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ScorecardEngland’s miserable time on the subcontinent continued with their fourth successive defeat in the triangular tournament, this time to Sri Lanka. They now need unlikely victories with bonus points in their remaining two matches – and for Bangladesh to win tomorrow – to make the final. Chance would be a fine thing … but the chances are it will be Sri Lanka and the hosts Bangladesh who contest the final on December 14th.Before then England must play both teams once again and, realistically, only pride at stake. But any pride they can salvage at all will act as at least some fillip to them after Sri Lanka beat them by a whopping 60 runs to make it nine defeats out of nine matches this tour. Just like their senior counterparts, they are finding life on the subcontinent somewhat testing.Hans Fernando’s unbeaten century helped to take Sri Lanka to 281 for 6 from their 50 overs. His 119 not out came from 106 balls and included 15 fours. It took him two hours. The opener Dimuth Karunaratne piled on the misery with 56 from 80 balls. Rory Hamilton-Brown was England’s most successful bowler, with two wickets for 59 runs from his ten overs.England’s reply got off to a creditable start, with Varun Chopra making his highest total this tournament, 77. Ben Wright added 47 before he was caught and bowled by Sacithra Serasinghe, who bagged 4 for 53. Rajeeva Weerasinghe also chipped in with an impressive 3 for 22 from 8.1 overs as England crumbled in the face of a mountainous target.

Kyle Mills, the New Zealand fast bowler, says that there shall be no premeditated sledging against Australia in the forthcoming Chappell-Hadlee Trophy which starts on December 3.Mills, who was among the wickets during New Zealand’s recent one-day series loss to South Africa, also featured prominently in some visible exchanges with Graeme Smith. He has, however, dismissed any chance of such banter with Australia, a side whose reputation for mentally testing its opponent is well known.”It’s nothing really, it’s just verbal banter,” he told stuff.co.nz. “It’s what happens out there at the time. Emotions get into it and it goes from there. But you’ve got to control what you control best. Most guys have played enough first-class and international cricket and what goes on the field stays on the field.”Mills even went to the extent of saying that Australia’s newbees – Michael Lewis and Stuart Clark, both fast bowlers, and Cameron White, the spin bowling allrounder, will be spared the psychological gibes. “You don’t pinpoint a player at the start of the series or the start of the game, it’s what happens out there,” Mills said. “That’s the beauty of cricket, I guess.”Probed to comment on his claims of becoming an allrounder, Mills said that it was still an aspiration – he hopes to bat at No.7 some day – but that he had neglected his batting in recent times. “There’re a few allrounders I have to get past first. It’s something I’d like to work towards but I just want to keep my bowling as it was in South Africa.”The first of three one-day matches will be played at Eden Park on Saturday.

Brendon Julian, the former Test bowler, believes Australia’s hopes of regaining the Ashes would be boosted if Glenn McGrath and Adam Gilchrist walked away from the one-day game. Managing the workloads of the mid-30s players has become a key issue for the selection panel as they plan for next summer’s five-Test England series and McGrath was allowed to miss the Chappell-Hadlee Series in December while Gilchrist is currently on a week off.Julian, who is now a television commentator, expected Gilchrist, his former team-mate, to benefit from the time at home as he deals with a worrying batting streak and he felt his case would need further monitoring. “I would hate to see McGrath and Gilchrist not be ready for the Ashes series coming up,” Julian said in The Age. “I tend to think if it means them stepping out of the one-day arena to further lengthen their Test career, maybe that’s something that needs to be done.”Gilchrist, 34, was initially approved for a break for the three-match Chappell-Hadlee Series but his holiday request was over-ruled by the Cricket Australia board and he has scored less than 500 runs in his 15 international matches this summer. His need for a rest may also have been shown in his heated argument with Aleem Dar in Sunday’s five-wicket loss to South Africa that resulted in him being charged with dissent.Julian said the effects of last winter’s Ashes loss on the players could have been underestimated and he believed Gilchrist would have bounced back for the South Africa Test series if he had not gone to New Zealand. “I think it is weariness,” he said. “I think he definitely needs that rest and around that New Zealand tour he probably should have been rested. It’s well overdue, he’s the type of player that will respond really well to that. It’s such a heavy workload, batting and wicketkeeping at the same time.”Trevor Hohns, the chairman of selectors, is mindful of the need to rest players performing in both the Test and one-day sides. More senior squad members are expected to be given short periods at home as the VB Series continues over the next four weeks.

