Marlon Samuels has been forced home from the tour of Australia with a recurrence of his long-standing knee problem. He was hit on his left knee by Brett Lee during the first innings at Hobart and required a runner when he batted a second time.However, on a positive note for Samuels, the West Indian team physio, Stephen Partridge, said the injury did not appear as serious as when he was out of action for more than six months during 2003-04.”His MRI scans were encouraging since it confirmed no new damage,” explained Partridge. “At this stage he would need to rest his knee for at least two weeks and in consultation with Marlon it was decided that the best place to achieve that would be at home in Jamaica.”Samuels, while disappointed to miss the final Test at Adelaide, is aware this decision is for his long-term benefit. “It is disappointing that I am not able to complete the tour but this is an unfortunate situation and I need to heed the medical advice now so that there is no further damage.”After hitting the headlines with a superb 257 in a warm-up match against Queensland, Samuels has failed to fire in the two Tests scoring 5, 17 not out, 5 and 29.With just the one Test and a one-day tour match against the Prime Minister’s XI remaining a replacement won’t be called-up. West Indies will select from a squad of 14 for the remainder of the trip. Wavell Hinds would be the logical replacement for Samuels at Adelaide, who himself was ruled out of the first Test with a broken finger.

ScorecardA sterling effort from Devendra Bundela, the middle-order batsman, took his side to 207 for 6 on the second day at Indore, 112 runs adrift of Jharkhand’s total. Bundela’s fine innings steadied the ship after Vijay Bharadwaj’s offbreaks and a good spell from Mihir Diwakar, the opening bowler, had disturbed Kerala’s batting lineup. For MP, the success story of the first session was Anand Rajan, the fast bowler, who bagged five wickets on first-class debut.ScorecardSwapnil Asnodkar’s unbeaten 64 took Goa to 121 for 3 after two early strikes before tea from Vineet Jain, Tripura’s opening bowler, had rocked the home side’s top order on the second day at Margoa. Tripura’s total of 309 was due in large part to Timir Chanda, the middle-order batsman, who batted 363 minutes for a dogged 89, and a breezy 41 down the order from Jain. Avinash Aware, the Goan fast bowler, had figures of 5 for 71. Asnodkar had added 64 with Saahil Dhuri at stumps and will look to ensure the first-innings lead.
ScorecardAn unbeaten 59 from Sadagoppan Ramesh, the former India opener, helped Kerala to 121 for 2 at stumps, after Kerala’s bolwers had dismissed Rajasthan for 332 earlier in the day. For the home side, Ajay Jadeja’s vital 67 was the standout innings of the second day, as Kerala’s part-time bowlers combined to rout the tail. Mohammad Aslam, the left-arm spinner, took two wickets before stumps to stem Kerala’s reply, but in Ramesh they had a batsman capable of a big innings.
ScorecardFaiz Fazal and Amit Deshpande put on 86 unbeaten runs to lead Vidarbha’s reply to Orissa’s first innings 382 on the second day’s play at Nagpur. For the tourists, P Patel and Subit Biswal were in good form, stroking fifties to take their side to a very good total, while Pritam Gandhe, the Vidarbha captain, sent down 51 overs of offspin to grab four key wickets. Fazal and Deshpande, who passed his fifty on the stroke of stumps, will need to continue their solid start if Vidarbha seek to press for a result.
ScorecardJagtar Singh’s four-wicket haul left Assam in arrears after Jammu & Kashmir posted 252 on day two at Guwahati, with only J Arunkumar’s unbeaten 40 standing tall amid the rubble. Kavaljit Singh, J&K’s middle-order batsman, top-scored with 76 as the tourists struggled against the Assam spin duo of Anand Katti and A Konwar, who bagged seven wickets between them.
Play to be rescheduled following political problems within the Himachal Pradesh camp.

Duncan Fletcher has won the John Bromley Medal after being named Male Coach of the Year at a gala ceremony in London. The sport coach UK judging panel, chaired by Ian McGeechan, the Wasps director of rugby, rewarded Fletcher for his role in England’s Ashes victory.Troy Cooley, England’s bowling coach, was also honoured as one of seven recipients of the Mussabini Medal, which is awarded to coaches who have demonstrated outstanding success on the world stage. Cooley has had a huge role in the development of Steve Harmison, Andrew Flintoff, Simon Jones and Matthew Hoggard into one of the leading attacks in the world.Fletcher was quick to talk of the team effort behind England’s success: “This honour is not just for me but for all the management team who helped make this such a memorable summer for cricket in England and Wales. It is always rewarding when your efforts are recognised, but again I must stress the role that everyone played from players to management in winning the Ashes Series this summer.”The England team and players are expected to dominate the sports awards season this year, with Flintoff odds on to be named BBC Sports Personality of the Year.

