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It is not often in a series that one team starts favourites for the Tests and the other for the one-day internationals. But this will be the case tomorrow when India, who were heavily fancied in the Tests but could not prevent Pakistan from sharing the spoils, now find the onus of playing out of their skins on themselves when they take on a pumped-up Pakistan side heavy on allround talent and with the weight of recent history behind them.Having taken a severe barracking from all quarters after his miserable show with the bat in the Tests, Sourav Ganguly once again finds the familiar sense of being under siege upon him as he tries to rouse a team that has underperformed severely in one-day cricket in the last year.Ganguly put up a brave face at the pre-match press conference, uttering some of the usual platitudes about one-day cricket being a different ball game from the Tests, and about wanting to do his best with the bat since he had a special responsibility as captain.He would not reveal anything about team composition, but it is so hot in Kochi – the players will sweat it out tomorrow in 40-degree heat – that it is difficult to see India going in with more than two out of Irfan Pathan, Lakshmipathy Balaji, and Zaheer Khan. That would leave room to play both spinners, Harbhajan Singh and Murali Kartik.That said, it is difficult to see bowling keeping the batsmen quiet at Kochi’s Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium. A combination of a good pitch, short boundaries, oppressive bowling and fielding conditions, and two lineups heavy on high-quality batting should make tomorrow a game in which no first-innings score is safe. Indeed, two of the three international games to have been played at this ground have produced scores in excess of 300.Pakistan, who have won their last four games against India and boast of a 11-4 win-loss record against India India, have a lot of heavy-duty ammunition to throw at their opponents. In fact, the likely absence of Younis Khan, suffering from fever, solves some of their selection problems, because there are probably four or five good ways in which they could make up an eleven. Salman Butt, who made a dazzling century the last time the two sides met in an ODI, in the BCCI Platinum Jubilee game at Kolkata, should open, and Inzamam-ul-Haq hinted that the idea of using Kamran Akmal as an opener would be discontinued, allowing Shahid Afridi to return to the position from which he caused so much damage in the Tests.Shoaib Malik, Inzamam and Yousuf Youhana should follow, and be backed up by Abdul Razzaq and Akmal. That leaves place for two fast bowlers – almost certainly Mohammad Sami and Rana Naved-ul-Hasan – and two spinners from Arshad Khan, Danish Kaneria, and the allrounder Mohammad Hafeez. Were Malik allowed to bowl – he cannot currently because his action is under the ICC’s scrutiny – it would make for an even more powerful line-up.Inzamam asserted that the team’s morale was high after the win in the Bangalore Test, and agreed that conditions were inimical to pace bowling. He answered all the questions directed at him with a calm, pleasant air until some mischievous soul piped up to ask him if he was missing the services of Shoaib Akhtar. Not content with Inzamam’s deadpan “No,” the scribe then asked what the problem was between the Pakistani captain and Akhtar. “Nothing,” snapped Inzamam. The Shoaib issue is about the only thing that rankles with him at the moment.India have two form worries – that of Ganguly and of Irfan Pathan, who looked under the weather for most of the Test series after returning from injury, and appears to have temporarily lost his banana inswinger, rendering him vulnerable to the attention of hitters like Afridi. Ganguly defended Pathan, saying that he had bowled brilliantly for an extended stretch of time and could not be expected to be at his best in every game, but there is no denying that Pathan’s form is a serious concern. As for Ganguly himself, he may take some comfort in the fact that, with VVS Laxman having been dropped, he can now bat at No.3. But he will have to produce something mighty spectacular, against bowlers who know all his weaknesses, to ward off his detractors.But India also, while knowing more or les all there is to know about each member of their opposition, have an unknown quantity of sorts to throw at them – wicketkeeper-batsman MS Dhoni, who in a tournament in Nairobi last year took two centuries off a Pakistan A attack that included, of the current squad, Iftikhar Rao Anjum. A scintillating striker of the ball, Dhoni failed to do anything of note with the bat in his debut series in Bangladesh last December, but he will be itching to go here, and a surprise promotion up the order for him is not out of the question.Teams (probable)
India 1 Sachin Tendulkar, 2 Virender Sehwag, 3 Sourav Ganguly (capt), 4 Rahul Dravid, 5 Yuvraj Singh, 6 Mohammad Kaif, 7 Mahendra Dhoni (wk), 8 Irfan Pathan, 9 Harbhajan Singh, 10 Lakshmipathy Balaji, 11 Murali Kartik.Pakistan 1 Shahid Afridi, 2 Salman Butt, 3 Shoaib Malik, 4 Inzamam-ul-Haq (capt), 5 Yousuf Youhana, 6 Abdul Razzaq, 7 Kamran Akmal (wk), 8 Arshad Khan, 9 Mohammad Sami, 10 Rana Naved-ul-Hasan, 11 Danish Kaneria.Wisden Asia Cricket

