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Pakistan have included youngsters Shoaib Khan and Mansoor Amjad in the 15-member squad for the one-off Twenty20 international against Bangladesh in Karachi, the first Twenty20 international in the country.Shoaib is an opening batsman, while Amjad is a legspinner. However, it’s unlikely they will feature in the match, as the squad has all of Pakistan’s ODI regulars, except Mohammad Yousuf, who had been dropped for last year’s World Twenty20 as well. Nasir Jamshed comes in his place.Younis Khan, who had opted out of the ODI series before making himself available for the fifth one in Karachi, has been included as well.Mohammad Asif and Umar Gul, both of whom who made comebacks during the ODIs following injury layoffs, have been included in the squad, along with Sohail Tanvir, Wahab Riaz and Rao Iftikhar Anjum.Pakistan Twenty20 squad: Shoaib Malik (capt), Salman Butt, Younis Khan, Nasir Jamshed, Misbah-ul-Haq, Shahid Afridi, Kamran Akmal (wk), Fawad Alam, Sohail Tanvir, Mohammad Asif, Umar Gul, Rao Iftikhar Anjum, Wahab Riaz, Shoaib Khan, Mansoor Amjad.

Holders Karnataka State Cricket Association XI could not have beenvery happy at stumps on the first day of their Buchi Babu All Indiainvitation tournament quarterfinal against National Cricket Academy atthe CPT-IP ground in Chennai on Thursday. They struggled during theday to score at two runs an over and when play was called off with 4.5overs still left to be bowled because of bad light, they were 182 forfive wickets.After KSCA won the toss, Mithun Beerala was off to a confident start.He hit four boundaries and out of the first wicket stand of 22 runsoff 10.5 overs with Roland Barrington, he scored all but one beforebeing caught by Sharandeep Singh off medium pacer RB Patel.Joined by Amit Kumar, Barrington continued to struggle and by the timehe was second out, leg before to skipper RS Sodhi, at 56 in the 21stover, he had batted 104 minutes and faced 61 balls for his 18.Vijay Bharadwaj did not last long. He was bowled by Sriram for sixruns for which he took his time – 48 balls. Amit Kumar who haddominated the scoring till then was fourth out at 86. For his 34, hebatted two hours, faced 67 balls and hit six fours.AR Mahesh and RC Shanbal then brought about a recovery of sorts byadding 40 runs for the fifth wicket but the runs continued to bescored at a tardy rate. The association lasted all of 25.4 oversbefore Shanbal was caught by Gambhir off Kaif. During his stay of anhour and a half, Shanbal faced 74 balls and hit two fours.The recovery process continued with Mahesh and SN Shiraguppi adding 56runs for the unbroken sixth wicket partnership which has so far lasted29 overs. When stumps were drawn prematurely, Mahesh had come throughunbeaten with 40 for which he had faced 180 balls. He had only threeboundary hits. Shirugappi was not much more enterprising scoring 25off 93 balls with just one four.Sodhi tried eight bowlers in all including himself and five of themcame through with one wicket each. At the end of the day’s play, theyoungsters from the Bangalore based academy would have no doubt lookedback at a job well done.

Simon Jones was a happy man after capping his comeback with the most prized wicket in the world, as West Indies closed on 311 for 9 on the opening day of the first Test in Jamaica. “It’s great to be back playing Test cricket,” said Jones. “Taking Brian Lara’s wicket was a great feeling. It’s what I’ve been waiting for for the last 16 months.”The wicket was a real confidence booster,” added Jones. “For the first two sessions I was very nervous, but I found my feet, relaxed more and just bowled. Nine wickets on the first day can’t be bad. The boys are happy. We all worked hard and you can’t ask for any more.”Lara was ambivalent about his side’s performance, but was full of praise for West Indies’ centurion, Devon Smith. “It was a see-saw day,” he admitted, “and is probably now evenly-matched. England were on top early on, we rallied, but the way we collapsed at the end was a bit disappointing.”But I’m happy for young Smith. I can see the starting of a long career. He and [Ryan] Hinds showed their quality and proved we have a good batting line up all the way to Ridley Jacobs at No. 7.””My century was a great feeling,” beamed Smith, who attributed his success to the work he had been doing with Sir Garry Sobers. “Someone in the top order had to stick around and I managed to do it. My work with Sir Garry before the game certainly helped me. He improved my technique and concentration, and that helped me today.”

