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Matthew Hayden admitted his return to the one-day team had yielded disappointing results and he was looking for a big score against England at Adelaide on Friday. But Shane Watson’s comeback for Queensland on Thursday could mean the race to partner Adam Gilchrist in the World Cup is back on in earnest.Watson, who was given the role of opening for the Champions Trophy in India, was named in Queensland’s limited-overs team for their match against Western Australia but will play as a specialist batsman. He initially hurt his hamstring in a domestic one-dayer shortly before the Ashes started – he was pencilled in for the No. 6 position instead of Michael Clarke – and when he returned for Queensland before Christmas he injured the muscle again while bowling.But with the World Cup rapidly approaching Watson is keen to be back among the runs after impressing at the Champions Trophy with two half-centuries from his five innings at the top of the order. “It has been a long time coming,” Watson said in of his return. He said he hoped to bowl a few overs but the Australia camp is keen for Watson to take it easy after his ill-fated comeback in December.”I will probably be slightly hesitant but that does not mean I won’t be playing at my best,” he said. “It will be in the back of my mind because I felt I was 100 per cent fit when I broke down last time. The more I am doing now, the more confident I am getting.”Hayden, who was recalled to the ODI team when Watson was unable to recover in time for the CB Series, has not grabbed his opportunity with both hands. He has made starts but failed to turn any into a decent total and his four scores so far have been 28, 27, 19 and 0.He said he was desperate to build a big opening stand with Gilchrist to prove the pair was the right one for Australia’s top order. “Gilly and I have had a few good starts but it was a disappointing weekend for us,” Hayden said of their partnerships of 26 against England on Friday and 6 against New Zealand on Sunday. “I think we got dragged down a little bit by the totals. Small totals are always tricky to chase.”

New Zealand Cricket (NZC) is expected to fill up two spots in its list of centrally contracted players – which fell vacant after Lou Vincent and Shane Bond joined the unofficial Indian Cricket League – before June.Justin Vaughan, the NZC chief executive, said Bond’s contract had been offered to another player while no replacement had been found for Vincent yet.”Shane’s contract has been offered to a player but I haven’t heard whether that player has accepted it yet,” Vaughan told . “[About] Lou’s contract, we are working through the process for that at the moment but a decision is probably about a week away.”Iain O’Brien, the right-arm fast-medium bowler, is likely to be named in place of Bond, the newspaper suggested, while Tim Southee – who took 17 wickets and was the Player of the Tournament at the recent Under-19 World Cup – and opening batsman Matthew Bell have been marked as the candidates to replace Vincent.Meanwhile, Richard Hadlee, currently New Zealand’s convenor of selectors, will be involved in handing out the 20 central contracts and in selecting the squad for the tour of England – which begins late next month – despite his announcement last week that he would step down as a selector.John Wright, the former India coach and currently high performance manager of NZC, is tipped to take over the role from Hadlee, who has served as a selector for eight years. However, Hadlee is likely to be replaced only later this year.

Mark Wood will undergo ankle surgery next week after the ECB decided it had to pursue a long-term solution to the problem which he has managed through the first six months of his international career.He was left out of the final Test against Pakistan, in Sharjah, as part of the ongoing management of his left ankle after he had received a cortisone injection following the match in Dubai, where he produced his most impressive performance in an England shirt.Wood had previously missed the third Test against Australia, at Edgbaston, due to the problem and Alastair Cook said that he had never been expected to play all three Tests against Pakistan.After the Test series finished, Wood was also ruled out of the limited-overs leg of the tour with a decision taken that he would return home for further specialist advice on the ankle. The outcome has been surgery, which Wood knew he would probably face the prospect of eventually, with a recovery time expected of at least eight weeks.That makes it unlikely that he will be ready for the one-day series against South Africa, which starts at the end of January, with a more realistic aim being available for the selection for the T20s in February and the World T20 in India during March.”I’ve had that many injuries so far in my short career that I never want to be thrown out of the team,” Wood said in August. “Long term, the ankle problem may need some work done to it – whether that’s time off or maybe an operation. That might be the case. It’s about fitting it in at the right time.”Meanwhile, Steven Finn, who has been ruled out of the Test series in South Africa with the stress injury in his foot which kept him out of the contests against Pakistan, hopes to be available for the later part of the tour.”Reports of my South Africa tour being written off completely. Not the case, I am hoping to be available sooner rather than later,” Finn tweeted on Wednesday evening.An ECB statement said: “Wood will undergo ankle surgery next week and Finn will continue his recovery from a bone stress injury. Further details on their rehabilitation and back-to-bowling programmes will be provided in due course.”The injuries to Wood and Finn, plus the omission of Liam Plunkett, mean there has been a large turnover in the support pace bowling to James Anderson and Stuart Broad. Chris Woakes, Chris Jordan and the uncapped Mark Footitt are now vying for the third frontline quick slot to make a four-man pace attack alongside Ben Stokes, who has been passed fit after his collarbone injury in the final Test against Pakistan in Sharjah.The combination of Wood, Finn and Plunkett had 168 Test wicket between them; Woakes, Jordan and Footitt provide 27.

Flash performer keeps on walking
Adam Gilchrist’s farewell has become a blinding experience. So many people were desperate to capture his last game in Brisbane that the light created by the camera flashes was more like an Olympic athletics event than an ODI. His 14 ended when he walked after a leg-side edge that the umpire Steve Davis didn’t look like giving. The crowd stood to applaud his career and his honesty.Sing for Harbhajan
The banner “Go Bananas Roy” went up as soon as Harbhajan Singh walked out and the crowd bellowed “boo” to welcome and send him off. Between the greetings Harbhajan carved out a neat little cameo of 27. Having survived a tough Gilchrist miss, Harbhajan retaliated with a force that had some of the same crowd clapping. He cut hard, charged at the bowlers, drove and slapped at anything short. In the penultimate over he picked 12 off Nathan Bracken with the best shot being a cover drive on his knees. The crowd chanting continued when he fielded and he encouraged the spectators to make more noise by cupping his hand to his ear.Debutant jitters
Ashley Noffke’s initiation was as difficult as the one Brett Lee saved for Manoj Tiwary. Gautam Gambhir was the target when Noffke sprinted in for the ninth over, releasing a short and wide ball which was pushed through point for four. The second effort was glided to third man for two, the next offering was cut firmly to a fielder and a similar shot greeted the fourth, except it was lofted and raced to the boundary. A single was taken before Noffke got a roar from the slips when the sixth delivery was a dot. Having given up 11 off his first over and 27 from four, he did well to bring it back to 1 for 46 off nine.Back, back … bowled
Tiwary’s entry was more frightening as Lee welcomed him with a series of short balls, including a couple which narrowly missed his helmet. The back-foot diet was continued until Lee surprised the batsman with a superb slower, fuller delivery. Expecting another short one, Tiwary was unable to convince himself to move forward and his feet barely moved before the stumps were upset. The way Lee worked him over was a repeat of Wasim Jaffer’s dismissal in the first innings at the SCG.Hit and run
There’s always a first time, but Sachin Tendulkar wouldn’t have imagined he could get out hit wicket. Lee bowled one into his ribs and Tendulkar, who had already braced himself for the short one, took a step back, tapped the ball to the onside and dashed for a single. However, his right heel brushed the base of the stumps.Slips in slips
Michael Hussey, standing at second, wanted to clasp the catch, but instead he ended up spilling the low-down offering when Gambhir nicked an outswinger from Mitchell Johnson. Two balls later Gambhir played closer to his body and managed another edge, but this one was travelling high towards Ricky Ponting at first slip. He got his hands on it without controlling it above his head and the ball bounced behind him. It was a much harder effort, but not as difficult as the diving one Gilchrist almost reached off Harbhajan.Caught short
While Australia’s catching wasn’t so impressive, Ponting made sure the fielding was memorable with a fine direct hit from midwicket that cut short Irfan Pathan’s innings. After Michael Clarke’s brilliant pick-up-and-throw in the Twenty20, Ponting showed he could match his young team-mate from a similar distance.Listen to this
He had a false start on resumption after another rain break. He turned back and pitched it just short of a length and it climbed quite high to a surprised James Hopes who was caught unawares. But it was a no ball and to rub it in, Mahendra Singh Dhoni gave away four byes. Ishant Sharma’s tail was up. Hopes had no clue to the next three deliveries as Sharma beat him equally with pace and bounce. The following ball pitched on a good length and jagged back in fiercely to flatten the off stump, ending Hopes’ agony. Sharma celebrated his first wicket by cupping his hands around his ears to hear if the crowd had to say anything.

