The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has asked Daryl Foster, the Australian fast bowling coach, to analyse the bowling action of Shabbir Ahmed, after which the board would decide whether or not to send Shabbir to Australia.Saleem Altaf, the director of cricket operations, informed that he had spoken to Foster and that the board would be recording Shabbir’s action during a practice game later this week.Shabbir, who was reported for a suspect action for the third time in his career against West Indies in the first Test in Barbados this year, underwent tests in England under the supervision of a bio-mechanics specialist, after which Bob Woolmer, the Pakistan coach, also worked on his action.However, the board is yet to send tapes of his bowling action to the ICC review committee to seek final clearance. Altaf also said that Shabbir’s inclusion for the home series against England in November-December wasn’t certain.”It is too early to say whether his action would be cleared by the ICC in time for the England series,” he added. “I might go myself to attend this meeting of the group to be held in Dubai to convince them that Shabbir’s action is okay.”

Zimbabwe’s leading cricketers are still playing without contracts while the Zimbabwe Professional Cricketers’ Association (ZPCA) tries to secure a new deal with the governing body.All the players’ contracts expired on August 31 and they participated in the closing stages of the one-day international triangular series with India and New Zealand and the two Tests against India “on trust”.The players’ representative Clive Field told CricInfo on Tuesday that the situation was not ideal, even though progress was being made in negotiations with Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC), assisted by the mediation of respected Harare human resources expert George Makings.”We are all agreed on the need for contracts to be finalised as soon as possible,” said Field, “and ZC want them finalised by the end of the week. We are hoping to get the new contracts drafted by Friday, although Makings is of the opinion that these deadlines might not be realistic.”The ZPCA are not trying to get a larger monthly retainer for the players, but are focusing instead on protecting these salaries from the hyperinflation that is currently bedevilling Zimbabwe and also trying to get better match fees and medical aid for the players.”I know the process has been slower than we had hoped, but there is no deadlock, the process is on and still moving,” said Field, adding that Barney Rogers and Stuart Carlisle, who each had their contract offers unilaterally withdrawn by ZC at the beginning of September, have both been told “they have been retired,” by ZC.Neither player has requested assistance from the ZPCA in returning to the fold. Neil Ferreira, who made his Test debut in August against New Zealand, is back in the Zimbabwe squad after he had originally been dealt the same harsh treatment as Rogers and Carlisle.According to Field, “an apology for an emotional outburst got Neil’s contract offer reinstated. The ZPCA still feel the situation is unsatisfactory, however, because the three players were punished for outbursts which were made at a private players’ meeting. But we can only fight it if the players come to us and ask us to help them get back into the fold, like Ferreira did.”

RP Singh, India’s latest fast bowling talent, is taking his initial days with the one-day side as a learning curve and maintains that he is enjoying every minute spent with the elite of Indian cricket.Despite having upstaged established pacers like Zaheer Khan and Ashish Nehra in making it to the final eleven of the national side, RP Singh, 20, does not feel weighed down by any pressure. “No, I don’t feel any pressure. On the contrary, it’s a great feeling. I am enjoying every minute. Everybody is friendly here,” he said.RP Singh, who first hogged the limelight in the Under-19 World Cup in Bangladesh last year grabbing eight wickets, made his debut for the senior side against Zimbabwe in Harare in September. So far he has played seven ODIs, picking 11 wickets, but is now gearing up to prove that he is no flash-in-the-pan.RP Singh said the last three months with the senior team had improved several aspects of his bowling. “Greg [Chappell] and the senior players have taught me how to be patient. Tendulkar and Dravid also gave me valuable tips. My follow-through has improved. I have improved on several other aspects including my work ethics. My accuracy level has also gone up. I have learnt how to bowl at the same spot for long.”When a journalist reminded him of the adage that fast bowlers hunt in pairs and asked him whether he was looking for the right partner, prompt came the reply, “these are the early days of my career. I’m concentrating solely on my showing now”. RP Singh, who idolizes Wasim Akram and Glenn McGrath, felt that compared to Sri Lanka, South Africa had a stronger batting line up, but exuded confidence that India could overwhelm the visitors if the team played true to its potential.

