Pakistan has recalled Danish Kaneria for the third one-day international against India at Jamshedpur, in place of Arshad Khan. Apart from this, Pakistan has made two additional changes: Younis Khan and Rao Iftikhar Anjum will replace Mohammad Hafeez and Mohammad Sami.Inzamam-ul-Haq informed The Press Trust of India that Younis, who was down with a viral fever, has recovered and was ready to take his place back in the side. Sami has been rested due to the tough playing conditions in India. Speaking about the inclusion of Kaneria in the side, Inzamam said, “We want someone who can bowl in the middle of the innings. Besides, Danish is a specialist wrist-spinner who has the ability to take wickets. We want someone who cannot only bowl in the middle of the innings but can also get wickets for us.”Kaneria was the pick of the bowlers for Pakistan in the Test series, picking up two five-wicket hauls. With Younis returning to the squad, Inzamam was hoping for a change in fortunes after being thrashed by India in the first two one-dayers. “He is a man in form and I feel that had our top order lasted 50 overs, we would have won both the games. I hope Younis’s return would give us a more experienced middle-order. I don’t think Younis will bat at number 3 and we will persist with either Abdul Razzaq or Shoaib Malik, depending on the situation. Younis will bat at No. 5 or 6.”Inzamam also mentioned that Shahid Afridi would continue to open the innings because the wickets suit his style of batting, and he can be more destructive in that posiiton.

The sun is hot in Chennai, but the Australians know it well. They have played some tough games here – they tied a historic Test in 1986, when Chennai was Madras and Dean Jones battled fatigue, cramps and dehydration to make a double-century. They were beaten in 1998, when Shane Warne followed up 4 for 85 with 1 for 122 as Sachin Tendulkar followed up 4 with 155. And they were beaten again in 2001, heartbreakingly so, when a win in the first Test at Mumbai wasn’t enough to win the series, and a Matthew Hayden double-century in the first innings wasn’t enough to make up for what Harbhajan Singh did to the other batsmen. This time, though, it is different.”Just as the Indians are hungry for success,” said Adam Gilchrist on the day before the Test, “so are we.”The Australians have come to India chastised by their loss last time, and having learnt from their mistakes. They showed as much at Bangalore, eschewing all-out attack, for so long their chosen approach to the game, for a more considered way of playing. They have a plan for every bowler, and in how to maximise the conditions – and nowhere was this more apparent than in Adam Gilchrist’s abstaining from playing the sweep until he had made 87. They have a plan for every batsman, and the men to execute that plan to perfection, as Glenn McGrath demonstrated by bowling as well as he ever has – and that is saying a lot. There wasn’t a single weak link in the Australian side, and not a man who didn’t know what his job was, or lacked the ability to do it.When you play in Chennai, of course, you don’t just play the other side, you battle the conditions as well. “It [Chennai] is more demanding physically,” said Gilchrist. “If you’re physically exhausted, mentally you start to whine as well. We’re aware of that. We’ve played a lot of cricket on the subcontinent now, and we fully understand and expect the conditions to be tough, and hopefully we’ve prepared appropriately.”Gilchrist wasn’t worried about the pitch either, which is expected to take more and more turn as the match goes along, and offer substantial bounce to the bowlers. “There’s a lot of talk about the extra bounce in the wicket,” he said, “which is obviously going to pose more of a threat for us. Harbhajan and Anil [Kumble] are spin bowlers who rely as much on bounce as on sideways movement. Hopefully it’ll have a positive effect for Warnie, and I feel without doubt that it’s a positive thing for our fast bowlers. We’re born and bred on bouncier tracks.”There has been much talk that the toss in Chennai may be crucial, but both Gilchrist and Sourav Ganguly brushed that suggestion aside. “Whether you bat first or second,” said Gilchrist, “you have to score a big total in your first innings. You can’t allow a huge gap between you and your opposition. I think that’s where we won the game in Bangalore, not only in scoring 400 but by bowling the Indians out in the first innings.”Ganguly, speaking to reporters after a net session, reiterated that point, saying that the toss would not decide the game. “To win a Test, you have to put 400 on the board in the first innings.” But while these words mirrored Gilchrist’s, his demeanour did not. Gilchrist was calm and assured when he met the press, while Ganguly seemed in a hurry to get it over with. Gilchrist was clear about Australia’s game plan and team composition, Ganguly was anything but.”Kaif will play,” he said, when asked about the team, and when asked to elaborate, he said that Kaif would “bat in the middle order”. While Ganguly would not be drawn on whom Kaif might replace, murmurs from within the Indian camp indicated that Aakash Chopra was likely to make way. The buzz was that Yuvraj Singh would open with Virender Sehwag. Gilchrist was sanguine about that prospect. “We’ve got a plan for Yuvraj,” he said, “wherever he bats in the order.”Ganguly does have another stopgap opening option open to him: Parthiv Patel opening. Yuvraj and Patel, incidentally, were the first two Indian batsmen to get a session in the nets in the morning. Of course, India’s bevy of out-of-form under-confident batsmen wasn’t Ganguly’s only problem – he had effectively been a bowler short at Bangalore, with Zaheer Khan bowling in a lacklustre manner, perhaps lacking full fitness, certainly lacking intensity. But Ganguly refused to accept that the Indian bowlers had fallen short and, when asked if Ajit Agarkar would replace Zaheer, insisted that Zaheer would play.Despite the conditions and the heat – not Chennai’s worst, more sapping than searing – Australia are favourites to win the second Test. Everyone in their side performed well at Bangalore, while India carried passengers. Ganguly’s batsmen were diffident, and his bowling attack was one good man short. Of course, India have been in just such a position in the past, against Australia, and they have fought back. But Australia are prepared for it this time.”I’ve been in this situation before,” said Gilchrist, “where they’ve had a loss, and a lot of ex-players have come out and spoken harshly of them, everyone’s got an opinion on them, who should go and who should stay … we’ve been here before, and we’ve seen them fight back.” But Australia, Gilchrist insisted, were more prepared this time. That hot wind, well, it can huff and it can puff but the Aussies will not let it blow their house down.

