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Pakistan have recalled Azhar Mahmood and Taufeeq Umar to their squad for the VB Series, the triangular one-day tournament which also features Australia and West Indies. Mohammad Hafeez and Iftikhar Anjum have also been included, while Mohammad Sami, Danish Kaneria, Asim Kamal, Imran Farhat and Mohammad Asif will return home after the Test series.Mahmood has been a star performer for Surrey over the last couple of seasons, but has struggled to make a permanent place for himself in the Pakistan team. He last appeared an ODI in 2003-04, when Pakistan toured New Zealand, and has played only 13 of them in the last two years. His return will be especially pleasing for Bob Woolmer, who has often spoken highly about Mahmood’s allround ability.Taufeeq and Hafeez, meanwhile, return after being dropped due to poor form. Taufeeq, a left-handed opener, was earlier seen as a Test specialist, but has slowly been part of the mix for the one-dayers as well – the last of his 18 one-dayers came against India at Lahore last year. Hafeez, an allrounder who bowls offspin, made an impressive start to his international career in a triangular tournament in Sharjah immediately after the 2003 World Cup, but was then dropped after a string of dismal performances.A media release from the Pakistan board also announced that Inzamam-ul-Haq and Abdul Razzaq would be fit for the tournament. Both missed the ongoing Sydney Test – Inzamam failed to recover from a back injury while Razzaq was struck with a mystery ailment during the second Test at Melbourne.The VB Series starts on January 14, while Pakistan play their first match against Australia a couple of days later.Pakistan squad for the VB Series
Salman Butt, Taufeeq Umar, Yasir Hameed, Mohammad Hafeez, Yousuf Youhana, Inzamam-ul-Haq (capt), Younis Khan, Shoaib Malik, Shahid Afridi, Abdul Razzaq, Azhar Mahmood, Kamran Akmal (wk), Shoaib Akhtar, Naved-ul-Hasan, Mohammad Khalil, Iftikhar Anjum.

Griqualand West 311 and 146 for 4 beat Western Province 173 and 283 (Philander 168) by 6 wickets
ScorecardIn Kimberley, Griqualand West notched up a six-wicket win against Western Province. A massive 168 from Vernon Philander was not enough to save Province after their first innings debacle of 173. It was a virtual one-man show from Philander: apart from his marathon five-and-a-half hour century, he also scored 66 in the first innings, and had match figures of 5 for 92. It still couldn’t prevent defeat, though, as Griquas reached the target of 146 with six wickets to spare.Eastern Province 230 for 9 dec and 166 beat Boland 109 and 229 (Howell 4-38) by 58 runs
ScorecardAt Boland Park in Paarl, Eastern Province beat Boland by 58 runs afterrestricting the home team to 229 in their second innings. Chasing atarget of 288, Boland had a glimmer of hope when the middle order took thescore to 207 for 6 after an early collapse had reduced the team to 18 for 3. Grant Howell, the top run-scorer for Eastern Province in their first innings, triggered the lower-order collapse, ending the day with 4 for 38 as Eastern Province registered their first win of the season.Border 282 for 9 dec and 207 for 5 (Bradfield 61, Matika 57, Pillay 3-47) drew with KwaZulu-Natal 305 for 6 dec (Mall 96, Madsen 90, Hinkel 3-93)
ScorecardRain and bad light in East London over all three days of the game ensured that Border and KwaZulu-Natal could only play out a draw. Nineties from Ashraf Mall and Wayne Madsen helped Natal to a healthy 305 for 6 when, in an attempt to manufacture a result, they declared inside the mandatory 85 overs. Warwick Hinkel was the most successful bowler for Border, taking three of the six wickets to fall. Half-centuries from Michael Matika and Carl Bradfield – his second of the match – ensured that Border comfortably batted out the remaining overs.Free State 419 and 303 for 9 dec (du Preez 89, Summers 74, de Bruin 5-124, Mafa 4-78), beat Gauteng 270 and 296 (Harris 98, Crookes 51, Tshabalala 4-70) by 156 runsScorecardA target of 453 put the match at the Wanderers well out of reach for Gauteng as Free State ran away winners by 156 runs. With the target not attainable, Gauteng failed in their attempt to bat out for a draw as Thandi Tshabalala spun his side to a win with four wickets. Matthew Harris fell just two short of his century when he was trapped leg-before for 98. A quick 51 from Derek Crookes entertained the few spectators present at the ground, but it didn’t save Gauteng from defeat.

