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South Africa will play West Indies next week in a hastily arranged series of three one-dayers after both teams were knocked out of the World Cup in the group phase. The matches will take place at Tshwane University on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. Both West Indies and South Africa will field the same squads that contested the World Cup."These matches are just what we need right now," said South Africa’s coach, Stephen Jones. "The World Cup has been a really good learning experience for our young squad and the three matches against the West Indies will give us the chance to work on areas of our game that were found wanting in the World Cup. What is clear is that we need to play a lot more competitive cricket, and the West Indies series is a step in the right direction."

New Zealand have announced winter contracts for the first time with seven players, including Grant Elliott, on the list. The deals run from May to September and cover the Emerging Players Tournament in Queensland in July and the New Zealand A tour of India in September.”All players contracted will be under consideration for winter tours by the New Zealand A or Emerging Players Tournament sides, or even the Blackcaps,” a New Zealand spokesman confirmed to Cricinfo.”These contracts have been awarded in recognition of their performance in the last domestic season,” Glenn Turner, one of New Zealand’s selectors, said. “We have identified them as possible future Blackcaps, or as players who we expect to build on existing international experience. There is an expectation that they will keep working on their game during the winter.”The allrounder Elliott, 29, made his Test debut against England last month but was overlooked for a full contract two weeks ago. However, the winter deal gives him hope his international career will not stall at one match.Nathan McCullum is one step closer to joining his brother Brendon in the national set-up again after receiving one of the seven contracts. His only match in New Zealand colours came at the World Twenty20 last year, when he made 1 and was not required to bowl against South Africa.Neil Broom, Martin Guptill, Greg Hay, Bradley Scott and BJ Watling were also included in the list. McCullum, Broom and Scott have played together for New Zealand A in 2007, the trio appearing in the Emerging Players Tournament final in Australia where they lost to South Africa.Guptill, 21, is a former New Zealand Under-19 player who made his first-class debut two years ago while Watling, 22, played his initial first-class match in the 2004-05 season. The deals begin on May 19 and continue until the end of September, before the resumption of major association contracts.

Harbhajan Singh has slammed the International Cricket Council for the confusion over the legality of his bowling action and claimed that the allegations had had an adverse effect on his performance during the recent series against Pakistan. Harbhajan, 24, was reported for a suspect action twice in the space of three months and wondered how many more times he would have to undergo a similar procedure to get his action cleared.”It’s very frustrating for me,” he told the Press Trust of India, “as I have lost my mental peace for no fault of mine but just due to a mere drama by ICC. Instead of concentrating on the game, I am just passing the time to wait for a clearance from the ICC.”Harbhajan said his lukewarm performance in the one-dayers against Pakistan, where he managed just three wickets in five games, was because of the uncertainty surrounding his action. “I could not fully concentrate on the game due to my disturbed mental status,” he said. “It doesn’t matter how strong you are, but such a controversy always affects your performance.”Harbhajan’s action first came under scrutiny in 1998 before he was reported in December last year, on the tour of Bangladesh, and again in March during the series against Pakistan. “How many times [should] a bowler have to undergo the test, for which he has already been cleared,” Harbhajan asked. “I am playing international cricket for the last seven years and it is really frustrating that you have to undergo the test every time, whenever you are pointed out for the same suspect action.”Under the revamped bowling review procedure, Harbhajan had to undergo a biomechanical test within 21 days of his action being reported but the ICC had delayed the appointment of a panel, thereby hampering his plans of playing county cricket in England. “I wanted to participate in the English county championship,” he added, “but in such a state of mind how will I be able to do justice to the game and the club which I am going to represent.”