When Irfan Pathan strode in to address the media, sporting an India tracksuit and smoothing back his tousled curls, he certainly didn’t look as if he was part of a side that had lost hope. Yet to be spoilt by adulation and the fat endorsement contracts, he answered questions with candour and an optimism that could be India’s greatest ally going into the final two days:

On the state of the pitch
It’s quite slow, and if you bowl a bad ball it will go for runs. From the first day, it has had fairly low bounce, and today was no different.On the decision that cost him his wicket
I don’t think I’m going to talk about that, but I’ll just say I thought I was unlucky.On whether his 31 shamed some of his more illustrious top-order colleagues
It’s not going to happen all the time. They too will miss out on some days. We did pretty well [he and Parthiv Patel added 60] but I don’t think there’s anything for the top order to be ashamed about.On playing Shane Warne for the first time
It was a good experience and I thought I played him quite well.On whether India can save the game
We did very well today, and we’re very confident that we can do even better over the next two days.On getting Justin Langer in his first over, and whether he had plotted a similar dismissal to that in the first innings
It definitely lifted the team, but there was no definite plan to target him.On leading the Indian attack for the first time in a home Test
Playing for India is a big thing, and is always going to be a big thing for me as long as I continue playing. And whenever I bowl the first ball, and lead the side’s bowling, it gives me great confidence.On what tactics India need to adopt on the fourth day
We need to do both – keep runs down and take wickets. Zaheer [Khan] has bowled very well, and we are both swinging the ball. We will do better.

