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Talat Ali, the Pakistan manager, soothed fears over Shoaib Akhtar’s fitness after the bowler caused a minor stir by walking off the field in a practice match between Pakistan probables at a camp being held at the National Stadium Karachi.Shoaib bowled three unsuccessful overs in the searing afternoon heat before going off. He returned later for another bowl, this time completing his four-over quota, though he was given some rough treatment by Salman Butt and Imran Nazir.Talat said the absence was due to dehydration and nothing else. “It was hot, very humid and he got dehydrated. We gave him water and time to recover. He was a little dizzy because of the dehydration but he was fine after a cold shower and lots of water.”Shoaib took the field initially with strapping on his left knee and, coupled with his absence from practice matches yesterday, led some to suggest he was carrying an injury. “It’s nothing serious,” Talat said. “The strapping was only for support and nothing major. He was working out before as well and with the heat and the fact that he bowls so fast, it can happen. It’s not a fitness issue at all. In our Abbottabad training camp [in June] he was the fittest guy there.”Since the beginning of 2006, Shoaib has suffered from serious injuries to both knees and his ankle. Along with the doping scandal, it has resulted in him playing four ODIs and one Test in that time. It has led to calls that Shoaib be used selectively in future to prolong his career, though Talat would only acknowledge that the board will have to nurse him along.”We will use him whenever he is required. We have to look after him and nurse him along,” he said. “He has just come back from a long gap out and anyway we can’t expect him to bowl 100mph every match.”The arrival of Geoff Lawson as Pakistan’s new coach will also play a role. “He was a good fast bowler so he will be able to work closely with Shoaib and plan with him. It’s a joint thing and the management and Shoaib have to work together on it. He is our star bowler and he wins us matches.”

Mumbai’s Abhishek Nayar did not get a chance to impress in an unofficial one-day series against South Africa A last month, what with two of the three games washed out, but pitted against his team-mates from that series, he showed his talent.Nayar, a left-hand middle-order batsman and right-arm medium-pace bowler, walked in when his side were threatening to collapse from 164 for 4 on a good batting surface. He didn’t curb his natural instincts, instead trusting his attacking method. Neither did he let the Rest of India bowlers hit with any sort of rhythm, taking Mumbai towards a competitive total with 118 off 108 balls, including 20 fours and a six.Nayar later said that his second first-class century, coming as it did against mostly the same team, was special. “At this level, at this point of my career, this innings is important. I was in the A side, but didn’t get to play. I had got a hundred before that, and to get another now is special.”That hundred was a 162-ball 152 against Karachi Urban last month which helped seal the Mohammad Nissar Trophy for Mumbai. But Nayar rates this a lot higher “because it came at a more crucial juncture”. “At that point I wasn’t thinking about India A and all, but now I am.”What satisfied him most, though, was that the situation was tough and he still managed with his natural game. “I rate it as a good knock because of the situation. We were on the back foot and I got my team into a better position. It’s not because of the quality of the opposition, but because the situation demanded a lot out of me. That’s why it was satisfactory.”If a situation demands something, it’s not necessary to change your game. And if I get out after changing my game, I would come back unhappy that I didn’t do what I do best. I did what I do best and it worked for me.”It is not usually that a team rattles up close to 400 on the first day of a big match in Indian domestic cricket, but thanks to Nayar’s aggressive batting Mumbai managed 385 in 86 overs. The pace at which the runs were scored will prevent this game from degenerating into a first-innings affair as happens with high-scoring domestic games. Being a five-day match and given the strength of ROI’s batting and the quality of the surface, Mumbai would have wanted more, as Nayar’s fellow centurion Sahil Kukreja agreed.

