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ScorecardScotland clinched their first victory over a Test-playing country with a thrilling last-ball triumph over Bangladesh at Raeburn Place in Edinburgh. Chasing Bangladesh’s total of 259 for 6, Scotland were indebted to Cedric English, who spanked a four off the last ball of the match.Ryan Watson, with a composed 83, and Fraser Watts, with 50, had set up the victory with a 109-run partnership for the third wicket, but there were late jitters that left the Scots needing 28 from the final three overs. But English, who finished on 49 not out, and Craig Wright, the captain, ensured that Bangladesh couldn’t quite escape to victory.Bangladesh’s total had been built around another fine innings from Aftab Ahmed, who eased to 80 before being stumped by Colin Smith off Gordon Goudie. For Goudie, it was a first international scalp.Scotland’s reply started poorly, with Dougie Lockhart being bowled by Nazmul Hossain, but Watson and Gregor Maiden wrested back the initiative with some punishing strokes before Maiden was castled by Mohammad Rafique. Watson and Watts then combined to set the game up for Scotland, before leaving it to English to apply the finishing touches.

The former Nottinghamshire offspinner, Richard Bates, has been named as the new coach of the England Women’s team. He takes over from the Australian, John Harmer, who is returning home at the end of the month to take up a new post as a biomechanics specialist at the Australian Cricket Academy.Bates retired from first-class cricket in 1999, and has since worked for the England and Wales Cricket Board at both regional and national level. He honed his coaching skills during a three-month stint in Australia over the winter, and has recently been working with the Super Strikers, one of the four teams in the elite women’s Super Fours competition.”After benefiting from two years of John Harmer’s innovative coaching methods we know we are heading in the right direction," said England’s captain, Clare Connor. "We must build on our recent successes and Richard Bates is the man to take the mantle from John. The girls have always responded very positively to Richard and we are all excited about the opportunity to work with him on a full-time basis.”England have two Tests and three one-day internationals against South Africa scheduled for August, and the team is confident after a positive showing against Australia in the Women’s Ashes this winter, although they lost the series 1-0. “The England women’s team has made significant progress over the past couple of years with John,” said Bates. "I’ll look to build on the solid foundations which he has laid."

Veteran all-rounder, Graham Rose who has been missing from the Somerset team since very early on in the season, has been included in a squad of 14 that has been named by Kevin Shine for the all important final championship match of the season against Northants starting at The County Ground tomorrow.The full squad named is, Jamie Cox, Matthew Wood, Mike Burns, Mark Lathwell, Ian Blackwell, Rob Turner, Keith Dutch, Richard Johnson, Jason Kerr, Steffan Jones, Jamie Grove, Graham Rose and Pete Trego.Earlier this evening the Somerset Coach told me: “The final line up will depend on what the wicket is going to be like in the morning.”So, will 37-year-old Rose get a recall for this vital match?”There is a chance that Graham will play. This is a difficult call for us, it’s important that we get the right seam combination. We want to win this one,” the coach replied.

