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South Africa and Pakistan are the last two sides to begin their final World Cup preparations as their five-match series gets underway at Centurion Park on Sunday. Both sides have issues to resolve, although it is Pakistan with most questions to answer.Their 10-wicket hammering in the Twenty20 International was a harsh reintroduction to limited overs action and, although too much shouldn’t be read into the defeat, it certainly showed Pakistan at their worst.The fresh faces brought in following the 2-1 Test series defeat hardly inspired. Graeme Smith and Loots Bosman feasted on the bowling and the batting line-up was undone by some fine seam and swing bowling. Abdul Razzaq and Shahid Afridi, two experts at one-day level, appeared short on form and must up their game over the next five matches.Bob Woolmer was less than impressed by his side at the Wanderers: “I was very disappointed with both the batting and the bowling and we have to pull up our socks in both departments.”Mohammad Asif will strengthen the bowling attack after resting for the Twenty20 but the decision to send Danish Kaneria home leaves the spin department exposed. Pakistan are hopeful that Inzamam-ul-Haq will have recovered from his back problem to lead the side and the batting could also do with his guidance. Kamran Akmal played purely as a batsman on Friday and his role could be anyway from opener to No. 7.South Africa, too, have a question mark over the top order. AB de Villiers’ poor Test season has left him under pressure for a place, although his dynamic fielding is a major asset in the one-day team. Bosman showed his clean-hitting ability in the Twenty20 and could slot in alongside Smith as de Villiers slips down the order. Who misses out when Herschelle Gibbs returns from his ban can be left for another day.”There are a couple of different scenarios when it comes to replacing Herschelle,” said Mickey Arthur, “but otherwise we would like to start with the side that finished against India. You can almost consider that our best XI.”On the bowling front South Africa are spoilt for choice and, coming at the end of a packed season, it won’t be a surprise to see Smith and Arthur employ an Australian-style rotation system during the series.South Africa (probable) Graeme Smith (capt), Loots Bosman, Jacques Kallis, Ashwell Prince, AB de Villiers, Justin Kemp, Mark Boucher (wk), Shaun Pollock, Andrew Hall, Makhaya Ntini, Andre NelPakistan (from) Inzamam-ul-Haq (capt), Younis Khan, Abdul Razzaq, Abdur Rehman, Imran Farhat, Imran Nazir, Kamran Akmal, Mohammad Asif, Mohammad Hafeez, Mohammad Sami, Mohammad Yousuf, Naved-ul-Hasan, Shabbir Ahmed, Shahid Afridi, Umar Gul, Yasir Hameed, Zulqarnain Haider

Ricky Ponting is confident Australia can retain their ranking as the top Test side in the future after winning the ICC Test Championship for the fourth year in a row. However, despite last year’s World Cup win, Ponting’s men could not secure the double as South Africa prevailed in the ICC ODI Championship, finishing a fraction of a point ahead of Australia.India, who were 30 points behind Australia, were the runners up in the Test list and Ponting believes they will be one of the sides that can threaten his team in the next year. He said Australia’s future prospects depended largely on the younger members of the team continuing to improve after making excellent progress during 2007 and 2008.”If they can do that and the older guys like me, Matty Hayden and the other guys keep pulling our weight we can hopefully remain No. 1,” Ponting told after collecting the trophy, the ICC Mace, in Mumbai. “There were a lot of question marks around the team at the start of the last Australian summer, losing the … great players that we lost. But I thought some of the younger guys who came into the side like Phil Jaques and Mitchell Johnson handled themselves really well at the international level.”India certainly have a great team together at the moment and South Africa have played excellent cricket for a number of years in both forms of the game. So we just have to wait and see.”The winning teams of the Test and ODI championships each collected US$175,000, while the runners up pocketed $75,000 – small change for some of the men who are about to play in the Indian Premier League. South Africa’s former captain Shaun Pollock picked up the ODI trophy, the ICC Shield, on behalf of his team-mates, and he said it was especially pleasing to finish ahead of the World Cup winners.”Australia is the benchmark in all forms of the game and especially one-day cricket,” Pollock said. “So for South Africa to take over the top spot in the one-day table is a huge achievement for the playing group as well as a great honour for everyone connected with South Africa cricket.”Gary Kirsten, India’s coach, said: “It has been a tough 12 months for us as a Test team but the fact we have risen to many of the challenges put before us is reflected in our second position. We now have to press on and try and close the gap to Australia as well as stay ahead of the sides below us.”

