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World cricket is set for a serious political rift over the nomination of John Howard, the former Australian prime minister, as the president-designate of the ICC. The cricket boards of South Africa and Zimbabwe are leading an initiative to block Howard’s nomination, while Australia and New Zealand, who jointly nominated him, stand behind their man. Four votes are needed to block Howard’s nomination and it is believed that, barring some dramatic late changes, his candidature will not be a formality.The BCCI’s position is expected to play crucial role in the issue. David Morgan, the president of the ICC, is scheduled on Thursday to meet Sharad Pawar, who takes over the presidency next month, and is expected to discuss the matter.Cricket South Africa has taken up the matter in the strongest of manners, accusing David Morgan, the ICC president, of ignoring the sentiments of an “overwhelming number of ICC directors” who were opposed to Howard’s candidature. Morgan has also been accused of making the matter a personal cause.The ICC follows a policy of regional rotation for its presidency and this year was the turn of Australia and New Zealand. Howard, a career politician and self-declared cricket tragic, beat off a strong challenge from New Zealand Cricket, which favoured John Anderson, a former chairman of the board and a long-time cricket administrator, to win the nomination for the term, which starts from 2012. He was due to serve as vice-president to Pawar for the next two years.As it turns out, though, a section of the ICC board has strong reservations about Howard. Zimbabwe Cricket has made no secret of its opposition to a man who was so critical of it when he was prime minister and is certain to vote against him if the matter reaches that point.Morgan has strongly defended his position in an email exchange with Mtutuzeli Nyoka, the CSA president. He is believed to made it clear that he had no personal agenda and that he had acted according to the ICC constitution. He is expected to vigorously defend Nyoka’s charge and is understood to have reminded his fellow directors that their job is to act in the best interests of ICC members, and not pursue personal agendas.Howard, it will be stressed, was selected by New Zealand and Cricket Australia as part of the ICC’s constitutional process, and therefore Morgan has not acted unconstitutionallyFor the record, the ICC is playing down the issue. “The board has not yet discussed the matter,” its chief executive, Haroon Lorgat, told Cricinfo.” What you might be hearing might have happened on the sidelines but it was not discussed at the board meeting. The process is that Australia and New Zealand nominate someone, followed by the board considering the nomination before putting it before the annual conference. It is a three-step process.”It [the opposition to Howard’s nomination] is speculative at this moment. We haven’t yet faced such a scenario; it has not been blocked as yet, nor even considered.”Asked what would happen if the nomination was rejected, Lorgat said: “We will probably go back and ask (the same region) for another nomination. But that has never happened and what you are saying is speculative.”Meanwhile, Cricket Australia stood firmly behind its man. “We remain rock solid in our support of the nomination,” Peter Young, the CA spokesperson, told Cricinfo. “CA and NZC undertook an exhaustive professional process and have come up with a joint nomination that we are convinced is the best possible nomination we could put forward. We will continue to be welded on in our joint support of that nomination. We have made that clear to the ICC in recent weeks.”Australia’s position received unqualified backing from New Zealand cricket. “We certainly haven’t heard any notification from ICC that there’s a problem with that. We’re certainly not contemplating any other scenarios than John Howard being our man,” Justin Vaughan, the NZC chief executive, said.”We believe we went through a very robust and thorough process. We believe ICC should accept that and accept the nomination.”The matter may come down to the neutrals and the ECB offered a non-committal comment on the situation. “It’s up to New Zealand Cricket and Cricket Australia to nominate a candidate and we as the ECB will await that nomination at the ICC annual conference,” an ECB spokesman said.The sense of what is at stake was summed up by Ijaz Butt, the PCB chairman. “This is a very sensitive issue right now so I don’t want to discuss it,” Butt said. “I know John Howard personally and I know how much he loves the sport and the game.”

