New Zealand’s constantly changing squad will welcome Scott Styris when they arrive in Melbourne on Wednesday. Styris joins Kyle Mills, Jacob Oram and Lou Vincent as late additions to the squad following recoveries from injury and the retirement of Nathan Astle.Styris, the allrounder, has been troubled by back problems since the Champions Trophy in October and he also picked up a calf injury. However, he has proved his fitness on the domestic scene and will now attempt to show he is ready for a spot at the World Cup.”Scott needs to be reacquainted with the squad systems, which have moved on significantly since he was last in the team,” Lindsay Crocker, the New Zealand Cricket general manager, said. “It is also an opportunity for him to get back on to the international stage and the extra pressures that it brings.”Hamish Marshall has been dropped from the squad and will return to New Zealand on Wednesday. He played only one match against Australia and was dismissed third ball for zero.

Batsmen Ian Billcliff and Geoff Barnett, both based in New Zealand, have been named in Canada’s 15-man World Cup squad. Barnett plays first-class cricket in New Zealand and had not been available for Canada during the winter for contractual reasons.Thirteen of the squad from the World Cricket League series in Kenya are retained, the two unlucky players being Don Maxwell and Sandeep Jyoti. Both are allrounders.Ashish Bagai, whose batting has flowered over the winter in South Africa and Kenya, is named as vice-captain behind skipper John Davison. Bagai was named Player of the Tournament for the World Cricket League and captained Canada to a win over Uganda in a warm-up match in Nairobi.Andy Pick, the national coach believes it is “a fairly well balanced squad.”. He felt “deeply sorry for Maxi (Don Maxwell). The makeup of the squad was likely to dictate that two players who were in Kenya would miss out. I believe this is a reflection on the strength of Canadian cricket that there are 17 or 18 players who could expect to be very close to the (World Cup) squad.”We will have to work hard in the field in order not to give up 20-30 runs (that the better teams prevent). We will practice and work on it.”Pick hoped for at least one win “in our four appearances against Test playing nations (in the lead-up and first round of the World Cup). If you can win one of those in the group match, as well as beating Kenya, that must be our target.” He does not dream of Canada winning the World Cup, but “if we get everything right on a given day against England or New Zealand, we could win. The realistic target must be to get through to the second round.”In parallel with wishes for a win over a Test-playing side, Pick said “I hope we can carry on with the progress made over the last three months.” Canada went to South Africa in November with a 13-player squad that included nobody with an individual score of 50 runs in an ODI match. The 50-barrier was broken.In Kenya, Davison returned as captain – he already had a century and a couple of fifties to his name in ODI cricket, mostly from the 2003 World Cup. Bagai scored two centuries and there were the first two century partnerships for Canada in ODI matches. The 300-run barrier was crossed in a win over Ireland, the current European champions.This is the third time that Canada has made it to the Cricket World Cup.Canada squad John Davison (capt), Qaiser Ali, Ashish Bagai, Geoff Barnett, Umar Bhatti, Ian Billcliff, Desmond Chumney, George Codrington, Austin Codrington, Anderson Cummins, Sunil Dhaniram, Ashif Mulla, Henry Osinde, Abdool Samad, Kevin Sandher.

England have boosted their backroom staff by calling on the services of Jeremy Snape to act as sports psychologist.Snape, who is also Leicestershire’s captain, was already out in the Caribbean working with the Associates, but England have drafted him in for the World Cup. He will miss Leicestershire’s pre-season tour.England’s coach Duncan Fletcher said that while he expected a great contribution from Snape on the psychology front – Snape has a masters in sports psychology – he could also offer other skills.”Jeremy has extensive experience of the one-day game, ability to work with the spinners and good understanding of sports psychology,” he said.Snape will join England once he’s worked with the Netherlands.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out – Ireland
How they were out – South Africa

