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Zimbabwe’s players are preparing to go to court in a bid to extract their unpaid salaries and match fees from their cricket board, having set a deadline of January 31for the dispute to be resolved.The players, who last week ended their strike action in the hope that a softening of their stance would ease the way for a resumption of negotiations, are owed about US$200,000 in total, including vehicle and fuel allowances, and most have not been paid since last August.Now they have enlisted the services of a leading lawyer, Beatrice Mtetwa, and intend to take the case to the Harare High Court and pursue Zimbabwe Cricket for an index-linked sum of more than US$700,000.”I have been engaged by the players to act for them in their claims,” said Mtetwe,”but I am naturally waiting to see what happens in the next six days.”Even if the board was willing to resolve the situation, which seems unlikely, it appears that they have no funds available to do so. One of the major stumbling blocks is the exchange rate. The money owed was calculated at a rate of Zim$25,000 to the dollar, but that rate has since spiralled to Zim$85,000.Zimbabwe Cricket’s original contract offer made no allowance for index linking, but in a country with runaway inflation, that was never likely to be acceptable.The renewed militancy will be a problem for ZC as it is considering ICC-driven proposals to play in a tri-series in Bangladesh which would feature Kenya as the third side. On Tuesday, Cricket Kenya also announced that it was in talks to host three ODIs against Zimbabwe, possibly as early as next month.

Fast bowler Kagiso Rabada has been named Newcomer of the Year at the 10th annual SA Sports Awards in Bloemfontein on Sunday.Rabada holds the record for the best figures on debut – 6 for 16 against Bangladesh, including a hat-trick – and is widely believed as the next big thing in South African cricket. He has played all forms of the game and has been particularly impressive with his ability to bowl quick, full and accurate. Dale Steyn has said the 20-year old Rabada had more talent at that age than he did, and now CSA chairman Haroon Lorgat has chimed in with: “Kagiso Rabada is a standout talent and destined for greatness.”The nominees for the SA Sports Awards had been chosen subject to a time frame from September 1 2014 to September 30 2015 and included AB de Villiers for the SA Sports Star of the Year award. Medium-pacer Shabnim Ismail was in the running for the corresponding award in the women’s category as well. All of which were a sign that South African cricket was in good hands, according to Lorgat.”The success of our programmes is also reflected in the fact that we had several other finalist nominees including our World No. 1 Proteas Test team, the world’s best batsman, AB de Villiers, for the SA Sports Star of the Year, Shabnim Ismail in the SA Women’s Sports Star of the Year award, and Geoffrey Toyana as SA Coach of the Year.”While Kagiso deservedly won his award the other nominees make us equally proud and deserve our congratulations for being recognised among the best in their respective categories.”Former first-class cricketer Rushdie Magiet, who played 37 matches in a decade-long career, was one of four recipients of the inaugural Steve Tshwete Lifetime Achiever award. Magiet, 72, represented Western Province from 1971-72 to 1980-81 and took 109 wickets at an average of 13.63 and an economy of 1.83.”I know Rushdi Magiet personally and he has indeed given a lifetime of service not only to cricket but also to social responsibility,” Lorgat said. “We are delighted that he has received this well merited award.”

New Zealand coach John Bracewell has said that wicketkeeper-batsman Gareth Hopkins could play as a specialist batsman in the middle order in the one-day team, following the early retirement of Craig McMillan. With New Zealand set to tour South Africa later this month, Bracewell said that Brendon McCullum would continue as the team’s first-choice wicketkeeper.”We’ve got better resources to cover death batting and finishers than we have to cover openers,” Bracewell told the . “There is the opportunity for a finisher like Gareth Hopkins to come in as a specialist there.”McCullum was promoted as an opener after former captain and regular opener Stephen Fleming quit one-dayers after the World Cup. McCullum partnered Lou Vincent during the ICC World Twenty20 in South Africa and earned praise from Bracewell for his abilities as a wicketkeeper. Hopkins, who has played five ODIs for New Zealand, was part of the squad in South Africa but didn’t get a game.”Brendon will keep the gloves as he is far and away our best keeper,” Bracewell said. “Technically I think he is the best keeper in the world – he now needs to become the best keeper-batsman in the world.”Commenting on McMillian’s sudden retirement, Bracwell said it was unfortunate he chose to quit, though at the same time respected the decision.”He was batting so well. He was hitting the ball hard down the ground, rotating the strike and had a good attitude to where he was going with his cricket. He had found quite a good balance. He’s made the choice for the right reason and we will miss him.”

The former South African fast bowler, Allan Donald, has been appointed by the England & Wales Cricket Board as a consultant to the England team, and will link up with the squad ahead of the third Test at Old Trafford on a short-term contract that will take him through to the end of the NatWest Series against West Indies.Donald, 40, had been linked with an England role ever since the start of the summer, and went public with his interest during last week’s Lord’s Test. Peter Moores, the new head coach, confirmed after the conclusion of that match that the board intended to sit down for discussions.”It’s a big positive that someone of Allan’s stature wants to come along,” said Moores. “I want to make sure that whoever we bring in fits our set-up and it’s the right person and we don’t just think that because it’s a great name we should just pull them in.”In a statement, the ECB said that Donald, who has over 200 Test and one-day caps to his name, will work with the England squad and with other elite England-qualified fast bowlers, and will fall under the direction of Moores and the ECB fast bowling coach, Kevin Shine.The performance of England’s pacemen has come under severe scrutiny since the team was drubbed 5-0 by Australia in last winter’s Ashes, but Moores was keen to ensure that the blame for the failings did not fall on the shoulders of Shine, who succeeded Troy Cooley at the beginning of 2006 and has now reverted to an administrative role at the National Academy in Loughborough.”Peter Moores and ECB have every confidence in Kevin Shine to lead the ECB fast bowling programme and to coach England’s elite fast bowlers,” said John Carr, the director of operations. “Kevin will continue to be involved in the preparation of England fast bowlers around international matches as well as being involved in any decisions to utilise the services of other fast bowling coaches with England teams or in other parts of the fast bowling programme.”

Mark Waugh believes Adam Gilchrist must take more time with his batting as Australia search for their third World Cup in a row. Waugh, who opened with Gilchrist during the 1999 success, said if he scaled back his game slightly he could still be a force.”He is that good a player, he can score runs without trying to overhit the ball,” Waugh, who was named with Gilchrist in Australia’s all-time one-day team, said in the Herald Sun. “I think he has been too impatient. He has got to get through that first five or six overs. If he does that, he is one guy who can score heavily without even trying to.”Gilchrist stayed at home during the Chappell-Hadlee Trophy after not posting a half-century in eight innings following his 60 and 61 to start the CB Series. The birth of Gilchrist’s third child will keep him in Australia while his team-mates depart for the Caribbean today, but he will be available for the first game against Scotland on March 14.Matthew Hayden and Gilchrist will be the first-choice pairing, but Hayden is also pushing to be ready for the opening match due to a foot injury. Hayden has worked with a podiatrist to design a big-toe cap that he hopes will stop further pain after being struck by a Mark Gillespie yorker in New Zealand.”My best-case scenario is to be back for the warm-up games and my worst-case scenario is to be back just for the first game,” he said on Channel 7. “When I return the main problem will be the pain. It will take a while for the swelling to go down.”Waugh said it would be important for both Hayden and Gilchrist not to feel like they have to push the pace in the Caribbean. “Both of those guys at the top have got so many good shots in their armoury,” he said, “they just need to be patient and the runs will come.”

Scorecard

One match into his rehabilitation at the Ranji Trophy level, things haven’t changed much for Irfan Pathan junior. He failed to get into rhythm with the ball but his batting, when Baroda were in danger of losing the match, would have done a specialist Ranji batsman proud. His aggressive 82 – off 100 balls, with six sixes and three fours – took Baroda from 52 for 4 to a successful chase of 172 and a spot in the semi-finals.Starting the day at 17 for 1, Baroda faced sensible bowling from Uttar Pradesh, whose plan was to make Baroda graft for every run. Helped by their superior fielding, UP gave away only 35 runs in the first 15.4 overs, as three Baroda batsmen panicked and gave their wickets away. In walked Pathan, to shouts of ‘get him, he’s under pressure’, from the UP bench, two of them being former India team-mates. He had four overs to negotiate before lunch, and he looked good in those four overs.After lunch Pathan first picked on the most successful and threatening UP bowler, Praveen Kumar. He walked down the wicket, much like Matthew Hayden does, made room and lofted Kumar over extra-cover for his first six. In the next over, he stepped out to Piyush Chawla and lofted him for another six, this time into the sightscreen.These were followed by singles, revealing a plan to the onslaught. In the next over Pathan hit perhaps the shot of the match: Just a punch from the back foot, no follow-through of the bat involved. It sped through the covers for four, and announced the presence of a good batsman at the crease. That was not the end of the onslaught; he took a four to extra-cover, and a six over wide long-on from Chawla’s next over.In a matter of four overs the game had turned on its head, but then Jacob Martin played an irresponsible shot – a loopy square cut straight to point. This is when Pathan’s experience of having played in tight situations at international level came in handy. He started taking most of the strike, either running a single on the fifth or sixth ball, or clearing the field that had come up for the last two deliveries of the over.Himanshu Jadhav did not score off the first 25 balls he faced, yet the scoring rate did not fall; the tension in the dressing-room did not resurface. Pathan slowed down as he moved beyond his fifty and once he had brought Baroda close enough, he shifted gears again. He hit Kumar for back-to-back sixes over extra-cover, the second one of which was caught superbly by Umang Patel, former Baroda offspinner, sitting in the stands. Chawla was hit for another huge one over cow corner. Winning runs, though, quite fittingly, came from Jadhav’s square cut. Jadhav had been given out obstructing the field in the first innings and Baroda were not pleased that UP had gone for the appeal.Baroda defended their lead in the points table of Super League Group A and UP moved one step closer to relegation. With Tamil Nadu tied with UP at four points, the final league match – against different opponents – will be a close fight for the bottom-of-the-table.Today, though, was largely about Pathan, the best batsman on either side. Yet he will know that there’s more to his return from South Africa. At the end of the day he told Neo Sports that just bowling in the nets had not been helping him and he needed longer spells in match conditions. He was not happy with his bowling in the first innings, but said he had improved through the match. At times he was pleased with the swing he got, especially in the three-over spell before lunch on day three. But happy as he is with his batting, he knows it will take some time to regain the bowling form.Six-hitters Inc.If going for sixes were an objectionable addiction, Atul Bedade would have been an important member of Six-hitters’ Anonymous. Twelve years after having played his last ODI and three years after retiring from all cricket, Bedade is now a Baroda selector and, watching his side play here, he remembers how he hit 12 sixes in his 91-ball 150 against Punjab in 1993-94; six-hitting, it can be safely said, fascinates him as a topic. He chats about Amol Muzumdar’s batting and moves on to Sachin Tendulkar’s captaincy and how he expected everyone to perform at his standards. These expectations were the main reason he did not do as well as a captain as he could have. Brian Lara had a similar attitude in his first stint but he has matured and now understand his players better. Put it to him that he handles players like Chris Gayle much better now and Bedade’s eyes light up. Pointing towards the pitch, he says, “Only two people have hit the ball out of the ground from there, Gayle and I. He had ruined L Balaji’s debut. I loved that innings. What a guy he (Gayle) is… I remember their team coming here, they visited my office. And Gayle came and sat with his feet on my granite table. I have never let anybody else do that…”Wanted: Bride for PathanBeing dropped from the side means different things for different people. For Irfan Pathan it apparently means an opportunity for his mother to get him married. According to a local newspaper, Bapor Samachar (meaning Afternoon News), Pathan’s mother has in the past tried to meet two prospective brides but Pathan has managed to talk her out of it. Now, though, she seems quite determined, the paper reports in a news item that’s accompanied by a picture which has Pathan’s face superimposed on the body of a man sitting on a horse.This reporter showed the paper to Yusuf Pathan, who believes that, by virtue of being two years older and still unmarried, he should get the first go. Yusuf sees the paper and, laughing, says, “They write anything.” If Yusuf’s reaction is anything to go by, the BCCI need not worry about making travel arrangements for Pathan and Mrs Pathan on the next tour. If Mr Pathan makes it back to the team, that is.Baroda, the city-state
Vadodara, home to the Baroda Ranji team, is one of three city teams in the Ranji Trophy, the others being Hyderabad and Mumbai – and with an area of 148.22 square kilometers, the smallest of the lot. Yet it boasts a proud Ranji history, having won it five times – the last in 2000-01 – and three times being runners-up. That’s a better record from some full-fledged states, with bigger catchment areas, and attracts cricketers from pretty far afield. Players such as Abhimanyu Chauhan, the former Baroda Under-19 captain who moved here from Chattisgarh to further his cricket ambitions. Chauhan explains how, despite being a single-city team, Baroda do consistently well. They have six grounds which, he says, are all very good. The infrastructure is even better. The club rivalry here is intense too. Alembic, run by Kiran More, and Hindu Gymkhana have a history of intense rivalry. The corporate cricket here is strong too, with Alembic, IPCL (Indian Petrochemicals Corporation Limited), and GSFC (Gujarat State Fertilizers and Chemicals Ltd) being the three major teams. The corporate cricket, according to Chauhan, provides the contests and also the finances. And you just wonder what if Baroda, Gujarat, and Saurashtra played as one state team.

Shane Warne probably has only one more day of Test cricket but when he arrives at the SCG on Friday he won’t be sad. “Not at all, I’ll be happy,” he said. And he hopes his mood improves with Australia’s second Ashes cleansweep in the history of the rivalry.Only when the game is finished and he’s sitting with his team-mates will he get reflective. “I might be a bit sad in the dressing room over a beer,” he said. “I don’t think I’ll be crying or anything. My body is telling me it’s time to go, my body is telling me that for sure.”There are only five England batsmen left for Warne to target and with the visitors owning a lead of 12 his final bow is imminent. He sits on 708 wickets and the fast bowlers have been so impressive in this game there will be few opportunities for Warne to add to his tally.Warne collected Andrew Flintoff two overs before stumps when he was stumped by a fine piece of work from Adam Gilchrist, who removed the bails milliseconds before Flintoff’s back foot pushed down over the crease. “It was a pretty big moment so to get him was handy,” Warne said. “It was a pretty good ball too.”Despite his lack of bowling opportunities, Warne’s supporters at the SCG had a long time to wave at him when he made a bright and crucial 71, which included two sixes and nine fours from 65 balls. He started with a four and a six from his first two deliveries from Monty Panesar, survived a caught behind appeal later in the over and quickly began a sledging session with Paul Collingwood.Warne was heard on radio to tell Collingwood, who was fielding at first slip to Panesar, to give back the MBE he earned for being part of the 2005 Ashes success. When asked whether he thought Collingwood would take the advice Warne smiled. “I probably told him enough times he might think about it,” he said. “It’s up to him.”The advice he received from slip fired his concentration – he had told Collingwood the barbs inspired him as early as the second Test in Adelaide – and he was also fuelled by a couple of Red Bulls to avoid a sleepy start. “I was pretty pumped up,” he said. “It’s my last game, I didn’t have much to lose. Every run was crucial and I actually started to think about batting and tried to concentrate.”He picked up his 12th Test half-century and when Glenn McGrath arrived he gave up hope of reaching his first hundred. It is the only thing missing from a wonderful career.”I couldn’t have asked for it to go better,” he said. “I’d like to think I’ve repaid everyone for what I’ve bought to cricket. I’d like to think I’ve made it entertaining, I’d like to think I made it pretty cool. People have enjoyed watching the team play and me play. I’d like to think it’s been enjoyable.” It has.

In a sign of how much of an issue fielding has become in Pakistan cricket – and it’s not as if the malaise is a new one – Wasim Bari, chairman of selectors, has said that cricketers intending to break into the national set-up will be considered only if their fielding is up to the mark.Speaking to the Karachi-based Bari said, “In modern day cricket, a player’s fielding ability has become a very important aspect and that is going to show in our selection process in the future.”Gone are the days when players could force their way into the national team entirely through batting and bowling performances.”After dispiriting performances in the field against India in the ODI series earlier this year, the seriousness of the issue has finally been acknowledged by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and Bari’s comments are the latest recognition of how embedded the problem is.Jonty Rhodes, widely regarded as one of the best fielders of all time, is due to arrive in Pakistan in June for a two-week stint to work with the national team as well as coaches in the National Cricket Academy. Critics, though, have questioned the value a stint as short as this has for a problem that begins, essentially, at the grassroots.But Bari added that along with his selection committee, stricter guidelines would be adhered to when judging a player’s fielding skills when picking the national team. “I would like to tell our young cricketers that they should not expect a chance to play at the international level if they can’t field well. It is that important.”The whole concept of how you play cricket has changed in recent times. And it is not just the one-day version of the game. A team’s fielding performance is becoming a decisive factor in Test matches as well. Look at England, they failed to win against Sri Lanka because they fielded badly.”Though Bari tactfully refused to point out specific players in the team who were poor fielders, he pointed to the improvement in standards of almost every team in cricket as proof that even Pakistan can change. “Even teams like Bangladesh have achieved enormous improvement in this department of the game and that has really impressed me.”I am not saying this as a chief selector but as an ex-Test cricketer that one of the Pakistan team’s biggest flaws lay in it is fielding. Pakistan can become one of the world’s best fielding sides but that needs a lot of hard work.”

