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Ishant Sharma, Rohit Sharma and S Badrinath, who have been widely labelled as the future of Indian cricket, were the biggest gainers in the BCCI’s annual players’ contracts list that was announced today. While the young trio moved up from Grade D (Rs 15 lakh) to Grade B (Rs 40 lakh), Rahul Dravid, who has been struggling for form over the last season, was retained in Grade A, the top bracket of Rs 60 lakh.Other promotions for 2008-09 were on expected lines with VVS Laxman, Harbhajan Singh, Gautam Gambhir and Virender Sehwag stepping up from Grade B to join Sachin Tendulkar, Zaheer Khan, Yuvraj Singh and Dravid. Irfan Pathan, Munaf Patel and Suresh Raina have also climbed a rank higher from Grade C (Rs 25 lakh) in the list of 37 cricketers.Despite speculation that new performance-based clauses would be introduced this time, Ratnakar Shetty, the BCCI’s chief admistrative officer told Cricinfo that “there has been no change to the graded system that was in place last year”. He said a board committee comprising Shashank Manohar, its president, N Srinivasan, the secretary and Kris Srikkanth, the chairman of national selectors, prepared the latest list, which is valid up to September 30, 2009. “The committee picked players based on the performances in the last season [2007-08],” said Shetty.While Ajit Agarkar and Ramesh Powar no longer figure on the new list, a notable drop is that of wicketkeeper Dinesh Karthik’s, from Grade B to Grade D, which is for fringe players. S Sreesanth, who missed most of last season due to an injury, also fell a tier down to Grade C while Robin Uthappa was downgraded to Grade D.Aakash Chopra, the former India opener who was the highest domestic run-getter last season, is a prominent omission. Sourav Ganguly and Anil Kumble were also among the absentees on the list after retiring from international cricket last month.Last year, the contracts process had generated some debate with the BCCI planning to introduce performance-related clauses after India’s World Cup debacle in the West Indies. However, the board finally stuck to the graded system after discussions with senior players. With no change in the format once again, the players were not part of the contracts finalization process this time, officials said.Grade A (Rs 60 lakh)
Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Zaheer Khan, VVS Laxman, Harbhajan Singh, Gautam Gambhir, Virender Sehwag, Yuvraj SinghGrade B (Rs 40 lakh)
RP Singh, Munaf Patel, Suresh Raina, Rohit Sharma, Ishant Sharma, S Badrinath, Irfan PathanGrade C (Rs 25 lakh)
Piyush Chawla, Wasim Jaffer, Yusuf Pathan, Praveen Kumar, Pragyan Ojha, Amit Mishra, S SreesanthGrade D (Rs 15 lakh)
Dinesh Karthik, Robin Uthappa, Parthiv Patel, Manpreet Gony, Cheteshwar Pujara, Mohammad Kaif, Virat Kohli, Ashok Dinda, Wriddhiman Saha, Chetanya Nanda, M Vijay, R Ashwin, Shikhar Dhiwan, Sudeep Tyagi

Zimbabwe are attending a training camp in preparation for the Bangladesh triangular series at the beginning of January. Sri Lanka, who recently smashed Zimbabwe 5-0, are the third side in the series.Zimbabwe Cricket has assembled two teams for the camp, with the seniors under the guidance of Walter Chawaguta and a separate Zimbabwe A side coached by Stephen Mangongo. The two sides will take each other on in four one-day matches at the Harare Sports Club, from which the selectors will base their decision on who will tour Bangladesh.In an interview with yesterday, Chawaguta said training was going well and if any of the players from Zimbabwe A impressed, they would graduate to the national team.”These are not trials…but it’s the national team in practice with the Zimbabwe A and if anyone from Zimbabwe A plays extremely well they will make it to the national team,” he said. “We played one game on Monday and we were supposed to play another one yesterday [Tuesday] but it was rain-washed. Today’s [Wednesday’s] game has also been rain-washed.”Zimbabwe A beat the seniors by five runs on Monday and another match is scheduled for today.

