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Emotional overload?
Andrew Strauss chuckled on the eve of the Test when asked the inevitable question about Steve Harmison’s Gabba shocker back here in 2006. “I don’t think it’s overly helpful to mention that first ball four years ago,” he said, although the issue was less the fact that Harmison missed the cut strip with that infamous delivery, but rather what it said about the nerves that take hold at the start of such a massive series. And as it turned out, even a player as phlegmatic as Strauss couldn’t keep on top of his emotions – or the ball – as the series started with its now-inevitable bang. The first two balls were negotiated safely enough, but the third was shorter and straighter, and climbed off the deck as Strauss sized up the cut. Mike Hussey at gully didn’t twitch a muscle as the ball thudded into his palms, and suddenly the serenity of England’s start to the tour had been obliterated.Slipping through the spinner’s fingers
Xavier Doherty’s introduction to Test cricket was going pretty well in the circumstances. His first delivery, in the 21st over, gripped on a good length and turned back in to Alastair Cook, who left it watchfully outside off stump, and within three balls he was jousting with Kevin Pietersen, the man whose fallibility against left-arm spin is one of the major reasons why Doherty had been preferred ahead of the offie Nathan Hauritz. Though Pietersen came after him right from the start, the rookie was holding his own … but one ball after completing his second over, he was jolted out of his comfort zone. Cook, on 26, squirted a cut off Watson towards point, but Doherty’s leap was fractionally mistimed. He got both hands to the offering, but nothing more, and a priceless breakthrough went begging. Ricky Ponting, to his credit, rushed up to give his young charge a quick pep-talk, before striding purposefully back to business.Birthday bonus
Peter Siddle was a surprise choice for this Test match, given how effective Doug Bollinger had been for Australia throughout the past year. But when push came to shove, Ponting preferred to back the wholehearted aggression of a man whose endeavours had fallen short in England during last summer’s 2-1 defeat. So in came Siddle for his first Test since January, and what an impact he made. Bowling wicket to wicket, he found enough movement to end an ominous innings from Kevin Pietersen, then did the same to Cook as his failing outside off undermined a priceless innings. After that it all happened too quickly for England. Matt Prior’s loose waft found nothing but thin air, and with a raucous Gabba baying for blood, Stuart Broad was clearly unready as he rushed belatedly to the crease and tried to find his composure. Siddle, however, marked his 26th birthday with a perfect first-ball yorker, and a futile use of the referral couldn’t deny him his hat-trick.Swinging on to the straight and narrow
Shane Watson’s first over was the ultimate mixed bag. His first delivery was swinging on to the pads, and Jonathan Trott helped it effortlessly through the leg-side for four; the second was a rank wide as Watto tried to readjust his line but over-compensated badly, and two further powder-puffs underlined the impression that he wasn’t quite at the races. But then, just like that, he nailed his line and length. The fifth ball zipped off the deck to serve up a warning, before the sixth was simply too good for an uncharacteristically loose Jonathan Trott. Full and fuller, and angling in all the time, it burst through the gate of an unbalanced drive, to set in motion a day of rattled timbers for England.Wayward wicketkeeper
Don’t ask Brad Haddin if you’re an Australian considering an umpiring review. Haddin’s record in this regard remains unchanged after he backed up Siddle’s roaring lbw appeal to Trott in the fourth over. Siddle had angled one in and was fluttering his arms liked an over-enthusiastic dancer at Aleem Dar, who ruled it not out. Ponting conferred with Haddin, who gets the best view, but rarely makes the right decision on reviews. The replay showed the ball was just brushing leg stump, leaving the call with Dar, and Australia were down to one challenge within 20 minutes.Short-handed by short-leg
Simon Katich didn’t do any better when he convinced Ponting to ask for the second referral when he thought Ian Bell had edged behind. Katich was at short-leg, on the other side of Mitchell Johnson’s delivery, and was the only one who really believed. The slips cordon offered no initial support – not even Haddin – and Bell soon moved on smoothly from 18.Sign of the times
There are so many sponsorship boards at the Gabba that there isn’t much space free for the witty scribble on a bed sheet. Spectators have to resort mostly to strips of cardboard but even those have to be trimmed when they invade on the corporate space. One home-made sign was raised at the fall of the second wicket: “Just another Kevin to get rid of.” Australia’s prime minister Kevin Rudd, whose constituency includes the Gabba, was cut down earlier in the year and today Peter Siddle removed Kevin Pietersen on 43. As Pietersen departed the name on the note was replaced by “Cook”.

The ICC has given a cautious nod of approval to the PCB’s efforts in toughening its approach to corruption in cricket and undertaking reforms to improve the administration of the game in Pakistan. However, the ICC has warned against complacency and reiterated a series of measures to all member boards to make efforts at eliminating corruption in the aftermath of the spot-fixing controversy.”We are encouraged by the excellent progress reported and also the willingness of the Pakistan Cricket Board to embrace the ICC recommendations,” ICC CEO Haroon Lorgat said after a meeting of the Pakistan task force, a group aimed at bringing international cricket back to Pakistan, on Saturday. “However, we can never be complacent nor distracted in our determination to tackle corruption.”The ICC, earlier this month, had warned the PCB over the continuing decline of governance in Pakistan cricket and had conveyed a clear message to get its act together by sorting out the game’s administration or facing the consequences, possibly in the form of sanctions. The PCB was given a 30-day deadline to conduct a thorough and far-reaching review of its “player integrity issues” and report back to the task force.In the interim, the PCB, as advised by the ICC, has introduced a revised code of conduct with a strong emphasis on anti-corruption which has been signed by all players ahead of the tour of the UAE later this month. The board has also set up an Integrity Committee, aimed at finding ways to move forward after the spot-fixing controversy, deal with the ICC’s recommendations and address issues of corruption and doping, each of which have plagued Pakistan cricket in the past. The committee comprises several senior officials of the board including chairman Ijaz Butt, chief operating officer Wasim Bari, team manager Intikhab Alam and director of international cricket Zakir Khan.The PCB has also been asked to implement education programmes for players, a “proper, accountable and robust disciplinary process for the sport” and a process to deter and detect corrupt elements within the game, “whether it be players, officials, agents or any other individual.”Giles Clarke, the ECB chairman, who heads the Pakistan task force, emphasised the need for the PCB to reform itself. “The task team urged everyone to support the PCB to reform its cricket and governance models and the important role Ijaz Butt has to play in this regard,” Clarke said. “An independent board would help it to regain its glory and ensure long-term success.”Lorgat also reiterated the ICC’s recommendations to member boards for eliminating corruption in the game. They included the introduction of a domestic anti-corruption code that mirrors the ICC’s. He further urged members to review player contracts and introduce appropriate clauses to ensure players comply with anti-corruption rules and regulations.Among the initiatives discussed was a one-off declaration by all players as a commitment to preserving the integrity of the game. “We have issued a broad advisory to every ICC Member about the need to root out corruption from our great sport,” Lorgat said. “This advisory requests all international players and support personnel to sign a once-off declaration before participating in the next FTP match and/or ICC event.””Such declaration is intended to serve as an important reminder of the spirit in which the game is meant to be played, the importance of its integrity and their roles and responsibilities in this regard.”The Pakistan Task Force includes Clarke, Lorgat, Zimbabwe Cricket chief Peter Chingoka, ICC’s General Manager of Cricket Dave Richardson, Chief match referee Ranjan Madugalle and former captains Mike Brearley and Ramiz Raja.

Sachin Tendulkar and VVS Laxman have moved up in the ICC Test rankings after their superb performances in the Mohali Test, which India won by one wicket. Tendulkar is in third place, his highest ranking since the Hamilton Test against New Zealand in December 2002, while Laxman moves up four places to a career-best No. 8.Both batsmen starred in India’s thrilling win in the first Test against Australia. Laxman finished the run-chase in the fourth innings with an unbeaten 73, while Tendulkar top-scored in the first innings, scoring 98, and then contributed 38 in the second. He now trails Virender Sehwag – who is in second place with 851 points – by 13 points. Kumar Sangakkara, the Sri Lanka captain, tops the rankings with 874 points. Tendulkar has scored 1003 Test runs this year at an average of 83. 58.There was also some good news for Zaheer Khan too, who won the Man-of-the-Match award in Mohali. He moved up to a career-best fifth position, thanks to his match haul of 8 for 137. (Click here for the top ten batting and bowling rankings.)

Chris Rogers, the Australian batsman, will not return to Derbyshire in 2011 after accepting an offer from Middlesex. After a short stint with the county in 2004, Rogers came back in 2008 and became one of the club’s most prolific scorers, making more than 4,000 first-class runs – including 14 centuries – since his return.Rogers, a left-handed opener, was the side’s Player of the Year in 2009 and captained the team for more than two years after taking over the reins from Rikki Clarke midway through the 2008 season. Rogers stepped down in August, relinquishing the role to Greg Smith.”Chris has been a great player, captain and ambassador for the past three years and I would like to thank him for all he has done during his time with us,” John Morris, Derbyshire’s head of cricket, said. “He has been a great professional and a consistent scorer of big runs. He leaves the club with our very best wishes.”Rogers said he had enjoyed the past three years with Derbyshire. “I am sad to leave as I feel I have become a part of the side here and have forged some great relationships,” he said. “I wish Derbyshire all the best and I believe that under John Morris they have the squad and support to become a successful side.”

ScorecardBen Phillips claimed the key wicket of Michael Di Venuto but Somerset couldn’t remove Dale Benkenstein•Getty Images

The weather was always likely to have a say in the Championship race. With Nottinghamshire stuck in the pavilion at Old Trafford, Somerset knew they could make up ground on the leaders but were also frustrated until mid-afternoon at Chester-le-Street. They will have been equally disappointed by a return of two wickets in the 40 overs of play possible as Dale Benkenstein dominated an unbroken third-wicket stand of 99 with Gordon Muchall.Somerset can quite rightly claim to be the team of the season having reached the Friends Provident t20 and CB40 finals, the latter still to be played on Saturday, while maintaining their title challenge to end. For a squad without huge depth, especially in pace bowling which will be boosted next season by the arrival of Steve Kirby, that is a fine effort but they won’t remember the campaign fondly unless they secure at least one piece of silverware.However, competing on all fronts means a team has to battle the fixture list. These two sides, with ECB approval, agreed to play four extra overs on the first three days so that Somerset can leave in time to catch a flight to London on Thursday evening to prepare for the CB40 final at Lord’s.That means 60 overs have already been lost and with Somerset ideally needing a maximum 24 points they need to ensure the game progresses at a good pace. It was a brave decision by Phil Mustard, the Durham captain, to bat first. The pitch was used for the one-day international three days ago and was full of runs that day, but the overhead conditions and morning rain meant there was always going to be assistance for the pace bowlers.Charl Willoughby found swing in his first over and Michael Di Venuto edged short of third slip then two overs later saw another nick fly wide of the cordon which was then immediately strengthened by Marcus Trescothick. Willoughby strayed a couple of times against Michael Stoneman, but then found the perfect line outside off to remove the left hander as he edged through to Craig Kieswetter.Ben Phillips was economical during his opening spell and in his fourth over removed Di Venuto lbw although there was some doubt as to whether the ball pitched outside leg stump. Di Venuto has been Durham’s leading batsman this season – although no one in the side has passed 1000 runs – and it was a valuable wicket for Somerset.After tea Alfonso Thomas bowled a wonderful and, somehow, unrewarded spell when he beat both batsmen repeatedly but couldn’t find the edge. He has taken more than 100 wickets across all formats this season, enough to earn him one of Trescothick’s bats after a pre-season bet, being outstanding during the Friends Provident t20 and has been a key part of helping Somerset to CB40 final.He will bowl much worse than he did here and collect a bag of wickets. Benkenstein was beaten five times in two overs and in the first eight overs after the interval only seven runs were added with Peter Trego also proving hard to score off. The stranglehold was broken when Benkenstein seized on some width from Trego to cut him through point. Benkenstein, the former Durham captain who led the county to their first Championship title two years ago, dominated the scoring as his earlier hard work began to pay dividends.He passed fifty off 77 balls with a trio of shots behind square on the off side while in comparison Muchall struggled painfully, not collecting his first boundary until the 100th ball he faced when he pulled Trego through midwicket. As the sun broke through the pitch looked flat, but Somerset will want clear skies in the morning. And a few quick wickets.

ScorecardSomerset boosted their title hopes, with a convincing 219-run victory over Essex at Colchester moving them up to second place in the County Championship table.Relegation-threatened Essex resumed the day on 38 for 1 in pursuit of a 432-run victory target – but realistically they were never in with a chance. The hosts were bowled out for 212 with four sessions to spare and now look doomed to start next season in Division Two.Somerset were rushed to victory by the gentle medium pace of Zander De Bruyn, who picked up the last four wickets to finish with four for 23 from 7.2 overs. Essex’s hopes of making a real fight of it and steering clear of an embarrassing defeat rested on the shoulders of Ravi Bopara.But while his county colleague Alastair Cook was rediscovering his form with a century for England against Pakistan in south London, Bopara again failed to deliver. On this occasion he made only 15 before he was bowled by Peter Trego with a delivery which kept low. His far from convincing stay lasted for 38 deliveries and he has now scored just 56 in his last six Championship innings – hardly the sort of form which will earn him a place on this winter’s tour of Australia.Only two Essex players got beyond 20. Opener Billy Godleman reached 53 with his seventh four but the next delivery from Trego found the edge and provided wicketkeeper Craig Kieswetter with one of his three victims. Godleman faced 98 balls.Ryan ten Doeschate was the only other batsman to hold up Somerset for long, scoring 41 from 74 balls, six of which he despatched to the boundary. Ten Doeschate departed when De Bruyn breached his defences and with his next delivery he had Danish Kaneria caught at deep fine leg by Charles Willoughby. Trego, with 3 for 27, was the other main destroyer as Essex were demolished.Somerset emerged with 20 points but Essex had to settle for just one after they were deducted two points for a slow over rate.

ScorecardSteve Harmison demolished the Warwickshire batting this morning, taking six ofthe seven remaining wickets as Durham wrapped up their third win of the seasonin 10.2 overs.No Durham bowler had previously taken five wickets in a championship inningsthis season, but Harmison finished with 7 for 29, his best county figures,as Warwickshire crumbled from their overnight 111 for 3 to 134 all out in 50minutes.The visitors’ sixth defeat heightened their relegation worries, while Durhamclimbed two places to fifth. Having been 55 points behind Nottinghamshire whenthey lost at Trent Bridge in May they now have the gap down to 19, although theleaders have a game in hand.Harmison’s haul took him past 700 first-class wickets, of which 423 have beenfor Durham. Having missed four of their previous seven games this season withback and ankle injuries, he had only nine championship wickets going into thismatch.Jim Troughton turned the first ball of the day comfortably through mid-wicketfor three, then six wickets went down for six runs. In the day’s third over Harmison had 18-year-old Ateeq Javid lbw for 30, then in the next over Mitch Claydon moved one off the pitch to take out Troughton’soff stump and remove him for 43.Harmison did the rest, all the victims being caught at the wicket or in theslips apart from Boyd Rankin, who was well held by Mark Stoneman at short leg. Andrew Miller batted with a runner because of his foot injury and helped the unbeaten Rikki Clarke put on 14 for the last wicket.

