The West Indies Cricket Board has denied holding any discussions over the contracts issue with the players in the absence of the West Indies Players’ Association. The denial comes in the wake of allegations by Dinanath Ramnarine, the president and chief executive of the players’ association, claiming that the board acted in “bad faith” and went against “good industrial relations practice”.Roger Brathwaite, the chief executive of the WICB, who met with the players along with Tony Howard, the team manager, was quoted as saying in The Trinidad Express, “… as any responsible employer, the board thought it fit to let the players know about matters which affect their interests. With the Digicel home series ended, we took the opportunity to speak with them briefly as a group before they departed for their respective homes.”I told him [Ramnarine] that I took the opportunity to inform the players that the WICB has been trying without success to meet with WIPA since the start of the Digicel home series, but this had not proved possible.”Braithwaite further mentioned that the contract for next month’s series in Sri Lanka had been forwarded to WIPA, and hoped that a swift agreement could be reached on the terms and conditions for that tour. West Indies are scheduled to play two Tests followed by a triangular one-day tournament, also involving India.

More than usual, the spotlight at Mohali will be on Rahul Dravid. An outstanding cricketer in the form of his – or anyone’s – life, he will now captain in a Test match, not an easy task, and never so in India. “It’s yet to sink in; I was only told five minutes back,” was his first reaction.Instantly, typically, Dravid proved accommodating to the media’s needs. “Iwish I could give you the playing XI right now,” he said, “but I’ve only justbeen told. I need to sit down with John Wright and Syed Kirmani. But if wecan arrange something for later in the evening, I’d be happy to give you theXI.”Throughout his press conference Dravid displayed the equanimity and intelligence that have marked him always. He would not be overtly aggressive or bitingly sarcastic, as Sourav Ganguly might (most often to his advantage), but would still make his point.He was asked about the pitches, and he managed to balance everything in hisanswer. By agreeing that the pitch at Ahmedabad was too dead, he sent theright message to the Indian board. By adding that it was hard to preparepitches and that, like bats, perhaps one out of 10 work out perfectly, heshowed himself to be empathetic to the ground realities that an Indiancurator must work with. By saying that he would rather India win ongood wickets than on vicious turners to avenge for the grass that New Zealand gave them last year, he showed himself to not be petty. And, by pointing out that, dead pitches or not, New Zealand haven’t been able to take 10 wickets in an innings all tour, be it versus India, India A or the Board President’s XI, he was able to send a signal to the opposing team.But still, the greatest balancing act Dravid will have to perform is not while answering questions. It will be to ensure that somehow he is able to lead and yet continue to bat in this dream-like trance that he has been in for the past 18 months, even though, as he says, “it’s only one match.” With interest, the nation will watch him and commentators dissect him, for it is virtually inevitable that he will be given the job on a longer term before his career is out.Dravid is at his pinnacle. He, till date, has scored 15 Test centuries (and four 90s). Out of these 15, nine have been made overseas; six of them have been made in the last year-and-a-half. Out of these 15, India have lost only once. Nobody in contemporary cricket with those many or more hundreds can claim this – not Matthew Hayden, not Ricky Ponting, both of whom have played for Australiain their – and Australia’s – pomp. It is a staggering statistic. If these were Ganguly’s statistics, he would have probably told us by now.”I’ll only know what it’s like when I go through it,” Dravid said, when asked if this might be a burden he does not at the moment need. A comparison with Michael Vaughan could be instructive here. Like Vaughan, Dravid was handed the job unexpectedly in a golden run. Vaughan, like Dravid, had a good one-day record as captain. (Dravid has won three of the four ODIs he has led in.) Vaughan, like Dravid, though to a larger degree, was a technically correct batsman who expressed himself with more and more strokes in time. Vaughan scored a matchsaving hundred the last time he wasn’t captain, and was then unable to cross 33 in nine Test innings since.True, it’s only one match, but it will still be interesting to see how Dravid does. “I will not take the job lightly,” he said. We didn’t need to be be assured of that.

The Andhra Pradesh High Court has issued notices to Sourav Ganguly, Sachin Tendulkar, the BCCI, Pepsi and Sony Television for a commercial featuring a child who supplies the Indian team with soft drinks.The petition was filed by a social worker who believed that the commercial depicted child labour. She said that the television spot violated articles of the constitution. The Justices presiding over the case asked for a detailed report on the matter.

