England’s selectors have decided to monitor the effects of captaincy on Andrew Flintoff, the England allrounder, heading into the first Test against Sri Lanka at Lord’s on Thursday. Flintoff was confirmed as captain for the start of the three-Test series yesterday but the England management has expressed concern at his combined workload as key batsman, bowler and captain.”We will continue to monitor the situation Test by Test until Michael [Vaughan] comes back,” David Graveney, the chairman of selectors, told reporters. “We hear loud and clear what people are saying about Freddie’s workload and we are as keen as everyone else to ensure his performance is not affected.”Flintoff’s inspiring leadership in India – in the absence of an injured Vaughan – where England drew 1-1 with a memorable victory in the final Test at Mumbai, earned him much praise. “I know there’s been a lot of cricket between now and the last Test match but let’s not forget the Mumbai Test match – with a pretty depleted team Andrew did a fantastic job,” said Graveney. “We take it Test match by Test match, but Michael Vaughan is captain of England and we, in discussion with him, believe that Andrew at this stage is the right man for the job.”Graveney hoped that Vaughan would be back to full fitness soon. “Michael’s rehabilitation is going pretty well and the player knows how close he is to fitness,” he said. “I speak to him on a number of occasions as captain and it is difficult with him when he’s not involved. He is progressing very well and we’re keeping our fingers crossed because he is crucial to what happens later this summer and for the Ashes.”Flintoff’s Lancashire team-mate Sajid Mahmood and Gloucestershire’s Jon Lewis, both uncapped fast bowlers, have also been included in England’s 13-man squad for the first Test. England’s think tank faces the dilemma of handing debuts to both or to include Monty Panesar, the left-arm spinner who performed credibly in India and who edged Shaun Udal, the offspinner, for a place in the squad.

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.”

Bangladesh A 208 for 6 (Tushar Imran 96*) beat Zimbabwe A 204 (Mawoyo 61, Masakadza 60, Saqibul Hasan 4-30) by four wickets runs
ScorecardTushar Imran scored a defiant 96 not out to guide Bangladesh to a four-wicket win in the second one-day match played at Queens Sports Club to take a 2-0 lead in the five-match series.Imran batted for 211 minutes, faced 125 balls and stroked nine fours as the visitors scored208 to win the match with four overs to spare. This was after Zimbabwe A had posted 204 in 41.1 overs having won the toss and elected to bat with half centuries from openerTinotenda Mawoyo and Hamilton Masakadza.Zimbabwe A made two changes to the side that lost the first match at the same venue by 26 runs on Thursday, taking out their two opening bowlers Christopher Mpofu and Trevor Garwe, bringing in offspinner turned pace bowler Bradley Staddon and legspinner Ryan Higgins. For the visitors, seamer Hasibul Hossain made way for left-arm spinner Enamul Haque(jnr)Chibhabha and Mawoyo, opening for Zimbabwe A put on 37 for the first wicket before Chibhabha fell to Farhad Reza, caught at mid off by Saqibul Hassan for 9. Mawoyo was joined by Masakadza and the two shared in a second-wicket stand of 84 which was he broken when Mawoyo was deceived by the flight of Hassan for 61 off 63 balls.Masakadza reached his half century after facing 43 deliveries and struck a further two fours to move to 60 runs before he was bowled by Reza with a beauty of a yorkerthat uprooted the batsman’s off stump. The only other meaningful contribution came from Friday Kasteni who scored 26 runs.Bangladesh did not get off to such a fine start with their partnership only yielding 14 runs. Nazmus Sadat, failed to reproduce the form that he found in the first match after Sean Williams produced some brilliant fielding to run him out with a direct hit from backward point.Imran stood tall and built his innings and even though the visitors lost a further three wickets, he was there to score the winning runs, clipping a four through the leg sideto guide them to victory.Many will question the wisdom of the selectors in dropping Mpofu and Garwe, the two most experienced bowlers in the team which, meant that Manyumwa and Staddon, who issurprisingly now bowling pace after spending most of his career as an offspinner. Some of his former team-mates at Christian Brothers College and Bulawayo Athletic Clubwatching in the stands were surprised to a see him taking the new ball.Staddon is the son of Zimbabwe Cricket interim board member Stanley Staddon and the father’s influence is the subject of intense speculation be doubted as his son is based in South Africa and does not play in a professional league in that country.Mpofu and Garwe struggled in the first match but dropping both of them after just one match was a recipe for a loss and the selectors should do the most sensible thing andbring at least one of them back into the starting line-up on Sunday.The two teams meet in the third match at the same venue before the series moves to Kwekwe where the last two matches are set for Kwekwe Sports Club.

