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David Morgan, the chairman of the England & Wales Cricket Board, has surprisingly revealed that he will push for a return to three-day cricket and a one-division Championship. The Championship was split into two divisions in 2001, and Morgan has made no secret of his belief that a single division would be preferable.Speaking in the Independent on Sunday, Morgan said that there was “real merit in a single Championship, where winning the title would impress everybody. To have a two-division Championship in which Lancashire and Yorkshire don’t play each other is short-changing the game and the public. If you look at the last few years you will have seen by accident the best bowlers in one division and the best batsmen in the other. What the hell is the point in that?”While there will be changes in 2006, it is little more than tinkering, with a reduction in the number of sides promoted and relegated from three to two.”The jury is definitely out on two divisions,” Morgan continued. “The former board discussed it informally and it is something we must address.”What will raise more eyebrows is Morgan’s desire to go back to three-day matches, with 120 overs-a-day minimum as opposed to the present requirement of 104 overs. “It would give the players some rest and it might do wonders to speed to over-rate, a real cause for concern,” he explained. When a minimum over number was first implemented in the 1980s it was set at 120, but it was soon reduced as matches regularly ran an hour or more past the scheduled close.Many county members would support Morgan. The four-day format has not been popular with them, and thoughtless scheduling has not helped with many counties barely playing any first-class cricket at weekends.

Muttiah Muralitharan has spoken out yet again as the chucking controversy rumbles on. He says that despite years of suffering comments about his action, science has finally vindicated what he already knew – that he is not a chucker.”For years I have suffered at the hands of the prominent cricketers past and present who have categorically stated that I am a ‘chucker’,” Murali said in a statement issued through his agent. “I have attempted to maintain my dignity in the face of these unjustified allegations, and have tried to keep away from personal controversy pending the results of the recent ICC committee’s investigation and analysis of the entire issue.”And he says that science has finally cleared his name. “The people who have accused me are ignorant of the biomechanics of the arm. I have always known that I am innocent of the accusation of chucking. I have never been never scared to be scrutinised by experts, cameras or commentators. I believe that science has vindicated me.”

