Division One

Nottinghamshire and Durham managed to collect a third bonus point each in the play that was possible at Trent Bridge. The action did start until 3.45pm, then Graham Onions removed Mark Ealham and Graeme Swann quickly as Notts looked set to fall short of 300 despite being 163 for 1 during yesterday’s play. Mick Lewis had Paul Franks caught behind but Ryan Sidebottom and Andy Harris eked out 28 runs for the tenth wicket before both teams shook hands on the draw.

Division Two

No play was possible on the last day between Derbyshire and Leicestershire. There was an outside chance Derbyshire could have claimed 16 wickets in the day with Leicestershire still 115 runs short of saving the follow-on, but the weather had the final say.For a full report on an amazing final day at The Oval between Surrey and Worcestershire click here.

England are increasingly confident that Andrew Flintoff will be available for the second Test against Pakistan at Old Trafford which gets underway on July 27. Flintoff missed out on England’s calamitous one-day series against Sri Lanka and has undergone extensive rehabilitation on his injured ankle, spending time at Bovey Castle in Dartmoor with the England physio Dave Roberts.He will make his return to competitive cricket this afternoon in a Twenty20 clash for Lancashire against Nottinghamshire, one of two Twenty20 matches he will play. It was confirmed by England’s chairman of selectors, David Graveney, that he will also take part in a Championship match against Kent on July 18.”Everything is on course. It is very positive,” Graveney told BBC Radio 5 Live. “All things being equal, he will be available for the second Test.”He is going to play in two Twenty20 games for Lancashire and then a county championship game.”Last week, Flintoff was named as the official stand-in to Michael Vaughan who was ruled out of the Ashes this winter; while Flintoff continues to recover from his injury, Andrew Strauss will lead the side at Lord’s on Thursday.

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.

Michael Holding, the former West Indies fast bowler, lent his support to Inzamam-ul-Haq, saying that Darrell Hair was “insensitive” to have penalised Pakistan for ball-tampering.”I have absolute and all sympathy with [Pakistan captain] Inzamam-ul Haq. If you label someone a cheat, please arrive with the evidence,” Holding wrote in , a leading weekly news magazine. Holding felt that most umpires would have said something to the fielding captain and given the offending team a warning of some kind. “Then if the tampering continued, they would have been totally justified in taking action.”There is a double standard at work in cricket and this episode has only highlighted it. When England used reverse-swing to beat the Australians in the 2005 Ashes, everyone said it was great skill. When Pakistan does it, the opposite happens, no one thinks it is great skill. Everyone associates it with skullduggery.”When bombs go off in Karachi and Colombo everyone wants to go home. When bombs go off in London, no one says anything. That is first-world hypocrisy and we have to live with it.”Holding said that seeing the cricketing law as the absolute and final truth was pointless. Every law, he wrote, has room for flexibility. “I read a prime example recently in the British press. It said that by law, you can be fined for parking within the yellow lines in England. If you do that to run into a chemist to buy emergency medicines, a sensible policeman would more than likely tell you about the law but it’s unlikely a ticket would be forthcoming.”The executive board of the ICC is scheduled to meet on September 2 in Dubai to discuss the ball-tampering issue further. Inzamam’s disciplinary hearing for Pakistan’s actions of ball-tampering and bringing the game into disrepute in the fourth Test against England at The Oval will take place around the end of September.