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

Nasim Ashraf, chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board, has said that the decision of the appeals committee to overturn the drugs ban on Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Asif is an honest and open one and should be respected.Ashraf told Cricinfo, “We respect the decision because the committee was set up and acted in an open, transparent matter. It has considered evidence from all parties, it has given players ample opportunity to present their case and come to a decision based on that.”The judgment has questioned the workings of the previous committee, finding flaws in the manner in which it operated. In particular, concern was raised over the fact that while it was constituted to work within the guidelines of the PCB’s anti-doping policy, the punishment it decreed – and the benchmarks it derived them from – were based on the ICC’s anti-doping regulations.”It is worthwhile to note that the ADC (Anti-doping commission) which was a creature of the PCB Anti-Doping regulations, while repeatedly referring to the various PCB regulations under which the players were charged, proceeded against and even punished, without any ostensible rationale sought to rely on distinct benchmarks of ‘No fault or negiligence’ and ‘no significant fault or negligence’ from the ICC’ anti-doping code in its decision,” the report states.It states later that ‘exceptional circumstances’, on which the players defended themselves, were defined by the PCB ‘on a significantly different plane’ than the ICC. “The standard of ‘exceptional circumstances’ under the ICC code and the PCB regulations is entirely different in terms of language, scope and meaning…The confusion between the applicability of standards of ‘exceptional circumstances’ fatally plagued the final decision of the ADC.”Ashraf said the crux of the decision to overturn the ban was based on this technicality. “Shahid Hamid (chairman of the original committee) accepted the fact the PCB rules should have applied to the matter and that it was an internal matter. But the judgments his tribunal gave were according to WADA and ICC rules. It was this technicality that formed the crux of the new decision.”But the report also points out that while under ICC regulations it is the players’ responsibility for what substances are taken, irrespective of intent, fault or negligence, the PCB’s anti-doping regulations impose no such “onerous burdens on the players,” instead placing responsibility on the PCB to ensure its players are educated. This responsibility, says the report, has not been fulfilled comprehensively.Also, in light of the lawyers for Shoaib Akhtar arguing that providing players booklets and lists were not enough, Ashraf acknowledged that the PCB would have to become more strenuous in the future.”I think there are lessons from this to be learnt for everyone. For all players this is a very good lesson because the responsibility ultimately lies with them for what goes into their body. But the PCB will have to be much more stringent and strenuous in educating players of the dangers of such issues. Under our own policy appeals are allowed for players and they have used that to establish that exceptional circumstances did exist.”Ashraf added that there were lessons from this case for the international cricket community and not just Pakistan. “Cricket has only had Shane Warne as a case example before this. Nobody really had any experience in this matter and there are lessons to be learnt from this.”That is why we called in Mark Gay, who is a world renowned lawyer especially in sports doping matters, to offer advice on the matter. Some of his observations were quite important as the report reveals.”

Belinda Clark, the country’s greatest female player, has announced her retirement less than a month after Australia lost a series to England for the first time since 1963. The two-Test defeat was a disappointing way to end a fabulous career that included two World Cup victories, the most ODI runs in history with 4844, and the highest individual score – 229 not out against Denmark in 1997 – of any player in a limited-overs international.Clark, who first captained Australia in 1994-95 and led the side for a record 11 Tests and 101 ODIs, will take up the position of Commonwealth Bank Centre of Excellence manager in Brisbane on Monday. Beginning her Test career with a century against India in 1991, Clark finished with 919 runs in 15 games at an average of 45.95 and played 118 limited-overs matches.In naming her Cricketer of the Year in 1998, said she was Australia’s “finest batswoman to date” with her “her free-flowing, classical style, technical brilliance and aggressive attitude to scoring runs”. Her reputation was enhanced over the past seven years until the slip against England, although Australia rebounded to take the five-match one-day series on September 1.Clark said the time was right to step down and she was confident that Australia would move effortlessly ahead under a new captain. “Playing cricket has been such an enormous part of my life that it’s certainly going to be strange not to be pulling on the gear anymore,” she said. “I leave the game on the field with a lifetime of memories and I’m pleased that I still have the opportunity to be involved and contribute to Australian cricket through my new role.”Clark ranked winning the World Cup in 2005 and 1997, when Australia beat New Zealand in front of 80,000 at Eden Gardens, as her highlights in a career that started at Newcastle High School. After joining an indoor cricket team – she also won Australian honours in the abbreviated game – Clark moved into a schoolgirl side and was quickly selected for the New South Wales Under-18s. When there were no local women’s matches at age 14 she moved into the under-16 boys’ competition for a season.”The women’s game is heading in the right direction and is a lot stronger both strategically and operationally than when I first played,” she said. “It’s really encouraging to see the sport growing, particularly among young girls, and to see exciting new, young talent coming up through the ranks.”James Sutherland, the Cricket Australia chief executive, said Clark was arguably the best female cricketer to play for Australia. “She has represented her club, state and country with enormous pride over the years and her genuine love and passion for the game is quite inspirational,” he said. “Belinda is a person of the highest integrity and while we are losing one of our greatest cricketers on the field, we are delighted she will remain as an integral part of Australian cricket.”Clark’s replacement will be named for Australia’s series against India this summer. After 14 seasons in the side, the hole created by such a wonderful player will be almost impossible to fill.

