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Damien Martyn’s graceful Test career is not finished despite being dropped from the Super Series squad, according to the captain Ricky Ponting. Ponting said Martyn’s omission was the “biggest shock” during the squad announcement that also included the dropping of Michael Kasprowicz and Jason Gillespie.”Damien is 33 but as far as I’m concerned he’s been a champion player for a long time and there is no doubt he can bounce back,” Ponting told the . “I know he’ll be missed because he’s a terrific guy and a good mate of mine.”Ponting, who launched Atari’s Ricky Ponting computer game at the SCG yesterday, told the Australians needed to recover their winning “habits” for the Super Series after the Ashes “hiccup”. “It’s important to get those back again and I am sure if we do you will see us win lots of Test matches,” he said.Ponting said being beaten by England was a new experience and it would “toughen me up as captain”. “Things had been going along well for a long period and this has been a hiccup and something we have got to get over pretty quickly,” he said. “None of this squad has been involved in a losing Ashes series before and some of the players have never been part of a losing Test series before.”The Super Series begins with the one-day matches on October 5, 7 and 9 in Melbourne and the Super Test starting in Sydney on October 14.

After a year in which his role has been the subject of intense scrutiny and criticism, it is perhaps not that surprising that Rameez Raja has resigned as chief executive of the Pakistan board. The timing of his departure, however, will raise some eyebrows.During the Multan Test against India, Rameez had indicated, while talking to Wisden Cricinfo, that the series would be his last as chief executive. Back then, he cited the increasing number of commentary offers he was turning down as a reason. A couple of months later, still in charge and reiterating his desire to continue, Rameez spoke to Wisden Cricinfo at the press conference announcing Bob Woolmer’s appointment, and spoke of the tasks he felt had been left unfinished as his reason for not resigning. Prime among them was the restructuring of the domestic game. Now, a couple of months on, he leaves, and like the sequence of events highlighted above, you are left not quite sure what to make of it all.It is an ambiguity that has plagued Rameez. As an elegant opening batsman burdened with comparisons to the other stylist Majid Khan, many felt Rameez never did justice to his talent. But many also wondered whether his ordinary record – two centuries in 57 Tests, and a liking for flicking, often uppishly, between midwicket and square leg and an average in the low 30s – was a true indicator to the extent of his talent.Similarly, his tenure as chief executive evoked mixed reactions, albeit more virulently divisive, and he had as many critics as he did admirers. When he took up the post in May 2003, he was considered the best man for the job. He was suave, or as suave as modern-day cricketers can be, an MBA graduate, articulate and, importantly, he had been involved in the PCB development wing for some time, helping set up the national academy. And as a public face of Pakistan cricket internationally, there were far worse options.His marketing background helped – an organisation as backward and staid as the PCB was crying out for someone with his drive and get-up-and-go. And to his credit, he made a go of it. It was at his insistence that the PCB ever considered making the domestic game a more marketable product, and one, which can eventually generate its own funds to sustain itself. His almost zealous desire to sideline departments from the domestic game altogether may have been unrealistic and unnecessary, but the pursuit of financially reinvigorating regional cricket through franchising remains, at the very least, a noble one.His handling of the potentially tricky negotiations for the India series was also commendable for its level-headed flexibility and compromise. He oversaw one of the most important series Pakistan have played in recent times, not only because of the political implications, but also for the financial boost it provided at a time when the board had been crippled by a spate of cancelled tours.But there was always something about Rameez, something intangible that elicited near-hatred among some in the media, and a gentle distrust among others. Maybe it was that he was just too smooth, too much the slick salesman. He spoke so openly and with such confidence that, in a country like Pakistan where confidence is often the first sign of guilt, to many it felt as if he was constantly hiding something. He was always accessible to the media and, conversely perhaps, this worked against him. Additionally, there were constant murmurings of his political manipulation, the lack of transparency in his business dealings and financial misconduct.Above all, and justifiably so, it was because he continued to pursue his dual role as a freelance commentator and chief executive. Being head of an organisation – any organisation – and not being at work for days on end because of alternative work commitments is bad enough. If the two commitments weren’t so closely linked, then and only then with some difficulty, could attempts at justification been made. But given that his bread and butter was to provide neutral comments on the product – Team Pakistan – that he himself was heading, it was indefensible. And if Aamir Sohail was so roundly ridiculed for deigning to be chief selector and commenting publicly on the team he had picked, then Rameez’s continuing dual role was scarcely less creditable.However, he is confident that he has left Pakistan cricket in a better state, in little over a year. He was instrumental in obtaining the services of Woolmer, and for this, the hope is that Pakistan will eventually be grateful. He instigated the push to professionalise the domestic game in Pakistan, but to his discredit, he will not be around to oversee its completion. In fact, given that it is almost the norm here, as a successor, to dismantle all the policies of your predecessor, it is likely that the domestic game will undergo another overhaul. But at least his departure will finally pave the way for a full-time, paid professional to take up such a crucial position. Like the man himself it seems, his legacy will be difficult to assess.