The spectre of match-fixing is once again hanging uneasily over cricket and the ICC will be alert to anything untoward during the World Twenty20 in the West Indies, but remain confident they have robust processes in place to keep the game clean.Rumours abound in India in the wake of the controversial finish to the IPL – all, currently, unproven – while English domestic cricket was recently rocked when it was revealed that two Essex players were under investigation for spot fixing during a Pro40 match last year. Such allegations have raised concerns that the integrity of the game is at stake in the most serious way since the Hanise Cronje scandal in 2000.With the eyes of the cricket world now trained on the Caribbean it is imperative that the tournament is free from controversy and the game’s global governing body continues to put full faith in its Anti Corruption and Security Unit (ACSU) which was set-up in the wake of events 10 years ago and which the IPL has refused to use.”The risk posed by corruption in cricket remains real and even though the ACSU has been hugely successful in combating those who want to harm our great sport, it doesn’t mean we can be complacent,” an ICC spokesman told Cricinfo. “Everyone involved in cricket must be vigilant and ensure that potential corruptors continue to be marginalized and pushed away from the game.”The unit continues to be at the forefront of fighting corruption in cricket and also educating the players on the risks and responsibilities. As other sports bodies realise the importance of anti-corruption, the ICC’s ACSU is often where they look for advice in how to do that.”Since the ACSU’s inception in 2000 it has been led by Paul Condon, the former commissioner of the Metropolitan Police. But the ICC is now on the hunt of a new leading man with Condon set to retire in June after a decade of service. However, the ICC has said suggestions that Ravi Sawani, the chief investigator of the ACSU, has also handed in his resignation are wide of the mark.”I am glad to say there is no truth in the rumour that Ravi Sawani is leaving,” the spokesman said. “He is committed to remaining in the job until after the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 at least and that is good news for the game.”Ravi is a vastly experienced investigator and has been an excellent addition to the ICC’s Anti-Corruption and Security Unit since he took over two years ago.”Evidence that no one can be complacent about the international game now being clear of potential match-fixing came at the previous World Twenty20 in England last June when two Australian players were approached at the team hotel in London. The management immediately reported the incident to the ICC, but bookmakers are becoming ever more clever about how they aim to tap the market while the ease of access to matches, through satellite TV and the internet, makes it a vulnerable time.

Sourav Ganguly, the captain of Kolkata Knight Riders, has been fined $40,000 by the IPL, for failing to finish bowling their overs in time in the match against Delhi Daredevils.At the end of the match, Kolkata were assessed to be two overs behind the required rate after allowances were taken into consideration. Since it was their second offence of the season, Ganguly’s team-mates also bore the brunt – each of them were poorer by $10,000.Right through the tournament, the IPL has come down hard on captains for shoddy over-rates. After the first three games of the 2010 season, four captains – Kumar Sangakkara, Sachin Tendulkar, Gautam Gambhir and Ganguly – were fined $20,000 each because their teams were not able to complete their overs on time.Punjab went on to repeat the offence twice, leading to a one-match ban on Sangakkara – a fate that could befall Ganguly if Kolkata slip up again.