Natasha Cherriath’s unbeaten half-century led UAE to an emphatic 73-run win over Oman at the Prem Center. UAE raked up 133 for 2 in 25 overs, and in reply Oman were bundled out for 60 in 24.5. Cherriath’s 52 included seven fours and came off 56 balls. None of Oman’s batsmen made it to double figures, Monique D’Souza was the pick of the bowlers with 3 for 10 off her five overs.It was not too different a story at the Prem Oval, where Nepal beat China by 66 runs. Nepal, put in by China, scored 128 for 2, with opener Maya Rawat top scoring with 42. China could only manage 62 in reply, with captain Yu Miao the only batsman to go past 10. Thirty of those 62 runs came by way of extras. Both China and Oman finished the league phase with no points.Nepal will play hosts Thailand in the semi-final on Monday, while Hong Kong will face Malaysia for the other spot in the final. Bhutan and Qatar face off in the fifth-sixth playoff, and Kuwait and Oman will battle for ninth place.

Glamorgan batsman Matthew Wood has announced his retirement, citing personal reasons, with one year of his two-year contract remaining.Wood, 31, had a mixed season in 2008 after being released by Yorkshire. Although he turned in some reasonable performances in the Friends Provident Trophy, he failed to establish himself in the Championship side.”Matthew was a great asset,” said director of cricket Matthew Maynard. “He will be sorely missed both out on the pitch and in the dressing room.”

Victoria 447 (Hodge 98, Wade 62, Rogers 61, Cockley 4-65) beat New South Wales 227 and 218 (Jaques 49, Hastings 5-61, McKay 4-56) by an innings and 2 runs
Scorecard
Points table

The under-manned Victoria gave another example of why they are the team to beat for the Sheffield Shield with an innings-and-two-run win over New South Wales. The Blues were dismissed for 218 late on the third afternoon and were unable to make the hosts bat again after they gained a lead of 220 on first innings.With Shane Harwood and Dirk Nannes injured, things were looking bright for New South Wales and the openers Phil Jaques and Greg Mail put on 81, but there was trouble after Mail edged John Hastings behind on 41. Peter Forrest (20) departed to Brad Hodge before Clint McKay picked up Jaques for 49 and Dominic Thornely in the same over, reducing them to 4 for 114.In his next over McKay, who returned 4 for 56, dismissed Usman Khawaja and the damage could not be stopped, despite 25 from Beau Casson and Aaron Bird’s 29. Hastings enjoyed a strong finish to his Sheffield Shield debut with 5 for 61 and ended the match by having Bird caught behind attempting a cut. Victoria were impressive throughout the day, which began with McKay (47) and Harwood (28 not out) adding 68 for the final wicket as they finished on 447.The Bushrangers have sealed hosting rights for the final with two games remaining. Queensland’s hold on second is under threat from Western Australia and Tasmania, who are playing in Hobart.

Scorecard
Sialkot survived some anxious moments before clinching their second Quaid-e-Azam Trophy in three years by beating Khan Research Laboratories by four wickets.They had started the day needing another 118 runs with seven wickets in hand. Nayyer Abbas struggled for an hour to make 10 and Mohammad Ayub managed only 4, both batsmen falling to medium-pacer Yasir Ali. Overnight batsman Ayaz Tasawwar resisted with a half-century before being caught behind off Yasir to leave Sialkot at 108 for 6.Haris Sohail, who has been one of Sialkot’s highest run-getters this season, and Bilawal Bhatti however ensured there was no further drama, taking Sialkot through to victory.