Vikram Solanki will celebrate his recall to the England side by opening the innings in the first NatWest Challenge match against India, with Michael Vaughan dropping down to bat at three. Solanki made a century in a losing cause in last Saturday’s C&G Trophy final, and sheer weight of runs has given him an opportunity to test himself against the country of his forefathers.”Once he got picked in the squad we earmarked him to come back and open the batting,” said Vaughan, quoted on the BBC Sport website. “I’ve played at three for Yorkshire throughout the summer and I don’t feel it being a huge change.”England’s one-day form, or lack of it – three wins in their last 10 – has been a major concern for the team management, and Vaughan suggested that a back-to-basics approach might suit England best. “We like to have three guys who can play their orthodox game at the top and score in a nice fashion,” he said. “I didn’t score many runs in the [NatWest Series] but I feel my form has come back in the Tests and I’m playing well again.”Glamorgan’s Alex Wharf is one of the newcomers in the squad, and there was also a recall for Gareth Batty, as England attemped to put the disappointment of the NatWest Series – New Zealand and West Indies contested the final – behind them.”In the summer we didn’t perform to the standard we would have expected,” said Vaughan. “We’ve made a few changes and in depth and in athleticism we feel a bit better going into this tournament.”India have won seven of the last 12 matches between the sides, but the teams haven’t met since the 2003 World Cup, where India won by 82 runs.

New Zealand’s lack of consistency in recent years in its one-day cricket has been behind its mid-table placing on the world rankings, but increasingly there are signs of a change for the better.Apart from anything else, Sunday’s record victory over Pakistan in Sri Lanka ended the rot of seven losses in a row to Pakistan.Pakistan’s dismissal for 116, its lowest against New Zealand and 19 runs worse than their 135 scored at Napier in 2000/01, was the fifth time New Zealand has bowled out a side for less than 125 in the last five months, and in little over two years, New Zealand has 10 times dismissed sides for 135 or less.Nine of these scores have been lodged by subcontinental sides, India suffering on six occasions – four in the recent series in New Zealand. All four instances not to take place on New Zealand soil occurred in Sri Lanka.The list is:

77 Bangladesh Colombo (SSC) 2002/0389 England Wellington (WS) 2001/02108 India Auckland 2002/03108 India Christchurch 2002/03116 Pakistan Dambulla 2003122 India Queenstown 2002/03122 India Hamilton 2002/03127 India Colombo (RPS) 2001133 India Colombo (RPS) 2001135 Pakistan Napier 2000/01

Pakistan’s total was the eighth equal lowest score against New Zealand by any side.Top 10 lowest scores v New Zealand:

70 Australia Adelaide 1985/8677 Bangladesh Colombo (SSC) 2002/0389 England Wellington (WS) 2001/02108 India Auckland 2002/03108 India Christchurch 2002/03113 India Perth 1985/86115 Sri Lanka Colombo (PSS) 1983/84116 Bangladesh Chelmsford 1999116 Pakistan Dambulla 2003118/9 Sri Lanka Dunedin 1982/83

New Zealand’s latest position on the ICC One-Day International Championship is sixth, an improvement of two places since its inception in October. It has moved ahead of the West Indies and now sits behind Australia, South Africa, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and India.Their climb up the ladder is the best by any side in the first six months of the Championship, rising nine points and two places.The Championship standings as at the end of New Zealand’s first match in the Bank Alfalah Cup in Dambulla are:

