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India and West Indies may play three one-day internationals in Singapore or Kuala Lumpur in September, as it seems unlikely that the USA Cricket Association will have its grounds ready in time for the scheduled matches.”While we’re hopeful, I fear the US won’t be in a position to have two grounds ready by September,” IS Bindra, a member of the Indian board’s marketing committee, told , a Kolkata-based daily. “We’ve been looking at Florida, New York and New Jersey.”We’ve given that [Singapore/Kuala Lumpur] option to the West Indies. In fact, we’ve even suggested the matches could be played in Europe.”The ODI series is part of a deal struck between the West Indies and Indian boards before the ICC met to decide on World Cup hosts after 2007. According to Bindra, the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) is keen to have the matches in North America, with Toronto to host one of the matches. But the problem is that the grounds in the US will have to pass ICC inspection, even if they are ready by September.”If the WICB remains intent on North America, then the three ODIs are going to be played next year,” Bindra said. It should be clear within a fortnight where the matches will be played.

Points Table
Scorecard
Baroda completed a stunning fightback and enhanced their prospects of reaching the semi-final stage after a four-wicket win against Tamil Nadu at Vadodara. Having completed all their league games, Tamil Nadu will now await the results of the last league round. Chasing 272 for victory, Baroda were in a deep hole at 113 for 5 but Kiran Powar and Yusuf Pathan added 159 in an unbeaten seventh-wicket stand and sealed the win. Powar stroked 11 fours in his steady 90 while Yusuf, Irfan’s brother, cracked 81 in 124 balls with 11 fours and two sixes. For the second successive game Baroda came back from a low first-innings score to triumph in a thrilling chase. They take on Uttar Pradesh in the final league game, beginning on December 31, and need to win with a bonus point to ensure a place in the last four.
Scorecard
Hyderabad’s 60-run win in a low-scoring scrap gave them a great chance of entering the semi-finals. Chasing 278 for victory, Punjab couldn’t manage sizeable partnerships as Gaurav Gupta, who made a solid 87, lost partners at regular intervals. Gupta was stranded on 87 when the last wicket fell. Narender Pal Singh, the medium pacer, snapped up four wickets while Inder Shekar Reddy, the left-arm spinner, picked up three. Earlier VRV Singh, Punjab’s 20-year-old fast bowler, completed a great match with six wickets in the second innings, and finished with 13 for 115 for the game. The Punjab batsmen, though, faltered in both innings and though they were still favourites to make it to the semi-finals, big wins for Baroda and Hyderabad in the final league game would snuff out their chances.
Scorecard
Uttar Pradesh began confidently in their pursuit of 232 at Karad in a contest that had no bearing on the semi-final slots. Maharashtra were shot out for 119 in their second innings with Rudra Pratap Singh, the left-arm medium pacer, claiming 5 for 33. Ashish Winston Zaidi contributed three victims as Maharashtra’s batting worries continued. Jyoti Prakash Yadav led the chase and was unbeaten on a composed 36.
Scorecard
Sairaj Bahutule’s eight first-class hundred helped Mumbai tighten their stranglehold and they led by 390 at the end of the third day at the Wankhede Stadium. Having gained a 126-run lead in their first innings, Mumbai were in a spot of bother at 67 for 6 when Bahutule and Ramesh Powar came together. Both added 117 for the seventh wicket with Powar contributing 65. Bahutule was unbeaten at the close as Karnataka’s semi-finals hopes had all but disappeared. Mumbai have already booked their spot in the semis.
Scorecard
Gujarat’s bowlers struck at regular intervals as Madhya Pradesh struggled in pursuit of 353 in the third day at Ahmedabad. All the MP batsmen reached double figures but none crossed 35 as Hitesh Majumdar and A Makda, the opening bowlers, grabbed seven wickets between them. At the end of the day, MP still trailed by 111 with only three wickets standing and may concede two points in a game that was bound for a tame draw.
Scorecard
Shib Shankar Paul and Ranadeb Bose helped Bengal claw their way back into the contest at Kolkata, a game that they had win to enhance their chances of staying in the Elite Group. Delhi collapsed from 193 for 4 to 251 all out as Paul and Bose ended the innings with five wickets apiece. Mithun Manhas and Vijay Dahiya made 70s but their dismissals early in the day triggered a collapse. Bengal’s reply was much more promising than their first-innings effort, where they managed 240, and ended the day on a comfortable 190 for 3, an overall lead of 179. Deep Dasgupta top scored with 56. Delhi will have to push for a win tomorrow to boost their chances of a last-four berth.
Scorecard
Amit Pagnis hammered 107 in just 136 balls as Railways took command in their crucial game against Andhra at Anantapur, a game that could decide if they remained in the Elite Group or not. After managing a 61-run lead, Railways didn’t lose any wicket till stumps with Pagnis and Sanjay Bangar adding 151 in 42 overs. Pagnis smashed 19 fours on the way to his eighth first-class hundred. Earlier, Andhra had wriggled out of a tight spot with their tailenders taking the score from 120 for 6 to 202.