Wasim Akram, the former Pakistan captain, has advised Pakistan to prepare bouncy tracks in next month’s home series against India to unnerve the visitors’ strong batting lineup.”The advantage of pitches is with Pakistan, they have a transformed Shoaib Akhtar who can rock the Indians on hard pitches,” he said. Akhtar, considered to be the world’s fastest bowler, took 17 wickets to help Pakistan beat favourites England 2-0 in a Test series early this month.”With his pace and accuracy Akhtar can target any Indian batsman, and more so Sourav Ganguly,” said Akram, who has taken 414 Test wickets and a world-record 502 one-day wickets. Ganguly was selected for the series against Pakistan after his ouster in the last Test match of India’s home series against Sri Lanka created a public furore.Akram said Pakistan would have to play positive cricket to avenge the home series defeat it suffered when India last toured Pakistan in 2004, their first since 1989-90. India won the Test series 2-1 and the one-day series 3-2, their first wins on Pakistani soil since they started playing against their neighbours in 1952. Pakistan, however, salvaged some pride by levelling a three-Test series 1-1 and beating India 4-2 in the one-day series earlier this year in India.The 39-year-old Akram, regarded as the best left-arm paceman to play the game, said Pakistan were better organised under Bob Woolmer than India under Greg Chappell.”Woolmer is now the number one coach in the world, he has infused fighting spirit and consistency in the team which wasn’t Pakistan’s forte two years ago,” Akram said. Akram praised Inzamam-ul-Haq’s captaincy and said he had given confidence to the players. “Now every player knows that his place is secure in the team, if he has the confidence of the captain who is also at his best form.”Inzamam, Akhtar and leg-spinner Danish Kaneria are key to Pakistan’s success,” he said.A five-member Indian security team returned to India on Thursday after inspecting the match venues and a final tour itinerary is likely to be announced shortly. India are scheduled to play three Tests and five one-day games.