India 401 for 4 (Sehwag 164, Gambhir 96, Ganguly 57, Dravid 52*) trail South Africa 510 for 9 dec by 109 runs
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details

The bowlers continued to toil with little reward on a placid Green Park track at Kanpur. South Africa had the satisfaction of restricting the runs, but they managed just four wickets as India – despite Virender Sehwag’s electrifying 164 – scored only 216 in the 72 overs bowled in the day. With one day to go, and India’s first innings still some way from completion, a boring draw, and an avoidable last day, was in prospect.While only four batsmen were dismissed in the day, the contest between bat and ball was far more even than yesterday – except for a brief period in the afternoon when Sehwag launched an astonishing assault – largely because of South Africa’s greater discipline in the field. Their bowling was more accurate, and, crucially, all their seamers extracted reverse-swing in varying degrees, which prevented most of the batsmen from hitting through the line of the ball. Gautam Gambhir was an early victim of the seam and swing, while Rahul Dravid (52 not out) and Sourav Ganguly (57) had to exercise plenty of caution early on, and it was only when the second new ball was taken that both became more comfortable.One batsman, however, was completely unperturbed by the sideways movement. Sehwag had been in fairly watchful mode yesterday, and started off in similar fashion today, but in a 40-minute period immediately after lunch he launched into a blistering attack on the South African bowlers, adding 56 off a mere 35 balls. Sehwag’s technique was simple: he stayed still, with feet on leg stump, as the ball was delivered. That allowed him the room to execute the strokes to incoming deliveries. If the ball went the other way, Sehwag still trusted his hand-eye co-ordination to do the job. Andrew Hall was tonked for an audacious six over long-on, while anything pitched up around off was belted over or through the off-side cordon. And against Robin Peterson’s completely innocuous slow stuff – it wasn’t spin, since he hardly turned the ball at all – Sehwag was utterly disdainful, reverse-sweeping, driving inside-out through the off side, or lofting boundaries to leg almost at will.In eight overs after lunch, India piled on 59, during which period Sehwag passed 1000 runs for the calendar year. Then, a dubious decision by Simon Taufel ended it all. Hall got one to swing in prodigiously, and hit Sehwag on the pad in front of leg stump. The ball seemed to be drifting down leg, but Taufel thought otherwise, ending a gloriously entertaining innings (294 for 2).With Sehwag gone, normal service resumed. Sachin Tendulkar struggled to cope with the low bounce, and was bowled off his pads for 3 by another Hall inswinger, while Dravid and Ganguly struggled to get the ball off the square. Dravid was particularly bogged down. Unlike Sehwag, Dravid shuffled across his stumps, which often got him into a tangle with the indippers. Probably mindful of his dismissals in the series against Australia, even half-volleys were patted back with exaggerated caution.The second new ball, taken immediately after tea, eased his misery somewhat, as it came onto the bat quicker, and without that late movement. Ganguly prospered too, executing some delectable drives through the off side en route to his half-century. He finally became Zander de Bruyn’s first Test victim, miscuing a pull to Peterson at fine leg (394 for 4), but Dravid continued with his painstaking effort, and had faced 169 deliveries by close of play, which, again, was brought forward by almost an hour by poor light.Earlier, Gambhir missed out on his maiden Test hundred, edging Shaun Pollock to the wicketkeeper when just four short. Gambhir had hammered 85 off just 114 on the third day, but, with a century in sight, he was understandably cautious. The bow;ers kept an excellent line to him as well, and the persistence finally paid off, ending a first-wicket stand of 218. Sehwag briefly seemed set to take the game away from the South Africans, but his unfortunate dismissal made it a good day for the visitors.