Scorecard

Edgar Schiferli claimed a career-best 5 for 48 on the second day in Sharjah but UAE dented Netherlands’ hopes of qualifying for the Intercontinental Cup final by taking a narrow two-run lead.To stay in the race for a spot in the final, Netherlands really needed to collect the maximum 20 points from this match, but after conceding a lead, only 14 points are now available. However, following the efforts of Schiferli victory is still within reach. The home side looked well placed for a handy advantage on 256 for 5 until Schiferli ran through the tail as the last five wickets fell for 33 runs.UAE had been given a solid base as they replied to Netherlands’ 287 with a opening stand of 69 between two Ali’s – Amjad and Arshad – with Amjad reaching a hardworking 55 from 190 balls. The middle order scored more freely as captain Saqib Ali hit 58 off 73 balls while Khurram Khan and Rashid Khan produced useful innings.Mohammad Kashif and Daan van Bunge claimed two important wickets apiece, but it was Schiferli who produced the most dramatic intervention towards the end of the day. He made short work of the last four wickets, which fell for eight runs, and when he bowled Fahad Alhashmi it completed his first five-wicket haul.Netherlands, who currently lie fourth in the table, will now need to produce a solid batting effort to leave UAE a final-day target.

Middlesex Crusaders secured a six wicket victory over Glamorgan Dragons at Cardiff in the last round of National League matches.With three needed of the final ball young Irishman Joyce took an ambitious swing, and bottom edged the ball to the third man boundary.A nail biting finish never seemed on the cards after seamer Aaron Laraman had taken a career best 6-42 to restrict the Glamorgan Dragons to an under par 191-9. The Welshmen relied heavily on in form Michael Powell and his better than a run a ball contribution of 86 with 8 fours and a six off Ramprakash.Middlesex Crusaders seemed to be cruising, with Langer remaining undefeated on 75, but when Ramprakash top edged a hook, and Laraman was bowled the innings faltered, and the Londoners were grateful for Joyce’s fortuitous last ball heave.It was a sad ending for Maynard who was also dismissed for 0 in his last game as Glamorgan’s captain.

Following in the footsteps of Bangladesh’s recent announcement to establish a women’s side, the UAE have announced their plans for a national team. The project starts this Saturday at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium.But they will have to get their skates on – UAE’s first engagement is in six weeks, with the Asian Cricket Council’s tournament which runs from July 11 to 17. Bangladesh will also play, alongside Hong Kong, China, Malaysia, Nepal, Singapore and Thailand.Two former India players, Smitha Harikrishna and Pramila Korikar, will help to establish the set-up. The pair have each played 22 one-dayers, while Korikar also has five Tests to her name.

Brijesh Tomar, the right-hand middle-order batsman, has been named captain of a 15-member Madhya Pradesh squad for Ranji Trophy Plate League during the 2007-08 season.Tomar’s elevation to captaincy was necessitated by former captain Abbas Ali’s decision to join the Indian Cricket League; a move which made him ineligible to play in matches conducted by the Indian board.The squad includes Devendra Bundela and Naman Ojha, the wicket-keeper batsman, both former India A players. Ojha, 24, was in the India A team that toured Kenya in 2004.Madhya Pradesh’s bowling attack will be led by Anand Rajan, the promising 20-year-old medium-fast bowler, who also played for India Under-19 as well as the Australia Centre of Excellence in this year’s Cricket Australia Emerging Players Tournament. Rajan has taken 37 wickets in nine first-class matches at 27.75, including a five-wicket haul on his debut in 2005.Madhya Pradesh begin their upcoming domestic campaign by taking on Jharkhand in a Ranji game from November 3.Madhya Pradesh squad
Brijesh Tomar (capt), Naman Ojha (wk), Mudassir Ojha, Devendra Bundela, Rahul Bakshi, Zafar Ali, Murtaza Ali, Sanjay Pandey, Shantanu Pitre, Anand Rajan, Ashutosh Jadhav, Asif Ali, Jatin Saxena, Jalaj Saxena, Sunil Dholpure
Coach: Amitabh Vijayvergiya