After three days of coaching sophistry, the like of which India had never seen before, the MRF Coaching Seminar at Chennai drew to a close on a note of relief, light-heartedness and satisfaction. Organisers MRF could pat themselves on the back for a job well done, and the main speakers at the conference can walk away believing they’ve made a difference. Dennis Lillee, Greg and Trevor Chappell, Sandy Gordon and Mark Portus had a lot to offer, commanding rapt attention and respect, every time they took the stage.Lillee, who has now been coming to Chennai for sixteen years for his work with MRF, made it clear that he believed that the seminar had done everyone a world of good: “It’s been a good few days. We’ve got good feedback and interestingly in the end someone asked a very good question. He asked us what we got out of the conference and that’s a good thing, because we keep learning all the time. As I said earlier, we’re not the last word on any of these things – we’re just sharing what we know. The awareness now towards what we’re trying to achievewith coaching techniques is very high, certainly much higher than when we started off. The other important thing is that there are a few young cricketers here, who played recently and have become coaches. They accept new methods readily and they’re the future.”Not long ago, a seminar of this kind would never have happened. Teams, and countries, liked to guard their secrets closely. Thanks to an arrangement with MRF, the Australian academy regularly sends down teams to experience playing in Indian conditions. Greg Chappell underscored MRF’s work in this regard.”Australia are the leaders of the pack over the moment and I think it’simportant that we share whatever knowledge and information we’ve gathered. MRF have made a huge investment in cricket in this country and it’s their vision really.”From its early inception, TA Sekhar has spearheaded the pace foundation’s activities. He explained the real purpose behind hosting a seminar of this kind: “The National Cricket Academy was started two or three years back and we thought it was better to work closely with them. These guys [Lillee, Chappell and Co.] are all legends and walking universities when it comes to cricket. This is the best way for us to make sure that there is uniformity in coaching standards. This is what we’ve been working towards in the last sixteen years. Aconference of this sort is the best platform for coaches to learn the latest developments in the game. From there it will filter down to district, college and school coaches.”Lillee however, went one step further, suggesting that there was a cyclical element to being on top and India might well find themselves in that position not far from now. “In ten years time, there’s every chance that the Australians may be coming here to update themselves. That’s not a joke. In the past people on top were worried about passing on their knowledge, thinking that would make them lose their edge. Clearly that’s not true.”A feature of the conference was the manner in which cricketers who achieved high levels of success in their careers left all their baggage behind and got down to the nuts and bolts of coaching. From the outset, there was an accent on coaches staying in the background, giving all the credit to the individuals and teams who actually play the game. By the end of three days, this lesson was well taught – by personal example. Whether it was as well learned, is a matter of conjecture.