Chris Dehring, the World Cup managing director, has called on Caribbean nationals in the United States to fully support the region in hosting international cricket’s global event next year. “There’s no need to hold back support,” he told reporters during a promotion event in New York. “The rest of the world is seeing an incredible event taking shape in the Caribbean, and we want them [Caribbean nationals in the United States] to be part of it too. Therefore, please make your plans to come to the Caribbean or to watch what we’re doing in 2007.”Apart from requesting unconditional support from his countrymen, Dehring thanked CARICOM (Caribbean Community) leaders for their support in hosting the World Cup. “They have come together because they want to make sure that we shine when 2007 comes,” he said. “And it has been fantastic to see that type of cooperation, perhaps unprecedented in the history of the Caribbean.”Dehring added that skepticism about the region’s ability to host the event had been dispelled by the strong organization and managerial proficiency shown at home.”As we’ve seen concrete and steel come out of the ground, stadia construction schedule being met on time, operational plans being developed and rolled out and information provided to various stakeholders, I think that scepticism has started to dissipate,” he said. “And people are looking on with a certain amount of admiration for these little countries in the Caribbean coming together and taking on Goliath. The point is, this Cricket World Cup train is gathering a tremendous head of steam, and is very much on track.”

Ian Bell, the England and Warwickshire batsman, has spoken of his hunger to rectify his disappointing series against Australia last year and insists he has nothing to prove.Bell enjoyed a superb second half of the summer with England, with three hundreds in successive Tests against Pakistan and 375 runs in four Tests after missing the Sri Lanka series. This followed a consistent run of scores in the winter against India and Pakistan; it has been a marked contrast to the nervous figure who appeared against Australia last summer.”I’ve got 18 Test matches under my belt now compared to three last time I faced Australia. I’ve played a winter on the sub-continent,” said Bell. “I’ve got some experience of playing against the top players in the world and can go to Australia with that in the bank and I’ve also got three hundreds in the last four Tests.”Have I anything to prove in Australia? I don’t feel as if I have to prove anything to myself. I would like to score runs against Australia. But I don’t think I need to go and prove too much to anyone. They would have seen I’ve scored three hundreds in the last four Tests. They will know that. A lot of Australians play county cricket as well so I don’t think I have to prove too much to anyone.”But it would be nice to go out there and score some runs. I was chuffed to bits to be a part of the Ashes side but would like to do more with the bat this time,” he said. “To be part of England retaining the Ashes would be pretty special, especially in their own back yard. That would be great.”I feel I belong more in the Test side now and am mentally stronger. That has come with a bit of experience. I’ve had some ups and downs. I’ve been left out a little bit and then got back in.”In what was generally a disappointing one-day summer for England, Bell’s batting was a lone highlight and, next month, he travels to India for the Champions Trophy.”A lot of cricket is about momentum and, if we can take what we’ve done in the Test matches and the one-dayers at the end of the summer, it will stand us in good stead for the ICC.”If we can win the games well in the ICC, it will also give us some good momentum for going into the World Cup. That’s important and every game for the one-day side, which is sort of emerging with young players, is important.”

Australia have been described as “rude and arrogant” by the Indian media following unsavoury incidents after their Champions Trophy win. Ricky Ponting’s men were taken to task for pushing Sharad Pawar, the BCCI president and an Indian government minister, off the presentation dais after their eight-wicket win over the West Indies in Sunday’s final in Mumbai.Ponting, who was visibly impatient after the long presentation ceremony, gestured towards Pawar with his forefinger, asking him to quickly give away the trophy, which Australia had won for the first time. Newspapers on Tuesday carried front-page pictures of Damien Martyn pushing Pawar with his right hand, urging him to get off the stage so that the team could pose with the trophy.The picture in the added: “They are supposed to be aggressive, even rude on the field. On Sunday, Australia showed they are not exactly polite off it too.”Sachin Tendulkar, who usually prefers to stay silent on most controversial matters, also took a swipe at the Australians. “I was not watching the proceedings but from what I heard, it was unpleasant and uncalled for,” Tendulkar said at a sponsors’ function in Mumbai on Monday. “Firstly, it should never have happened. It’s important to show respect to a person who is so dear to the cricketers and is involved with cricket. Such incidents should be avoided.”Dilip Vengsarkar, India’s chief cricket selector, added: “You expect such behaviour from uneducated people. If they wanted to pose for photographs, they could have politely requested him. This is appalling.”Niranjan Shah, the BCCI secretary, described the incident as “unintentional”, but he also said players “seem to leave good sense behind”. “Anyway, you know how players are once they get on the cricket field.”However, Pawar laughed off the incident. “It was a small thing, a stupid thing,” Pawar said in the . “I don’t want to react.”

