The extreme developments of the last couple of days had prompted the Board of Control for Cricket in India to take no chances with the high-powered meetings set to take place in Mumbai on April 6 and 7. While it debates – and hopefully decides – on the various crucial issues it has suddenly been faced with, there will be measures in place to ensure secrecy is maintained.To that end, the board has decided to keep the media out of the Wankhede Stadium premises, where its offices are situated and where it is scheduled to meet. The board has also asked both Greg Chappell and Sanjay Jagdale, coach and manager for the World Cup, not to send the reports sought from them in any form – fax or email – to board members, but instead to table them directly before Sharad Pawar, the president, at the assigned time.It has already instructed the players to refrain from making any remarks to the media, especially on the currently sensitive topics doing the rounds in Indian cricket.Rahul Dravid, who has steered clear of the limelight for the past few days, holidaying in Kerala with his family, will speak to the office-bearers at the meeting but submit no report. The word on Thursday was that Sachin Tendulkar had also been asked to attend the meeting but this could not be confirmed.The two-day session will be the first time the BCCI would have met to discuss India’s early exit from the World Cup and its fallout, including Wednesday’s decision by Chappell not to seek an extension of his coaching contract. Rumours of an emergency meeting convened at Pawar’s residence on Wednesday evening, soon after the Chappell news broke, proved to be just rumour.And so, at 10am on Friday, Chappell and Jagdale will hand over their reports to Pawar. Also present will be Niranjan Shah, the secretary, Mohinder Pandove, the joint secretary, N Srinivasan, the treasurer, four vice-presidents, the chairman of selectors and the administrative head. Lalit Modi, who is in London at the moment, is the one vice-president unlikely to attend the meeting.While Jagdale’s report will be restricted to the tournament, Chappell, it is believed, has been asked for a detailed analysis from the time his tenure began, 22 months ago.In the second half of the day, once they are finished with Chappell and Jagdale, the BCCI will meet with former Indian captains to ascertain their views on the best way forward. The former captains invited are Sunil Gavaskar, Kapil Dev, Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi, Ravi Shastri, Kris Srikkanth, S Venkataraghavan and Chandu Borde. While the board will be discussing the details of the two reports they received with the former captains, it is understood that copies of the report will not be made available to them, once again in the interest of maintaining confidentiality.The next day, by which time Chappell would probably have left the country for a pre-arranged break in Singapore, the board’s working committee will meet. This meeting is expected to last all day, ending with a press conference at 5pm, when the decisions taken at the meeting will be made public.The BCCI is not under any compulsion to name either a captain or coach at the end of the meetings, but it is widely expected that they will announce their captaincy choice and an interim coach, in the meantime constituting a panel that will look at options for a long-term coach.

Mohammad Yousuf has thrown his hat into the ring as a willing contender for Pakistan’s cricket captaincy a day after Younis Khan turned down the offer.Though Yousuf has not been offered the post, one that must be cricket’s toughest job at the moment, he told Cricinfo that he would be more than willing to accept it if the offer was made. “The PCB has not contacted me but I have no problem leading the team.”Younis refused the post citing the mental strain the job would bring with it but Yousuf shrugged aside such concerns, even hinting that he was, by rights, next in line.”I don’t see any kind of pressure in the job. I think I’m a worthy candidate as in the last year I have really proven myself. It has always been an honour to represent Pakistan and it would be a real pleasure to lead the team at this difficult time.”Yousuf has captained Pakistan in three Tests, winning one against South Africa at Lahore and losing the other two to Australia in 2004-05 at Melbourne and Sydney. Until Younis took over as vice-captain, Yousuf had held the post since the 2003 World Cup.”I’m a senior player now and I have previous leadership experience,” Yousuf said. “We won that Test against South Africa and in Australia as captain, I made a hundred. And before that, I was vice-captain so I am confident I can do the job justice.”Yousuf, who broke the long-standing record of most Test runs in a calendar year in 2006 and was chosen as one of Wisden’s Five Cricketers of the Year, stressed the need for a swift decision. “Whoever is selected, it should be done soon. Ideally, a good step would be to appoint an experienced player and allow him to groom a youngster for the role.”In the past, in Pakistan sides, there have always been many ex-captains or players who wanted to lead and that hurt the team. That has to be avoided this time.”In much of the captaincy talk, Yousuf’s name has been conspicuously downplayed by the board’s decision-makers. The accent has been on youth; Shoaib Malik has been repeatedly mentioned, so too Salman Butt.A few players, however, have voiced concerns about opting for youth, purely for the sake of it, over an established name. “The names mentioned are all players who aren’t really sure of their places in the side. To burden them with leadership isn’t a good move,” said one.Another added, “This is Pakistan, not a club or department team. Whoever is chosen should be a regular, proven performer. Some of the younger candidates mentioned haven’t even performed well recently. How can they be expected to lead a team in which their own position is not certain?”It suggests that an investment in youth might not be universally popular within the team, potentially leaving the board already worrying about future dissent. Just how much of a quandary the board is rooted in is evidenced by the fact that there has still been no official reaction to Younis’s decision, more than a day after the event.