Robert Croft has been appointed as a spin bowling consultant to the England ODI side. He played 21 Test and 50 ODIs during his England career and will spend 12 days with the limited-overs team in South Africa.A vastly experienced offspinner, Croft represented Glamorgan for 23 years and, even into his 40s, proved highly effective as a limited-overs performer with changes of pace – even changes of action – helping him make a successful transition to the T20 age.While the ECB do already have a full-time spin bowling coach – Peter Such – Croft retired from playing recently enough to have played against most of the England squad and has experience of playing international limited-overs cricket. Such, who never played ODIs and retired before the advent of T20, also already has a wide area of responsibility and was in the UAE with the performance squad before Christmas and is expected to travel with the England U19 squad as they prepare for the U19 World Cup. While Such might be described as a coach in the traditional sense, helping bowlers build a technique, Croft’s role may relate more to specific match situations and tactics.Since retiring as a player at the end of 2012, Croft has moved into coaching. He is currently with Glamorgan and has previously been invited to work with the England performance squad. He hopes to complete his Level 4 coaching qualification in 2016.”Robert has had success in both domestic and international cricket during his career and he’ll have plenty to offer the dressing room,” Andrew Strauss, the director of England cricket, said. “It’s an opportunity for players and coaches to exchange different ideas which is so important particularly at this stage in the side’s development.”He has worked with our performance programme in the past and has proved a popular and valuable addition and I’ve no doubt this group of players will also gain a lot from his involvement. I’m sure he’ll return with ideas that Glamorgan will benefit from as they prepare for the coming season.”The appointment of Croft continues England’s policy of utilising the skills and experience of recently retired former players. Paul Collingwood, the only man to lead England to a global limited-overs trophy at the 2010 World T20, is also expected to join up the squad for the World T20 in India while Mahela Jayawardene spent time with the Test players at the start of their tour of the UAE. The other coaches for the ODI segment of the South Africa tour will be Trevor Bayliss, Paul Farbrace, Ottis Gibson and Graham Thorpe.The development will surely do Croft’s own coaching credentials no harm. With Toby Radford having recently left the role of head coach at Glamorgan, Croft is probably the favourite to replace him. A coaching appointment with the England side coming 10 days before the closing date for applications would seem perfectly timed.”It’s extra experience for me and if the opportunity presents itself to help the lads I will,” Croft said. “I’m there to observe and primarily be a sounding board for the spin bowlers, but will give any additional help as required.”It is another opportunity to increase my coaching experience. The November before last I was invited out to work with Andy Flower with the development squad in Sri Lanka and this time it’s the full squad in South Africa. I’m looking forward to meeting up with two excellent coaches with different styles in Trevor Bayliss and Paul Farbrace and to absorbing their ideas.”It is always good to have an open mind in the profession you are involved with, you can learn every day, so I hope to pick up things that will help me be a better coach.”The England squad flew from Cape Town to Johannesburg on Sunday and, after a brief break, will resume training on Monday morning.