England batsman Kevin Pietersen has said his national team-mates, particularly the bowlers, may have made a mistake by skipping the IPL to preserve themselves for future assignments. Pietersen, who is in India to play for Royal Challengers Bangalore, felt the IPL was a good platform to pick up the basics of the Twenty20 game and perfect one’s skills ahead of the ICC World Twenty20, which immediately follows the IPL.Besides Pietersen, the other England participants include Paul Collingwood, Ravi Bopara, Michael Lumb, Owais Shah and Graham Napier. Allrounder Dimitri Mascarenhas played at the start of the tournament but suffered an injury and flew back home. Two of England’s leading fast bowlers, Stuart Broad and James Anderson, announced their unavailability in December.”As far as English cricket is concerned the good thing is that myself, Colly [Paul Collingwood] and Morgan are out here and can take the knowledge of playing in the IPL back to the England dressing room,” Pietersen said. “It is very disappointing for us that bowlers are not here.”I spoke to Colly last week when we played Delhi and we agreed it would help for our bowlers to be out here learning about the game. The difficulty in England is that when the IPL came around it was all about money, money, money, but it has actually gone on to be a world-class tournament and we have missed the boat. The guys should put their names in the hat and find a way into this set-up because they can only get better by playing out here.”England have performed poorly in the two editions of the World Twenty20, failing to reach the semi-finals in both. He felt the players will only get better with experience. “The more you play the better you become, so for us all to be available for the full six weeks of the IPL, like most of the other countries, would be really good,” Pietersen added.The most impressive of the English players happens to be his Hampshire team-mate and attacking opening batsman, Lumb. The left-hander with the Rajasthan Royals is also part of the World Twenty20 squad. He cemented his place in the XI from the beginning but the rest, including Pietersen, aren’t certainties partly because they joined their franchises late owing to their commitments in Bangladesh.”I am not surprised he [Lumb] has done well,” Pietersen said. “He has been really good at this form of the game in the way he has excelled at getting good starts. The difference is, he now he finishes the job.”

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were outRavindra Jadeja and Suresh Raina were two of the key contributors to the win•AFP

It went down to the last ball but when Jacques Kallis fell in the 43rd over, with South Africa requiring an improbable 74 from 43 balls and only two wickets in hand, it looked like game, set and match to India. From there, Dale Steyn and Wayne Parnell threatened to pull of an incredible heist but India held their nerve to clinch a final-ball win in Jaipur.The quality of cricket was actually below-par from both sides – India’s bowling threatened to completely disintegrate under the pressure and barring Kallis, South Africa’s batting was quite dismal – but the contest was made memorable by the tailenders Steyn and Parnell. This is how it panned out in the end: Steyn lashed two straight sixes in the 46th over bowled by Suresh Raina, the pair pinched three boundaries in the 48th over bowled by an errant Sreesanth and when both batsmen struck audacious sixes down the ground against Ashish Nehra in the 49th over, South Africa required only 10 from the last over.Praveen Kumar bowled Steyn with a slower one off the second delivery but the drama wasn’t over yet. Charl Langeveldt pulled the penultimate delivery to long leg where Sachin Tendulkar dived full-stretch to prevent the boundary. Many replays later, the third umpire ruled it a legal save and South Africa had to be content with three runs but had the well-set Parnell on strike for the last delivery. More excitement lay ahead as Praveen hurled a wide leaving South Africa needing three to win. Parnell squeezed out the final delivery to third man where Sreesanth fielded the ball cleanly and threw in a slightly wide throw but MS Dhoni had enough time to break the stumps with Parnell just one yard short of levelling the scores.Until those dramatic end overs where India threatened to choke, they had actually done most things necessary to win the game. No batsman got a big score, but there were enough handy contributions from the top-order to push India to a strong 