Scorecard

Stephen Fleming scored a chanceless 129 off 176 balls on the first day New Zealand’s match against the BCB XI, their only warm-up ahead of next Tuesday’s first Test. New Zealanders finished on 285 for 6 after rain and bad light had permitted only 66 overs.Fleming and Hamish Marshall had put on 119 for the fourth wicket, after the Shahadat Hossain and Alamgir Kabir exploited the morning’s humid conditions to reduce the New Zealanders to 86 for four. After a consolidating Fleming and Marshall unfurled an elegant range of shots to accelerate either side of lunch.Kabir dismissed Marshall for 51, which did not slow Fleming’s scoring, but rain, which came an hour after the resumption, did. Fleming retired out during the break to allow his other batsman time in the middle. He had been particularly severe on Nadif Chowdhury, a left-arm spinner lofting him for two straight sixes.Before fading light brought an early finish, Shahadat Hossain Rajib made one delivery to bounce off a length to have Jacob Oram caught behind.The Bangladesh selectors – Faruque Ahmed, Athar ali Khan, Golam Nowsher and Dav Whatmore -were in attendance and will wait until the final day of this match before announcing the squad for the first Test at Dhaka.

Moin Khan, Pakistan’s veteran wicketkeeper-batsman, has been dropped for the second Test against Sri Lanka that starts this Thursday at Karachi.Wasim Bari, Pakistan’s chief selector said: “Moin has been dropped. We have called up Kamran Akmal for the second Test on the request of the team management. Moin has been struggling for batting form.” Bari also indicated that former captain Rashid Latif is under consideration for a recall to the team.Moin, who has represented his country in 69 Test and 219 one-day internationals, has failed to score an international fifty since March. He managed just six runs in the defeat to Sri Lanka in the first Test, where the top-order batting also failed. Akmal, 22, made his Test debut on the 2002-03 tour of Zimbabwe.Inzamam-ul-Haq, Pakistan’s captain, had indicated yesterday that a change in wicketkeepers would occur for the second Test: “We gave him [Moin] a chance in 15 to 20 one-day matches and now in this [first] Test he has also not done well so we will try someone new in the next match.”In the recently concluded Paktel Cup, Younis Khan acted as a reverse wicketkeeper, and in his first match with the gloves he did not concede a bye and he was awarded Man of the Match for a well-crafted fifty. This effort prompted Bob Woolmer, Pakistan’s coach, to suggest Younis could do the job long-term in one-dayer matches.A third wicketkeeper, Zulqarnain Haider, 18, retains his squad place from the first Test but is unlikely to debut. The Pakistan bowling attack will miss Mohammad Sami, who has a groin strain. His absence will allow either Rana Naveed or Riaz Afridi to play.

Brendon Kuruppu, a former opening batsman and selector for Sri Lanka, has been appointed interim team manager for Sri Lanka’s forthcoming tour to Pakistan. Kuruppu takes over on a temporary basis after Ajit Jayasekera, the manager for most of the last four years, requested a break.Sri Lanka Cricket is set to start a recruitment process for a two-year contract starting with Sri Lanka’s tour of New Zealand, and Jayasekera has not ruled out reapplying for the position. Jayasekera had excelled in the job, earning the respect of the team and the media, but the constant travel had become an increasing burden and he decided to spend more time at home with his six-year-old son.Kuruppu takes over having just returned to the island after a coaching stint in Singapore. Anura Tennekoon and Michael Tissera, both former Sri Lanka captains, had been the frontrunners to stand-in for Jayasekera. A senior board official has confirmed that Kuruppu’s name has been sent to the Minister of Sports for ratification.

Pakistan could drop from fourth to sixth place in the ICC’s ODI Championship if they lose to India at Eden Gardens on Saturday. If they are defeated, West Indies and England would move ahead of them in the table.New Zealand’s recent 3-0 drubbing of Bangladesh in the ODI series confirmed their third-place status behind Australia and Sri Lanka. But New Zealand could move up to second if they manage to win two of their three one-day internationals against Australia, which commence at the beginning of December.In the ICC Test Championship, meanwhile, Australia’s conquering of the so-called “final frontier” of India moved them 19 points clear of second-placed England, while stifling India’s own chances of moving up from 105 points in the process. Like India, Pakistan have 105 points after victory in the second Test at Karachi helped to hold Sri Lanka to 1-1 in the series. But if the ratings are calculated to three decimal places, Pakistan just have the edge.For details of the ICC ODI Championship visit the ODI cricket page of the ICC website.For details of the ICC Test Championship visit the Test cricket page of the ICC website.

