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The ICC has pledged a further US$500,000-600,000 to the Afghanistan Cricket Federation (ACF) following the team’s victory in Division 4 of the World Cricket League earlier this month.”Based on the pledge, Afghanistan’s cricket federation will receive between five to six hundred thousand dollars for the coming five years from the International Cricket Council,” Allah Daad Noori, the head of the ACF, told Reuters.Afghanistan’s win in the World Cricket League handed them promotion to Division 3, with the competition getting underway in Argentina from January. And in spite of their increasing ability as an affiliate nation, the facilities in the country are very poor, with very few grass pitches, and practice sessions often limited to dusty outfields.However, their dream of reaching the 2011 World Cup – to be co-hosted by India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh – remains very much alive.

Owais Shah, the England and Middlesex batsman, has said he was “kind of surprised” to be included in the 15-man squad for the two-Test series in India in December. Shah was preferred to Ravi Bopara, who was in the squad for the Oval Test against South Africa.”I got a phone call from Geoff Miller this morning saying I was selected and I was a bit shocked,” Shah told . “I wasn’t expecting it but I’m very pleased that I’ve been selected to go to India as part of the Test team. I’m just really happy to get the opportunity to play for England. Hopefully I can take that chance this winter.”Shah had made his debut in Mumbai during the 2006 tour of India and made a vital contribution – scoring 88 and 38 – towards England leveling the series. Since then, he’s played only one more Test, against West Indies at Lord’s in 2007.”I had a reasonable Test match [on debut],” Shah said. “I quite enjoyed the challenges of the subcontinent. Obviously you’ve got the spin bowlers over there being very good in Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh. The conditions are also quite tough. It’s very warm out there and you have to take plenty of fluids on board. I was subject to a lot of cramps the last time I played there.”In his column for former England captain Nasser Hussain wrote that Shah’s inclusion in the squad showed a “slight inconsistency” in selection.”If you remember the last Test squad that was announced against South Africa at The Oval, Ravi Bopara was in it,” Hussain said. “He made the 13 but not the actual side, but how come he isn’t good enough to be in the 15 now?”Hussain was also of the opinion that England changed their wicketkeeper too many times. Matt Prior, who made a comeback during the one-dayers against South Africa, and Tim Ambrose are the wicketkeepers in the squad.”Peter Moores has known Prior and Ambrose for a long time now since their Sussex days and it’s just time to work out which one is the better one – and stick with him,” Hussain said.”For me I would have gone with Prior and I would have gone with James Foster – if they don’t believe Ambrose is the right choice – and I am not one just to stick with Ambrose just because he played this summer. I think Foster and Prior are the best two but the selectors have seen it differently. All I would call for is some consistency.”

Sourav Ganguly’s presence in the India A squad for the second and final Test against New Zealand A has turned an otherwise low-key affair – against the backdrop of larger issues in Indian cricket – into a mini spectacle. This match in Chennai is the only opportunity for Ganguly, who has not played competitive cricket for over a month, to hit form ahead of the first Test against Australia in Bangalore on October 9.Ganguly, included in the 15-member squad for the first two Tests against Australia, had requested he be included for this match after being overlooked for the Irani Cup.India A lead the series following a 129-run win in the first Test, also in Chennai. However, their batting is a bit of a concern. Bar Suresh Raina’s second-innings century, and knocks of 45 and 57 from No. 3 M Vijay, India A’s batting struggled. Ganguly’s presence, against a relatively innocuous bowling attack, thus boosts the side.For the tourists, hammered in the tri-series also involving Australia, the last game of the tour offers the proverbial chance to save face. New Zealand started their tour promisingly, beating Australia by 129 runs in their first one-dayer, but have lost four games since then. They were in a good position on day one of the first Test, reaching 36 for 0 after bowling India out for 248. However, they only made 230 and then, chasing 355, folded for 225.