298. No bowler got more than two wickets but there was enough combined discipline in the attack, till they crumbled under the Steyn & Parnell show, to restrict South Africa.For their part, South Africa might have come very close in the end but the stand-in captain Jacques Kallis was the only top-order batsman to offer any resistance in the chase where Ravindra Jadeja starred for India with his unspectacular but steady spell of left-arm spin where he used the arm-ball quite liberally to keep the batsmen honest. When Jadeja came on to bowl South Africa were sitting pretty at 60 for 1 from nine overs. When he finished his first spell that read 8-2-23-2, and included the vital wickets of Herschelle Gibbs and AB de Villiers, South Africa had slowed down to 127 for 3 from 24 overs.He didn’t get the ball to turn but repeatedly slipped the one that went straight on with the arm to suffocate the batsmen. The ball also tended to skid on in this surface and at times kept a touch low and the batsmen struggled to put away his armers. He lured Gibbs to slice to long-off and troubled both Kallis and de Villiers with his skidding deliveries. de Villiers tried to wriggle free with an attempted cut shot that proved fatal as he completely failed to connect.From then on South Africa were always chasing their own tail despite Kallis’ effort and though Steyn and Parnell played the one-day innings of their lives, they fell short in the end.Like South Africa, India too didn’t have any centurion today but, unlike the visitors, there were enough contributions to charge them to a strong score. On a day when Virender Sehwag played a couple of typically stunning shots – a slashed six over third man and another flamboyantly carved over covers being the picks – two innings, from men who are yet to secure their spots in the playing eleven, caught the eye. Karthik’s entertaining 44 and Raina’s attractive 58 stood out for their sparkling shots, and also for their untimely dismissals. Both fell when they were well-set and had the opportunity to take India to an unassailable position.Jacques Kallis got little support from the other top-order batsmen•AFP

India were at 32 for the loss of Tendulkar in seven overs when Karthik started to go for his shots. Until then, he was playing the conventional strokes and even timing them well but was unable to find the gaps.Everything changed in the eighth over bowled by Parnell. The first ball, a short of a length delivery outside off stump, was flat-batted – a forehand cross-court swat – over the bowler’s head. Off the third delivery, he walked down the track to upset the line and length and whipped through midwicket for another boundary and a pull off the fifth delivery fetched him a couple before he collected another pulled boundary off the last ball.Karthik continued to innovate and play the big shots – a slog-swept six against Johan Botha being the highlight – before he fell. This ability to manufacture shots and pull out the big hits irrespective of the match situation has been his strength and weakness. Shot selection hasn’t always been his strong point but it looked like today was going to be his day until he was dismissed against the run of play, mistiming a pull shot off Langeveldt straight to mid-on.Raina took over after Karthik’s exit, starting off with a delightful, on-the-up, cover-driven boundary off Albie Morkel, and handled himself well against the short stuff from Kallis. The pitch was a flat beauty and there wasn’t great pace or bounce to cause any trouble and Raina collected boundaries with upper cuts and a couple of pull shots. He went on to heave a back-of-length delivery from Parnell over wide long-on boundary but in the 44th over, with India on 260 for 6, he moved away from the stumps to try an expansive inside-out drive over the covers, only to edge Kallis behind the wicket.It was left to the tail to push India towards 300, which proved more than enough in the end courtesy a fine spell from Jadeja. Kallis carried on gamely with a characteristic innings but he received no support from his team-mates: Mark Boucher edged a slightly wide delivery, Alviro Petersen was run out as he failed to ground his bat, and both Morkel and Botha fell playing across the line. Kallis dealt in singles initially, put away most of the bad balls, and tried to manufacture a few big shots in the end overs but the stiff target proved too much for him to pull off a one-man-show. Steyn and Parnell nearly pulled off the improbable but couldn’t complete a fairy-tale finish.

