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John Wright, India’s coach, has suggested that Pakistan may hold a slight edge over India, as the two teams prepare for their crucial Champions Trophy group game at Edgbaston on Sunday.”We’ll have to play better than we have been in the last two matches against them,” said Wright. “Everyone realises it, and that is a healthy sign. We all know we have to raise our game because Pakistan are a dangerous side. They are a well-balanced side and may have a slight edge. We have to win and do something special. The boys are very aware.”Wright also suggested that both Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh would make it into the final XI. “Obviously we have to win the match and we will exercise all options available, including playing two spinners,” he said. “We have had a 3-1 policy [three seamers and one spinner], but we may have a second look at it. The pitch here has helped the spinners.”Wright backed Virender Sehwag, who is in a poor run of form at the moment. “He’s a natural and needs to be encouraged,” he said. “We have faith in his abilities. I think he is just two or three shots away from finding his form.”Meanwhile, Bob Woolmer, Wright’s Pakistani counterpart, remained more tight-lipped about his game plan ahead of the encounter. “I have a plan, but why should I tell you? You’ll tell the world,” he quipped. “The weather conditions, pitch conditions. These factors will influence the playing XI.”Woolmer played down the risk presented by India’s spinners, saying: “I know Harbhajan and Anil are very experienced bowlers, but [Shahid] Afridi and Shoaib [Malik] are very good spinners too. They are top-quality spinners in my opinion. I find this Pakistan team very disciplined, and captained by a very terrific leader.”I tell my players not to worry about the pressure. This match is just another game. No-one knows what will happen. You can’t predict in cricket. It’s like reading a good novel where players write the story. Don’t try to reach the end. Wait till you get to it.”

Bangladesh’s selectors have called up Khaled Mahmud, the former captain, for the first one-day international against India, to be played at the MA Aziz Stadium in Chittagong on December 23. Mahmud replaces Talha Jubair, who played in the second Test which Bangladesh lost by an innings on Monday. quoted Faruque Ahmed, the chief selector, as saying: “We are against making too many changes in the one-day series. Talha was impressive on his comeback to Test cricket after two years. But we always consider him more suited for the longer version than the limited-overs matches and that’s why we preferred Mahmud.”Ahmed said that Mahmud was picked on the strength of strong performances in the Premier League – a domestic competition – and he added that Alok Kapali too had been considered before he picked up a knock that ruled him out. But since the squads for the three games are to be named on a match-by-match basis, Kapali could still feature in the two games to be played in Dhaka on December 26 and 27.Team: Habibul Bashar (captain), Nafis Iqbal, Javed Omar, Rajin Saleh, Mohammad Ashraful, Aftab Ahmed, Khaled Mashud (wk), Mushfiqur Rahman, Khaled Mahmud, Manjural Islam Rana, Mohammad Rafique, Tapash Baisya, Mashrafe Mortaza and Nazmul Hossain.

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There was a sellout crowd of 20,000 at the WACA for the first domestic Twenty20 game in Australia as Western Australia beat Victoria by eight wickets. It was the first time that a game at the WACA has been sold out since a one-dayer between Australia and West Indies in 1981.Officials closed the gates at 6.45 pm, within half an hour of the start, and one woman, who had wanted to rejoin the rest of her family after parking the car, was denied entry. She was not alone. The presence of Shane Warne, whose shirt form the recent tsunami charity match received over 240 bids and sold for more than AUS$140,000 (approximately £57,000) at an auction on eBay, helped boost the attendance.In the match itself, Luke Ronchi and Ryan Campbell clobbered their way to a century opening stand from only 56 deliveries to give WA a straightforward win after Victoria had managed 8 for 141 from their 20 overs. Ronchi was dismissed after scoring 67 from 24 balls, while Campbell was undefeated with 56. In Victoria’s innings, Peter Worthington claimed 2 for 40 and Adam Crosthwaite had made 57 from 46 balls.WA’s captain Mike Hussey, who did not play this match but has taken part in Twenty20 cricket in England, before the start told the what players need to bring to this form of cricket. “I think there’s still a role for playing some good smart cricket,” he explained, “but you do need to make sure you have a couple of boundaries flowing at all times. From a bowling point of view it’s really exciting: there’s lots of bouncers and slower balls. But the big thing that comes out is the fielding. There’s some fantastic catches taken and with balls flying everywhere.”It remains to be seen whether the popularity shown for this Twenty20 match is more than a one-off. On Thursday, Australia A will play the Pakistanis in the first international Twenty20 fixture at Adelaide.

