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Ijaz Butt, the PCB chairman, has appealed to Mohammad Yousuf to stop going public over his future as a Pakistan player and instead sort out the issue privately with the board. Yousuf, among the 17 ICL cricketers banned by the PCB from playing for the country, recently suggested the board settle the vexed issue of the bans with the ICC and was also very critical of the PCB for not standing up to the BCCI.”I don’t know why he is running around,” Butt said. “He should just come and talk to me about the issues he has with the ban imposed on him from playing for Pakistan.”The ICC has made it clear it would leave home boards to deal with legal issues according to the laws of their countries.”Yousuf represented the Lahore Badshahs in the last ICL tournament in November 2008. The Sind High Court had lifted the bans on the ICL cricketers, allowing them to play domestic cricket. However, they are still ineligible for representing Pakistan.Yousuf, however, has refused to break his three-year contract with the rebel league. He even met sports minister Aftab Shah Jilani on Wednesday and Pakistan president Asif Ali Zardari – also the patron of the PCB – to resolve the ICL issue. A meeting between the ICL, ICC and BCCI has been arranged on February 21 in Johannesburg.

Match facts

Saturday, January 24
Start time 11.30 am (06.30 GMT)

The Big Picture

Sri Lanka’s resounding victory in the second ODI in Karachi showed all the indications of their commitment to improve on the areas in which they faltered the day before, when they lost by eight wickets. Their middle order built on a good start provided by the openers, putting behind them the collapse in the first match, and their spinners ensured a comprehensive win – they took seven of the ten wickets – after the Pakistan batsmen had negotiated them well in the series opener. A successful remedy of their batting concerns – Thilina Kandamby’s inclusion in place of Jehan Mubarak worked wonders – and restoration of their spinners’ dominance amid a sorry capitulation by the Pakistan batsmen gives Sri Lanka the edge going into the series decider.The hosts, though, have more to gain from a series win: it will represent a welcome conclusion to the first international series in Pakistan during what has been a tumultuous few months, help generate revenue for a cash-strapped board and bring back more fans to the grounds after lower-than-expected turnouts for the first two games.However, they have more reasons to worry. Only three Pakistan batsmen reached double figures in their 129-run defeat, and while Salman Butt was fluent with Shoaib Malik scoring freely at the other end, the way the rest surrendered augurs badly for the decider. Moreover, the form of their new-ball pair is a major worry: Shoaib Akhtar bowled just six overs for 45 at below-par speeds in the previous match and has drawn criticism from his own captain, while Sohail Tanvir has gone for around seven runs per over in both ODIs.

ODI form guide (most recent first)

Pakistan LWWWW
Sri Lanka WLWLW

Watch out for …

Mahela Jayawardene has had a torrid run in ODIs, managing just 100 runs in his last 11 innings at 9.09. However, he looked confident during his brief innings of 24 in the second ODI and will hope to reverse his fortunes with a significant contribution in the decider.Iftikhar Anjum and Umar Gul have delivered when their fast-bowling partners, Akhtar and Tanvir, have failed. Iftikhar has bagged five wickets in the series, Gul has six, and Pakistan – after two brisk starts by the Sri Lankan openers – may rely on both to restrain the top order and bowl tightly at the death.

Team news

For Pakistan, it is unlikely Shoaib will play. Amid criticism from various quarters regarding his fitness and commitment, his place in the side appears tenuous. Fast bowler Sohail Khan, who’s only played three ODIs, could be a replacement option.Pakistan: Salman Butt, Khurram Manzoor, Younis Khan, Misbah-ul-Haq, Shoaib Malik (capt), Shahid Afridi, Kamran Akmal (wk), Sohail Tanvir, Iftikhar Anjum, Umar Gul, Sohail Khan
Sri Lanka will look to retain a winning combination, and with Kandamby cementing his place for the decider with an impressive half-century, his inclusion at the expense of Mubarak was made at the right time.Sri Lanka: Sanath Jayasuriya, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Kumar Sangakkara (wk), Mahela Jayawardene (capt), Thilina Kandamby, Chamara Kapugedera, Thilan Thushara, Farveez Maharoof, Nuwan Kulasekara, Muttiah Muralitharan, Ajantha Mendis

Pitch and conditions

In the last ten ODIs played in Lahore, the side winning the toss has opted to bat on seven occasions and won each time. One could expect a typical batting track, though the overcast weather forecast for tomorrow afternoon could tempt the captains to take advantage of favourable bowling conditions early on.