To play cricket at this time of the year, under the blazing Chennai sun, can be a completely exhausting experience. After being on the field for almost three days, Dinesh Karthik is totally drained. “This is definitely the longest time I have been on the field,” he says, “but that’s how it will be. No point complaining.”One immediately recalls Robin Singh’s comments about Karthik’s fitness. Robin coached him in the recent Under-19 World Cup, and has seen him progress through the grind of cricket at the lower grades. “Dinesh is probably the fittest guy in the whole Tamil Nadu team. He works tremendously hard. That helps him stay focused for long periods.”Behind Karthik’s growth as a cricketer is Krishna Kumar, his father, who watches his every move. Kumar, who himself played first-division cricket in Chennai, has been in the stadium every day. It’s his unfulfilled ambition that is being realised through his son, and he concedes: “I was always made to put my studies ahead of my cricket. I didn’t want my son to suffer the same way.”Kumar remembers taking the young Dinesh to Kuwait for two years, where he taught the 10-year-old a few cricket basics. “It was a great boon that they showed English county cricket on television those days. We used watch every game and simultaneously simulate those match situations in the back yard. I used to throw the leather ball at a very high speed so that he developed his reflexes early. He used to get hit on the head sometimes and cry for a while. But those evenings helped him face the hard ball without fear.”Fearlessness is what many people associate with Karthik’s batting. “He has the sense of occasion,” says Robin, “and is unfazed by the pressure of the situation. This innings [his hundred on the first day here] is an ideal example. And even his fantastic 70 off 39 balls in the Under-19 World Cup [against Sri Lanka in Dhaka]. It came in front of a packed house when the team just had to win.”Robin, however, feels that Karthik has a long way to go behind the stumps. “His batting talent is special, but he definitely has to improve his wicketkeeping. He has the basics right, but he needs to definitely sharpen his technique.”Syed Kirmani, the former Indian keeper who is now the chairman of India’s selectors, agrees: “He is one among several candidates who are in the cradle of wicketkeeping. They all have a long way to go.” Though Karthik played in the league phase of the Ranji Trophy last season, his first, he was left out in the knockout stages because his keeping wasn’t up to scratch. He explains: “I am not trying to give excuses but my poor wicketkeeping form coincided with my height shooting up. I didn’t realise that I was growing taller really fast, and I totally lost my timing and positioning.”This season, though, many who have seen him play mention his improvement behind the stumps. “There was a wicketkeeping camp in Bangalore, and Kiran More’s insights were very useful. He helped me out with my hand, eye and head positioning, and it has definitely had an effect on my keeping this season. Though I dropped two catches in the Under-19 World Cup, I had some really good games behind the stumps and was satisfied with my overall performance. Of course, everyone will remember only the dropped catches, and I have to eliminate them completely.”His father has also spotted a crucial change in attitude after Karthik attended an “Art of Living” camp a few months back. “I was really surprised when he returned. There was a new fire burning in him, and he is now enjoying every moment of his cricket.”Playing in the Chennai league, which is one of the toughest in the country, has had a salutary effect as well. “It is extremely competitive and several top players take part,” says Karthik. “There is also a lot of verbal stuff that one has to face. It made me tougher. Also, keeping in the hot sun in Chennai is a blessing in disguise.”The spectators of Chennai, who watched his fighting hundred in the first innings, fondly refer to him as “KKD” (his initials). When he smacked Avishkar Salvi for four fours in an over, he becomes everyone’s paiyan (that’s the Tamil for “son”). Will he play for India one day? After his recent exploits, it could be just a matter of time.Siddhartha Vaidyanathan is on the staff of Wisden Cricinfo in India.

Lancashire’s coach Mike Watkinson has signed a contract extension which will keep him at Old Trafford until the end of the 2009 season. Watkinson who has been with the club since 1982 and captained Lancashire to three trophies in the 1990s is in his fifth season as cricket manager.”There is a fine balance at Lancashire between trying to ensure immediate success and building for the future, that is something we have worked hard and carefully to achieve and this season has seen we are on the right track,” he said. “The Lancashire ECB Academy is well established, we continue to be the best at producing players for England at all levels, and we have a highly competitive squad with a great team spirit. Now we can carry on in the same vein and hopefully reap the rewards over the next few years.””We are delighted that Mike has accepted this opportunity to take the club forward,” said Jim Cumbes, the county’s chief executive. “When he was first appointed, he became our first full time cricket manager with the responsibility of looking at our whole cricketing set up and pulling it together. We believe that he has done a great job.”