The Australian television network due to broadcast the four-Test series against India is confident of screening it no matter which Indian company wins the coverage rights.A spokesman for Fox Sports, the satellite channel owned by Rupert Murdoch, said there had been discussions with other possible providers in thesubcontinent to ensure that if the matches were played, they would be shown in Australia.A battle for the rights is being staged in the Supreme Court in Delhi, which was today due to hear a petition filed by Zee Telefilms over the BCCI’s decision to cancel its A$430 million four-year contract to telecastIndian cricket.Murdoch also controls the ESPN-Star network, which challenged the deal on the grounds that Zee did not have the required experience as a cricket broadcaster.Both the ICC and Cricket Australia are against playing the series without live television coverage and the BCCI is currently finalising arrangements for another broadcaster to pick up the series.”Discussions have been held with other parties and no matter who gets it we are in a position to provide coverage here,” said Dugald Saunders, a Fox Sports spokesman. “From our point of view it doesn’t actually matter who gets the rights over there.”The first Test is due to start in Bangalore on October 6.

When New Zealand travelled to Bangladesh last year, just two home journalists made the trip to cover the tour. Despite Zimbabwe being just one place higher than Bangladesh in the ICC Test Championship and it being a considerably more expensive place to tour, the number of New Zealand journalists in Zimbabwe is, prima facie, quite remarkable.According to www.stuff.co.nz, the journalists sent to Zimbabwe by New Zealand media organisations include a “Pacific correspondent” and a “seasoned war journalist”. While it may seem a bit extravagant when the only person firing bullets will be the New Zealand paceman Shane Bond, the media contingent on the ground reflects the manner in which the politicians in New Zealand have built up the tour.The non-cricketing media brigade did not take long to dangle the political bait but the players’ uniform response – “we are only here to play cricket” – was as emphatic as the question irresponsible. This is, after all, a cricket tour.The Test series starts tomorrow at the Harare Sports Club, which is expected to provide an excellent surface for batting. With the firepower it has in its line-up, New Zealand should win the series without too much trouble and, although it is winter in Zimbabwe, the sun and mid-twenties temperatures forecast for the opening days of the first Test mean the weather is unlikely be a concern.Zimbabwe has a lot to prove both to themselves and the cricketing world but it hard to see that happening quickly when you consider India are their next opponents. Eight of the side that played the two Tests in South Africa in March return; those missing being opening batsmen Stuart Matsikenyeri and Barney Rogers and the promising allrounder Elton Chigumbura.Despite the players and administrators’ row ending, including the significant appointment of Heath Streak as the vice-captain for this series, the only additional players of significant experience Zimbabwe have been able to call on are the batsmen Stuart Carlisle and Craig Wishart.Carlisle is coming off an unbeaten 103 in his last Test but that innings was way back on March 1, 2004. The other four players joining the squad have just six caps between them and they all belong to Blessing Mahwire who has an uninspiring bowling record of six wickets at 82 in his previous Test appearances. In contrast, New Zealand has the luxury of recalling Bond, Scott Styris and Daniel Vettori and denying Jacob Oram even the drinks-carrying job!If Zimbabwe is to taste success in the next month it may be more likely to come during the one-day tournament with New Zealand and India where Streak and Andy Blignaut should flex some muscle. Streak has a soft spot for New Zealand as his batting average of 198 is his last four one-day digs against New Zealand indicate while Blignaut is a power hitter who could further expose New Zealand’s death-bowling frailties.As expected, Bond has been recalled to start his first Test since May 2003 although John Bracewell, the coach, told The New Zealand Herald that an allrounder was needed to ensure Bond was not over bowled and that there was “even more need to make sure that we have all the options covered,”.The upshot is that Styris – with 30 wickets at 23.80 for Middlesex in the County Championship this year- has been included at the expense of Oram, who is not yet fit enough to bowl.As New Zealand will have a bowling quintet of Bond, two other pacemen to be chosen from James Franklin, Chris Martin and Kyle Mills, the left-arm spin of Vettori and Nathan Astle’s medium-pacers, it is hard to see why further bowling cover is needed for this match.With an batting average of 54.60 under Bracewell and a brilliant century against Australia at the Gabba two Tests back, Oram’s omission as a batsman is a major surprise and begs the question how many other countries could leave such a performer out of its top six?The other curious selection is the choice of Lou Vincent at opener in the place of Craig Cumming. Vincent was dropped after opening the innings in Bracewell’s first two Tests as coach against Pakistan in 2003 and recalled to the side last season as a middle-order batsman. Such has been Vincent’s chequered run at the top of the order and his recent success further down, it is mind boggling to think that he has now gone the full circle.What it does show is influence of the captain Stephen Fleming, who wants to bat at No 4, and the uncertainty of the New Zealand selectors around who the opening pair will be in the future. James Marshall and Vincent will be the third partnership tried in the last five Tests.

