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South Africa clinched an unprecedented third consecutive one-day series victory over Australia, but coach Mickey Arthur’s sights are set higher. As driven as was to seal victory in Port Elizabeth on Monday – thereby seizing and unassailable 3-1 lead heading into the series finale in Johannesburg – Arthur was equally eager to consolidate plans for the World Cup; a prize that has thus far eluded the South Africans.Arthur has begun experimenting with his playing roster ahead of the 2011 tournament, and is excited that his unconventional move to field three spinners – Johan Botha, Roelof van der Merwe and part-timer JP Duminy – has paid dividends against the Australians. Combined, the South African slow bowlers have claimed ten wickets in the series, but more pertinently, have conceded runs at barely four per over for the mostpart.With the next World Cup to be staged on the turning tracks of India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and possibly Pakistan, Arthur is hopeful the move to play three spinners could pay dividends in two years’ time. And with Wayne Parnell forming a youthful and effective pace partnership with Dale Steyn, the South African coach believes he is close to settling on an attack capable of adapting to all conditions.”It’s looking good at the moment” Arthur told Cricinfo prior to the match in Port Elizabeth. “We have changed our brand to a certain degree, with a couple of young players now entering the scene. We have played two spinners – three when you count JP – which could be handy on the subcontinent.”We also have four seamers, which gives Graeme [Smith] seven bowling options, and with Parnell, we bat all the way to No. 10. It’s a very good side. Time will tell how good it can be. We’re happy with the balance we have at the moment, and we’re pretty excited about where this team can go.”South Africa’s 61-run victory at St George’s Park ensured them a unique place in the record books. Smith’s men have become the first team to win three consecutive bi-lateral limited overs series against Australia; a streak that dates back to 2006 and their record 438 run chase at the Wanderers.The South Africans claimed that series 3-2, and the recent five-game set in Australia 4-1. The win in Port Elizabeth not only sealed victory in the return series at home, but also took their tally to six wins from their past seven matches against the Australians and further extended their lead atop the one-day international rankings.”We’re really proud of what we have accomplished,” Arthur said. “We’ve enjoyed the match-up with Australia. It’s been tight and we have been up to challenge almost every time.”

Harbhajan Singh has said the main reason why India have been able to build on the winning momentum in the recent past is that the players are no more insecure about their place in the side. According to Harbhajan this separates the previous teams he was part of from the one led by MS Dhoni. Harbhajan, who finished the recent New Zealand series as the leading wicket-taker with 16 at 21.37, felt the team management’s belief in the players has helped them counter all sorts of conditions.”Why we are winning is because we are playing good cricket,” Harbhajan told Cricinfo in Mumbai. “Everyone is performing, everyone is willing to be a champion. A lot of credit must go to the support staff and team management for giving the surety to all the players that they would be getting at least 10-15 games. That gives a player a lot of confidence.”Still to visit hometown Jalandhar after his return from New Zealand Harbhajan, who is busy doing promotional ads for his IPL team Mumbai Indians, said he was looking forward to making a comeback to the tournament after being shunted out last year for slapping Sreesanth. “I missed the whole IPL last year because of reasons well-known. But I’m looking forward to come back and it should be nice against Andrew Symonds, Matthew Hayden and all these big guys.”Harbhajan said while Twenty20 was a “batsman’s game”, he had learnt how to evade the batsman’s assault and his performance in New Zealand would help him lead the Mumbai bowling attack. The New Zealand trip was his first overseas series after Anil Kumble’s exit and Harbhajan said he just “wanted” to do well being the lead spinner. This was also his third tour to New Zealand and he wanted to make amends for the below-par performance on the previous occasions.”It is always challenging bowling abroad – you don’t get much spin, bounce. You do get bounce but you don’t get sideways spin. It is always drifting kind of spin you get. Also with Anil not being there it was challenging and there was a lot of responsibility on me as the senior spinner to do well. This was my third tour there and I’m glad that my wickets came at the right time – we won the game in Hamilton and we almost won it in Wellington, too.”Harbhajan’s six-wicket haul in the second innings in Hamilton inspired India to a ten-wicket win, their first in 33 years in New Zealand. Then in the final Test in Wellington, bowling marathon spells against the wind he almost sealed victory with a seven-wicket match haul, but bad weather robbed India of a 2-0 victory. Harbhajan believes he wouldn’t have managed to excel without the team’s support . “As a team we did really well, forget my wickets. We deserved to win. This team can beat any side.”After Dhoni took over the Test captaincy during the home series against Australia last year India have been in top form, beating England at home, winning the ODI series in Sri Lanka and now in New Zealand. Never have India looked as insurmountable and Harbhajan felt it was because each player was contributing for the team and not himself. “Look at Gautam [Gambhir] – his performance now and earlier is so different. This team has a lot of talent of course like Viru [Sehwag], Gautam, Yuvraj [Singh], [MS] Dhoni, [Suresh] Raina and others, too, who have been doing big things which helps us believe we can win anywhere in any sort of conditions. Probably that was lacking earlier, but now everyone is confident. They are not worried about their places, people go out to play for the team rather than playing for themselves.”Apart from his bowling Harbhajan is now setting his sights on a Test century. He is eager to have a chat with Sachin Tendulkar, his captain in the IPL. Since January 2008 Harbhajan has scored four half-centuries, with each coming in a situation where the odds were against India. His 60 in the first innings in Wellington helped India avoid a mid-innings stutter. “One day I will get my hundred. I would like to spend time with Sachin, who has got so many centuries, and probably he can advise me to slow down or what I need to do to get from 60 to 100.”He even wants to bat higher up the order in the IPL so that he can “smack” the ball round the park. Harbhajan insists the Twenty20 format is “murder” for the bowler, a thought he expressed before the World Twenty20 in 2007 that India went on to win. “It is tough on bowlers. You need to be little more brave and smart and go with the flow. In this format you need to be smart rather than bowling magic balls.”