Graeme Smith has been named as captain of the ICC’s World Test Team of the Year, as chosen by a specially appointed independent selection panel chaired by West Indian batting legend, Clive Lloyd.The announcement was made at the ICC Awards celebration at The Westin Hotel, Dubai, and the team, in batting order, is as follows:

Graeme Smith (SA, capt)
Virender Sehwag (Ind)
Mahela Jayawardene (SL)
Shivnarine Chanderpaul (WI)
Kevin Pietersen (Eng)
Jacques Kallis (SA)
Kumar Sangakkara (SL, wk)
Brett Lee (Aus)
Ryan Sidebottom (Eng)
Dale Steyn (SA)
Muttiah Muralitharan (SL)
12th man: Stuart Clark (Aus)

Six countries are represented in the 12-man line-up and three players – Kevin Pietersen of England and the Sri Lanka pair of Kumar Sangakkara and Muttiah Muralitharan – also appeared in the World Test Team of the Year in 2007. Indeed, Sangakkara and Muralitharan featured in 2006 as well.Lloyd, the chairman of the selection panel, said it was a very difficult task in selecting this year’s Test team, but that looking at the line-up he felt it had great balance and depth.Lloyd was joined on the panel by former Australia captain Greg Chappell, the recently retired South Africa allrounder Shaun Pollock, the former Sri Lanka opener, Sidath Wettimuny and the former Bangladesh batsman, Athar Ali Khan. Statistics were available as a guide but were not necessarily the overwhelming factor in the choices made.The Test Team of the Year was one of two teams selected by the ICC selection panel along with the ODI line-up. There were also eight individual prizes given at this year’s LG ICC Awards.The LG ICC Awards 2008 – presented in association with FICA – are based on the 12 months between August 9, 2007 and August 12, 2008. The ICC Awards ceremony is now in its fifth year and this is the first time it has been staged in Dubai, the home of the International Cricket Council. Previous ceremonies were held in London (2004), Sydney (2005), Mumbai (2006) and Johannesburg (2007).

ScorecardAndre Nel and Makhaya Ntini combined to outclass Bangladesh A on the second day at New Road, their seven wickets shooting out their fellow tourists for 121 in 40 overs. For Nel, especially, it was a timely performance after Dale Steyn injury made him the likely replacement for the third Test at Edgbaston.He warmed up with an impressive burst, capturing 3 for 25 for 12 overs, while Ntini’s pace was also too much; within nine overs he grabbed 4 for 32. Monde Zondeki, another pace bowler available as back-up, also took a wicket, while Paul Harris took the opportunity to also get some overs under his belt and snared two victims before the innings withered away.Nel admitted afterwards that he was still a little bit short of where he wanted to be for his Test return, but said he felt that another bowl in Bangladesh’s second innings would see him there. “I need to hit the crease with a bit more aggression but overall I was pleased with my performance.”The South Africans extended their first innings to maximum 100 overs before Nel struck in his first over to remove Tamim Iqbal and from the on it was a procession. He also grabbed the Test pair of Shakib Al Hasan and Musfiqur Rahim as Bangladesh slumped to 74 for 8. Three figures was looking out of reach until Mosharraf Hossain hit 25 off 57 balls.Ntini’s haul confirmed his improving form following a slow start to the tour. He went wicketless at Lord’s, but was much more of a threat at Headingley when he began England’s second-innings demise with the early wickets of Andrew Strauss and Michael Vaughan.There was a minor injury scare when Jacques Kallis was taken to hospital for a precautionary X-ray, after damaging the fourth finger of his left hand while attempting an overhead catch in the slips. But the damage was no more than a strained ligament and he both fielded and batted without difficulty on his return. It was the second injury fright Kallis had suffered on the tour, following the blow to the elbow he took from Andy Caddick at Taunton in the opening game of the trip.Graeme Smith decided not to enforce the follow-on and allowed his batsmen another chance to sharpen up ahead of the third Test. JP Duminy, who hit 166 on the first day, came down to earth with bump as he was trapped by Rubel Hossain for 1. However, Kallis bagged his second half-century of the game and AB de Villiers scored comfortably as the lead was extended to 453. Nel and company will have another chance to stretch their legs on the final day.