An Indian fan was taken into custody in connection with an assault in oneof the hospitality boxes adjoining the Indian dressing-room at SuperSportPark in Centurion. The man, who is also alleged to have thrown a bottle atZaheer Khan, apparently manhandled a woman when she tried to prevent himfrom gaining access to the dressing-room.The Indian players had been subjected to vile abuse throughout the day,with even stalwarts like Rahul Dravid singled out forintensely personal barbs. Towards the end of the Indian innings, some fansasked Munaf Patel and Irfan Pathan to come down and sign autographs. Theplayers are not allowed to do so, and the mood then turned ugly.As South Africa breezed towards the target, the abuse in both Hindi andGujarati became much more strident. And when the players came down for thepresentation ceremony, there was further heckling. According to a sourcewithin the Indian team, the same group had derided the players’ efforts atDurban and Cape Town as well.Following the presentation, Zaheer is said to have asked the securitystaff to bring the man to him. When confronted with him, Zaheer apparentlyasked him why he had thrown the bottle. He then walked away, but theindividual wasn’t prepared to let it go at that.He went around to the hospitality box and tried to force his way into thedressing-room through there. When he started manhandling the lady, herdaughter raised the alarm, and security staff apprehended him and took himinto custody. The authorities are currently trying to locate the womaninvolved in the incident to get her version of events.Corne Meyer, who handles security for the event sponsors, said that a manhad indeed been found trespassing in the dressing-room area, but declinedto comment till he had further investigated the matter.”Nothing untoward happened inside the dressing-room, and the securitypersonnel quickly got the man out of there,” said Rajan Nair, the Indianteam’s media manager when quizzed about the incident. The NorthernsCricket Union is also investigating the matter which, if true, involves aserious security breach.

If you’d told the average Indian at the end of the catastrophic one-dayseries that they’d be heading to Cape Town, and the most beautiful groundin the world, on level terms in the Tests, you might have been greetedwith an incredulous look or two. But a month on, the team arrives atNewlands with more than a tinge or two of regret. Having won so convincingly against all odds at the Wanderers, they had more than their fair share of opportunities at Durban. But South Africa’s greater desperation prevailed on a tense weather-interrupted final day, leaving the series beautifully poised.When they look back at the Kingsmead game, India will be able to isolatetwo or three key moments where the game slipped away. On the opening day,Sachin Tendulkar gave Ashwell Prince a reprieve at slip. Prince, then on41, went on to make a doughty 121, putting together a priceless 73 withthe last two batsmen on the second morning.When India batted, Tendulkar provided a measure of atonement by managing his first half-century of the year. But with the situation incontrol, he played a distinctly ordinary shot to give South Africa a toein the door. The tail wagged as it has done all series, but a deficit of88 was always going to be hard to bridge.They still gave themselves a chance, with the outstanding Sreesanthsparking a collapse that saw South Africa lose six second-innings wicketsfor 44. But again, they couldn’t finish the task, with Shaun Pollock’sunbeaten 63 buttressed by valuable cameos from Andrew Hall andthe impressive Mornè Morkel.The vagaries of the weather, and the grey skies that descended everyafternoon meant that survival was still very much an option, but India’sbatting the second time was as woeful as it could possibly have been.Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s brave 47 delayed the inevitable and offeredtantalising glimpses of light, but the abject failure of the top order puttoo much pressure on those that followed. With Makhaya Ntini leading theline splendidly, South Africa always had that little bit in reserve.India’s bowlers could still feel proud of their efforts, with Sreesanthtaking his series tally to 16 wickets, and the attack will be furtherstrengthened by the return of Munaf Patel in Cape Town. VRV Singh bowledwith real pace and menace in patches, but has yet to acquire theconsistency needed at this level. If his ankle gives him no trouble, Munafwill be a far tougher proposition, capable of extracting steep bounce offa naggingly accurate length. With Zaheer Khan causing all manner ofproblems with the new ball, and Anil Kumble applying the tourniquet, SouthAfrica certainly won’t enjoy facing India’s four-man attack.Unfortunately, rapid strides on the bowling front have gone hand-in-handwith a steady regression on the batting side of things. Wasim Jaffer gotgood starts in both innings at Kingsmead, but his partnership withVirender Sehwag has been a non-starter all tour. The team management isn’tin favour of drastic action – there was a great deal of heartburn oversending Irfan Pathan home – but Sehwag’s wretched form demands drasticmeasures. Expect Gautam Gambhir to be padding up at Newlands.