Cricket stands together
Shortly before play both teams and all the officials lined up in front of the pavilion (which a few moments later was unveiled under Brian Lara’s name) and observed a minutes’ silence following the events in Lahore earlier this week. The cricket family is small and tightly knit and a number of players here know the Sri Lankans very well. Phone calls and texts have been exchanged in recent days as everyone tried to comprehend what happened. The ground stood in respect, hoping that the scenes in Lahore will never be seen again.Shah off mark
Owais Shah always comes across a bundle of nervous energy at the crease. He has a host of mannerisms which he goes through before taking strike and appears tense in the middle. Nerves are not helped went it takes a while to start scoring and Shah was so eager to open his account that after 20 balls he set off for a scampered single into the leg side. He was safe enough, but the man at the other end – his captain, Andrew Strauss – wasn’t. The throw missed Strauss’s stumps to the relief of Shah because running out your captain isn’t the best way to ensure a long stay in the team.Six before lunch
West Indies were very short on frontline bowling options after leaving out Sulieman Benn alongside the injured Jerome Taylor so Chris Gayle had to shuffle what he had left. Brendan Nash, who hardly bowled before settling in the Caribbean, was introduced as the fourth seamer and before lunch Ryan Hinds became the sixth bowler used in 28 overs. But whoever had the ball the end result was clear: it was going to be hard work for everyone.Shah seizes up
It was hot work in the middle, but no one felt it more than Shah. After making his way to 29 off 115 balls his hands started to cramp up. It wasn’t the first time in his short Test career that this had happened, his debut innings off 88 against India in Mumbai was interrupted by an attack that meant he had to leave for treatment. And on this occasion it was also too severe for him to continue despite Kirk Russell, the physio, trying to get his hands back in working order. Shah grips the bat extreme tightly, something that he has always done, and that plays a part in his problem.Poor Brendan
One moment you think you have trapped one of the world’s best batsman lbw only for the wicket to be taken away from you. Nash, a part-time bowler at best, thought he’d made the vital breakthrough when Russell Tiffin’s finger went up for an lbw shout against Pietersen’s third ball. However, it only took one replay to confirm it had pitched outside leg and the appeal was null and void. But hold on. Nothing, it seems, runs that smoothly in this series. The communication equipment between the on-field and TV umpire, Aleem Dar, broke and Dar had to appear on the balcony to signal the decision. There’s nothing like modern technology.The ball before
Hinds has become West Indies’ premier left-arm spinner in this match with the omission of Benn and he produced a piece of bowling to make the breed proud. First of all he beat Pietersen with a ripping delivery that spun past the outside edge as it disturbed the surface. Next delivery, sensing that Pietersen would be playing for the turn, Hinds sent down the perfect arm ball that held its line and drifted between bat and pad to knock back middle stump. Hinds sprinted off in excitement, before sliding on his back and enjoying an unusual celebration that seemed to involve patting his stomach. For Pietersen it continued his problems against part-time left-arm spinners after his battles against Yuvraj Singh in India.