Shaun Tait is due to make his long-awaited comeback from elbow surgery after being named in South Australia’s FR Cup squad to face Victoria on Friday. The problem forced Tait out of Australia’s tours to South Africa and India and prevented him from playing in South Australia’s humiliating Pura Cup defeat to the Bushrangers this week.While Tait is expected to play, Darren Lehmann is still missing after injuring his hamstring in the pre-season. The Redbacks have chosen Andy Delmont, the uncapped allrounder, in the squad after he posted 134 for University in the Adelaide grade competition.Delmont has been working with the new coach Mark Sorell to make his game more consistent. “I am rapt this has paid off and that I have been given this opportunity,” he said.Victoria’s successful Pura Cup debutant Matthew Wade has been overlooked and Adam Crosthwaite is set to take the gloves. Victoria will also be boosted by the inclusion of the fast bowlers Shane Harwood, Mick Lewis and Clinton McKay, while Aaron Finch and Aiden Blizzard could slot into the batting line-up.Wade, Nick Jewell, Dirk Nannes and Gerard Denton were left out of the one-day squad despite being part of the side that thrashed South Australia. Denton and Nannes each took five wickets in the first-class win, while Wade marked his debut with 83 and six catches.Harwood’s pre-season was hampered by a shoulder injury but he has been included in the 13-man squad after a successful performance for his club side on the weekend. A state debut for Finch, 20, would be a pleasing turnaround after he was suspended from the Centre of Excellence in July for keeping his room continually untidy.Cameron White said the additions would strengthen Victoria’s chances in the 50-over format. “It was a pretty emphatic win this week, but then again the Redbacks’ form in the FR Cup has been stronger than the Pura Cup in recent seasons,” he said. “There’s no doubt we’re hell-bent on leaving Adelaide with points in both matches and the inclusion of guys like Shane Harwood, who’s been our best one-day bowler, gives us a great boost.”South Australia squad Matthew Elliott, Daniel Harris, Cameron Borgas, Mark Cosgrove, Nathan Adcock (capt), Andy Delmont, Graham Manou (wk), Mark Cleary, Dan Cullen, Jason Gillespie, Ryan Harris, Shaun Tait.Victoria squad Michael Klinger, Robert Quiney, David Hussey, Cameron White (capt), Aiden Blizzard, Aaron Finch, Andrew McDonald, Adam Crosthwaite (wk), Shane Harwood, Clinton McKay, Bryce McGain, Peter Siddle, Mick Lewis.

In a move clearly designed to embarrass Peter Chingoka, the ZImbabwe Cricket chairman, on the eve of the ICC executive meeting in Dubai – and to send a blunt message to Malcolm Speed and Ehsan Mani – clubs in Matabeleland, Zimbabwe’s second biggest province, voted to boycott all club games this weekend in protest against his leadership.All the matches in the Matabeleland Cricket Association First League set for Sunday have been called off, and a stakeholders meeting has been called at Queens Sports Club where a decision is set to be made on whether Matabeleland continues to associate itself with Zimbabwe Cricket.”All clubs in Matabeleland are boycotting cricket starting this weekend pending a stakeholders meeting to be held on Thursday,” a spokesman said. “We are doing this to send a clear message to the ICC that Peter Chingoka does not have the mandate of anyone in Zimbabwe. So who is he representing in that meeting?”With Matabeleland turning against Chingoka, he appears to have almost no support among any of the country’s major clubs. Although Mashonaland backs him at provincial level, the six major clubs – Takashinga, Old Georgians, Alexandra Sports Club, Harare Sports Club, Old Hararians and Universals – have all split from the official provincial league in protest against the leadership of Cyprian Mandenge, a close ally of Chingoka and ZC managing director Ozias Bvute. A result of that dispute was evident in Mashonaland’s substandard side during the Faithwear Provincial One-Day tournament.

The timing of the announcement coincides with a move by senior administrators to advise the ICC of continuing deterioration in the state of cricket inside Zimbabwe. One source told Cricinfo that since January when the Sports and Recreation Commision appointed an interim executive – led by Chingoka – to run the affairs of ZC, the situation has deteriorated. He claimed that there was no evidence that the independent forensic audit into serious allegations of financial irregularities had made any progress, and added that the board had continued to be politically cleansed of anyone opposing the existing regime.”If the ICC still chooses to believe that Chingoka is in control and has the support of the stakeholders, then we might as well all give up,” he told Cricinfo. “The situation continues to get worse and the ICC has effectively endorsed all that has been done. They know the reality, and yet they have done nothing to help. The meeting next week represents the last chance for them to act”

Scorecard

Australia rode on Lisa Keightley’s allround performance to romp home to a comfortable eight-wicket victory in the fourth one-dayer at Vapi. Keightley followed up her 3 for 17 with a fine 80 as Australia won with more than five overs to spare. After suffering a setback in their previous game in Mumbai, Australia came back strongly and now lead the seven-match series 3-1.The Australian bowlers justified their decision to field first by keeping India down to 170. Jaya Sharma made a patient 43 but most of the batsmen struggled against Keightley’s medium pace.Chasing 171, Australia got off to a solid start with Keightley and Belinda Clark negotiating the first 15 overs. Clark was dismissed for 23, bowled by Jhulan Goswami, but Karen Rolton made a steady half-century and added 96 for the second wicket with Keightley and took them past the finish line.

