Greg Chappell, the Indian coach, has dismissed out of hand reports in certain Indian television channels that he had threatened to resign if Sourav Ganguly decided to involve Jagmohan Dalmiya to sort out their mutual differences.”I have no time to respond to such reports, it’s absolute bull shit,” he said from his hotel room in Harare. “Neither have I threatened to resign nor do I intend to resign.”I have a job at hand and I want to do it to the best of my ability. What happens outside that is not in my control and I am not going to bother about what’s not in my control.” He refused to comment on the controversy subsequent to Ganguly’s public disclosure that he had been asked to step down before the Bulawayo Test. Chappell said he wanted to focus on what he had to do rather than get caught up in all the controversy.Meanwhile, Ravi Shastri and Sunil Gavaskar have both suggested that Ganguly and Chappell thrash the issue out before it snowballs into something even bigger. “If I was them, I would sit right now and tell each other to get their heat out and be over with it,” Shastri was quoted as saying by Press Trust of India. “It must be handled now before the ugly issue rears its head again in six months’ time.”Shastri also said that it was important to understand the context of the point that Chappell made. “It’s important to know in what context Chappell said so. He might have privately gone to him and said ‘you are feeling the pressure and it would not be a bad idea to step down’. Or, ‘you feel your own personal batting form is not the greatest, you feel the responsibility is too much so you should step down’. In what context he said it, nobody knows. You got to get the truth.”Gavaskar, who along with Shastri is part of the review committee appointed by the board to look into India’s recent poor form, suggested that a selector travel with the team on tour. “When Australia came to India last year, they had selectors Trevor Hohns and Allan Border, accompany the team. It would give him a fair idea of what’s happening in the dressing room. There could be some guys who are not good for the spirit of the dressing room. A selector sitting back in India wouldn’t be able to see it.”Shastri also saw nothing wrong in Chappell taking on a more proactive role than John Wright, his predecessor as India’s coach, in instilling greater discipline in the team. “Towards the end of his reign, I don’t think John [Wright] was pulling his weight. It is very important for Chappell to instill discipline, get the right kind of camaraderie between the seniors and the juniors. If a senior player gets out of hand, it is his job to reprimand him. He must tell him that it’s a team sport and by what he is doing, the team performance can get affected.”Meanwhile, Chappell and Ganguly headed, quite literally, in different directions before the second Test at Harare. While Chappell headed for the venue of the match with four other players, Ganguly went off to catch a glimpse of the Victoria Falls.The second Test starts on September 20.Click here to send us your feedback on the issue.

Less than a week after a meeting of provincial chairman in Harare which discussed passing a motion of no confidence in the Zimbabwe Cricket board, three of the provinces have distanced themselves from proceedings. Manicaland, Midlands and Masvingo have since written to Peter Chingoka, the ZC chairman giving him their backing.A report in today’s Zimbabwe Independent newspaper said that Caesar Bond Nayoto, on behalf of Midlands clubs, had disowned Tim Savory, who attended the chairmen’s meeting as the provincial chairman, and were challenging his mandate as chairman.The Masvingo board, whose chairman Max Ebrahim was part of the provincial chairmen’s meeting last week, claimed it had “learnt with shock” about the meeting and insisted that Ebrahim had not consulted his board.Manicaland board member Phillip Matiza and representatives of three clubs in the province wrote a joint letter denouncing their board chairman Allan Walsh’s “unilateral decisions and actions”.A spokesman for the chairman said that a vote had not been taken but they were compiling a list of grievances which would be submitted to the board.An ICC spokesman said: “This is an internal matter for the stakeholders of Zimbabwe cricket. We do not seek to get involved in the domestic matters of our members.”

Sourav Ganguly, the deposed Indian captain, praised his successor Rahul Dravid and declared that he was prepared to play in any position and perform any role if taken back into the national squad.”Rahul Dravid is doing a great job as captain,” Ganguly told mediapersons after a practice session in Kolkata. Asked how he rated his chances of coming back to the squad in the near future, Ganguly said, “I am playing domestic cricket. I am laying stress on fitness. My past record is also there.” Asked if he was eyeing the slot of an allrounder to make a comeback to the squad, Ganguly said he was prepared to fit into any role the team desired of him. “I have taken 14/15 wickets in the Duleep Trophy. I also scored a hundred. I am willing to play at any position. I am prepared to perform any role that the team wants me to.”On whether his confidence was boosted by Ranbir Singh Mahendra’s, the BCCI president, comments that the doors of the Indian team have not been shut on him, Ganguly said, “I don’t want to react to this. I only want to continue scoring runs. But yes, it does feel good to hear such encouraging words”.Cautious not to court any controversy, Ganguly skipped queries on Virender Sehwag’s form, and whether he would make any changes in the squad if he returned as captain. “Performance of the team does not depend on the coach or captain or any individual player. All the players in the squad have to perform well for the team to come up with a good show,” he said.Ganguly, however, dismissed the criticism that he had problems with short pitched deliveries, saying his record was there for all to see. “Every batsman has his weak spot. But despite his weakness, if one has scored 14,000 to 15,000 runs in top class cricket, then I think nobodyshould complain,” he said. Ganguly also said it was perfectly logical that performance should be the yardstick in deciding team compositions. “Not only Sourav, Dravid or Sachin (Tendulkar), all the players have to perform well to be picked for the team.”