Group A

Pakistan International Airlines declared their innings first thing in the morning, and by stumps at the Lahore City Cricket Association Ground were five wickets away from victory. Lahore Shalimar began their second innings trailing PIA by 292 runs and promptly slumped to 38 for 3. Mohammad Saad (41) and Abid Ali (71 not out) offered resistance but Lahore are up against it going into the final day.Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited failed to really go for the jugular, but still held the upper hand over Habib Bank Limited on day three at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore. Trailing by 300 when they resumed in the first session, HBL lost Rehan Rafiq (56) and Ahmed Shehzad (40) early and proceeded to slip from 100 for 1 to 130 for 5. Kamran Hussain (50) and Abdur Rehman (79 not out) combined to limit the damage and HBL took stumps on 307 for 8, still behind by 103. Imran Ali was the most successful bowler for SNGPL with 4 for 80.Karachi Whites finished day three at the National Bank Sports Complex in Karachi on top. They did well by restricting Khan Research Laboratories’ lead to 85, and then batted solidly to go past that by 125 runs. The debutant Khalid Mahmood’s six wickets helped Karachi White takes KRL’s last five wickets for 71; he struck twice with the score 271 and once down the order to jar the tail. Yasir Arafat picked up an early wicket but couldn’t prevent Ali Asad (65), Asad Shafiq (84 not out) or Khalid Latif (43 not out) from taking Karachi Whites into the lead. At 210 for 1, Karachi Whites are in charge.A low-scoring encounters appears set to go Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited’s way on the final day in Muridke. From 154 for 6, ZTBL inched to an eventual 229, with Sui Southern Gas Corporation’s Sohail Khan taking six wickets. Then Iftikhar Anjum, whose unbeaten 24 had helped ZTBL advance their lead, struck three blows with the ball. He dismissed Asif Zakir and Adnan Malik as SSGC slipped 17 for 2, and then returned to get the captain Saeed Bin Nasir. SSCG slumped to 89 for 5 in pursuit of a target of 221.

Group B

Islamabad duly crushed Quetta by an innings and 415 runs at the Diamond Club Ground. The home side needed just four wickets to wrap up that monstrous victory, and took them in just 41 deliveries. Saad Altaf helped himself to a couple to finish with 6 for 29 and ten for the match. With 39 wickets, Altaf stands at No. 3 in the season’s tally.Abbottabad have a tough last day’s work ahead of them in Sheikhupura. They first allowed Sialkot to take a 142-run lead – even though they took the last five wickets for 71 – and then lost four wickets to finish the day just 15 runs ahead. In their second innings, Abottabad were given a 68-run stand between Hammad Ali and Ghulam Mohammad, but once the latter was dismissed for 40 the middle order struggled. Hammad remained unbeaten on 69 at the close, with the score 157 for 4. Table-toppers Sialkot will back themselves to win this one.Junaid Zia completed a five-wicket haul to give Lahore Ravi a slim lead and his side’s openers responded with an unbeaten partnership of 116 to extend the lead over Peshawar to 130 at the Arbab Niaz Stadium. Zia, who hasn’t had the best of seasons, picked up his first five-for of the tournament and took his tally to 20 in his seventh match. Lahore Ravi would have had a better lead if not for a sloppy 36 extras. Kashif Siddiq (54 not out) and Mohammad Sohail (58) scored their runs at a good clip to ensure Lahore Ravi didn’t stumble before stumps.Zahoor Khan’s seven wickets in the match have give Faisalabad a good shot a win over Karachi Blues in Sargodha. Zahoor struck first thing in the morning to cut short Shahzaid Hassan on 63 from 61 balls before striking telling blows. From 111 for 3 Karachi Blues were bowled out for 158, Zahoor taking 5 for 31, and forced to follow-on. Zahoor then prised out two wickets in the second innings as Karachi Blues finished the day 150 for 4. They still trail by 80.The match between Rawalpindi and Hyderabad at the Niaz Stadium is headed only one way – for a draw. Hyderabad came out on day three 70 for 1, and finished 293 for 5. Their middle order was kept under wraps but the 18-year-old opener Azeem Ghumon batted all day to record his fourth first-class century in his 11th game. Ghumon occupied the crease all day at strike-rate of just over 50.00, and has so far hung on for 482 minutes. Hyderabad still trail Rawalpindi by 188 but there is not enough time to force a result.