Team Matches Points Rating Change1 Australia 46 6269 136 +8 (n/c)2 South Africa 57 6972 122 +2 (n/c)3 Pakistan 51 5675 111 -4 (up 1)4 Sri Lanka 61 6413 105 -12 (down 1)5 India 58 6047 104 -2 (n/c)6 New Zealand 46 4594 100 +9 (up 2)7 West Indies 35 3463 99 +5 (n/c)8 England 34 3337 98 +2 (down 2)9 Zimbabwe 44 2844 65 -2 (n/c)10 Kenya 25 704 28 +6 (n/c)11 Bangladesh 23 101 4 -7 (n/c)

When the New Zealanders had Pakistan reeling at 17 for five wickets, it was the fifth equal worst start by any side in an ODI (for five wickets down). New Zealand’s previous best effort with the ball was having Bangladesh 19 for five in the ICC Champions Trophy last year.The record of teams having fewer than 20 runs and being 5 wickets down:

start total12/5 71 Pakistan v West Indies Brisbane 1992/9312/5 36 Canada v Sri Lanka Paarl 2002/0314/5 81 Pakistan v West Indies Sydney 1992/9314/5 43 Pakistan v West Indies Cape Town 1992/9317/5 266/8 India v Zimbabwe Tunbridge Wells 198317/5 84 Kenya v Australia Nairobi (Gym) 2002/0317/5 84 Namibia v Pakistan Kimberley 2002/0317/5 116 Pakistan v New Zealand Dambulla 200318/5 153 Pakistan v South Africa Colombo (SSC) 2000/0118/5 115/9 New Zealand v Sri Lanka Colombo (SSC) 200119/5 167 Scotland v Pakistan Chester-le-Street 199919/5 77 Bangladesh v New Zealand Colombo (SSC) 2002/03

Note: India v Zimbabwe at Tunbridge Wells was a 60-over match and New Zealand v Sri Lanka at Colombo (SSC) was reduced to 36 overs per side.Five of them have occurred in the last eight months while three have been at the same ground, the Sinhalese Sports Club in Colombo. Pakistan have proven particularly vulnerable to the spectacular collapse, having been involved in five of the nine worst collapses – three of which took place in the space of 16 matches and 71 days during the 1992/93 season.The game also resulted in Daryl Tuffey’s latest instance of a wicket in his first over, the 17th time he has achieved the feat in internationals, and the 10th time in an ODI.His record now reads:

Tests: Inn Over BallMarcus Trescothick 1 1 2 v England at Auckland, 1 Apr 2002 (W)Mark Butcher 1 1 5 v England at Auckland, 1 Apr 2002 (W)Shahid Afridi 1 1 3 v Pakistan at Lahore, 1 May 2002 (L)Virender Sehwag 1 2 6 v India at Wellington, 12 Dec 2002 (W)Sanjay Bangar 1 2 3 v India at Hamilton, 20 Dec 2002 (W)Parthiv Patel 2 2 6 v India at Hamilton, 21 Dec 2002 (W)Marvan Atapattu 1 1 4 v Sri Lanka at Colombo, 26 Apr 2003 (D)ODIs: Inn Over BallSaeed Anwar 1 1 1 v Pakistan at Napier, 20 Feb 2001 (W)Saeed Anwar 2 1 6 v Pakistan at Christchurch, 25 Feb 2001 (W)Marvan Atapattu 1 1 2 v Sri Lanka at Sharjah, 10 Apr 2001 (L)Kumar Sangakkara 1 1 3 v Sri Lanka at Sharjah, 10 Apr 2001 (L)Marcus Trescothick 1 1 3 v England at Auckland, 23 Feb 2002 (L)Sanath Jayasuriya 1 1 3 v Sri Lanka at Sharjah, 14 Apr 2002 (L)Imran Nazir 2 1 1 v Pakistan at Rawalpindi, 24 Apr 2002 (L)Sourav Ganguly 2 1 3 v India at Napier, 29 Dec 2002 (W)Sourav Ganguly 2 1 1 v India at Wellington, 8 Jan 2003 (L)Mohammad Hafeez 1 1 4 v Pakistan at Dambulla, 11 May 2003 (W)