Jeevan Kumaranatunge, Sri Lanka’s Miniser of Sports and Youth Affairs, laid the foundation stone for the Welagedara Cricket Stadium in Kurunegala.The stadium will be equipped with a modern scoreboard, a grand stand, two pavilions, a sprinkler system, sight screens, enclosed terraces, a boardroom and complete media facilities. There is also a plan to install flood lights in the next two years.Salinda Dissanayake, the president of the Kurunegala District Cricket Association, hoped that after completion, the stadium would qualify as an international stadium and be able to host a four-day match against Pakistan in March 2006.

The interim board that is currently in charge of Zimbabwe cricket has chosen to suspend the national team from Test cricket until early next year.The decision, which was announced at a meeting in Harare on Wednesday, means that Zimbabwe’s two-Test tour of the Caribbean, scheduled for April and May, will now not take place, despite earlier assurances to the contrary from Peter Chingoka, the chairman.Given that Chingoka met with the ICC chairman and chief executive, Ehsan Mani and Malcolm Speed, last week, it is inconceivable that this course of action was not discussed. As was the case when Zimbabwe excused themselves from Test cricket in 2004, it is likely to have been done with the ICC’s blessing and been welcomed at their headquarters in Dubai.Though they are to sit out of Test cricket for the foreseeable future, Zimbabwe Cricket remains hopeful that the five-match one-day leg of their Caribbean tour will go ahead as planned. The news, however, will not go down well with the West Indies board who less than a week ago were assured by Chingoka the full tour was on.”While the side goes through the programme to prepare it adequately for the rigours of Test cricket, ZC has no doubt that the team will be competitive in its ODI commitments under the Future Tours Programme,” added Chingoka, who hoped that the team would resume its Test status on the tour to Sri Lanka in February 2007.According to a ZC press release, the decision to suspend its participation in Test matches was reached after consideration of the recent performances by the national and A teams. “The young teams remain full of potential and hopes abound for their development into a strong and competitive performer on the Test arena.”ZC is now putting in place a programme to galvanise the development of the Zimbabwe squads,” the release concluded. “It will work with other Test nations and the ICC itself to realise this objective.”

Somerset have named Cameron White and Dan Cullen, the Australian spinners, as their two overseas players for 2006 and have also recruited Charl Willoughby, the South African left-arm seamer, from Leicestershire on the Kolpak ruling.White, 22, is captain of Victoria and has played five one-day internationals for Australia while Cullen, 21, from South Australia, is rated as the most promising offspinner in the country.Willoughby played for Leicestershire during 2005 but has been snapped up by Somerset to bolster their new-ball attack, which has been injury-prone over the last few years as Andrew Caddick and Richard Johnson have suffered under the workload.Brian Rose, the director of cricket, told somersetcountycc.co.uk that the club closely assessed which areas they needed to strengthen ahead of next season. “We looked at our strengths and weaknesses and decided that we have a potentially fine batting line-up with a lot of talented and improving young players.”We have had to plan for the possibility of Ian Blackwell being on England duty for part of the season. We also feel we have two good young wicketkeepers and I think most supporters would agree that what we lack is bowling strength.”It was therefore decided to try and give the captain a greater variety of options, which we have done by signing a left-arm seamer, a leg-spinner and an off-spinner.”Rose said that White and Cullen will bring an added dimension to the Somerset attack and that the club will benefit from two young players with plenty to prove. “Cameron White clearly has qualities of character to be captain of Victoria at such a young age. As well as being a talented leg-spinner, he can bat at five or six, with the potential to go even higher in the order.”Dan Cullen is developing into an excellent offspinner and has been highly recommended to us by people who know their cricket. Both he and Cameron will be desperate to impress ahead of the next Ashes series so we will be employing two very determined young players.”