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

Honours ended even after a truncated but intriguing opening day to the fourth Test at Trent Bridge. Marcus Trescothick led the early charge for England before Shaun Tait struck back for Australia following a lengthy rain break. Michael Vaughan was again in impressive form but fell to his opposite number, Ricky Ponting, shortly before rain drove the players off for the final time as 30 overs were lopped off the day.After a nine-day break between the end of the extraordinary events at Old Trafford and the resumption of hostilities here, the question was who would bring more momentum into this match. The initial signs – as Trescothick and Andrew Strauss laid into a patched-up Australia attack – were that England were again on top, but Australia produced enough evidence to suggest that the final two Tests in this epic series will be as tough as the previous three.Australia, for the second time in three Tests, received a blow just before the teams were named when Glenn McGrath was ruled out an elbow injury. With Tait already pencilled in for his first Test, Michael Kasprowicz was recalled in similar circumstances to his hurried inclusion at Edgbaston following McGrath’s ankle injury.As McGrath and the dropped Jason Gillespie – with a combined total of 764 Test wickets – watched from the pavilion, Brett Lee led the Australian attack after Vaughan had won the toss. Trescothick and Strauss played the opening half a dozen overs very watchfully but it quickly became apparent that the pitch was flat, there was no swing and the Australia attack was fairly unthreatening.Without a full-strength attack it was vital that Australia made the most of their chances but there were again a clutch of missed opportunities. Trescothick was bowled off a no-ball by Lee, Kevin Pietersen was dropped by Kasprowicz from a caught-and-bowled chance on 14, and Matthew Hayden spilled Vaughan in the gully when he had 30. Hayden also missed a chance to run out Pietersen with a shy at the stumps and Australia continued to lack that edge which everyone has become accustomed to.

However, Tait did bring a new dimension to the bowling attack, even if his opening spell was rather erratic. He nudged the speedgun into the mid-nineties but Ponting quickly turned to Shane Warne – who was welcomed by a straight six from Trescothick – with England rattling past 100 at their familiar scoring rate of over four an over.Trescothick moved to fifty from 77 balls and it was difficult to see where a wicket was coming from. But you rarely have to look further than Warne in that sort of situation and he conjured one up when Strauss bottom-edged a sweep onto his foot and the ball ballooned up to Matthew Hayden at slip. Strauss stood his ground as Steve Bucknor referred the decision to the third umpire and the replays clearly showed the ball had hit his boot and not the ground.Trescothick then received his stroke of fortune when he dragged Lee into his stumps only for the umpire to call no-ball. The Australians were well into their celebrations when they heard the call – and Trescothick was off towards the dressing room – but the bowlers had been asking for trouble. A profligate 18 no-balls were sent down before lunch and although they imporved to keep the tally down to 22 overall it was only a matter of time before they claimed wicket from one of them.But any momentum England took into lunch was washed away by the frustrating stream of showers that passed over the ground during the afternoon. Just 3.1 overs were possible between lunch and tea and it was Australia – having had time to regroup – who benefited from the stop-start nature of play.While the openers had blazed away during a sunny morning session the clouds hovering around Trent Bridge now gave the bowlers extra encouragement. Tait made a dramatic first mark when he castled Trescothick with the fourth ball of the evening session and then produced a perfect outswinger to Ian Bell, which was edged through to Adam Gilchrist. It was an impressive burst from Tait who showed all the attributes which had been talked of before the Test.