Neil Fairbrother and Chris Schofield set up a comfortable Lancashire victorywhich left Derbyshire at the bottom of the National League Second Divisionat Old Trafford last night.Fairbrother, who has enjoyed an excellent season in both Championship andone-day cricket, stepped up to open the batting and hit 78 from 98 balls.That set Lancashire on the way to a total of 210 for six in their 45 overs,with handy contributions from John Crawley, Andy Flintoff, Graham Lloyd andWarren Hegg.Derbyshire made a good start to their reply with Steve Stubbings and MattDowman sharing an opening stand of 49 in 11 overs.But after Stubbings fell lbw to England under-19 paceman Kyle Hogg, theScorpions lost wickets steadily.Chris Bassano was run out by a direct hit from Mike Smethurst and Dowmanwas caught behind for 41 off Gary Yates’s first ball.Then Schofield took over, claiming his best ever limited overs figures offive for 31 with only Nathan Dumelow’s 33 offering much resistance.Schofield also ran out Derbyshire’s debutant Steve Selwood from backwardpoint to complete a satisfying personal night, while Yates ended with twofor 21 from his nine overs, and Hogg earned one for 14 in six overs.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsBangladesh reminded South Africa of the grind that goes into Test cricket after the visitors ended a six-month break from the format on the ropes. The No.1 ranked side were pulled back from a promising start, as Bangladesh enforced a second-session squeeze which became a post-tea rout, and the visitors found themselves bowling by the end of a day in which they chose to bat first.South Africa slid dramatically from 136 for 1 to 248 all out as Mustafizur Rahman, making his Test debut, mowed through their middle-order, which was without AB de Villiers for the first time in more than a decade. His replacement, Temba Bavuma, was South Africa’s only half-centurion on a scorecard which had only two partnerships in excess of fifty runs and in which the last nine wickets fell for 112 runs.Mustafizur impressed as much on Test debut as he has done in his limited-overs career with a clever mix of cutters but it’s his 14th over that will steal the headlines. A trio of full and tempting deliveries earned him the wickets of Hashim Amla, JP Duminy and Quinton de Kock to dismantle South Africa. Even as Bangladesh’s spinners struck either side of that over, the unsung hero of the day was Mohammad Shahid, who sent down nine maiden overs – six of them in a single spell – but went unrewarded. Both Vernon Philander and Bavuma were dropped off his bowling by Imrul Kayes at slip.By the time Bavuma was put down, he had already reached his first Test half-century in his third game. Faf du Plessis and Dean Elgar came close to the milestone, with 48 and 47 respectively, but both were bogged down in the middle session as Bangladesh put the brakes on a sprightly start.Elgar had been part of the opening stand, with a new partner Stiaan van Zyl, who was the more aggressive of the two. Van Zyl, a regular No.3 who is being trialed at the top, timed the ball well and took on both seam and spin but was snaffled down the leg side when he fed a Mahmudullah delivery to wicketkeeper Liton Das.That was the only success Bangladesh enjoyed in the morning session as du Plessis joined Elgar in planting roots. Runs still came, with Elgar watchful and du Plessis fleet-footed against spin but Bangladesh had a plan to stop them.Their strangle began after the lunch break when Shahid applied himself meticulously to targeting the area outside off. He kept his length slightly short and proved impossible to get away, literally. At the other end, Jubair Hossain tested Elgar and du Plessis with the legbreak and the googly, and Elgar was soon both entangled and frustrated.The first 18 overs after lunch had yielded only 28 runs and Elgar wanted a few more. After three-and-a-half hours, he tried to find the gap through point but edged behind and Liton, despite a juggle, held on.Immediately after Bangladesh broke through, Mushfiqur Rahim brought Shakib back and it paid off. The first delivery of his second spell was an arm ball which trapped du Plessis in front to give Bangladesh a glimpse into the middle-order. Knowing there was inexperience there, Mushfiqur attacked with close catchers to keep the pressure on Bavuma but he rode it confidently.Bavuma used his wrists well and showed his captain, Amla, he was ready to do his bit for the recovery. Then, he had to do it without any of the recognised batsman. Amla pushed away from his body at a Mustafizur delivery to give the 19-year-old his first Test wicket, then JP Duminy was hit in front of middle and given out lbw on review. Two balls later Quinton de Kock’s lack of form continued when he was bowled by a full ball that kept low and beat his defences.South Africa had slumped to 173 for 6 and Bavuma was left with the tail. Vernon Philander and Simon Harmer both hung around while Bavuma built the total. Philander was dropped on 18 and dismissed seven deliveries later, while Harmer was caught at short-leg off Jubair after he smacked a half-tracker into Mominul Haque’s stomach, where he caught it. Bangladesh took the second new ball, and Mustafizur used it to claim a fourth wicket – Bavuma – ending a dominant day for his team.