Jacques Kallis helped himself to a steady half-century as South Africa boosted their Super Eights position with a handsome seven-wicket win against Ireland. An adjusted target of 160 offered few challenges after a competent performance from the bowlers in a match cut to 35 overs by a two-hour rain break early in Ireland’s innings.Ireland were on the backfoot from the start, asked to bat on an overcast day, and their innings was twice reduced. Having struggled against the new ball they had no momentum to build on. Shaun Pollock created the early pressure then Andrew Hall and Charl Langeveldt showed their experience in the closing overs.But South Africa, who were reduced to 91 for 8 by Ireland in a warm-up match, were kept on their toes. Boyd Rankin’s first-over removal of AB de Villiers hinted that the run chase could be a testing affair. There was movement for Rankin and David Langford-Smith, but unlike their South African counterparts they didn’t quite have the skill to build pressure.Kallis, in a situation where scoring rate wasn’t the major factor, played himself in before unfurling a range of stunning cover drives. Graeme Smith, too, took the innings by the scruff of the neck, using his typically agricultural strokeplay to make major inroads into the target. Paul Mooney was given a harsh introduction into World Cup action, his first two overs dispatched for 23 as he regularly dropped short and wide.Smith was approaching a record of five consecutive World Cup half-centuries, but somehow Trent Johnston reached down in his follow through to pluck out a well-struck drive. Herschelle Gibbs didn’t last long, picking out midwicket as Rankin returned and struck again, but Ireland’s last chance went with two dropped catches in three overs.Rankin couldn’t repeat his captain’s reflexes when he spilled a return catch offered by Kallis on 40, then Johnston himself did all the hard work in getting to a top-edged sweep off the same batsman but the ball went through his hands. Kallis’s second fifty of the tournament came of a comfortable 61 balls while Ashwell Prince added the finishes touches, showing rare aggression as skipped down the pitch to the spinners on his return to the team. However, despite winning with 21 balls to spare their overall net run-rate is still in the negative column, something they’ll need to watch as the Super Eights continues.

But efficiency was the watch word for South Africa throughout the day, from the moment Pollock trapped Jeremy Bray lbw for his second consecutive duck without a run on the board. When the major rain arrived Ireland were 23 for 1 off 11 overs and on resumption were in the position of having to decided whether to stick or twist; the Duckworth-Lewis method looks favorably on more wickets left at the end, but the batsmen couldn’t waste time prodding around.William Porterfield succumbed trying to go over cover, but Eoin Morgan, who hasn’t produced the scores expected of him during the tournament, showed some of his best timing until he was surprised by Hall’s express bouncer. When Niall O’Brien got a leading edge to Langeveldt, now comfortably South Africa’s top wicket-taker, Ireland threatened to fall apart at 77 for 4 in the 23rd over. However, Andrew White, who struck firmly against England again used the long handle, but after dispatching some of South Africa’s finest he clubbed a knee-high full toss from Smith to midwicket.This match brought together some old foes, the coaches are both good friends, while Andre Botha grew up in South Africa. Botha, though, fell to one of the numerous pieces of sharp field – this occasion AB de Villiers at cover – as the experience of Hall and Langeveldt shone through with four wickets falling for eight runs. Langford-Smith and Johnston enjoyed slightly more success, adding 28 off 22 balls, with that Irish spirit which has been their hallmark. But their giant-killing of the opening phase has turned into a harsh reality check about the demands of living at the top table.

Innings of the Day
Scott Styris held New Zealand together with another mighty effort – his unbeaten 111 was his fourth sizeable contribution in six outings this World Cup, and he was one of the few non-Bond bowlers to keep a lid on the run-rate when his turn came to bowl. But today, as with so many days in this tournament, belonged to the oldest bat-swinger in town. Sanath Jayasuriya has scored higher and faster in his 386-match career, but this was an initiative-seizing innings par excellence. He was clobbered on the shoulder by Bond’s third delivery but responded with a whistling cut through point, and when Mark Gillespie entered for his first bowl of the tournament his first over was marmalised for 17, including a first-ball heave into the square-leg stands.Fielding of the Day
It was the sixth over of New Zealand’s innings, and just six tortuous runs had been gleaned for the loss of two wickets. Chaminda Vaas seemed to be bending the ball around corners and there was no respite for the batsman … until Vaas dropped short and Styris latched onto a fierce cut. Tillekaratne Dilshan at point, however, saw the ball all the way and pounced at full stretch to prevent a certain four runs. It was an unequivocal statement of intent from Sri Lanka. “Fielders need to raise their game above the expected levels,” said Kumar Sangakkara in the build-up to the match. This was a fine, initiative-seizing, example.Non-fielding of the Day
Whereas the Sri Lankans hustled and harried at every opportunity, New Zealand’s much-hyped outfit had a peculiarly poor day. Chances went begging, most notably to Stephen Fleming and Craig McMillan, while Jacob Oram summed up the rustiness on display when he nutmugged himself on the fine-leg boundary and gifted Sanath Jayasuriya yet another boundary. Shane Bond held onto an impressive back-pedalling effort at third man, but in previous fixtures such excellence would have been the norm, not the exception.Celebrity of the Day
Given that his US$4million-dollar holiday home lies a mere Lear-Jet-ride away on the island of Mustique in the Grenadines, it was no great surprise to spot that most A-list of cricket afficionadoes, Mick Jagger, in the stands today. This was, after all, an A-list contest to savour, even if New Zealand put in a performance that was more Keith Richards than Viv Richards. Still, it could have been worse. Jagger might have been in Barbados to watch England’s dire showing yesterday. (Cue endless gags about gettin’ no satisfaction, and so on.)Absentee of the Day
So much had been made of Lasith Malinga’s pace, panache and unpredictability, but in the event he was barely given a second thought by the Sri Lankans. Their threat in this competition stems from the depth and variety of their bowling resources, and with the old firm of Murali and Vaas revelling in an opportunity to hog the limelight, the remainder of the attack trundled through their quota with scarcely a shot played in anger against them. When New Zealand’s turn came, however, it was like a throwback to the Hadlee era – Shane Bond was peerless once again, but once he’d gone wicketless, the remainder were powerless.Powerplay of the Day
Maybe it’s a Grenadan thing. Two days after Brian Lara set a new record in calling for his third and final Powerplay in the 45th over, Stephen Fleming went one better, and delayed his until the 46th. In theory it wasn’t such a bad move – Sri Lanka needed just one run to win so the entire field had to be crowded around the bat anyway. But Gillespie’s first delivery was misdirected and clipped for four, to end the both the latest and the shortest set of fielding restrictions possible.