“I thought about this in Sydney in 2004,” said Anil Kumble with a smile, “but I think this time it will be my last match in Australia for sure.” The final Test in Adelaide offers India a chance to draw level but also promises to be the last time the five members of the golden generation will play in a Test match in Australia.Kumble has had a roller-coaster ride through his three tours here. He was rendered ineffective in 1999 before reviving his career last time around, snapping up 24 wickets in three Tests. He’s been a big threat here too and needs just two more victims to snap up 50 wickets in Australia. Among Indians, only Kapil Dev (51) has managed more.”It’s been fantastic in Australia,” said Kumble the day before the game. “It’s my third trip here and I’ve enjoyed all my visits. In terms of results, the last one was fantastic and this one as well. We’re thoroughly enjoying this tour. We came with the purpose of winning a series in Australia but haven’t achieved that. But we can hold our heads high after this – hoping we level the series. Future Indian teams will come here and look at the past. I’m really proud of what this team has done.”It was in Adelaide that Kumble saw his Test career being revived. Harbhajan Singh injured his finger and Kumble was given a chance in the second Test last time around. He endured a hammering on the opening day but came back with an iron-willed performance. “Indeed a special venue,” he said. “It all started here in 2003-04. It was important we won the Test and the last four years have been fantastic for me personally and for Indian cricket. Here we are again, with the opportunity to level the series. Having done well in the past in Adelaide, gives us the added confidence.”Was he confident that this bunch of five players – Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Sourav Ganguly, VVS Laxman and himself – could be replaced? “It’s difficult to replace anybody. You can see that in the current Australian team itself. Every team will undergo a transition. The key is how you handle it. There is definitely a lot of talent in India. It’s about ensuring they get the confidence and probably 4-5 years from now, you’ll have a good set of players to ensure India goes forward.”The most heartening aspect of this tour, according to Kumble, was the manner in which the young bowlers have exceeded expectations. RP Singh has grown into the leader of the pack, Irfan Pathan has shown the desire to come back and Ishant Sharma, just 19, has got tongues wagging with his seam movement. “I remember the first press conference here and I was asked about us picking up 20 wickets. We’ve shown we can do that. Although we don’t have the senior most bowler in terms of experience [Zaheer Khan] the young fast bowlers have stepped up.”

With the Zimbabwe selectors expected to name their squad to take on England in five one-day internationals on Friday, it has been claimed that Macsood Ebrahim, the chief selector, was involved in a heated exchange with Elvis Sembezeya at the weekend.The alleged incident took place during the Zimbabwe A v Namibia match at the Old Georgians club in Harare on Saturday. While it is unclear what triggered the incident, eyewitnesses said that Sembezeya, one of the founder members of Takashinga, an all-black club based in the Harare suburb of Highfield, accused Ebrahim of not picking Takashinga players and preferring whites in the Zimbabwe A side that they were watching at the time. That team contained four white players, and was captained by Gavin Ewing.Some of the eyewitnesses also claimed that Sembezeya threatened to dig up the pitch ahead of the England matches if the situation continued. Such threats have been attributed to others within Zimbabwe cricket in the past.There is a certain irony in the row. Last May, Ozias Bvute, who has been identified with Ebrahim as being at the core of the unrest within Zimbabwe cricket, had an almost identical face-off with Stephen Mangongo, Ebrahim’s predecessor, over the same issue – the number of white players in the side. On that occasion Mangongo allegedly ended up in an armlock.

