The news that Herschelle Gibbs and Nicky Boje have been sent a list of questions by Indian police as part of their ongoing investigation into allegations of match-fixing has again raised doubts over the participation on the tour.The questions were submitted via the South African board (UCBSA). The UCBSA said that the players would answer them in affidavits which will be handed to the Indian high commission in South Africa.”We are keen to assist in this matter,” Gerald Majola, the UCBSA’s chief executive, said. “We hope the affidavits will complete the process.”The UCBSA has been trying to get an agreement that Gibbs and Boje will not face arrest if they travel to India, but any such promise can only come from the Indian police and, to date, nothing has been forthcoming. In the absence of such an assurance, it is extremely unlikely that either player would be willing to risk taking part in the tour.Boje has flatly denied any involvement in match-fixing, while Gibbs admitted accepting money during a one-day series against India and was subsequently fined and suspended for six months.

Thilina Kandamby and Rangana Herath have been recalled into the Sri Lankan side for the upcoming Paktel Cup in Pakistan. Lasith Malinga was the only player to be dropped from the squad that was chosen for the Champions Trophy. The 15-man squad is scheduled to take part in the tri-series tournament along with Pakistan and Zimbabwe, which starts on September 30.Dilhara Fernando, who has been nursed carefully back to full fitness after a string of back injuries, retains his place in the squad. However, Malinga is likely to be included for the two-Test series that follows the tournament.Sri Lanka will once again miss Muttiah Muralitharan, who is recovering well from shoulder surgery. Herath, the left-arm spinner, is among three specialist spinners in the squad – Upul Chandana and Kaushal Lokuarachchi, both legspinners, are the other two.Kandamby will provide an extra middle-order batting option but is unlikely to play unless there are injuries to one of the regular members. Nevertheless, his inclusion ahead of Russel Arnold, who appears to have been ostracised by the new selection panel, was the most controversial choice.Sri Lanka resumed training on Monday after returning from the Champions Trophy, and are due to leave for Pakistan on Sunday. Their first match of the tournament will be against Pakistan at Karachi on October 6.Sri Lanka squad
1 Marvan Atapattu (capt), 2 Sanath Jayasuriya, 3 Kumar Sangakkara (wk), 4 Mahela Jayawardene, 5 Tillakaratne Dilshan, 6 Saman Jayantha, 7 Avishka Gunawardene, 8 Farveez Maharoof, 9 Chaminda Vaas, 10 Upul Chandana, 11 Nuwan Zoysa, 12 Dilhara Fernando, 13 Thilina Kandamby, 14 Rangana Herath, 15 Kaushal Lokuarachchi.

Close South Africa 155 for 0 (20.2 overs: Gibbs 97*, Smith 48*) beat Bangladesh 154 for 9 (50 overs: Ntini 3-28) by ten wickets
ScorecardA savage onslaught by Herschelle Gibbs guided South Africa to an embarrassingly one-sided ten-wicket win over Bangladesh in the second one-day international at a sun-drenched Willowmoore Park. Gibbs cracked an unbeaten 97 off just 66 balls as South Africa reached their target of 155 with almost 30 overs to spare.Gibbs began his innings looking for a record his fourth consecutive one-day century. In the end he fell one stroke short. Needing a four to reach his goal, and just one to win the match, he drove Alok Kapali straight but the ball was fielded ten yards in from the boundary. A second straight Man of the Match award was some consolation for Gibbs. Perhaps it was all for the best as it would have been a rather devalued record. Of his three previous centuries, two had come against one-day minnows – Kenya and Bangladesh.An early finish was almost guaranteed from the moment that Shaun Pollock won the toss and put Bangladesh in. Javed Omar and Hannan Sarkar followed a game plan which appeared to be based on survival rather than scoring runs, and to that extent they succeed. Sarkar finally looked to open up and immediately perished, edging Makhaya Ntini to Adam Boucher for 7 (26 for 1). Four balls later Al-Shahriar Rokon was clean bowled by Ntini for 0 and the innings was following a depressingly familiar pattern.Omar briefly threatened to play an innings of some substance after a shaky beginning in which he had looked extremely unhappy with the pace of Ntini. When he edged Lance Klusener to Boucher for 24 in the 21st over (46 for 3) the floodgates were opened. A spirited ninth-wicket stand of 37 between Tapash Baisya, and Monjural Islam only delayed the inevitable.The rare boundaries were cheered enthusiastically by the few hundred flag-waving Bangaladeshi supporters. When Tushar Imran cracked Allan Donald for successive fours they were close to ecstasy, but the pace and experience of South Africa’s fast bowlers left the batsmen outclassed.Once again, Bangladesh were woefully short of being able to compete with the big boys. Their bowling lacked control, their batting generally revolved around crease occuptation rather than run-scoring, and their fielding was poor. To give them as much experience of international cricket as they have had is admirable but they appear to have made little progress. This kind of display does little other than distort the international averages.

