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Andrew Flintoff has received a cortisone injection in his right knee after a scan showed mild inflammation following the second one-day international against India at Bristol. Jon Lewis has been called up to the squad as cover for the next two matches.Flintoff crashed into an advertising board during India’s innings attempting to stop a boundary and appeared in pain. He managed to complete his overs – taking a career-best 5 for 56 – and was able to bat at his normal No. 6 position. During England’s run-chase the ECB said he was feeling some stiffness behind his knee and on Saturday he went for a scan.He will be reassessed by the medical team on Sunday ahead of the third match in the series at Edgbaston on Monday. Flintoff is just two matches into his international comeback following ankle surgery, which has kept him out of the England side since the World Cup.Lewis, the Gloucestershire swing bowler, last played for England against New Zealand in the CB Series. He was named in the World Cup squad but didn’t play before returning home early to be with his wife.With Flintoff’s fitness again under the microscope, and Ryan Sidebottom not considered for the first two matches of the NatWest Series because of a side strain, Lewis’s call-up will provide another option for the selectors. India levelled the series on Friday with a nine-run at Bristol.

Holders Ireland will be eyeing maximum points when they take on United Arab Emirates in the ICC Intercontinental Cup tie at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi starting on Thursday.A win will see Ireland, currently on 29 points from two games, jump to second spot in the table. Kenya are leading with 66 points, but have already played two additional games, so have second-placed Namibia, who have 48 points from four matches.Although UAE are out of reckoning for a spot in the final, Trent Johnston, the Ireland captain, says his team won’t be taking their opponents lightly. “It will not be a walk in the park for us and we will have to play really well to collect maximum points which is our main objective,” he said. “UAE have been unlucky in the last few games and they have a pretty experienced side.”It will not be easy and we will have to grab every opportunity that comes our way. The best way of winning the game will be to dominate the proceedings from the very first session and that is what we plan to do.”Johnston was confident of the squad overcoming any obstacles. “Obviously, change of weather conditions is one while the other is that we are playing a first-class game as a unit for the first time in almost nine months though most of the boys have been playing competitive cricket in South Africa recently.”But we are experienced enough to cope with these challenges and as I said earlier, we know what it requires to win a tournament. Adaptability and adjustment to different conditions is part of that package.”Boyd Rankin, the tall pace bowler, is out of action after suffering a stress fracture in the foot last December. Rankin, who has signed for Warwickshire, is currently remodelling his action under the supervision of Allan Donald, the county’s bowling coach.”Rankin’s absence is a blow because he gets you key wickets,” Johnston said. “But on the other side of the coin, it is a good opportunity for a youngster to step up and try to avail the chance by putting up a good performance.”Greg Thompson, the Ireland Under-19 captain at the recently-concluded World Cup in Malaysia, and his team-mate Paul Stirling have been included in the squad.UAE, on the other hand, are looking to salvage some confidence after a disappointing campaign so far. “If we put up good performances and manage to pull a victory in one of our last two matches, we will be able to restore some of our battered pride and confidence,” Saqib Ali, the UAE captain, said. “Ireland are the reigning champion and it will not be easy for us but at this level, you can’t expect easy games.”We are in a developing and rebuilding phases and every match that we play has a lot of value in terms of players’ development.”Squads
UAE Saqib Ali (capt), Arshad Ali, Khurram Khan, Nizel Fernandes, Shadeep Silva, Fahad Alhashmi, Shoaib Sarwar, Sameer Zia, Zahid Shah, Naeemuddin Aslam, Ahmed Raza, Muhammed Aman Ali, Obaid Hameed, Amjad Ali, Amjad Javed, Rashid Khan, Qasim Zubair and Abdul Rehman.Ireland Trent Johnston (capt), William Porterfield, Andre Botha, Alex Cusack, Philip Eaglestone, Thinus Fourie, Gary Kidd, Dave Langford-Smith, Kyle McCallan, Eoin Morgon, Kevin O’Brien, Niall O’Brien, Paul Stirling, Reinhardt Strydom, Greg Thompson.