Cricket Australia has called for lifetime bans on supporters found guilty of racial abuse following reports that India’s top lawyer has been called in to investigate ongoing complaints by South African players.James Sutherland, the Australia board’s chief executive, said that spectators who racially abused players should either face heavy fines or be banned from attending matches. He added that tougher penalties were needed to “allow cricket administrators globally to ban for life or heavily fine the small handful of miscreants who offend with weak-minded racist taunts from the relative anonymity of packed stadiums.”The weak-minded minority who are tempted to think ‘me too’ when they see or hear media reports of racist taunts might think again if they realised they faced bans or huge fines of the type that now apply to spectators who trespass on Australian cricket arenas.”We intend to talk to Australian federal and state governments who supported us by introducing heavy fines for on-field trespassers to see if a similar approach might be possible for racist spectators.”Sutherland’s comments came after the ICC announced it had asked Goolam Vahanvati, India’s solicitor general, to investigate incidents of racial abuse that have taken place in Australia during the current season.

Stuart Clark hopes he can be the man to fix Australia’s end-of-innings bowling problems. The Australians have struggled to close out opposition batsmen in the final overs since the Chappell-Hadlee Series and the continued absence of Glenn McGrath means Ricky Ponting is still searching for a reliable replacement.”I’d like to be the death bowler, I am getting better at that,” Clark told AAP ahead of Friday’s Twenty20 International at Johannesburg. “If they want to give me the new ball, I’m happy to do that, or bowl first change. If they want me to bowl at the death, I’m happy to do that as well.”Clark made his debut during the Super Series last October and has played 11 ODIs and taken 19 wickets. He has become a regular fringe member of the side since he was picked as a squad replacement for McGrath in England and he will enter the five-match one-day series as part of the first-choice bowling line-up including Brett Lee and Nathan Bracken. “You only get limited opportunities and you have to make the most of them while you’re out there,” Clark said.The Australians have talked about dealing with the hostile crowds predicted for the series, but Clark said the reaction was not a concern. “It doesn’t matter where you go,” he said. “When we went to New Zealand, the crowd was parochial towards New Zealanders. When South Africa come to Australia, the Australian crowd climbs on board for us.”It’s part of being an international cricketer. It’s the same in domestic cricket. Queensland don’t like NSW and Western Australia don’t like anyone.”

The ICC have approved four venues for the Champions Trophy which will be held in India later this year.Previously they had insisted on the host country using just three venues but accepted the Indian board’s compensation offer of US$200,000 to add a fourth venue. The BCCI had requested the extra venue because of the size of India and the demand of its members to host matches.Mumbai’s Brabourne Stadium, the Sardar Patel stadium in Ahmedabad, the Punjab Cricket Association ground in Mohali and the Sawai Man Singh stadium in Jaipur will host for the limited-overs tournament which lasts for a month.West Indies are the current holders, having beaten England in the final at The Oval in 2004.

Javed Miandad, the former Pakistan captain, has urged the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to find out the genuine reasons for which Shahid Afridi, the allrounder, decided to stop playing Test matches until the next World Cup.”I was surprised to read today, that the PCB Chairman told the reporters that the board would have to review the terms of the central contract it has given to Afridi, if he does not change his decision,” Miandad told . “Instead of talking about money and contracts, I think the board should try to find out why he has taken this strange decision.”Shaharyar Khan, the PCB chairman, told reporters on Sunday that the board would speak to Afridi and would try to persuade him to change his mind. He added if this didn’t happen, then it would have to obviously review the terms and conditions of his contract.Afridi has taken a temporary retirement from Test cricket saying that he wanted to concentrate on one-day matches and prepare for the World Cup. He citied excess of cricket these days and his failure to adjust to both forms of the game as the reason for his retirement.But Miandad said that the board needed to find out what led Afridi to make such a drastic move. “If excess cricket is the reason with which I don’t agree, then you could have other players also following the same line in the near future,” he said. Miandad, 48, who played 124 Tests and 233 one-dayers, said that instead of worrying about the sort of contract which was given to Afridi, the board should get to the bottom of the reasons for his decision.”By saying that the board would have to review the terms of his contract if he didn’t change his decision, the PCB has basically given the impression that it is trying to put the allrounder under pressure to change his mind,” he explained. “I have played for over 20 years for Pakistan and I think the board needs to handle the Afridi issue more efficiently and sensibly. He is a good player and a rare commodity. You don’t get players who can bat, bowl and field brilliantly and have the potential of being true matchwinners in both forms of the game.”Miandad, who was also the team coach on three occasions, said that he also didn’t agree with the boards’ decision to try and hireJonty Rhodes, the former South African player, as a fielding consultant. “I don’t know where this idea came from,” he said. “And I don’t think Jonty would be able to make much of a difference to our fielding standards by just coming over here for a few weeks. It would be a waste of good money.”I am willing to tell the board, the reasons for our inconsistent fielding standards. But at the end of the day, when it comes to fielding, each individual player must have enough keenness and interest by himself in order to try, improve and gain experience in the fielding department. You can’t force a player to dive, he does it himself.”