Sharad Pawar, the BCCI president, has said that all teams participating in the proposed Champions League have the freedom to include players of their choice for the US$5 million multi-club Twenty20 tournament, even it means including players with ties to the unauthorized Indian Cricket League (ICL). But he placed the onus on letting such teams go through on the countries they represent and warned that the BCCI would then have the freedom to take its decision on the issue.”This is not within the BCCI’s jurisdiction,” Pawar told Cricinfo. “They can do what they want . If any country takes any decision on this, they have every right to do so. They have the freedom to take a decision on the teams they choose to represent them (in the Champions League). But then, we also have the freedom to take our decision on the issue later.”Pawar’s statement turns the spotlight firmly on the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), which is the only national board to have allowed players associated with the ICL to play in its domestic circuit. The ECB has permitted around 25 such cricketers to represent 15 of its 18 counties after it faced legal action from the ICL, which was backed by the country’s strong trade laws that protect the rights of individuals. The Champions League, which is being powered by the BCCI, is expected to feature the top two Twenty20 domestic teams from India, England, Australia and South Africa. An ECB spokesperson had said last week that it would wait for the tournament rules to be finalised before taking a stand on the issue.Asked to elaborate on the possibility of English county teams with ICL players qualifying for the Champions League, Pawar referred to the ICC’s stand on the ICL and said that all countries “have been informed about it”. The ICC has clarified that it would go by the BCCI’s policy towards ICL. “The ICL is a domestic event that takes place in India so our rules prescribe that any decision as to whether an event be regarded as official or not must be made by the country that event is played in,” Dave Richardson, the ICC’s acting chief executive, said.The BCCI has cut off all official links with players associated with the ICL, which was launched last year before the BCCI’s high-profile Indian Premier League (IPL). Asked whether the BCCI would be more generous now, especially towards young Indian players in the ICL, Pawar said, “If anybody approaches us, we will consider their case.”Lalit Modi, the IPL chairman and prime mover behind the Champions League, had previously told Cricinfo that teams with players associated with ICL would not be invited for the tournament “under any circumstance”. Cricket Australia is drawing up the competition’s rules, which are expected to be finalised during the ICC annual conference in Dubai at the end of the month.Pawar also said that despite the hugely successful IPL, Test cricket remains the BCCI’s “first priority” and said that the Indian board would soon discuss the ICC’s proposal to hold a Test championship. “The BCCI is definitely working for the future of Test cricket,” Pawar said. “We are clear and confident that Test cricket has a future. We have digested one-day cricket, we have digested Twenty20, but the first preference is always Test cricket. My first preference is always Test cricket. We will discuss the Test championship proposal.”

South Africa 515 for 3 dec (Amla 172, Kallis 160*) and 56 for 1 (McKenzie 37*, Boucher 3*) lead Somerset 249 (Kieswetter 67, Durston 61) by 322 runs
Scorecard