ScorecardHamid Hassan continued his superb bowling form with three more wickets today•International Cricket Council

Cheered on by a vocal crowd of over 1,000, Afghanistan continued their superb form in this tournament, sealing a 29-run victory over USA to maintain their unbeaten run and secure passage to the Super Fours. After the early loss of Mohammad Shahzad, Afghanistan’s top five rallied to post 135 for 4. Shapoor Zadran’s miserly opening spell pegged USA back in the first five overs, and once again Hamid Hassan was in the wickets, picking up three today in another emphatic win.Afghanistan’s total, though competitive, was by no means unbeatable, and once again they needed a strong performance from their bowlers to back up the work done by the batsmen. Zadran, who was the architect of yesterday’s win with some frugal bowling, was at it again today. Charging in, he found good pace and some movement, and conceded just six runs in his opening spell. He was well supported by Mirwais Ashraf at the other end, but Afghanistan’s fielding mirrored that of USA in the first innings, as three run out chances were missed in the first five overs and two catches were dropped in the innings.Ashraf also found some nip off the pitch, felling Sushil Nadkarni with a sharp bouncer in his third over. After a slow start, Nadkarni slashed Karim Sadiq to the point boundary, but mistimed a lofted drive in the next over to depart for 12. With the required run rate edging towards 10 an over, Lennox Cush hoicked Mohammad Nabi to Nowroz Mangal at long-on and USA’s hopes began to fade. Hassan, who has been instrumental to Afghanistan’s success, dismissed Carl Wright with the first ball of his spell as the batsman drove hard but in the air and straight to Nabi at short cover as USA were reduced to 54 for 3 in the 13th over.Timroy Allen lofted Nabi high over long off, but had his stumps shattered in Hassan’s next over to depart for 9. Aditya Thyagarajan, whose unbeaten 72 was the highlight of USA’s batting yesterday, repeated the shot off Sadiq’s offspin, but then had his off stump similarly uprooted by a buoyant Hassan. Rashard Marshall unleashed some classy drives in his 19, but by the time he came to the wicket the result was already all but sealed, and after his run out in the final over USA closed on 106 for 7.After Mangal had won the toss and decided to bat, Afghanistan’s innings got off to an uncharacteristically muted start as Shahzad struggled to get off the mark. After a few airy slashes, he departed for a fifth ball duck, his nervy swish resulting in a nick to Wright. Noor Ali also battled to time the ball in the first few overs, but found some touch with the introduction of Imran Awan in the sixth over, cracking the first three balls he faced from him to the boundary with a series of pulls and flicks to leg.Ali was run out for 26 after a mix up with Mangal two overs later to bring Sadiq to the crease. Sadiq aimed a wild swipe at his very first ball and was lucky to survive as long as he did, being dropped twice in the midst of a shoddy fielding effort from USA. His frenetic innings ended when he was stumped charging down the wicket to Allen’s medium pace with Wright standing up.All the while Mangal had been accumulating runs well at the other end, and was particularly strong off the front foot. Aggressive batting was a feature of Afghanistan’s innings, but unfortunately so was their poor running. To add to Ali’s dismissal, Sadiq should have been run out for two but was given a life after Steve Massiah missed an easy chance with an inaccurate throw from mid off. Mangal was also run out for 30 after more confused running, to leave the innings poised at 89 for 4 after 15 overs.Nabi and Raees Ahmadzai took a heavy toll on the bowling with some thrilling strokeplay in the closing overs, adding 46 in quick time to inflate Afghanistan’s total. Nabi got going with a glance to the fine leg boundary before unleashing a remarkable inside-out drive, lofted over the covers for six, and following that up with a fierce pull through midwicket in the next over. Swinging hard at everything, Ahmadzai finally found the boundary off the final two balls of the innings courtesy of more poor fielding to finish on 26 from 17 balls. Ultimately, their aggressive approach provided Afghanistan’s bowlers with the breathing space they needed to complete another victory.Afghanistan’s win confirms their place in the Super Fours and takes them one step closer to their dream of a trip to the West Indies for the World Twenty20 tournament. For their part, USA will have been pleased with their win over Scotland in the opening game of the Qualifiers, but their heavy loss to Ireland yesterday and capitulation today confirms the hard work still needed for them to be competitive at this level.