South Africa’s women’s squad have got their European tour preparations underway three months ahead of the trip, with a three-day training camp.The camp ran from 20-22 April at the High Performance Centre at the University of Pretoria, the same venue where the ICC Associates winter camp was held last December. Fitness and conditioning tests were part of the programme for the 13 players, who are captained by Cri-Zelda Brits of North West.The team will travel to the Netherlands in July to participate in a five-match ODI and one four-day match against Netherlands women. The tour comes on the back of a successful five-match ODI home series against Pakistan earlier this year.From the Netherlands, the side will travel to the United Kingdom for 10 days to play an English side in a three-match ODI series.Cricket South Africa’s senior amateur manager, Max Jordaan, said: “This three-day camp is indicative of Cricket South Africa’s commitment to quality cricket programmes for all who play.”Training squad Cri-Zelda Brits (capt) , Susan Benade, Trisha Chetty, Lonell de Beer, Mignon du Preez, Ashlyn Kilowan, Marcia Letsoalo, Johmari Logtenberg, Shibnam Ismal, Sunette Loubser, Alicia Smith, Claire Terblanche, Daleen Terblanche.

Monty Panesar’s outstanding performance in the third Test against West Indies at Old Trafford has lifted him to a career-best 12th position in the ICC rankings for bowlers. Panesar finished with figures of 10 for 187, his first ten-for in Tests, as England pulled off a 60-run win to take a 2-0 lead and seal the series. Panesar is now the third-ranked spinner in the list, behind only Muttiah Muralitharan and Anil Kumble. Steve Harmison, who also had a good Test with six wickets, retains his 18th place.

Among the batsmen, Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Alastair Cook both moved up eight slots after scoring exactly 166 runs in the Test. Chanderpaul is now in 13th place, one spot ahead of Cook. The news wasn’t so good for Andrew Strauss, though, who has dropped out of the top 20 for the first time since December 2004 after scoring just 78 runs in five innings in the ongoing series against West Indies. Kevin Pietersen retains the third spot, though his rating has slipped below the 900 mark.

Mahela Jayawardene expressed disappointment that Marvan Atapattu had decided to opt out of the upcoming three-Test series against Bangladesh starting on June 25 at the SSC.”I just got to know over the weekend about Marvan’s opting out of the series. I am disappointed because it would have been great to have him around. The experience that he brings to the team would be immense,” Jayawardene told a press gathering held to welcome the Bangladesh cricket team at Hotel Taj Samudra on Monday.”Marvan’s absence definitely opens doors for new players. Hopefully they will grab it. That’s how I see it. We’ve already have a couple of young guys in the squad and we were thinking in the lines of giving them some exposure. I haven’t still sat with the selectors and finalized what the outcome would be after the news we’ve heard from Marvan. All of us have to take responsibility and look forward to the series,” said Jayawardene.Atapattu announced over the weekend that he was unavailable for the Test series citing personal reasons.When it was pointed out that two other experienced cricketers Chaminda Vaas and Muttiah Muralitharan would not be playing in the one-day series, Jayawardene stated: “We have to manage these players in the long term. Four years down the line we never know what will happen. We need to give opportunities to other cricketers to get the exposure and give them the experience.””Those were the lines that we’ve been thinking when we selected the sides. Vaasy and Murali have been playing a lot of cricket especially in the counties. If we could give them a break in between it would be ideal because after September onwards we’ve got a lot of cricket ahead of us. We need to make sure we manage them properly,” he said.On the opposition they will be encountering Jayawardene said that Sri Lanka would not take anything lightly. “Bangladesh has made a lot of strides forward from the time they were last here. The more exposure you get in international cricket the players mature. We know how good Bangladesh are. We knew how good they were in the World Cup. They were in our group and we knew how dangerous they could be. We had to play a really good game to beat them in Trinidad,” said Jayawardene.”There are a lot of our guys who want to prove a point. Test cricket for us is all about pride. Personally, for me that’s the ultimate challenge or for any cricketer. We are simply looking forward to this series. We haven’t played in Sri Lanka for almost one year and we are keen to go out and play good cricket and have the fans behind us,” he said.Trevor Penney who has taken over the role as coach of the Sri Lanka team after the departure of Tom Moody said the strategy for the series would be very much the same as it has been in the last few years.Penney hoped that the new coach who would take charge of the team would not interfere with it too much.”The two years Tom and I had dealt with the side we leave a bit of a legacy to go forward. I hope the new coach who comes in doesn’t try and change too much of what we’ve done with the side. We have made them a real team unit who believe in themselves and playing for each other,” said Penney who would also be leaving to join Moody in Western Australia at the end of the series.Sri Lanka Cricket on Friday signed another Australian Trevor Bayliss as the new coach to succeed Moody. Bayliss is expected to officially take over the national team from the first week of September.Mohammed Ashraful, Bangladesh’s new captain, said his team were hopeful of putting up a better performance in the Test series than their last tour to Sri Lanka which former captain Habibul Bashar described as one of the worst.Bangladesh on that occasion was routed 0-2 in the Tests and 0-3 in the one-day series. “We have been practicing hard and every day we are improving. One day cricket we have improved a lot but Test cricket we have some way to go. Our intention is to improve our Test cricket. We will play hard on this tour to achieve that,” said Ashraful.Bangladesh will play a full series of three Tests and three one-day internationals during their one month tour of Sri Lanka. They begin the tour with a three-day practice match at the Colts grounds on Wednesday.