Peter Moores, the new England coach, plans to hold talks with Andrew Flintoff in a bid to rekindle his passion for the game following a tortuous winter in Australia and the Caribbean.Flintoff’s immense workload over the past six months has clearly left him exhausted, prompting some to suggest he is a spent force. Incidences off the field involving alcohol haven’t helped his cause either but Moores is determined to nurture him back into the force he once was.”I will be speaking to Andrew in the next week to find out where he is coming from and what helps him play the way he likes,” Moores told the BBC. “You try to get the individual comfortable playing for their country where they can produce their best.”Every time I have met Andrew, he is a positive man and he loves the game. He loves playing for his country. We have seen him play some unbelievable innings and bowl some unbelievable spells for England. We have a player who has played some fantastic aggressive vibrant cricket.”The key is to get that out of him again and get him enjoying the game again.”Moores’ comments follow those of David Lloyd, Flintoff’s old friend, former coach and mentor who is convinced that his problems – on and off the pitch – stem from the sheer quantity of cricket. Lloyd, speaking to yesterday’s is further concerned of the workload facing Flintoff over the next 12 months.”If he carries on as he is, something has to give and his career will be cut short,” Lloyd said. “I saw Ian Botham burn out and I don’t want to see the same happen to Fred. Looking at the year ahead, England have a full summer of one-dayers and Tests against West Indies and India, followed by the Twenty20 World Cup, then one-dayers and a three-Test series against Sri Lanka in December. As far as I’m concerned he cannot do all that.”

Lloyd suggested that resting Flintoff might be the only way to prolong his career, in what is a packed international schedule – especially if England want him fit for the next Ashes series in 2009.”Sure, the public want to see the best side out on the park all the time,” he said. “But it’s about the best players playing at their best. He should miss the Twenty20 World Cup and the one-dayers in Sri Lanka and have a proper long break from playing cricket when he should rest, work and train to gear himself up for the next four-year cycle.”Another of England’s charges to have suffered in the past year is Marcus Trescothick and, like Flintoff, Moores is keen to get him back in the squad. “The fact he is playing again for Somerset is a massive positive,” he said. “He is another one I need to talk to. The key for Marcus is that he is really comfortable and performing at the right level to get back into the England team.”We all know the player he can be, both in one-day and Test match cricket.”Moores takes up his post, replacing Duncan Fletcher, on May 1. England’s first Test of the summer, against the West Indies at Lord’s, begins on May 17.

Four days ago, Jamaican left-arm spinner Nikita Miller did not know what if felt like to take five wickets in an innings at the first-class level.Within three days of a one-sided Carib Beer Challenge final which saw Jamaica prevail over Trinidad and Tobago by nine wickets at Sabina Park, he has two five-wicket hauls, and ten in a match for the first time.”It’s been a long time coming, and I must say that I’m really, really elated,” Miller told the . “I’m really, really happy. I’ve been working really hard this season, and I’m very grateful.”He attributed his performances this season, which landed him 42 wickets, one more than T&T off-spinner Amit Jaggernauth, and the Bowler-of-the-Series accolade, to hard work and “a bit of luck”.”I love the game of cricket and I put in a lot of work for it, and maybe that’s what has worked for me this season,” Miller said.Like many of the region’s slower bowlers, he is sitting in wait to be noticed and acknowledged by the West Indies selectors. “It [being selected] would be on my mind, but the only thing I can do is to go on and perform to my best. If the coach or the selectors see it fit, then they will select me. I can’t say that I deserve a game or not. So I’ll just wait and see what they’ll do.”Tamar Lambert, Jamaica’s stand-in captain, also had high praise for Miller. “Nikita has been exceptional for us this season. And to get 42 wickets in just six games has been a good season for Nikita Miller. He just continues to bowl well year in, year out,” he said.

Changes to next summer’s Friends Provident Trophy and the Twenty20 Cup have been announced by the ECB.In the Friends Provident Trophy the initial stage will be contain four groups of five teams comprising the 18 first-class counties as well as Ireland and Scotland. Each team will play the other four teams in the group twice throughout the competition – home and away. The top two teams from each group will then qualify for the quarter-finals, with the winners of each group earning a home draw.In terms of the Twenty20 Cup, the group stages will change to a symmetrical format of five home and five away games. This means each county will now play ten, rather than eight, group matches. The groups will remain regional-based with three groups of six first-class counties.”The changes to the format of these two competitions will be implemented for a number of reasons,” explained David Collier, the ECB’s chief executive. “We were keen to reduce the number of so-called “dead games” in the Friends Provident Trophy and add a competitive edge to all of the games in the competition without increasing the volume of cricket.”The Twenty20 Cup continues to attract new spectators to the sport and the introduction of extra fixtures will give even more people a chance to sample the Twenty20 experience at their local county ground. And the prospect of more local derbies will add further spice to the competition at the group stages.”Counties may play fewer teams under the new structure but there will be more local derbies thus reducing travel and making the logistics of the programme more acceptable. There will also be more opportunities for the supporters of each county to see an increased number of home matches.”An ECB spokesperson also told Cricinfo: “The fact that there is a small reduction in the Friends Provident Trophy is a balance meaning that counties play one less match in the FPT zonal rounds (100 overs) versus two additional Twenty20 matches (80 overs).”In addition the fact that the FPT has been zonalised provides more local derbies and less travel for players which is a benefit to both spectators and players. There is an additional cricketing benefit in that for the Twenty20 the counties now play all the opposition in their group at home and away and in the FPT there is the same number of home andaway matches in the zonal stage.”Both 50-over and Twenty20 cricket are formats of the game played in ICC global events and the balancing of the reduction in FPT cricket and the rounding of the group in the Twenty20 zonal rounds is consistent with the England Report [Schofield Report] and further enhances the opportunity to identify England players in these formats of the game.”

