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Inzamam-ul-Haq, the Pakistan captain, and his teammates are keen to do well in the first one-day international against England on Saturday, which has been declared a fund-raiser for the October 8 earthquake victims.”It is a significant match for us as there is a need for us and the rest of Pakistan not to forget about the problems being faced by the earthquake victims and that we need to do a lot more for them in future to rehabilitate them,” said Inzamam. The earthquake in the northern areas of Pakistan killed over 80,000 people and has left some three million homeless.The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and its players have been in the forefront of organising events to raise funds for the quake victims. The entire gate money from Saturday’s day and night fixture will go towards the rehabilitation of the victims with a board official saying a sum of approximately 12 million rupees (US$ 200,761) should be raised from sale of tickets. The PCB has already donated 50 million rupees (US$ 836,505) for the quake victims with the players also contributing a percentage of their matches fees for the next one-year.Inzamam made a fervent appeal to the people to make the match a big success. “It is an occasion when we can all do a lot to raise awareness about the plight of those affected by the earthquake. I hope companies and individuals will also donate at the match.” He added that the players were also planning to sponsor some villages in the affected areas.

West Indies coach Phil Simmons has admitted he is “totally frustrated” by seeing West Indian cricketers light up the Big Bash League while his Test squad battles to be competitive. Simmons said it was up to the WICB to find a way to keep the region’s best players and he cited the example of New Zealand, a team with similar resources but which has managed to retain its stars for Test cricket.Jason Holder’s young outfit collapsed to a three-day loss to Australia in the first Test in Hobart and they face the challenge of lifting themselves for the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne. Meanwhile, Andre Russell has been bowling with impressive pace for the Sydney Thunder, and Dwayne Bravo and Chris Gayle have turned out for the Melbourne Renegades, continuing their tour of domestic T20 tournaments.”I’m totally frustrated,” Simmons said. “It’s enjoyable to see Andre Russell bowling at 140 clicks, and Bravo hitting three or four sixes, and Chris back in it. It is frustrating that we don’t have them here playing the Test series.”But it’s something that’s been going on for a while and it’s up to the administration to work out how we get to the stage of, let’s say, New Zealand, because they have similar things and they’re getting all their players to play. It’s up to our administration and our bosses to find out how is the best way that we can get these guys on the pitch.”It is not as simple as to say that all three men would be in the Test team if available, for Gayle has a back injury that will affect his chances of ever adding to his tally of 103 Tests, and Bravo was not picked for a Test for more than four years before he officially retired from the format in January. This month, Bravo said he remained committed to West Indies cricket but was unhappy with the way players were treated in the Caribbean.”It’s gets frustrating … not only for myself but all the other cricketers: Gayle, Sammy, Pollard, Russell,” Bravo told the last week. “We’re all committed to West Indies cricket, but sometimes with the way we’ve been treated over the years, sometimes we second guess and ask ourselves why should we actually fight with West Indies’ cricket [administrators] when the rest of the world are opening their hands for us?”Gayle and Bravo are both in their 30s but Russell, at 27, is a man who could still offer West Indies many good years, but he has played only one Test five years ago and believes his knee would not stand up to Test cricket. But chairman of selectors Clive Lloyd said in January that Russell was one of the best allrounders in the world and could be in the Test side if he was willing to play.”It’s such a waste that we have a guy who could be a great cricketer who is now not thinking of playing both formats,” Lloyd said in the 2015 New Year’s Lecture in Cape Town. “We have contracts, probably not as exorbitant as others, but they are getting good money. It doesn’t seem playing for our country is paramount where these players are concerned.”Lloyd has arrived in Melbourne ahead of the Boxing Day Test, and will help mentor Holder, who at 24 faces the enormous challenge of leading a side of limited talent while also finding his own way in the game, having played only 11 Tests himself. In the absence of some of the region’s more senior players in the squad, Holder has had to rely heavily on the off-field staff of past legends to help him develop as a captain.”Off the field he’s getting help from the coaching staff,” Simmons said. “I’m sure he’s getting help from someone like Clive Lloyd. I’m sure he’s speaking to him, one of the greatest captains we’ve had. He’s getting a lot of advice from Clive too. Having ‘Lloydy’ around is always a good thing. Guys go and speak to him one on one. It’s a good thing to have him here.”

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

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.

Aaron Nye’s impressive form in Queensland’s Ford Ranger Cup final victory has earned him a place in the Pura Cup squad for their match against New South Wales. Nye replaced Nathan Rimmington in the 12-man line-up to take on the Blues at the SCG starting on Thursday.Nye has not played first-class cricket since 2004-05 but made the selectors take notice with a vital ten-over spell in the limited-overs final against Victoria, in which he claimed the wickets of Cameron White, David Hussey and Adam Crosthwaite. Nye, an allrounder who bowls offspin and has a Pura Cup century to his name, gives the Bulls the option of a three-man spin attack for the Sydney clash.The Blues made four changes to their squad, promoting Peter Forrest, the rookie-contracted batsman, for what could be his first Pura Cup match. Forrest made 127 for the New South Wales Second XI last week, which was his second century in the Cricket Australia Cup this season.Forrest and Beau Casson were included at the expense of Greg Mail and Nathan Hauritz. Stuart Clark and Brad Haddin, who were unavailable due to their World Cup preparations, were replaced by Matthew Nicholson and Daniel Smith.Queensland sit second-last on the Pura Cup table but they are only six points shy of the Blues, who are first. Every team has two matches remaining, meaning only South Australia are out of the race for a place in the final.Queensland squad Jimmy Maher (capt), Ryan Broad, Greg Moller, Clinton Perren, Aaron Nye, Craig Philipson, James Hopes, Chris Hartley (wk), Chris Simpson, Andy Bichel, Ashley Noffke, Daniel Doran.New South Wales squad Ed Cowan, Phil Jaques, Simon Katich (capt), Dominic Thornely, Peter Forrest, Grant Lambert, Daniel Smith (wk), Beau Casson, Matthew Nicholson, Mark Cameron, Doug Bollinger, Stuart MacGill.

Four expatriate fans of Pakistani origin were arrested at Gaddafi Stadiumduring the final afternoon of the second Test between Pakistan and SouthAfrica for making racially-motivated comments and gestures at members ofthe South African team.The four, sitting in the Imran Khan stand, were arrested by local securityofficials during the afternoon session , after abusing three South African players andofficials who were on their way to the nets.”They were making racial comments about the South African team and they are nowin lock-up,” said a Pakistan board official. The remarks were directed atallrounder Vernon Philander, the assistant coach Vincent Barnes, and FaisulNagel, the South African security consultant.The incident mirrors the monkey chants directed at Australia’s allrounder Andrew Symonds during the fifth ODI at Vadodara, but South Africa, like Australia, will not be lodging any complaints. Michael Owen-Smith, the team’s media manager, said: “The matter was swiftly handled and we are not going to lodge an official complaint.

The ICC has asked for an explanation from the Indian board for the crowd trouble that had erupted during the April 9 one-day international between India and England at Guwahati.”Malcolm Speed [the CEO of ICC] has sent us [BCCI] a letter asking for explanation over what he’s called serious breach of security,” Niranjan Shah, the BCCI secretary, told PTI. “I will forward the letter to the Assam Cricket Association (ACA) for its reply which I hope to get in four or five days.”The ICC has also sent a copy of the report sent to it by match referee Roshan Mahanama which is a standard procedure. After getting the reply from ACA we would send a reply to the ICC.”However, the ACA had not received any letter from the BCCI till late last evening. Ghanshyam Baruah, the treasurer of the ACA, told the , a Guwahati-based daily, that they had not yet received any intimation from the Indian board.Crowd trouble erupted during the game after the umpires had called off play because of a wet outfield. There was rioting in the Eastern stands and the police had to fire tear gas shells to break up the mob. The trouble escalated when the crowd began to target the television cameras, in place to cover the match and at least four cameras were badly damaged. It was later revealed that the damage was around 6.5 to 8 million rupees (US$146,000 to 180,000).

Marvan Atapattu, the former Sri Lanka captain, has been released from his central contract with Sri Lanka cricket (SLC), as per his earlier request.”We decided at this evening’s committee meeting to release Marvan Atapattu from his contract from October 1,” Kangadaran Mathivanan, board secretary told .Though not official, the decision is likely to mean the end of the road for Atapattu as an international cricketer. Atapattu made his debut in 1990 and was one of the more elegant opening batsmen in contemporary cricket, scoring 5,330 runs in 88 Tests and 8,529 runs in ODIs.Earlier, Atapattu had asked to be released from his contract, without citing any specific reason. “We received a letter on Friday addressed to Duleep Mendis requesting release from his contract,” Mathivanan told Cricinfo.Atapattu’s current contract was supposed to run until March 2008 and he was one of only six players with ‘A’ graded contracts. He is currently playing for the Lashings XI in England.The development caps an uncertain period for Atapattu, during which he was overlooked by the Sri Lankan selectors for the World Cup in the West Indies and the subsequent tour to Abu Dhabi for the one-day series with Pakistan.Atapattu then announced his unavailability for the home series against Bangladesh citing personal reasons. The speculation is that Atapattu’s decision has come about because his name has been linked with the Indian Cricket League (ICL).