Close England 180 (Steyn 5-51) and 48 for 3 (Pietersen 9*, Collingwood 0*) trail South Africa 423 for 7 (Smith 105, Boucher 95) by 195 runs
Live scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsMark Boucher was South Africa’s driving force as they declared with a lead of 243•PA Photos

Not even the loss of an average of 30 overs per day, nor the smokescreen of an ECB-led witch-hunt into the failings of the UDRS system, seem likely to save England from a crushing series-squaring defeat in the fourth and final Test at Johannesburg, after another day in which South Africa’s superior technique with bat and ball overcame a series of interruptions for thunderstorms and bad light. When play was suspended with 20 overs of the third day still to be bowled, Kevin Pietersen and Paul Collingwood were clinging on desperately, having watched as three of their colleagues were blown away by a trio of pumped-up pace bowlers.If England were lucky to escape with draws at Centurion and Cape Town, then at least it can be said that they were equal to the specific challenges that they faced on those pivotal final days. With a maximum of six sessions of this contest still to come, however, a third escape in four games would be the most incredible result of the lot, regardless of how many overs are gobbled up by the weather. With Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel proving once again that they are the pre-eminent new-ball pairing in world cricket, South Africa claimed two wickets in seven overs before a break for bad light, then returned in the gloaming to extract the vital scalp of Andrew Strauss for 22, trapped lbw to give Wayne Parnell a precious maiden Test wicket.By the close, England had limped for 48 for 3, and were still a hefty 195 runs from asking South Africa to bat again. If that is to happen, it will require an innings of re-established brilliance from Pietersen to turn their current predicament around, because his solid unbeaten 9 from 20 balls was about as comfortable as any England batsman looked in the 13.2 overs before the close. Alastair Cook, the rock of their batting at Durban and Cape Town, lasted six deliveries before Morkel’s steepling bounce found a defensive edge to first slip, while Jonathan Trott’s shattered confidence could not be repaired by a brace of fours including a periscope deflection from a Morkel bouncer. The first delivery he received from Steyn was full, fast and swung away at the last moment, for AB de Villiers to snaffle the edge at third slip.Strauss did his damnedest to dig in for the cause, swaying out of line from a lethal Steyn bouncer that left him on his backside, before riding a Morkel throat-ball that led to a sharp exchange of words between two men whose encounters have been somewhat one-sided in this series. But this time it was Parnell who prised the captain from the crease, finding a full length with his left-arm line, allied to an increase in confidence after a nervy three-over spell on the first day. In what turned out to be the penultimate over of the day, he skidded his ninth ball into Strauss’s front pad, and after a review that was more in desperation that hope, Strauss was sent on his way for the final time this series.If England made the day’s conditions look especially tricky, then their struggles merely conferred an extra heap of plaudits onto an exceptionally paced performance from Mark Boucher, whose 95 from 118 balls was the driving force behind an impressively timed declaration. South Africa resumed on 208 for 2 overnight, a handy lead of 28, but from the outset they realised that quick accumulation was the order of the day if they were to guarantee themselves sufficient time to beat both the weather and the opposition. What they got was a masterclass in tempo-setting from Boucher, who brushed off the loss of three big wickets inside the first hour of the day to drive the innings along at nearly four runs an over.In the course of his innings, Boucher became only the second specialist wicketkeeper after Adam Gilchrist to pass 5000 Test runs, and though he eventually fell five runs short of a richly deserved sixth Test century, he did his job and more. He added 120 for the fifth wicket in a 29-over stand with AB de Villiers (whose well-compiled 58 nevertheless contained a handful of moments that highlighted the current flaws in the review system) and 64 in 87 balls with the debutant Ryan McLaren, who rose above a nervy start to compile a useful 33 not out. A violent downpour forced an early tea, but when play resumed, South Africa racked up 41 runs in ten further overs, before Graeme Smith declared on 423 for 7, a lead of 243.Boucher’s innings began in the second hour of the day’s play, after a spirited fightback had reduced South Africa to 235 for 5, a slightly precarious advantage of 55. Hashim Amla added only two runs to his overnight 73 before edging Stuart Broad to a diving Matt Prior behind the stumps, before Jacques Kallis flapped