Inzamam-ul-Haq has said his sore back has been troubling him for a whilebut is hopeful of playing in the final Test at Karachi, beginning in threedays’ time. On course to his third successive hundred at Faisalabad,Inzamam first retired hurt and then batted with a runner on the secondday. He didn’t take the field for the final two days.”My back has been hurting for quite a while,” he added, “There are threedays left. I’m taking treatment from the doctor and physio and am hopefulthat I can be fit enough for the Test.” His absence had paved the way forYounis Khan to lead the side and Inzamam had a few good things to sayabout the on-field tactics. “I think Younis captained very well,” hecontinued. “He changed the bowlers around and set good fields. But on thiswicket, it was tough to get a well-set batsmen out. We managed fivewickets but Dhoni and Irfan batted well.”Inzamam defended Pakistan’s decision to not declare, saying that theydidn’t have the required safety net. “At lunch we had 58 overs left andthe score was around 237. If we had more than 300, there was a chance ofus declaring. But it was tough to declare on such a track without anyhelp.”He echoed Rahul Dravid’s sentiments with regard to the quality of thepitches, and hinted at the sort of pitch that one might get to see inKarachi. “The previous two series had good pitches, and especially inPakistan we had quick wickets. We were hoping for some help for the fastbowlers. Hopefully in Karachi, where the weather is fine, we will get tosee a good pitch.” He wasn’t too harsh on his bowlers and felt that theyhad managed a better line and length here compared to what they had doneat Lahore.

ScorecardMichael Yardy demonstrated his allround credentials to complete a memorable personal double, as Sussex overwhelmed a demoralised Bangladeshi side by an innings and 226 runs. Following hot on the heels of his career-best 257, Yardy took 5 for 83 with his left-arm spin to hasten Bangladesh to a thumping defeat.Deprived of the services of their captain, Habibul Bashar, who was forced to retire hurt on the second day after being felled by a bouncer from Jason Lewry, the Bangladeshi middle-order was rudderless. After a composed start from Nafees Iqbal and Aftab Ahmed, they slumped from 88 for 1 to 132 for 7, and it was left to the rookie wicketkeeper, Mushfiqur Rahim, to salvage some pride with his first fifty of the tour.After their second-day debacle, in which they had folded for 127 in reply to Sussex’s substantial 549 for 7 declared, Bangladesh were only ever fighting for respectability when play resumed this morning. For a time they appeared to have learned their lessons, and while Nafees and Aftab were negotiating the moving ball with some comfort during a 58-run stand for the second wicket, a morale-boosting draw was not entirely out of the question.But where it had been the seamers doing the damage in the first innings, now it was the turn of the spinners – or more accurately, Yardy’s part-time left-armers. He had bowled just two overs in the first innings, and taken just five wickets at 131 in his career, but with a record-breaking batting performance under his belt, he was the player the Bangladeshis most feared, and it showed as he ripped through the innings with 5 for 83 in 22.3 overs.Nafees was the first to go, bowled by Yardy for 33 as he offered no stroke, to trigger another dramatic subsidence. Aftab Ahmed fenced a Luke Wright short ball to slip for 33, and when Mohammad Ashraful heaved Yardy down the throat of long on for 7, Bangladesh were 110 for 4 and deep in the mire. Johannes van der Wath, Sussex’s South African signing, then steamed in off his long run to take a second three-wicket haul for the match, including Mashrafee Mortaza and Enamul Haque jr for ducks.Had it not been for the sterling resistance from Rahim, who belied his 16 years and five-foot-nothing stance to score 63 from 98 balls, including 10 fours and a six, Bangladesh would have been looking at a total capitulation. Rahim added 45 for the ninth and final wicket with Shadahat Hossain, who finished 12 not out, before Yardy dragged him out of his crease to complete his five-wicket haul courtesy of a neating stumping from Tim Ambrose.There is little prospect of Rahim being seen at Lord’s next week. Khaled Mashud’s nuggetty skills were sorely missed by the Bangladeshis in this game, and Rahim’s own glovework left much to be desired in Sussex’s lengthy innings, in which he missed two costly stumpings. Nevertheless, as a member of the Under-19 squad who toured England in August 2004, Rahim was able to call on every ounce of experience from that trip. In that respect, he is actually more familiar with English pitches than many of his supposed seniors.