The day and the surface demanded unglamorous qualities; some toil, somegraft and liberal helpings of discipline. Happily for Brian Lara, the WestIndies provided precisely that, in restricting Pakistan to below threeruns an over and importantly, removing two-thirds of a heavy scoringmiddle-order triumvirate.”I was very satisfied with the bowlers,” Lara told reporters at the end ofthe day. “On such a pitch it was very tough for the bowlers and to keepthem under three an over was a very good effort. We had to bowl in theright areas, keep the runs down and take any chances that came our way. Wetook four of the five that did and I can’t fault the bowlers for theirefforts.”And some mammoth efforts they were. Corey Collymore might walk under aladder, break a mirror and let a black cat stroll across him repeatedlyand he’d still have more luck than has thus far come his way on this tour.Despite beating batsmen as if it were slipping out of vogue, he has thesolitary wicket to show for it and 16 overs today drew no reward butsympathy. He might try some of what Jerome Taylor is having, for though heeventually redeemed an iffy morning spell, his wickets came off widedeliveries Collymore would scoff at.

Cruel to begrudge him success though, especially on a surface Larareckoned was made for batsmen. “The pitch again is made for batting. Justone day gone and we expect, in this part of the world, for it to continuelike that. There will be some deterioration of course, from bowlers’footmarks but as far as I can see it is full of runs. We’re hoping on thispitch we can get some good runs.”One man who won’t have the opportunity is Ramnaresh Sarwan, not includedin the team for this Test to the surprise of some. Sarwan’s recent formisn’t prolific – 137 runs in six matches during the Champions Trophy and112 in five DLF Cup matches – but Lara argued it was a decision based onthe needs of the team. “It wasn’t designed as a drop. I think it was asituation where the best team combination was chosen to get a result. Wealso made another change in dropping Fidel Edwards.”Two fifties in his last two Tests earlier this year in New Zealand,coupled with some ODI form, meant though that Runako Morton was adeserving replacement. “Runako has also had a couple of opportunities overthe last 12-18 months and he’s produced in it. Unfortunately, he foundhimself out of the team so he has an opportunity now. But it is just amatter of picking what we feel is the best team and Sarwan still remainsone of our main players. He’s only missing five days of cricket,” Larareasoned.A couple of early morning wickets, especially of Inzamam-ul-Haq, and thelabours of today may yet bear sweet fruit. Even without Sarwan, thereis as much depth in this batting as there is flatness in the pitch.”Sometimes you get the results of it the following day and we have to comeback and wrap up the remaining six wickets,” Lara continued. “I was pretty happy with theposition of the match on such a pitch and when the opportunity comes forus to bat we have to make full use of it.”

India’s cricket chiefs plan to speak to Greg Chappell, India’s coach, over a rude gesture he reportedly made to crowds in Kolkata last week, an official said on Monday.”We will certainly discuss the matter at the board’s annual general meeting in Kolkata on Tuesday,” said Inderjit Bindra, former head of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). “I don’t think any action will be taken but we will tell him such a thing should not happen in future.”Television footage showed Chappell putting his right hand out of a window of the team bus and pointing the middle finger towards the crowds outside the Eden Gardens prior to the fourth one-day match against South Africa. Newspapers slammed Chappell for what they said was an insulting gesture to fans who were taunting him for excluding local hero Sourav Ganguly from the one-day side. Team spokesman M Baladitya said “Chappell had injured his finger during practice and he said he was just attending to it. He did not gesture at anybody.”It was an explanation few were willing to buy, but Chappell insisted he had done nothing wrong. “I see no reason to keep defending myself for something I have not done,” he was quoted as saying in the . “If I want to point a finger at someone, I would point it openly, not when I am inside a bus.” The newspaper also commented: “Indian fans might be a tad too emotional for Chappell’s tastes. But they don’t deserve such disrespect. By his extravagantly tasteless gesture, the legendary Australian cricketer has virtually guaranteed that the debate would now be on him rather than the overtly sentimental crowd.”The Indian team was jeered off the field after South Africa thrashed them by 10 wickets last Friday to take a 2-1 lead in the series. Many in the 90,000-strong crowd taunted Rahul Dravid and his team during and after the match and raised slogans against Chappell and the selectors. Ganguly, India’s most successful Test captain with 21 wins, was sacked and replaced by Dravid this season following a public spat with Chappell. The 33-year-old left-hander was not picked for the home one-day series against Sri Lanka and South Africa, but has been named in the team for the first Test against the Sri Lankans at Chennai from December 2. Chappell, 56, was appointed India’s coach in June for a two-year term till the 2007 World Cup in the Caribbean.India must win the final one-dayer against South Africa at Mumbai on November 28 to draw the series.