The crisis surrounding the Board of Control for Cricket in India and the interim administrator has taken more turns over the last two days than the Test match at Bangalore. When S Mohan, the former supreme court justice appointed as the interim administrator in charge of administration of the BCCI, went to the Mumbai office of the board on Saturday, he found it closed, and was unable to take charge.Mohan is quoted by The Indian Express as saying, “Their intention seemed to be to keep me out.” However, one key development is that the BCCI had already moved the Supreme Court against the Madras High Court. This prompted Mohan to fax a letter from Mumbai to Radha Rangaswamy, the BCCI’s counsel in New Delhi, stating that she would have to take instructions from him, and not from any of the office-bearers who have been injuncted from functioning. Rangaswamy is not short of advisors – at least three former presidents of the board have been keenly involved in the developments of the last few days. Mohan is quoted as saying that the fax he sent should “put her on caution and as a responsible advocate she should act accordingly.”However, a point that may come into play in the fact that the BCCI has not actually received any official notice from the Madras High Court. When the BCCI filed their stay in the Supreme Court – sources indicate this happened approximately at 4pm on Friday – they had not received any communication from the Madras High Court.Mohan asserted yesterday that he did not intend to deal with the main cricketing matters, but was there to handle administration. He also said he would be informing all state associations about his appointment as interim administrator.

On his disappointment at getting out with a century in sight.
It was pretty hot and humid out there – it’s got to be up there with the hottest conditions I’ve ever played in – so there was a lot of fluid loss that I’d had to fight through. I’d done the hard part, so it was a bit disappointing to give it away. I guess I was caught a little in two minds, but then again, I was pleased to spend some time in the middle.On England’s early batting collapse.
It was a timely innings to a certain extent, as there was some extremely low bounce on occasions, and when that’s the case, clumps of wickets can fall at any time. But once you’re in it’s not so bad, as we proved with some useful partnerships between myself, Rikki [Clarke] and Gareth [Batty].Those conditions can be pretty exhausting. But that’s something we know we are going to face all over the world – here, in Sri Lanka, Pakistan, and Australia as well. But we’re trying to become a fitter cricket team, and if we do that, then we’ll be better prepared to cope.On keeping wicket in these conditions.
Well, I guess if you break 90 overs a day down into three sessions, then that’s not too bad – 15 overs an hour with the spinners operating as well, it isn’t a massive ask. I’m enjoying keeping to the spinners, in fact. I imagine that, come the Tests, a lot of overs are going to be bowled by Gareth and Ashley [Giles], and obviously when we’re batting we’ll see a lot of overs against us as well. It’s something we worked at, and it’s all part of the gameplan.On England’s tough fitness programme.
We tend to go to the gym every other day for weights sessions, and the pool is always there to improve your flexibility and to get your body temperature down. And then, of course, there are the ice baths … Nigel Stockill [the physiologist] has got us working hard. But we hope to be the best cricket team in the world by 2007, and as well as that, we hope to be the fittest. If we are the fittest, then we know we’re giving ourselves every chanceOn taking over the wicketkeeping duties from Alec Stewart.
Everyone knows that, whoever is to be the long-term replacement for Alec, he has to start making big runs straight away. Whether it’s at No. 6, 7 or 8, he has to be a focal allrounder – those are big shoes to fill. And from my point of view it’s going well so far. My aim in first-class cricket is to be as good as any top six batsman out there, but I’ve batted at 7 all my life and I feel comfortable there.I’ve only had two warm-up games, so it’s hard to tell whether I could be a No. 6 just yet. But I hope to develop my game to a point where, if the selectors ask me to bat at 6, I’ll be able to do a job. The Australian side sets all the standards at the moment, and with Adam Gilchrist averaging 50-plus at No. 7, I don’t think there’s any hurry to push me up the order. At the moment I aim to stay there and make big partnerships with the allrounders Flintoff, Clarke and Collingwood. That’s the structure of the side that we want.On his technique against the spinners.
My feet movement felt good today. That was something that was prevalent at the [ECB] academy. Rod Marsh had simple rules – if you can get down on your feet and take the guy on the full toss or half-volley, then do so. If not, then wait for him to drop short and then play him off the back foot, or just defend it.But with Duncan [Fletcher] there’s a very different way of playing spin, with his theories on sweeping and forward presses. These are the bits and bobs I’d like to incorporate into my game, because out here especially, the sweep is so important. You have to be quick on your feet and disrupt the bowler’s rhythm. I’ll let him talk you through it one day!