Scorecard

Bangladesh’s bowlers led their team to an 86-run win over China in the ACC women’s tournament at Johor Bahru. Bangladesh dismissed China for 22 after scoring 108 batting first.Bangladesh’s batsmen hadn’t impressed greatly in being bowled out for 108 against a pretty sound Chinese attack. Their 108 needs to be put into perspective by the fact that China dropped seven catches (all skiers) and bowled 21 wides. It could have been a lot less.”Even with all that I was happy with the team,” said Rashid Khan, China’s coach. “They showed a lot of energy and application in the field. Bowling out a team like Bangladesh inside 30 overs is no small matter.”Bangladesh can bat. Up to now only the openers had been on show as they’d won both their preceding matches in the tournament by ten wickets, but in Panna Ghosh and Salma Khatun they have two exceedingly sound bats and the rest all showed enough to suggest that they’re no strangers to the crease.Bangladesh’s coach Zafrul Ehsan was a little concerned by his team’s batting performance, “They forgot to take singles and tried for too many big shots. I thought their running too, could have been a lot better,” he said during the lunch interval, adding “But our bowlers will win it for us”.That they did. Panna Ghosh – the fastest bowler in the competition – was kept out but Shamima Akhter made the initial breakthrough in the fourth over and then the spinners came on. Sui Shuai was bowled between bat and pad by an off-break from Salma Khatun and then Champa Chakma’s left-arm spin simply bamboozled the middle-order.”We’ve never faced anything like her before,” said China’s captain Mei Chun Hua. Certainly China’s best batsman Hu Ting Ting had never before seen any googly quite like the one which led to her second-ball stumping – a smart piece of work from Mina Khatun off Chakma.Rain for an hour and a half merely delayed the inevitable and China’s last five bats barely troubled the scorers. China’s only batting consolation was that they scored more runs than overs faced.A bowling machine or immersion in the wiles of Asian spinners is a must for China’s batsmen, as for Bangladesh, their captain Tajkia Akhter says, “We truly believe, God willing, that we can win this competition. We’re ready to move up to the next level.”

Scorecard

Sarah Taylor’s unbeaten 52 provided the platform for England’s five-wicket win over New Zealand in the second women’s Twenty20 international at Bath Cricket Club, giving them a 2-0 lead in the three-match series.Taylor’s 50-ball innings was perfectly paced and included a superb six over long-on, and with Claire Taylor giving an early boost with a 13-ball 21, England were always ahead of the asking rate and they eased home with 14 balls to spare.New Zealand, who paid for not using their full allocation over overs, were restricted by tight bowling and impressive fielding which produced three run-outs, including two at the top of the order, to reduce them to 18 for 3. They also struggled with a much slower and lower pitch than had been the case yesterday.The losing captain Haidee Tiffen said: “We just wish it was a better result for us. England had a really really tough winter so to come back is a credit.” Charlotte Edwards, England’s captain, was delighted to take the Twenty20 series but expects a hard time in the one-dayers. “It will be a tightly fought series – the sides are really well matched.”The compact ground was packed, a reward for the decision to play the two matches at a more intimate venue. They enjoyed seeing England seal the series, bouncing right back from their winter of discontent – and their new coach Mark Dobson has now made it two wins in two.The sides meet again in the final Twenty20 international at Taunton on Thursday.