Much has been written about the problems of South African and Sri Lankan players being racially abused during the summer. Today’s article by Peter English (Kicking out racism) has attracted considerable feedback and we print a selection below. Cricinfo does not condone any of the comments contained, but we thought it important to show the variety of reactions.I find it interesting that there are enquiries into rascism in cricket in Australia where this is mostly from spectators over whom the cricket authorities have little control whilst institutional rascism is practiced flagrantly by Zimbabwe against both its players and its minority officials and the ICC condones it. It is clear that rascism in the eyes of the world can only be practiced by white people against other coloured people whilst the reverse is called something else and is not only acceptable it is encouraged. PH HollowayI agree that there is a problem in Australian crowds and that this problem needs to be removed. Indeed, bravo to the ICC for attempting to something constructive for the good of the game and not money, for once. However, it must be said that every country is guilty of racism one way or another. There are always a few in every crowd that shout offensive and detrimental phrases at the players. If the ICC really want to act maybe it should be a global effort to cut out racism, not the sort of half measure in rooting out racism we saw from the ICC in Zimbabwe last year. Simon FlemingI agree that there is a problem in Australian crowds and that this problem needs to be removed. Indeed, bravo to the ICC for attempting to do something constructive for the good of the game and not money, for once. However, it must be said that every country is guilty of racism one way or another. There are always a few in every crowd that shout offensive and detrimental phrases at the players. If the ICC really want to act maybe it should be a global effort to cut out racism, not the sort of half measure in rooting out racism we saw from the ICC in Zimbabwe last year. Simon FlemingOn the 13th of January i was at Telstra Stadium for the Sri Lanka-Australia match when an Aussie lady shouted at a group of Sri Lankan supporters as black ****. The Sri Lankan supporters replied back because they couldnt just keep quiet. Then she got angry and slapped one of the Sri Lankan boys and it was going to turn into an ugly incident but fortunately she was ejected from the ground. ChamindaI am so tired of Howard government haters like Peter English saying we have a racism problem in this country. Nothing could be further from the truth. Look at how many people of ethnic origin hold political office in this country for a start – so much for racial discrimination bubbling to the surface in the privacy of a voting booth! I find his Australia bashing to be offensive and, frankly, politically motivated. As for immaturity, such a charge only requires a three word reply: pot, kettle, black. RaymondCongratulations on a fantastic article which accurately captures the sad state of denial that Australia has when it comes to confronting anything unpleasant about our own. Whether it’s drugs in sport, sledging or racism, we tend to trivialise it when it reflects badly on us, but it’s always a crime when perpetrated by others. The Chinese are drug cheats, but we just take headache tablets. Our sledging is good natured but Sarwan’s retort to McGrath, concerning his wife, was totally unacceptable. When our sports stars make racist comments, it’s nothing more than a bit of frustration, competitiveness or larrikinism. Until people begin to recognise that there is no excuse for such vile thoughts entering people’s heads, regardless of the excuse, Australia will continue to be in a state of denial over the poor behaviour of its sporting populace. Whilst alcohol is a contributing factor, the fact that racist thoughts are aired when inhibitions are relaxed merely point to the fact that such thoughts lurk disturbingly close to the surface. I am a Sri Lankan-born Aussie who’s been here since childhood and played cricket around the world – I love my country but I can’t help but be embarassed by the many idiots who carry their prejudices in a bottle of beer and then hide behind some supposedly unique Australian traits. Fair dinkum Aussies are better than that – such thoughts never enter their heads in the first place. Michael JehWith regards to the current debate regarding racial abuse during cricket games, I believe it has been blown competely out of proportion and the problem has been exacerbated by the media attention. Prior to reading newspaper articles I had never heard of the word “kaffir”, let alone it’s meaning. I know that with the increased publicity and the fact it is known to upset the opposition, crowds will continue to use it. MattIt’s interesting to see how behaviour that is clearly unacceptable everywhere else in our society somehow becomes “mandatory” when a cricket match is on. It’s seen as the thing to do at the cricket to sit on the hill, get blind drunk and act like a moron. I can’t stand going to the cricket now, to be surrounded by drunk Australian males who think it’s OK to racially abuse players and spectators, and to sexually harass female spectators like they are pieces of meat. People who behave in this manor at the cricket need to understand that it doesn’t matter whether they “mean it” or not. The unfortunate people on the end of the insults are always hurt. And contrary to the denials of many Australians, these attitudes are symptomatic of an underlying racism in our culture and it needs to end now. Ben HabibIf Australian cricket fans are so racist why is Andrew Symonds one of the most popular players? GraemeAs an ex-South African living in rural NSW I am appalled at what has been happening at the cricket this summer. I await South Africa’s tours eagerly and I love watching the Aussies play, but the race issue has left a bitter taste in my mouth, mainly because all the blame has been put on ex-South Africans. Many of us living here left BECAUSE of the racist regime that existed in South Africa and deplore the use of the word “kaffir”. I never want my little boy or girl to hear that word and I take great offence to it. To blame ex-South Africans is a cop out, Australian society has a deep racial undertone in it but no one wants to admit it. I’m off to the final in Sydney and no matter who Australia plays I only hope that cricket is the winner!Brendon BriedenhannI am Australian citizen of Indian origin and have lived here for over 30 years. I fully concur with the view that something drastic needs to be done to prevent racist taunts at sporting events becoming an epidemic. It is imperative that hefty fines and possible jail terms should be included to deter such behaviour in addition to ejecting the culprits from the arena. I am a cricket tragic and have watched the game in different countries, India, England, New Zealand and Australia, and am sorry to say that this kind of bad behaviour is not unique to Australia. Indeed, I had come across much worse name calling and relentless harassment in England despite a large West Indian and south Asian presence in the crowd. India is not immune, just that the perverse name calling is often in one of the many Indian languages which is unintelligible to the visiting team and so no offence is taken. The New Zealand behaviour is simply put down to the traditional trans-Tasman rivalry and our countries’ mutual fondness for the sheep. Perhaps, the English-speaking nations pay a price for the popularity of their language. Rangan SrinivasanPeople think racism in Australia is a new phenomenon; no it is not. Way back in 1988 when the Under-19 Youth World Cup was held Down Under (where Sanath Jayasuriya, Romesh Kaluwitharana and a