As they finish their preparations in India to begin their baptism of fire in Sri Lanka, the USA Under-19 side does so with many memories of their tropical sojourn to cherish – and hopefully, experiences which will stand them in good stead when the competition begins in earnest in a week.By hindsight, the choice of Hyderabad in South India as the site for their preliminary matches was a serendipitous one. The playing conditions are not too different from what will be faced in Sri Lanka. Hyderabad also has a distinguished cricket history, having contributed many Test cricketers to India over the years; its state teams rank high in the various national tournaments, and there are many cricket academies in the area, private and public, catering to all age groups. Dennis Lillee’s own academy, which draws aspiring cricketers from all over Asia, is only a stone’s throw away, and undoubtedly adds to the attractions of the area for youth cricket.Two years ago, the Hyderabad Cricket Association had played host to a USA Invitational XI led by Amjad Khan. The USA team was given the honour of being the first overseas side to play at the new state-of-the-art LB (for Lal Bahadur) Stadium, and the entire tour was deemed a success by the hosts. Clearly, the HCA had been looking forward to the visit by the USA U-19 side, and again the welcome mat was very much in evidence throughout the trip.Going halfway round the world to be met at 2 am by a battery of correspondents, TV crews and assorted dignitaries eager to display their hospitality would be a daunting experience for even the most seasoned travellers, and the youngsters were no exception to the rule. Evidently, the idea that cricket was played at all in the USA seems an extraordinary item of news to the Indian press and TV corps, and a USA youth team in the U-19 World Cup seemed to be an even more unlikely possibility. In no time at all, pictures and video clips of the visiting team were plastered all over the media, and became the topic of the week for radio and TV sports commentators.However, this was not going to be a cakewalk for the USA. The Hyderabad Cricket Association had arranged a graded and gruelling schedule for the visitors, to let them test their skills at various levels. They put the USA team through their paces.The first match was against the Hyderabad U-17 team which had featured in the all-India semi-finals for their age group. The USA made surprisingly short work of Hyderabad, who were all out for 94 thanks to some effective bowling by Anil Deopersaud, Nisarg Patel and Alex Kirton.Openers Sumon Bari (25) and Ravi Tmbawala (35) practically took USA all the way to victory, which they achieved by six wickets.The second game brought the high-flying USA closer to the realities of competitive international cricket. Playing against the Hyderabad U-19s, who had performed even better in all-India contexts than their U-17 counterparts, USA scored a respectable 189, with all their leading batmen in the runs (Hemant Punoo 44, Nisarg Patel 27, Mrunal Patel 22, Akeem Dodson 17, Ravi Timbawala 15). But the Hyderabad U-19s matched their opponents run for run and wicket for wicket (Mohd Shakir 56*, Gautam Raju 31, T. Aron Paul 28, Ravi Teja 20, PSS Bharath 18*) with only the USA vice-captain Abhemanyu Rajp (3 for 48) being able to make a significant dent in the Hyderabad batting. USA lost by six wickets.Smarting from that unaccustomed defeat, the USA unloaded on the prestigious Nora Academy, a private training and coaching school that had contributed many players to state and regional youth teams. USA piled up 340 runs for 7 wickets in 50 overs (Akeem Dodson 80, Hemant Punoo 60, Kumar Ramsabad 42, Sumon Bari 23, Nisarg Patel 28*). They then skittled out Niraj Academy for 116 in just 27.3 overs (Ananth Reddy 24, Anji Reddy 39). Niraj Academy, who had marked the match as a special event, presented the USA with a special trophy that had been prepared for the occasion, and presented Akeem Dodson with a Man-of-the-Match award.The sternest test for the USA team was waiting for them on their next match. Through a series of negotiations between the USA team managers and the HCA, it had been arranged that the game would be a day/night affair at the LB stadium, against a first-class HCA team of which no less than seven were current Ranji Trophy players. Both in the class of opponents and in playing under floodlights, which none of the USA youngsters had experienced, this was the biggest test and a chance to see what stuff the USA team was really made of.The USA threw caution to the wind and decided to bat first. Under the circumstances, they put up quite a creditable performance, scoring 194 in 48 overs (Hemant Punoo 42, Mrunal Patel 38, Nisarg Patel 24). But although the USA put up a spirited resistance, the HCA first-class team ended up with a five-wicket victory due in no small measure to AT Rayudu, captain of the winning India team at the U-19 World Cup two years ago and who is considered a Test and ODI prospect for India. He scored 94 off 77 balls and guided his team to victory.The final match was against the Arshad Ayub Cricket Academy at its own scenic grounds and practice facilities at the Vijay Gardens on the outskirts of Hyderabad. Still not fully recovered after the rigours of the game the evening before, the USA decided to field. They were able to hold the AA Academy to 178 in 42.2 overs (Faraz Baig 41, M. Fahim 40, Ranvir 24) due to some especially devastating bowling (Mrunal Patel 4 for 4, Anil Deopersaud 2 for 8, M. Rahman 2 for 35). USA were able to match the AA Academy in 36.5 overs, for the loss of only five wickets (Mrunal Patel 41*, D.Nathaniel 36, Suman Bari 25). In style as well as substance, this final victory was like the glory days in Canada, where USA had qualified for the World Cup by putting their opponents in to bat and pulverizing them into submission in the run chase – and it suggested that the USA were beginning to rediscover itself in these alien contexts.The win-loss ratio (3-2) for the Hyderabad leg of the tour does not, of course, tell the whole story. A great deal of credit has to go to the Hyderabad CA and the USA team managers, who managed to pit their charges against a variety of skill levels and playing conditions and to draw out the best they could from all the players. Now it will be up to the USA team to show what they have gained from their Hyderabad detour, and how they can put it to use in Sri Lanka.

Damien Martyn has called the Wanderers ground in Johannesburg a “special venue” that Australia “loves” playing at despite expectations of a fierce welcome in the tour-opening Twenty20 match on Friday. A sponsor’s gimmick will give the first 20,000 people into the ground “hard hats” for the match and the Australians are prepared for abuse after Mark Boucher’s comments that he hoped the home crowds “give them some stick”.Australia’s most recent match at Johannesburg, which is known as The Bullring, was the 2003 World Cup final victory over India and Martyn, who scored an unbeaten 88, said the ground carried fond memories. “The last time we were out in the middle we were celebrating and singing the team song,” Martyn told . “It’s always going to be a special venue for all the guys that were here that night. We love playing here. It’s like touring sides playing at the MCG and SCG – big ground, a lot of noise. The crowd is fantastic.”Twenty20 matches have become a regular way of starting tours and Martyn, who scored 98 off 55 in the victory over South Africa at the Gabba last month, said the format was enjoyable. “We really just try to play a positive game,” he said. “It’s more get out there and run around and put on a good spectacle for the crowd.”South Africa have named their team and recalled two old faces and selected two debutants in the warm-up for the five-match one-day series starting at Centurion on Sunday. Neil McKenzie, who has not been picked in an ODI since October 2003, and Roger Telemachus, whose last match was in 2002, have earned returns while the batsman Loots Bosman and offspinner Thandi Tshabalala get their first international experiences.Telemachus told the agency he did not expect a call-up and said he was “putting a few fingers up the noses” of critics. “All of a sudden people were saying that I’m old and I can’t compete on the cricket field any more,” he said. “I know who they are and they know who they are.”Bosman will open the batting with Graeme Smith instead of Boeta Dippenaar while Tshabalala will be a slow-bowling option alongside Robin Peterson. Ricky Ponting has not named his side, but Shane Watson is expected to come in for Michael Hussey, who has stayed in Australia to be with his pregnant wife.South Africa Graeme Smith (capt), Loots Bosman, AB de Villiers (wk), Herschelle Gibbs, Neil McKenzie, Justin Kemp, Andrew Hall, Robin Peterson, Roger Telemachus, Thandi Tshabalala, Johan van der Wath, Makhaya Ntini.Australia squad Adam Gilchrist (wk), Simon Katich, Ricky Ponting (capt), Damien Martyn, Andrew Symonds, Michael Clarke, Shane Watson, Brett Lee, Brad Hogg, Nathan Bracken, Stuart Clark, Mitchell Johnson, Mick Lewis.