Shane Bond’s international career is in all likelihood finished after weeks of speculation because of his association with the Indian Cricket League, leaving a huge dent in New Zealand’s side. The ICL is not recognised by the ICC and the national boards and any players who sign for it effectively rule themselves out of international selection under a gentlemen’s agreement.However, Bond had hoped for an agreement with New Zealand Cricket allowing him to represent his country, and at the very least for the England series. According to the Sunday Star-Times, extensive negotiations between NZC and the New Zealand Players’ Association reached a deadlock and Bond has now been released from his international obligations and is free to play in the Indian competition.The newspaper suggested that the players’ association argued that an email from NZC gave Bond the belief he was eligible for both the ICL and his country through an exemption. NZC said the email could not be so construed in the context of all the other emails he received.A spokesman for NZC told Cricinfo the situation would be clarified later this week after the selectors had met on Monday. “The squad should be announced this week so we will know more then,” he said.It was hardly a surprise that Bond accepted the ICL offer, even at the sake of his international career, because under the terms of the deal he will be paid huge sums regardless of whether he is physically hurt. For such an injury-prone player – he has managed only 17 Tests in a stop-start career – the clause is attractive enough to warrant sacrificing any further international appearances. He is now the seventh New Zealand player who is effectively ineligible for country duties.NZC’s chief executive, Justin Vaughan, had been so keen to keep Bond he had even offered to help him financially to be released from the ICL contract. However, with the deal thought to be worth three times what he could earn with New Zealand – plus, of course, the tempting injury arrangement – he chose to take the Indian money.

The USA Cricket Association elections are on hold, although this does not appear to have been conveyed to those involved in the process.Chris Dehring, the independent third party appointed by the ICC to try to find a resolution to the ongoing struggle for control of the USACA, managed to get a new constitution approved but the elections that were meant to follow within 30 days have already become embroiled in controversy.It is believed that Dehring will appoint an external independent auditor to oversee the elections and this means that they not take place until March at the earliest.Since the announcement of the yes vote for the new constitution, the USACA has yet again not uttered a word in public. Some regions have held their elections while others appear to be uncertain how to proceed.New York Region and Central West have already announced their regional board and their representatives to USACA.

Australia’s tour of Pakistan may have hit another roadblock with word that Darren Lehmann, the Australian Cricketers Association (ACA) president, will not send a delegate on a pre-tour security inspection of Pakistan due to safety concerns.Australia’s scheduled tour has already been shortened and, if it goes ahead, will begin later this month, but further bombings in Pakistan over the weekend have heightened safety fears.ACA chief executive Paul Marsh had been scheduled to join Cricket Australia representatives in Pakistan this month to decide if its players can visit safely, but Lehmann has said that would not happen. “We’re not sending Paul Marsh on the pre-tour visit and that’s basically because we as a board don’t feel comfortable sending one of our employees there at the moment,” Lehmann said.”At the moment our advice is not to, and I don’t feel comfortable sending anybody to be perfectly honest, and the [players’] board doesn’t.”There’s been a lot of things going on in Pakistan. Hopefully it settles down, but only time will tell.”Lehmann believed CA would go ahead with plans for the tour unless it is made clear the trip cannot proceed, and said the players would require plenty of assurances to change their minds. “On Wednesday we’ll meet with the government departments and see what is really out there,” he said. “We’ll get our advice from them, security issues, any other problems we have with Pakistan. I think they’d need a lot of assurances along the way.”CA will meet with officials from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade in Canberra on Wednesday to receive advice on the current security situation in Pakistan.CA’s spokesman Peter Young said it was too early to tell if the latest bombings would affect the tour. “We will sit down with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and take a formal briefing from them on the situation in Pakistan and the likely situation in the coming weeks,” Young said. “We’ll continue to move through that formal process. We’re not going to pre-empt the outcome of that process until we have gone through the whole thing.”

Javed Miandad, the former Pakistan captain, has slammed the national selectors for persisting with older players while ignoring new talent, which he felt led to the ODI series loss against South Africa.”The selectors have repeatedly been trying the same players who have failed to fulfil the nation’s expectations,” Miandad told a private TV channel. “Inconsistent selection policies led to Pakistan’s defeat against South Africa. The selectors’ poor selection is bringing cricket at par with hockey [in Pakistan].”According to Miandad, the selection committee should be held responsible for the series loss against South Africa even after all the credit it received for selecting a team that reached the final of the ICC World Twenty20.He also expressed his disappointment over the manner in which Pakistan’s batsmen were dismissed in the final match, ending up on the losing side after being well-placed for a series win. “It was one of the most pathetic [batting] displays I have ever seen as six wickets tumbled for just 20 runs. It was a golden opportunity for Pakistan to win the series but they ended as 2-3 losers.”Imran Nazir, Shoaib Malik, Shahid Afridi and Misbah-ul-Haq all played poor strokes, sealing their fate. Pakistan could have easily won the game without any fireworks but they played indiscreet shots to turn their victory into defeat.”Pakistan now head to India for a five-match ODI and three-Test series starting on November 5.