certain Brian Lara showed a glimpse of their class) some of the Sri Lankan cricketers were almost manhandled by Aussie thugs who called them black a**holes, and monkeys. This was in Sydney when the boys went out sightseeing. During the last 20 years things have taken a turn for worse, both among spectators and in the middle. Upul ChandanaAs an Australian who has been playing and attending cricket matches for nearly 30 years I am stunned by the picture that Peter English has painted of Australia as a seething pit of racism. It disappoints me that he has taken this line as it gives a false impression of my country, as he lets an extremely small minority, taint the significant majority. Furthermore, using politicised language such as “stolen generation”, referring to the One Nation party that failed to gain traction in any state outside Queensland and the Tampa incident are cheap catch cries that he beleives are argument enders, but rather are all contentious issues that are not black and white. Are there racist people in Australia? Absolutely. Is it acceptable? No way. However, there is a difference between racism and abuse. I think you will find that the majority of people who used the word “kaffir” probably learnt it off Lethal Weapon 2 and have no idea about the historical and cultural baggage it carries. Nick CumminsRacism is not something you are born with. Racism is absorbed into every individual via the society, peers, journalist, followers, role models and leaders. History has nothing to do with it. Once it’s within you, it is very difficult to stop practicing racism since you kind of get addicted and branded to it. I am sure like most of them says, they feel good about it but they do not mean it. Racism is a tool that can achieve a lot in a competitive environment. It is a part of the intimidating process in military sense. In reality, you can intimidate somebody by assuming a superior position regardless of the facts. This is exactly what is going on in the Australian and some other teams today. When you see the attitude of the Australian players in the grounds with the other teams, you will realize that they have made taunting and ridiculing a major part of the game. This is a part of their act of playing and winning the game. The problem is the spectators absorb these behaviors and try to contribute to the process. The result is racial slurs. If you want to put a stop to racial slurs, put a stop to minds games like this inside the field.Ranil AbeysekeraAndrew Martis and BJ need to consider why the South African cricketers are so upset about racist abuse. These people seem to think that because South Africa has a history of racism, that it is an excuse for Australians to behave the same way. The South African players are very aware of our country’s sad history, and make every effort to correct the wrongs of the past. Because of this awareness, it makes them even more sensitive to the mindlessness of those who think that making racist comments are clever or funny. Edgar NortheyThis is ridiculous, we are a fun-loving nation. Just because sometimes we say descriptive stuff that sounds insulting, that doesn’t mean that we mean it. It’s our way of bagging the opposition – I mean go to a QLD v NSW match in rugby league or union and people yell out offensive stuff. It all means the same, it’s just described different. When the South African team complained on TV, some (note the word ‘some’) people saw it as something that they know will upset them, and that’s why they repeated it – not due to racism. BryceI am an Australian of Indian origin and every time I’ve been to the Gabba, I have been racially abused. I stopped going about two years ago. The last time I was with my nephew who was 10 years old, we sat next to four young white Australian men. Initially they were very nice and wanted to know which country I came from. About two hours and four glasses of beer later they were screaming all manner of obscenities at the Pakistanis and making life miserable for us. My nephew was curious to know what they were screaming about and I had to walk out of there, and have not been back since. Carlton IsaaksI am an Australian born from Indian descent and have been subject to racial abuse many times when watching the cricket. It is symptomatic of a society that pretends to be tolerant but under the surface is not. I would like to congratulate you on a brilliant article. It is when people like you bring up this subject that it can be brought into a truer light. Sandeep ChandraPeter English is right on and I fully agree with him that Australia has such ingrained and ugly racial prejudices that seems to be glossed over with patriotism. It is only one step further from loving your country so vehemently to hating others. Patriotism in Australia has become almost mandatory in this Howard age and sadly so has racism. It was sport, particularly cricket that held (or bore the brunt of) the international pressure that helped bring down the apartheid state in South Africa. Maybe it should help clean out the racists from this country now. Paul GillLetting a few bad apples ruin the entire harvest is truly missing the forest for the trees. There will always be some fans who will try to be disruptive for one reason or another. They need to be dealt with by security at the games not by boycotting the game and its followers. Dr Alan Molk (USA)The jibes about “kaffirs” from the crowd, are most likely expatriot South Africans who still bear anger at their former homeland, as kaffir is not a general term used by Australians.If Majola feels his poor cricketers are too thin skinned to cope, they should take up knitting. Roger HarrisThe idea of imposing fines on these unmentionables is a great way to let them know that this type of intolerance will not be acceptable. The fines imposed for this type of behaviour should be the same as the fines for pitch invasion, as both are detrimental to the game of cricket. Gavin McMilesThrowing a person out of the grounds will not do if the country is serious about stopping the rot/curse of racism. Offenders need to be punished by jail sentences. For this to happen, there has to be a commitment by the country’s leaders and legislators that they want to seriously address this issue. Until there is that kind of a commitment (like here in Canada), this will only get worse. Shame on you Australia. Chris (Canada)I don’t think the people calling South Africans “kaffir” mean it – they are just saying some words they heard. And didn’t the South Africans use those words for 30 years or more previously. I would be happy enough if they boycott an Australian tour. They haven’t been the most congenial guests or competitive adversaries. Andrew MartisJust in relation to the racial taunts to South African players. WA has one of the highest population of native South Africans outside SA itself. I was at the game and heard the comments – but it was “Australian” South Africans that were making the comments and there was a general feel of uncomfortability in the Australian crowd. DavidTo me, most of the guys being taunted with “kaffir” comments appear to be Anglos who’ve spent some time at the beach. Go ahead and boycott, you goat – you need us MUCH more than we need you. And when it comes to racism … well, there’s a little something about stones and glasshouses. BJI have lived in Australia as a Sri Lankan migrant for the past 14 years. It comes as no surprise to me that this sort of disgusting behaviour is taking place around Australian cricket grounds. Australia has a racist underbelly and has, in my experience, always expressed this on the sporting field – particularly when tempers flare. No country can claim to be angelic, but Australia seems to have created an art form out of racial taunts and personal slurs. Shaun