The other less likely change could be behind the stumps. Despite a coupleof fingers on his right hand being terribly bruised, Dhoni showedtremendous courage both with the bat and the big gloves in Durban, thoughyou could clearly see him grimacing each time he collected a delivery sentdown at nearly 140 km/h. With Dhoni being such an integral part of theWorld Cup plans, he might not be risked unless the team management iscertain that he can handle five more days of finger-pounding. Though theman himself would be loathe to miss out, Dinesh Karthik is a more thancapable deputy.South Africa’s problems also centre around their top order. Graeme Smithfinally made some runs in Durban, but if Jacques Kallis returns from aback injury, Hashim Amla might have to make way at No.3. The other optionis Jacques Rudolph, though he did fail in both innings in the tour gameagainst the Indians at Potchefstroom.Depending on the surface at Newlands, South Africa may elect to give PaulHarris, the left-arm spinner, a game. If he plays, Andrew Hall could bethe one to sit out. The fourth pace slot will also come under the scanner.If he can convince the team that his fitness worries are behind him, DaleSteyn should return, with Morkel making way after a promising debut.The pitch will attract as much attention as the final XIs. A dry surfacethat was watered excessively ahead of the Test against Australia earlierthis year produced a three-day finish, with Stuart Clark routing the hostson his debut. But less than two months later, the game against New Zealandwas a run-fest, with both team scoring in excess of 500. South Africa willbe wary of a surface that’s too dry, given Kumble’s quality, but asSreesanth and Zaheer have shown already, even a fast and bouncy pitchwon’t be any guarantee of success. The various permutations should makefor one hell of a game.

New South Wales have recalled Doug Bollinger and Moises Henriques for their must-win Ford Ranger Cup match against Tasmania at Sydney’s Telstra Stadium on Wednesday. The Blues, who have lost their last three one-day games, are in fourth place on the table but with only two matches remaining they would need a remarkable stroke of luck to reach the final.Matthew Nicholson was left out of the side to take on Tasmania but the other change was a forced one with Nathan Bracken unavailable due to his commitments with the Australia team. Greg Mail, the opening batsman, has found his way back into the Pura Cup squad to take on the Tigers at the SCG starting on Saturday.Mail, who has taken Aaron O’Brien’s place in the 12-man line-up, began the first-class season poorly with 97 runs from six innings before thrusting his name back in front of the selectors with 374 runs in Sydney grade cricket within eight days. The Blues are also struggling in the four-day competition, sitting fifth on the table with only two wins from six games.Pura Cup squad Phil Jaques, Ed Cowan, Greg Mail, Simon Katich (capt), Dominic Thornely, Brad Haddin (wk), Grant Lambert, Beau Casson, Matthew Nicholson, Doug Bollinger, Stuart MacGill, Mark Cameron.FR Cup squad Phil Jaques, Ed Cowan, Simon Katich (capt), Brad Haddin (wk), Daniel Christian, Dominic Thornely, Aaron O’Brien, David Warner, Moises Henriques, Nathan Hauritz, Scott Coyte, Doug Bollinger.