Former Test quick Paul Wilson had injury added to his costly insults when his jaw was broken in the Pura Cup cricket match between Western Australia and South Australia at the WACA today.The big West Australian, who moved from Adelaide last season, suffered the injury after failing to avoid a Mick Miller bouncer as South Australia seized control on the second day of the match.The incident happened soon after Wilson was fined half his match fee for abusive language towards SA batsman John Davison on the opening day.South Australia claimed first innings points after Western Australia managed a paltry 178 in reply to the visitors’ opening dig of 327.The Redbacks were 4-101 in their second innings, a lead of 250, with Mark Higgs (33no) and Mick Miller (13no) at the crease.Wilson’s forgettable match continued when he turned his head as Miller’s delivery struck him plum under the helmet grille.The No.11 fell to the pitch before retiring hurt and ending WA’s first innings.The former Redback was taken to hospital for X-rays, which found a hairline fracture to the left side of his jaw.He will not bowl for the rest of the match and a decision on whether to have a plate inserted was to be made tomorrow.To add to WA’s woes, Darren Wates was also carrying a side strain and wasn’t expected to bowl in the Redbacks’ second innings.The Warriors were forced to use part-timers Michael Hussey and Chris Rogers as their first and second change bowlers.South Australia’s second innings had started disastrously with openers David Fitzgerald (1) and Shane Deitz (4) both out before the score was in double figures.Greg Blewett (14) and Andy Flower (32) set about resurrecting the innings before allrounder Peter Worthington (2-28) produced an in-swinger which rattled Blewett’s stumps.Evergreen Jo Angel (2-32) grabbed the vital wicket of ex-Zimbabwe captain Flower just before stumps.Earlier in the day, the Warriors began their reply to SA in a hurry and opener Rogers (5) was soon heading back to the pavilion after quick Shaun Tait (4-61) sent a ball crashing through his defences.The innings skipped along to 66 before Paul Rofe (3-31) deceived Michael Hussey (20) and removed Marcus North (0) soon after.Goodwin had a life on 55 prior to lunch before Shaun Marsh (15) chopped a Tait delivery onto his stumps after the interval.Ryan Campbell’s (13) short stay ended quickly and Goodwin fell 11 runs short of a well-deserved century when his entertaining 92-ball knock ended on 89.The controversial former Zimbabwe Test batsman hit 16 fours before he bunted a ball to Higgs in gully off Miller’s (2-43) bowling.Worthington (1) did not add to the total while Wates (10) was Miller’s second scalp.Angel (5) became Tait’s fourth victim before Beau Casson (10no) ensured the visitors could not enforce the follow-on with a hesitantly taken single.

Ramnaresh Sarwan and 20-year-old offspinner Omari Banks have been drafted into the West Indies squad for the second Test against Australia in Trinidad starting on Saturday (April 19).If the recall of Sarwan, who has recovered from a fractured finger in his left hand, was not surprising, then the continued omission of Chris Gayle was. Gayle was left out of the squad for the Guyana Test after he opted to play in a double-wicket competition rather than the Carib Beer Series final. His continued exclusion indicates that despite comments to the contrary, he is still very much out of favour with the selectors.The 15-man party retains the entire squad chosen for the first Test, including the injured Ridley Jacobs. A decision will be taken on his fitness in the next 24 hours, although it seems extremely unlikely that he will recover from his groin strain in time to play. Jamaica’s 20-year-old Carlton Baugh is likely to be brought in for his Test debut.The inclusion of Banks is a reward for a solid first-class season in which he took 25 wickets at 36.40 and scored 270 runs at 33.75 for the Leeward Islands. He is the first cricketer from Anguilla to be picked for a senior West Indies side.West Indies squad Wavell Hinds, Devon Smith, Daren Ganga, Brian Lara (capt), Ramnaresh Sarwan, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Marlon Samuels, Ridley Jacobs/Carlton Baugh (wk), David Bernard, Omari Banks, Vasbert Drakes, Mervyn Dillon, Pedro Collins, Jermaine Lawson.

