Rahul DravidOn his team’s approach to the game
We’re really happy with the way we played at Multan. But we can’t afford to relax now. They will try and come back very strongly, and we have to be ready for that.On the build-up to the second Test
We have concentrated on our preparation. The pitch looks very firm, and there should be good bounce and carry. But it’s going to be the same for both teams. If the conditions suit their quick bowlers, chances are that our seamers will also do well, provided they bowl in the right areas.On the likely composition of the team, and especially the bowling component
We have selected a squad of 13, and will finalise the 11 only tomorrow. Ashish Nehra is in for Zaheer Khan, and we’re very happy with the way Ajit [Agarkar] has bowled over the past few days. One reason we didn’t pick him for Multan was because we felt he hadn’t had enough bowling hours. Balaji and Irfan [Pathan] have also been bowling well. Nehra is a quality performer on tracks that help him.On the team’s injury woes
Injuries are part and parcel of international cricket now. You can work very hard on your fitness, but you need luck too. Ashish’s injury, the split webbing, that had nothing to do with lack of fitness, it was just bad luck.On the absence of crowds for the Test series
It’s always nice to play in front of packed stadiums, and we had that for the one-day series. But I guess the Tests don’t attract the same following.On how India could take advantage of Pakistan’s nervousness to establish a firm grip on the match
If we can have a good first day, with bat or ball, like we did at Multan, they will be under real pressure.On the significance of the toss
We won the toss at Multan and made it count. Otherwise, it’s not really a factor. Just winning the toss doesn’t win you games.Inzamam-ul-HaqAbout the pressure on his side
We are playing a home series, so there is a lot of pressure. We didn’t play well in the opening game, and we know we have to do better here.On whether he was allowed a look at the pitch – a reference to his perceived tiff with Andy Atkinson, who is supervising preparation of the pitches used in this series
They showed me the pitch (laughing). It’s a sporting one, and will help our fast bowlers.On the bowlers, who bowled so poorly in Multan
They didn’t bowl to their potential, and they know that. The Indian bowlers bowled a good line and length, and on the stumps.On the importance of the toss
There will be some initial movement, but I don’t think it will affect the final result. Test matches have to be won over four or five days.On whether his batsmen too need to take extra responsibility after a poor second-innings showing in Multan
Look, a Test match is a team effort. Batsmen or bowlers alone can’t win you games.On what he has said to his side ahead of the match
We know we have a tough task to come back. But we’re looking ahead. Looking back will only have a negative effect on the team.On Kamran Akmal, who replaces the injured Moin Khan
He has played both Tests and ODIs before. He’s a very talented young player, and we hope he will take his chance.On Imran Nazir, who is part of the squad
He has performed well in the first-class games, and I’m in favour of giving chances to such people.On why his bowlers haven’t been getting the ball to reverse swing
I think it’s just a question of our bowlers having one good session.On his statement that Pakistan’s bowlers weren’t world class
Look, what I meant was that former greats like Wasim [Akram], Imran [Khan] and Waqar [Younis] have in the region of 400 wickets each. These bowlers need time and performances to reach that level.

Sourav Ganguly has suggested that the ICC implement a two-tier system to preserve the sanctity of Test cricket. Reacting to the news that the ICC was planning to offer full membership to six more countries before the 2007 World Cup, Ganguly said: "If the standard of the game has to be preserved, it would be better to have a two-tier system." Such a system would ensure that the top teams only play each other, leaving the bottom-rung teams to battle among themselves.The clamour over maintaining the standards of Test cricket comes in the wake of some hopelessly one-sided series over the last few years. Bangladesh have struggled since being granted Test status, losing 26 out of 28 matches, while the Zimbabweans – missing almost all their top players – have looked completely out of depth: they have been thrashed by the Sri Lankans in the current series, but an even more fearful mauling is in prospect in the upcoming series against Australia.Ganguly also admitted that the while the Australians were still the best team in the world, the Indians were gradually closing in. “We have to match Australia in consistency. Australia have played good cricket over a period of time to become the number one team. We have played well and done well against them in Tests but in one-day cricket they have had the better of us. [But] doing well in the coming series will definitely close the gap.”On the issue of retaining John Wright as the coach, Ganguly said: “It depends on lot of issues. John has been a very good coach. But whether to retain him or otherwise depends on a lot of issues. He also has to decide. He has a family and he has been travelling widely for the last few years.”