The West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) has signed off players’ rights with their agreement to a ten percent commission pay-out to International Sports Management (ISM), their United Kingdom-based brokers. The commission is deductible from the players’ base fees and even on their bonuses, a scenario described as grossly unacceptable and potentially dangerous by the Sponsorship Negotiation Review Committee (SNRC).The details of this aspect of the Digicel agreement were revealed in Justice Anthony Lucky’s SNRC report, which was handed over to Ken Gordon, the new WICB president, on August 15. The report will be discussed at an executive board meeting on September 4, in St John’s, Antigua.In chapter three of the report, entitled “Does an improper relationship exist between the WICB and Digicel?”, it is explained that the two commission agreements, one dated February 23, 2004 and signed by Roger Brathwaite, the chief executive officer of WICB, and the other dated July 6, 2004 and signed by Teddy Griffith, the then WICB president, commit the WICB to the payment of a ten percent commission to ISM or the belatedly created company Sports Bureau International (SBI). SBI was only established in 2004, after negotiations began with the WICB. SBI was also a company that David Brookes, an ISM director, admitted was created to mask the identity of Digicel when the WICB asked Cable & Wireless (C&W), 18-year-long sponsors of West Indies cricket, to match the rival bid, a clear breach of the contract the WICB had with C&W at the time.Clause five of the agreement, signed by Brathwaite in February that year, states the following: “The WICB shall pay to ISM a commission equal to 10 per cent of the aggregate value of the sponsorship agreement [in money or monies worth and including, without limitation, any bonuses or incentives] paid or received by the WICB pursuant to a sponsorship agreement.”The report declared: “So not only does ISM get a 10 per cent commission on the base fees but even the players’ bonuses negotiated under the contract”. The committee also found that the WICB would not have had to pay a commission to C&W and would have stood to earn approximately US $600,000 more than they ultimately received from the Digicel contract.The SNRC report interviewed sports management professionals, all of whom stated they were not aware of any sponsorship agreement where commissions are paid on players’ bonuses. Further, under the agreement signed by Griffith on July 6, 2004 and Andrew Chandler, an ISM director, the WICB’s supposed sponsorship funds are to first pass through ISM/SBI for the deduction of their commission before the WICB receives its share.Clauses one and two of the agreement state: 1. Subject to and in accordance with the provisions of any act or regulation applicable to the same, all payments under the Master Sponsorship agreement shall be made by Digicel through ISM to WICB. 2. ISM shall be entitled to deduct from each of such payments the commission to which it is entitled under the commission agreement before accounting for the same and paying the balance to the WICB.The SNRC did not agree with this arrangement. “In the view of the Committee,” the report states, “this is grossly unacceptable.” The report also raised serious concerns over a clear conflict of interest for ISM/SBI as it was determined that they ultimately represented both sides and that the WICB was paying all the commission.Brathwaite told the Committee that the situation was so because ISM/SBI brought the sponsor. The Committee also asked the question: “Why did the president (Griffith) and CEO (Brathwaite) not insist on the Board’s money coming to the Board as well? This was like a salesman who works on commission telling the company’s costumers to make cheques payable to him or her and not to the company. So the company who has the majority of the cheque has to wait on the sales representative to pay the company its majority share from his or her personal account.”The report stated that the situation was not only highly unusual but potentially dangerous and could result in serious financial losses to the WICB. For example, should any creditor or the government of the United Kingdom appoint a receiver/liquidator to ISM shortly after the funds have been transferred from Digicel for subsequent transfer to the WICB, those funds as well as future cash flows could end up frozen, the document pointed out. As was stated in an earlier report, WICB’s Memoranda and Articles of Association were not adhered to and the SNRC was unable to discover any evidence of Board discussion or ratification or of a resolution authorising the president and other WICB directors to sign the new agreement.The following questions were raised: 1. Why did the WICB sign the new agreement when there was a potential new and better offer on the table from a proven, tried and tested company (C&W) with whom the WICB had an 18-year relationship, if it did? 2. Why did the CEO and president not use the opportunity to up the ante to get the best deal possible by making C&W, Digicel and any potential sponsors fight it out to maximise its offer? 3. Why if ISM was representing the WICB it tried to conclude the deal with Digicel when potentially there was a possibility of a better offer?Brookes had stated he did not want to lose the deal he had worked hard to secure. So his personal interest was paramount and not necessarily the WICB who at the end was bearing the cost of the whole deal.