Fast bowler Adam Milne has joined the influx of New Zealand players to English county cricket after agreeing a deal with Essex for a stint in the NatWest T20 Blast.Subject to his visa being approved, Milne will be at Essex for seven matches in the second half of the T20 campaign. He will join fellow countrymen Jesse Ryder and Matt Quinn, the latter who has a British passport, to make it a trio of New Zealanders at the club.

New Zealand internationals in county cricket

Matt Henry and Mitchell Santner (Worcestershire)
Brendon McCullum and Mitchell McClenaghan (Middlesex)
Hamish Rutherford (Derbyshire)
Jesse Ryder, Adam Milne (Essex)
Ross Taylor (Sussex)
Neil Wagner (Lancashire)
Kane Williamson (Yorkshire)

Chris Silverwood, the Essex head coach, said. “Adam is a young bowler with plenty of international experience already. He is exactly what we were looking for from an overseas player, with his real pace offering something different to our attack.”Milne said: “I’m extremely excited to have the opportunity to join Essex and help contribute to a successful NatWest T20 Blast. Essex is a club with such a fantastic history and I look forward to wearing the Eagles logo with pride and making an impact to help bring the T20 Blast silverware to Chelmsford”Milne, who is capable of pushing the speedgun over 90mph but has had an injury-hit career so far, has played 14 T20s for New Zealand, talking 18 wickets at 20.83 with an economy rate of 7.35. He was also part of the New Zealand squad at last year’s World Cup, playing until the quarter-final stage when he picked up a heel injury.New Zealand are now not far off providing a full playing XI in county cricket following a rush of recent signings, including the marquee signature of Brendon McCullum with Middlesex.

New Zealand 190 (McCullum 45, Oram 35) beat India 180 for 9 (Gambhir 51, Sehwag 40, Vettori 4-20) by 10 runs
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out

A masterclass of left-arm bowling from Daniel Vettori allowed New Zealand to soak up the pressure of a flying start by India to the run chase and script a fine 10-run win at the Wanderers. When Vettori brought himself into the attack in the seventh over, India were 76 for the loss of just Virender Sehwag and the game was theirs for the taking. Vettori varied his flight and pace cleverly to choke the run-flow, increase the pressure and eventually lure the batsmen to their demise.A breezy 45 from Brendon McCullum had earlier laid the foundation for New Zealand before Craig McMillan and Jacob Oram effected some violent late-order hitting to take the total to a healthy 190 but it almost proved inadequate against the rampaging Indian openers.It was akin to the Cricinfo Slogout game at its see-sawing best. The bat transformed into a joystick as Sehwag and Gambhir slashed with abandon, scythed through the line and lofted merrily.After a quiet first over, Sehwag surged off the blocks in the second – from Mark Gillespie – with a lashing cover drive and an audacious six over long-on before flipping one past square leg. Gambhir joined in the fun with a swipe over deep midwicket, a slash over slips and a couple of crunchy cover drives as Bond went for 18 runs in the third over. Jeetan Patel was brought on as early as the fifth over but was ripped apart by Sehwag who carted four boundaries, with a six over cover being the highlight. The chase was truly on.