Rahul Dravid credited Anil Kumble and Munaf Patel for “setting up the game” and said although India won with five bowlers in this game, the formula might not be repeated in the next Test at Mumbai. Andrew Flintoff admitted that India were “probably too good on the day” but expressed confidence that his young side would come back strongly in the final match on March 18.Dravid

After losing a couple of days due to rain, I thought on the third evening that a draw was the most likely result. But we also knew that if we could get ahead and if we could get the spinners to exert pressure on days four and five with the ball turning and bouncing we had a chance. If we got early wickets and someone came up with a special effort, we knew there was a very good chance. Anil and Munaf set the game up for us with their bowling.It was a critical part, the lower-order batting. At 150 for five, we had our backs to the wall. From there on, we batted really well and at a good tempo, which gave us enough time to try and bowl England out. It was as important as our bowling was in the context of the game.On Munaf Patel:
His bowling today was fantastic. He bowled really well, he got good reverse and he put the ball in the right areas at good pace. If you are quick, accurate and can swing the ball around, you always pose problems. His three wickets in the morning set the game up for us.On Anil Kumble:
He is a great cricketer but more importantly, he is also a fine person. He has been a huge inspiration for me right the way through, from junior cricket on to first-class cricket for Karnataka and for India. The way he has carried himself, through the ups and down, and that he is still standing there performing as well as he is doing now, is a tribute to his skills as a great cricketer. People do tend to forget that he is a great spin bowler. His quality as a person too is unmistakable. I won’t swap Anil [Kumble] for anyone in any conditions.On whether the fifth bowler was underused:
Piyush [Chawla] didn’t get much of a bowl. It can happen sometimes. We are looking to get 20 wickets and looking to be positive. England showed us in the Ashes what an impact you can make when you have five specialist bowlers. If you want to obtain good consistent results, you have to be flexible and take your chances. We backed ourselves and hoped for runs from the lower order, and we got it here.On whether India would play 5 bowlers in Mumbai:
I am not so sure if we will play five bowlers in Mumbai. It will depend on the wicket, it will depend on the number of bowlers we feel will get us 20 wickets. If it is anywhere near the one on which we played Australia, we won’t need five bowlers. I think it should be a good cricket wicket, like it was when we played against South Africa in the one-dayer. We have got options in the side, we could play three spinners or three seamers, and we could use that formula. We are looking at going ahead, and that will make us a better side.On his innings:
England have a very good attack, one of the better seam attacks I have played. To make those runs in difficult circumstances against a quality attack was extremely satisfying. It was probably one of my most satisfying knocks.

On having a bowler who can bowl toe-crushers:
We have faced a few bowlers, so it’s nice to have someone who can give it back.On whether England will still have fight left in them for the last Test :
There is a lot of fight left in them. They are a very competitive unit, a very good side. I expect them to come back hard at us. This win was not easy, the nine-wicket margin doesn’t reflect the contest it was.On Virender Sehwag being back among the runs:
Everyone scoring runs is important. It’s nice to see Veeru [Virender Sehwag] back among the runs. He has been working really hard in the nets. To be fair, he got a very good ball in the first innings. When he gets going, he scores quickly as well, and that makes a lot of difference.On his forthcoming 100th Test:
It’s going to be a special occasion for me to join a lost of cricketers, some of whom were my heroes growing up. I have had the honour of playing with some of them, it is a special feeling. I never thought when I made my debut in 1996 that I will be playing for as long as I have. Hopefully, I will be in the winning side in that game!On getting out in the 90s:
It’s never nice to be dismissed in the 90s, but at the end of the day, we won a game of cricket, so it doesn’t matter too much.On the track here:
It was a very good cricket wicket. It had something for everyone, there was bounce and there was turn. The edges were carrying to the slips. And as Flintoff and Pietersen and some of our guys showed, it you are willing to stay at the wicket and play your strokes, you can score runs. Daljit Singh [curator at Mohali] really knows a lot about wickets and knows his stuff. I hope the Board utilises the knowledge of Daljit.On whether this was a track where the two sides should have been bowled out for 300 or so:
There was some good bowling from both sides; both teams had some very good bowlers.FlintoffOn his thoughts when the final day began :
Last night, losing five wickets in the final session, was crucial. It is tough to come back from that. With myself and [Geriant] Jones at the crease, we always thought we could put a few runs. Probably, [the match turned] in the first innings. If you see the scorecard, a lot of us got in but we needed one of us to go on and get a large score. We carried on fighting and scraping but in the end India were probably little bit too good on the day.On how his team has done despite losing key members:
We have lost the captain, Ashley [Giles], Marcus [Trescothick] and [Simon] Jones, we have got a young side. I think we have done well to compete in India. Last week in Nagpur, and in this game we have shown signs we can compete with the best sides in the world. I think this is a good young side, we are showing character. We are going to Mumbai. We are going to learn from the mistakes and improve our performance.On the performance of his bowlers:
I don’t think you could have asked for anything more. The seamers ran in all day and gave it their all. It’s probably the batting that let us down. Many of us got in and then got out; it would have been nice if one of us had gone on to score a big hundred and set a target. And then last night was a tricky session. It was tough with the ball bouncing and turning and [Anil] Kumble who has got 500 wickets bowling well.On whether the team had resigned themselves to a draw when so much time was lost on the first two days:
I don’t think so. The atmosphere in the dressing room was never like that.In Test cricket these days it’s possible to make up a lot of time even if you loseovers because of rain like we did. All three results were still possible. We believedwe could win it and in the end they won.On whether his team was surprised by Munaf Patel’s success:
He has enjoyed playing against us. He got a 10-for in Baroda and he got a 7-for here so we weren’t really surprised. He bowled well and got the ball to reverse swing and bowled at a decent pace. I don’t think he surprised us [after] the way he bowled in Baroda. And he is in fine form at the moment.

On whether England suffered for want of spinners:
I think we got a young spinner in Monty Panesar who is learning every day.I thought he bowled well in Baroda and bowled well here. India have got an experienced spinner who has taken 500 wickets and another one with experience in Harbhajan. Monty is learning and I’m very pleased with his progress. It is goingto be tough for a young spinner to come and bowl to the likes of Sehwag, Dravid and Tendulkar.On the spirit his team has shown:
We have shown signs in this game that we can compete withIndia. In Mumbai we have to go out there, stick togetherand rally round. This side fights hard. And every quality we have will have to come to the party next week.On whether he was more tired in this game because of leading the side:
Obviously I have had a bit of a hectic game. But honestly I am enjoyingit. I don’t feel any more tired than I would be if I was just batting and bowling.

On a cloudy, humid morning at the 3Ws Oval, Jason Haynes, the Barbados skipper, won the toss and chose to bat. For Scotland, Colin Smith was back behind the stumps while Gavin Hamilton, Dewald Nel and Darren Spink were rested.Dougie Brown and John Blain were soon among the wickets, and at the first drinks break the score was 58 for 2. The two spinners, Ryan Watson and Ross Lyons, were introduced in the 21st over with immediate effect; Gordon Goudie took a fine running catch off Watson.Further good catches by Kyle Coetzer, Paul Hoffman and Douglas Lockhart reduced the home side to 178 for 7 in the 40th over. The innings was wrapped up for 194 in the 45th over in what was a very competent fielding and bowling performance.The same could not be said about Scotland’s batting. The visitors subsided to 17 for 5 in seven overs, thanks to some hostile fast bowling by the West Indies U-19 fast bowlers Jevan Searles and Kemar Roach, and safe catching by wicket-keeper Dadrian Forde, who ended with five victims.Craig Wright, the Scotland captain and Dougie Brown then took the total to 60 before the skipper was also caught behind. Two further quick wickets fell – John Blain and Paul Hoffman hardly disturbed the scorers – and Gordon Goudie joined Brown, who was batting imperiously while his team-mates fell around him, reaching his 50 in 71 minutes off only 41 balls.Goudie batted steadfastly and the pair added 59 valuable runs before he was bowled round his legs for 21. The innings closed on 125 when Brown tried to hit the bowler out of the ground and was neatly caught on the long-off boundary.The end to the match – a disappointing performance by Scotland to lose by 69 runs – was witnessed by a number of former Bajan stars, well-known to older Scottish fans. These included Adzil Holder, Winslow Ashby and Floyd Reifer (all ex-Ferguslie) and Steve Alleyne (ex-Carlton), and that great West Indian fast bowler, Joel ‘Big Bird’ Garner.

49 overs India 230 for 6 (Raina 81*, Dhoni 38) beat England 226 (Pietersen 71, Strauss 61) by four wickets
Scorecard and ball-by-ball updates
How they were out