ScorecardBangladesh A’s bowlers staged a superb comeback against a young Kent side, reducing them to 40 for 6, before a late order rally boosted them to 123 for 8 by the close. Syed Rasel was the star with the ball, claiming for 5 for 35 after the Bangladesh batting had been undone by Martin Saggers, who returned 5 for 48 including Tushar Imran for a blazing 86.There was little sign of the wicket surge to follow when Bangladesh progressed to 62 for 1 after winning the toss but they soon slumped to 84 for 4. Tushar staged a recovery in partnership with Nazimuddin, the pair adding 75. Tushar stroked 16 fours in his 90-ball innings, before Saggers had him caught by the debutant Neil Dexter, and Nazimuddin was eventually caught off David Stiff.The tail did not offer much resistance and neither did Kent’s top order as Rasel and Shahadat Hossain caused problems with the new ball. Michael Carberry and Kevin Jones – another debutant – registered golden ducks and three figures was a long way off at 40 for 6.However, Saggers produced his best impersonation of an allrounder when he put bat-to-ball in a positive 37. Paul Dixey – a 17-year-old wicketkeeping making his first appearance – played a gusty supporting role with 24 before he was Rasel’s fifth wicket and Bangladesh will fancy their chances of a first innings lead.

Troy Cooley, the England bowling coach, believes James Anderson can play an important part on the winter tour of Pakistan, after rediscovering his form during a season of county action. Anderson was called up to the squad for the final Test against Australia and Cooley says the time away from the international scene has helped him.He told the Press Association: “Watching Jimmy perform this year has been fantastic. He’s gone back and basically done everything England and Duncan [Fletcher] have asked of him – and that’s to become a complete bowler.”Anderson claimed 60 wickets for Lancashire in the County Championship, following a dispiriting tour of South Africa last winter, as his performances suffered from a lack of regular cricket. His rapid move into the England team during the 2002-03 tour of Australia and the World Cup meant that this was his first full season for Lancashire.He followed his stunning start to one-day cricket with a five-wicket haul against Zimbabwe on Test debut. With England’s attack suffering from injuries he rapidly became the leader, but his form began to tail off during the 2003 summer. Then on the following winter tours to Sri Lanka and West Indies he lost his place and became a bit-part player in the Test team.But with Simon Jones currently rated as only 50-50 to recover from his ankle injury in time for the Pakistan tour, Cooley says that Anderson is ready to step back up to the side.”He’s taken 60 wickets and watching him at the Oval, you just saw something different,” he said. “He’s come back a better bowler and if people like Simon don’t make it he will be ready to take the challenge. He’s been on this stage before, he likes the stage so there is a little support there if one of the others don’t make it.”However, Cooley is still confident that Jones can play a part in Pakistan, where the reverse-swing that was developed over the summer will be a key weapon for England. “The doctors are working hard to help him now and let’s hope he’s fit and raring to go because he’ll suit those conditions nicely.””He’s not started bowling again yet. He’s being earmarked to bowl again in a week or so and hopefully he’ll be alright for that – it’s one step at a time for him.”Meanwhile, there are also growing concerns about the fitness of Chris Tremlett, the Hampshire fast bowler, who has ongoing knee problems. Tremlett has had three painkilling injections since May and did not appear happy towards the end of the season. He is currently visiting a specialist in Stoke to try and cure the problem before the tour departs.Tim Tremlett, his father and Hampshire’s director of cricket, says now is the best time to get it sorted: “He’s had the problem since May but now there is time to work properly in the gym to strengthen it. Our physio has been in touch with the ECB doctor, who knows what’s going on.”

Division One

Points TableRain saved Kent from defeat at Lord’s as they slid to 192 for 7 in their second innings against Middlesex, but the result almost ended their remaining hopes of winning the title. It also deprived Middlesex of a victory which would have given them a massive boost in their bid to avoid relegation.Surrey and Warwickshire, who both need points to secure their first-division status for another year, were frustrated as the first day of their match at Edgbaston was washed out.

Division Two

Points TableYorkshire’s promotion hopes were dented by the weather as only five overs were possible at Headingley against Worcestershire. Needing 203 to win, Yorkshire resumed on 89 for 2 and slogged 36 in that time, but bad light intervened and then rain ended any hopes of a resumption.Murali Kartik’s dream debut for Lancashire continued as he put Lancashire on top against Essex. Essex, in their second innings, lead by just 61 with four wickets remaining, with Kartik taking 4 for 28 to add to his five wickets in the first innings.Northamptonshire drew with Somerset as their match was abandoned shortly after lunch after downpours left the outfield soaked.There was no play at Grace Road in the match between Leicestershire and Derbyshire where Leicester will need to take 17 wickets on the last day.