Western Australia 1 for 0 (Langer 0*, Bichel 1-0) trail Queensland 362 (Maher 92, Hopes 71, Philipson 63) by 362 runs
ScorecardFresh from his record-breaking one-day hundred, Queensland’s captain, Jimmy Maher, was grateful to his opposite number Justin Langer, after being handed first use of a perfect batting track at the Gabba. Langer’s unexpected gamble allowed Queensland to rattle along to 362 in their first innings, before grabbing an added bonus with the final ball of the day, when Western Australia’s stand-in opener, Ben Edmondson, was trapped lbw by Andy Bichel for a duck.Maher later joked that it had been a good toss to lose, but it was largely thanks to his brusk 92 that Queensland were able to move themselves into such a good position. James Hopes and Craig Philipson built on Maher’s platform with rapid innings of 71 and 63 respectively, as Western Australia were crashed all round the Gabba in the early part of the day. It was only as the wicket quickened up in the afternoon that conditions became more perilous for batting, and Queensland duly lost their last six wickets for 92.Langer was quick to defend his decision at the close of play. “Traditionally it’s a bit like the WACA,” he said. “You don’t always [bowl first] but you feel like you usually get the most out of the Gabba wicket on the first day. I thought there was a bit of moisture in it and good grass cover, and as it turned out, it has been a good day for us.”Maher, naturally, took a different opinion. “It was a good toss to win, I mean lose,” he joked to reporters. “When you get sent in on day one of a game and make 360 and have them 1 for 0, there’s nothing but happiness. The wicket was pretty good, and the good thing about it, is that it looked like it’s quickened up a bit. All in all I think we should bowl them out for a decent score.”Queensland played their shots throughout the innings, but WA’s bowlers fought back well. John Taylor (3 for 99) recovered from an early caning by Maher and Stuart Law (28), while Kade Harvey (2 for 54) bowled a tight line throughout. The day ended in confusion when Edmondson, who had already bowled 21 overs in Queensland’s innings, was sent in as a nightwatchman. He lasted just two balls, before Bichel pinned him lbw. “I guess he was the sacrificial lamb,” admitted Langer, “but hopefully it will work out well for the team.”One significant batting failure was that of Martin Love, who caught at slip off Taylor for just 2. It was particularly poor timing for Love, who is still hopeful of a Test place for the forthcoming series in Sri Lanka.

Zimbabwe’s World Cup squad are to receive less than half the pay they were originally promised in their contracts, according to a report in today’s edition of . The report claims that Robert Mugabe, Zimbabwe’s president and the patron of the Zimbabwe Cricket Union (ZCU), has decreed that some players will lose as much as US$20,000 (about £12,400) from their original payout. And to make matters worse for players such as Andy Flower and Henry Olonga, who now both live in England, the majority of the money owed to them will be impossible to transfer abroad.First a little-noticed clause in the players’ contracts, stating that their fees would be cut by 19% if the ZCU’s income fell below a certain level, was invoked. This, combined with the horrendous state of inflation in Zimbabwe, and the conversion of their fees from American dollars to Zimbabwean ones at an unfavourable rate, all means that the players will eventually receive a meagre meagre sum. Add tax on top of that, and it’s no surprise that the players apparently feel as if they have been robbed.But where Flower and Olonga lose out even further is that they are no longer allowed to transfer their money out of the country. In order to access their foreign-currency accounts, they would have to fill out a form explaining how they are going to use it.One of the four Zimbabwe players who spoke to said: “We’ve been screwed. It’s daylight robbery.” The players in question asked not to be revealed as a legal battle is now likely, but another said: “It’s like they’re stealing our foreign currency and it’s only worth living in Zimbabwe if you can earn foreign currency.””We signed a contract and they agreed to pay us a certain amount,” said the third player. “Now we’re not going to get what they agreed. We have always been pay-as-you-earn individual employees. We’ve never been companies or corporate entities.”The other added: “This was the big payday for us, that only comes every four years. If your income is in Zimbabwe dollars, you just can’t make out. It’s scary. That’s why so many people are leaving the country.”Retraction: Zimbabwe players’ payments