Despite being booed by supporters after England’s wretched nine-wicket defeat by South Africa, Michael Vaughan was adamant that he was not about to stand down as captain.Clearly affected by the hostile reception and the manner of the loss, Vaughan admitted that both he and Duncan Fletcher were under pressure. “I’m an honest guy who says my position is hugely in doubt due to my batting,” he said. “But I still believe I’m a very good captain. I’m not retiring.”It’s a horrible feeling to have walked off the field and get booed by a lot of England supporters, but rightfully so from the performance we put in,” he said. “I’ve been a supporter in a stadium, watched football teams that haven’t produced, and done exactly the same. I fully understand why they have given us that kind of reception.”With 130 runs from nine World Cup innings – and without a hundred in 85 ODIs either -Vaughan could hardly say he was anything other than disappointed by the outcome. “It’s a massive tournament, in which I expected us to turn up and produce something. I firmly believe that we have players with the talent and the attitude to do that on the big stage. We haven’t done that so we have to accept all the criticism that comes our way. It’s a very sad day for English cricket.”And as for his own position? “There will be many conversations in the days ahead,” he said. “There needs to be a lot of honesty after a very, very disappointing six months. As players we have to look at why we have performed to a standard that is unacceptable through the winter. The most important thing is to get a strategy to get English cricket back on track.”

Trevor Penney, the assistant coach of Sri Lanka during Tom Moody’s tenure, will take over as coach until they find a replacement for Moody.”Trevor’s contract runs until the end of August so he will be in charge alongside Rumesh Ratnayake [a former Sri Lankan fast bowler],” a Sri Lanka Cricket source told AFP. “We are not in a hurry to appoint a new coach and will let the process run its course.” Penney and Ratnayake will be in charge for the home series against Bangladesh, which begins in June.Sri Lanka Cricket had shortlisted several contenders to replace Moody, who was leaving to coach Western Australia after completing his two-year contract with Sri Lanka. Penney will join him after his contract expires in August.The early frontrunner for the Sri Lanka job, John Wright, had apparently ruled himself out. Other interested candidates included Jamie Siddons, Dave Houghton, Greg Shipperd, Terry Oliver, Trevor Bayliss and Graham Ford.Siddons is assistant coach of the Australian team and a senior coach at the Center for Excellence in Brisbane. Houghton, the former Zimbabwe captain, is presently coaching Derbyshire. Shipperd is the coach of Victoria while Oliver had success coaching Queensland. Baylisss made his mark as head coach of New South Wales and Ford who coaches Kent was a former coach of South Africa.