The recently floated Indian Cricket League (ICL) has found that “reactions have been positive” in its hunt to recruit domestic players.”Quite a few people are disillusioned with the way the BCCI functions,” Himanshu Mody, the business head of the ICL, told the . “At the same time we are carefully scanning players’ lists for our needs. We need to be careful and make sure they suit us too. They have to be players who have either played some level of quality cricket or youngsters who have the potential to do so.”The ICL is a Twenty20 tournament scheduled for this October and will have six teams with two Indian internationals, four overseas players and eight juniors in each side. After two years the plan is to increase the number of sides in the league to 16.On its part, the BCCI is not taking the ICL’s search for players too seriously. “It will not affect domestic cricket in any way,” said Niranjan Shah, the board secretary. The board also made brave noises on the exodus of Indian domestic coaches to the ICL – at last count Madan Lal, Sandeep Patil, and Balwinder Singh Sandhu. “I don’t think the Ranji would be affected. We have enough quality coaches,” Sanjay Jagdale, the national selector, said.Sandhu, whose contract with the Madhya Pradesh Cricket Association was not renewed this season, said he had had standing offers or feelers from four BCCI-affiliated associations but still decided to join the ICL. According to him, the ICL was not a competitor to the BCCI since the end goal of the two – that of improving Indian cricket – was the same. “You know why so many talented ones fail to get spotted in the regular camps run by the associations,” Sandhu told Zee News. “They are pushed out by those who are less talented but are being backed by men who matter. This can be set right in ICL talent spotting camps.”Meanwhile, Atul Wassan, Delhi’s chairman of selectors, said that losing some of its top players might be a blessing in disguise for the team. “As it is, we struggle to qualify everywhere. If two-three stars go, we might as well lose with youngsters,” said Wassan. He admitted however that if the team lost youngsters it would hurt it badly.

The MCC are busy installing a new scoreboard and replay screen system at Lord’s during the close season.Three new permanent, state-of-the-art colour LED replay screens, which will be ready for the start of the 2008 season, will be situated in the Compton, Edrich and Allen Stands. These Lighthouse screens are each made of 88 modules that have been specially imported from Hong Kong. The screens will not only offer enhanced scoring display opportunities but also enable live and recorded video footage and colour images to be shown during both international and domestic matches.The new screens are also more environmentally friendly, using less energy to power them – the three combined need one third of the energy of one of the old bulb-based boards to run them.

“Installing the new scoreboards fulfilled several aims for MCC,” John Stephenson, the MCC’s head of cricket, explained. “To improve the visibility and visual quality of scoreboard information for spectators – the new screens will have five times more screen resolution than the existing scoreboards. To provide the action replay and associated visual information expected at major cricket venues in 16:9 widescreen. Finally, to reduce significantly on-going energy consumption, materials replacement and maintenance costs associated with old technology.”The scoreboards are part of an ongoing investment in Lord’s by the MCC. The next major improvement should be the erection of permanent floodlights.

New South Wales 5 for 360 (Forrest 177, Haddin 55*, Hughes 51, Katich 51) v Tasmania
Scorecard

Peter Forrest made his first Pura Cup century as New South Wales batted themselves into a strong position on the first day against Tasmania. Forrest fell late in the day for 177 and at the close the Blues had reached 5 for 360 with Brad Haddin on 55 and Grant Lambert yet to score.The early signs for New South Wales were excellent as Forrest, in his fifth first-class game, combined with the debutant opener Phillip Hughes for a 112-run second-wicket stand. Hughes, 18, is the Blues’ youngest first-class player since Michael Clarke burst on the scene and he immediately displayed the skills that earned him his place, striking 51.Forrest then had strong support from Simon Katich (51) and Haddin, as Tasmania’s attack struggled to string together two wickets in close proximity. His century came from 174 balls but he was not content to leave it there and finished with 21 fours and two sixes.His lengthy stay finally ended when Brendan Drew trapped him lbw with only 15 minutes left in the day. Ben Hilfenhaus was the only Tasmania bowler to claim more than one wicket, ending the day with 2 for 90.

David Hussey is ‘batting beautifully’ and is in a ‘different class’ to his Victoria team-mates according to Cameron White, his state captain.Hussey stroked 104 and 74 not out to lead Victoria’s 270-run win over South Australia yesterday. In their second innings, South Australia folded for just 77.”David, he’s in a different class to the rest of us I think, batting beautifully,” White told the . “One of the things we want at Victoria is to produce Australian players so hopefully he gets an opportunity.”Everyone knows that he’s good enough and he’s in really good form – if you’ve been watching this game you’ll see he’s been on a different level to anyone really.”White attributes Hussey’s success to county cricket in which he has represented Nottinghamshire for the past four seasons. He has been in prolific form, compiling 7259 runs at 48.39 with a bristling strike-rate.”I’ve no doubt county cricket has definitely helped his game,” White said. “Over the last four winters he’s been [playing county cricket] he’s probably facing a couple of thousand balls out in the middle while everyone else who’s not playing cricket is hitting indoor bowling machine balls.”There’s no doubt I think that makes you a better player over there, batting all that time.”