Zimbabwe have announced a 14-man squad for the three one-day internationals against Australia, at Harare on May 25, 27 and 29. The ODIs were brought forward after the cancellation of the two scheduled Test matches.Tatenda Taibu continues to lead a weakened team in the absence of the so-called rebel players, who originally made themselves available for selection for the one-day games, but were today sacked – again – by the Zimbabwe Cricket Union.The ZCU press release announcing the side stated: “The squad does not include the contracted players who have been refusing to play and have further breached their contracts by making themselves available for selection conditionally, in breach of Paragraph 4.1.1 of their contracts, which requires them to play representative cricket for Zimbabwe in any match for which any of them are selected. The players have also contravened Paragraph 4.1.13 of their contracts which prohibits them from making public statements without the prior consent of the Zimbabwe Cricket Union.”Zimbabwe squad
Dion Ebrahim, Stuart Matsikenyeri, Brendan Taylor, Vusumuzi Sibanda, Mark Vermeulen, Elton Chigumbura, Tatenda Taibu (capt and wk), Alester Maregwede, Tinashe Panyangara, Tawanda Mupariwa, Mluleki Nkala, Douglas Hondo, Edward Rainsford, Waddington Mwayenga.

Pakistan have replaced Javed Miandad as coach of the national team with Bob Woolmer, the former England batsman and South Africa coach.Miandad, who was in his third stint as Pakistan’s coach, was under contract to hold the position until April 2005, but he and the board decided to go their separate ways in the wake of the recent Test and one-day series against India, both of which Pakistan lost.Shaharyar Khan, chairman of the Pakistan board (PCB), said today: “Woolmer has agreed to be our national team coach which is a matter of great satisfaction for us. Miandad wanted to be released from the job and we felt we should honour his request.”Miandad, 47, reportedly became increasingly unimpressed at the level of criticism which came flying his way after the defeat to India, and he even threatened to stand down back in April because of it. “I am sure that this team has the potential to bounce back, and I can guide this team to improve,” he said then, “but I will quit if there are major shake-ups in the team management.”The main areas of criticism were for his alleged unprofessional approach as the coach, and the indiscipline of his bowlers and fielders. There were even inquiries into some players faking injuries during that series as well. Miandad’s previous two spells as coach also ended in controversy: the first time around, he quit after disagreements with his senior players, 15 days before the 1999 World Cup; the second time, he was sacked. “His contract has been terminated,” Khan confirmed today, adding: “We offered him to serve as national cricket advisor but he has declined.”Woolmer, his replacement, played 19 Tests for England between 1975 and 1981, and coached the South Africans for four years. He had been working as the ICC’s high-performance manager, but has now been signed up to coach Pakistan until the 2007 World Cup.A statement released today by the PCB said that Woolmer had been picked due to his “advanced technological methods”, and Khan himself added: “It was not easy to get a coach of Woolmer’s status, who is a pioneer and highly respected,” he said, “but through negotiations we have convinced him to take the job before the Asia Cup until the 2007 World Cup in West Indies.”

With barely a week to go before Canada’s Intercontinental Cup match against Bermuda in Toronto, the Canadian board (CCA) has finally selected a venue – but the choice has left many surprised and disappointed.With the cash-strapped CCA unwilling to pay to use one of the main venues, it was left with few alternatives and plumped to play the game at Sunnybrook. While the ground might sound idyllic, one local told me that aside from their being no pavilion to speak of, there is "no running water, no hydro, no covers, no sightscreens and a very poor schoolyard scoreboard."The venue is used regularly for cricket, but there has not been a turf wicket there since 2001, when they were specially laid for the ICC Trophy. Last season the artificial pitches, which are used for all games, were relaid, and the adjoining grass wickets were damaged during that work and never repaired.Reports suggest that the CCA has been carrying out some urgent work on the grass pitch, but the chances of getting a surface good enough to last three days, and good enough for a first-class match, in such a short time is almost impossible."A three-day wicket takes considerable preparation or it will deteriorate after the first day or so, and either become dusty and turn square or be so lively on the first day that a medium-pacer will be unplayable," a local curator explained. "I cannot believe that the umpires will allow it [the game] to proceed on this track."