One of the most keenly contested series in women’s cricket takes place later this month when New Zealand tour Australia in a bid to regain the Rose Bowl. Karen Rolton, the Australia captain, can’t wait to play their trans-Tasman rivals, and she will expect to pass 4000 runs during the series, needing 61 to reach the milestone.Australia have lost only three out of 27 games against New Zealand since the 2000 World Cup defeat, and they have won every Rose Bowl this decade. Despite this one-sidedness, Rolton is expecting a close contest.”I don’t think there is too much difference between the two teams, any team can win on the day,” Rolton said. Although Australia won the Rose Bowl 5-0 in 2006, the first three matches were decided in the last over. The two sides also reached the final of the Quadrangular series in Chennai in March, which Australia won by six wickets.”Every time we play New Zealand we are ready for a tough, hard-fought series,” Rolton said. “The two teams really enjoy playing against each other. We can’t wait to play this series as we really enjoy playing against one of the best teams in women’s cricket.”Rolton said the Australia team had changed a lot since the World Cup in 2005, which they won, and were in the process of rebuilding. They will certainly feel the loss of Cathryn Fitzpatrick, their leading fast bowler, who retired after the Quadrangular series.The Rose Bowl will be good preparation for the World Cup that Australia are hosting in 2009. “It is important to try as many players as we can to see who can perform against the best teams in the world,” Rolton said, “so we can have the best performing players ready for action in 2009.” The series begins at Darwin’s Garden’s Oval with a Twenty20 game on July 19, followed by five ODIs between July 21 and 29.

Sri Lanka’s World Cup star, Lasith Malinga, has joined Kent on a short-termdeal. Malinga, 23, will join the county for three weeks as a replacementfor the South African all-rounder, Andrew Hall, who has international commitments.Malinga, who bowls with a unique slinging round-arm action, grabbed fourSouth Africa wickets in as many balls during a World Cup Super Eight matchin March.”I am delighted to get the opportunity and I consider the experience to bea great one,” said Malinga. “I will try to maximise every opportunity at Kent for the betterment of mygame.”This is the first time I have played any form of domestic cricket in anothercountry and I am looking forward to an enjoyable three weeks in the Kentdressing room.”Kent’s director of cricket, Graham Ford, confirmed the deal and an officialannouncement from the county is expected tomorrow. “He is a top performer,” said Ford. “Andrew Hall was called up to return to South Africa so obviously we needed a replacement.”

Matthew Hoggard will have his back injury reassessed on Monday and is a doubtful starter for the second Test against India at Trent Bridge, starting July 27, after an MRI scan revealed irritation in a disc in his back.Hoggard was ruled out of the first Test currently underway at Lord’s after being sent to hospital following a back spasm. “His rehabilitation will be closely monitored over the next five days and he will be re-assessed by ECB medical staff on Monday,” the ECB said.”I feel mightily peeved,” Hoggard said in . “I bowled three balls and couldn’t run in to bowl any more. I kicked some stumps — not too hard or I could have ended up in traction — and realised straightaway that I wouldn’t be playing in the Test match.”Chris Tremlett was called up to replace Hoggard and made his debut today at the expense of Stuart Broad, the young Leicestershire fast bowler who many had tipped to play ahead of himEngland are now left without a single member of the 2005 bowling attack that won the Ashes. Andrew Flintoff is continuing his recovery from ankle surgery, Simon Jones is still only appearing in occasional one-day matches for Glamorgan and Ashley Giles is ruled out of another summer. It will also be the first time since the Oval Test against Australia in 2001 that none of Hoggard, Steve Harmison or Flintoff have lined up in a Test.However, Michael Vaughan would rather view the situation as a challenge than a concern. “It’s new and exciting to see,” he said. “It’s a brand new attack with no Harmison, Flintoff, Giles or Simon Jones. We had a great attack in 2005, but it’s new and exciting for us all to see how they react to playing in front of a lot of people, against a very good batting team. It’s going to be a great challenge for whoever plays.”While England have suffered a run of injuries to their bowlers in the last couple of years, Hoggard remained a constant member of the attack for 40 consecutive games until missing the final Ashes Test at Sydney in January. Since then he has also been hit by a run of injuries and missed two Tests against West Indies after picking up a groin strain at Lord’s in May.