a surprise bouncer from Ryan Sidebottom to James Anderson in the gully, who hurtled forwards, stuck out his left hand, and clung onto a brilliant low chance.With the new ball looming, England’s seamers were finding plenty assistance from a still-lively track, but it was their golden-armed spinner, Swann, who made the next incision, as he continued his remarkable habit of striking early in a spell. This time he didn’t even need a sighter, as JP Duminy, whom he also bagged for a first-ball duck at Cape Town, propped forward to a sharp offspinner that bounced and turned, and Collingwood at slip did the rest. Remarkably, Swann even repeated the feat three hours later, when Boucher top-edged the first delivery of his post-tea spell to a tumbling Trott at deep square leg.Boucher, however, had broken England’s resolve long before his departure, and the seeds of their discontent were sown in the course of his morning partnership with de Villiers. Though he batted with typical confidence, and even seemed to make light of a hamstring strain, de Villiers required a hefty dollop of good fortune to progress as far as he did. In the course of his innings, he successfully overturned two upheld appeals from Swann, the first of which – a gloved sweep-shot – appeared from later replays to be too close to call with a “high degree of confidence”, as per the ICC’s guidelines. De Villiers then survived an apparent inside-edge off Sidebottom shortly before lunch that England would surely have reviewed, had they not just wasted their final lifeline on a speculative and slightly desperate lbw appeal against Boucher.In a further pair of ironies, the Sidebottom caught-behind appeal came only moments after the ECB announced that they had formally asked the ICC to reinstate the review that they had lost during the controversy involving Smith on the second morning. And what is more, Boucher would already have fallen lbw to Swann, and England would consequently still have had that extra chance up their sleeve, had England used their final lifeline in his previous over, when a seemingly innocuous appeal was shown by the Hawkeye replay to have been heading straight into leg stump.By the close, however, all such gripes had been rendered utterly redundant, despite the best efforts of the ECB chairman, Giles Clarke, who toured the various media outlets at the Wanderers during the course of the day to make his views abundantly clear. The only thing that truly mattered, however, was the battle going on out in the middle. And in that regard, England are already closer to defeat than they ever appeared to be in Tests one and three.

Non-contracted Pakistan players hoping to be in the next IPL auction will have to contact the league directly to be put into the pool for the next edition of the league. Four Pakistan players already have contracts with franchises but they stand suspended for now, after failing to obtain the relevant paperwork and clearances in time. They can only play if their franchises choose to cut another foreign player from the squad, but for any other player hoping to line up a spot, the process appears more straightforward.”Suspended players need only go to their franchises,” Lalit Modi, the IPL commissioner, told Cricinfo. “All others just write to me and I will then put their names into the auction.”The auction is due to take place on January 19 next year, but all requests and paperwork will have to be handed in by December 31. Theoretically, a number of Pakistan players would make for attractive acquisitions after their stirring run to win the World Twenty20 in June this year.Besides the four on suspended contracts – Kamran Akmal, Sohail Tanvir, Umar Gul and Misbah-ul-Haq – seven others played in the IPL during the first season; Shahid Afridi, Shoaib Malik, Mohammad Hafeez, Mohammad Asif, Salman Butt, Shoaib Akhtar and Younis Khan. New players who have impressed since, such as Saeed Ajmal, Mohammad Aamer and Umar Akmal, might also be in the running.But in practical terms it may not be so easy, even if the IPL says it is “excited” by the prospects of Pakistani participation next season. Franchises may well be put off by the uncertainty of acquiring a Pakistan player during a period where relations between India and Pakistan are particularly turbulent. And in any case, the cream of the squad is currently on a tour of New Zealand and Australia, making the process of applications that much more difficult.After Pakistan players were not allowed to participate in the second IPL earlier this year by their own government, the door to their return was left a little ajar yesterday. That too was only after all parties negotiated their way through a serious bureaucratic tangle, which culminated in the Indian ministry of external affairs clearing visas for the four suspended players. “We are excited that they can participate,” Modi said. “They need to write individually and not through agents by end of the month. The sooner the better.”