Stats and trivia

• Pakistan have a good overall record at the Gaddafi stadium, winning 29 and losing 17 ODIs. Their performance since 2004, though, has been mixed with six wins – two against Bangladesh – and seven losses.
• Muttiah Muralitharan, who has taken 498 wickets, needs a five-for to go past Wasim Akram – the highest wicket-taker in ODIs with 502. Eighty-six of those 498 have come against Pakistan at an average of 25.17.
• Since 2004, Pakistan have averaged 34.04 runs-per-wicket in 21 ODIs at the Gaddafi stadium while Sri Lanka have done better, scoring 39.58 per dismissal.

Quotes

“We let the lead slip in the second match, so it’s now a must-win situation in the final game. I hope the players realise that and do not repeat the mistakes of the second match.”

“We didn’t repeat our mistakes of the first match and the guys showed a lot of character, so it’s necessary we continue that. Lahore will be a new ground and we will assess the situation and hope to execute our plans.”

Punjab’s lesser-known first-class cricketers have reason to cheer, with the Punjab Cricket Association (PCA) announcing a ‘Monthly Gratis Scheme’ for some of the players not covered by a similar BCCI scheme implemented in 2006.”The PCA scheme would cover those cricketers who had played between 10 and 24 first-class cricket matches because those who had played 25 or more matches were covered under the BCCI scheme which provided monthly gratis between Rs 10,000 and Rs 20,000,” MP Pandove, the PCA secretary, told .Under the scheme, players would get a minimum of Rs 5000 per month, with additional sums depending on the player’s first-class experience. “For each additional match the player would get a monthly hike of Rs 300,” Pandove said.The scheme is to benefit 24 former Punjab players. “PCA was the first state cricket association to moot such a welfare scheme for retired first class cricketers,” said Pandove. Earlier, the PCA had a monthly honorarium of Rs 5000 for current first-class players who are unemployed.

India have confirmed a short series in Sri Lanka next month comprising five ODIs and one Twenty20 game and placed renewed faith in their bilateral ties, which had hit a low during the previous administration headed by Arjuna Ranatunga.The dates for the proposed Indian tour are yet to be finalised but N Srinivasan, the BCCI secretary, told reporters in Colombo that the series will be held during the two-week window in Sri Lanka’s Pakistan tour itinerary – January 28 to February 14. Duleep Mendis, Sri Lanka Cricket’s (SLC) chief executive, stated that the venues will be Dambulla and Colombo. “We are in the process of finalising the venues,” Mendis said. “Most probably the Colombo venues will be the R Premadasa Stadium and the SSC.”Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC), on their part, have committed their players to the IPL in April and assured the Indian board of its support on the ICL issue. Under Ranatunga, the Lankan board had refused to commit their players for the IPL and allowed five players associated with the unofficial ICL to take part in a domestic tournament. Ranatunga was subsequently sacked by Gamini Lokuge, the Sri Lankan sports minister, who has the final say in the country’s cricket administration.A long term agreement between SLC and the IPL is to be signed on the day of the Twenty20 match between the two countries.”We have agreed to play five ODIs and a Twenty20 match and all pertaining matters in regard to the two governing bodies were solved,” Lokuge said at the SLC headquarters in Colombo. “The SLC has agreed to release its players for the upcoming IPL tournament and we are to come to a long-term agreement concerning the Twenty20 showpiece.”India and Sri Lanka had a good relationship when it came to cricket. Today we have strengthened that. As a result more tours will take place between the two countries in time to come. We have also come to a conclusion to stand by the BCCI stance with regard to the ICL.”We’ve also decided to support India at the ICC meetings. The (country’s) president himself has given his blessings and we are happy that things have worked out in a positive way.”Srinivasan expressed his pleasure at the cordial welcome given by his Sri Lankan counterparts. He also expressed satisfaction at the decision taken by SLC to release its players for the IPL starting in April, and for firmly standing by the BCCI with regard to the ICL issue.”BCCI as always will be committed to support SLC in the future,” Srinivasan said. “The exact dates and venues are yet to be finalised and probably we will be able to release the tour plan and the duration by tomorrow (Wednesday) to the press.”Srinivasan denied the BCCI had any role to play in Ranatunga’s ousting. “We have no right to interfere into any matters of SLC. They are sovereign like us, the BCCI. The BCCI has never expressed its concerns over the way SLC has been ruled in the past. We are very sorry for the impression that has been created.”Sri Lanka are due to play three ODIs in Pakistan in the first leg of their tour and resume the second leg for two Tests after the India series.