ScorecardTrinidad and Tobago beat Nevis by 74 runs in the second semifinal of the Stanford 20/20 competition and will now play Guyana in the final on Sunday for the big prize. Kieron Pollard played a blistering hand, scoring 83 off just 38 balls, and was well supported by Daren Ganga, the captain, as T & T put a big score on the board and defended it with some ease.Stuart Williams, the former West Indian batsman and currently captain of Nevis, won the toss and chose to put T & T in, a decision that was to backfire spectacularly. Although Nevis managed to get rid of both openers with only 57 on the board, a third-wicket partnership of 114 between Pollard and Ganga (62*) ensured that T & T posted 210 from their 20 overs. Pollard with as many 7 sixes and surprisingly only 4 fours, scored at a strike-rate of over 200 and set up his team’s innings.When it was the turn of Nevis to bat they badly needed a solid, if not desperately quick, start, but they ended up with the opposite. Mervyn Dillon and Samuel Badree knocked the stuffing out of the top order, reducing Nevis first to 8 for 3 and then 37 for 5. This virtually ended the match as a contest, and only a fighting 65 from Joel Simmons, the wicketkeeper, pushed the score towards respectability.In the end Nevis were restricted to 136, 75 short of the target, and Dillon (3 for 30), Badree (2 for 14) and Pollard (2 for 19) shared the spoils. For Pollard, who earlier scored 83, this was a match to remember.

Scorecard

Alex Loudon was the star as England completed a hard-fought five-wicket win against Bangladesh at Mirpur. Loudon collected 5 for 76, to add to his 71 on the third day, leaving England with a target of 130 which they reached in just under 20 overs.England gained an early foothold on the final day when Loudon trapped Mehrab Hossain lbw with just three runs added to the overnight total. Mosharraf Hossain, the nightwatchman, followed 15 runs later when he was run out and England sensed their chance to press for the win.Bangladesh played with a very defensive mindset, meaning that even though it took England a while to dislodge the resistance the lead was never growing at a rapid rate. Graham Onions, the Durham paceman, grabbed two middle-order wickets in two balls. When 183 for 5 soon became 202 for 7, on the back of two Tim Bresnan strikes, England would have fancied their chances of wrapping up the innings in quick time.However, Tushar Imran got his head down and forged a gritty half-century while Mohammad Sharif supported him well with 26 as the eighth wicket added 44, then Dolar Mahmud helped put on another 30 for the ninth. Loudon claimed the final three scalps, a reward for 32 overs hard work, but England were left limited time for their run chase.They played it in one-day style, promoting Matt Prior to open who slammed 50 off 52 balls to put England ahead of the rate. At 78 for 1 everything was under control and, although there were a few late wickets, Loudon completed a fine match by knocking off the final runs.

ScorecardNick Browne made a second-innings hundred•Getty Images

Glamorgan go into the final day at Chelmsford facing a massive task to avoid their first defeat of the season. After being set a victory target of 462, they reached the close on 110 for 1 but with the pitch starting to offer more encouragement to the spinners, it will need something special to deny their opponents success.Essex’s position of strength owed much to the efforts of Nick Browne and Liam Dawson. They shared in a stand of 237, setting a new record opening partnership for Essex against Glamorgan and they seldom experienced moment of anxiety. Left-hander Browne excelled with some fine driving, a straight six at the expense of offspinner Andrew Salter carrying him to his third century of the summer. He went on to make 129 that also included 20 fours before he was caught behind off legspinner Colin Ingram.Dawson, on-loan from Hampshire, and thrust into the opener’s role because Jaik Mickleburgh was suffering from back spasms, looked set to mark his home debut with a hundred. He had moved to 99 when he pushed a simple return catch to Ingram that brought to an end an innings that was noted for its placement rather than power. His effort contained eight fours and a six and his dismissal arrived soon after Ingram had trapped Tom Westley leg before on his way to final figures of 3 for 90 in 17 overs.Ravi Bopara was the fourth batsman to depart in the space of 33 runs but Jesse Ryder and Ryan ten Doeschate composed and unbroken stand of 74 in 11 overs before the 344 for 4 declaration left Glamorgan with their daunting mission. Both went aggressively about their business, Ryder’s 41 came from 43 balls while ten Doeschate struck 40 from 36 deliveries with the aid of four fours and a six.Jacques Rudolph and Will Bragg looked comfortable enough against the Essex pace attack when they began Glamorgan’s second innings but the introduction of left-arm spinner Dawson proved more of a problem. He soon beat the bat and found the edge before he tempted Bragg into a pull that finished in the hands of ten Doeschate at midwicket to bring to an end an encouraging partnership of 42.But 18 year-old Aneurin Donald and the experienced Rudolph further success. The teenager was particularly impressive as he seized every opportunity the loose ball as he ended the day with 42 from 68 balls. The more cautious Rudolph will resume in 45 which has so far spanned 95 balls.

