India's tour of England

Tour match, Chelmsford, day three of four India 516 & 231-2 v Essex 279 Harbhajan Singh bamboozled Essex with a brilliant display of off-spin, claiming seven wickets as India continued to enjoy their practice match before the second Test. Harbhajan took 7-83 as Essex collapsed from 164-2 to 279 all out. Virender Sehwag then scored a century as India's Test preparations went to plan. Singh took two wickets on Thursday, and soon added the prize scalp of Andy Flower when the Zimbabwean edged to Sourav Ganguly. Essex captain Ronnie Irani was caught behind the wicket for 20 and Jon Dakin did not last long against Harbhajan. The "Turbanator" then trapped Barry Hyam and James Middlebrook lbw to complete his seven wicket haul, but Ganguly chose not to enforce the follow-on. India suffered their only set-back of the day when the experiment of promoting Parthiv Patel to opener backfired with the 17-year-old making just one run. Sanjay Bangar and Sehwag restored normal service with a second-wicket stand of 216. Andrew Flintoff will be named in the England squad for the third Test against India but his participation is still doubtful. Flintoff has been diagnosed with a hernia and will need an operation to alleviate the groin injury that has plagued him this summer. But the timing of the operation - which will keep him out of action for four weeks - will depend on whether he can play in the Headingley Test. He could also miss the ICC Champions Trophy in Sri Lanka in September. The 24-year-old will be assessed during England's practice days ahead of the Thursday start. He saw a specialist on Thursday, who confirmed an operation would be needed. "I have been struggling with a groin injury for a while and need an operation at some stage," Flintoff said. "But hopefully I should be able to get through the Headingley Test. "I'll meet up with the England team as usual and see how it goes during the warm-up. Sussex pace bowler James Kirtley has been named as Darren Gough's replacement in England's ICC Champions Trophy squad for Sri Lanka in September. Kirtley, who has seven one-day international caps, played four times in this summer's NatWest Series before breaking his hand half-way through the tournament. But after making a successful comeback on 7 August in a Norwich Union League match against Surrey, he has proved his fitness. Chairman of Selectors David Graveney said: "James was unfortunate to miss out on the remainder of the NatWest Series. "But he now has a further opportunity to press his claims for a regular place in the squad ahead of the one-day series in Australia and the World Cup. "James has good pace, can bowl well at the death in one-day cricket and is an excellent all-round fielder. "We feel that he can only improve still further by going to Sri Lanka and gaining experience of conditions on the sub-continent." "it's not often you get three chances to have a go at it, so I'm keen to make the most of the opportunity given to me," Kirtley said. Yorkshire chairman Geoff Cope said he does not think Headingley is in any danger of losing its status as a Test venue. Just more than half the tickets for the first day of the third Test against India, which starts on Thursday, have been sold. The poor sales have prompted the England and Wales Cricket Board to order a meeting with Yorkshire chiefs on Friday to enquire as to why there will be so many empty seats. But Cope said he remained convinced Headingley was the best venue outside London for Test cricket. "The record at Headingley over the years has been good. I think we are second to London," he said. "We are not worried that Test status will be removed. We want Test matches and the England team consider this to be very much home for them. "We have £11m ground redevelopments which we are pressing ahead with, and they are very much geared with Test cricket in mind."

ICC contract

Former India all-rounder Ravi Shastri is not just clear about his views on the ICC contract imbroglio, he is vocal as well. "The players shouldn't sign the ICC contract. The ICC is trying to force the cricketers into signing it," said Shastri, who is here to do television commentary. "I think this (issue) has given an opportunity for the Indian cricketers to be united and stand under one umbrella." But what about the Board of Control for Cricket in India's request to the Indian cricketers to sign it temporarily, for the ICC Champions Trophy in Sri Lanka, starting from September 12? "They shouldn't sign it even for this tournament because of the simple reason that the ICC might take the players for a ride (in future)," Shastri said yesterday. Australian one-day captain Ricky Ponting said he is confident that a deal can be reached between his players and the International Cricket Council over sponsorship rights. Ponting's comments came as the West Indies became the latest team to raise doubts about taking part in the Champions Trophy tournament to be held in Sri Lanka next month. The ICC wants players to sign a contract that prevents them from endorsing products that clash with the official sponsors of the tournament. Australian Cricketers' Association chief executive Tim May said earlier this week that he believed such a contract would be unlawful. But Ponting insists that Australia's stars want to take part in the tournament. "We don't really know what to expect of it just yet. I mean the bottom line is, of course, no players don't want to play, everyone loves playing for their country," Ponting said.

ICC Champions Trophy

The announcement of the Indian cricket team for the ICC Champions Trophy to be held at Colombo from September 12-29 has been postponed indefinitely. Cricket Board secretary Niranjan Shah said from Rajkot that the stalemate over the issue of sponsorship of players was still to be resolved and hence BCCI president Jagmohan Dalmiya had asked him not to announce the team on Friday. The team was to have been announced after the selectors met on August 12, but later August 16 was given as deadline for the announcement. "Dalmiya is in touch with the Indian players in England and I can announce the team only after he says so and there is no deadline as of now," Shah said. South African selection convener Omar Henry took a swipe at the International Cricket Council on Friday for its impossible deadline for naming squads for next month's ICC Champions Trophy in Sri Lanka. The same players currently competing for the Morocco Cup, minus Paul Adams, will travel to the Asian subcontinent for the tournament which involves all 10 Test playing nations. "It has been almost impossible to pick a squad of 14 so long before the tournament, especially as we have played so little cricket," Henry said. "But these are the instructions from the ICC." The squad was supposed to be named on Monday, but because Henry did not receive notification of the deadline on time, the names were sent to London three days late. The South African selectors have chosen a squad of 14 to take part in the ICC Champions Trophy in Sri Lanka next month, with a group of five players named as replacements should any injuries occur before the tournament starts. The South African squad: Shaun Pollock (capt), Mark Boucher (v/capt), Nicky Boje, Boeta Dippenaar, Allan Donald, Herschelle Gibbs, Jacques Kallis, Gary Kirsten, