Darren Gough has taken a swipe at England’s selectors, claiming that they have overlooked his claims for a place in the one-day squad because he missed last winter’s tours.Initially, Gough, 36, withdrew in order to spend more time with his family, but he subsequently appeared on – and won – the BBC’s celebrity talent show Strictly Come Dancing.”I never give up and I’m determined to get back in but the only reason I’m not selected was the fact I did Strictly Come Dancing,” Gough told the BBC. “The reason I took the winter off was to spend some time with my children and it was the best winter I’ve had.””A lot of people on commentary are saying, ‘England’s best bowler is playing for Essex.’ It’s up to me to keep performing and let people push for me to get back in.”But Gough admitted that unless the call comes for the end-of-summer ODIs against Pakistan, that will be it for him. “If I don’t get a recall for the Pakistan series, I’m not going to get the recall … but I can only put in my performances on the field.”

Nicola Shaw, the England medium-pacer, has been ruled out of the forthcoming international series against India due to suspected ligament damage in her right knee. Shaw, the Nottinghamshire bowler, is awaiting the results from a scan she underwent yesterday.Shaw, 24, sustained the injury during the final round of matches for the women’s County Championship. Laura Marsh, the Sussex fast bowler, has been drafted in as her replacement following successful performances throughout the Super 4s and in the County Championship.England host India for two Tests and five one-dayers, the first of which gets underway tomorrow at Dublin.

Merv Hughes, the former Australian fast bowler and current national selector, has clarified his stance on the attitude of the Australian players during last year’s Ashes series. Hughes had earlier attributed the players’ friendliness towards their English counterparts as one of the reasons for Australia’s loss.”Get this straight, I haven’t got a problem with the way the Australian team plays its cricket,” Hughes told website. Hughes had previously said the attitude introduced into the Australian team by Allan Border in the late 1980s and early 1990s had been lost and he felt Shane Warne’s friendship with Kevin Pietersen had played a part in Australia’s defeat.”Warney [Shane Warne] likes to get into a bloke’s brain and toy with them, and I just don’t think he could do that with Pietersen,” Hughes said. “It would have been interesting to see their head-to-head battle had they not played at Hampshire together. Warney’s attitude towards Pietersen was pretty good, but Pietersen feels comfortable against Warney because he knows him so well. He didn’t feel threatened. But I’ve got no problems with the players being matey off the ground.”Brett Lee and Andrew Flintoff created the image of the series when Flintoff walked up to Lee to console him after Australia lost the second Test by two runs. “Brett is there to intimidate the opposition,” Hughes said. “I think that he does that … For him to give a smile, it doesn’t mean he’s being friendly. He’s thinking, ‘I’d hate to be in your shoes’, and the batsman knows it. Brett Lee and Flintoff – You know when they get on the ground, they’re both going to be as tough as nails.”Lee defended his attitude by saying it was how he played. He said he should not have to match his menacing bowling with a frightening on-field persona. “It’s not life and death,” he said. “We’re going to play hard, but I’m not going to stop having a beer with someone at the end of a day or having a chat to them on the field if I feel like it.”Lee and his team-mates have a busy schedule laid out for the next few months. Australia start a tri-series against India and West Indies on Tuesday before the Champions Trophy in India in October and the Ashes.

Shane Warne wants Australia’s next cricket coach to have international playing experience to bring on the country’s new generation of players.On Monday John Buchanan announced he would be ending his seven-year tenure as coach at the end of the World Cup in April. Warne, whose relationship with Buchanan was often strained, said he saw an opportunity for Australia to employ a coach with a Test-playing background.”I don’t have a preference, but I would like to see someone in the job who has international playing experience and understands actually what the guys are going through,” Warne said during the squad’s camp at Coolum, adding the role should be more of a manager than a coach.”We’ve gone through a stage where someone like John Buchanan thinks outside the box,” he said in a clear swipe at some of Buchanan’s less conventional methods. “Now we need a coach who has a cricket background. You need someone to reinforce some of the stuff that got you there in the first place, to make sure that you are doing that day in and day out.”Australian cricket is about to go through a transition stage where a lot of us will be leaving the team for one reason or another in the next couple of years. There will be lots of younger players coming through, so it will be nice to have someone who has played at international level to help teach the younger guys what the game is about because we are going to lose a few of the senior players.”Cricket Australia said the process of finding a successor to Buchanan would start next month, and those already tipped to be among the favourites are Tom Moody (Sri Lanka), Tim Nielsen (Australia’s centre of excellence), Greg Chappell (India) and Dav Whatmore (Bangladesh).

New Zealand will be without Shane Bond – easily their best bowler – for their first match of the Champions Trophy, against South Africa. And so the sorry tale of the Champions Trophy rolls on. One sided games have dominated the early stages, and there seems to be a moratorium on tall scores. After West Indies’ collapse against Sri Lanka, it was England’s turn, folding for only 125 against India on a pitch with uneven bounce at Jaipur. We’re still waiting for a big game, and hopefully South Africa and New Zealand – perhaps the two teams without a genuinely big star of the stature of a Sachin Tendulkar or an Andrew Flintoff – can provide that.The interesting thing is that even though Bond has been such a stellar performer for New Zealand – 87 wickets from 45 matches at 18.63 with four or more in a game four times – they still have the bowlers who can do the job in the conditions that have been served up in the Champions Trophy so far. The pitches have been slow and low, and with the ball not coming onto the bat, bowlers who can vary their pace, roll the fingers on the ball and send down cutters, are proving increasingly hard to get away from. The likes of Scott Styris, Jacob Oram and Nathan Astle, if they put the ball in the right areas, could be a handful.With the ball not coming onto the bat as nicely as some batsmen would like, it’s not been easy to drive on the up and find the boundaries. This has meant that batsmen have been forced to graft – although some have barely been in long enough to be successful – and run hard between the wickets. The rising temperatures of the second summer, the month of October, have not made this task any easier.What could work in New Zealand’s favour is the fact that their squad has not played international cricket it in seven months. It was in March that they last played – against West Indies at home – and a lay-off of this kind is fast becoming a rarity in international cricket. “We’re fresh,” said Stephen Fleming, the captain, discussing the seven-month break from international cricket. “Apart from Shane Bond, which is obviously disappointing news, the other players are extremely fresh and ready to go and that gives you an enthusiasm and eagerness which can often wane when you’ve played a long season.”Fleming also took the opportunity to send a rather sharp barb at certain cricket boards – and it doesn’t take much guessing who he’s talking about – as he said, “We’re in a lucky position where our Board considers breaks to be very important. Other Board look at breaks as an opportunity to make money. Our breaks are well measured and well calculated. We only have two Tests and potentially 19 one-dayers, with a view to the World Cup being the most important tournament.”But there is a downside to long breaks, and that is that players can be rusty when they get back to top-flight cricket, and it could take a while for them to hit their straps. “You miss the edge of international competition,” said Fleming. “It certainly is an edge that develops when you’re playing regularly and we need to pick that up as soon as we can. You can’t replicate that in warm-up matches so we know that starting well against South Africa is important.”South Africa, meanwhile, have been in Mumbai long already, and with more than one practice match under the belt, should be quite acclimatised to the conditions. Graeme Smith, the captain spoke of how his team prided themselves in their fitness, and did not put an undue premium on either the heat being a bother or the slow nature of pitches being a problem. Instead, he spoke of how this team were a tight unit, and how this was one of South Africa’s big strengths. “We’re a well drilled team. There’s a good team environment and we get on well,” said Smith. “Our success has been that players have contributed throughout the eleven. We haven’t just relied on one player to dominate a game for us. It’s an advantage that we have had players who have won games from all different situations.”In the lead-up to the tournament you would not have picked South Africa v New Zealand as a marquee clash. But with matches unfolding as they have, some gritty, dour cricket might just bring about the best contest. And these two teams are certainly known for just those attributes.