When S Mohan, the former Supreme Court judge charged with the task of being the interim administrator in charge of the affairs of the Indian Board, arrived in Mumbai on Saturday morning, he was in for a rude shock. He proceeded to the office of the Board of Control for Cricket in India shortly before noon – and, after finally locating the office in Stadium House at the Cricket Club of India, was greeted by a big padlock.”Oh, the doors are locked,” he exclaimed to the few journalists gathered to see how the interim administrator would take charge of his duties. When one pressman asked him if he was shocked or surprised by the fact that the office was closed, he could only reply: “I feel sorry. My good wishes are with the team. If this is the way a former Supreme Court judge is treated, you can draw your own conclusions.”Mohan insisted that he had not planned to deal with the purely cricket affairs of the board. “I don’t intend to interfere with the cricketing part. I only meant to look into the administration,” he said. He added that he came to meet people concerned with the board office and explain the scope of the Madras high-court order. He was also going to inform the various state associations of his appointment as interim administrator.The Board’s office is usually open from 10am to 1pm on Saturdays, according to a notice outside the office. But apparently a high-ranking official ordered the office to remain closed, and declared two days’ leave late on Friday evening. Mohan may be unfamiliar with the workings of the board, but he is not a complete stranger to cricket – he played for the Triplicane Club in Chennai in the late 1940s as an offspinner.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details

Daniel Vettori got into his stride early and wrecked Bangladesh with a superb spell of 6 for 28 as New Zealand romped to victory by an innings and 99 runs at Dhaka. Not one batsman had an answer to Vettori’s loop and bounce as he reduced Bangladesh’s second innings to a shambles in a few hours of mayhem. He was ably assisted by Paul Wiseman, as both spinners exploited the dry Bangabandhu pitch perfectly. It was especially satisfying for Vettori, who claimed his first five-wicket haul since November 2001.Rajin Saleh had played a painstaking knock in the first innings, but Vettori prevented a repeat in his first over. Making the ball fizz, he sneaked one past Saleh’s defensive prod and Brendon McCullum, the wicketkeeper, went up in celebration (41 for 3). Replays showed that Saleh did not get a snick. But there was no doubt about the other dismissals. Vettori had Manjural Islam Rana in two minds, and a hopeless prod resulted in a loopy catch to Mark Richardson at silly point. Then, Mohammad Ashraful (26) fended off a nasty lifter to Scott Styris at slip, while Tareq Aziz padded up to an arm ball (122 for 9).Meanwhile, Wiseman played the support act to perfection. He first ran out Nafis Iqbal (49) with an accurate throw, and then got among the wickets himself. Alok Kapali edged on to McCullum, while Khaled Mashud played a delivery straight to Styris at leg slip. Mohammad Rafique flailed valiantly, hitting 24 off 18 balls before edging the ball to slip just after lunch.The complexion of this game changed on the third morning, when Bangladesh failed to limit New Zealand, who fought hard to put up a respectable total and finally ended up with an imposing 402. What seemed a contest at one stage slowly descended into a rout.

New Zealand cricket needs to develop a style all of its own.So says former Australian cricket captain and coach Bobby Simpson.He made his comments at Otago Cricket’s special 300 Club dinner in Dunedin last night. The function was held in honour of the five Otago players responsible for scoring the first six triple centuries by New Zealand players.Two of the triple century makers, Glenn Turner and Ken Rutherford were at the function while the families of the deceased Roger Blunt and Bert Sucliffe, and Mark Richardson, who is on TelstraClear Black Caps duty in Sri Lanka, were in attendance as well. They were each presented with their mounted black cap from New Zealand Cricket at the function.Simpson was guest speaker and said that of all the teams in world cricket, New Zealand and South Africa were the only two sides who did not have a distinctive style of their own.New Zealand and the way they play the one-day game at the moment were too predictable.Yet Simpson said he was full of admiration for the abilities of New Zealand in all sports and said the country was the greatest sporting nation in the world. It was quite extraordinary that New Zealand could not only win, but defend, the America’s Cup which was based on big money, research and expense.It had produced great sportspeople through all manner of sports and he said it was about time New Zealand developed a style of its own in cricket.If it didn’t have a distinctive playing style, Simpson said the way New Zealand’s players, or their families, have all been presented with a mounted, and numbered, Test cap was a starting point.It was common for the international players of today in Australia to have a numbered cap but he thought it would be a good idea for the Australian Cricket Board to honour their past players in a similar way.Simpson paid tribute to Turner for having shown the way in batting in the modern one-day game by his innovation.”I pinched a lot of your ideas and admired your ability to punch the ball over the top of the infield, not far enough to get caught, but far enough for two runs to be scored.”That approach was part and parcel of our success in the 1987 World Cup,” he said.Simpson also told Rutherford that he would love to have coached him because he was one of the most naturally gifted players he had ever seen. Simpson felt he could have got another 10 runs added onto Rutherford’s average.Speaking of his own career, Simpson said he believed he played in the last days of innocence in the international game.Fashion, fads and theories now dominated the game and young players were not getting the chance to go out and enjoy their cricket.”There are more coaches today, but there has never been a greater need for coaching,” he said.Simpson acknowledged his respect for Sutcliffe, with whom he had toured, having him as a room-mate on an International Cavaliers tour after he had been dropped from the Australian team.Sutcliffe had left an impression on him for his ability to make the game look easy, his unruffled approach and the way he moved so smoothly.It had been a wonderful tour, organised by Ron Roberts, with the intention of pitting some experienced players with young up and coming players and he recalled the words of team captain Denis Compton who said to him: “Your job is to score runs and my job is to make sure you get enjoyment from your cricket.”And he said it was one of his regrets that he never got to play a Test match against New Zealand due to the thinking of Australia’s administrators in his day.Simpson said those players who had scored triple centuries had done so because they had not set limits on themselves.”The average person sets self-imposed limits,” he said. This explained why so many people did not carry on after they reached a target.But those who went on didn’t see things as targets but rather as milestones.”Milestones are what you pass on the way to better things,” Simpson said.