Gus Logie, the new coach of West Indies, is no stranger to the job. He has coached the national team at the under-15, under-19 and A-team levels, and served as interim coach during the recent home series against Australia and Sri Lanka. An extremely agile fielder during his playing days, Logie is clear about his objective: rebuilding West Indian cricket to its former glory. Speaking to Wisden CricInfo on the telephone, Logie told Nagraj Gollapudi about his new job, the West Indian team, and the state of West Indies cricket in general.How important is this latest appointment to you?
I think it is an important role – not only for me personally, but for West Indies cricket. I have been involved with coaching young people in the Caribbean at different levels of their development – under-15, under-19 and the A team – so I feel that it is a continuation [for me] of providing inputs at the national level. I think it is a great opportunity and hopefully we can make a success out of it in the not-too-distant future.How strong is the young talent in the Caribbean?
We have tremendous young talent, but that talent needs development – not just in cricketing terms, but all-round development. And that is not just in the context of the coach-player relationship, but society, too, has a role to play and so does everyone responsible with cricket in the Caribbean. All the stakeholders need to get on board and make sure that they take the right decisions, create the right environment and the right atmosphere so that our players are developed along the right lines.It’s long been said that the regional coaches are not certified and so the wards who turn up to play are not strong in their fundamentals. Do you agree with that?
I don’t believe in that. We didn’t have certified or qualified coaches when West Indies produced great players in the past. In this advanced age, it is a global village now and all the information is there for everyone to look at. You can’t just have only one specific individual in one area. During my time, a village individual who knew something about coaching used to spend time with us [the players], read us some coaching books and help us along, whereas now it’s an open book. Everybody is aware of what is needed and there are players ready to share ideas with the young ones. At the end of the day the retention of what you’ve learnt is very important and for that our education system has to improve. If you show young players ways of doing things and if they can’t retain that knowledge, then we have a problem. We need to improve on all fronts to get the right individuals in place.Viv Richards has blasted coaches in the Caribbean for not properly preparing young cricketers to make the transition from domestic to international level. Do you agree?
I wouldn’t agree or disagree with another player’s opinion. But as a coach, I would like the state of affairs to change and for the coaches to have access to technology. The players keep coming and going in and out of the team so the coach doesn’t have a player for an extended length of time. For example, a bunch of 14 or 15 is selected to play a tournament for a period of four to five weeks; but then, as coach, I don’t have enough information on a player of what he did at the school-level or club-level, as here in the Caribbean we don’t monitor a player’s history. So at the end of the day whatever information is collected about a player – if he is player of substance – by the coach has to be done in a very short period of time. I wouldn’t blame the coaches.Why do you think West Indies cricket lost its way in the last decade?
I think our economies have shrunk in some ways. At the stage when we were dominating the game, which was a crucial era, our economies were improving. Now we are no longer the best and we need to improve in terms of overall facilities. There’s a lot of criticism in that area – like it’s a fact that we go and play day-and-night games outside, but we can’t even host one day-and-night match in the Caribbean. Why is that? We have been champions for decades and former stars and like-minded people have stressed on the improvement of facilities. The climate here is such that it rains for almost six months of a year in some parts, but there are no indoor facilities for players to train.With the economy on a downswing, there are hardly any facilities one can avail of. The club facilities are limited, and you don’t have access to the gym after a day’s play where you can work out. So you need support from all sectors of society to make sure that youngsters get the best of the facilities, which are around the corner. If that’s not there they cannot go to England where many of our best players competed in the county circuit. Nowadays, there is no one from the Caribbean playing county cricket in England. So a young player will not have the opportunity to develop into a complete professional quickly compared to his predecessors. Something has to be done – of course, it will take time.Then there is the problem of fast bowlers. Why can’t West Indies produce quality quickies anymore?
I don’t think [that is] so. The problem is of pitches, which need to improve to encourage the fast bowlers again. I have seen some young fast bowlers, but it is very difficult to bowl on the kind of pitches that exist in the Caribbean today. This is one area that needs attention. When we look back in the last year we have performed well in Antigua and then in our last Test against Sri Lanka in Jamaica which was a good wicket. Our young pace attack picked up wickets there, which proves that if the wickets are conducive our bowlers can provide the goods.So the pitches have slowed down?
They are becoming a lot slower. I wouldn’t like to say why – whether the soil has got to do something with it or if it is lack of preparation. But we all know that it is an issue which needs to be addressed quickly. It is possible to prepare good tracks that will be helpful to both batsmen and bowlers, as we saw in Jamaica and Antigua. It is something the other Caribbean countries may have to take note of.Is there a pool of young talent from which you can pick when needed?
At this point of time we have Jerome Taylor, who has made a good impression. So has Fidel Edwards, who bowled impressively in his debut Test. Then there are Andrew Richardson, Tino Best, Darren Powell and Ravi Rampal, who has excelled at all levels (Under-15 and Under-19) before showing his heroics in the under-19 World Cup. So there are quite a few youngsters who are good and with continual development programmes I am sure we could have six to seven players waiting in the stable to have a go anytime.What gave you the confidence to go into the Jamaica Test against Sri Lanka with two greenhorns in Edwards and Taylor?
Well, I think when we looked at what had happened in the past we thought that the conditions were ideal to give the two a chance. They were young, enthusiastic, aggressive, fit and they showed their keenness during the practice sessions – all qualities needed in a good bowler, and the captain, coach and the selection committee couldn’t have asked for more. Whatever they lacked in experience they made up for with courage and attitudeHave there been any changes after Richards became the chairman of selectors?
I don’t think at this point of time one can pass judgement across the board, but there have been positives. What we would like is to have more consultations between all parties at the end of the day and Viv’s done a good job in that direction.What do you think about Lara’s captaincy?
He has matured a lot. He is getting more involved with what is happening in and around the team. He is a motivation to younger players and is leading from the front. He has a good rapport with the management.Do you see a revival of the Windies cricket under him?
I certainly see a revival of West Indies cricket – whether it’s under Brian, or by the players. At the end of the day we all have a responsibility where each player needs to support the other. If each one knows what has to be done, is committed to it and the work ethic improves then we need to give credit to all the players about what has happened so far.Gus, you were an extremely good fielder in your time. But the present West Indies lot are a poor fielding unit. How will you improve on that?
There’s no substitute for hard work and going out there and working on your individual skills. Also, in the near future, the WICB should organise more fielding camps where the players can work on the technical skills and concentration levels, as a momentary lapse can cost dearly in a match situation. The players themselves should go out in the ground and throw themselves around, but then the state of the grounds in the Caribbean doesn’t give you that liberty.Do you think the Shell Academy – nursery of West Indies cricket – is serving its purpose?
Certainly. I wouldn’t like to comment [further] at this point of time.West Indies have had seven full-time coaches – all former players – from 1992 until now. What is it that you bring to the job?
All I can do is bring forth my philosophy of cricket – a philosophy we have been successful with, in terms of ensuring a certain level of commitment and work ethic among all team members. It’s important that all players respect one-another and play as a unit. My job will be to create an environment which the players are comfortable with, and one which allows them to play to the best of their abilities. We have seen some positive movement in that regard, and would like to continue to move in that direction.Are you in favour of having assistant coaches?
Oh, yes. I would be happy to have individual coaches, for bowling and batting, or anyone in general as it is very difficult to individually handle 15 players – especially if it is a long tour. And during match days it is really difficult to attend to individual problems so yes, there’s room for an assistant. And there are indications that an assistant will be appointed.

IN MEMORIAM.Sonny Khemraj, father of Richie Khemraj, New Brunswick Cricket Association President and CCA Director, passed away suddenly in his sleep in Toronto. An avid cricketer and supporter, the CCA Board and Executive extends our deepest sympathy to Richie and the extended Khemraj family in this sudden and unexpected loss of their loving head of household.We also extend heartfelt sympathies to Past President James Siew and family on the sudden death of his brother Bal Siew. Bal died in West Palm Beach, Florida after a short illness.The CCA also extends our sympathies to the Family and friends of Franklyn “Dickie” Martin, who also passed away peacefully in his sleep. Dickie was an outstanding cricket aficionado and his incisive commentary, incredible wit and soulful delivery will be sadly missed in the Toronto & District Cricket Association and other Canadian games.Dickie’s funeral will be held next Saturday 20th at 11:00 am at St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church, 1 block south of the Highway 401 on Victoria Park.Those wishing to pay their respects can do so on Friday 19th at the Ogden Funeral Home from 2-4 and from 7-9p.m. Ogden Funeral Home is located at 4164 Sheppard Ave. E. – near Midland Ave.May they rest in peace.As one family counsels, “do not go to bed angry”. In the midst of life, we can easily be called to account.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsFile photo: John Mooney struck a fifty and put up a crucial stand with Kevin O’Brien•ICC/Sander Tholen

Half-centuries from Kevin O’Brien and John Mooney ensured that Ireland held on for a draw against Zimbabwe A in Harare. Zimbabwe A, who began the day at 320 for 6 in their second innings, added just 26 more runs to that total before declaring. It set Ireland a target of 386 and meant the hosts had more than 80 overs to take 10 wickets and seal a victory.Those hopes were further raised when regular blows from Brian Vitori (2 for 51) and Tatenda Mupunga (2 for 52) reduced Ireland to 141 for 5, with at least 35 more overs left in the day. However, Kevin O’Brien and Mooney held firm, batting together for more than two overs to shepherd their team to safety. Kevin O’Brien hit nine fours for his 56 not out, while Mooney’s unbeaten 65 featured 11 fours. The pair’s unbroken 130-run stand took Ireland to 271 for 5 before stumps were called.

Group DIndia Under-19 opener Rishabh Pant had the fastest recorded U-19 international century comfortably in his sights when he was dismissed for 78 off 24 balls, having blown Nepal Under-19 away in a small chase. Pant did break the record for the fastest recorded U-19 fifty though, getting there in 18 balls, one faster than the previous mark. He added 124 in 9.1 overs with his captain Ishan Kishan, who scored 52 off 40 balls. India eventually chased down Nepal’s score of 169 with 179 balls to spare in Mirpur.Pant attacked from the start, slogging the first ball of the innings to the midwicket boundary, and did not relent. He targeted the arc between deep square leg and long-on with a series of pulls and lofts, paying little heed to whether the delivery demanded caution. Nepal were rattled and fed him shorter lengths at hittable pace and Pant feasted. Kishan had been quieter initially, but once the spinners came on he used his feet superbly, stepping out of this crease to get to the pitch of the ball and swinging without inhibition. Pant began to drive, slap and loft over the off side too as his range expanded against a wilting attack. His strike rate of 325 meant that had he scored 22 more runs in singles Pant would have still broken the record for the fastest u-19 hundred by seven deliveries.India’s seven-wicket victory was set up by their bowlers, though, who restricted Nepal to 160 in a match shortened to 48 overs a side because of early-morning fog. Opener Sandeep Sunar top scored with 37 but the rest of the top four batsmen were dismissed in single digits. They had also slogged at India’s attack but had no success. Seamer Avesh Khan took 3 for 34, while left-arm spinner Mayank Dagar and offspinner Washington Sundar took two apiece.New Zealand Under-19s ended the group stage with a consolation win, as a 141-run partnership between Finn Allen and Dale Phillips steered them to a four-wicket win over Ireland Under-19s in Fatullah. Phillips joined Allen after seamer Rory Anders had picked up four wickets to reduce New Zealand to 45 for 4 in pursuit of 213.The pair got the chase back on track with a brisk partnership spanning 20.4 overs, with Phillips scoring 58 off 66 balls (7×4) before falling lbw to Fiachra Tucker. Then, with New Zealand a mere seven runs from victory, Tucker dismissed Allen for 97 off 76 balls (9×4, 4×6), before Rachin Ravindra and Nathan Smith took them home with 47 balls remaining.Sent in to bat, Ireland got to 100 for 1, thanks to an 85-run second-wicket stand between Jack Tector (56 off 83) and Adam Dennison (46 off 56), before spinners Ravindra and Josh Finnie picked up three wickets apiece and engineered a slump that saw them lose their last nine wickets for 112 runs.Group BA half-century from Tariq Stanikzai gave Afghanistan Under-19s their first win of the tournament, lifting them to a four-wicket win in a low-scoring match against Canada Under-19s in Sylhet. Stanikzai scored 56 off 48 balls, with nine fours and a six, as Afghanistan chased down a target of 148 in only 24.1 overs. They lost a few wickets while doing so, though, with left-arm spinner Shlok Patel and offspinner Miraj Patel sharing five wickets between them.Having chosen to bat, Canada lost three of their top four for ducks and slipped to 31 for 4 before their captain Abraash Khan (33) and Arslan Khan (38) put on the only substantial partnership of their innings, 62 for the fifth wicket. Wickets fell steadily thereafter, with No. 9 Kurt Ramdath’s 20 the next-highest score of the innings, as Canada were bowled out for 147 off the last ball of their allotted 50 overs. Medium-pacer Muslim Musa and offspinner Shamsurrahman picked up three wickets each for Afghanistan.

Sussex closed in on their third Championship in five years after enforcing the follow on against Worcestershire at Hove and reducing the visitors to 190 for 5 at close, still 129 runs short of making Sussex bat again. It had appeared that the match would be done and dusted inside three days when Mushtaq Ahmed grabbed three wickets in as many overs to reduce Worcestershire to 117 for 5, but Moeen Ali (72*) and Gareth Batty (32*) put on an unbeaten 73 for the sixth wicket to take the game into a fourth day. Earlier, Mushtaq took 6 for 93 and Jason Lewry 3 for 44 as Worcestershire lost their last seven first-innings wickets for 61. With the weather forecast good for tomorrow, Sussex will fancy polishing off proceedings in the morning.Durham put themselves top of the Championship – if only for a day – with an eight-wicket win over Kent at Canterbury. Kent, who resumed on 99 for 3, offered little resistance, losing their last seven wickets in the morning session. Paul Wiseman, who finished with 4 for 45, and Ottis Gibson, who took his season tally to 80 wickets, polished off the tail. Durham took 10.1 overs to knock off the 52 runs they needed, although Kent, who bowled Robert Key and Geraint Jones – Martin Saggers kept wicket – hardly pressed them.

Lancashire entered this match with hopes of their first outright Championship victory since 1934, but to achieve that they will first need to complete the highest run-chase in their 150-year history, after Mark Ramprakash batted them to a virtual stand-still with his second century of the match at The Oval.Ramprakash, who had put the skids under Lancashire’s title challenge with his first-innings 196, was once again unstoppable as Surrey appointed themselves king-makers at the end of an unproductive season. After bowling Lancashire out for 234, a deficit of 193, Mark Butcher opted not to enforce the follow-on, and Ramprakash capitalised on a demoralised attack with 130 not out, his second century of the match, his tenth of the summer, and his 97th in first-class matches.It was the sixth occasion in his 401-match career that Ramprakash had made two centuries in the same game, and with his 104th run he reached 2000 runs for the second season in a row. By the time Butcher had declared with a massive lead of 488, Ramprakash’s average for the summer was sitting pretty on 101.30 from 25 innings. In reply, Paul Horton and Mark Chilton reached the close untroubled on 27 for 0, but with Durham already home and dry against Kent, and Sussex well placed in their home match against Worcestershire, Lancashire have no option but to go for glory and take on the 462 runs still required.Ramprakash did not have to wait long to get back into the action, as Scott Newman fell to Dominic Cork with just two runs added to Surrey’s overnight score. Thereafter he and Jonathan Batty rumbled towards an indomitable position, and Batty had designs on his own landmark of 1000 runs in the season before he mistimed a pull to midwicket off Oliver Newby for 45. Butcher and Ramprakash then added 77 in even time for the third wicket to push the lead up past 350.Butcher was caught behind for 47 off Glen Chapple, who also induced a miscued pull when Ramprakash was on 79. It was the closest he came to being dismissed all innings. He went to tea unbeaten on 99, and reached his hundred soon afterwards with a tucked single through midwicket. James Benning got off the mark with a six over long-on as Surrey pressed towards a declaration total, leaving Lancashire with ten overs to negotiate before the close.There was no play between Hampshire and Yorkshire at Headingley.

Includes all points up to the close of play

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.

An Australian coaching delegation is in Beijing in a bid to fast-track China as a competitive cricket nation, Cricket Australia said today. CA officials and the coach John Harmer have organised a six-day course for 30 coaches from Shanghai and Beijing, who all work at university level in various ball sports.China, who were admitted as an associate member of the ICC last year, have ambitions to play international one-day cricket. CA joined forces with the Asian Cricket Council in 2003 to assist Asian countries develop their own coaching set-up to help with their talent identification structure.Ross Turner, CA’s international development program manager, said the delegation’s visit was to provide coaches the necessary skills, resources and capacity to build the game among the 1.3 billion population. “China, unlike Australia, is not a nation where cricket is an ingrained part of its culture,” Turner said. “Cricket is fresh and new in China and we have an opportunity to work with the Asian Cricket Council to help build the game from the basic foundations, and share our skills and knowledge in coach education.”Syed Ashraful Huq, the ACC chief executive, said it was China’s ambition to compete in a World Cup. “Developing a cricket culture takes time, but one thing we can be sure of is that China is now ready, willing and able to make the great leap forward into cricket,” Huq said. “China is the next frontier for the game’s expansion. Coaching, funding and facilities are in place to fast-track China into playing one-day matches against other ICC associates within the next few years.”

New South Wales 7 for 373 (Haddin 154, Katich 78, Krejza 57*) lead Victoria 235 by 138 runsScorecardBrad Haddin blasted a career-best 154 from 162 balls in a brutal display to earn New South Wales first innings points against Victoria at the Junction Oval. Haddin, batting at No. 7, hit 22 fours and four sixes in a stunning counter-attack that lifted the Blues from 5 for 105.Haddin, who dominated a century stand with Simon Katich, was dropped by Matthew Elliott on 52 and by the time he departed New South Wales had a lead of 105. While the offspinner Jason Krejza moved to his maiden first-class half-century, Haddin added his third fifty from only 38 balls.New South Wales lost 3 for 7 before lunch, including the nightwatchman Nathan Bracken, who was lbw to Cameron White. White ended day two with 3 for 102 from 25 overs.