Michael Vaughan has been given a timely opportunity to impress the selectors ahead of this summer’s Ashes, after being picked for MCC against the Champion County, Durham, in the traditional curtain-raiser to the English season, at Lord’s on April 9.Vaughan, who has scored six Test centuries for England at Lord’s, was omitted from England’s winter tours after resigning the captaincy at Edgbaston last summer. He is back in the frame for the problematic No. 3 position, however, following the failure of his successors in the role, Ian Bell and Owais Shah, to seize their opportunities in India and West Indies.Bell has also been named in the MCC team, one of six Test players in a strong line-up. He has been on the sidelines of the England squad since losing his place to Shah following England’s ignominious 51 all out in Jamaica two months ago. Another candidate for the England top-order is the Kent and England Lions captain, Robert Key, who hasn’t played Test cricket since January 2005, but is regularly mentioned in dispatches. He will captain the MCC team.Key’s Lions squad, which has just returned from their tour of New Zealand, also included Sajid Mahmood and Stephen Moore, who will line up alongside him at Lord’s. Essex’s James Foster will keep wicket, and will reacquaint himself with his MCC team-mate from 2008, Yorkshire’s legspinner Adil Rashid.The team was picked in conjunction with the ECB and as well as including the experience of Vaughan, Bell and Key, it features exciting young talent such as England Under 19’s Chris Woakes and Steven Finn, and Durham UCCE’s Tom Westley. Kabir Ali, who enjoyed a successful 2008 season, taking 59 first class wickets at an average of 18.74, completes the line-up.”This year’s Champion County fixture has all the ingredients to be a classic,” said John Stephenson, MCC Assistant Secretary. “MCC is delighted to have so many top players turning out against a Durham side that will also be full of internationals.”It will be an excellent opportunity for the young players to show what they can do alongside established international cricketers. Graeme Fowler, who coaches at Durham UCCE, has been raving about Tom Westley, and I look forward to him scoring runs against a team captained by his predecessor at Durham UCCE, Will Smith.”England’s National Selector Geoff Miller said: “All the players in the MCC team will be hungry to prove a point to the selectors, so we are confident we will see four days of tough, hard-fought cricket. Every English cricketer wants to be involved with the national set-up this summer because the world’s eyes will be on England for both the Ashes Series and the ICC World Twenty20.””It’s a great opportunity not just for players on the edge of the Test side to make a claim for a place, but also for the youngsters to prove the strength of Under-19 and University cricket in this country.”MCC 1 Robert Key, 2 Stephen Moore, 3 Michael Vaughan, 4 Ian Bell, 5 Adil Rashid, 6 Chris Woakes, 7 James Foster, 8 Tom Westley, 9 Sajid Mahmood, 10 Steven Finn, 11 Kabir Ali.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out
Mitchell Johnson’s maiden century was a stirring affair and gave South Africa palpitations before they eventually won•AFP