Within the space of 15 minutes England’s innings had a new complexion and some careful consolidation was required by Vaughan and Pietersen. They were both selective in their strokeplay, content to leave plenty of deliveries, but not afraid to dispatch loose offerings to the boundary. Both received let-offs and Vaughan, especially, set about making the most of his second life as he passed his half-century from 77 balls. He unleashed a range of well-timed strokes but none better than a stunning cover drive off Lee.Pietersen was his usual hyperactive self, walking across his stumps to make the most of the gaps in the leg side. But after almost getting himself run out he held back some of his attacking instincts. This was due, in no small part, to Ponting who sensed the need for another breakthrough and decided on the bold move of introducing himself.The gamble paid rich dividends when Vaughan, just as he appeared set for a major innings, feathered a catch through to Gilchrist. Ponting’s strike broke a stand of 67 between Vaughan and Pietersen but whether the move was a captaincy masterstroke or act of desperation is still open to debate. One thing that wasn’t expect this summer was that Ponting and Warne would bowl the same number of overs on the opening day of a Test.However, given the current state of their bowling attack Ponting won’t care where the wickets come from. There has never been a dull session in this series and with England’s powerful – if inconsistent – middle order at the crease and Australia knowing a couple of quick strikes will give them control, this match is on a knife edge.

EnglandAndrew Strauss c Hayden b Warne 35 (105 for 1)
Marcus Trescothick b Tait 65 (137 for 2)
Ian Bell c Gilchrist b Tait 3 (146 for 3)
Michael Vaughan c Gilchrist b Ponting 58 (213 for 4)

The South African board has announced that Jacques Kallis will replace Nicky Boje as vice-captain for the next year. At the same time, Graeme Smith was re-appointed as captain for the next two years, which will take South Africa beyond the 2007 World Cup.”The appointment of a world class allrounder like Kallis as vice-captain will add much value to the team effort,” said Gerald Majola, the board’s chairman. “The extension of Graeme’s contract for another two years shows the faith we have in his abilities to lead the team from the front,” he continued. “He has brought commitment and a will to win and that augurs well for the future. We are confident he will take the team up the world rankings in both Tests and ODI’s, and present a formidable challenge at the World Cup.”The other major change was that Mustapha Khan, a former national player from KwaZulu-Natal, replaced Enver Mall on the selection panel. Mell has taken over as CEO of KwaZulu Natal cricket. Haroon Lorgat, originally added to the group, will continue officially in his capacity as chairman with Joubert Strydom as the third man on the panel. The trio will be joined by Smith and national coach Micky Arthur.Majola also announced the appointment of Vintcent van der Bijl as professional cricket general manager. “His appointment is part of our strategic plan to achieve the vision of making South African cricket a truly representative nation of winners,” he explained. “Vince has cricket in his heart and his head. He will be an asset to the professional structures we have in place. He will be reporting directly to me and will concentrate on professional playing affairs in terms of our strategic plans.”AB de Villiers was also added to the list of centrally contracted players.

Jacques Kallis could miss the first Test against India at Kanpur due to a side strain he suffered during the tour game against the Indian Board President’s XI. He was advised to not take further part in the match, and a media spokesperson for the team said that Kallis’s fitness would be assessed before he would be picked.”He has been advised not to take any more part in the ongoing match,” the BBC website quoted Gerald de Kock, the media spokesperson. “His fitness will be assessed on Wednesday before a decision is taken regarding his participation in the Kanpur Test.”Kallis scored 10 runs off 39 balls before bowling only three overs in the game. His role as a No.3 batsman as well as a quick bowler was seen as pivotal for a largely inexperienced South African side that had struggled to compete recently. Since the start of 2004 South Africa have lost 12 of 18 one-dayers, and have won only two of seven Tests. Kallis’s part was a significant one during the year, for he scored 1585 runs and picked up 22 wickets. Admittedly, the wickets came at the unusually high cost of 43.18.A few days earlier, Kallis had admitted to feeling good about his game. “I have always seen myself as a batsman and bowler. The ball is coming out sweetly, and I am confident of doing well,” he had said to PTI. But his absence would mean that South Africa will have lost a player well-versed with Indian conditions – a futher blow to a side reeling from the late withdrawals of Nicky Boje and Herschelle Gibbs. It was something that Kallis recognised and mentioned only days before the injury. “We have lost experienced players since the World Cup and you can’t buy experience in some supermarket. It takes a while to replace the vacant slots.”