Morne Morkel made light of a turgid pitch and led South Africa’s attack with three wickets, as Somerset were bowled out for 249 inside 60 overs to concede a whopping first-innings deficit of 266 on the second day at Taunton. By the close, South Africa had reached 56 for 1, with Neil McKenzie picking up his first runs of the tour after his first-ball duck on Sunday, and Mark Boucher unbeaten on 3. The only wicket to fall was JP Duminy, whose dismissal had a distinctly South African ring to it, caught Craig Kieswetter bowled Zander de Bruyn for 15.Kieswetter, who was born in Johannesburg but has held a British passport since birth, was one of two Somerset players who rose to the occasion against their classy opponents. The other was Wes Durston, who was last week playing minor county cricket for Wiltshire, but now found himself repelling a bowling attack that, with the exception of the absent Dale Steyn, is the same that will turn out against England at Lord’s next week.Kieswetter and Durston made 67 and 61 respectively, and rescued Somerset from potential humiliation after Morkel and Andre Nel, armed with the new ball, had instilled panic in the top order. Neither man, however, was able to emulate the South African batsmen, and translate his start into substance. Durston played round a straight ball to give Morkel his third wicket, and Morkel was involved again, this time on the midwicket boundary, when Kieswetter hoisted a short ball from Makhaya Ntini straight into his hands.Somerset’s tail did hang around gamely, with Steffan Jones and Andrew Caddick contributing a pair of hard-hitting 20s before the spinner, Paul Harris, picked off the final two wickets, but their innings was fatally undermined by two run-outs at the top of the order. The first occurred right on the stroke of lunch, when Durston ran the ball down to McKenzie at fine leg, and settled immediately for two runs. de Bruyn, however, had his heart set on a third, and was sent on his way without facing a ball as Harris whipped off the bails with both batsman at the opposite end of the pitch.Durston responded with great self-confidence, middling two pulls for four off Makhaya Ntini to bring up Somerset’s hundred in only 22 overs. But then, the run-out jinx struck again, as Durston cut Andre Nel for two, and it was Peter Trego this time who paid the price for over-optimistic running as the substitute, Robin Peterson, pinged the shy back to the bowler’s end.At 104 for 5, embarrassment loomed, but Durston and Kieswetter did at least salvage some pride, with Durston bringing up his fifty from 63 balls in fine style with a six over long-on off Harris. He was instrumental in denting Morkel’s figures in an expensive post-lunch spell, but eventually got carried away as he attempted to flick a full ball through midwicket. Morkel’s other two wickets had come in the morning session, the first with a beautiful yorker that burst through Arul Suppiah’s defences for 16, and the second one over later, when James Hildreth played forward outside off, and was bowled off the inside edge for 0.South Africa’s other victim was the opener Neil Edwards, who was surplus to Somerset’s requirements during the Twenty20s, but appeared to be auditioning for next year’s event as he crashed five fours and a pulled six in a frenzied 17-ball 28. His aggressiveness eventually proved his downfall, however, as he pushed hard outside off at Nel, for Prince at third slip to cling onto a comfortable chest-high edge (35 for 1).For South Africa, the day was slightly overshadowed by concerns surrounding Jacques Kallis’s elbow injury, but his absence was not felt by his team-mates. After resuming on their overnight 455 for 3, they added 60 more runs in the first hour before the mandatory declaration at the 100-over mark. Prince batted with particular fluency, and had enough time to become the fourth South Africa to pass fifty in the innings, from 69 balls with seven fours, while AB de Villiers finished not out on 47.