But a four later, Sehwag was back in the hutch, swatting a Oram full toss to mid-on and when Robin Uthappa was beaten by the dip from Vettori, New Zealand were back in the game. Vettori continued to vary his pace and soon deceived Gambhir into top-edging a sweep with a clever slow loopy delivery to push New Zealand ahead.Then Yuvraj Singh fell, top-edging a sweep off Patel to leave India tottering at 116 for 4. Twelve runs later, an awful mix-up between Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Dinesh Karthik found Dhoni short of the crease and the cat was squarely among the pigeons.Vettori prised two wickets in the 17th over to effectively seal the game. He had troubled Irfan Pathan with a series of arm-balls before finally getting through his defense. Four balls and a dropped catch later, he lured Karthik to hole out to deep square leg and New Zealand were almost home. There was to be no miracle from the tail and New Zealand ran away to a satisfying victory.It was a cat-and-mouse game during the first half of the New Zealand innings. The momentum kept swinging from one side to the other with the batsmen counterattacking after a couple of good overs before the spinners started to apply the squeeze. Harbhajan Singh was the top performer for India, punctuating his offspinners with doosras and quicker ones and bamboozling the batsmen into suicidal strokes. But the batsmen had the last laugh, with Oram and McMillan wielding the long handle effectively.Earlier, McCullum counterattacked after the fall of Lou Vincent’s wicket, targeting Sreesanth with three gorgeous drives before square-driving and pulling RP Singh to the boundary. Dhoni responded by drafting in Ajit Agarkar and Irfan Pathan and the run-rate dipped a touch.The introduction of Harbhajan Singh paid greater dividends as he tied up Peter Fulton with his offspinners before a front-of-hand faster one trapped him in front. McCullum, who was starved of the strike, perished off the second ball he faced from Harbhajan, slog-sweeping a floater to long-on. When Ross Taylor failed to connect with his favourite slog-sweep and Scott Styris was found short by a direct hit from Yuvraj, things looked bleak for New Zealand but they got out of the hole in style with another furious counterattack. This time, India had no answers.In the 16th over Jacob Oram swung two towering sixes over long-on while Craig McMillan pinged the straight boundary and the long-leg boundary as Yuvraj was looted for 25 runs.Three more sixes in the 18th over, off Sreesanth, saw New Zealand gallop away to a strong total. McMillan scythed one over long-off, swat-pulled the other over long-on before Oram sliced one over deep point. The carnage was truly on as Vettori pinched three more fours and McMillan slugged a six in the 19th over off Agarkar to push them to what proved a match-winning total.

It’s been ten years since Brian Lara played in Jaipur and things havecertainly changed at the Sawai Man Singh Stadium. Observing the face-liftat the ground, one of the journalists remembered the horror years – in the ’90s,when pressmen were locked inside the media area, to prevent fans fromforcing themselves into the zone. The door used to be opened only during thebreaks and, just in case you had the bad luck of ending up with anupset tummy, you were doomed.Going by the indications from the Rajasthan Cricket Association, nobody isgoing to be jailed tomorrow. Worryingly, there aren’t expected to be toomany people dying to get into the stadium when West Indies and Bangladeshclash to qualify for the main draw of the Champions Trophy. Bangladeshshowed a lot of promising signs in their opening game against Sri Lankabut tomorrow they’d need that and much more.Going by Dav Whatmore’s assessment, the pitch here is likely to behave like a SriLankan sandpit. “It certainly looks different than the one at Mohali. I’mnot sure of the history here – there hasn’t been a lot of history in thisoval – and I’m not sure if it will have the same amount of bounce. I’malso not sure about amount of turn in the pitch.” Of the nine ODIs here,five have been won by the team chasing, including the lastgame when Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s unbeaten 183 helped India hunt down299. A factor that would play a role tomorrow is the dew but, consideringthat it’s the first game under lights, one can only wait and watch.The toss may not matter too much for West Indies – considering the mightof their batting line-up – but it’s the fitness of their players thatremained a worry. Ramnaresh Sarwan and Runako Morton – who had suffered aviral fever in Mohali – hadn’t yet recovered while Dwayne Smith, whoincurred the same problem here, missed the net session on match eve. ImranKhan, the media manager, stressed that none of them had been ruled out,adding that missing the nets is no indication of availability for thematch. Bangladesh used three left-arm spinners in the previous game andthey could serve them well if the track starts to take some turn tomorrow.