Minor lapses in concentration were always going to be crucial on a day like this. For two sessions it was Australia who paid for erring, and in the final it was South Africa – having stuck to their task so well until tea – who relaxed and looked on in bewilderment as centurion Mitchell Johnson and Andrew McDonald thumped a rearguard of dizzying proportions. In the end, however, Australia were unable to overcome a massive deficit and fell to an innings defeat – 11 years and a day to the last time that happened.With the score reading 231 for 6 at tea, South Africa were in charge but things went pear-shaped after the interval. Truly, final sessions have seldom had so much packed in them. Nineteen fours, six sixes, and a near hat-trick meant there was plenty of entertainment for the crowd as Johnson hit a robust maiden century and McDonald showed what he could deliver with the bat after four limp innings on the tour. But it wasn’t enough to stop South Africa securing victory in the dead rubber, with Paul Harris’ snaring six wickets.Jacques Kallis left big gaps on the leg side for McDonald – a mid-on, deep square leg and fine leg – to basically invite the shots, but he also picked the gaps on the off side really well. McDonald played some cracking strokes, with fluent drives either side of the pitch – at one point he flayed three successive off-side boundaries off Makhaya Ntini. His maiden half-century was a pleasing effort and the 100-run partnership was up in 14.5 oversJohnson didn’t waste time, clearing the front leg to clear the infield or cream back-foot drives effortlessly. His off-drives were simply stunning and his half-century took only 51 balls. There was more to come as Johnson extended the party. The sublime – a pull for six off Dale Steyn – was followed by the carefree – a straight six off Harris – and the sixties, seventies and eighties were a blur.Then a moment of tension. Johnson was left stranded on 96 in Johannesburg and when Australia lost two in two balls, it was déjà vu. Harris snapped the raucous stand when a review for an inside-edge onto McDonald’s pad to silly point was upheld in the bowler’s favour. Next ball Peter Siddle popped a simple catch to bat-pad and South Africa packed seven men around the bat for the hat-trick ball. It wasn’t to be.With Australia eight down, Johnson declined a single from the first delivery of Steyn’s next over. Taking a deep breath he took guard as Steyn hurried in and smacked the ball over midwicket for six to raise three figures. He finished unbeaten on 123 when the last man Ben Hilfenhaus edged to slip, giving Harris career-best figures.That exasperating last passage was in stark contrast to proceedings in the morning, when both sides decided to play the waiting game. After the flogging of yesterday afternoon, a battle of attrition played out when just 40 runs were made in two hours. Scoring became immaterial as Simon Katich and Michael Hussey set about trying to eat up the hours, playing the ball straight and with soft hands.The first run didn’t come for 23 minutes, after which Katich was dropped by Harris at gully without adding a run to his overnight 44. Twenty minutes before lunch an unlikely stroke led to his downfall when he chased a flighted delivery and picked out mid-off. It was soon after the lunch break that Australia had their second breakthrough. The diligent Steyn had worked hard on the approach of Hussey, bowling a good line outside the off stump, and when he brought his line closer he was rewarded as the ball got big and took the shoulder of the blade to a tumbling gully.While Clarke collected four boundaries in three overs with twinkle-toed efficiency, his new partner never settled. Brad Haddin, a tad squirmy at the crease, chipped a lofted shot to a back-pedalling JP Duminy at mid-on. As the pressure told Clarke opened up with some rasping cuts but his attacking instincts eventually got the better of him. Steyn returned for another super spell close to tea, kept up the desired intensity, pitched the ball up outside off stump, and Clarke dragged it back on.A stunning rearguard followed, but victory for South Africa was never in doubt. They came back after being behind for two whole Tests and Steyn’s bowling on day one, when he attacked and contained at the same time, was vital in keeping them afloat. The centuries from Ashwell Prince, Kallis and AB de Villiers were crucial components too in this win, which snapped South Africa’s string of five consecutive losses to Australia at home.

Following Ireland’s successful World Cup qualifying campaign in South Africa coach Phil Simmons has extended his deal until 2011.Simmons, 46, took over following the 2007 World Cup and has helped guide Ireland to four trophies in nine months.”I’m delighted to continue in the post, and am happy to commit myself to Irish cricket to the end of 2011,” Simmons said. “I’ve really enjoyed my time with Ireland, and believe that there are more trophies and further success to come. I’m ambitious and so are the team – we’ve got a lot of important fixtures coming up, and I’m confident we’ll continue to impress on the world stage.”Warren Deutrom, the chief executive, added: “We believe that continuity in our senior coaching ranks is essential to maintain the high professional standards that Ireland has set for the Associate world in the last few months.”Many felt that our World Cup exploits of two years ago were the summit of our potential, but Phil has managed to raise the bar still further as we have completed the ‘Associate treble’ in 20-over, four-day and 50-over cricket in the space of nine months.”With Phil at the helm, we are confident that this team can achieve even greater things on the international stage, and strengthen our argument for ICC to outline a clear road map for strong Associate countries like Ireland to progress to elite status.”There is little time for Ireland’s players to rest as they start their Friends Provident Trophy campaign against Worcestershire, at Stormont, on Sunday.

South Africa 128 for 7 (Smith 33, Butler 2-13) beat New Zealand 127 for 5 (McCullum 57, van der Merwe 2-14) by one run
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsRoelof van der Merwe suffocated New Zealand’s run-chase with 2 for 14 in four overs•Associated Press