Pakistan may have gone through turmoil in recent months, and suffered a league-stage exit in the Asia Cup, but coach Waqar Younis has said it will only be a matter of time before they start winning matches. Pakistan ended their campaign in Sri Lanka with a 139-run win against Bangladesh in Dambulla, after losing to the hosts and India.”We are very close to being winners,” Waqar said. “We didn’t do badly in the T20 World Cup and even in this tournament. It’s just that one extra step you need to take and start winning the games. I think it will come very soon. We got heaps of cricket after this. I think by the time we finish the England tour, or start the South African tour, we will start winning and we will look good. We still look a good side at the moment and these youngsters need a bit more time.”In the subcontinent and Asia, I know it gets very frustrating very quickly when you are not winning. But now I feel like they look like one team. They look to win but it’s not coming as we have seen in the recent past. But soon it will come.”Waqar said that he was happy with Pakistan’s performance against Bangladesh and with their performance in the Asia Cup. “We are in a rebuilding process, with a couple of youngsters in our side. It’s a great learning curve for them. We didn’t qualify [for the final] but I know the boys performed extremely well. They batted well, bowled well and what they are missing on the field will come with experience.”He also praised the captaincy of Shahid Afridi and his contribution to the team. Afridi scored two centuries in three matches – against Sri Lanka and Bangladesh – and signed off with a scorching 124 off 60 balls. “You always need your captain to be performing and the captain to be in form. Afridi played a superb knock. It’s superb that he has scored runs and taken wickets that will really help the future of Pakistan cricket.””Once we start winning it will be a different story. The wins are not coming but Afridi has got it in him. If the captain can go and play this sort of knock that shows that he’s got the leadership qualities. It’s just that a little bit more experience will do him a world of good.”Waqar was also pleased with the way Shoaib Akhtar was shaping up after returning to the national side following a lengthy absence. “Shoaib is still a little rusty and he needs more bowling. We are ready to give it to him in the mode of one-dayers and T20s,” he said. “We’ll go about him gradually and slowly. He bowled well in this tournament, quite fast and he’s become a very intelligent bowler. I think he will come good in the near future.”

The 2010 Champions League Twenty20 will be contested by ten teams, as opposed to the 12 that participated in the inaugural edition in 2009, after the ECB said its domestic sides could not compete because the competition clashed with the end of the English domestic season. The tournament will feature 23 matches (the same number as 2009), with the format, schedule and venues to be decided in the coming weeks.Nine of the ten teams for the tournament in South Africa, scheduled between September 10 and 26, are confirmed. The West Indian representative will be known once their domestic Twenty20 competition ends in July. Trinidad & Tobago represented the Caribbean in 2009 and reached the final, which they lost to New South Wales. There is no team from Pakistan because PCB chairman Ijaz Butt ruled out a participant following this year’s IPL auction, where no Pakistan players attracted any bids.The teams that have already qualified for the 2010 CLT20 are: Chennai Super Kings (India), Mumbai Indians (India), Royal Challengers Bangalore (India), Victorian Bushrangers (Australia), South Australian Redbacks (Australia), Warriors (South Africa), Highveld Lions (South Africa), Central Stags (New Zealand) and Wayamba Elevens (Sri Lanka).”The fact that only a third of last year’s field have re-qualified to play for the US$2.5 million first prize demonstrates the evenness of Twenty20 competitions around the world and the desperation of teams to compete at the world’s most prestigious domestic event,” N Srinivasan, the BCCI secretary, said. “There is no doubt that the Champions League Twenty20 has improved the quality of domestic Twenty20 cricket around the world and motivated teams in all countries to strive for a coveted place at the tournament.”James Sutherland, chief executive of Cricket Australia, said one of the most satisfying aspects of the tournament was the “development opportunities for non-capped players”, while Cricket South Africa head, Gerald Majola, said staging the tournament would “reinforce South Africa’s reputation as an ideal host for international sporting events”.