Darrell Hair, the Australian umpire who accused Pakistan of ball tamperingduring the Oval Test in August against England this summer, has beenbanned from umpiring in internationals. The announcement was made by PercySonn, the ICC president, at a press conference in Mumbai at the end of atwo-day ICC meeting.”The board has discussed this matter with great sincerity,” said Sonn,”and gave lots of attention to it and they’ve come to the conclusion thatthey’ve lost confidence in Mr Hair. They’ve given instructions to themanagement to discuss Mr Hair’s future with him. I think we owe Mr Hairthe courtesy of allowing his future to be discussed by him with ourmanagement before we go anywhere further in the matter. He shall not beallowed to officiate in any future international games until the end ofthis contract.”However, both Malcom Speed, the CEO of the ICC, and Sonn made it clearthat there was “no issue” about the result of The Oval Test. “With regardto compensation, there is a claim by the ECB against the PCB. That isunresolved. It may end up being referred to the ICC disputes resolutioncommittee but at this stage there’s been no request for that to happen.”Both also confirmed that the future of Billy Doctrove, the other umpireinvolved the Oval drama, was secure adding, “The executive board didn’tdiscuss Doctrove”.It was widely rumoured yesterday that Hair’s future was in doubt, when areliable source at the ICC leaked the news to a TV station in India. “TheAsian bloc comprising India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh tabled amotion at the meeting that Hair be taken off the panel,” the source said.”The motion was put to vote and was passed by a 7-3 majority. The fourAsian nations plus South Africa, Zimbabwe and the West Indies votedagainst Hair. England, Australia and New Zealand wanted him to continue.”Pressure from the four-nation Asian bloc has seemingly forced the ICC’shand and Hair will no longer be permitted to officiate in internationalsinvolving any full member side. Speed revealed that he’d spoken to Hairlast night, after the decision was taken and added that they will make aneffort to protect Hair’s interests. “I’ve said a number of times thatI hope we can find a way for Darrell to umpire,” he said. “The board hasresolved that they don’t wish Darrell Hair is appointed to umpireinternational matches. I spoke to Darrell yesterday after the decision wasmade. I told him about it and he was very disappointed. David Richardson,who is the ICC General Manager of Cricket, and myself will speak toDarrell over the next few days and talk about what it means to him.”ICC has a number of lawyers on staff, who are well aware of our legalposition,” he continued when asked if the ICC had considered the legalrecourse that Hair might consider. “It’s correct that Hair is contractedtill March 2008. But we need a little time to discuss the matter with him,to protect whatever interests he has.”Speed also made it clear that this wasn’t a decision taken at the spur ofthe moment, confirming that the board had considered the issue in detail.”The ICC board – which consists of 13 representatives from the membercountries – was presented with a very detailed paper that rain into 15-20page. The board certainly had a lot of information before it started itsprocedure yesterday. They had two hours of discussion on the issue. As itwas reported the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) had lodged a formal chargeunder the ICC code of conduct. That was also considered by the board. Thiswas no knee-jerk reaction. The board had a good deal of information infront of it as is the case of any decision on the board.”