Scorecard

A rampant India A took charge with both bat and ball on the opening day of their three-day match against Kenya at Mombasa. Led by a four-wicket haul by Yo Mahesh, the right-arm fast bowler, the Indians dismissed Kenya for a paltry 97 in less than 38 overs. Parthiv Patel then starred with the bat, scoring an unbeaten 100 as India A finished on 205 for 4, already 108 in front.Steve Tikolo won the toss and chose to bat, but the decision backfired spectacularly as only four batsmen made it into double digits, with Tikolo’s 28 being the highest score.The slide started early, as Irfan Pathan got one through Maurice Ouma’s defences off the fifth ball of the match. When Mahesh trapped Alex Obanda in front in the fourth over, Kenya had lost two wickets with just one run on the board. Tikolo and David Obuya added 38 for the second wicket, the highest partnership of the innings, but once Pankaj Singh broke through, the rest of the Kenyan batsmen hardly offered any resistance. Tanmay Mishra’s 27 was the only other significant contribution, but Mahesh dismissed him and then wrapped up the tail to finish with 4 for 21.The Indians didn’t start smoothly, losing both openers with only 14 on the board. However, Patel, first in the company of Mohammad Kaif and then Rohit Sharma, got the innings back on track. The third-wicket stand yielded 68 before Kaif was dimissed, while Sharma helped Patel add 76 for the fourth.Patel was aggressive right from the beginning, and got to his century off just 126 balls, with 15 fours. He offered one chance, on 67, but Collins Obuya spilled the chance off Jimmy Kamande. Patel didn’t need a further invitation to score, and with S Badrinath giving him company on 29, India were well placed to build a massive first-innings lead and then look for an innings win.Kenya, meanwhile, were hampered by a hamstring injury to Elijah Otieno, which ensured he only bowled six overs. That was the second fitness problem for them in the day: Thomas Odoyo had withdrawn from the game due to a groin injury during practice.

Lou Vincent, the New Zealand batsman, is in confident mood ahead of the ICC World Twenty20 though insists that, aged 28, now is the time for him to perform on a consistent basis.”It’s been my downfall before that I throw my bat a bit early on and make a monkey of myself,” he said in Johannesburg on Wednesday, “but in Twenty20 cricket, as an opener, the game is ideally set up for me. The new ball goes further and if I can set the run-rate going at a good rate and lay the platform for a big score then I’ll be satisfied.”If you look in the dictionary under Twenty20, it will probably say ‘a short game. You watch for three hours, you don’t fall asleep and you don’t ever leave your chairs. Three hours of wham! bam!’ That’s probably the longest definition ever in a dictionary and in Latin it probably just says ‘good times’.”But Twenty20 is fast and I’d like to see this tournament played every year.”Vincent is one of New Zealand’s more agile players, and he insists that fielding will have a vital role to play in the ICC World Twenty next week.”Fielding will make a massive difference, especially in a place like Durban,” he said. “It’s a bigger ground and the ball doesn’t travel so far down there on the coast, so it calls for a lot of twos when you are batting. The fielding side has to make sure they have their quicker guys on the boundary to attack the ball. The 10 or 15 runs they can save can be crucial at the end.”Vincent, who made an outstanding start to his international career in 2001, has since struggled to cement his place. Aged 28, he concedes that it’s now or never for him.”Early on, it’s an exciting time in your career and as you progress you have to adapt and learn as you go through all the ups and downs,” he said. “But then you come to the business end of your career when you’ve learnt the game and you need to keep improving. So I’m definitely taking this tournament very seriously, because I know that if I don’t perform I won’t be in the team.”It’s an exciting new era for us, we will miss Stephen Fleming, he obviously played a massive part in this team, but Daniel Vettori is taking over at an appropriate time, he’s been playing international cricket for the last nine or 10 years.”We’re all around 28 or 29 years old and it’s time for us, we’re all coming to the business end of our careers.”

Cricket South Africa has warned players joining the Indian Cricket League (ICL) that it will not only ban them from playing for South Africa but will also keep them out of domestic cricket.”We view them as rebels,” Gerald Majola, the CSA chief executive, told , an Afrikaans newspaper. “They have joined a breakaway organisation.”But Majola added that the players could return to South African cricket if they cancelled their contracts with the ICL. “Once they have played even one game in the ICL tournament, it’s over and they will never be allowed to play in South Africa again.”Former internationals Nicky Boje and Lance Klusener have signed with the ICL and there are rumors that Andrew Hall, who quit international cricket last month and signed a three-year deal with Northamptonshire, could be also be joining the league.CSA’s decision follows that of New Zealand Cricket and the Indian board to ban players who joined the ICL. Apart from that, CSA, along with the boards of India, England and Australia had announced the launching of the Champions Twenty20 League to be played among the top domestic sides starting October 2008.