Note: Inn = innings of opposition for Test list, innings of the match for ODI list; Over = over of the inningsAnd while Shane Bond may be out of the tournament due to a suspected stress fracture in his back, he did have time to claim his 50th wicket in his 27th ODI, the fastest first 50 wickets taken by a New Zealander and seventh equal on the world list.New Zealand:

Mat Wkts BB AveShane Bond 27 51 6/23 19.00 2001/02 to 2003Geoff Allott 28 50 4/35 21.34 1996/97 to 2000/01Chris Pringle 33 52 4/35 22.88 1990 to 1993/94Ewen Chatfield 36 50 5/34 24.10 1979 to 1983Danny Morrison 36 50 4/33 29.98 1987/88 to 1990/91Martin Snedden 41 50 3/25 30.38 1980/81 to 1984/85Lance Cairns 43 50 5/28 31.18 1973/74 to 1982/83Daryl Tuffey 43 50 4/24 29.16 2000/01 to 2002/03Richard Hadlee 46 52 5/26 26.61 1972/73 to 1982/83Willie Watson 47 50 3/15 33.70 1985/86 to 1991/92Chris Harris 48 50 3/15 30.10 1990/91 to 1994/95Scott Styris 51 51 6/25 34.01 1999/00 to 2002/03Chris Cairns 52 51 4/55 32.84 1990/91 to 1996/97Daniel Vettori 55 51 4/24 35.17 1996/97 to 2000/01Gavin Larsen 66 50 4/24 43.78 1989/90 to 1995/96Dion Nash 66 50 4/38 44.48 1992/93 to 1999Nathan Astle 74 50 4/43 33.34 1994/95 to 1998/99Jeremy Coney 84 50 4/46 38.26 1979 to 1986

All time:

Team Mat Wkts BB AveAjit Agarkar India 23 50 4/35 21.34 1997/98 to 1998/99Dennis Lillee Australia 24 50 5/34 17.30 1972 to 1980/81Shane Warne Australia 25 51 4/19 16.43 1992/93 to 1994/95Len Pascoe Australia 26 50 5/30 19.57 1977 to 1981/82Patrick Patterson West Indies 26 51 6/29 19.45 1985/86 to 1987/88Curtly Ambrose West Indies 26 51 5/17 17.03 1987/88 to 1989/90Waqar Younis Pakistan 27 53 6/26 14.96 1989/90 to 1990/91Shane Bond New Zealand 27 51 6/23 19.00 2001/02 to 2003

Note: The figures given are those at the end of the match concerned(Statistics compiled by Duane Pettet)