Andrew Flintoff, the face of Sky Sports cricket as they embark on their first full summer of home international coverage, has extended his sporting experience in a host of different directions as part of a new mini-series to help promote the game.Entitled “Ready Steady Freddie,” the slot will feature on Sky Sports’ new Saturday morning entertainment show, Cricket AM, which is modelled precisely on the established Soccer AM programme that has proved to be popular, enduring and award-winning.”I’m a bit of a one-trick pony,” claimed Flintoff, although the range of challenges he has so far taken on suggests otherwise. He has practiced his rugby goal-kicking with England’s fly-half Charlie Hodgson, taken boxing lessons from the world welterweight champion, Ricky Hatton, and picked up darts-playing tips from the multiple world champion, Phil “The Power” Taylor.”I’ve enjoyed it to be honest,” said Flintoff. “It has been great to meet different sports people and see how they go about doing their business.” Some of the tips have proved more useful than others, given that Flintoff’s closest friend in the England team, Steve Harmison, actually took a dartboard on tour to India with him.”The manager wasn’t too happy with the excess baggage,” laughed Flintoff. “He had a pole, an oche and everything. We had interconnecting rooms on the trip, and just played darts for six hours a day.” For all of Taylor’s coaching, however, Flintoff struggled to keep up with his team-mate. “Harmy was far better than anyone else,” he joked, “but then he’s been going to social clubs since he was eight!”The Cricket AM show will be hosted by the former BBC children’s TV presenter, Simon Thomas, and Anita Rani, the former presenter of an Asian magazine programme, “Desi DNA.” Other innovations include a cartoon pairing, “Willow and Stumpy”, who will attempt to demystify the game in the manner that Simon Hughes, Channel 4’s analyst, did so effectively in recent seasons, and a Sunday morning chat show in the style of “What The Papers Say”.”The shows are designed to appeal to devoted cricket fans and newcomers to the sport alike,” said a Sky Sports spokesman. “Each sets out to entertain as well as educate and together they will cover all levels of the game from grass-roots to Test match cricket.””2006 is a huge year for cricket on Sky Sports,” added Barney Francis, executive producer for cricket. “This range of programming boasts something for everyone this summer.” In addition to all Test, one-day and Twenty20 international cricket, the coverage will include more than 60 matches at domestic level from the County Championship to the Pro40 tournament, as well as women’s and Under-19 internationals.

The Pakistan board has decided to carry out dope tests on the 30 players in the provisional Twenty20 World Championship squad before the final 15-man side is announced next month.Nasim Ashraf, the PCB chairman, has instructed the board officials to get the tests carried out as soon as possible so that the results are received from a laboratory in Malaysia before the final squad is picked on August 10. The tournament takes place in September.”We will begin dope testing on the players as soon as possible,” said Ahsan Malik, PCB’s Communications Director. “It will take up to ten days to get the results of the tests, which is why the players’ urine samples will be obtained over the next few days.”Malik said that the board may take samples from some players in Lahore and the others in Karachi. Most of the players on Pakistan’s provisional squad are currently in Lahore but will move to Karachi later this week for the final phase of training before leaving for South Africa.Malik said he was confident all players would pass the tests but the board wants to be certain before announcing the final squad. He said it was the board’s policy to carry out internal dope tests ahead of major ICC events, a practice that would be continued.