South Africa’s bowlers, led by the unhittable spin of Roelof van der Merwe, pulled an improbable victory out of the jaws of defeat as they successfully defended a meagre target of 129 and snuck home by a solitary run to secure the Group D bragging rights in a scrappy but compelling dead-rubber tussle at Lord’s.At the halfway mark of the match, it seemed there could be only one winner, after South Africa had squandered a platform of 47 for 0 after their Powerplay overs to dribble to a disappointing 20-over total of 128 for 7. But New Zealand’s response never emerged from second gear. A 54-ball 57 from Brendon McCullum set the platform, but his team-mates failed to dive in, and bizarrely they ran out of steam with six wickets still standing.The bulk of the credit belonged to van der Merwe, who put a momentum-squandering six-ball duck behind him to concede a mere 14 runs from his four overs, as well as capturing both of New Zealand’s dangermen. McCullum was stumped by a distance as he gave the charge and missed, while Ross Taylor swished flat-footedly and was bowled for 22 from 31 balls, a peculiarly ponderous innings that was compounded by a tweaked hamstring that hampered his mobility in the second half of his knock.McCullum had begun his innings with typical belligerence, cracking three fours from his first seven deliveries as New Zealand put 19 on the ball in just two overs. But at the other end, his support was in short supply. Martin Guptill miscued Dale Steyn to mid-on for 5 before Neil Broom was caught and bowled by a lunging Jacques Kallis for 1, and at the end of the Powerplays, New Zealand had slipped to a sluggish 35 for 2.With the pitch slowing up, the run-rate went with it, and South Africa’s spinners took full advantage. Taylor and McCullum added 56 for the third wicket in 11 overs, as van der Merwe and Johan Botha took the pace off the ball to tormenting effect, and by the time Jacob Oram arrived to reinject some urgency, the requirement was hovering around two runs a ball.The final scoreline was misleadingly tight. New Zealand failed to hit a single six in their innings, and they would not have come close had it not been for a freakish yorker from Steyn that bounced out of a foothole and over the keeper’s head for four byes in the penultimate over. With eight needed from two balls, Oram inside-edged through fine leg to keep the contest alive, but couldn’t clear the field with his final baseball-style swing.It was a disappointing denouement for New Zealand, as South Africa successfully defended the lowest winning total ever made in T20Is, but it was vital match practice nonetheless. Deprived of the services of their captain, Daniel Vettori, who has been struggling with a shoulder problem, New Zealand turned instead to the lanky seam of Ian Butler, and the spin and swing of Nathan McCullum and Scott Styris, who sent down a combined analysis that would have graced a 50-over game: 4 for 41 from ten overs.Fresh from their 130-run dispatching of Scotland in their opening fixture at The Oval, South Africa seemed to have continued in the same vein when Graeme Smith and Kallis cruised to 47 for 0 in the six Powerplay overs. But as soon as Nathan McCullum was thrown the ball by his brother and captain, Brendon, New Zealand applied a tourniquet that the clinical South Africans were unable to remove.McCullum’s first over went for just two runs, and from the start of the very next over, the rot set in. Smith called Kallis through for a quick single as his brother hurtled round to short midwicket to field. The shy beat Kallis’s lunch by a fraction of an inch, whereupon Butler denied the incoming Herschelle Gibbs any early momentum by completing an over in which only one run was possible.Gibbs, in a hurry to impose himself, then mistimed a drive at Styris to be caught-and-bowled for 3 from 7, before Butler chimed in with the biggest wicket of the lot as Smith played all around a full-length delivery and was comprehensively bowled for 33 from 35. At 63 for 3 in the 12th over, their early momentum had well and truly evaporated.Had the result not been immaterial, there’s no way that AB de Villiers, the star against Scotland, would have been held back this long. But the shuffling of the batting card did South Africa no favours. van der Merwe creaked to a six-ball duck before McCullum yorked him with a quicker ball, and when de Villiers finally appeared to belt his second ball through midwicket for four, it was only South Africa’s second boundary in seven overs.It didn’t, however, signal an upturn in their fortunes. A second boundary, this time through the covers, demonstrated that de Villiers’ eye was most certainly in, but so was Guptill’s in the outfield, as he pulled off a direct hit from mid-off to run the dangerman out for 15 from eight balls.Mark Boucher failed for the second innings running when he mistimed a full-toss to give Butler a deserved second, and not even JP Duminy could inject any urgency. He did his best with a brace of sixes, but then holed out moments after the second of them, caught by Broom at mid-on. Albie Morkel, a serious striker when the mood takes him, was unable to keep the strike in the dying moments of the innings, as New Zealand completed a fine effort in the field. It was not, however, good enough.