A Melbourne court heard that David Hookes, the former Test cricketer, had treated the bouncer accused of fatally punching him last year with “arrogance and disdain”.During the ongoing trial in the Victorian Supreme Court in Melbourne, the barrister Terry Forrest, QC, summarised the defence case, arguing his client, Zdravko Micevic, was trying to move Hookes and a group of friends away from a St Kilda hotel on the night of January 18 last year. Micevic has pleaded not guilty, maintaining that he only struck Hookes in self- defence. quoted Forrest as saying that Hookes and his friends had created “an atmosphere of hostile arrogance and aggression” in the moments before Micevic first ejected Hookes and then punched him outside the hotel. Hookes, at the time the coach of Victoria, fractured his skull on the footpath as he fell and died the next day in hospital.Forrest added that “Hookes was in a mood,” and he “dealt with a 21-year-old security officer with arrogance and disdain”. Forrest argued that in the seconds before Hookes was hit there was a “volatile, dangerous and violent episode unfolding,” a period during which Micevic had been “intimidated and outnumbered”.Asserting that the punch was thrown in self-defence, Forrest told the court it was the fall, not the punch, that killed Hookes. He said Micevic had hit him with “mild to moderate force” with his non-dominant left hand. The use of the left hand, Forrest explained, suggested that Micevic was grappling with Hookes at the time with his head down, causing him to throw a “defensive punch, not an attacking punch”.The defence also cast doubts on the evidence given during the trial by Hookes’s friends who were present on the night of the incident. In a scathing attack, Forrest called their evidence an “extraordinary cocktail” that was “selective, mischievous, revisionist history”.Forrest concluded his case by saying the Crown had failed to prove beyond reasonable doubt that the punch was not thrown in self-defence. “We say the punch was lawful, it was administered in lawful self-defence.” The jury is expected to consider its verdict tomorrow afternoon.

Australia’s selectors must decide whether to backflip to a traditional line-up or plough ahead in search of another allrounder following the shoulder injury that ended Shane Watson’s Test summer. Trevor Hohns has enjoyed the balance of the side with Watson covering duel roles, but he told the problem with similar replacements was “there weren’t too many of them around”.The disruption has forced the selectors to delay naming the squad for the second Test against West Indies at Hobart, which begins on November 17, and reports have also suggested Justin Langer’s fractured rib was not healing as well as planned. If Langer is unfit Mike Hussey will stay in the side after making his debut in Brisbane while Brad Hodge and Andrew Symonds are in contention to replace Watson.Hohns told Watson’s injury had upset his plans. “We were certainly making progress in that direction,” he said. “We may have to change the balance of the side again.” The selectors also have the problem of an underperforming middle order with Michael Clarke and Simon Katich failing to register decent scores in Brisbane.Watson suffered a partial dislocation while fielding on Sunday and has had trouble keeping the “terrible noise” on impact out of his mind. “I was actually thinking ‘that can’t be my body,” he told the paper, “it must be the ground or something’.”The surgeon Greg Hoy was due to operate on Watson’s left shoulder today but he felt the injury was less serious than the back stress fractures that ruled him out of the 2003 World Cup. “The good thing is it wasn’t technique or anything to do with my bowling action so I don’t really have to remodel anything,” he said. “It’s just a freak thing.”Watson was playing his third Test at the Gabba and had just taken his second career wicket when he had Chris Gayle caught by Shane Warne at first slip. “It’s hard to set a goal at the moment,” he said in . “Hopefully it will just be a couple of months and I’ll be able to get back without risking it.”