The International Cricket Council has nominated the umpires and match referees who will officiate in the four-match Test series between India and Australia. Ranjan Madugalle, from Sri Lanka, will be the ICC Match Referee, and Steve Bucknor (West Indies), Rudi Koertzen (South Africa), Billy Bowden (New Zealand), David Shepherd (England) and Aleem Dar (Pakistan) will be the umpires.1st Test, Bangalore Steve Bucknor and Billy Bowden2nd Test, Chennai Rudi Koertzen and David Shepherd3rd Test, Nagpur Aleem Dar and David Shepherd4th Test, Mumbai Aleem Dar and Rudi KoertzenMatch Referee Ranjan Madugalle

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details4th day
Bulletin – England hold nerve in thriller
Verdict – Australia won’t let go easily
Aus view – Late, late shows are coming just too late
Quotes – On the brink of something special
Roving reporter – Real Test cricket returns … briefly
Gallery
News – England wait on Jones
News – Ponting and Katich face disciplinary hearings
Paper round – ‘How much more can we take?’
3rd day
Bulletin – England end on top
Verdict – The slowly turning tide
Aus View – From sparkling ocean to grotty estate
On the ball – Good length, good results
Spot of the day First come, first served
News – Ponting apologises
News – Jones injures ankle
Gallery
2nd day
Bulletin – Australia in tatters
Aus View – Hayden’s demise mirrors Australia’s
Stats – Another Freddie special
Verdict – England glimpse the promised land
Gallery – Pictures from the second day
1st day
Bulletin – Honours even on a stop-start day
Verdict – England need to land the telling blows
Aus View – Tait comes of age
Stats – Tait’s steep learning curve
GalleryPreview package
Preview – Titanic tussle swings back into action
Stats – Trent Bridge
Ashes Special – Reasons to be cheerful

Sourav Ganguly has insisted that the current dip in his form is only a temporary slump, and that he is still good enough to command a place in the team in both forms of the game.In an interview with , a Chennai-based sports magazine, Ganguly hit back at critics who have been suggesting that he is no longer among the best Test batsmen in the country. “I don’t think it’s right to say that I won’t be able to hold a Test spot as a batsman. As I said, it all has cropped up because I didn’t play well against Pakistan in the last series [in 2004-05]. I realise that I have to make runs, I have to make the most of the opportunities that I get.”But when you have been around for ten years, you go through periods like that. But at the same time, I realise that I have to get big runs as an important member of the team. I agree that I have not played well in the last six to seven months but I have played well over a span of ten years. If I can get things together, I don’t see why I can’t do well again.”Ganguly has averaged less than 36 in his last 14 Tests, while his ODI form has been even more worrying – no centuries in his last 42 matches, and an average of only 26. Ganguly responded to the criticism thus: “One must also realise that when you play for a span of 10-11 years, it’s not going to be the same standards that you have set for yourself. You must also realise that I have not opened consistently in one-day cricket, which used to be my strength, where I have got all my hundreds, it’s been at the top of the order. And to get a stronger team, I have sacrificed and batted at No. 4.” Ganguly has scored 19 of his 23 centuries as an opener, but his best career stats are at No. 3, where he has scored three hundreds and averages 52.15 in 30 games. Of late, though, Ganguly’s form as an ODI opener has dipped as well: in the last 42 games, he has opened the batting 19 times, and averages only 25 at that position, down from his career average of 41 at the top of the order. At No. 4, though, he has clearly struggled, averaging 17 in ten matches.”Still, in spite of batting at No. 4, before the Pakistan tour started last season, I was the third-highest run-getter in the world in one-day cricket,” Ganguly continued. “Rahul was number one with Sangakkara second, and I was third, and the difference was only 20-30 runs. The only opportunity I got to open was in England, and out of the four games, I should have got two hundreds, instead I made two 90s.”Ganguly also cited the lack of runs from the senior batsmen as the primary reason for India’s poor results in the ODIs. “I feel our performances in the last one year have dipped because people like me and Sachin [Tendulkar] haven’t made big hundreds, which we did for the last one year. When you get two of your top-order batsmen, one with 13,000 runs and the other with 10,000 runs in just a span of nine years, you cannot be out of form for a long time. The only thing I see is that I have not met the standards I have set in terms of scoring hundreds and in terms of the number of match-winning knocks that I have played.”Talking about the thorny captaincy issue, Ganguly insisted that he had no problems playing under Dravid. “Playing for India is more than enough. And I have been captain for five years all around the world. I’ve got nothing left to prove as a captain. Really did not matter to me, actually it felt nice to play without any thoughts and just concentrate on my game. It doesn’t matter who is the captain, it has to be a team and all 16 contributing if India has to do well from now on till whatever time.”