Mathew Sinclair, the former New Zealand opener, revealed his plans of leaving the country and playing first-class cricket in South Africa, shortly after the New Zealand Cricket awards function at Auckland. Sinclair was the recipient of the Redpath Cup, the award given to the batsman whose performances in men’s First-Class cricket have been the most meritorious.Sinclair had been approached to join Eastern Province, a South African domestic side, for their final two games in April but had declined because of commitments to Central Districts and his wedding. He confirmed that talks are on with Eastern Province and is seriously considering the offer, keeping the financial benefits in mind.Sinclair was not awarded a central contract last year, much to his dismay, and stated that if he is ignored again this year, he would leave the country. New Zealand Cricket are due to announce their central contracts for a 12-month period starting June.”I don’t want this developing into a Dutch auction but I’ve got to look after my financial situation and it’s a very lucrative offer, especially when you compare it with what I’m getting at Central Districts,” Sinclair told stuff.co.nz. “It’s hard to see me getting a (NZC) contract after I missed out last year. I’ve scored a lot of runs this summer but, really, what are my chances? I’m not holding my breath.”Sinclair has enjoyed a good domestic season, piling up 848 runs at an average of 53 and won the award ahead of other strong contenders like Nathan Astle and Peter Fulton. He was left out of the national squad to tour South Africa due to his personal commitments but could be called up later should the team require any replacements.”I’ve given New Zealand cricket and Central cricket 10 years of my best service and if I go I’ll continue to live here for the other six months. I’m pretty serious about it. The opportunity has come from nowhere and they (Eastern Province) are very interested in getting a top-order batsman,” he said.Sinclair’s last match in New Zealand could come next week when Central Districts tackle Wellington in the State Championship final at the Basin Reserve in Wellington, the same ground in which he announced his arrival in Test cricket, smashing 214 on debut, against West Indies in 1999. However, his form deserted him almost instantly, with a string of inconsistent scores and was in and out of the side. He last played a Test in 2004, against Australia at Adelaide.

A top Indian board (BCCI) official today refuted allegations that the Asian bloc had entered into an understanding with the West Indies to bag the rights to host the 2011 World Cup at a recent ICC meeting.The West Indies voted for India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh but in return the BCCI agreed to play a triangular series at a neutral venue to help raise funds for the Caribbean islands in the lead up to the 2007 World Cup, media reports had said.IS Bindra, a BCCI Marketing Committee member and a former president, rebutted the charges. “We playing the West Indies in North America or the Caribbean had nothing to do with the World Cup bid,” Bindra said. “It was part of the ongoing scheme of playing 25 matches against top teams at neutral venues over a period of five years. Playing in North America would benefit the Caribbean because there is a considerable expatriate population there [North America].”There was no quid pro quo for their support. They voted for us because they thought it was in the best interest of world cricket, and it was morally right, that the 2011 World Cup be held in the subcontinent. We had jointly fought in 1987 when we got the World Cup moved out of England.”Bindra also denied former ICC president Malcolm Gray’s allegation that the subcontinent won the bid by flexing its money muscle. “It was they who had the veto, from 1909 when the ICC was formed to 1993,” Bindra said. “We have always acted like equal partners.”Bindra said he was questioned by the ICC members at the executive board meeting in Dubai earlier this week “for half an hour” when he told them the 2011 World Cup, if held in the subcontinent, would generate USD 400 million more. “I told them that the ICC makes USD two million from a match day whereas we make USD 8.77 million, which is more than four times. The ICC sold the television rights [of 2003 WC] to India for USD 250 million and for seven-eight million USD to Australia.”Asia won the bid to host the 2011 World Cup overcoming a joint bid by Australia and New Zealand by ten votes to three.