Lanka de Silva, the former Sri Lanka wicketkeeper-batsman who became only the tenth player in his country’s history to pass 10,000 runs in first-class cricket, has said Sri Lankan cricket will not improve unless it breaks free of politics.de Silva has been on the domestic circuit for nearly two decades, which leaves him well-placed to assess what ails Sri Lankan cricket. “There are a number of players who continue to be ignored by the national selectors even for A teams despite performing consistently in domestic cricket,” he said. “A majority of them have decided that they have no future playing for the national side and signed up with clubs in the English leagues to earn a living.

“What is happening now in our domestic cricket is that these players are only interested in playing five first-class matches for their clubs which qualifies them to play in the leagues. Once that objective has been achieved they are no longer interested in giving 100% to their clubs. This is leading to a deterioration of our domestic cricket standards,” de Silva said. “Our cricket will never improve until we get rid of the politics that is continuing to ruin it.”Having made his first-class debut for Kurunegala Youth CC in 1991-92, de Silva has consistently been among the runs in domestic cricket for the past 17 years. He reached the 10,000-run mark in Tamil Union’s first Premier league match of the season against Ragama CC at the Saravanamuttu Stadium.de Silva played three Tests in his career, all on the tour to India in 1997-98 when he replaced Romesh Kaluwitharana briefly as the team’s first-choice wicketkeeper. He was floored by a bouncer from former Indian fast bowler Javagal Srinath in the third Test and was out of favour before recovering from the injury.”For the next ten years I tried hard to regain my place in the Sri Lankan side with consistent performances in domestic cricket, but the selectors continued to ignore me.” In those years de Silva constantly topped 500 runs in Sri Lanka’s domestic season and finished in the top ten of the batting averages.Frustrated by the continuous shunning by the national selectors de Silva said that from last season he took a decision to divide his time between league cricket in England and domestic cricket in Sri Lanka. He played for the Potters Bar in the Home Counties league in 2008 and will continue to do so till he decides to eventually quit. “I think I have another five seasons of cricket ahead of me.”