The West Indies Cricket Board has accepted, “with regret”, the resignation of its chief executive Bruce Aanensen after a meeting in Barbados on Saturday. Aanensen had sent his resignation letter to the board president on Tuesday.”The board recognises that the reasons given by Mr. Aanensen for his resignation relate to very complex and challenging matters with which it will continue to be engaged,” said the WICB. “After discussion and review, the board is satisfied that the president has acted in the best interests of West Indies cricket at this time.”Barry Thomas, the WICB’s chief financial officer, was expected to act as chief executive officer in the interim. Aanensen took up the position in February, replacing Roger Brathwaite, who stepped down in 2006.Aanensen was involved in a number of disputes with the West Indies Players Association (WIPA) including the contracts issue during the build-up to the World Cup and the controversy over whether or not the subsequent tour to England was part of the ICC’s Future Tours Program.The appointment of Dinanath Ramnarine, the president of the WIPA, as a director with the WICB and the new board president Julian Hunte’s decision to work with the WIPA to resolve all outstanding issues was thought to have precipitated Aanensen’s decision to relinquish his post.

Rahul DravidOn getting back into the Test match scheme of things after a month of non-stop one-day cricketThat’s how international cricket is now. The [one-day] series happened very quickly, and we have to make sure we adjust and react quickly and change our mindset for the five-day game. It’s a challenge that most international cricketers face.On the likely team compositionWe’ve not decided on a final XI. That’ll be done tomorrow morning after assessing various factors like the weather. There’s clarity in my mind about the batting order, but I see no sense in revealing my strategy before the game.On the kind of challenge Sri Lanka would pose after being blown away in the ODIsI think they’ll bounce back. They’re a good team. We played very good cricket in those matches, and didn’t allow them to do so. We have to continue doing that.On Jayasuriya’s absenceLook, I don’t tend to worry about what the opposition is doing. There’s a danger of targetting one or two players and forgetting that they have other quality performers as well. Jayasuriya’s been a fantastic player for them, but we’re well aware that they have two or three young players who we need to watch for.On the threat posed by Muttiah MuralitharanMurali’s done well against us, but we’ve also had our share of success against him. I’d prefer to focus on how they will deal with Harbhajan Singh and Anil [Kumble] bowling in tandem.On whether Ganguly’s ability to bowl medium-pace might influence selectionSourav has been bowling a fair bit lately, and we will certainly be thinking of that as an option.On the pitchIt looks good, but might take some turn as the match goes on.On Sehwag not practicing yesterday and doing little work todayHe has a slight strain in his left shoulder. Nothing too serious. It was just a precautionary thing [to skip practice].On what he expected from the Chennai crowdIt’s always a great place to play. We’ve had some memorable matches here, and the crowd has always responded to good performances. It would have been very disappointing for them to see the ODI washed out, and I hope the weather holds over the next few days so that they get a good game of cricket.On whether having so many seniors back in the side complicated thingsIt makes it simpler. There are a few ex-captains there, and they will certainly help out with advice. I can’t do it all on my own.Greg ChappellOn how he approached his first Test in India as coachI know it’s a cliché, but it’s just another game. The cricket doesn’t change regardless of where you’re playing. The critical things, the basics, stay the same, and only the nuances change with the conditions.On Ganguly’s return to the teamIf he’s in the team, he will be a very important member. He’s fitted back into the group very well.