Justin Langer was on Thursday named to lead the Prime Minister’s XI team against the touring West Indies in Canberra in a one-day match on December 2.Langer, who was forced out of the first Test against the West Indies with a broken rib, will lead a team of largely up-and-coming cricketers against Shivnarine Chanderpaul’s tourists at Manuka Oval. It will be the eighth time the Prime Minister’s XI will play the West Indies, with the home team’s record at four wins, one loss, one draw and one tie. Both teams first played each other in October 1951, a match that included names such as Sam Loxton, Neil Harvey and Bill O’Reilly, and the last time the two sides met was in December 2000, where the Prime Minister’s XI won by four wickets.The PM XI team : Justin Langer (captain), Travis Birt, Doug Bollinger, Adam Crosthwaite, David Dawson, Brett Dorey, Callum Ferguson, Phil Jaques, Mitchell Johnson, Chris Simpson, Adam Voges. Michael Shaw (12th man and super sub).

Accusations that Brett Lee is delivering intentional beam balls are “rubbish”, according to Ricky Ponting. Lee has received fierce criticism since bowling a waist-high full-toss to Brendon McCullum on Saturday, with John Bracewell suggesting it was the fourth he had sent to New Zealand’s batsmen this summer.However, Ponting claimed there had been an over-reaction and the wet surface had contributed to the loose ball, which hit McCullum on the hand as he shied away. Bracewell said it was the second similar delivery McCullum had received from Lee while others were directed at Chris Harris and Paul Wiseman.”If you’re singling him out as the only one who’s done it on more than one occasion that’s a load of rubbish,” Ponting said. “Abdul Razzaq hit him with two in one over [during the tri-series finals] and Lee actually received one in the first game, if memory serves correctly, on this tour.”Peter Roebuck, the former Somerset batsman and Sydney Morning Herald columnist, called for Lee to be dropped for the remainder of the tour. “[It] was merely the latest in a series of violent deliveries sent down by a pace bowler at best reckless in his approach and at worst utterly unwilling to remain within long-accepted parameters governing conduct on the cricket field,” Roebuck wrote.Ponting said there was a small margin for error for bowlers delivering balls at 150kmh. “Sure it’s happened a few times of late,” he said. “It’s the last thing I want to see and I know as far as Brett’s concerned it’s the last thing he wants to happen as well.”Lee will bowl alongside McGrath, Gillespie and Kasprowicz after Australia named a formidable pace line-up for the fourth one-day match at Wellington’s Basin Reserve tomorrow. Ponting has decided to rest from the game with a slight thigh strain and Adam Gilchrist will be captain. James Hopes, the Queensland allrounder, has been called up for his one-day international debut while Brad Hogg will be 12th man.Australia 1 Adam Gilchrist (capt, wk), 2 Simon Katich, 3 Damien Martyn, 4 Andrew Symonds, 5 Michael Clarke, 6 Mike Hussey, 7 James Hopes, 8 Brett Lee, 9 Jason Gillespie, 10 Michael Kasprowicz, 11 Glenn McGrath, 12 Brad Hogg.

Day 3 Gauteng 286 and 73 for 2 require another 385 runs to beat Easterns 405 for 4 dec and 338 for 9 dec (Z de Bruyn 88, Toyana 63, Cullinan 65, Mathebula 5-56) v
ScorecardEasterns extended their lead to 457 before declaring their second innings on 338 for 9, with Zander de Bruyn following his century in the first innings with 88 in the second. In the process, he became the only batsman to exceed 1,000 runs for the season. Daryll Cullinan’s 65 also moved him into the second spot behind de Bruyn with 839 runs for the campaign. Brian Mathebula, in only his second first-class match, recorded his first five-for after bowling with far more discipline than he did in the first innings. At the close, Gauteng had reached 73 for 2.Eastern Province 432 lead Boland 324 by 108 runs
ScorecardNo play due to rain.