Fear of the dark
Just after seven o’clock, the players were warming up when the lights went out and the laser show started. Most of them just stood around looking rather helpless. This is supposed to be a cricket league, but entertainment clearly comes first.Southern Spice
A day after Mohali triumphed over Delhi in the battle for northern pride, it was the south’s turn. Quite a few Chennai Super Kings’ fans were present at the Chinnaswamy Stadium and their bright yellow shirts and cheers were in evidence as Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Michael Hussey went berserk in the final stages of the innings. After dinner, with the Bangalore Royal Challengers making a good fist of the chase, the locals discovered their voices, with chants of “Chennai, go back” greeting every big hit.And the band played on
Suresh Raina is one of India’sspecial talents, and he showed it again with a superb little cameo. One six down the ground was struck so cleanly that it bounced on to the elevated stage where the band had played earlier. Music to the [Chennai] supporters’ ears.Umpiring’s a dangerous job
When Michael Hussey propelled one down the ground at blistering pace, Billy Doctrove had next to no time to react. The ball struck him on the shoulder, and almost certainly saved Bangalore four runs. Good thing the game wasn’t that close.Pace like fire
Quick bowlers are certainly hit and miss in this form of the game, and bowling them at the end of an innings is always laced with risk. Dale Steyn had conceded just 16 in his first three overs, but when Dhoni started to tee off, he had no answer. Even yorkers were smashed away with a bat-swing that resembles a whiplash. The over cost Bangalore 24 runs, and perhaps the match.Despair to ecstasy
Against the Mumbai Indians, Palani Amarnath conceded 57 in his four overs, the most expensive spell in the IPL’s short history. When Wasim Jaffer was dropped by Manpreet Gony off the first ball he bowled today, the man named after a temple town in Tamil Nadu where people usually get their heads tonsured must have felt like tearing his hair out. Two wickets later, the follicles were a bit safer.Optical illusion?
When Jaffer clubbed Albie Morkel over midwicket for six, there were more than a few gasps of disbelief. That turned to joy when he flicked one effortlessly over fine leg for six more. For a man with no great pedigree even in the ODI arena, a 33-ball 50 was someeffort.Much ado about drumming
After Chennai clinched victory, Sivamani, the drummer rushed on to the field, drum-kit in tow. As officials and police tried to stop him, Dhoni intervened on his behalf. A few triumphant beats of the drums later, Sivamani was done. Both thedrums, and Bangalore, were beaten into submission.

Miriam Grealey has stepped down as coach of Ireland women due to family commitments, Cricket Ireland has announced. She had held the position for two and a half years, as well as coaching the development side for six years.Grealey has been heavily involved in cricket for decades, including an 18-year international career for Ireland.She said of her decision, “I’ve really enjoyed my time with the Ireland senior team, but it has just become too time consuming with my family responsibilities. I will still be involved with coaching at grass-roots level, and will assist Cricket Ireland in any way I can. I wish my successor all the very best in the role.”Cricket Ireland chairman David Williams said: “Miriam’s service to the game in Ireland has been without equal and I thank her on behalf of all in Cricket Ireland. Her dedication, loyalty, and professionalism has been instrumental in the success of the women’s game in recent years. She will be sorely missed.”Her replacement is expected to be sorted out in the next few months, a board spokesperson told Cricinfo: “The issue of the women’s coach will be discussed at the next meeting of the Cricket Committee and I expect an announcement to be made about the way forward before the end of this month.”