After Monday’s curtain-raiser that never was, Sri Lanka and India willattempt to breathe some life into the Unitech Cup at the Premadasa Stadiumon Wednesday, though another heavy downpour late on Tuesday evening wasperhaps a portent of what lay ahead. Sri Lanka, always formidableopponents on their own soil, start as favourites, but Rahul Dravidinsisted that the constant talk of security over the past 24 hours hadn’tbeen preying on the minds of his players. “For others, the focus mighthave gone off cricket, but as far as we’re concerned, it’s always been onit.”It will need to be, because India’s record in Sri Lanka is nothing to crowabout. The hosts have won 19 of 33 matches, with India victorious only onnine occasions. At the Premadasa, the record is even more skewed, with SriLanka prevailing on 12 occasions to India’s five. The past though countsfor little these days, with India having given Pakistan a 4-1 hammeringacross the border and Sri Lanka humiliating England 5-0 less than twomonths ago.For the Indians, the return of Sachin Tendulkar, who last wore thesky-blue one-day kit at Multan in February, is a massive boost, and heappeared in excellent touch when the team practised at the Premadasa onTuesday afternoon. The batting order otherwise picks itself, though feverand a bad cold kept Mohammad Kaif away from practice. In the event of himfailing to recover, Suresh Raina or Dinesh Mongia will come into themiddle order.The bowling selection won’t be quite as straightforward. Normally, thePremadasa has a spin-friendly reputation, but with so much rain havingfallen over the past few days, both teams could go in with pace-heavyattacks. With India having Virender Sehwag, Tendulkar and Yuvraj Singh toshare the slow-bowling burden with Harbhajan Singh, Ramesh Powar may haveto sit out, with Sreesanth and Munaf Patel bolstering the new-ball pairingof Irfan Pathan and Ajit Agarkar.Sri Lanka, after their romp through England, have no such selectionconundrums. Sanath Jayasuriya and Upul Tharanga have been in dazzling format the top of the order, while Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara areenjoying the sort of purple patches that can best be described asfrightening for opponents, and the exuberant hitting of TillakaratneDilshan and Chamara Kapugedera is usually required only to apply thefinishing touches.Traditionally, Sri Lanka have triumphed with spin at the Premadasa, but inthese wet conditions, they too might leave out the legspin of MalingaBandara in favour of the X-factor pace of Lasith Malinga. MuttiahMuralitharan will doubtless be the main threat, come rain or shine, andhow the Indian batsmen cope with the questions he poses in the middleovers might well dictate the outcome of the game.SquadsIndia (likely): 1 Rahul Dravid (capt), 2 Sachin Tendulkar, 3 IrfanPathan, 4 Virender Sehwag, 5 Yuvraj Singh, 6 Suresh Raina, 7 MahendraSingh Dhoni (wk), 8 Ajit Agarkar, 9 Harbhajan Singh, 10 Sreesanth, 11Munaf Patel.Sri Lanka (likely): 1 Sanath Jayasuriya, 2 Upul Tharanga, 3 MahelaJayawardene (capt), 4 Kumar Sangakkara (wk), 5 Tillakaratne Dilshan, 6Chamara Kapugedera, 7 Farveez Maharoof, 8 Chaminda Vaas, 9 DilharaFernando, 10 Muttiah Muralitharan, 11. Lasith Malinga.