The Indian Premier League has extended its co-sponsorship deal with Hero Honda, India’s largest manufacturer of two-wheelers, from three to five years. The five-year deal is worth US$22.5 million.Hero Honda had earlier lost out on the title sponsorship rights for the IPL to real-estate developer DLF, who won the five-year contract for $50m. Last month, they had negotiated a three-year co-sponsorship deal, reportedly worth $4.5m per year.”I am very pleased to have the country’s largest two wheeler manufacturer Hero Honda extend its co-sponsorship deal from three to five years,” Lalit Modi, the IPL’s chairman and commissioner, said. “Hero Honda have a long association with cricket both at the domestic and international levels and their decision bears testimony to the fact that the DLF Indian Premier League is here to stay and is set to carve out a distinct niche for itself in the international cricketing calendar.”Incidentally, Hero Honda were represented for both the title sponsorship bid and the negotiations for the co-sponsorship deal by World Sports Group, who in alliance with India’s Sony Television network, secured the television rights for ten years at a cost of more than US$1 billion. The bids for the IPL’s eight-city based franchises had generated proceeds of $723.59m.The first edition of the IPL starts on April 18, with 59 matches to be played over 44 days.

Michael Vaughan believes the selection of seven England players in the squads for October’s Super Series is a timely boost ahead of this summer’s Ashes series.”It’s a great achievement to be selected in the squad of 30 and it’s fantastic to see seven English players involved in the Test and ODI squads,” he said. “It’s a great incentive to try and get into the squad of 20 and then into the final 13. I’ll be trying to have a good summer against the Aussies to try and push myself into that final 13. To get into the final squad we’re going to have to play well against Australia. Goals are important and there’s an ultimate goal to aim for there.”Vaughan is one of four England players selected for the ICC World XI Test squad. Andrew Flintoff, Steve Harmison and Andrew Strauss are in the frame for the Super Test at Sydney while Flintoff, Darren Gough, Kevin Pietersen and Marcus Trescothick are all in the ICC World XI ODI squad.”It’s a testament to how Pietersen has played since he came into the England team,” Vaughan continued. “To score three centuries in South Africa was a great achievement. For him to get into the ODI squad of 30 is a great effort, as it is too for Andrew Strauss who is in the Test squad. He hasn’t played that many games either so for Strauss to get into the 30 is a huge boost to him and just goes to show how well he’s played since he got into the England team.”Vaughan also praised the longevity of his former Yorkshire colleague Darren Gough. “The enthusiasm Goughy has at the minute tells me that there is plenty of juice in his tank and I know he’s as eager as ever to play well and make sure he continues to perform to the standards that he has set himself.”The inaugural Super Series will pit world champion Australia against ICC World XI Test and one-day teams in the three One-Day Internationals at Melbourne’s Telstra Dome and a six-day Super Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground.The final squads of 13 players for the Super Test and 14 for the ODIs, plus management and coaching appointments, will be confirmed in August.

Steve Harmison’s return to action has been delayed after his wife went into labour. He was due to line-up for Durham in their County Championship clash but withdrew at the last minute.Harmison has not played since the second Test against India at Nagpur after picking up a shin injury, which forced him to fly home. He had been especially keen to get back with an eye on returning to the England squad for the second Test against Sri Lanka at Edgbaston.”I’m really looking forward to playing,” Harmison, 27, said after the ECB gave him the all-clear. “The team have put in some great performances so far this season and I can’t wait to contribute to what should be a pretty exciting match.”Martyn Moxon, Durham’s coach, was excited by the prospect of Harmison’s return. “He’s been bowling over the last week or so and just building up to playing in a game. The good news is he’s had no reaction so far, so he’ll definitely play against Middlesex.” However, Moxon did not expect Harmison to take part in Durham’s Cheltenham & Gloucester Trophy one-day match against Lancashire on Sunday and remained uncertain of his chances of making the national side.”We’ll just have to take it day by day,” he said. “We’ve got another four-day game next week, and the second Test is the week after that, so we’ll just have to wait and see.”Harmison apart, England take on Sri Lanka in the first Test at Lord’s tomorrow without Simon Jones and James Anderson, out with knee and back injuries.