Stuart Broad has defended his on-field behaviour after recent criticism since the start of the series against South Africa. The strongest comments have come from Sunil Gavaskar who has claimed Broad escapes punishment because his father, Chris, is an ICC match referee.Gavaskar’s views came out following Broad’s approach to the umpires during the first Test, at Centurion, after he was given out lbw through the review system and queried the length of time the home side took to call for TV evidence. Broad conceded he would have been better meeting the umpires off the field, but said it was very calm.”I think a lot was made of the incident,” he said. “It was a very relaxed conversation. There were no raised voices, no swear words. But I probably should have waited for the team interval to have that little chat rather than out in the field, where everyone could see it.”He is adamant that his father’s position has no bearing on how he is dealt with. “I certainly get treated like everyone else,” he said. “The fact is I’ve done nothing to the grade where I should be getting fined or banned. That’s the key. You’ve actually got to do something bad to get banned.”They’re all grown men, aren’t they? I think if I do something wrong they’ll let me know about it In the Australia series [against West Indies, which Chris Broad refereed], there were a few pushes and barges so players got banned. All I’ve done is asked a question. I don’t think that’s ever been against the law.”I’m sure when the time comes – I’m sure it will in my career, unless I get unbelievably better – that I get in a little bit of trouble, I’m sure I’ll be treated the same as everyone else. I think I’ve got my passion for the game off my dad.”Broad, like his father, is a fiery character on the field. He has caught the attention of umpires for the way he sometimes appeals without turning around and isn’t shy of showing disappointment when decisions go against him. He knows it is an aspect of his game he needs to monitor, but doesn’t want to stifle the aggressiveness that drives him.”Everyone knows I’ve got a pretty passionate outlook on my cricket – and sometimes it does get the better of me. It’s crucial I do carry myself in the right way. It is something I’m aware of, but my youthful exuberance sometimes gets the better of me.”I hope it won’t be to the extent of hitting my stumps down, or anything like that,” he added with a smile, in reference to his father’s famous incident against Australia, at Sydney, during the Bicentennial Test in 1988. “I’m just very passionate to win games for my country. Sometimes when things don’t go my way I’ll get a little bit narky, but I don’t see that as a huge problem.”Andrew Strauss also defended Broad, who took 4 for 43 in the second innings at Durban to help England to an innings-and-98-run victory, saying that his approach is what makes him such a valuable player.”Broady is a very strong character,” Strauss said. “He sticks up for what he believes in, and sometimes that means he ruffles a few feathers. But ultimately, that’s what makes him a very good bowler and very good cricketer because he commits to what he thinks is the right thing to do.”

Scotland are planning a ‘first-class structure’ to their domestic competitions in a bid to improve their cricketing infrastructure and boost their chances of gaining Test status. Last week, Cricket Scotland officials announced their plans to organize a new regional tournament, featuring the country’s elite players, with three teams from the three main geographical centres playing regular three-day matches.”In effect what we are planning is a first class tier of competition although it would not have that status,” Andy Tennant, Cricket Scotland’s head of performance, was quoted as saying in the . “The ICC are keen to ensure that their associate members have a solid infrastructure in place on and off the park and we are always trying to improve.”Tennant admitted Scotland were competing with Ireland, regarded as the leading associate nation at this point. Ireland have already voiced their interest in gaining Test status amid calls to incorporate more teams into the circuit, or reform the format by creating a tier system. “We are constantly jockeying for position with the other associate countries and Ireland probably are in pole position having been successful for the last year or two,” Tennant said. “However, there are other ways you can set yourself up for sustained success and we believe a three-day competition will greatly enhance our infrastructure.”Scotland failed to qualify for the 2011 World Cup, though they still retain their ODI status. Tennant also believed the establishment of an equivalent for first-class cricket at the associate level could help secure the futures of many of the country’s cricketers by filling a “black hole” at the senior level.”This competition will provide a necessary stepping-stone from club cricket to senior representative level. It will also provide a safety net for players who previously might have slipped off our radar,” he said. “There has always been a bit of a black hole where players who played for our U19s have disappeared from the scene because they weren’t ready to step up to senior level. Now they will be kept involved and given the necessary back-up to ensure they reach their full potential.”