Hasan Durham, Bermuda’s left-arm spinner, has been reported for a potentially flawed action after the second ODI against Canada in Toronto, the ICC confirmed.A biomechanics expert appointed by the ICC and the Bermuda Cricket Board (BCB) will submit a report on Durham’s action in the next 21 days. The report will be submitted to the ICC who will send it to the BCB and until the BCB receives the report, Durham will be able to continue playing.However, if Durham’s action is found illegal he will be suspended from bowling in international matches and he would have to apply to the ICC for a re-assessment of his action to resume bowling.Durham was referred to the first stage of the process of checking potentially flawed actions after his was assessed by the match officials. The report was made by Ian Gould and Roger Dill, the on-field umpires, Karran Bayney and Ruban Sivanadian, the third and fourth umpires, and the match referee Jeff Crowe.

Javed Miandad, the former Pakistan batsman and captain, criticised the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) for the removal of Zaheer Abbas as team manager for next month’s Champions Trophy in India. Shaharyar Khan, the chairman of the PCB, announced yesterday that Abbas would be replaced by Talat Ali, a former Pakistan opener and ICC match referee.Quite a few former Pakistan players had criticised Abbas for not taking a proactive role in resolving the crisis at The Oval – in which Pakistan forfeited the Test to England following allegations of ball-tampering. However, Shaharyar had emphasised that Abbas’s removal had nothing to do with those events. Miandad, though, wasn’t very convinced, claiming that such a move would appear to hold Abbas responsible for the fiasco.”He (Abbas) has served Pakistan cricket like an icon and is still a hero for millions of cricket lovers worldwide,” Miandad told PTI. “By only removing him, the board has held him responsible for what happened during the Oval Test. There were a number of board members at the Oval on that day and what were they doing? Why only hold Zaheer responsible for what happened? They have disgraced a hero and it should not happen.”Miandad felt that Abbas was being used as a scapegoat in the incident.”What was Zaheer expected to do that day? What authority does a manager have? The chairman said afterwards the players were not aware of the time and that the umpires had called off play. Who is he fooling? Every player and coach knows the rules and there is a clock in the dressing room to remind players when they are supposed to be on the field.”

As was widely predicted, Dilip Vengsarkar, the former Test cricketer, wasappointed chairman of the national selection committee. The other new faceon the panel is SL Venkatapathy Raju, the former left-arm spinner, whileSanjay Jagdale, Bhupinder Singh Sr and Ranjib Biswal continue on thepanel.In a separate development Kapil Dev, the former Indian allrounder, hasbeen appointed director of the National Cricket Academy. He replaced SunilGavaskar, whose term ended with the Annual General Meeting, which was heldat the Cricket Club of India in Mumbai. The AGM of the board, normally atwo-day affair, where the main item on the agenda is the election of theprincipal office bearers of the board, ended in less than a day this time.Sharad Pawar (president), Niranjan Shah (secretary), N Srinivasan(treasurer) and MP Pandove (joint secretary) were all re-electedunopposed, and under the revised constitution will serve a term of twoyears. Professor Ratnakar Shetty, who has served as the executivesecretary in-charge, has been appointed the Administrative Head of theBCCI – for five years, which will carry him through to the 2011 World Cupwhich will be held in India – and on a full-time, paid basis.”There will be no elections next year for these posts and the selectorscan get an extension of an extra year after the completion of their twoyear term,” said Srinivasan. Of the five vice-presidents of the board,four – Lalit Modi (North), Dayanand Narvekar (South), Chirayu Amin (West)and Shashank Manohar (Central) – were re-elected, while the incumbent fromthe east zone, KP Kajariya, who did not seek re-election, was replaced byRajeev Shukla.Srinivas Venkataraghavan was appointed the director of the UmpiresDevelopment Programme. “He will have five retired Test umpires, one fromeach zone, to assist him in raising the standard of umpiring, and tofacilitate the standardisation of umpiring in India,” said Srinivasan. Atthe moment India is unrepresented in the ICC’s elite panel, and the BCCIis keen to change this.In the course of the AGM the BCCI also heard petitions from thePondicherry Cricket Association and the Cricket Association of Pondicherryseeking associate membership to the BCCI. “The members decided tounanimously regret the application for associate membership of thePondicherry Cricket Association and the Cricket Association ofPondicherry,” said Srinivasan. The BCCI constituted a committee to lookinto similar applications from other states comprising Shashank Manohar,Sanjay Jagdale, Arun Jaitley, Shivlal Yadav and Ratnakar Shetty.It was also decided that the CK Nayudu Awards function will take place onNovember 4, the same day on which an executive board meeting of the ICCtakes place in India. It was also proposed that the BCCI headquarters, inthe Mumbai Cricket Association premises at the Wankhede Stadium, would beinaugurated on the same day.In another initiative the BCCI will host a South Asian Universitiestournament, to be conducted from February 4 to 8, with university teamsfrom India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh taking part.