The CCA faces other problems. The venue is in a picturesque public park, and as such it cannot be fenced off and so there will be no opportunity to charge for admission. Without any cordoning off, there will also be problems in erecting any tents or marquees to sell alcohol. That, coupled with the fact that players will not have immediate access to washing facilities, means the entire venture is verging on a farce.This is Canada’s chance to show the world that it is ready to be taken as a serious player in world cricket. The Canadian board appears to be hell-bent on squandering that opportunity, and with ICC officials in town for the match, it could be a very public humiliation.Back in May, the CCA attempted to get the Intercontinental Cup tie against USA in Florida postponed, claiming that there had not been adequate time for preparation. Rightly, the ICC ruled the game had to go ahead. This time, the CCA has had seven months to prepare, and yet they only approached the three clubs with good grass wickets – Ajax CC, King City and the Toronto Cricket Skating and Curling Club – in late July.For the good of Canadian cricket, it has to be hoped that, somehow, the whole thing comes together and works. If it doesn’t, then the CCA, already deeply unpopular in some quarters, will face increasing calls for change.Click here for www.canadacricket.com’s full report on Sunnybrook

Kevin Pietersen, England’s newly qualified South African-born batsman, has hit out at his non-selection for this winter’s tour of South Africa, hinting that politics may have played a part in his omission.”I was disappointed not to go to South Africa because I have scored more than 5000 first-class runs in county cricket at 54 in the past four years,” Pietersen told The Guardian. “I haven’t spoken to the selectors but I have heard that they don’t want to take me back to South Africa, with all the extra pressures.”Pietersen, who was born and raised in South Africa, has an Afrikaaner father but an English mother, and he has already earned himself something of a reputation for plain-speaking. His resentment of non-white quotas in South African sport played a major part in his decision to shift his allegiance to England, and his burning ambition led last season to a major rift with his county side, Nottinghamshire, where he has been spending his four-year qualification period.”You are brought up to be loyal to the country you are in,” added Pietersen, “but I have never been totally patriotic to South Africa. It is a case of how I was brought up at home. My mum ruled the roost and she is English through-and-through. Dad is an Afrikaner but he doesn’t speak Afrikaans at home. If England go to South Africa and win, I’ll be a happy boy.”Rod Marsh, Pietersen’s coach at the National Academy, is adamant that his country of origin played no part in his omission from the South Africa tour, adding that England will benefit from his desire to play at the highest level. “English cricket’s spirit will be strengthened by him, not diluted,” said Marsh. “He has made an enormous sacrifice of leaving his own country. Maybe English cricket’s spirit has been diluted in the past by those English players who have not wanted it enough.”

Glenn McGrath warmed up for the first Test with his best spell in “I don’t know how long” thanks to a lightweight pair of shoes borrowed from Shane Watson that put some spring back in the old man’s step.By all accounts, Watson is a good guy who would give you the shirt off his back, but in McGrath’s case it was handing over a pair of size 12s that revitalised the veteran fast bowler on the eve of what is going to be a gruelling series against India.McGrath was hugely optimistic about his Test prospects after taking 4-28 from 20.2 overs against Mumbai at Brabourne Stadium, an unwaveringly accurate and varied performance that suggested he was back to his penetrative best.”That was the best it’s felt in I don’t know how long, quite a few years,” said McGrath, whose 11-year Test career was in serious jeopardy earlier this year when ankle troubles persisted.”I tried something different – I tried lighter boots.”My normal boots are a kilo each and these are half a kilo. It made me feel so much lighter. I felt I was running in well and my follow through, which is always a key to how well I’m bowling, felt as light as it’s been for a long time.”I was mixing it up a lot to try every type of ball and they were coming out really well. I couldn’t be happier after this match. I came off after bowling and I had that much energy, I couldn’t sit still.”McGrath, whose preparations for India hit a snag last month when he conceded 0-46 from eight lacklustre overs in the Champions Trophy semi-final against England, was forced to search for new boots when his regular model went out of stock.”They (Puma) made up a new batch, but they only had four left and they weren’t going to make them anymore,” said McGrath.”I had to change sooner or later.”I found in that last game in England that it just felt really heavy and I wasn’t hitting the crease. In the nets I’ve been bowling in half-spikes, and they felt quite good.”Watto had another pair of full-spike Puma ones, low-cut, and I tried them and I couldn’t be happier. He had a couple of pairs and said I could break them in for him. He’s not getting them back now and I’ve asked for more to be sent over.”Test captain and wicketkeeper Adam Gilchrist barely had to move when McGrath was bowling because the line was so deadly straight. Two of McGrath’s three wickets on the final day were from LBW decisions and there could have been a couple more.”I thought he was outstanding in what he did,” said Gilchrist.”He was back to what we’ve come to expect from him.”Because he hasn’t had a chance to have that extended hit-out, it’s been hard to know where he’s at. In one-dayers it’s hard to monitor and judge what he’s doing and I think he had a little bit of uncertainness about where he was in his whole rehabilitation and re-entry to the game.”So he’ll gain a lot out of that.”The first Test starts on Wednesday at Bangalore.