Michael Hussey said hard work early in his innings would be the key to halting Andrew Flintoff’s dominance against left-hand batsmen. Hussey, who was not part of the Australia team that lost the Ashes last year, said Flintoff’s 2005 form against Adam Gilchrist, Matthew Hayden, Justin Langer and Simon Katich was a concern.”He does seem to bowl particularly well to lefties, we know that,” Hussey told the . “You’ve just got to work hard every single ball against him. He’s such a quality bowler, I think you’ve got to just try to wear him down. That’s what the game is all about, facing players like him.”It’s a true test of everything you’ve got: your mental ability, your skills, handling all the pressures that go with playing Test cricket, surviving and then slowly getting on top. It can be a very, very rewarding feeling to win that kind of battle.” Flintoff’s 24 wickets in the 2005 Ashes series included Gilchrist, Hayden and Katich four times each and Langer twice.Hussey said he hoped his experience against Flintoff would help. “I’ve faced him a few times in county games and that was a huge challenge,” Hussey said. “I’m sure he goes up another notch again in a Test match. I think you probably have to get through him initially and then try to get some runs later. My plans are something I’d probably prefer not to speak about, I’ll be keeping most of that to myself.”I like to spend a lot of time out there and try to be around as long as I can and develop partnerships with the guy at the other end and just try to wear the bowlers down that way. That’s the nature of Test cricket. You try to survive long enough until the ball gets a bit older and the pitch is hopefully flattening out a bit and the bowlers are getting more tired and then the runs can come. That’s why you do the hard work early on. Wear them down.”

The Indian team is in line to reap the financial rewards for their splendid performance in Australia. According to a report in the Times of India, each member of the squad is expected to receive a bonus in the range of Rs 2,00,000 to Rs 5,00,000 (approx US$ 4255 to US$ 10,640) from the Indian board.Confirming the news, a senior board official told the daily: “They have exceeded all our expectations. As a recognition to that, the idea to reward the team with performance bonus was mooted at a meeting in Kolkata after they won the Adelaide Test. Had they won the final Test in Sydney and thereby the series, we would have announced the bonus then itself. Now, we do not want to jump the gun and are waiting for the triangular series to get over. Even if they lose the finals [of the VB Series], performance bonus will still be given.”The players aren’t the only ones who will benefit – the support staff of John Wright, the coach, Andrew Leipus, the physiotherapist, and Gregory Allen King, the trainer, will also be rewarded. However, the board official added that Bruce Reid, who assisted the team for much of the tour as the bowling coach, will not share the booty. The official also clarified that the bonus would be paid by the board, and not the team sponsor.This would be the second time in less than 12 months that the Indian team has won a bonus from the board – each player got Rs 25,00,000 after India reached the final of the 2003 World Cup in South Africa.