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.

Simon Katich will captain New South Wales in his return match from illness when they play Victoria in Melbourne on Sunday. Brett Lee has also been named in the 13-man squad and will bowl if he is not selected in the first Test against New Zealand at the Gabba on Thursday.Greg Mail, the opener, has been dropped from the ING Cup side but retained for the Pura Cup match against Victoria, starting on November 23.New South Wales ING Cup Phil Jaques, Aaron O’Brien, Matthew Phelps, Simon Katich (capt), Dominic Thornely, Brad Haddin (wk), Shawn Bradstreet, Brett Lee, Stuart Clark, Jason Krejza, Nathan Bracken, Stuart MacGill, Matthew Nicholson.New South Wales Pura CupPhil Jaques, Greg Mail, Matthew Phelps, Simon Katich (capt), Dominic Thornely, Aaron O’Brien, Brad Haddin (wk), Jason Krejza, Stuart MacGill, Matthew Nicholson, Nathan Bracken, Stuart Clark.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out

Matthew Hayden ended the biggest drought of his career with a courageous century, and Justin Langer completed a hundred of his own as well, as Australia’s batsmen continued to pile on the pressure in their last-ditch attempt to snatch the Ashes from England’s grasp. But, for the second day running, the issue was not so much the runs compiled but the time lost to rain and bad light. By the end of a stop-start day in which just 45.4 overs were possible, Australia closed on 277 for 2, still 96 runs adrift of England’s first-innings 373.For the second day running, play ended in unexpected fashion, as Australia’s batsmen took an offer for bad light with 5.2 overs still remaining. The subtext was clear. Australia intend to build as big a first innings as possible, and unleash Shane Warne on the final day with eight men round the bat and the entire hopes of a country crushing down on the England batsmen’s shoulders.The day may have been dominated by rain, but it belonged unequivocally to Hayden. After a half-hour delay that set the benchmark for the day’s proceedings, he resumed his innings on 32 not out, a performance that had been perhaps the most tortuous of his 71-Test career. By lunch, however, he was growing in confidence on 60 not out, his bullying instincts reawakened by a crunching pull off Steve Harmison’s first delivery of the day, and a flogged drive for four off Matthew Hoggard. Tellingly, he had acknowledged neither the crowd nor his team-mates upon reaching his first half-century of the series, and his hundred duly arrived from 218 balls, with a trademark straight drive off Andrew Flintoff.