Scorecard

Daren Powell opened West Indies’ tour of Australia by knocking back four of the Queensland top five before hobbling off with hip soreness in the tour match at Allan Border Field. The West Indians, who lost Wavell Hinds with a broken finger while fielding, suffered a mixed day that included reducing the home side, who boasted the Test players Matthew Hayden and Shane Watson, to 5 for 126 before letting them escape to 323 after Ryan Le Loux’s maiden first-class half-century.Queensland, who won the toss and batted in the four-day warm-up, fought back from the Powell-induced trouble with a committed lower-order push led by Le Loux, the legspinner who in partnership with Mitchell Johnson and Michael Kasprowicz added 108 for the final two wickets. West Indies were 0 for 13 when bad light stopped play five overs early.Powell was easily the best of the West Indian attack and caused early damage when he removed Hayden – he had already received a beamer from Tino Best and been dropped at square-leg – for 0 and came back either side of lunch to claim Martin Love, Watson and James Hopes. The Queensland lower order, with help from Andrew Symonds’s 55, then took advantage of a good batting pitch and some wayward bowling to post a respectable total.

Greg Chappell has praised the selectors for taking some brave decisionsbefore the series against Sri Lanka and said that the emphatic win was achieved due to theattitude, spirit and confidence that prevailed in the squad. Talking to Cricinfo before the last one-day international at Baroda, Chappell said that the team had been in need of reinvigoration and added that their tactical and strategic changes were successful because of the refreshingattitude of the new-look side.”The selectors showed a bit of courage going with a bit of youth for thisseries,” he said, “and I think they deserve credit for the couragein moving down that line because the team was really in need ofreinvigoration. And they took that calculated gamble and the players haverepaid them. We needed to change a few things and our tactics and strategiesneeded a good rethink. I think it would have been hard to do that with theold group. As a coach one thing that I do know is that you can’t teachanything to anyone who doesn’t want to be taught. If you’re not looking tolearn something, you’re really going to struggle. And the one thing aboutthese young guys is that they’re soaking up the information. They want toknow what more can we do to be better. And that attitude makes thecoach’s life much easier.”According to Chappell, the team hadn’t allowed Sri Lanka to play as well asthey could have and said that the youngsters should be judged by the mannerin which they went about their tasks. “Sri Lanka are still a formidable sidebut I think they’ve only played as well as we’ve allowed them to play. We’vebowled with discipline and persistence, fielded really well, battedpositively, built partnerships and continually put pressure on Sri Lanka. Idon’t think they were prepared for the reinvigorated team they came against.I’m not sure they are as bad as people are making out. I just think weoutplayed them and part of that was the way the young blokes went aboutdoing what they did.”He also felt that the spectacular success of promoting Irfan Pathanto No.3 in the batting order, during the opening game atNagpur, was a big factor in the outcome of the series. “The first gameprobably couldn’t have gone any better than it did,” Chappell said, “notleast of all in the choice of Irfan at No.3. We attacked the bowlers, theyweren’t expecting it, and they weren’t expecting Irfan to come in at No.3. Ithink that shook them a little bit. Then probably they might have spent sometime looking at tactics for Irfan at No. 3 and then [Mahendra Singh] Dhoni came in at No.3 inthe third game and was in fact even more successful. I think they struggledto recover from that and it gave our group a real shot in the arm.”Chappell also attributed much of India’s purple patch to Rahul Dravid’sinfluence, and thought that he’s done an impeccable job both as a batsman andas a captain. “Rahul took the job with gusto and he was obviously ready forit,” he said. “It was very important that it became his team. It wasn’t myteam but his team. I’ve said many times that the coach’s role is in helpingprepare the team and in working with the captain and supporting the captain.It’s the captain’s team and certainly on game days, he’s the most importantman. The support staff’s role is to take as much pressure off him during thepreparation period so that he’s got time to devote to developing his owngame and preparing himself properly. And the way he went about the lead-upto the first game, the way he captained the team in the first game and theway he played in that first game has had a huge impact on the team and ahuge impact on the result of this series.”Looking ahead to the five-match series against South Africa, starting onNovember 16 at Hyderabad, Chappell warned that it could be a hard-foughtseries. “We still have the home advantage but South Africa are a toughteam,” he said. “They don’t get beaten easily. The one thing they do is tofight hard and even when they’re down they’re dangerous. But if we can shockthem the same way we shocked Sri Lanka, there’s no reason we can’t push themback and make it hard for them to play to the best of their ability.”