England’s Ashes drubbing appears to have done nothing to dampen the enthusiasm of their home supporters, certainly not in the North-East. With five months to go until the fourth and final Test against West Indies in June, all tickets for the Saturday of the match at the Riverside have been sold out.”There is undoubtedly a real sense of excitement about the England side returning to the North-East,” said Gordon Hollins, Durham County Cricket Club’s commercial manager. “It will be the biggest sporting event ever staged in the region.”Durham’s ground at Chester-le-Street has been hosting one-day internationals since the 1999 World Cup, and has staged two Tests since 2003, against Zimbabwe and Bangladesh. The visit of a marquee team such as West Indies, however, has created another level of interest.”Cricket is always passionately supported in the region and it is no surprise that day two has already sold out,” added Hollins, “especially with the likelihood of three of our players being included in the England squad.” Those players are Paul Collingwood, Steve Harmison and Liam Plunkett.Tickets for day one, three and four are still available, with prices starting at £20 for adults and £10 for under 16s. “I would encourage anyone planning to come along to the match to book their tickets as soon as possible,” said Hollins, “to ensure they get the best possible seats.” The match gets underway on June 15.

Hosts Bangladesh will take on defending champions South Africa in the opening game of the Under-19 World Cup in Chittagong on January 27 next year. The match is one of 20 games that will be broadcast live, compared to 11 matches telecast during the 2014 competition in the UAE. The tournament final will be played in Dhaka on February 14.Sixteen teams will participate in the tournament including six qualifiers – Scotland, Namibia, Afghanistan, Canada, Fiji and Nepal – across eight venues in Dhaka, Chittagong, Sylhet and Cox’s Bazar. Group D looks the most notable of the four groups as Australia, India, New Zealand and Nepal will compete for two knockout berths.Former Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara and Bangladesh fast bowlers Mustafizur Rahman and Taskin Ahmed attended the tournament launch programme in Dhaka on Monday, along with BCB president Nazmul Hassan and ICC general manager Geoff Allardice.

The pools

Group A: Bangladesh, South Africa, Namibia, Scotland
Group B: Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Canada
Group C: England, West Indies, Zimbabwe, Fiji
Group D: Australia, India, New Zealand, Nepal

Sangakkara joked he wasn’t “good enough” to play in the U-19 World Cup all those years ago, but identified the importance of the tournament for the transition of young players into international cricket.”I watched a lot of players around the world who played in the U-19 World Cup,” Sangakkara said. “It is great to see talent being recognised at a very young age and then get the exposure at an international stage to showcase their skills. It introduces them to professionalism, structure and the expectations of what they should be doing to step up to the international level.”Allardice recognised Bangladesh – who are hosting the event for the second time – as an ideal candidate in terms of amenities, especially with the addition of two stadiums in Cox’s Bazar for this tournament.”It is a very important tournament for the ICC. It is the aspiration of every young cricketer to make it to their U-19 national team,” Allardice said. “Nine of the ten Test captains have played in the U-19 World Cup at some stage.”I think the global nature of this tournament is important for cricket. It tends to expose the young players to the world stage. They are also exposed to education programmes like anti-corruption and anti-doping.”One of the things about the U-19 World Cup is to find a host city or country that has sufficient match and training facilities to host the 16 teams. Bangladesh ticks all the boxes in that regard. We hosted 26 teams in the ICC World T20 in Dhaka, Chittagong and Sylhet and this time we are also playing in Cox’s Bazar.”BCB chief Hassan said he was confident of the competition’s success. “Bangladesh has a proud history of hosting ICC events,” he said. “This is the second Under-19 World Cup that Bangladesh will be hosting. Given the passion and enthusiasm with which we organise and follow cricket, I am confident this tournament will also be successful.”