Andrew Symonds has admitted that alcohol played a part in his poor attitude this year and getting axed from the squad in Darwin was the wake-up call he needed to address his behaviour. Symonds also conceded that he had hurt his relationship with his good friend Michael Clarke, the stand-in captain, when the Darwin decision was made.Speaking for the first time about the reasons that led to his being sent home, Symonds said he had started drinking too much after last season’s racism row with the India spinner Harbhajan Singh. Harbhajan was alleged to have called Symonds a monkey during the Sydney Test and was suspended for three Tests but the ban was overturned on appeal.”At times, I was drinking too much and I wasn’t a good bloke to be around,” Symonds said on Channel Nine. “I had turned bad, I think, with the buildup of the whole of last summer and the things that had unfolded.”I wasn’t in a great place. Looking back now it probably happened at the right time that I got sent home and told to straighten myself out. I feel much better within myself. Even if I don’t come back and play great cricket, I know that I have done something that will improve what I need to be as a person.”It is not the first time Symonds has revealed his trouble with alcohol. In his 2006 autobiography, Symonds recalled the sketchy details of a pub crawl in Cardiff the previous year that led to him being dumped from the side that played Bangladesh the next morning when he turned up at the ground drunk.Having missed the recent tour of India, Symonds is likely to return to the Test side at the Gabba on Thursday, when Australia take on New Zealand. Symonds has not played a Test since the tour of the Caribbean and it was on that trip that reports emerged of a bar-room argument between him and Clarke.It was Clarke who tried to help Symonds sober up after his Cardiff bender and on the 2006 tour of South Africa pulled Symonds away from a potential punch-up with a rugby player. But their relationship took another blow when Clarke was a key part of the team leadership group that sent Symonds home from Darwin following his fishing trip and Symonds said he had not treated Clarke, the team’s vice-captain, appropriately.”I did something silly with him one night and I suppose I was a bit disrespectful to him,” Symonds said. “That relationship is still alive, but to be perfectly honest it is not what it was. We are both making efforts to get it back to where it was because that’s a friendship I don’t want to lose.”Symonds knows he cannot afford another behavioural slip-up or “it’s not going to be a pretty ending”. He made his comeback appearance in Australian colours in the All-Stars Twenty20 match on Friday, when he regained some of his lost form with 45 from 35 balls.

With the possible abandonment of Sri Lanka’s tour of England next year, Kevin Pietersen is just one high-profile player who could reap the financial benefits by appearing in the IPL. In an interview with Cricinfo last week, the England captain – who has yet to play in the IPL or its unsanctioned cousin, the ICL – spoke openly about his stance on cricket’s most lucrative, if divisive, tournament.Asked whether he would accept a deal with an IPL franchise should one come calling, Pietersen said: “Yes. I think it’s just a natural progression. The benefiting factor for me as England captain is that the last few days we’ve sat down and talked about the Twenty World Cup next year which we want to try and win. And I want as many of our guys playing the format as possible.”To play in the IPL means they’ll get experience and really learn their skills, play with different players, and I think that’ll be hugely beneficial. Five or six games out in India [in the IPL] will be brilliant for their experience, so for me as captain, it’s encouraging to know they’ll have more games under their belt.”For all the money involved, and the worthy justification of using tournaments such as the IPL as a warm-up for the Twenty20 World Cup, Pietersen was adamant his foremost interest lay with England. “We want to win every game we play for England,” he said. “We’re playing for the badge and we want to win.”

Rory Kleinveldt, the Cape Cobras allrounder, wants to make full use of his “surprise” call-up to South Africa’s squad for one-off Twenty20 match against Bangladesh in November.Kleinveldt and Ryan McLaren, the Eagles allrounder, were the new faces in South Africa’s squads named for their upcoming home series against Kenya and Bangladesh. Both played county cricket in England on Kolpak contracts but Kleinveldt played only one match for Hampshire in July before he was selected in South Africa’s preliminary squad for the Champions Trophy.”I’ve been waiting six years for this,” Kleinveldt told . “Mickey [Arthur] said he’ll tell me what my role will be when the squad assembles.” He credited his improved fitness to the training regime during his brief spell in England. “The weight loss – about 10 kilograms – just came about because of the hard work there and now I know what is required to maintain a really good physical condition,” said Kleinveldt, who, over the years, struggled to keep his weight down. “The playing standards on the county circuit are about the same as here in South Africa but the whole set-up in English domestic cricket is so much more advanced.”There were several specialist coaches around and they work with you all the time so one can really develop and work on problem areas. Even when the weather was bad there were really good indoor facilities so one never lost out on training time, unlike here in South Africa.”Kleinveldt said Twenty20 was a skill-oriented game where it was not always possible to stick to bowling line and length. “You must be able offer a change of pace and you have to be able to bowl a good yorker as well. If I can contribute in a positive way with the bat then so be it,” he said. “Pro20 is a bit of a lottery – you have to work a lot on your skills, different skills, and one should always have lots of options.” Kleinveldt’s bowling average is 27.41 and batting strike-rate is 165.76 from 28 Twenty20 matches.Since Shaun Pollock’s retirement from international cricket earlier this year, South Africa have been looking for an allrounder to fill the void, especially in limited-overs games. But Kleinveldt said he didn’t want to be put in the same category as Pollock. “He’s a legend and has done superbly for South African cricket for 10 years. I’m playing my first game on November 5, so lets see how that goes.”