Andrew Miller on the England team
Download MP3 (right click and select “save target as”)
Streaming Audio: Real :: WMASince England’s win over Australia in that famous Test at Trent Bridge, they have played eight Tests, with three losses and just one win. They looked so good in the Ashes last year, but it all dissipated so fast. Cricinfo’s UK editor, Andrew Miller, speaks to Amit Varma and explains that things are not as bad as they look, and the injuries that have afflicted England have given them a chance to test their depth, and their young players have come good.Andrew also reflects on England’s fielding, as well as the emergent popular hero, Monty Panesar.Download MP3 (right click and select “save target as”)
Streaming Audio: Real :: WMA

In what is being seen as a corporate move, Harbhajan Singh’s pictures have been taken off all the advertisements that promote the Mumbai Indians, including the team’s website.Reliance Industries, the owners of the franchise, thought this was a sensible move, taking into account public sentiment. Harbhajan was found guilty of slapping Sreesanth in the league game against Punjab last week and was banned for 11 IPL games subsequently.”When we know a player is not going to be available for the team it really doesn’t make sense for us to have his picture,” Kaushik Roy, president of branding, Reliance Industries, told Cricinfo.Roy felt the company decided that as long as Harbhajan was not going to take part in the tournament it would be ideal to not include his pictures in any promotional activities, especially when the pictures were meant to attract the crowds. “So as long he is not going to be playing the matches, there is a clear directive.”Retaining Harbajan’s image would amount cheating, Roy felt. “The pictures are for gate sales. You cannot show the pictures of a player who is not playing the game. So there is no use fooling people. That would be unethical advertising.”The team management, meanwhile, is silent on the matter. “It is a corporate decision. In any case it doesn’t make sense to have the picture once he is not playing,” a top official in the Mumbai team said.But the franchise is terming the move “temporary”, and hopes that if Mumbai’s fortunes soar and they make it to the IPL final then Harbhajan will be back on the advertisements. “We hope this will be a temporary arrangement. Mumbai Indians hope to reach the finals, and god willing if that happens, Bhajji will be free to play in that,” an official said.Fearing the move might be termed as controversial the team’s brand managers are now planning to introduce new faces as part of their campaign as that would help newcomers gain public recognition.”The current hoardings featuring Harbhajan Singh, Sachin Tendulkar, Sanath Jayasuriya and Shaun Pollock were put up in the run-up to IPL, because they were the big crowd-pullers,” an official said. “But a decision had also been taken that as the IPL progressed, we would give exposure to the younger lot by turning them into recognisable forces through the hoardings.”

ScorecardJust like the full England side, the under-19s are finding life on the subcontinent tough this winter. After being whitewashed in the five-match series against a BCB High Perfomance Side, their poor start to the triangular tournament got poorer with a second defeat, this time to Sri Lanka.Angelo Mathews was the star for Sri Lanka, smashing 70 not out from 74 balls to boost their total to 225 after Dimuth Karunaratne and Sameera de Zoysa put on 54 for the first wicket to set a solid platform.Rory Hamilton-Brown fared the best for England’s bowlers, taking 3 for 44 and playing a part in causing a mid-innings wobble and give Sri Lanka the jitters at 156 for 8. But Mathews stood firm to help lift the score with two fruitful stands with Muthumudalige Pushpakumara and Rajeeva Weerasinghe which yielded 69 runs.England lost early wickets which set them on the backfoot from the off. Varun Chopra stood firm to add a quick 34 from as many balls, but when he fell to Hans Fernando and Woodman went for 40, the momentum fell away from the innings (83 for 3). There was no way back for England and when they lost three quick wickets for six runs late on – Weerasinghe struck twice and there was a run out – the writing was on the wall (180 for 8).They folded not long after, with Ben Wright left stranded on 40 not out, as Sri Lanka recorded victory by 13 runs.

The New Zealand players and their board might be heading for a showdown over disagreements regarding their contracts during ICC-governed tournaments. A clause in the contract requires the players to renounce their individual sponsorship deals when it clashes with the official sponsors of tournaments like the World Cup and the Champions Trophy, but the players are reluctant to toe the line.According to a report in the , the players are yet to sign a collective participation contract, which stipulates that they cannot endorse products that are in direct conflict with the tournament sponsors during major competitions like the World Cup and Champions Trophy. The issue in this clause that affects the players the most is that the ICC imposes this restriction for a period of six months – three months each before and after the tournament.A similar showdown was witnessed with the Indian team on two occasions – during the 2002 ICC Champions Trophy and the 2003 World Cup. However, the Indian board had worked out a solution at the last minute, and the players eventually signed the contract conditionally. The tournament sponsors retaliated by seeking damages with the ICC and even withheld the payment due to India, to the tune of over US$13million. The smaller size of the New Zealand board – their annual turnover is only around $25million – means that they could be hit very hard if similar action is taken against them.NZC and the New Zealand Players’ Association (NZPA) are yet to comment on this issue. The agreement was supposed to have been signed on June 1, and with the Champions Trophy to be held in October, the warring parties don’t have much time to sort out the issue.