England XI 225 (Langeveldt 5-48) and 154 for 7 (Vaughan 82*, Willoughby 3-47) lead South Africa A 281 (van Jaarsveld 71, Ontong 56, Morkel 47) by 98 runs
Scorecard

One top-order aberration could be put down to ring-rustiness, but two in a single match smacks of carelessness. For the second day running at Potchefstroom, England’s batting collapsed in a heap against South Africa A, leaving the team in severe danger of an embarrassing three-day defeat. With less than a week to go until the first Test at Port Elizabeth, all of their pre-series optimism has gone floating down the river Mooi.Up until twenty minutes before tea, the day was looking quite promising for England. A spirited bowling performance had limited the South Africans to a first-innings lead of 56, and England seemed ready to set out their stall on a pitch that had flattened out since the first morning. But you know what they say about the best-laid plans. In a disastrous five-over spell before tea, England slumped to 3 for 3, and went on to lose four more wickets in the final session, with only the captain, Michael Vaughan, hanging around to man the barriers.By the close, Vaughan was still there on 82, a innings of phlegmatic serenity that was reminiscent of his effort at Johannesburg on Test debut four years ago, when England were reduced to 2 for 4 by Allan Donald and Shaun Pollock. The destroyers on this occasion, however, were nowhere near such a potent pairing. Instead Charl Willoughby and Ethy Mbhalati stuck to the basics of line, length and a modicum of movement, and let England’s lack of application do the rest.

The first of their victims was Marcus Trescothick, who had scratched around for a 43-ball 7 in the first innings. He lasted just five more balls second-time around, before being pinned plumb lbw in Willoughby’s first over. And then Andrew Strauss, with a fluent 50 to his name already, turned Mbhalati straight into the hands of JP Duminy at short-leg, to fall for a six-ball duck.The worst, however, was yet to come for England. Mark Butcher, who was in desperate need of some time in the middle after his two failures on the tour so far, had faced just ten balls by the time he was adjudged lbw by umpire Karl Hurtur, again for a duck. There was more than a hint of inside-edge in the decision, but no matter. England’s selectors now face a tricky decision – should they risk Butcher, or persevere with the in-form Robert Key, the man who replaced him when he was injured last summer?Graham Thorpe at least showed some signs of fluency in his brief stay – he rasped an Mbhalati half-volley through the covers for four, but was then beaten by a ball that kept a fraction low and bowled off the inside-edge by Willoughby. At 29 for 4, Vaughan was joined by Andrew Flintoff, just as he had been at Jo’burg five years ago, and together they wiped out what remained of the deficit with a series of counterattacking cuts and pulls.

But a change in the South African bowling attack ended that brief flurry of runs. Albie Morkel struck with his fifth delivery, clipping Flintoff’s off bail as he played down the wrong line (64 for 5), and for the second innings running, Geraint Jones arrived at the crease with England in all sorts of bother. He did his best to provide Vaughan with support, cracking five fours in an hour-long stay, but when Mbhalati returned to the attack, Jones feathered a lifting delivery through to Mark Boucher, to depart for 26 from 47 balls.Mbhalati then blotted his copy-book off the very next delivery, as he dropped Vaughan at fine leg, but by then the damage had been done. Ashley Giles was unable to stick around in his now-customary manner, as Martin van Jaarsveld snapped him up at second slip off Alfonso Thomas, but Matthew Hoggard did his bit, clinging on in the fading light as England closed on 154 for 7.For the first two sessions, it had looked like being England’s day, as their bowlers enjoyed precisely the sort of workout they needed ahead of the Port Elizabeth Test. Flintoff extracted some menacing bounce with his heavy-limbed action to pocket three scalps in a brisk spell before lunch, and though the rest of the attack took their time to click through the gears, each of them picked up at least one wicket, with Simon Jones cleaning up the tail in perfunctory fashion. For South Africa, van Jaarsveld top-scored with a fine 71, and Morkel cracked two sixes and six fours in an entertaining 47 from 48 balls, but it was with the ball that they really did their talking.

