) prodded the tamest of drives straight to mid-off off Munaf.From 78 for 4 at lunch, England were given a good fightback with a series of crucial partnerships. Jones, the most resolute of the Englishmen, was involved in two key stands, first with Kevin Pietersen, then with Blackwell (34), with whom he added 59. Pietersen’s enterprising 47 from 57 included 22 runs from a Vikram over to launch England’s brave reply, but it was cut short due to cramps in the lower back. If there was a puacity of runs for the England batsmen in the first session, Jones dug his heels in to play an innings that, while entirely unattractive, offered much-needed defiance. At times made to jump and sway away from a rising delivery, he settled in to produce some good shots; a pull over square leg made way for a square cut over point, and Jones was on his way.Snapping this association was the wily Ramesh Powar, who did well to maintain India’s advantage. While keen to go after him, the loss of early wickets meant that any further carelessness on England’s part could not be afforded. Sensing this, Powar teased the batsmen, mixing his deliveries and landing the ball in the sweet spots, and a crucial contest began to unfold. He cut and missed on more than one occasion, but just when Blackwell was getting into the stride of things – he slog-swept Powar, lofted him back past his head and then lapped another four past the wicketkeeper in the space of five deliveries – he prodded forward to a floater and was snapped up by Venugopal Rao at slip.To compound England’s woes, Jaffer and Gambhir came to the fore with a sensible display of batting. England’s capitulation earlier in the day was in sharp contrast to the confidence of the Indian duo at the end of the day. Where England faltered against an inexperienced bowling attack short of stars, India’s opening duo showed that they were up to the task against a formidable, Ashes-winning combination. The signs, ahead of the first Test on March 1, appear quite positive for the hosts.How they were outIndian Board President’s XI
Wasim Jaffer lbw b Blackwell 48 (93 for 1)
England XI
Marcus Trescothick run out (Jadhav) 18 (24 for 1)
Outside edge to third man, caught short on the third run by a good throwIan Bell c Jaffer b Paul 17 (62 for 2)
Andrew Strauss b Munaf 23 (64 for 3)
Andrew Flintoff c Vikram Singh b Munaf 1 (72 for 4)
Ian Blackwell c Venugopal Rao b Powar 34 (182 for 5)
Geraint Jones b Munaf 46 (232 for 6)
Matthew Hoggard b Munaf 0 (232 for 7)
Liam Plunkett c Jaffer b Paul 37 (234 for 8)

Steve Harmison b Munaf 4 (238 for 9)

Scorecard

Rajin Saleh’s maiden one-day international century powered Bangladesh to a whitewash of their series against Kenya. A commanding stand of 175 with Habibul Bashar hurried them across the line with more than eight overs to spare, despite the loss of three early wickets. Steve Tikolo had earlier provided the ballast for Kenya with an assertive 81 as they posted their highest total of the series.However, Bangladesh have become more convincing as the four matches have progressed and really strutted their stuff during the run chase. Saleh took his time in the early stages, a situation forced on him by some loose shots from the top order. But he ensured the required rate never spiralled out of control and started to impose himself after 15 overs of consolidation.Bashar had not reached a half-century for 20 ODI innings, so the chase was at a crucial juncture when he joined Saleh in the 14th over. Bangladesh’s two leading strokemakers, Mohammad Ashraful and Aftab Ahmed, had played their shots too early and another quick strike would have left Kenya poised for a face-saving victory. Bashar, though, worked the ball around and with Saleh finding the boundary the Kenyans began to loose their sparkle.As the result became a formality the main interest revolved around whether Saleh would be able to reach his ton. Bashar gave the strike to his partner and Saleh crossed the milestone shortly before the winning mark. It was only the third ODI century by a Bangladesh batsman, and another important mark of their steady improvement over recent months.The Bangladesh opening bowlers handed them the advantage as they made the most of early movement after Kenya chose to bat. Runs were coming at less than two-an-over when David Obuya was trapped plumb in front by Mashrafe Mortaza, who had deserved the success after repeatedly beating the batsmen with the new ball.Tikolo realised that he firstly needed to repair the early damage, but was still quick to latch onto anything off line, twice threading Syed Rasel to the boundary in the same over. Modi was the ideal foil and the pair produced the most significant stand of the innings – 95 in 20 overs. Bangladesh were struggling to make an impression on the experienced pair and Tikolo was just beginning to put his foot in the accelerator when Mohammad Rafique again proved his importance to the team.Rafique sealed Bangladesh’s victory in the third ODI, and here removed both key batsmen. Tikolo was disappointed to be dispatched lbw on the front foot, but replays suggested his stride wasn’t as confident as it first appeared and the ball was heading towards middle and leg.The middle order stuttered and at 164 for 6 the hardwork of Modi and Tikolo was being frittered away. Collins Obuya and Tony Suji played sensibly to add 54 off 40 balls as Kenya crossed the 200-mark. However, despite a promising start from the bowlers, it proved nowhere near enough to trouble Bangladesh, who will have gained important confidence from their impressive performances.