Martin Snedden, the CEO of New Zealand Cricket, has admitted that the desultory attendances at the Christchurch Test have left him baffled. On all three days of the match the players and officials almost outnumbered the spectators.Snedden said he was fairly sure that the cost of tickets was not the issue. No-one showed up despite adult tickets costing just $15 and children having free entry over the weekend, as long as they wore cricketing clothes. He added that attendances were up overall, but that included ODIs and Twenty20 matches.One theory put forward for the poor attendances was the limit of a one litre bottle of water per person, but that hardly accounts for the missing thousands.

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

It was the Brian Lara show all the way at the Adelaide Oval, as he uncorked an innings of stunning class and vintage majesty on the opening day of the Adelaide Oval. His eighth double-century – an unbeaten 202 – lifted West Indies to 7 for 352 at close of play on the opening day, and left him just 12 runs away from breaking Allan Border’s record for the highest aggregate in Test cricket.Dogged by poor form and bad luck throughout this series, Lara fought back in style at a venue which has always been a lucky one for him – he now averages 94.83 here. As has happened so often in the past, though, none of the other West Indian batsmen offered him substantial support – the second-highest score was a measly 34 – which ensured that despite Lara’s monumental effort, West Indies still only had a par score on the board on a pitch which is an excellent one for batting.Coming in to bat at 2 for 19, Lara had to battle hard for his runs – and for survival – early in the piece. The ball was swinging, conditions were slightly overcast, and both Brett Lee and Glenn McGrath had their tails up. Lara negotiated both, not entirely comfortably, but his biggest test of the day came from an unlikely source. The first ball that Andrew Symonds bowled to him nearly had him trapped in front – though replays showed that Aleem Dar made an excellent judgment as the ball pitched just marginally outside leg – and then, throughout that eight-over spell, Symonds probed ceaselessly with his swing and control.

Lara survived that, battling his way to a 67-ball 27 at lunch. After that, none of the Australian bowlers had much of a chance. The twinkle-toed footwork gradually returned, the uncertain shuffling around the crease stopped, and those supple wrists soon began to work their magic: when the legspinners tossed it high and wide, Lara took the bait, crashing the drives either side of cover; when they drifted towards leg, the sweep shot – including a single-handed one – did the trick. As the confidence returned, so did the ability to pick the gaps and make use of the short boundaries square of the wicket. When Lee returned for his second spell, he was greeted with a scorching square-drive – little footwork but all flourish – and then a pull shot which brought him his hundred.By the final session, Lara’s mastery over the Australian bowlers was complete. Though this was a first-day pitch, both Warne and MacGill got reasonable turn from it, but Lara’s presence meant they were far less effective than they might have been otherwise – off 107 balls, they leaked 88 runs to him. Ponting took the second new ball as soon as it was due, but that only increased the flow of runs for Lara. On 190 with just three overs to go, Lara turned it on in style, pulling Lee in front of square for four, flicking him for a couple, and then unleashing another pull which crashed into the square-leg fence – his 20th four – and brought up his double-hundred. The Adelaide crowd, which had given him a rousing welcome in the morning sensing that it was probably be his last Test in Australia, rose to a man to applaud an outstanding effort.At the end, the score was a damning indictment on the rest of the batsmen. Wavell Hinds, back in the team in place of Chris Gayle, and Devon Smith were consumed by the pace and swing of Lee, who bowled an inspired opening spell, and while Shivnarine Chanderpaul fell to a fine delivery, some of the others were guilty of throwing it away – Ramnaresh Sarwan fell to the pull for the umpteenth time, while Dwayne Smith tried to smash the cover off the ball when what was needed was sensible support for Lara.The best support acts came from the batting heroes at Hobart, Dwayne Bravo and Denesh Ramdin. Bravo batted with all the assurance he had shown at the Bellerive Oval, scoring a fine 34, while Ramdin handled both the spinners and the new ball with aplomb till he was trapped on the shuffle late in the day. With only the bowlers for company, expect Lara to turn it on from the start on the second day. And expect another standing ovation when – and if – he gets those 12 runs.

Wavell Hinds c Hayden b Lee 10 (1 for 16)
Devon Smith c Hayden b Lee 7 (2 for 19)
Ramnaresh Sarwan c Symonds b Lee 16 (3 for 53)
Shivnarine Chanderpaul c Gilchrist b Symonds 25 (4 for 121)
Dwayne Bravo c Ponting b MacGill 34 (5 for 237)
Dwayne Smith c Symonds b MacGill 14 (6 for 263)
Denesh Ramdin lbw b McGrath 27 (7 for 333)