After the dramatic scenes in Moscow on Wednesday night there will be only one sporting occasion being talked about in the days to come, even on the cricket side of Old Trafford. Manchester United and Chelsea couldn’t be split until sudden-death penalties, but 500 yards down the road from where the Champions League trophy will sit, another contest is about to begin between two other sides who are also neck-to-neck, albeit involving far less tension and a little less financial value.The atmosphere over the next five days won’t come near to matching Luzhniki Stadium or, for that matter, Manchester city centre. Not even a Kevin Pietersen classic, or the high-fiving celebrations of Monty Panesar, will register on the same level, although Michael Vaughan would gladly take a dose of both.England need to kick-start their summer if they are to back-up Vaughan’s belief that this team are more advanced that the Ashes-winning unit was the summer before their success in 2005. Even taking into account the disruptive nature of the weather, their performance at Lord’s didn’t include much of the high-octane, initiative-seizing cricket that became a hallmark of their game from early 2004 for that golden 18-month period.If any ground is likely to inspire them it is Old Trafford. They have won three of the last four Tests here (the other being the thrilling draw against Australia). “It’s probably the best cricket wicket in the country,” Vaughan said. “We feel very comfortable here as a team, the wicket is always a very good one. It usually has plenty of pace and offers a lot for Monty Panesar as well.”With the captain having found form, the batting pressure shifts to Paul Collingwood who is having a dire early season and has now gone 10 Tests without a century. England’s line-up is still failing to deliver as a unit. Their second-innings performance in Napier bought them some time, but not much. The last occasion they reached 400 in the first innings was the same Test as Collingwood’s last century, against West Indies at Chester-le-Street last June. Everyone knows the top six all average over 40, yet as a collective their output over the last 18 months has only been heading one way and the feeling persists they don’t feel pressure for their places.”I certainly don’t think it’s cosy,” said Vaughan. “I don’t think anyone’s place is guaranteed. I’ve been involved in an England team a few years ago that was consistent in who we picked for a long period and that achieved great results. As much as we want those 400 scores, it’s about winning as a team. They feel very comfortable in each other’s company.”Going into the Sunday [at Lord’s] we knew we had to get 400-450 to put New Zealand under pressure on that last day,” he said. “We lost wickets and changed the way we went about our game. They are all good players, you talk about form all the time but I fully expect all the guys this week to go in on a good wicket and get a score. We are still better than the form we have shown over the last year.”I think this wicket is a perfect opportunity for us to get those first-innings runs. We are all playing well at times, but not as a collective unit. The most important thing is winning games of cricket and to do that you have to get 400 on the board consistently. That’s our aim throughout the summer, both against New Zealand and later South Africa.”If anything, it was New Zealand who ended with their noses in front at Lord’s after Jacob Oram’s final-day century and Brendon McCullum’s insistence that he would come back out to bat after that crunching blow on his forearm from Stuart Broad. England may have thought they’d knocked the stuffing out of McCullum and scored a psychological point, but this New Zealand side are giving as good as they get.However, England’s short-pitched attack on McCullum was a clear policy and if the Old Trafford pitch lives up to its pacey reputation then all the New Zealanders can expect to be hovering on the back foot. “We don’t come across too many fast and bouncy wickets around the world these days,” said Daniel Vettori.”Even Perth has lost some of its reputation so it will be a new experience for us, but I suppose for a lot of our new guys every situation is a new experience to adapt to. I played here in 1999 and would probably have called it a low, slow turner so it’s going to be completely different. As in any situation it’s about which teams adapts the best.”When Pakistan played here in 2006 they prepared by using a marble slab to try and replicate the wicket conditions. They promptly folded inside three days, being bowled out for 119 and 222. New Zealand haven’t opted for any special preparation, although Vettori did say the batting coach, Mark O’Neill, has used his experience of being brought up in Perth.”A lot of the new guys have talked about it with him,” said Vettori. “But some of the time bowlers get carried away with the extra pace and bounce so it’s almost them who have to adapt more. That’s what we’ll be stressing, that it’s the same lengths on a bouncy wicket as it was at Lord’s.”Vaughan, though, was more into laying down the challenge to his quick bowlers, making the point that they will have to bend their backs to get rewards. “Pace is crucial,” he said. “You know you have to bowl with a decent amount of gas and if you do that you will create opportunities with both conventional and reverse swing.”I am excited about the young seam attack, but they will have to be at top pace to get rewards at Old Trafford. As a bowler you can see the ball carry, but you have to be up there with your pace in every spell you bowl. If you trundle out here and bowl at 80-81mph you can see yourself going around the park.”Vaughan added he liked the “chin music” that Old Trafford Tests can produce and New Zealand won’t mind if expectations remain low despite their performance at Lord’s. After the victory in Hamilton the players didn’t appear quite so comfortable when being talked-up thereafter, and key moments were lost during the last two Tests. However, there may come a time when even the New Zealanders might have to admit they are a bit better than they think, and if that happens, England will realise they aren’t as good as they believe they are.

Gordon Greenidge, the West Indies convenor of selectors, has told his team to be more forceful and consistent during the series against Australia, which starts at Sabina Park on Thursday. The hosts face a serious threat against the world champions, especially without their injured captain Chris Gayle, but Greenidge has outlined a game plan he hopes will be successful.”We have to decide to be more forceful, more positive and spend time at the crease,” he told AFP. “What we want is consistency. This is something we have been fighting for over the years. This series presents an opportunity for players to be counted – new players and established players.”Ramnaresh Sarwan will lead the team, which also welcomes back Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Dwayne Bravo from the Indian Premier League, after Gayle was unavailable due to a groin injury. In a good sign for the side Gayle was able to join the squad for a light session in Jamaica and batted on the outfield.Greenidge has demanded a positive approach for the series. “In this case it does not mean going overboard and trying to hit every ball to the boundary,” he said. “Common sense has to prevail. You have to first see what is happening and then be positive in your approach.”