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.

Amid the celebration, the task now is not to lose sight of the challenges still ahead. Even the most optimistic of Trinidad and Tobago supporters would not have expected Jamaica to fold so meekly as they did on the last day of the four-day fixture on Monday.Coming in the wake of first innings points in a drawn encounter with the Leewards last month, and with Brian Lara to return for the next game against Guyana in nine days’ time, this comprehensive trouncing of the defending regional champions is the clearest sign yet of the potential of Daren Ganga’s squad to end a 21-year drought.And that is part of the danger, to start relaxing-even mentally-in the belief that with two more home matches and a last round-robin fixture in Barbados before the semi-finals and final, that the 2006 campaign is now tailor-made for the national team to claim the first regional first-class title since the side led by Rangy Nanan crushed Barbados by an innings in the final match of the competition in 1985 at the Queen’s Park Oval to lift the then Shell Shield for only the fourth time in the country’s history.Yet the portents are encouraging, not least because the key performers are rising to the occasion, while the skipper and the rest of team management seem to have created a really harmonious atmosphere that everyone wants to be a part of. That can all change very quickly, of course, and the real test of character will come in the moments of adversity, the occasions when discipline and defiance are required to pull the team out of a desperate position.Even if he is cautious and calculated by nature, Ganga, who is a few days short of his 27th birthday, has come to realise that any future he may hope to enjoy as a successful captain and established West Indies batsman will depend on being positive and dominating. It is the hallmark of a class player that he not only succeeds at the lower level, but does so in such a commanding manner as to leave no doubt that he is a cut above his contemporaries.Denesh Ramdin, even at the age of 20, continues to display the authoritativeness that borders on arrogance on the strength of his two tours with the West Indies to Sri Lanka and Australia. With the bat, wicketkeeping gloves and general manner, he exudes confidence in the critical role of wicketkeeper, an attitude that Bennett King, the West Indies coach, has already identified and bestowed on the young man the responsibility of constantly urging on the regional side and keeping them on their toes. In case anyone is interpreting that as an endorsement of him as the next regional captain, don’t even go there, because it is far too early for a player still with much to learn in terms of the physical rigours and psychological pressures at the highest level.Dave Mohammed has done it again, encouraged to attack the batsmen and given the support by a captain who knows how to maximise a bowler of his type. However, scything through the reckless Jamaicans on Monday and taking on such accomplished players like Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Ramnaresh Sarwan and Siewnarine Chattergoon at Guaracara Park from January 20 will be a very different proposition. Yet, he is not the type of personality to be daunted by any challenge, nor is Richard Kelly, a young man following in the footsteps of Dwayne Bravo as a quality all-rounder. After so many years of muddling through with an assortment of part-time bowlers and so-so lower-order batsman, the presence of two such players in the national team at the same time is a real blessing.Ganga admitted last week that omitting the experienced Mervyn Dillon was a tough call, but, at least on this occasion, it was justified with Kelly making the early breakthroughs in the first innings and Rayad Emrit setting the stage for the final day rout with a three-wicket burst. For all the commitment, camaraderie and eventual success at the Sir Frank Worrell Ground, improvements can still be made, however. If Ganga wants to attract the West Indies selectors, he must turn 80s and 90s into 180s and 190s.

Tishan Maraj, who bats with the studiousness of the multi-talented intellectual that he is, must learn to appreciate – as Ganga has had to – that strokeless occupation of the crease works occasionally, but more often than not makes the opposing bowlers’ jobs easier. Bravo, for all of his impressive runs Down Under, must keep working on his obvious tendency to favour the on-side, while Lendl Simmons has been around long enough, even for such a young man, to start to contribute consistently in the many facets of his game.And what of Jamaica and Wavell Hinds, my choice to replace Chanderpaul as West Indies captain? At least the visiting skipper was man enough to admit that his team’s overall attitude and his own form in this match were deplorable. But it is one thing to acknowledge those shortcomings and entirely another to correct them for their next fixture in Barbados. How Hinds and his team react so soon after this crushing defeat will tell a lot about their quality as a unit and his ability as a motivator.For the moment, though, let’s enjoy this victory, without going so far as to make a place in the Cricket Board’s office for the trophy.