A wicket from the last ball of the day for Matthew Nicholson has given Western Australia the edge at stumps on day two of their Pura Cup clash against South Australia at the Adelaide Oval.The Warrior paceman ripped out Jeff Vaughan’s off stump with a delivery that stayed down after the batsman had let it go. That wicket, the third that South Australia surrendered in the space of just over three overs at the end of the day, left the hosts reeling at 5/133.After captain Darren Lehmann’s unfortunate run out, the Redbacks lost a further two wickets for the addition of just five runs. Nicholson was the main destroyer, snaring the last two wickets in the final over of the day.The lanky right arm bowler was close to the best of the Western Australian attack today, with 2/42 off his 14.5 overs. Conceding 40 runs off his 17 overs for one wicket, chinaman bowler Brad Hogg was also in top form. And Jo Angel, who conceded just 14 runs from his seven overs, was typically economical.The Warriors will be looking for early wickets tomorrow to finish off the South Australian lower order and possibly enforce the follow on. South Australia’s hopes, meanwhile, will rest principally with 27-year-old batsman Ben Johnson, who is averaging 34 in domestic first class cricket. The hosts trail by 347 runs with only five wickets in hand.Earlier in the day, the Redbacks had been provided with a solid start by opener Shane Deitz. The 25-year-old played a typically patient and watchful innings today, bringing up his third half century in what is only his fifth first class match. Deitz’s fifty, which came from 128 balls, included four boundaries.Darren Lehmann, at the other end, scored at a quicker rate, posting 38 off 52 deliveries. Together with Deitz, he recorded a 50-run partnership, the highest of the Redback innings, from 101 balls.But just when those two looked settled, Deitz set off for a suicidal single off Warrior captain Tom Moody’s first ball. The throw from Ryan Campbell at mid wicket was an accurate one and, by the time that Lehmann reached his crease, wicketkeeper Adam Gilchrist had already dislodged the bails. The Redback captain’s innings contained four boundaires.Next in, Jason Gillespie quickly signalled his intentions with a boundary to get off the mark. But the Redbacks ran into even more trouble soon after, when Deitz was trapped lbw by Nicholson for 60.Earlier in the final session, Australian Test hopeful Greg Blewett had failed to catch the selectors’ eyes, scoring just two runs off 21 deliveries. Blewett, who lingered before walking to the pavilion, was clearly unhappy about the caught and bowled decision that brought about his demise. Left armer Hogg, however, was delighted at having held the low catch off the Redback’s bat.Blewett’s counterpart and occasional Australian teammate Damien Martyn (122) enjoyed a better day. A philosophical Martyn, who averaged 60 in Australia’s last Test series against New Zealand, says he knows Ricky Ponting’s recovery from injury will leave him out of the national team for the start of this summer’s Test series against the West Indies.”I haven’t been really worrying about that. I’ve just started my season and am going about my job,” he said. “I’d like to play Test cricket again. I got to play Test cricket in New Zealand and it was a lucky break and if I just keep making runs, you never know, anything could happen. If I’m not there in the first Test, I won’t be too unhappy about it.”Martyn’s ton was good, but Gilchrist’s early in the day was just superb. The Australian vice-captain, who had come to the crease when Martyn was at 58, even found his way to his century before his partner. Along the way, he belted 12 fours and two sixes to finish with 102 off 99 deliveries.He punished all the Redback bowlers, striking boundaries off even the accurate and economical Gillespie. He eventually fell to Peter McIntyre, missing a drive and watching the ball dislodge his off-stump instead. Martyn later described Gilchrist’s sparkling innings as a real bonus for his team.

With the storm surrounding the chairman of selectors settling, if only for the moment, the focus shifts to the selection of the Indian squad for the four Tests against Australia. It’s tough to predict much in Indian cricket these days but the 16-member squad is expected to be chosen without too many flutters.India’s good form of late means the selectors won’t be inclined to make too many changes and are likely to go with five fast bowlers, two spinners, two wicketkeepers and seven batsmen. Barring a debate surrounding the openers and one related to the fast-bowling line-up, the team almost picks itself.What the selectors will keep in mind, though, is performance on the last tour to Australia, one on which India memorably drew 1-1. Virender Sehwag, Aakash Chopra, Parthiv Patel and Ajit Agarkar may under normal circumstances have had an outside chance of making the cut but their case now will be strengthened by the impression they made four years ago.The only member of the starting XI whose spot is under scrutiny is Dinesh Karthik. He was the highest run-getter in the three Tests in England earlier this year and also gives the team an extra wicketkeeper option but two poor Tests have brought him under the scanner.He’s managed just 39 runs in the last four innings but backing from the team management, as well as a section of the selection committee, could see him through. Parthiv, in fine nick of late, is the one pushing for his slot. He toured Australia last time around and close observers have pointed to his improved wicketkeeping but his selection would nonetheless go down as a big surprise.The third opener’s slot will be contested by three Delhi batsmen. Gautam Gambhir, the reserve opener on the England tour, starts as favourite. He’s made a strong case with 342 runs in two Ranji Trophy games (at an average of 114) and would consider himself very unlucky to miss out.His competition is two contrasting batsmen who opened the batting in all four Tests last time around. Sehwag, with a poor showing in two Ranji matches, remains in the reckoning because of his fine record in Australia. His buccaneering 195 on the opening day of the Melbourne Test the last time hasn’t been forgotten and there is a belief that he still has it in him to swing a Test on his own.Chopra’s 215 in Dharamshala – he reached his double-century today with a six – provided a timely reminder that there is a third option. With 493 runs at 70.42 he has enjoyed a good, consistent run but remains only an outside contender. His close-in fielding could be an asset but he might well lose out in what’s turned into a rat-race.The rest of the batsmen, including Yuvraj Singh, pick themselves and Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh are all but certain to be the only two spinners on tour.That leaves five fast bowlers, a choice largely dependent on the fitness of those involved. Sreesanth is all but ruled out, providing Irfan Pathan with an opening for a comeback. He’s turned in some good spells in the Ranji games (11 wickets in two matches) and can be viewed as a fourth seamer who can bat lower down the order.Zaheer Khan and a fit RP Singh are obvious choices. Munaf Patel, with a couple of good spells in the recent series, could make it despite his injury-prone nature and that leaves the fifth slot to be filled. Ajit Agarkar, who last played a Test nearly two years back, comes back into the reckoning and will battle with rookies Ishant Sharma, VRV Singh and Ranadeb Bose for a spot. Agarkar’s six-wicket haul in Adelaide, added to his ability to get through a tour without picking up injuries, makes him the favourite for the final slot.Probable squadWasim Jaffer, Dinesh Karthik, Gautam Gambhir, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, VVS Laxman, Yuvraj Singh, Mahendra Singh Dhoni (wk), Anil Kumble (capt), Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, RP Singh, Irfan Pathan, Munaf Patel, Ajit Agarkar.