13 – The number of times Sachin Tendulkar has fallen to Glenn McGrath in international cricket (seven times in ODIs and six times in Tests)67 – The number of runs India scored in their last ten overs108 – The number of runs Australia had piled up after 15 overs. India, at a similar stage in their innings, had made 57400 – Number of dismissals for Adam Gilchrist in ODIs (355 catches and 55 stumpings). Mark Boucher, in second place, only has 33166 – Sachin Tendulkar’s aggregate in his last six ODI innings against Australia, including this match150 – Number of ODIs Steve Bucknor has umpired in. Only David Shepherd (172) and Rudi Koertzen (156) have stood in more matches1975 – The last time no team from the subcontinent made it to the semi-finals of a major one-day competition1015 – The number of days since India last beat Australia in a one-day international

Australia 513 and 4 for 168 (Hussey 61*, Ponting 49) beat England 6 for 551 and 129 (Collingwood 22*, Warne 4-49) by six wickets
Scorecard and ball-by-ball commentary
How they were out – England
How they were out – Australia

Australia have won the second Test at Adelaide and taken a 2-0 lead in the Ashes, after Shane Warne bounced back to form on a sensational final day to spark a dramatic England collapse. From 1 for 59 overnight, England lost their last nine wickets for 60 in 42 panic-stricken overs, with Warne right in the thick of things taking 4 for 27 in an unbroken 26-over spell. And then, needing 168 to win in an extended final session, Australia romped home with 3.1 of their 36 overs to spare. It was left to the ICC one-day Player of the Year, Mike Hussey, to crack the winning runs in an unbeaten 61.It was a day dredged straight from the pit of English Ashes misery, and it was sparked, inevitably, by Warne. After his first-innings haul of 1 for 167, it was questioned whether he could ever again be the force of old, especially given the savage treatment that Kevin Pietersen had meted out on him in the course of his 158. And yet, the old showman proved that it’s never too late for another encore. With England wobbling after two early setbacks, he reverted to his attacking line from over the wicket and bowled Pietersen round the legs with a prodigious first-ball legbreak that pitched in the rough and exploded onto off stump. It was a seminal moment, and England’s resolve crumbled in an instant.Pietersen had gone for 2, England had lost three wickets for four runs in three overs, and they had absolutely no place to turn. Andrew Strauss had fallen to a dubious catch at short leg and Ian Bell to a suicidal run-out – both dismissals inspired by Warne – and the combination of nerves and bad karma swept through the dressing-room like a bushfire. Australia went in for the kill, with sweepers on both boundaries to asphyxiate the runs and slips in place to pile on the pressure, and no-one other than the steadfast Paul Collingwood had any answer to the onslaught.