Scorecard

Western Australia face an uphill battle to avoid falling to their fifth defeat of the season, as Queensland continued their control of the match on the third day at Perth.Starting the day on 9 for 419, Michael Kasprowicz helped Daniel Doran put on 73 for the final wicket, to pile the misery on Western Australia’s shoulders. Queensland were eventually dismissed for 470 and, buoyed by their late run-flurry, were convinced they had Justin Langer caught behind off Andy Bichel, but the decision was turned down.Langer went on to score 51, and with Clint Heron put on 64 for the first wicket before Doran bowled him for 15. Langer, threatening a big score, was run out after making his fifty and Western Australia slipped to 3 for 103.Adam Voges and Shaun Marsh then put on a crucial 110-run stand, but Marsh fell to Kasprowicz shortly after tea and, although Voges remains unbeaten on 119, Western Australia lead by just four runs going into the final day.Western Australia coach Wayne Clark cited his team’s poor performances on the opening days of matches as the key reason to their disappointing season. “That’s been our downfall a couple of times this year, just our first day,” Clark told AAP. “Especially batting at the WACA. We’ve had a couple of ordinary days and you’re on the back foot from then on. It’s unfortunate on a wicket that’s proving to be a pretty good batting wicket.”Despite his disappointment, Clark remained optimistic of a positive outcome. “We’ve still got wickets in hand,” he said. “Hopefully we can post a bit of a score that will give them a few little butterflies. Who knows?”

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.

Australia might be employing a fresh opening-bowling combination in an inexperienced attack, but Brett Lee and Nathan Bracken are not setting small goals in South Africa. The pair wants to match the efforts of immediate predecessors Jason Gillespie and Glenn McGrath, who is missing to look after his sick wife.Lee will lead the fast men in McGrath’s absence and he wants to embrace the role without giving up any of his speed. “I’m really looking forward to the challenge and I don’t see it as any more pressure,” he said in . “Glenn is ‘Mr Consistent’. He has the line and length to make my job easier, but I won’t be changing anything and I’ll be trying to lead from the front.”Bracken will help his junior, state and international team-mate as they try to lift a raw band of back-up options with Mick Lewis, Stuart Clark and Mitchell Johnson playing only 16 matches between them. “The way to keep improving is to know each other’s games better and try to get to where Glenn and Jason were as partnership bowlers,” Lee said in the . “Sometimes Glenn would go on the attack and Jason would pull it back a bit, and vice versa. Now we have to work out for this particular one-day tour how to get to know each other a lot better.”Bracken said he and Lee were complementary players. “Brett’s the sort of bowler that’s going to be attacking and at the batsman, which probably suits me a bit more than other guys because I’m trying to get the ball to swing,” he said. “If Brett’s attacking and being aggressive at one end and I’m doing the right thing at the other, it’s a good combination.”Ponting is happy for Lee to try to frighten South Africa’s batsmen, which he did on a couple of occasions in taking 15 wickets in the VB Series. “In England at different times he enjoyed it when Glenn wasn’t playing because he knew he was the guy who was the spearhead of the attack,” Ponting said in . “It’s important he remains that for us. When he’s bowling fast and swinging the ball it’s very difficult for any batsman.”We need him to keep doing that. We’ll have other guys around him that can do the tight job at the other end.”

Graeme Smith, the South Africa captain, has been fined 30% of his match fee for showing dissent after he was adjudged leg before in the first Test at Cape Town.Chris Broad, the match referee, found Smith guilty of breaching the ICC code of conduct that relates to “showing serious dissent at an umpire’s decision by action or verbal abuse”.”As captain of his side Graeme needs to lead by example,” Broad said. “His actions on his dismissal were not acceptable. He is aware of this and has apologised for his actions. I hope that we will not see this sort of behaviour from him again.”Smith was given out lbw to Shane Warne after he played back to one that turned sharply into his pads from outside off stump.

Mohammad Asif, the seam bowler, and Faisal Iqbal, the middle-order batsman, have been given pay raises by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) but both players will only be considered for the central contracts later this year.Abbas Zaidi, the director board operations of the Pakistan board, said both players had not been given the central contracts but only pay raises, in view of their encouraging performances in the last two series against India and Sri Lanka.While Asif has taken 24 wickets in his last three Tests including 11 for 71 in the second Test against Sri Lanka at Kandy earlier this month, Faisal scored a hundred against India at Karachi and followed it up with a matchsaving 60 against Sri Lanka in the first Test at Colombo.”They were getting monthly retainers of 30,000 Rupees (US$500 approx) but now this has been enhanced to 75,000 Rupees (US$1250 approx), the same as the players who have been given C category central contracts,” Zaidi stated. “This monthly raise is besides the match fees and other incentives paid to the players per Test and one-day international (ODI) appearances.”Zaidi said both players would be considered when the current contracts when fresh ones were issued from July 1. “At present, the central contracts are only for the 20 players who were awarded these earlier this year.”