Cardiff will play host to their first-ever Test match when Australia next visit England in 2009, after being elevated to Category A status by an ECB review committee.Sophia Gardens, which recently unveiled a major project to overhaul the venue, will now join Lord’s, The Oval, Edgbaston and Headingley in hosting the lucrative Ashes Tests. Old Trafford, where 10,000 people were turned away on the final morning of last summer’s third Test, and Trent Bridge, the venue of England’s decisive three-wicket victory in the same campaign, both miss out.The decision was made by the ECB’s Major Match Group, chaired by Sir William Morris OJ, who said: “We congratulate Cardiff on joining the list of Category A (Test match) venues. We also express our gratitude for the support which the Glamorgan Club has received from the Welsh Assembly and Cardiff City Council for their development plans.””This is an historic day for cricket in Wales,” said Paul Russell, the chairman of Glamorgan. “The award of an npower Ashes Test Match will build on the Welsh Assembly’s exciting programme for the development of tourism through sport. The development of Sophia Gardens will transform the venue into a modern, world-class stadium and help Glamorgan Cricket enthuse a new generation of cricket players.”Glamorgan’s captain, Robert Croft, was thrilled by the decision. “I know that this news will provide cricket in Wales, and Glamorgan in particular, with a massive boost. I can still remember the day I made my debut as a full England Test cricketer. I know that throughout Wales this will inspire young cricketers to join Simon Jones and become the Test cricketers of the future.”In recent years, Cardiff has become a focal point for British sport, with the grand Millennium Stadium playing host to the Rugby World Cup final in 1999, as well countless football finals ever since the redevelopment of Wembley got underway. The Ryder Cup in 2010 has also been scheduled for the city, although an Ashes Test would arguably top the lot.The decision still has to be ratified, however, by Cardiff City council, for the redevelopment plans have met with some opposition from local pressure groups. Back in October, Russell threatened to relocate Glamorgan’s stadium to a new development outside of the city, if the plans were not approved.

Sophia Gardens has been Glamorgan’s home since 1967, in which time it has hosted five one-day internationals, the first being New Zealand’s shock victory against Australia in the 1999 World Cup. The most famous match was another Australian upset, which bodes well for 2009, when Bangladesh turned them over in the NatWest Series last summer. This year, Cardiff plays host to its first England match, against Pakistan in August.The MMG also unveiled the Test match allocations for the 2007 and 2008 seasons. Chester-le-Street in Durham, which hosted its first Test last summer and was also in the running for the Ashes match, has been awarded a Test against West Indies next summer, which drew a muted reaction from the club’s chairman, Clive Leach.”Although ours was the second highest bid, on this occasion we were unsuccessful,” he said. “Both ourselves and Cardiff were prepared to pay significantly more to the ECB than those grounds on long-term staging agreements, who were not required to bid as part of this allocation process.””Obviously we are hugely disappointed at the outcome of the decision,” added David Harker, the chief executive. “We will look forward to welcoming the West Indies to the Riverside in 2007 and demonstrating to a global audience our ability to successfully host major Test Matches at the Riverside.”Jim Cumbes, Lancashire’s chief executive, was also philosophical about Old Trafford missing out on the Ashes. “Congratulations to Cardiff and good luck to them, but it is a big blow to Lancashire and to the North-West which is a hot-bed of cricket. Having said that, we did not have an Ashes Test in 2001 and we bounced back from that. We can do it again.”Forthcoming Test schedule2007
West Indies Chester-le-Street, Headingley, Lord’s and Old Trafford
India The Oval, Lord’s and Trent Bridge2008
New Zealand Lord’s, Old Trafford and Trent Bridge
South Africa The Oval, Edgbaston, Headingley and Lord’s2009
Zimbabwe Lord’s and tbc
Australia The Oval, Cardiff, Edgbaston, Headingley and Lord’s