Ashish Nehra, former India and Delhi left-arm seamer, has been ruled out for the next two months of the Indian domestic season after being advised to rest his ankle, which was operated upon recently. He missed Delhi’s first two matches of the Ranji Trophy Super League and is likely to return only by the end of January.”I had gotten my ankle operated during the domestic off-season and have been advised by the doctors to rest it for the next two months till I am fully fit,” Nehra was quoted in the . “I am sure to play the Duleep and Deodhar Trophies and one-dayers, and the Ranji Trophy knockout matches as well, if Delhi qualify.”Nehra will travel with the team for their fourth- and fifth-round matches against Himachal Pradesh (in Dharamsala) and Maharashtra (in Pune) respectively, and train with the team physio. John Gloster, the Indian team physio, will also work with Nehra during the first Test between India and Pakistan at the Feroz Shah Kotla in New Delhi.Nehra, among the most injury-prone Indian players in recent times, said he was intent on taking things cautiously to avoid breaking down again.”I do not want to make the mistake again of playing until I am fully fit,” Nehra said. “Not only will that hamper my performance but also aggravate my injury. So I am going to take it light this season and come back the moment I know I am ready.”Delhi coach Vijay Dahiya admitted that Nehra’s absence would be felt, yet backed his decision to play it safe. “From a team’s point of view even an 80% Nehra is essential for the team, but from an individual perspective I think this is a good decision that Ashish has taken,” Dahiya said. “He aggravated his injury last season and this season he has chosen wisely to rest it and recover fully.”Nehra last played for India during the tour of Zimbabwe in 2005. Last season, he took 15 wickets in the Ranji Trophy at 41 runs apiece, and 13 wickets in nine one-day games.

Stuart Broad wants to be part of England’s next fearsome pace attack after his impressive display in the first one-day international against West Indies. Broad’s 3 for 20 was instrumental in England’s 79-run win, but it was the combination formed alongside James Anderson and Liam Plunkett which really stood out.When England won the Ashes in 2005 they had a powerhouse fast-bowling attack of Steve Harmison, Matthew Hoggard, Andrew Flintoff and Simon Jones. However, those four haven’t taken the field together since the victory at Trent Bridge that summer and the odds on it reforming are slim. Flintoff is recovering from further ankle surgery and there is still no return in sight for Jones after more knee problems.England have found it difficult to replicate their success since the attack started to fragment with a host of bowlers being handed chances. Broad has always been highly rated around the England set-up, making his debut against Pakistan at the end of last season, and spent the winter developing at the Academy before a late call to join the World Cup squad in West Indies.”In time, I think we should be able to form a similar unit to the one that England had in 2005,” said Broad after England had moved to Edgbaston to prepare for Wednesday’s second match. “Those guys like Harmy, Hoggy and Fred are still around and it is great learning from them, but we also want to push them.”The good thing about England at the moment is that there are a lot of guys capable of playing international cricket and you really need that depth if you’re to be successful. International cricket and Test cricket in particular is hard and you are going to get injuries but, if you’ve got a strong pool of players to pick from who can all come in and do a job, well that can only be a good thing for English cricket.”But for an untimely knee injury at the start of the current season, Broad could have made his Test debut against West Indies, especially when Hoggard pulled up after Lord’s. Ryan Sidebottom took his chance with both hands and Broad now wants to use this one-day series to make a similar statement.”Look at Ryan, who came in to the side and made the step up to become a regular,” he said. “He’s come in and put pressure on the bowlers in and around the team and I think that is a good thing.”We’ve got the makings of a young bowling unit coming together and we have to keep working hard and learning from the senior guys, but trying to put them under as much pressure as we can by taking wickets when we get our chances.”My outlook is that when you’re under pressure then that is when you play your best cricket. You’ve got no choice but to perform to keep your place and I find that brings out the best in me.”

The ECB has offered a solution to Derbyshire’s ongoing problem with the sun – or more exactly the fact that it sets behind the bowlers’ arm at the County Ground.At least two matches in the past two years have been shortened because play has been suspended while the sun sets. But the ECB has agreed to an amendment to playing regulations in the Twenty20 Cup and the Pro40.The change means that provision will be made for a maximum of one hour of extra time to make up for time lost in respect of low, bright sunlight. This means that no overs will be lost if play has to be suspended because of the sun unless more than one hour of time is lost.”Due to the problems we have experienced with the low sunlight we have looked at a number of possible solutions to the problem and after lengthy consultation with the ECB we have come up with what we believe is the best immediate solution,” Tom Sears, Derbyshire’s chief executive, said. “The new regulation ensures that the thousands of spectators who enjoy Twenty20 and Pro40 cricket at the County Ground will be able to watch a full match in the event of the sun affecting play.”This provision is made in respect of low, bright sunlight only. The provision does not apply in respect of time lost for any other reason.