Michael Vaughan is preparing to head out to New Zealand to lead England’s Test team with a huge drive to ensure he is around to captain the side in next year’s Ashes and also has ambitions to play until the 2010-11 series in Australia.After England’s 1-0 defeat against Sri Lanka, their second consecutive series loss following the 1-0 reversal against India, there have been a few murmurings that Vaughan’s captaincy spell may come under pressure, especially with the one-day side under Paul Collingwood showing promising improvement.With the bat, though, Vaughan has proved his worth since returning to the Test side last summer against West Indies. He scored two centuries last year – a memorable ton on his comeback at Headingley and a stylish 124 against India at Trent Bridge – and feels he could have had plenty more runs to his name.”I know I am good enough to be there,” Vaughan told the at an Urban Cricket event in Sheffield. “That’s never ever been in question.”In the nine games since I have come back and played, I have probably found a rhythm to bat in that I have not had for a few years, which is a really great sign. I could have even averaged 75-80 with the way I played. I had two or three opportunities to go on and get 150s, 200s, massive scores and I didn’t take them.””If I can continue to play in that rhythm and form, I believe there will be a purple patch around the corner where I get big scores on the trot,” he said. “Whether I am there in 2009 – it is still a long way off – I still have ambition to go on beyond it.”I don’t just think 2009 will be it for me, I look maybe at the Australians in Australia the time after that. I would like to still be playing in that.”However, if he is around for the next trip down under he doesn’t think it will be as captain. He first took up the role in 2003 and would like to end his career purely as a batsman.”I don’t think I will do it [captaincy] for that stretch,” said Vaughan. “I really would love to play as a non-captain towards the latter stages of my career. I love the captaincy but I also wouldn’t mind having a ‘do’ eventually at just playing.”That’s why I have enjoyed this little six-week period out of the game when I can just focus on me, if you like: get my body and form to the standard I want it to be at, arrive in New Zealand fitter, and I probably will do, than I have been for years and years.”When I get there, I have to look after all the team so, in these little periods I have, I have to make sure I look after myself and arrive in decent form.”

Morne Morkel, the South African fast bowler, is being sent home from Pakistan after fresh X-rays revealed a fractured left foot. The selectors will meet later today to decide whether a replacement is needed.Morkel injured his left foot while bowling on the third day of their tour match against Patron’s XI and only bowled five overs before being taken off.”We were not happy with Morne’s condition and decided to have fresh X-rays this morning,” Micheal Owen-Smith, the team’s media manager, announced. “The reports revealed that he has fractured his fourth metatarsal in his left foot and will be sent back to South Africa.”Morkel underwent a fitness test on Monday morning, which he failed, before the team was announced for the first Test. Morkel’s injury could keep him away from cricket for the next six to eight weeks

Geoff Lawson delivered a strong message to the Pakistan squad about the hard work needed to make the team successful when he was interviewed for the coach’s job. Lawson believes Dav Whatmore, the former Bangladesh mentor, is the favouite for the position, which is also being chased by Richard Done.”I won’t be surprised if I get it, I won’t be surprised if I miss out,” Lawson said in the Sydney Morning Herald. “I wouldn’t have gone for the interview if I wasn’t keen. It would be a terrific challenge. Dav is obviously the front-runner, but I told [the players] about the hard work that has to be done to make the team successful.”I think they appreciate how the Australian approach to playing cricket is a successful one and that’s what they’re trying to tap into. I didn’t chase the job, so there isn’t much to lose if I don’t get it.”Lawson said he was waiting to hear from the Pakistan Cricket Board about the appointment. When he went for the interview last month the players were at a training camp and Lawson was impressed with what he saw.”Those internal games can sometimes be played at, how would you say, less than full intensity, but they were having a go,” he said. “My impressions were very good. They were playing hard and they were playing with attitude. There’s a lot of talent there to work with. It’s an exciting prospect.”