Not only do West Indies need to win but also need to do so emphatically.Well, finishing the game even before the lights came on – as they didwhile whipping Zimbabwe at Ahmedabad – might have been stretching it toofar but Lara reiterated the need to win with handicaps. “If you playagainst a team lower ranked than yourselves, you must be able to giveyourself a handicap,” he added. “Bangladesh can play very good cricket butit’s important that we win emphatically, it’s important that we put thedistance between them and us. It’s not about chasing down a target in acertain number of overs or anything, just that you would know when you’reforcing yourself on the opposition. That’s what we’re looking to dotomorrow.”But is anyone going to watch? The Rajasthan Cricket Association decided toprovide an incentive for viewers. They sold three tickets in combination,for the two qualifying games along with the India-England game, and pricedit at the same rate as one (almost equivalent to buy one, get two free).Unfortunately it didn’t work and they finally began selling India-Englandsingle tickets today, which ended up being lapped up like hot cakes. Thereseems to be only one solution to eliminate the risk of empty stands. Turnback the clock, replace pressmen with public and lock them inside thestadium for a day. And just to cover all bases, don’t even provide thebreak for lunch.Teams (probable)1 Chris Gayle, 2 Shivnarine Chanderpaul, 3 Runako Morton, 4 Brian Lara(capt), 5 Ramnaresh Sarwan (vice-cap) 6 Dwayne Bravo, 7 Marlon Samuels, 8Wavell Hinds, 9 Carlton Baugh (wk), 10 IDR Bradshaw, 11 Jerome Taylor.1 Shahriar Nafees, 2 Mohammad Ashraful, 3Aftab Ahmed, 4 Saqibul Hasan, 5Habibul Bashar (capt), 6 Farhad Reza, 7 Khaled Mashud (wk), 8 MohammadRafique, 9 Mashrafe Mortaza, 10 Abdur Razzak, 11 Syed Rasel.

Herschelle Gibbs has withdrawn from the World XI to take on Australia next month due to a knee injury. Gibbs was set to line-up alongside fellow South Africans, Jacques Kallis, Makhaya Ntini and Shaun Pollock for the matches in Melbourne and Sydney.However, despite undergoing extensive treatment Gibbs has had to admit defeat in his race to be fit. The trouble initially occurred during the tour of West Indies in April and May and was then exacerbated during his stint with Lashings, the celebrity team based in England, during the summer.Gibbs told News24: “I am withdrawing from the World XI side. I have just told the manager Goolam Rajah (who is also the South African manager) that I won’t be able to play. I have worked with the Western Province physio since my return from my Lashings duty, but I am still feeling pain. I have also gone for an MRI scan where it showed that I had damaged the cartilage behind my right knee cap.”The other problem facing Gibbs in the near future is South Africa’s one-day tour of India in November. Indian authorities have said that they are unable to grant Gibbs and Nicky Boje an amnesty as the match-fixing case remains open.Gibbs has said that he will once again be forced to miss the tour – he pulled out of the Test series last year – if the Indian police do not co-operate. “It’s never nice to miss games, but I don’t think it would be a very wise decision to risk it. We have done everything we can on our side, so it is really up to them. It’s up to them and whatever our CEO (Gerald Majola) can convince them to adhere to. But if they don’t want to co-operate, then we are going to have to remain at home.”

The officials of the Pakistan board have been summoned on July 19 by the Senate Standing Committee on Sports, Culture and Women Affairs for another round of hearing. quoted Zafar Iqbal Chaudhry, the chairman of the committee, as saying that Shaharyar Khan, the PCB chairman, Rameez Raja, the chief executive, and the chief selector Wasim Bari have been asked to attend the meeting in Islamabad. “We will also be asking Javed Miandad and Inzamam-ul-Haq to appear before the committee.”This meeting will be a follow up on the one held earlier this year, on May 29, when Shaharyar and Rameez were questioned on matters relating to the functioning of the PCB, and were also grilled for Pakistan’s defeat to India at home.At that time, Enver Baig – one of the senators of the committee – was quoted in as saying, “Shaharyar Khan has promised that in three months time constitutional amendments would be made. The [senate] committee also told him categorically that he will not bulldoze any amendments in the constitution and he will place all the intended amendments before a general body meeting and only implement and incorporate them if they are approved by the general body.”Baig had also expressed his disappointment over Rameez taking up commentary assignments, and occupying a senior position in a bank despite holding a full-time job with the board.This month’s meeting is being convened following a requisition made by senators Enver Baig, Sayed Murad Ali Shah and Dr Kauser Firdaus.