ScorecardWellington defeated Central Districts by an innings and 33 runs in their fifth round match at Napier to move second in the table. Central resumed on their overnight total of 106 for 8, but could only muster one more run for the final two wickets.They were made to follow on, with a deficit of 295, but they were soon in trouble at 53 for 4. Half-centuries from Geoff Barnett (56) and Jarrod Englefield (61) temporarily halted their decline, while Brendon Diamanti (33) and Andrew Schwass (35 not out) chipped in with flighty cameos. But all of these innings were not enough to arrest the inevitable slide as they slumped to 262 all out. The medium-pacer Iain O’Brien and the offspinner Jeetan Patel each took three wickets as Wellington climbed the table.
ScorecardAuckland cemented a strong position against Otago on the third day at Eden Park. Resuming on their overnight total of 318 for 4 – 30 behind Otago – Auckland went on to post 528 for 8 before declaring with a lead of 180.Andre Adams was Auckland’s main steer on Day 3, posting 53. In their second innings, Otago inched to 33 from 16 overs by the close, but they are still 147 runs behind with all ten wickets remaining.

Australia’s jaded batsmen have been responsible for the side’s recent one-day run stutters, according to the coach John Buchanan. Buchanan expects to downscale training sessions in a bid to give the players’ back their spark as they begin the five-match limited-overs series against New Zealand at Wellington tomorrow.”There’s a sense of all players being a bit jaded and obviously that can affect their mental application and that possibly is a contributing factor with the decision-making of their batting,” Buchanan said. “As a batting group we’ve been making poor decisions at certain times through the course of one-day cricket. Individuals will know that and collectively as a team we can discuss that, but at a more appropriate time."Australia comfortably won the VB Series despite only Michael Clarke and Damien Martyn averaging more than 30 as the bowlers stood tall. Mike Hussey and James Hopes are the two fresh faces in the squad, which has contested the Champions Trophy and series against India, New Zealand, Pakistan and West Indies since August. Buchanan said the key to the one-day series was "to play well from the outset".

The International Cricket Council has announced that it does not foresee its involvement in the sponsorship dispute West Indies cricket is embroiled in. The crisis, which deepened when the board omitted top players like Brian Lara, Ramnaresh Sarwan and Chris Gayle from the squad for the first Test against South Africa, and appointed Shivnarine Chanderpaul as the captain, has sent shockwaves throughout the Caribbean.Speaking to the , Ehsan Mani, the ICC chairman, said, “Of course it is a concern to everyone in world cricket when a dispute such as this arises and it’s something we [the ICC] can’t ignore. It’s our hope that common sense prevails and that the matter is soon amicably settled.”The ICC had intervened in a similar incident last year in Zimbabwe, when 15 players including Heath Streak boycotted the team in dispute with the Zimbabwe Cricket Union (ZCU) over selection. Mani remarked that the incident questioned the integrity of Test cricket and considerably weakened the Zimbabwe side. This resulted into ZCU canceling the Tests against Australia after which the ICC withheld the Test status of Zimbabwe until the end of the year.The West Indies board, which failed to reach a solution that was satisfactory to all parties, named a second string squad to play against South Africa in the first Test on March 31. “It’s obvious that the absence of Lara, Gayle and Sarwan means that the West Indies have lost three top players but their cricket has a much stronger base than Zimbabwe’s did last year,” continued Mani. “Many of our members have faced similar issues and are very strongly of the view that the only way to find a solution is at the local level.”Mani, who was present in the ICC meeting in Delhi last week along with Teddy Griffith, the president of the WICB, said that they spoke only briefly on the impasse between the board and the players. Mani also explained that the ICC had no mandate from its members to “unilaterally impose itself on these types of disputes”. It took action only when it posed a threat to Test cricket.