Shoaib Malik may well be opening in the Test series against England this summer but he doesn’t seem unduly concerned about taking on the best pace attack in the game in a still unfamiliar role.”I have no problems with opening. Basically I want to play for Pakistan and any position I don’t really care. I have been asked to open and I am happy to do it. If I have to do it in England I will do,” Malik told Cricinfo. Though his career as opener has experienced an uncertain start, there were signs, after a match-saving maiden Test hundred against Muttiah Muralitharan and others in Colombo, that he might be getting used to the role. “I guess I am more comfortable doing it now. That century was really special and more so because it saved the Test. Muralitharan is always a test but just as bad was the heat.”With that century, Malik now averages 42.60 (higher than his career average) from seven Tests and 11 innings as opener; the record includes two half-centuries as well, against India and the West Indies. Malik’s promotion to Test opener was the Pakistan management’s much-debated solution to one of the oldest ailments in Pakistan cricket – the lack of a solid opening pair. Though he made his first appearance as opener against West Indies last year, he was only installed as a semi-permanent choice in the last home season.In three Tests against England, he helped Pakistan – with Salman Butt – to three fifty-plus partnerships though he failed to go beyond 39. As Pakistan now visit England, in vastly different conditions, they will hope for more from Malik. “Opening there will be a different experience but we will have to get used to it during the practice matches, get used to the pitches, the weather, the swing. I’m not sure the county experience I’ve had (with Gloucestershire) will be that relevant.”Although he hasn’t fully recovered from elbow surgery, he has begun light training at the conditioning camp. “I haven’t started batting or bowling yet. That will have to wait another eight days or so, but my elbow is pretty much fine now.”There is little doubt he will play, but whether he continues to do so as an opener is still uncertain. Rameez Raja, a former Pakistan opener, told Cricinfo recently that though Malik was a gifted player, “he might struggle as opener in English conditions.” The view is backed up, though not in such absolutist terms, by Wasim Bari, chairman of the national selection committee.Bari told Cricinfo, “He is a very talented player and extremely versatile. And though he can switch positions in ODIs – he is also an excellent fielder and good spinner – in Tests, I feel it is more advisable to have specialist openers. I don’t know if the experiment with him will work long-term. You need specialists in that position.”Bari’s selection committee has, of course, been criticised for not being patient enough with specialists such as Salman Butt, Taufeeq Umar and Imran Farhat though the former wicketkeeper defended the changes, pointing to Pakistan’s impressive recent successes. “People keep talking about openers but look at the results we have had. Pakistan has won three Test series in a row against good opposition which is a good record. Opening is a problem area yes, but there are others as well, such as poor fielding and running between the wickets. All these areas need to be looked at too.”Whether Malik continues to open or not, Bari admits, is ultimately up to the captain and coach but if he doesn’t, Pakistan can still choose one combination from three left-handed openers for the series. Farhat, Butt and Umar have all been included in the list of probables – the latter two making a comeback into the team after time out of it – but Bari doesn’t seem entirely convinced by any of them.”This game is all about confidence and when we dropped Butt, he just didn’t have any confidence. Ideally a break from the game when you’re low on confidence will do you good. We did the same with Mohammad Sami; if you play a player when they are low, they are likely to suffer more.”Taufeeq looks good other than when he is playing in Tests. The pressure seems to affect him in Tests and it is all about pressure. But hopefully he can prove himself. Basically, there’s very little difference between the players. Whoever is more confident at the time needs to be picked.”

Sachin Tendulkar should be fit for a triangular one-day international series in Sri Lanka in August, according to Andrew Leipus, India’s former physio.Leipus is currently monitoring Tendulkar’s recovery from a shoulder injury, and he said that while it was not possible to put an exact date on when he will be fit again, he said that progress was good and that a comeback in the one-day series in August was not out of the question.”He has a few more weeks to go before he is 100% fit,” Leipus told Zee Sport. “He actually recovered very, very well considering what he had done to the shoulder. It’s hard to give an exact date but I think he’ll be ready for the Sri Lankan series.”We have a lot of media attention given to this player,” he added. “But we must not forget that this person is a human being. So if we put all the factors together – his age, the amount of cricket he has played and the amount of cricket that is played these days – there is bound to be some wear and tear.”