Day 2
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out

An outstanding spell of new-ball bowling and a resolute opening partnership changed the complexion of the Multan Test, putting West Indies in a comfortable position at the end of the second day. Jerome Taylor’s fiery five-for – his second in Tests – loosened Pakistan’s grip on the game before Chris Gayle and Daren Ganga, with a methodical 151-run partnership, consolidated the advantage.Pakistan didn’t look like the side that dominated the proceedings yesterday. A combination of Taylor’s fizz and Corey Collymore’s metronomic accuracy felled them from a commanding 263 for 4 to 357 all out. They didn’t have much joy on the field either with Gayle and Ganga blunting the new-ball pairing before frustrating the rest. Combining for their fifth century partnership, they cashed in on a belter of a pitch to become the first pair of West Indies openers to go past hundred in Pakistan.Both began uncertainly – three of Gayle’s four fours flew off the edge – but settled upon a sturdy foundation once they saw off the new ball. Umar Gul and Shahid Nazir, the matchwinners in the first Test at Lahore, had their moments but with the pitch easing out and both batsmen resolutely biding time, West Indies were in control.Danish Kaneria gained appreciable spin, nearly bowling Ganga behind the legs on one occasion, but the slow nature of the turn allowed the batsmen enough time to adjust their strokes. The faster men lost their bite once the ball got older and the introduction of Mohammad Hafeez, bowling his generous long-hops, didn’t help matters. Having plodded to his half-century in 101 deliveries, Gayle opened out emphatically towards the end of the day. Ganga maintained a steady rate but his ability to put away the loose balls allowed him to tick along just fine.It was a partnership in keeping with the methodical theme of the day after the bowlers had executed their plans splendidly this morning. Brimming with energy, Taylor exploited the life on the pitch. He ensured the line was outside, and sometimes wide, of off stump; he varied his length sensibly; and, most importantly, steamed in hard and hit the deck regularly.At the other end was the untiring Collymore, pounding in 15 overs on the trot, and finally, after what seemed an age, being rewarded for his efforts. He found the nick several times and endured a couple of grassed chances – by Runako Morton at gully and Dwayne Bravo at third slip – but hardly wavered in accuracy.Both bowlers realised that Pakistan would try and attack – which any team would’ve done when perched so comfortably – and used the conditions to their advantage. The tenth ball of the day, when Shoaib Malik edged a legcutter from Collymore, should have produced a wicket but Morton put down a sharp low catch. It didn’t take too long for the breakthrough to arrive: Taylor struck in the next over, squaring up Inzamam-ul-Haq with a good-length delivery outside off and inducing a healthy edge to the wicketkeeper.Having received the reprieve on 20, Malik decided to make the most of his luck and smashed four more fours. His luck finally ran out on 42 when Bravo, at third slip, dived right in front of Brian Lara at second and pulled off a sensational one-handed catch. Kamran Akmal chose the breezy route, falling after a 12-ball 17, but Abdul Razzaq chose to stagnate. His adhesive methods yielded just 16 in 89 balls and he didn’t show any intent to step up the rate, even when he was partnered by tailenders. He made no attempt to farm the strike and preferred to stonewall rather than shift gear. That he scored two fours at a time when Pakistan would have given anything to accelerate didn’t help matters.

Two eras will end at the SCG this week and the speed that Australia and England deal with the new beginnings will determine how they recover from the losses. In the green and gold corner Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne walk away with more than 1250 wickets that have won Australia every trophy on offer to them. And now Justin Langer is also stepping aside. For England this is the week when they officially hand back the Ashes.Warne’s goodbye began in Melbourne and now it is McGrath’s turn to wave to his home crowd and end a career that began in Perth 13 years ago. Together they have pushed Australia to No. 1 – and kept them there – but they have never been part of a 5-0 Ashes whitewash. Only one team, Warwick Armstrong’s 1920-21 outfit, has been responsible for such a demolition and the doubts of a repeat are created by rain, an unexpected England fightback or Australia re-discovering their dead-rubber syndrome.Showers are predicted for the first two days and are the most likely method of slowing Australia’s charge. England have talked of improving throughout the series without results – the fourth Test in Melbourne was given up in three days – and there is only a tiny chance the home team will relax for such a huge occasion.Australia got their hands on replicas of the Ashes after the third Test in Perth but at the end of the fifth game they will celebrate with the true prize, which is much larger and made of crystal, and will hope to do it with another win. Two of Australia’s greatest bowlers will be desperate to exit on a record-breaking high and it will help to dilute further the memories of 2005.