Andrew Flintoff certainly had no clue how to approach the situation. With his mind seemingly everywhere but on the job, he swished at a succession of wide deliveries from Brett Lee and eventually snicked one through to Adam Gilchrist, and Lee needed just four balls after the break to set Geraint Jones up for the big outswinging half-volley that he slapped straight to Matthew Hayden at gully. Ashley Giles – included in England’s line-up as an insurance policy for a day exactly like this – then lasted just eight deliveries before Warne squared him up with a big ripper and Hayden again pouched the catch at slip.Collingwood by now was entrenched, starved of run-scoring opportunities and rapidly running out of partners. Matthew Hoggard dug in as best he could, but having ground his innings out for 24 obdurate deliveries, Warne served up a thinly disguised googly that took the inside-edge of an ambitious swish. And Glenn McGrath, who had been brooding in the outfield for three hours and 20 minutes, struck in his first over to end Steve Harmison’s brief resistance.James Anderson hung around with Collingwood for 10 precious overs, but runs were at an absolute premium, with England managing just three boundaries in the entire day’s play. McGrath eventually picked Anderson off lbw for 1 from 28 balls, leaving Collingwood high and dry, unbeaten on 22 from a strokeless but steadfast 119 balls.Scenting blood, Australia made a breathless start. Justin Langer signalled his intentions by dancing down the wicket to Matthew Hoggard’s second delivery, and clubbed it off a good length through midwicket for four. But Hoggard had his revenge in his next over, when Langer threw the kitchen sink at a wide one but cut it straight into Ian Bell’s midriff at point.

Hayden came and went in a similar manner, thumping Flintoff for two big boundaries before top-edging an attempted pull Collingwood, running back from midwicket. Australia had slipped to 2 for 33 after six overs, but Ponting joined forces with Hussey, who had been promoted above Damien Martyn in the Australian order, and the pair switched instantly to one-day mode, nudging the singles and keeping the run-rate ticking over.As Giles entered the attack, Flintoff posted sweepers on the off and leg side and attempted to cut off the easy singles behind square, but Australia’s batsmen were too canny with their one-day expertise, and milked Giles out of the attack with a series of expert dabs and reverse-sweeps. Hoggard returned with the keeper standing up but had to retreat after conceding ten runs in one over, most of them dabbed through third man.England’s shoulders began to droop as Flintoff’s captaincy became increasingly lacklustre. Anderson got one to kick off a good length to Hussey, but the edge eluded slip and raced away for another boundary, and though they briefly came back into the reckoning when Strauss clung onto two catches in four balls to see off Ponting for 49 and Martyn for 5, the final insult came when a hyperactive Pietersen fielded a relay throw from Hoggard at long-on, and hurled it over the boundary to give away seven precious runs.As the replay screen counted down the runs required, it could have been a replay of the closing stages at Edgbaston or Old Trafford last summer – with one prominent exception. The fight had gone out of England long before Hussey picked off the winning runs through cover point. It is ironic, given the disdain they have shown for one-day cricket this year, that their Ashes campaign might just have been ended by a one-day style capitulation.Moment of the Day
Kevin Pietersen’s hubristic sweep shot against Shane Warne, the man he believed he had “beaten”. With England rocking after two quick wickets, KP’s default answer was another dose of aggression. But he was beaten by the drift, and embarrassed by the rip as he lost his off stump from around his legs.Shot of the Day
Justin Langer’s kitchen-sink smite over midwicket off the second ball of Australia’s run-chase. He danced down the track and belted Matthew Hoggard, baseball-style. It established the tempo of the chase immediately, and ensured that England were as timid in the field as they were with the bat.Stonewaller of the Day
Paul Collingwood survived 119 balls for his 22 not out, gritting his teeth and clinging on for dear life as England’s innings collapsed around him. It wasn’t pretty, and in the final analysis it wasn’t very effective either. But all the while that Warne and Brett Lee were howling at the door, it was England’s only hope of salvation.Innings of the Day
Michael Hussey was thrust up the order ahead of Damien Martyn, and produced the sort of cool, calm, collected innings that has been a hallmark of his award-winning one-day performances. He found the gaps with ease, he turned ones into twos, and he clattered the bad balls with alacrity.Cock-up of the Day
The run-out of Ian Bell. It was a moment reminiscent of Mark Ramprakash’s aberration during their 46 all out at Trinidad in 1993-94 – the moment when mild alarm morphed into full-blown panic, for all of Andrew Flintoff’s protestations to the contrary.Quote of the Day
Channel Nine’s jingoistic on-pitch reporter, Ian Healy, summing up the emotional scenes at the end of Australia’s chase. “This Ashes clash twists and turns like a massive python,” he said with an utterly straight face.

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.