Cricket South Africa has imposed a one-match ban on Andre Nel, the South Africa fast bowler, for “crude or abusive language” in a domestic match between Cobras and Lions on January 4.Marais Erasmus and Johan Cloete, the two umpires, reported Nel during the four-day match in Paarl, and Nel was found guilty of breaching clause 1.4 of CSA’s rules of conduct, namely that players “shall not use crude or abusive language nor make offensive gestures to any other participant, official or spectator”.He will miss Lions’ match against Eagles on January 25 and, if the offence is repeated, he will be excluded from two further games.

The ICC will table a report on the state of the game in Zimbabwe at its board meeting at the end of the month and will make a special request to the Australian government that Peter Chingoka, the Zimbabwe Cricket chairman, be allowed to attend. Chingoka and Ozias Bvute, the managing director, were put on Australia’s banned list last month for being associated with the president Robert Mugabe’s Zanu-PF regime.Perth will host the meetings on January 31 and David Morgan, the ICC chairman, was “hopeful” Chingoka would gain a short-term visa. “Certainly Mr Chingoka was allowed into the UK on two occasions after the initial application was put on hold,” he said. “We’re making strenuous efforts to try to ensure a visa will be made available for this specific purpose.”While the Australian government considers Chingoka an inappropriate guest, Morgan said the ICC believed he should be granted access for the meeting of the “top committee for our sport”. “That is our policy,” Morgan said. “We realise that the Australian government may not grant a visa.”Chingoka and Bvute have been in charge of the administration in Zimbabwe during a period when they have lost Test status, watched most of their best cricketers leave the country and also dealt with accusations of severe financial irregularities. The ICC sent a delegation to the country in November that was led by Dr Julian Hunte, the West Indies board president, and included Haroon Lorgat, the ICC chief executive, and Arjuna Ranatunga, the former Sri Lanka captain.While Lorgat would not signal what would be in the document, he said the group did not speak with government or sports ministry officials. “We confined our investigation to Zimbabwe cricket itself, to the level it’s being played in, the facilities that are available and the structures that produce a team capable of playing Test cricket,” Lorgat said. “I cannot pre-empt what will be in it.”The task team will table the report and the board must decid how to deal with it, and whether to release it.” Previous investigations into the state of the financial situation in Zimbabwe Cricket were suppressed by the ICC.On a day when the ICC wanted to celebrate its centenary year, Lorgat and Morgan were instead forced to defend the organisation from its stance on Zimbabwe. The ICC’s mission statement was read out to the administrators, which includes values of “openness, honesty and integrity”. “We certainly aren’t going to change the mission statement and we seek to fulfil the mission,” Morgan said. “It certainly isn’t the most easy of tasks.”

Scheduling is another problem faced by the ICC and its wish for a Test championship has not been supported by India and England, who are looking to regular five-Test series. “We need to convince some of the key members that it is the route to go,” Lorgat said. “There are some concerns about the volume of cricket that is needed to be condensed in the cycle that is proposed in that Test championship. It’s very much a work in process. I think it would create better context for Test cricket.”Crowds for the format are dwindling throughout most of the major countries and day-night Tests are being viewed as an option to help keep it popular for spectators. If a ball that can last and be seen under lights is developed, Lorgat said he would be favour of the changes.The past year also witnessed an explosion in the popularity and quantity of Twenty20 cricket, while several tours and competitions were postponed due to security concerns. “The game faces challenges – safety and security, player workload, balancing formats, ensuring a competitive balance between ICC Members, staying on top of corruption and plenty more besides,” Lorgat said.”Cricket has always faced challenges just as big, if not bigger, than those currently confronting us -Bodyline, illegal bowling actions in the 1950s and 1960s and corruption, to name just three. The key we all need to remember is that cricket has always dealt with those past challenges and is now, as a result, stronger than ever.”