Paras Mhambrey, the former India and Mumbai mediumpacer, will assist John Wright in the six-day coaching camp that starts in Bangalore on September 1. Although unsure about the exact role he would play, Mhambrey told Wisden CricInfo: “I’ve got a letter from the Board saying that my services were required and that I should report to John Wright on September 1. I’m not entirely sure what is expected of me, but I’m happy to work with Wright and the Indian team in any way required.”Mhambrey retired from first-class cricket after leading Mumbai to victory in the Ranji Trophy in May this year. While he still plays club cricket, coaching is now Mhambrey’s number one passion.Wright watched Mhambrey in action when he was working with Frank Tyson. Curious about Mhambrey’s track record, Wright quickly asked around, and when informed about his achievements for Mumbai and India, he grew interested. The fact that Mhambrey was a Level II qualified coach and had recently assisted Tyson in conducting examinations and evaluations for the same qualification clinched matters. Mhambrey has also worked with the Karnataka Under-19 and Under-17 teams.”I’ve worked a lot with Frank (Tyson) and that has really helped me each time. For me as a coach, just implementing his methods is an amportant thing,” said Mhambrey. “Ever since I retired in May I’ve been concentrating on coaching, and I’m just happy for the opportunity to work with the national coach and the team.”The fact that Mhambrey is the sort of person who would not interfere too much or look to impose his own views goes strongly in his favour. Moreover, the camp is likely to feature at least seven mediumpacers, and this is where Mhambrey will come in handy. With Tyson, he has worked on several specific drills designed to work on various aspects of bowling such as accuracy, swing and variation.Star players have had numerous disagreements and ego clashes with several of the coaches and assistant coaches in the past. Mhambrey prefers to keep a low profile and has played with people like Sachin Tendulkar and Ajit Agarkar for over 10 years. “I’m sure there wont be any problems on that count,” he said. “I’ve got a job to do and I’m happy to assist Wright in any way he wants.”At the moment, it’s merely a one-off appointment for the six-day camp, but Mhambrey will take heart from the growing number of players who fell just short of the big-time in their heyday before turning into successful international coaches.

Glenn McGrath has been ruled out of the remainder of the current Test series against India. A spokesman for McGrath’s state team, New South Wales, said that a scan has revealed that his ankle had not healed enough for him to participate in the Boxing Day Test at Melbourne or the following one at Sydney, which starts on Jan 2.”Glenn McGrath had a scan on Tuesday and it’s improved a lot but he’s still not right to play,” said Glenn Daniel. “He’s aiming for the New South Wales game against Victoria starting on Jan 9.”McGrath was earlier expected to play for NSW against Tasmania on December 19, but cancelled a net session after experiencing pain. Pat Farhart, the NSW physio, explained then: “It has not settled, and still swells up. He still gets pain when he bowls.”The latest setback for Australia comes after Jason Gillespie suffered a groin strain in the second Test. Brad Williams also sprained a shoulder at Adelaide, but bowled on the final day, allaying fears about the extent of his injury.Australia’s frontline fast bowlers have been laid low with a spate of injuries in recent months, and this led to an under-strength attack playing in the first two Tests against India.The only sign of relief is Brett Lee’s likely return to the Test squad after recovering from ankle and stomach injuries. If found fit, Lee will be a certainty for the third Test, which begins on Dec 26. Australia’s squad for that third Test will be announced on Monday (Dec 22), after India’s tour match against Australia A.

In an effort to revive truncated cricket ties with Pakistan, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has said that it will seek its government’s permission to play Pakistan at neutral venues. Rajiv Shukla, a cricket administrator and a Member of Parliament, said that the board would soon approach Mr A B Vajpayee, the Indian Prime Minister, with the request.The Indian government had banned bilateral cricket with Pakistan since 2000, in protest against alleged Pakistan-sponsored terrorism in the disputed state of Kashmir. However, the Indian team is allowed to play Pakistan in multi-national tournaments, as in the recently concluded World Cup. Direct sporting relations continue between India and Pakistan in other sports such as hockey.Earlier in March, the Indian government had overruled another request from the BCCI to resume bilateral matches with Pakistan. The BCCI claimed that it could be heavily penalised by the International Cricket Council (ICC) for failing to fulfill commitments. In an embarrassing contradiction, the ICC promptly denied such a possibility, maintaining that it will not hold individual boards accountable for governmental decisions.But with big money at stake, both the Indian and Pakistani cricket boards have increased their lobbying with the Indian government. “We want to somehow resume bilateral cricket,” said Karunakaran Nair, the BCCI secretary. Nair said that senior board members would discuss the issue by the end of May. The matter is also expected to be discussed at the Asian Cricket Foundation (ACF) meeting in Dubai next week.