England Women’s opening batsman, Laura Newton, has been announced as Charlotte Edwards’ vice-captain throughout their campaign leading up to the 2009 World Cup.”I’m really honoured to have been asked to join the management team and support Charlotte and Richard [Bates] in any way I can,” a delighted Newton said. “I aim to provide the backing that they both require in any way I can and I’m really pleased to know that I’ll be involved in the international set-up between now and the next World Cup.”Newton made her one-day international debut in 1997 against South Africa, followed by her Test debut against India two years later. She was voted the Player of the Series against South Africa in 2003 for her two consecutive fifties, and was England’s third leading run-scorer in last year’s one-day series against Australia – including a fine 61 in the decider at Taunton. She also played a pivotal role in helping England regain the Ashes.”I’m really looking forward to working with Laura in her new role,” Edwards commented. “I know she’ll compliment me well with her style and having worked with her in the past I am confident it will be a great partnership.”Head Coach, Bates, said that Newton was one of England’s “most experienced players” and possessed “the right character and qualities needed to compliment our newly appointed captain, Charlotte Edwards”.England face India this summer, in a two-Test and five-ODI series which begins with the first Test on August 8 at Grace Road, Leicester.

Identifying the increasing workload on cricketers as one of the biggest challenges for cricket administrators, Ehsan Mani, the outgoing ICC president, has pointed to a lack communication between boards eager to fill gaps in the Future Tours Programmes (FTP) and their players as a major problem.In an exclusive interview with Cricinfo, due to be published tomorrow, Mani said that the real worry from the increase in matches in offshore venues was the demands they were making on players. “The real worry from this development is player workload. We’ve got to make sure boards balance the amount of cricket players are playing with the money they are making. That is going to be the bigger challenge from this development.””When captains and senior players – and this has happened in India, Australia, England and Pakistan – are saying we need balance, we need more space between tours, that tells me there is a lack of communication between players and their boards. That is a worry.”When we talk to boards, they tell us they do not fix tours without consulting their players. That happened recently in Pakistan where they pulled out of a possible triangular in India after the England tour – and quite sensibly too because they are going to the Champions Trophy in October. So boards are taking player wishes into account but it remains a concern so long as players complain. Countries try to fill gaps to generate money, but they’ve got to take into account the workload they are putting on their players.”In a wide-ranging interview as his tenure draws to a close, Mani also spoke about an achievement he has often said he is most proud of – bringing India and Pakistan back onto the cricket field. “Security concerns about Pakistan were a big issue. Within weeks of taking over, South Africa almost pulled out of a tour and I had to get them back. That was a huge challenge and the turning point of it was the South Africa tour.”Once that was back on track, it also gave the Indians the confidence to tour Pakistan. I think Pakistan had always been willing to play but there were huge reservations in India, huge perceptions about what they would find if they came to Pakistan. Fortunately, as I always expected, once the crowds turned up they would find that reality was totally different to what they were led to believe. That has done a huge amount, far beyond the game, in putting the relationship between the two countries back on track.”Having taken over with the reputation of a keen expansionist – he once said he would like to see the USA participating in the 2007 World Cup – much of Mani’s time was also spent dealing with crises in various existing members, foremost among them Zimbabwe and Kenya.While he praised the Kenya has handled its administrative crisis, he warned that there would be no fast-track for Zimbabwe back into Test cricket. “They lost 15-20 of their top cricketers. No country can sustain a loss like that. These things go in cycles and yes, obviously Zimbabwe needs a lot of time before they return to Tests. That is going to be the challenge in coming years.”But he reiterated that, despite the criticism the ICC received for their handling of the situation in Zimbabwe, there was little else they could have done. “We are governed very much by our constitution. We have the responsibility to manage affairs at international level. It is only when things start impacting the international game that we move in. This is what we have done each time.”The ICC will move and I didn’t hesitate to move when I thought the integrity of Test cricket was at stake. I’m sure that is what will happen in the future. Whether I could have done anything differently, I don’t think constitutionally I could have.”Mani also bemoaned the failure of players today to walk at decisions and cited this as one of the reasons why the role of umpires with regards to technology is constantly questioned. “I don¹t believe umpires will ever become redundant if you look at the use of technology as a way of assisting umpires rather than working against or undermining them. It would help a great deal, for me personally, if players walk when they know they are out. That doesn’t happen anymore which is sad. I would urge any player around the world to walk, if they know they are out. They don¹t do that and it creates a lot of pressure on the umpire.”Mani is due to step down from his post on July 7 and give way to South African Percy Sonn.