Michael Clarke feels No. 4 is his best position and he is not planning any major restructuring to counter complaints his technique is too loose for the important role. Bumped up a spot to replace Damien Martyn in the Super Test after a mixed Ashes tour, Clarke has come under criticism from Mark Waugh, who felt he was not ready for the spot and had too many shots, Kerry O’Keeffe and Jamie Cox.”That’s my ideal position,” he said in the . “It’s where I’ve batted for NSW for a while and hopefully I can cement my spot there for Australia.”Clarke has asked his critics to pass on any tips but is confident with the technique that “got me this far”. “They’re entitled to their own opinion, no matter who it is,” Clarke said. “I’d probably prefer those sort of guys to give me a call if they’ve got any ways of helping me.”Darren Lehmann, who offered his spot to Clarke in India last year, said in the Clarke was a class batsman who would go on to captain Australia. “We have got to work towards that and let him progress,” he told the paper. “He is going to go through troughs and highs and we have to ride those as we did with Steve Waugh in his early years.”Struggling in his second year of Test cricket, Clarke, the Allan Border Medal winner, has scored only 452 runs at 30.13 in 2005, and the lean patch has brought his career average below 40 for the first time. “My batting’s improved out of sight through the England tour,” he said. “I learnt a lot about my own game. I had to work very hard to make runs over there. I hope it continues to improve. I’m disappointed I haven’t made a big score in Test cricket of late, but I feel like I’m hitting the ball pretty well.”

Sourav Ganguly has been included in the Indian squad for the first Test against Sri Lanka at Chennai. Ganguly, who was earlier stripped of the Test captaincy, was chosen in the team as a “batting allrounder” after a marathon meeting of the five-member selection committee in Chennai. Kiran More, the chairman of selectors, added that Zaheer Khan missed out because Ganguly would provide a bowling option.”We thought we’ll use him as a batting allrounder in the team,” said More while addressing the press. “We discussed it for a long time and after deliberations we decided to have him in the team as an allrounder. It will give more comfort to the team balance.” On his batting, More added that Ganguly had done well in Zimbabwe and scored a hundred in the Duleep Trophy too and that all the selectors were happy with his performance.Mahendra Singh Dhoni has replaced Dinesh Karthik as the wicketkeeper and More said that “Dhoni has taken us to a different level of cricket and he has a great future. He walks in at No.6 or No.7 and it’s always a danger for the opposition.” The selectors also retained VVS Laxman and Anil Kumble in the squad while Rudra Pratap Singh was rewarded for his consistent performances in the one-dayers.Zaheer and Dheeraj Jadhav, who were part of the Test team in the last series against Zimbabwe, didn’t find a place. “We discussed several names,” said More. “RP Singh has done well in the one-dayers and we have found a few young bowlers who are promising. If they perform well in domestic cricket, they will definitely get opportunities. We missed out on Zaheer Khan also. He’s performed outstandingly in domestic cricket and it was a tough call to leave him out. Also, we consider Ganguly as an allrounder, that’s why Zaheer Khan has missed out.”The one-day squad for the remaining two matches against South Africa remained unchanged. The team for the last two Tests against Sri Lanka will be named after the first Test.Squad for first Test against Sri Lanka
Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Rahul Dravid (capt), Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman, Yuvraj Singh, Sourav Ganguly, Mohammad Kaif, Mahendra Singh Dhoni (wk), Irfan Pathan, Ajit Agarkar, Harbhajan Singh, Murali Kartik, Anil Kumble, RP Singh.Squad for last two ODIs against South Africa
Virender Sehwag (vice-capt), Sachin Tendulkar, Gautam Gambhir, Rahul Dravid (capt), Yuvraj Singh, Mohammad Kaif, Suresh Raina, Mahendra Singh Dhoni (wk), Irfan Pathan, Ajit Agarkar, Harbhajan Singh, Murali Kartik, S Sreesanth, RP Singh, Jai Prakash Yadav.