Peter Chingoka, the chairman of Zimbabwe Cricket, and Ozias Bvute, the managing director, were arrested late on Monday after surrendering themselves at Harare Central police station. The pair are understood to have arrived accompanied by their lawyer, Wilton Manashe.The news was confirmed by Chief Superintendent Oliver Mandipaka who said: “They have been charged with contravening sections of the Exchange Control Act, and they will appear in court soon.” He added that more arrests could follow in the coming days.A source close to Zimbabwe Cricket said that the charges relate to the ongoing investigation being carried out by the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe. It is thought that the pair were charged with several offences.The ZC board is now expected to meet as a matter of urgency and it is widely rumoured that Chingoka and Bvute will be removed from office. An insider said that the first move would then be to gain entrance to their heavily-locked offices, and hand over all the books and accounts to a forensic auditor.It is known that ZC is in deep financial trouble. Harare Sports Club has not been paid rent for office space by ZC for two months, and many players have not had their match fees from the New Zealand and India series almost three months ago. The full scale of the financial predicament is not yet known.The forensic audit will include investigation into alleged importation of many top of the range vehicles for resale in Harare and unexplained cash withdrawals.If Chingoka and Bvute are ousted then it will pave the way for the striking players to return. Tatenda Taibu, who quit as Zimbabwe’s captain last week, is likely to resume and other players who retired because of the Chingoka-led ZC’s conduct might also be persuaded to reconsider.Lovemore Banda, the ZC media manager, repeatedly denied he knew anything about the arrests but failed to respond when asked several times to clarify the situation.In a letter to the ICC last week, the seven provincial chairmen asked for a freeze on all foreign income pending investigation of transactions through an account in London, income and expenditure accounts for TV companies and “other allegations of several instances of impropriety in ZC”.

Scorecard
Cameron Borgas continued South Australia’s batting resurgence this summer with a debut century as they made a strong impression on the second day of the Pura Cup match at Bellerive Oval. The Redbacks, who struggled for competitive totals throughout last season, were 3 for 251 at stumps after a crucial stand of 127 between Borgas and Mark Cosgrove following Tasmania’s declaration at 8 for 421.Borgas, who was a late inclusion for the injured Matthew Elliott, had a top first-class score of 53 before his seventh match, but he quickly secured a new mark when he brought up his century late in the day and finished unbeaten on 106. Darren Lehmann was not out on 17 and the pair will be crucial to South Australia’s bid for first-innings points after Cosgrove fell for 74 to the debutant Brendan Drew.Drew, who was so nervous he forgot his protector when going out to bat, added 15 as Tasmania’s lower order put on 110 before the declaration at lunch. Sean Clingeleffer collected almost half of those with an unbeaten 53 and he also picked up a catch off Darren McNees to dismiss Shane Deitz for 42.South Australia were also boosted by the news Elliott, who was misdiagnosed with a broken right wrist yesterday, may be available for Sunday’s ING Cup game against New South Wales at Adelaide. A scan today revealed Elliott suffered ligament damage instead of a fracture.

Michael Vaughan is confident that he will be fit for the tour of India in February. The England captain missed the one-day series against Pakistan to return home for surgery on a long-standing knee problem, which had forced him out of the first Test at Multan and affected him for the other two matches.He has yet to return to full training following his operation. However, he has made sufficient progress to remain optimistic about leading the squad on the tour, which consists of three Tests and seven one-day internationals.”The injury is fine,” Vaughan told the Press Association. “I’ve taken a really positive step in the last two weeks and I’ve been able to get on the machines and work very hard for two or three hours a day.”I don’t think it will be a problem for me getting on the plane with the rest of the lads in February. It’s moving nicely, but I don’t want to say too much too soon because I’ve not done any running or twisting and turning yet – and that’s going to be the real test for me.”England name their squad for the second leg of their sub-continental winter on Friday, with Vaughan one of three key players aiming to return after injuries. Ashley Giles is progressing well after an operation on his hip, while Simon Jones is recovering from the bone spur that forced him to miss the final Test against Australia and the Pakistan trip.