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

Shoaib Akhtar and Danish Kaneria ripped England apart with two stunning spells on the final afternoon as Pakistan surged to an outstanding innings and 100-run victory sealing a 2-0 series win. Pakistan claimed eight wickets in 69 balls after lunch, producing one of the more stunning demolitions of a batting line-up witnessed in recent times. Ian Bell and Paul Collingwood had seemingly given England hope of a draw but Pakistan have played some special cricket in this series and saved their best until the final day.It was a breathless display of pace and spin from Pakistan’s two world-class bowlers; a combination that, if they remain fit, can carry them forward to a period of sustained success. The key moment came in the first over after lunch when Kaneria switched his line of attack back to over the wicket. During the morning session he had been too quick to bowl around the wicket, which negated some of his potency, but whatever the discussions had been during the interval they produced rewards beyond Pakistan’s wildest dreams.Kaneria started with the perfect leg-break to Collingwood which was comfortably held by Hasan Raza, who also held a stinging chance off Kevin Pietersen which really set the ball rolling for Pakistan. Kaneria then opened up his box of tricks – his variations have been a constant threat to England throughout the series – and Andrew Flintoff was comprehensively beaten first ball. He has such control over his googly that it invariably pitches in just the spot that makes the batsman uncertain and Flintoff was drawn in hook, line and sinker. On another day Kaneria could have had a hat-trick as he struck Geraint Jones in front with another wicked googly. Darrell Hair said no but it was the briefest of respites.When a batting line-up is wobbling Shoaib does not need a second invitation to crash through the defences. He may be the fastest bowler in the world but it has been the slower ball that has left the batsmen flummoxed. It takes something special to dislodge a batsman who is well set on 92 and Shoaib’s slower delivery to Bell ranks up there with the deliveries of the series. His variation in pace is as significant as Kaneria’s spin, leaving the batsmen guessing at what as coming next.From 205 for 2, England had crashed to 212 for 6 and Pakistan were carrying all before them. In situations like this decisions sometimes go with the fielding side and Geraint Jones can count himself unlucky when he was sent packing despite a huge inside edge on to his pad. But that was justice for Pakistan who had been denied two very close lbw appeals in the first session when Bell and Collingwood both survived.

Once the middle order had been blown away the tail had no chance of resisting the fury of Shoaib and guile of Kaneria. Shaun Udal received a vicious blow on his left hand from the first ball he received and continued to take a peppering. Liam Plunkett’s harsh education in Test cricket continued, handing Shoaib his 12th five-wicket haul in 39 Tests before Inzamam relieved his spearhead of the destruction duty.A breathtaking afternoon was completed with exceptional efficiency when Udal and Matthew Hoggard fell in two balls. The end came so quickly that the new ball, set up to be the deciding factor as to whether Pakistan would force the win, wasn’t even required. It was a performance that would have done Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis – two masters of the batting collapse – proud and the final wicket, Hoggard bamboozled by another googly, was a fitting end. It summed up the major difference between the two teams in this contest – the ability to produce something special at any moment.The rapid end of the match made the wicketless morning session seem a lifetime ago. Bell became England’s leading run-scorer in the series – not bad for a player who wasn’t going to take part in the first Test – and Collingwood showed his increasing confidence at this level. But those two innings, while handing England crumbs of comfort amid the wreckage of their collapse, fade into insignificance after what followed. When the end came it was dramatic, clinical and memorable.How they were outEnglandMarcus Trescothick lbw b Shoaib 0 (0 for 1)
Michael Vaughan c and b Shoaib 13 (30 for 2)
Paul Collingwood c Raza b Kaneria 80 (205 for 4)
Kevin Pietersen c Rana b Kaneria 1 (212 for 4)
Andrew Flintoff b Kaneria 0 (212 for 5)
Ian Bell lbw b Shoaib 92 (212 for 6)
Geriant Jones lbw b Shoaib 5 (227 for 7)
Liam Plunkett lbw b Shoaib 0 (227 for 8)
Shaun Udal c Butt b Sami 25 (248 for 9)
Matthew Hoggard b Kaneria 0 (248 all out)