Michael Clarke says he has cleared the air with Anil Kumble over two of the controversies that flared in the second innings of the Sydney Test. Clarke stood his ground after edging Kumble to first slip and then, as India were fighting to save the game, he claimed a catch off Sourav Ganguly while fielding in the slip cordon, although there were doubts over whether the take was clean.”I wanted to speak to Anil before I spoke to the media on both cases – the catch and my dismissal,” Clarke said. “I still, to this day, feel 100% positive that I caught the catch fairly. I told him that and said with my dismissal that it was more out of shock and disappointment more than anything else.”Anil was very supportive and said ‘mate I understand’. We’ve played a fair bit of cricket against each other and he knows I’m not the kind of person to try and harm the game; the last thing I’d want is to put the game in jeopardy.”Kumble had criticised Clarke for not walking after edging to slip and called it “unsportsmanlike” behaviour. “Huss [Michael Hussey] and Haydos [Matthew Hayden] batted fantastic in the second innings, so I sat and waited for a couple of hours dying to get out and have a bat,” Clarke said.”I was really excited to get out there and do well, with family and friends all at the game, after failing in the first innings. When I went to cut the ball and it come off my glove and went to slip it was more just the shock and disappointment of failing and getting my first first-baller in Test cricket.”In hindsight and if I had my time again, I wish I had just walked straight off the field. I hope it doesn’t happen too many times, I hope I don’t get too many ducks in Test cricket, but if it happens again, I’m certain I will react differently.”Clarke would not be drawn on the Harbhajan-Symonds controversy but said there was no room for racism in the game. “That’s why the ICC and the Indian board dealt with the stuff with spectators in India [during the ODI series in October].”He said he was not sure how Australia would have reacted if “we were in their shoes” but hoped that India would not boycott the series. “Fingers crossed I’m hoping they definitely stay for the rest of the Test series and the one-dayers because you look forward to every chance you get to play India. It’s up to BCCI and Anil and whoever is in charge.”Clarke said he was positive the Perth Test, which starts on Wednesday, would be played in the right spirit after the problems in Sydney. Australia will be pushing for their 17th consecutive Test victory, a triumph that would break the world record set by Steve Waugh’s Australians between 1999 and 2001.”The Australians are keen as mustard to get out here and win this 17th Test match in a row,” he said. “It’s a reminder about why we are the best cricket team in the world, what we do to achieve such highs in all forms of the game except Twenty20 at the moment. I think he [Ricky Ponting] will want to remind us about that and make sure that we keep playing it like that for a long time.”It might one day be Clarke who sets outs to guide an Australian side past the record again, as there has been much speculation that he is being groomed to eventually succeed Ponting as the Test captain. But Clarke said he was unsure how he would have handled the events of the past week had he been in Ponting’s shoes.”Full credit to the way he has stood tall,” Clarke said. “It’s been a hell of a ride in the last week. I don’t think many players have experienced what we’ve experienced. I think it’s opened everybody’s eyes as to how big this game of cricket is. You don’t know until you are sitting in the chair, I don’t know if I’d have handled it like Ricky; I am not sure how I would have approached it.”