The uncapped Ben Hilfenhaus has been called to provide Australia with another bowling option for the second Test on Boxing Day as they attempt to recover from the demoralising defeat to South Africa in Perth. Jason Krejza, the offspinner, has been dropped for Nathan Hauritz while Peter Siddle holds his place in a 13-man squad despite taking only one wicket at the WACA.South Africa recorded the second-biggest chase in history by reaching 4 for 414 and Mitchell Johnson, who took 11 wickets, was the only effective bowler for Australia over both innings. The allrounder Shane Watson is also with the squad, giving Australia five fast men to pick from.Hilfenhaus, a swing bowler from Tasmania, has played a one-day game and toured with the Australian team to India last year. After grabbing 60 first-class victims in 2006-07 he struggled last season with a back problem that also meant giving up his position on the tour of West Indies this year. His fitness and form has returned and he has 24 Sheffield Shield wickets at 18.66 this summer.”Ben is in the middle of a successful Sheffield Shield season for Tasmania and has been added primarily because of his ability to swing the ball,” Andrew Hilditch, the chairman of selectors, said. “He also adds depth as a new ball bowling option.”Krejza, who gained 12 wickets on debut in India, took only one for the game and gave away 204 runs. “Jason is a potentially fine spin bowler for Australia, but our view is that in Perth we were unable to maintain pressure,” Hilditch said. “To successfully use our fast bowlers we needed to maintain that pressure at the spinner’s end. Jason has been informed of this reasoning and has been encouraged to continue to be a wicket-taking spin bowler, but will return to interstate cricket to further those skills.”Both Krejza and Siddle were appearing in their second Test and after the match Ricky Ponting indicated he had expected too much of players with so little first-class experience. “If you look around the room tonight they were probably the two guys that are most disappointed out of everybody,” Ponting said. “It’s my job to get to them tonight and let them know that it might just be all part of their learning curve.”We’ve all been there before as young players, where we’ve come in and Krejza did have immediate success but the game generally brings you back down to earth pretty quickly as well. Both Jason and Peter hopefully would have learnt a lot about themselves and what they need to do to be successful at Test level after this game.”Hauritz replaced Krejza when he turned his ankle before the second Test against New Zealand and picked up four wickets. Siddle will be particularly keen to hold his spot in the starting line-up as the second Test is played in his hometown of Melbourne.Australia squad Matthew Hayden, Simon Katich, Ricky Ponting (capt), Michael Hussey, Michael Clarke, Andrew Symonds, Shane Watson, Brad Haddin (wk), Brett Lee, Nathan Hauritz, Mitchell Johnson, Ben Hilfenhaus, Peter Siddle.

Venkatapathy Raju, the former Indian spinner, has resigned as Orissa coach citing personal reasons. He had taken the job at the beginning of the season and his decision leaves Orissa without a coach for their final two games of the Ranji Trophy.”There were a few problems at home and it was difficult for me to manage things sitting in Orissa,” he said. “Besides, I am the acting vice-president of the Hyderabad Cricket Association, so to attend the state of affairs I had to leave coaching.” Raju is also a part of the Hyderabad selection committee besides working with 18-year-old left-arm spinner Lalith Mohan.Orissa are currently in sixth place in Group A of the Super League, with only one win in five matches, and their batsmen have only managed one century so far. “They have their main strength in bowling as Debu (Debasis Mohanty) is still very lethal and to back the veteran are the young crop of bowlers like Basanth Mohanty and left-arm fast bowler Preetamjit Das,” he said. “I am sure Orissa will do well with more exposure. They just have to improve on their batting.”Asked whether there was a chance he would return, Raju said he would consider the Orissa Cricket Association’s request to coach its academies next year.

Match facts

Nov 3, 2008
Start time 7.30pm (1400 GMT)

The Big Picture

After two convincing wins, the Dhaka Warriors start favourites against the struggling Ahmedabad Rockets. With their batting clicking as a unit, Dhaka’s main cause for concern will be the abysmal performances of the fast bowlers. Mohammad Sharif, Tapash Baisya and Farhad Reza have neither been threatening nor have they managed to keep the runs in check.Ahmedabad’s main trouble is that two of their stars, Damien Martyn and Heath Streak, have had a forgettable tournament so far. Streak has conceded 8.84 runs an over while Martyn has found it hard to score quickly. He has a strike-rate of less than 100, inexcusable in Twenty20s.

Where they rank

Ahmedabad are in seventh place and their chances of making the semi-finals are virtually non-existent. They have to win both their remaining games and need several other match results to go in their favour for them to grab a final-four spot.The Lahore Badshahs’ victory on Sunday has pushed Dhaka down to the fifth spot. With four teams on six points, the tussle for the semi-final places is getting more intense and Dhaka need a win to keep up.

Form guide (most recent first)

Ahmedabad: LWLWL
Dhaka: WWLWL

Stats

Northamptonshire have signed Lee Daggett from Warwickshire and Ryan Cummins from Leicestershire.Daggett, who has penned a two-year contact, has taken 53 wickets at 36 but found his opportunities limited at Warwickshire. Cummins, meanwhile, only managed two Championship appearances in 2008.”They will add strength and variety to our seam bowling options in all formats of the game,” David Capel, the Northamptonshire head coach, told the club’s website. “Both players have a good work ethic, have demonstrated that they have the ability to take wickets at first-class level and are keen to move their careers forward with us.”