A nerveless 118-run stand between Suresh Raina, India’s latest teenage prodigy, and the wicketkeeper, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, rescued India from a middle-order collapse and carried them to a comfortable four-wicket victory in the second one-day international at Faridabad.Chasing 227 for victory after losing the toss, India had stuttered from 61 for 0 to 92 for 5 in 11 overs of indiscretion, but Raina demonstrated maturity beyond his years to compile a superb unbeaten 81 from 89 deliveries. It was his first half-century in international cricket, but the deftness of touch that he showed on a tricky low-bouncing surface was clear evidence that it would not be his last.India had been in some disarray when Dhoni and Raina began a rearguard that blossomed into a gleeful gallop to victory. After a sprightly 61-run stand from Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir, a mid-innings collapse had left England with victory in their grasp – for the second time in consecutive matches. But whereas the Delhi defeat had been of England’s own making, this time they were forced to bow to the brilliance of India’s sixth-wicket pair.Raina did offer one chance, on 20, when James Anderson leapt to his right in his followthrough and clung on magnificently, only for the ball to bobble out as his elbow jarred on the turf. But that was his only aberration. Two wristy stroked fours through the covers off Liam Plunkett and Andrew Flintoff had served notice of his class, but it was once he had passed fifty and brought victory into his sights that he really unfurled his shots. Kabir Ali disappeared for 15 runs in his final over – riches on this sluggish surface – including an outrageous sweep past fine-leg for four.Though it was Raina making the running, Dhoni’s contribution was equally invaluable. He had been rightly lambasted for the manner of his dismissal in the Mumbai Test, but here he was temperance personified. It wasn’t until he had been at the crease for 78 minutes that he scored his first boundary – a reverse-sweep off Ian Blackwell, who again enhanced his one-day reputation with a plucky spell of 2 for 38.Blackwell’s two wickets had bookended India’s collapse, with Sehwag starting things off by missing a sweep to be bowled behind his legs, and Yuvraj Singh chopping an attempted cut onto his off-stump for 18. In between whiles, Gautam Gambhir top-edged a horrid smear back to James Anderson and Mohammad Kaif fell lbw for a duck, but the big scalp was that of the captain, Rahul Dravid, who was run out in bizarre circumstances as he attempted to steal a single from a ricochet off the stumps.

Dravid’s departure left England fully believing they had the victory in their grasp, but ultimately they paid the price for their over-reliance on pace. The slow, low surface was tailor-made for spin, and to that end India had packed their side with four slow bowlers. The pick of these was Ramesh Powar, whose haul of 3 for 34 included a becalmed Andrew Strauss for 61, and the dangerous duo of Owais Shah and Andrew Flintoff. They contributed five runs between them, with Flintoff’s failure his first in eight international innings on the tour – his previous lowest score of 41 had come in the first ODI.Once again, England owed what little momentum they had to a barnstorming performance from Kevin Pietersen. He had made just 3 when Raina reprieved him in the deep, and went on to record 71 from 87 balls, with four fours and two sixes. The second of these maximums carried him past 1000 runs in one-day cricket in just 21 innings, thus equalling Viv Richards’s record, but he fell to his very next ball, as he attempted to pummel Yuvraj through midwicket.Without his guidance, England’s tail once again subsided meekly, with the last five wickets subsiding in seven overs and a blaze of big hits, as India’s seamers capitalised on the lack of pace and some increasingly desperate strokes. A total of 226 was not to be sniffed at, but Raina’s maturity beyond his years ensured that India will travel to Goa next week with a 2-0 lead in the bag.

England
Matt Prior lbw b Harbhajan Singh 33 (66 for 1)
Shaping across the line, beaten by turnOwais Shah c Dhoni b Powar 0 (71 for 2)
Thin inside-edge onto pad, looped up to keeperAndrew Strauss b Powar 61 (135 for 3)
Down the track, aiming through midwicket, beatenAndrew Flintoff st Dhoni b Powar 5 (143 for 4)
Down the track, turned through the gatePaul Collingwood run out (Dhoni) 5 (174 for 5)
Set off for quick single, sent back, beaten by 10-yard shyKevin Pietersen c Dravid b Yuvraj 71 (193 for 6)
Hitting against the spin, flipped to midwicketIan Blackwell b Sreesanth 9 (214 for 7)
Deceived by offcutterLiam Plunkett b Pathan 4 (221 for 8)
Swing and a missGeraint Jones c Gambhir b Sreesanth 22 (223 for 9)
Pulled to deep midwicketJames Anderson b Sreesanth 2 (226 for 10)
Made room to slog, lost off stumpIndia
Virender Sehwag b Blackwell 26 (61 for 1)
Lining up the sweep, dragged onto stumpsGautam Gambhir c & b Anderson 29 (70 for 2)
Horrid waft across the line, steepling top-edge to bowlerRahul Dravid run out (Collingwood) 5 (72 for 3)
Jones’s shy deflected towards point, one remaining bail removed as fielder swoopedMohammad Kaif lbw b Plunkett 0 (80 for 4)
Short ball, on the pull, didn’t get upYuvraj Singh b Blackwell 18 (92 for 5)
Cutting sharp tweaker, under-edge onto stumpsMahendra Dhoni b Flintoff 38 (210 for 6)
Hoick across the line, dragged on