Though the scoreline would not suggest it, England’s bowlers remained disciplined and stuck to their guns on a pitch that has remained true throughout. Revelling in the overcast conditions, Hoggard was the pick of England’s bowlers in the morning. He should have struck with his first ball of the morning, but umpire Billy Bowden turned down an excruciating lbw appeal with Langer on 75. While Hoggard was probing away, Australia were never able to settle.Chaotic calling nearly resulted in a run-out as Langer found himself nose-to-nose with his partner at the same end of the pitch, while Hayden also survived a tight lbw call off Hoggard on 41. But slowly but surely, Australia manoeuvred themselves towards a position of potency, with Langer finally securing the hundred that his tenacious batting has deserved all summer, with a steer for four through third man off Harmison.Langer’s innings, however, wouldn’t last much longer than that. Only 34 balls were possible in a brief flurry after lunch, but in that time, Harmison rediscovered the rhythm and raucous lift that has eluded him for much of this series. Langer fenced a searing lifter over the slips for four to bring up 7000 Test runs, but in the same over he was gone, bowled off the inside-edge for a gutsy and brilliant 105.That proved to be the last act of the session. A violent cloudburst drenched the covers and led to a two-hour rain delay, but upon the resumption, Harmison was straight back into his zone, troubling Ricky Ponting with his extra lift and venom, before cramping Hayden with a tight line across his pads. Though he did not add to his wickets tally, he demonstrated that England’s resolve would not be buckled, in spite of the mounting tension.

In previous games, the time would have been ripe for a spell from Simon Jones at the other end, but instead Ashley Giles came on to apply a stranglehold and allow Flintoff to rest up for a burst of his own, as England realised that restricting the runs was of equal importance to wickets. Even so, Giles could have dismissed Ponting for 13, but Bowden this time failed to spot a faint inside-edge on a bat-pad opportunity.Sure enough, when Flintoff’s spell arrived he did not disappoint. With an hour of play remaining, Ponting hadn’t banked on Flintoff getting so much bounce from a ball that was now 72 overs old, and jerked his head back in surprise to Flintoff’s second delivery, for a diving Andrew Strauss to hold onto a fine catch in the gully. Australia’s quest for parity by the close had suffered a big setback, and as a pumped-up Flintoff tormented Damien Martyn’s outside edge, they opted to baton down the hatches, and come out fighting on the fourth day instead.By rights, Australia should be waltzing to victory in this game, and with almost 200 overs still remaining in the match, there is plenty time yet for them to turn the screw some more. But with more unsettled weather in the offing for tomorrow, the players appear to be bracing themselves for the fourth consecutive nerve-jangler of an unforgettable summer. Hayden, unbeaten on 110 at the close, epitomised an Australian team that had regained its composure and confidence. England – and the elements – have their work cut out over the next two days.

AustraliaJustin Langer b Harmison 105 (185 for 1)
Cramped for room, bowled off inside-edgeRicky Ponting c Strauss b Flintoff 35 (264 for 2)
Surprised by extra bounce, sliced push to gully

Kenya 214 and 198 (Tikolo 54, Utseya 4-35) beat Zimbabwe A 171 and 198 (Sibanda 58, Ongondo 4-31) by 43 runsKenya completed a three-match clean sweep by defeating Zimbabwe A by 43 runs at Harare Sports Club. By winning both three-day games and Saturday’s one-dayer – the last two matches against virtual full-strength sides – Kenya did themselves a power of good as well as adding to the problems faced by Zimbabwe’s board.The pitch at the country’s premier ground was poor throughout, and Kenya, who resumed on 142 for 4, failed to capitalize on a good start last night and were bowled out before lunch for 198. Prosper Utseya was the pick of the bowlers with 4 for 35.Chasing 242 to win, Zimbabwe A made good progress thanks to Vusi Sibanda (58) and Charles Coventry (48), but the pair received scant support, and Peter Ongondo (4 for 31) and Lameck Onyango (3 for 67) were instrumental in them being bowled out for 198.Zimbabwe were without Tatenda Taibu, their captain, who had returned home after his wife gave birth overnight, and he was replaced by Sibanda. The situation was further confused when Allan Mwayenga, who had come in for Andy Blignaut, was himself replaced by Ian Nicolson after leaving for South Africa with the Board XI side.The result means that Kenya now travel to Namibia on Friday for their Intercontinental Cup semi-final with Bermuda in confident mood, although the poor pitches in Zimbabwe have hardly helped the confidence of their batsmen.