Mid way through a routine press conference at the Chinnaswamy Stadium, Sourav Ganguly was asked whether he felt most of the speculation over the future of India’s seniors was focused on him. “It has been, unfortunately,” he said. “I’ve felt it but that’s the way it is. I think I’ve achieved enough in this sport. Hopefully I’ll live with it and the day I can’t, I’ll go.”That was one of the few clues he offered to the dramatic announcement he would make a few minutes later. Ganguly patiently answered all questions put to him on topics ranging from what he thought about “voluntary retirement schemes” – the pensioning off of India’s Fab Five – to whether he had indeed received threats to kidnap his daughter. Only after the media manager had called time on the press conference, and the silence gave way to the bustle of reporters collecting their recorders, did Ganguly deliver his killer line. “Just one last thing, lads”, he said, before announcing his impending retirement.The delivery, coming from a man who wore his heart on his sleeve – or on his bare chest, as at Lord’s in 2002 – was so dead-pan that it was startling. Four crisp, short sentences and, by the time their significance had sunk in, and before anyone could even contemplate applauding, he had disappeared.In hindsight, though, there were other signs if you could read them. Kris Srikkanth, the chairman of selectors, was at the Chinnaswamy Stadium while the Indians practised and he chatted with several players. While talking with Ganguly, he put a friendly arm around the shoulder, offering encouragement for the challenge ahead or perhaps congratulating him on an accomplished career. Srikkanth later said Ganguly had told him of the decision to retire on the ground.After the training session Ganguly continued his practice indoors and stayed there for half an hour. He was the last to return to the dressing room, where he possibly broke the news to his team-mates.All this time it wasn’t clear who would come to speak to the media. The reporters had assembled at 3.30 pm, the tentative time for the press conference, but were kept waiting for over a half hour. It shouldn’t have been much of a surprise, though, when Ganguly walked in – he’s kept far more important people waiting.The line of questioning that followed was inevitable, given the speculation surrounding India’s seniors and especially Ganguly, since the India’s return from Sri Lanka. Yet he answered questions with grace and humour, as he did a year ago after scoring his maiden double-century in Bangalore. At that time he had refused to comment on the turbulent Greg Chappell phase, preferring to let bygones be bygones, and today he responded calmly to questions concerning his non-selection and VRS schemes. When asked for his thoughts on Matthew Hayden’s comments about Indian bowlers firing him up, Ganguly said he reckoned that a batsman with 30 Test centuries would be fired up by anyone.The session had gone on for about 15 minutes, longer than the average press conference, before Ganguly’s announcement, which recalled Brian Lara’s bombshell during the 2007 World Cup when he said “If this is the last question, I’d like to say that I’ll be bidding goodbye to international cricket on Saturday.”If Ganguly plays through the series, his swan song will be at Nagpur, where, four years ago, he drove the first nail into his own captaincy by citing injury and pulling out of the Test against Australia. India were thrashed on a green top in that match to go 2-0 behind in the series. Ganguly has one opportunity left to settle the score.

Scorecard