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) have said that the selection committee may have to take a decision on Sourav Ganguly’s future if he failed to come out of his prolonged run of poor form.”You should give some time to the selection committee and the players, particularly Sourav himself. If, in the coming days, the performance does not improve, the selection committee will keep in mind the feelings of crores of cricket fans and take an appropriate decision,” Ranbir Singh Mahendra, the board president, was quoted as saying by a BBC Hindi Programme.When asked whether Ganguly should continue as captain, Mahendra said that it was for the selection committee to decide and that the board would not interfere. He also dismissed suggestions that the board was turning a blind eye to Ganguly’s poor form: “See what you are saying could also be the feeling of many other cricket fans in the country. But let us all not forget that recently Ganguly has scored a Test hundred in Zimbabwe. Ganguly also might be seriously thinking about his form. So to say that we are not concerned or bothered is not right, we very much are.”Mahendra added that it would not be prudent to pass hasty judgment on Greg Chappell, the Indian coach, and his preference for doing away with the zonal system of appointing selectors. “An opinion should not be formed about an individual in haste. We would be doing grave injustice to him by passing such a judgment so soon. We would have to give reasonable time to Greg and then I think such an opinion would not remain. At times, when the team performance is not up to the mark, and it is passing through a critical phase, such thoughts do come to mind. But my view is that jumping to conclusion so soon about the coach would not be fair.”While admitting that the image of Indian cricket had taken a beating during the Ganguly-Chappell furore, Mahendra said that remedial measures were being taken to ensure that such events did not happen again. “We have ordered a probe into the leaking of coach Chappell’s e-mail to the board … At the same time we have taken corrective measures to ensure that such things do not happen in the future. Many players have also said that they feel whatever happened in the dressing room should not have come out in the open. From here, all of us have realized that we need to avoid such situations, and work for the betterment of the game and its fans.”

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).

After a muted response to the massive injection of cash promised by Allen Stanford, the West Indies board have finally given a guarded welcome to the proposal, calling on the organizers of the Stanford 2020 to work with the WICB in allocating funding. But both the WICB and the leading boards have made it clear that they expect more control over how the money is spent.Stanford has underwritten his tournament with around $28 million, $6 million of which is being allocated to 19 countries across the Caribbean to help them prepare for the Stanford 2020.”In view of recent statements in the media attributed to Stanford, it is considered necessary to clarify the position of the territorial boards in relation to his offer to disburse funding,” a WICB statement said. “The generous offer of assistance, which is proposed, is to be welcomed, but if it is Stanford’s desire to genuinely assist in the development of cricket, we would expect this to be progressed in conjunction with existing Caribbean initiatives, which are well advanced.”Visits to our respective territories have been made by envoys of Stanford and we have indicated general interest in his proposal to offer funding. But we have made it clear that we expect these arrangements to be pursued through our collective participation at the level of the WICB.”The slightly tetchy tone of the statement follows comments made by Ken Gordon which were equally two-edged. “”It’s Stanford’s money and if that’s how he wants to spend it he’s free to do so,” Gordon told the Jamaica Star. “I certainly feel the longer term objectives of cricket might be better served with that kind of investment, if it were programmed in a different way.”And six of the boards – Barbados, Guyana, Jamaica, Trinidad & Tobago, the Leeward Islands and the Windward Islands – issued a joint statement saying they expected cash to be directed through the WICB. However, within hours Trinidad & Tobago broke ranks and said it would accept the money directly.None of the boards, including the WICB, are in a position to turn away Stanford’s funding. Yesterday, Gordon told the Trinidad & Tobago Express: “We are bankrupt. We have a deficit of US $15 million.”There had been suggestions from unnamed sources within the WICB that Stanford had kept it in the dark. That was tersely rejected in a statement from the tournament organisers.”From the outset Allen Stanford has been fully supportive of Ken Gordon and has kept him apprised of the plans for the Stanford 2020 tournament,” the statement said. “We also understand WICB is the governing body of cricket in the West Indies and support them as such. It is and has always been our intention to work with them on this initiative, however we do not see them as the managers of the funds, considering that some of the nations involved do not fall under the auspices of the WICB.”While the WICB might not like it and will probably continue to huff and puff, Stanford has the cash and can call the shots. And with most regional boards strapped for cash, it will be a brave executive which turns down the $280,000 they will each receive.

Details of the Afro-Asia A-team tournament hosted by Bangladesh in January have finally been announced.The five-team event – which features sides from India, Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe, Bangladesh and Kenya – is based in Chittagong and starts on January 18. All the sides will play each other once, with the top two meeting in the final at the M A Aziz Stadium on January 28.There is some concern over whether Zimbabwe, who have named their side, will actually participate as most of their squad have said they will refuse to play under the current board. It is likely that they will hold a meeting shortly before they are due to depart to make a final decision.There is also some unease with the criteria for what constitutes an A side, with the Zimbabwe team containing six of their most recent Test side and only three of their squad have not played Tests or ODIs.Rather oddly, it appears that the organisers were hoping for an African Representative XI, based around Kenya and Uganda, to take the fifth slot but it seems that the Kenyans refused, arguing that as they had recently whitewashed Zimbabwe A in Zimbabwe, they deserved a place on their own merits.