When West Indies chased 291 with ease and won the fifth one-dayer by five wickets to take a 3-2 lead in this seven-match series, there was a sense of déjà vu that was unmistakable. After winning the toss and sticking India in, the visitors watched in dismay as a breezy start was followed by a period of consolidation and a mini collapse. When their turn came, the men from the Caribbean followed almost the same formula, but with better results. Thank Chris Gayle and Wavell Hinds for that.There’s a theory doing the rounds that teams with weak bowling attacks and strong batting line-ups can easily get by if they keep batting second. There’s nothing in this series that has gone against that supposition. Both teams have powerful batting line-ups that can seemingly chase any score, and neither team would back their bowlers to defend a target that demanded that the opposition score at less than six runs an over.When faced with 291 to win from 48 overs, with the each innings being reduced to that figure thanks to heavy dew on the outfield early in the morning, the West Indian openers waded into the bowlers. Javagal Srinath came in for stick, being hammered for his lack of pace. Debutant medium-pacer Lakshmipathy Balaji did worse, being decimated in a three-over spell that went for 35 runs.The West Indies were off to a flyer. As if that were not enough, Sourav Ganguly’s bowling options looked absurdly limited in the face of the two-sided scoring rhythm the openers set. Gayle threw every bit of his powerful frame at anything as much an inch outside the off stump while his partner plundered runs through the on side.When the first wicket did come, it was too late, and thanks more to an indiscreet shot than a clever piece of bowling. On 80 (61 balls, 10 fours, 5 sixes) Hinds’ top-edged sweep only found Ganguly behind the stumps off the bowling of Sehwag. By this time, West Indies were 132-1 in the 17th over.The fall of Hinds’ wicket, followed quickly by Marlon Samuels’ fatal nudge to slip, spurred Gayle on to put his head down and grind the opposition for runs. Batting with panache, Gayle gave no chances, building a partnership of 83 for the third wicket with Ramnaresh Sarwan (34) before the latter gave Murali Kartik his first one-day wicket as he edged to slip.Shivnarine Chanderpaul was run out in the customary one mix-up per gameand then a piece of cruel umpiring made sure that West Indies lost threewickets in space of 21 runs. After hitting Harbhajan Singh straight outof the ground with the kind of power you see in baseball rather thancricket, Gayle attempted a more delicate cut shot. Although he missedthe ball by some distance, a fact corroborated by Rahul Dravid not evenappealing, umpire Asoka de Silva upheld Harbhajan’s polite inquiry. Gayle’s 101 (107 balls, 10 fours, 3 sixes) had, though, taken West Indies to 239 and within striking distance of victory.Ricardo Powell, with a few lusty strokes chalked up an unbeaten 30 (26balls, 2 fours, 1 six) while skipper Carl Hooper helped himself to arun-a-ball 21 as West Indies sprinted to victory with seven balls tospare.Earlier, India nurtured hopes of posting a 300-plus score as openers Sehwag and Ganguly got them off to a flyer. Sehwag, in particular, threatened to improve on his usual frenetic pace slamming 52 off just 39 balls with the help of nine boundaries and a six. When he fell with the score on 88 though, it was up to Ganguly to take on the role of wrecker-in-chief. The Indian captain (53) looked up to the task and notched up the 50th half-century of his prolific limted overs career before being bowled attempting to cut a straight one from Hooper.VVS Laxman and Rahul Dravid propped up the middle-order with a partnership that brought some sanity to the proceedings. While Dravid looked to innovate, even unfurling the reverse sweep, Laxman was content to use conventional methods to keep the scoreboard ticking over.Although he made a sensible 36-ball 33, Dravid fell at a crucial moment, hitting Samuels to Gayle.The middle order stuttered ever so slightly and this was enough for thevisitors to ensure that their eventual target was merely challenging, rather than daunting. Mohammad Kaif (4) and Yuvraj Singh (15) were sent packing before they could stamp their authority on the game and it took a late slog from Sanjay Bangar (27 in 21 balls) to ensure that India posted 290 from 48 overs.But as has been the case repeatedly this series, that was simply insufficient to keep the dashers from the Caribbean at bay.