Bashley (Rydal) lie second in the ECB Southern Electric Premier League after an convincing three-wicket win over lowly Liphook & Ripsley.The victory took them above Havant – who lost by 70 runs to the Hampshire Academy – and into the runners-up slot behind runaway leaders BAT Sports, who put their unbeaten nine-match record at risk at the BCG on Saturday.Seventeen wickets fell for 190 runs at Ripsley Park, but former Bashley skipper Neil Taylor felt that poor batting was to blame, rather than an undistinguished pitch."Lets say it was lack of application that caused most of the wickets to fall," he said diplomatically."It wasn’t a great strip to bat on, but it was more a 140 wicket than 94 all out in Liphook’s case."John Whiting (4-13)and Kevin Nash (3-28) were more than a handful for Liphook, who sank from 31-2 to 43-7 against the two Bashley seamers.David Wade (32) and Glyn Read (17) showed the application that was needed, but despite their eighth-wicket rally, Liphook were almost bowled out for 94 by lunch.Bashley hardly batted much better, with Andy Sexton (17) the only batsman in the top six to get into double figures.Tim Wheatley (3-32) and left-armer Read (2-20) created panic in the visitors’ ranks as Bashley faced an improbable defeat at 41-6.But Neil Sexton, with a carefully hit 33, and Neil Taylor (15 not out) turned the match in Bashley’s favour by doubling the total with a decisive eighth-wicket partnership which all but secured the points.Bournemouth experienced far less hassle in beating struggling Portsmouth by six wickets at Chapel Gate – but they did make rather hard work of their victory.Nick Reeves (2-30) struck two key blows early on, having former Hampshire all-rounder Lee Savident caught behind and re-arranging South African Andrew Locke’s stumps, both without scoring.It meant Ben Thane (28) and Naqeeb Ali Mohamed (19) having to squeeze out every run, particularly off Jo Wilson, who sent down his initial 13 overs of seam at a personal cost of five runs !The Liverpudlian, who finished with 3-25 off 18 overs, removed Naqeeb, Dean Oliffe and Paul Ancell in quick succession to have Portsmouth reeling at 68-6.Matt Keech, who made 87, found himself fighting a lone battle, although either side of lunch student Dan Neville provided valued support.With left-arm spinners Shaun Walbridge (5-48) and Adam Voges bowling in tandem, runs were always hard to come by and once the Dorset vice-captain had removed Portsmouth’s seventh-wicket pair, the end was nigh.When the watchful Nick Park (45) and Voges (40) took Bournemouth’s reply to 96-1, Portsmouth’s 159 all out appeared an academic target.But Bournemouth found themselves bogged down and lost four wickets before Matt Swarbrick (28 not out) and Charlie Holcomb took them home.

The Tasmanian Cricket Association is pleased to advise that all patrons who attend the VFL Finals match at Bellerive Oval on Sunday, 7th September between the Tassie Devils and Port Melbourne will receive the added bonus of a free pass to an ING Cup or one day of a Pura Cup match of their choice during the summer.Upon presentation of their pass patrons will gain free entry to any one of the five ING Cup or one day of the five Pura Cup matches to be held in Tasmania during the 2003/2004 season.Free tickets will be issued to patrons at the gates as they enter Bellerive Oval on Sunday.

Pakistan 277 for 4 (Hameed 127*, Farhat 107) beat New Zealand 228 for 6 (Marshall 62*, Jones 49) by 49 runs, and won the series 5-0
Scorecard
Yasir Hameed and Imran Farhat notched up commanding hundreds as Pakistan beat New Zealand by 49 runs in the final one-day international at Rawalpindi. The victory completed a 5-0 rout in the series, and struck a psychological blow to Pakistan’s opponents before the upcoming tour of New Zealand.Hamish Marshall stood out for New Zealand, scoring an fighting unbeaten 62, after his more distinguished team-mates failed to make much of a fist of the run-chase. Good technique, a keen eye, late adjustments, and good judgment of a run were the building blocks of Marshall’s innings.New Zealand required a good start – the kind the Pakistan openers have provided with astonishing consistency – if they were to have a fighting chance. However, Richard Jones and Craig Cumming found it difficult to get the ball away on the slow pitch. Not many strokes were played with authority, except for Cumming’s savage hook off Shoaib Akhtar and a glorious cover-drive off Shabbir Ahmed’s first delivery. Even singles were hard to find. The run-drought continued when Abdul Razzaq and Azhar Mahmood replaced the opening bowlers with their sharp medium-pace.Cumming struggled throughout his stay, and though he showed glimpses of attacking form, the miserly bowling had him groping for runs, until an offcutter by Razzaq trapped him in front (50 for 1). Even Jones, otherwise characteristically watchful, had a zany moment in the 21st over, when he casually flicked Razzaq over midwicket for six. One run short of his half-century, though, Jones played the ball on to his pad and ran halfway down the pitch, only to hear Mathew Sinclair shout a late refusal. Farhat picked up the ball and threw down the stumps before Jones could regain his crease (106 for 2).The mounting run rate claimed its next casualty when Sinclair (36) played a delivery to short third man and wandered down the pitch for a single. Azhar collected the ball and hurled it to Moin Khan, who did the rest (141 for 3). Chris Cairns’s atrocious day at the office came to an end when he swung a delivery from Akhtar to Shoaib Malik at square leg. Jacob Oram then ran himself out, and Brendon McCullum stood no chance when Azhar struck him right in front with an inswinging yorker (179 for 6).Amid the carnage, Marshall refused to concede ground, tackling pace with daring cuts, and Malik’s spin with deft glances. An express delivery from Akhtar was lifted over the keeper’s head for four with time to spare. His fine exhibition made him New Zealand’s highest runscorer in this series.The first session had also belonged to Pakistan, as Farhat and Hameed put on 197 and strode to the pavilion with enhanced reputations with a pair of centuries to their name. New Zealand will remember the first match of the series with longing: Pakistan’s opening stand in that one was 2. After that, the openers put on four century stands, a telling comment on how the team has achieved big totals with regularity.Farhat rode his luck against some good-length bowling by Oram and Daryl Tuffey, edging the odd delivery past slip. But the hazards of attacking on a tricky pitch did not hold him back as he powerfully hooked and drove successive balls to the fence. The friendly medium-pace of Cairns and Paul Hitchcock served up some shortand over-pitched deliveries, which were dispatched to the boundary with panache, and even Hameed, who had played with extreme caution, cashed in on a few loose balls. The openers reached their half-centuries in contrasting fashion, with Farhat on the attack while his partner played it safe.And there were no nerves when Farhat reached his first one-day century after three near-misses. But his quest for quick runs brought about his downfall, as a lofted shot off Canning ended in a catch in the deep (197 for 1). A mini-collapse ensued, and demonstrated the difficulty in scoring runs, before Hameed took the onus on himself to score rapidly, and reached his century in a flurry of boundaries.Razzaq, a success in every previous knock in this series, could not help chipping a ball to long-on bringing, a meek end to his explosive series (204 for 2). Shoaib Malik misjudged a quick run to cover, and was short of his crease by a comfortable margin. It was left to Moin Khan to score 14, including an effortless six over midwicket, as Pakistan scampered 277 – rather less than looked likely when the openers were going so well.But in the end it was more than enough, as New Zealand conceded the advantage to a reinvigorated Pakistan team that played with great style throughout this five-match series.