New Zealand’s selectors, tired of potential being unrealised in One-Day Internationals, have thrown down the gauntlet to players wanting to be part of the 2003 World Cup campaign today.Only 12 players have been named for the one-day side to Pakistan, with two more to be added by the end of the month.The 12 selected were:Stephen Fleming (c) (Wellington), Nathan Astle (Canterbury), James Franklin (Wellington), Chris Harris (Canterbury), Craig McMillan (Canterbury), Kyle Mills (Auckland), Dion Nash (Auckland), Jacob Oram (Central Districts), Mathew Sinclair (Central Districts), Daryl Tuffey (Northern Districts), Daniel Vettori (Northern Districts) and Lou Vincent (Auckland).Notable absences from the side are wicket-keeper Adam Parore and off-spinner Grant Bradburn.They have not been excluded from consideration but if players with the New Zealand A team in India for the Buchi Babu tournament can come up with the required performances, Parore and Bradburn may be left out.Selection chairman Sir Richard Hadlee said, “We are not happy with the team and individual performances in Sri Lanka. We were in a position to win at least four games, and possibly five.”We expect more from our senior players.”If performances were not forthcoming in the near future some players may want to rethink their futures in the game, he added.Hadlee said Parore was without doubt New Zealand’s best ‘keeper and had given tremendous value to New Zealand over the last 10 or 11 years, but it was necessary to start looking ahead.The selectors also had to look at his workload.”He has been remarkably injury free over all that time and we can’t expect him to play in every one-day game, in every Test match and in every tour game.”He has got to have some breaks.”Disappointed as he may be, we have got to look after his career longevity,” Hadlee said.Holding two positions open added more sting to the performances of the A team and would allow for a fine tuning of the balance of the side.Hadlee said that incoming coach Denis Aberhart would have a game plan that he wanted to employ and the selectors would be looking to select a team to fulfil that plan.Aberhart reiterated the comments of previous coaches that it was up to individuals to provide the performances and he would be looking to work with them to achieve that.Having the killer instinct was about desire and having the mental attitude to compete.”Some are born with it, some aren’t. I want to make sure that everyone buys into it,” he said.Hadlee said there was concern about the failure to develop a bowling strategy at the death in games.The selectors had indicated their thoughts on that to the team management and have said that they would like to see Tuffey, especially, bowl more often at the death.”A key focus for us is the World Cup in 2003. We want to be fully prepared for that and the ideal situation for us would be to have 20-25 players to select from.”There are enough One-Day Internationals and tournaments over the next 18 months for us to look at various combinations. We want to have pressure for places because if there is competition the level of play will increase,” he said.”The players should make it as easy as possible for us by performing,” he said.Hadlee said the call was tough on Bradburn and was not necessarily a reflection on his performance in Sri Lanka as he had only bowled two overs in the one game he played. The selectors wanted to reconsider the composition of the side, he said.The retention of Franklin, who did not get a game at all in Sri Lanka, was to provide the option of a left-arm pace bowler to the tour selectors.There was no clear indication on what would happen at the top of the order as much would depend on the two players called into the team.If Chris Nevin could show the sort of form the selectors were looking for, especially with the bat, then he was likely to be the preferred choice.There was still the option of continuing to open with Sinclair, who had scored two centuries in Sharjah earlier in the year.Hadlee said there had also been an indication from captain Fleming that Vincent might be considered as an opening choice.Selector Brian McKechnie said New Zealand’s most successful ODI batsman Astle was a player who thrived on being able to keep the strike and other players used had not been able to get it to him often enough.

The Indian government’s delay in granting permission has put a cloud over the resumption of the Pakistan-India bilateral series.ESPNcricinfo has learnt that a senior minister in the Indian government believes the chance of the series taking place is “very difficult”, and that a final decision will be taken by the Indian prime minister Narendra Modi. Neither Thakur nor the BCCI president Shashank Manohar were available for a comment. However, a senior board official said he personally felt the series would not happen: “It looks unlikely considering the government has not said anything.”Both the BCCI and the PCB had met recently in Dubai and agreed to play a series in Sri Lanka subject to clearances from their national governments. On Friday, the PCB revealed that the Pakistan government had given the nod for the series, allowing Pakistan to play India in Sri Lanka. However, the Indian government has remained quiet since BCCI secretary Anurag Thakur submitted a written request to the Indian foreign ministry on Tuesday.”Sports should not be dragged into political and diplomatic controversies,” Rajiv Shukla, the chairman of the IPL governing council, told . “We cannot decide on the series with Pakistan without the consent of the government. That is why we have written to the government and are awaiting its response. The moment we get the response, we will let everyone know.”The PCB, on its part, has been fretting over the sudden silence from the BCCI over the last few days. If indeed the series does not take place, it would be a major setback for cricketing ties between the two countries.After expressing its reluctance in public frequently, the BCCI checked with the PCB earlier this month whether Pakistan were open to traveling to India to play a series between December and the first week of January.The PCB rejected that offer on two counts, saying it was Pakistan’s turn to host India in the UAE according to the MoU signed by both boards in 2014. The PCB chairman Shaharyar Khan also expressed surprise at the offer to play in India when there had been open protests against Pakistanis in India by the Shiv Sena, a regional political party.Despite the setback, Manohar and Shaharyar finally met in Dubai on November 21, where it was decided Pakistan would host India in Sri Lanka. Although neither of the two boards had revealed how many matches would be played, it was understood there would be three ODIs and two T20Is tentatively starting December 15.