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out

Sachin Tendulkar fell within tantalising distance of a first match-winningcentury in a run chase since July 2001, but India weren’t to be denied asthey romped to a six-wicket victory [with 21 balls remaining] that wrapped up the series with a match to spare. As in 2006, when India won 4-1 in Pakistan, there was a considerable gulf between the two sides, best exemplified by Tendulkar’s sublime batting as India set about their pursuit of 256. Pakistan’s total owed much to their own 90s man – Mohammad Yousuf finished the innings on 99 not out – but ultimately, they paid the price for their diffidence in the Powerplay, when only 79 runs were scored.On a pitch where most other batsmen were restricted in their shot-making, Tendulkar played with the fluency and confidence of old, finding gaps with effortless ease. To compound Pakistan’s problems, Shoaib Akhtar, who bowled with genuine menace for three overs, went off with what looked like a shin injury after completing his fourth. He returned only in the 25thover, by which time India were well past half-way. In his absence, Tendulkar unveiled some stunning drives, including a couple of pushes through the covers off the back foot that brought back memories of the halcyon years.Sourav Ganguly and Gautam Gambhir didn’t make much of an impression. Ganguly poked one into the slip cordon off Shoaib, and Gambhir pulled a poor delivery from Rao Iftikhar Anjum straight to Sohail Tanvir at midwicket. That brought Virender Sehwag to the crease, and though he was scratchy early on, Tendulkar’s punched drives and measured clips off the pads gave him the time to play himself into form. A chop behind point set the tone, and a withering cover drive then suggested that Redemption Road wasn’t too far away.After Shahid Afridi had stemmed the tide for a couple of overs, it was Sehwag who once again unleashed mayhem with a huge six over midwicket. Tendulkar followed suit with three magnificent drives through cover, each timed better than the previous one. By the time the second drinks break arrived, he was on 97, a deft swish away from that elusive 42nd century.Instead, the first delivery from Umar Gul on resumption was dragged back on to the stumps. Tendulkar stayed hunched over his bat in disbelief for a few moments before trudging off to muted applause from a crowd frozen with shock. It was his sixth score in the 90s in his last 21 innings, and it was evident the jinx has preyed on his mind.It didn’t matter in the larger scheme of things though. Yuvraj Singh had been magnificent all series, and his favourite drives and flicks were in evidence as the target was whittled down. Mahendra Singh Dhoni chipped in with some meaty blows of his own as Shoaib Malik looked on, bereft of answers. Shoaib had once again asked probing questions, but the rest had been powerless to stem the relentless Indian tide.

Yousuf’s splendid innings earlier in the afternoon was almost as eye-catching, with some glorious drives through the covers and a lofted six over midwicket off Harbhajan Singh. As ever, he was immensely strong off the pads, and with Misbah-ul-Haq ticking along at a run a ball, therun-rate crept towards five in the final stages of the innings.India didn’t let things drift though. The bowlers, both pace and spin, were fairly accurate, and the fielding a marked improvement on the previous games. Even Ganguly played his part, with his 100th ODI wicket being Afridi, unfortunate to be given leg-before after being struck justoutside the line of off stump.At that stage, Pakistan were in disarray at 131 for 4, with Younis having looped a return catch to Yuvraj Singh off the leading edge. He had anchored the innings, scoring 68, and adding 78 with Malik for the second wicket.Malik surely wouldn’t have bargained for Salman Butt lasting only two balls. RP Singh, taking the new ball, shaped the ball from leg to middle to trap him plumb in front, 129 short of what he had scored on Sunday. Left to consolidate, he and Younis did so mainly in singles, and eventhose didn’t come along frequently.It took 14 overs for the 50 to be raised, and there was a moment of controversy as the Indians claimed a catch behind off Younis. Amiesh Saheba made the right decision though, with the ball having bounced before nestling in Dhoni’s gloves. Pakistan were just beginning to shedthe shackles when Zaheer Khan picked up his 200th ODI wicket. Malik’s heave against the line was an ugly one, and it got what it deserved – an inside edge on to the stumps.With the run-rate still below four after the last of the Powerplays, acceleration was required and, though Yousuf signalled his intent with a loft down to long-on off Yuvraj Singh, India refused to loosen the grip. Younis was given a reprieve on 48, when Dhoni missed a tough stumpingchance off the pads, and it was left to him and Yousuf to ensure India would have a tricky target to chase under lights. That a potential ordeal became a stroll owed much to the genius of one man. That he still hasn’t figured out the answer [42] to the shouldn’t detract from the majesty of his effort.

The pressure is growing on Norman Arendse, the Cricket South Africa (CSA) president, as leading figures in the game prepare for a set of hastily-arranged meetings in Johannesburg to discuss selection and quota issues.Logan Naidoo, the manager of the squad in Bangladesh and vice-president of CSA, has flown back to South Africa amid rumours that Arendse will face a vote of no confidence from senior figures next week.The current controversy stems from the squad selected to tour Bangladesh. Initially the 14-man party was rejected by Arendse for not conforming to CSA quota requirements which state the need for seven players of colour. The squad only included four – later five when Robin Peterson replaced Paul Harris – and it required the intervention of Gerald Majola, the CSA chief executive, to release the team.Majola and Arendse issued a joint statement apologising for the public nature of the disagreements but tensions below the surface are still running high.Adding to the debate are comments from Butana Komphela, chairman for the parliamentary portfolio committee on sport, who has said that the CSA president should have the right to veto a South African team that doesn’t meet the transformation policy. reported that Komphela said that while parliament will never select sporting teams, they will continue to insist they are representative of the country.