Ricky Ponting feels that too much is being made of the whole issue surrounding his bat, with MCC suggesting that the strip of carbon graphite on the back might enhance its efficiency. Ponting revealed that he had been using the same bat for the last five or six years, and didn’t think the addition of a sticker could make any difference.He added that the sticker on the back of the bat had been changed to appeal to young cricket fans and provide protection against wear and tear. “I’ve been using that Kahuna bat for the last five or six years,” he told Australia’s Channel Ten. “It’s just the sticker that’s changed this year, that’s the difference. I’ve just had a real laugh at it so far, I’ve not really thought too much about it.”As the matter stands, the International Cricket Council has referred the matter back to MCC who, in their capacity as guardiansof the laws of cricket, will determine whether the bat conforms to the regulations. Ponting, though, appeared the least perturbed. “I’m not sure where it’s all started out from,” he said, “whether it’s the ICC or the MCC or whatever or whether it’s something the players have drummed up over there. I’m not really sure and I don’t really care to tell you the truth.”

Graham Thorpe has vowed that he is ready to fight for his England Test place this summer. Back spasms, a poor start to the season and a modest winter in South Africa have left him precariously positioned in the England squad; this despite an average of 56 in the last 21 Tests. Thorpe is also aware of the competition for batting spots from Kevin Pietersen and Robert Key, both of whom have been left out of the first Test against Bangladesh which starts a week on Thursday at Lord’s, and from his Surrey team-mate Mark Butcher, who is currently injured.But nevertheless, a determined Thorpe – who has hinted this season may be his last at the top level – has resolved to enjoy however long left he has in the international arena. “At the moment I’m in possession and I’m going to enjoy every day which I get playing for England,” Thorpe, 35, told BBC Sport. “I realise there are people out there who are pushing me very hard. That’s keeping me going, driving me on.”I don’t think it’s going to be too long before you see Kevin Pietersen playing Test matches for England. There are also lots of other good players out there. Robert Key, who I thought was very unlucky to miss out on the Test squad. He’s an exceptional player and you’ve still got Mark Butcher in the wings. That’s good for the English game.”

Ricky Ponting laid a wreath in northern France for 11,000 Australian soldiers without marked graves as the one-day squad paid their respects to fallen heroes yesterday. The players, including many who visited Gallipoli in 2001, watched Ponting and Penelope Wensley, the Australian ambassador to France, place flowers at the Australia National Memorial near the town of Villers-Bretonneux.John Buchanan said the visit would help forge a closer team spirit as they witnessed what a sacrifice their compatriots had made. “It’s more a life experience rather than a cricket experience, almost irrelevant to the tour to some degree,” he said. “We’ve got an opportunity to really expand everyone’s horizons a little bit in terms off other Australians’ experiences in a war theatre.”Ponting’s squad also took a guided tour of the Franco-Australian Museum, which celebrates in part the special link between the two nations. Australia’s soldiers are highly regarded in Villers-Bretonneux because they recaptured the small northern town from Germany on April 25, 1918 in a battle significant to gaining Allied control of the Western Front. The players spent time at the Victoria College and ate lunch at Le Kangaroo Restaurant as the town continues to remember the soldiers.

Two players were struck by lightning during Thursday’s Red Stripe Bowl match between Trinidad and the Windward Islands in Jamaica. Trinidad’s Mervyn Dillon and the Windwards’ Fernix Thomas were both felled as Thomas moved in to bowl to Dillon. The pair were taken to the University Hospital of the West Indies for overnight observation where their condition was described as “stable”, and visitors later in the day said both the players were laughing and joking.The incident occurred when a bolt of lightning struck from what witnesses said was a clear blue sky. Dillon slowly slumped to the ground clutching his left side, while Thomas ran unsteadily to the pavilion. The strike was accompanied by a clap of thunder which Tony Gray, Trinidad and Tobago’s coach, described as “the loudest noise I have ever heard”. Spectators rushed for shelter, and although several players were seen on the ground it appeared that most had dived for cover rather than been struck.It was a surprise when the decision was made shortly afterwards to resume the match, and more so when Thomas took the field after receiving treatment. He bowled two more overs before complaining of a headache and a burning sensation on his neck and walking off. Shortly after Thomas and Dillon – who had been receiving treatment in the pavilion – were taken away in an ambulance.As play continued the skies darkened and more lightning and thunder could be seen and heard nearby, but it took a heavy downpour to send the players scurrying for cover, and shortly after the match was abandoned with the outfield underwater.It is not thought that Dillon’s availability for selection for West Indies’ forthcoming tour of Zimbabwe will be affected.