Scorecard

Matthew Elliott and David Hussey led Victoria’s charge and helped them race to a comprehensive seven-wicket win in the warm-up game against the West Indians at the MCG. Chasing a modest 202 for victory, Elliott and Hussey added 129 in quick time as Victoria romped home with 18 overs to spare.After a hesitant start, Hussey’s excellent knock came from just 62 balls and included five sixes as the West Indian bowlers were taken apart. Elliott played the anchor role to near-perfection and though he was out late in the innings, the victory was all but ensured by then. Pedro Collins, the left-arm seamer, was the most impressive of the West Indian bowlers. He trapped Brad Hodge lbw for 3 and finished with figures of 2 for 26.Earlier in the day, the West Indian batsmen failed to capitalise on starts and no-one went on to post a big score. Chris Gayle gave them a blistering start with a 23-ball 33 but he fell in the fifth over and the rest didn’t cash in on the momentum. Apart from Gayle, six other batsmen – including Brian Lara – reached double figures but none was able to kick on to a sizeable score.The West Indians were reduced to 6 for 63 and only a fighting ninth-wicket partnership between Courtney Browne and Ian Bradshaw, the same pair who had starred in a historic triumph in the Champions Trophy final in September, enabled them to cross the 200-mark.For Victoria, Michael Lewis, Cameron White and Hodge, who bowls part-time offspin, snapped up two wickets apiece. Tim Welsford, the allrounder, claimed his first wicket for Victoria and it turned out to be the prized one of Lara – caught behind by Adam Crosthwaite for 24.”The players have played enough international cricket to do better than they did today,” the West Indies coach Bennett King told the AAP news agency.”Five of our top eight looked like they were in very good form and showed some very good signs but unforced outs can really cruel you in this game and that’s what what we had today.”We were playing a very good side but again I’d expect a lot better from our bowlers.”The players will only have two chances to practise ahead of the VB series which starts on January 14, when West Indies take on Australia at the MCG. They will play two more warm-up games – both against Australia A – in Hobart on Saturday and Sunday.”We’ve got a lot of work to do in the next week or so and with the week leading up to the VB Series we’ve got some good plans in place,” added King.

The Pakistan board has maintained that their team will not play in Ahmedabad on the forthcoming tour to India. The Indian government had earlier sent a letter asking them to reconsider their decision, but the PCB insisted that Ahmedabad was a no-no, while also doing a volte-face and insisting that the decision was based on security concerns, and not political ones as was stated earlier.Calling the earlier reports speculative, the Pakistan board said in a media release: “The PCB hereby clarifies that after receiving the report of the security team that recently visited India, the PCB has requested the BCCI to change the venue of the Test from Ahmedabad to any other venue of Test status in India on grounds of security. The PCB contradicts reports suggesting any motive other than security in making the request.”Shaharyar Khan, the chairman of the PCB, told The Times of India: “We’re not going to play in Ahmedabad. As of now, even if the government of India or the BCCI asks us to reconsider, we will stick to our decision. We are concerned about only two things – firstly, the safety of our team, and secondly, the fear that the improving bilateral ties might be derailed even if there is a minor incident.”The newspaper also reported that the Pakistan board had come up with an alternative solution to solve the problem, suggesting a one-dayer at Mumbai instead of Delhi. Mumbai has in the past been a sensitive venue as well, due to the strong anti-Pakistan stand by the local Shiv Sena Party, but the PCB indicated that a match there would send out a clear signal that there were no political reasons for backing out of Ahmedabad.Meanwhile, the Gujarat Cricket Association (GCA) has demanded that the tour be cancelled if Pakistan refuse to play in Ahmedabad. “I will raise this issue in the next BCCI meeting on February 16,” Narhari Amin, the GCA president, told Press Trust of India. “Our message [to the PCB] is clear – either play in Ahmedabad or call off the entire series.” With so much at stake for the Indian board, it is highly unlikely that the BCCI will take any such step.Rajiv Shukla, the vice-president of the BCCI, is already in Lahore and is expected to meet Shaharyar in an attempt to resolve the issue. According to reports in various sections of the media, Chennai will get to host the Test if Ahmedabad is found unsuitable by the Indian board and the government.