England’s rise was as sudden as their fall and Andrew Flintoff is in danger of joining JWHT Douglas, who suffered his fifth loss of the series in four days at the SCG. “We don’t want to leave this country having been turned over 5-0,” Flintoff said after the Melbourne loss. He also replied it was “a stinking question” when asked about avoiding the same result of 86 years ago.Despite the heavy list of defeats, England have few options for change apart from adding the offspinner Jamie Dalrymple to join Monty Panesar in a twin-spin attack. Australia did not bring Stuart MacGill, an SCG specialist, into their squad to avoid disrupting the fast-bowling balance and Andrew Symonds’ slow offerings will become useful if the pitch shows signs of turn.England enter the final Test of the tour in the same predicament as 2002-03, when Andy Caddick found some energy with ten wickets and they won despite Steve Waugh’s century to save his career. Andy Bichel, who was batting at No. 3, top scored for Australia in their second innings as they slipped for 226 and lost by 225 runs.England cannot rely on the trend continuing. With Ricky Ponting in charge, Australia have lost only one dead game and that was on an awful pitch in Mumbai. If Australia do find some trouble expect the team to rally around McGrath, Warne and Langer to send them off in fitting style.Australia (probable) Justin Langer, Matthew Hayden, Ricky Ponting (capt), Michael Hussey, Michael Clarke, Andrew Symonds, Adam Gilchrist (wk), Shane Warne, Brett Lee, Stuart Clark, Glenn McGrath.England (probable) Andrew Strauss, Alastair Cook, Ian Bell, Kevin Pietersen, Paul Collingwood, Andrew Flintoff (capt), Chris Read (wk), Jamie Dalrymple, Steve Harmison, Matthew Hoggard, Monty Panesar.

Victoria’s in-form one-day team has been strengthened further by the return of Gerard Denton from shin splints for the Ford Ranger Cup match against South Australia at Adelaide on Saturday. However, the Bushrangers’ fast-bowling woes have not ceased entirely, with their new find Clinton McKay forced out with a slight side strain.Shaun Tait will remain on the sidelines for South Australia as he continues to recover from a hamstring strain. Tait hurt the muscle while bowling in the Redbacks’ thrilling last-ball win against Queensland last Wednesday.South Australia, who are struggling on the bottom of both the Ford Ranger Cup and Pura Cup tables, have also been forced to leave Mark Cleary out of the side with a side strain. The fast bowler Gary Putland and the batsman Nathan Adcock return to the 12-man squad.While the Redbacks’ Pura Cup season is in tatters, they have a chance to keep their one-day hopes alive, sitting only one win behind Tasmania, New South Wales and Western Australia, all of whom have played at least two more matches than South Australia.South Australia squad Daniel Harris, Matthew Elliott, Nathan Adcock, Cameron Borgas, Mark Cosgrove, Darren Lehmann (capt), Callum Ferguson, Graham Manou (wk), Ryan Haris, Jason Gillespie, Dan Cullen, Gary Putland.Victoria squad Michael Klinger, Jon Moss, Brad Hodge, David Hussey, Cameron White (capt), Aiden Blizzard, Rob Quiney, Andrew McDonald, Adam Crosthwaite (wk), Gerard Denton, Mick Lewis, Darren Pattinson.

Khaled Mashud, the veteran wicketkeeper-batsman, remains the object of speculation as Bangladesh’s selectors sit to pick a squad for the upcoming tour of Zimbabwe. It is believed that the squad for the four ODIs in Zimbabwe in late January would mirror Bangladesh’s selection for the World Cup, and Mashud’s batting form and treatment by the selectors has raised eyebrows in certain quarters.Almost an automatic selection for the past decade, Mashud’s role in the ODI team has diluted with a loss of batting form. Mashud, 30, was retained in the squad for the last two matches of Bangladesh’s 5-0 sweep of Zimbabwe in December, but did not play. He was then rested for the two ODIs against Scotland. In the recent domestic Twenty20 competition, Mashud was far from impressive, and his next challenge remains the upcoming Premier League competition at home.Faruque Ahmed, Bangladesh’s chief selector, told that it was too early to comment on Mashud’s selection. “There is hardly any chance to see major changes in the team. But I think it is too early to say about any particular player. We will meet on Tuesday to discuss the squad for Zimbabwe,” she said. “We should make a team for the Zimbabwe tour which will likely be the World Cup team because reality is that the players will get only a week after returning from the trip.Ahmed has, in the past, expressed his optimism regarding Mushfiqur Rahim, seen as successor to Mashud behind the stumps. He added: “I won’t say Mushfiqur did a tremendous job in his few appearances but I must say he showed signs that he has the ability to keep his place in the national side.”There was also debate as to whether a seam bowler should be picked over Farhad Reza, the young allrounder. “No doubt Farhad has done well so far and once again I can say it is too early to comment on any particular player,” said Ahmed. “But it is true that we are thinking about including a genuine third seamer considering the conditions in the Caribbean.”