South Africa face a hectic international season ahead of next year’s World Cup in West Indies, with the announcement of the 2006-07 international fixtures programme by Cricket South Africa. The team will play a maximum of eight Tests and 20 ODIs, starting with the tour of Sri Lanka in July.The Sri Lanka tour includes two Tests and a tri-series also involving India, with each team playing each other twice before the finals. South Africa then head to India for the ICC Champions Trophy where they will play a maximum of five matches, should they make the finals.Their home season kicks off with a five-match ODI series against India during the first half of the summer. The focus then shifts to the Tests, with six back-to-back matches, three each against India and Pakistan. Pakistan will play their Tests at Centurion, Port Elizabeth and Cape Town, followed by five ODIs, with the last ending on February 14. Almost immediately after, South Africa head to West Indies for the World Cup, and will be based in St Kitts for the group stages.Gerald Majola, CEO of Cricket South Africa, said that the schedule was aimed at improving the team’s international ranking and bench strength. South Africa are well placed in the ODI team rankings, second only to Australia. However, they will want to improve on a Test ranking which places them behind Pakistan.”We have put a high performance programme supported by Standard Bank in place to fine tune the Proteas [South Africa] as well as to ensure that our widening pool of emerging players are ready to meet the challenges of international cricket,” Majola said in a media release. “The Proteas will be looking to consolidate their ODI position in the top 2 with Australia, and to climb further up the Test ladder.”All eyes are on the World Cup in March, and as world record holders the Proteas will be going into the tournament with much confidence. We will leave no stone unturned to ensure that the Proteas get the best preparation possible.”Pakistan in South Africa Jan 6-8 Tour Match – Kimberley
Jan 11-15 1st Test – Centurion
Jan 19 -23 2nd Test – Port Elizabeth
Jan 26 -303rd Test – Cape Town
Feb 2 1st ODI – Johannesburg (d/n)
Feb 4 2nd ODI – Centurion
Feb 9 3rd ODI – Port Elizabeth (d/n)
Feb 11 4th ODI – Cape Town
Feb 14 5th ODI – Durban (d/n)

Allrounder Alex Blackwell has been ruled out of Australia women’s forthcoming home series against New Zealand in October due to a knee injury.Blackwell ruptured the anterior cruciate ligament in her left knee during a training session with New South Wales at the Sydney Cricket Ground on July 15. She will undergo surgery next week, and will miss the entire tour, comprising a Twenty20 fixture at Brisbane on October 18, followed by a five-match one-day series.Speaking to reporters, Blackwell admitted that the injury was a huge setback, but added that it would only encourage her to try harder to make a strong comeback.”It’s very disappointing to be injured and know I’m going to be watching from the sidelines as I’ve been training hard over the past three months in readiness for the season,” she said. “My priority now is to go through the rehabilitation process, stay positive and make sure I come out the other side fitter and stronger and ready to play cricket as soon as I can.”Blackwell, a medical student, was recently named the 2005 Australian University Sport Outstanding Athlete of the Year.

Division One

Will Smith and David Hussey both struck commanding half-centuries to help Nottinghamshire set an unassailable 252 against Essex at Colchester. Andy Bichel grabbed 5 for 44 but still ended on the losing side as Essex only managed 235 for 9 in reply to lose by 17 runs. Andy Flower was the home side’s topscorer with 57.Matt Prior pummelled 141 off just 86 balls to take Sussex to the most emphatic of victories against Glamorgan at Hove. Sussex made an impressive 193 from 33 overs after rain reduced the match, but that effort was put into the shadows by Sussex who killed off the game within 25 overs. Prior’s glorious knock included 20 fours and six sixes and he was joined in his efforts by Richard Montgomerie who struck a comparatively pedestrian 51 not out from 63 balls to help them win by nine wickets.

Division Two

Worcestershire held on for five-run win despite Kent working themselves into a fine position in their chase at New Road. Darren Stevens and Martin van Jaarsveld added 97 for the second wicket but Kent slumped from 184 for 2 when Robert Key fell. Zaheer Khan was the bowling star with 4 for 29 and was outstanding at the death. Worcestershire’s fielding was also vital with two run outs. Khan had earlier boosted the home side’s total with 42 off 38 balls after Lou Vincent hit 61.