A video of the PCB’s inquiry committee investigations into the ill-fated Australia tour has revealed the level of in-fighting and disunity within the Pakistan side. Though not new as such, the video – leaked to a leading channel in Pakistan – confirms speculation surrounding the startling level of distrust and discord between senior members of the side.Former Pakistan captain Shoaib Malik is at the centre of it, accused by team-mates and coaches of being a negative influence in the team. In the video, Malik is ultimately described by a committee member as a “termite”, with broader criticism of his role ranging from backbiting against players to politicking within the team.The PCB took action against seven players, including Malik, after the committee concluded its investigations, though they never made public the report. Mohammad Yousuf and Younis Khan were banned indefinitely, Malik and Naved-ul-Hasan were banned for a year while Shahid Afridi and the Akmal brothers were fined and placed on probation for six months for specific incidents of indiscipline.”He (Malik) is a negative person and he creates problems. I wanted him to be sent back home,” former coach Intikhab Alam told the committee members. Intikhab also said that Malik had initially agreed to bat at No.3 but shied away during the tour of New Zealand, which preceded the Australia series. He also accuses him of deliberately sitting out of the second Test at Sydney.Predictably, the most scathing criticism comes from Yousuf, with whom Malik has had a public feud almost from the moment he became captain in 2007, after a disastrous World Cup in the Caribbean. Yousuf held Malik and the selection committee of the time responsible for his ouster from the team for the 2007 World Twenty20 and subsequent series.Both made public statements against each other while Yousuf was away from the team, till his return last year during the tour of Sri Lanka. However, their feud picked up again after Australia, where Yousuf was the captain. Yousuf was slammed by the media and former players for his defensive approach during the Sydney Test, and after the tour concluded, was even accused of “infighting” and having a “negative influence”, similar to the charges laid against Malik.”He played politics all the time. Former chairman Dr Nasim Ashraf made a big blunder and hurt Pakistan cricket when he appointed Malik captain in 2007 when his place in the side was also not confirmed,” Yousuf told the committee. “This led to other players also believing they could become captain, it set a wrong precedent in Pakistan cricket.”Malik responded by criticising Yousuf’s captaincy during the tour to the committee, where they failed to win a single match. “I went out during water break in the Sydney Test on the final day and told him to attack Mike Hussey but he didn’t listen,” Malik said. “His captaincy in Australia was pathetic, he has no confidence to take decisions.”Malik found no support from another captain and senior player, Shahid Afridi, who accused him of backbiting. “I told him clearly on his face that if he continues this practice of his double standards he will not survive in the team for too long and I will not have him in the team if I am made captain,” Afridi said. Afridi is currently the Twenty20 captain and Malik is still serving his one-year ban. His appeal is set for May 22.Intikhab is also critical of the players’ behavior and manner away from the field, questioning their education levels and upbringing, their mental aptitude and ultimately concluding that they “seem to be mentally retarded.” He suggests, as remedial measures, that Malik, Misbah-ul-Haq, Yousuf and Younis be removed from the team, though he says of Younis that “he is not a troublemaker but he has other issues.”Parts of the interaction of Rana with the committee are also on the video. Rana talks at length about the players’ unhappiness with Younis when he was captain last year, admitting that he was part of a concerted movement to try and remove him.The leak of the video – and more will come over the coming days – has come as an acute embarrassment for the PCB, which has tried hard to keep the findings of the report private. Six of the seven players have since appealed the punishments and hearings are currently underway under the aegis of a retired judge: the board blamed the players and their legal counsels for the leak of proceedings that were held in March. The video recordings were obtained and shown by , the only sports channel in Pakistan.”The board had the video recordings of the proceedings since February and nothing was leaked out to the media,” PCB legal advisor and a member of the inquiry committee Tafazzul Rizvi said. “But we had given the video and audio recordings to some of the players and their legal representatives [at the appeals]. So it was very obvious who leaked these video recordings,” Rizvi said.He said the board had kept all the proceedings of the inquiry committee confidential for the sake of Pakistan cricket, the reputation of the players and the sport itself. “But if the players want these things to come out in the open then fine they will also have to bear the consequences, the board is certainly not responsible for leaking out these confidential things,” Rizvi said.