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) today announced that Michael Vaughan had been appointed England’s new One-Day captain.The 28-year-old Yorkshire batsman succeeds Nasser Hussain who stepped down as captain of the One-Day side following England’s World Cup exit.Vaughan, who has captained England A and England Under 19s, will lead England for the first time in the forthcoming NatWest Challenge series against Pakistan and in the NatWest Series against South Africa and Zimbabwe.Chairman of Selectors, David Graveney, said: “As well as being a world class batsman, Michael is a strong character with a sound cricketing brain. Whilst he does not have extensive captaincy experience at County level, the selectors firmly believe he has the personal attributes required to handle the pressures of the England One-Day captaincy both on and off the field.”We have no qualms about splitting the Test and One-Day captaincy in this way. Other countries have operated this policy successfully and we see this as a terrific opportunity for Michael to demonstrate his undoubted leadership qualities.”Michael Vaughan said: “It’s a great honour to captain your country and I had no hesitation in accepting when the selectors offered me the job. It’s something that I’ve always wanted to do and I intend to enjoy it.”Nasser is an inspirational leader and he will be a tough act to follow as One-Day captain. But every captain has his own style of leadership and I want to do the job in my own way.”I’m under no illusions. Whether it’s Test or One-Day cricket, the England captain’s decisions are always under the microscope. That doesn’t bother me. I’m a big believer in the team ethic and if England are to improve at One-Day level, we need eleven `captains’ out there, not just one.”It has been decided that the England Test and One-Day captains will no longer sit on the four-strong selection panel. This decision will ensure continuity in selection although both Test and One-Day captains will continue to be closely consulted as part of the selection process.The International Teams Management Group (ITMG) has appointed the ECB National Academy Director, Rod Marsh, as a new selector and he will join David Graveney, Duncan Fletcher and Geoff Miller on the existing selection panel.Commenting on his appointment, Rod Marsh said: “This is a natural extension of my current role as Academy Director and I’m looking forward to it. There is plenty of talent within County cricket and I see my job as helping to spot and develop those players who have the potential to take the step up into international cricket.”They don’t necessarily have to be players who have been through the Academy. I’ll be coming into the job with a completely open mind and a real desire to try and help England progress as a side.”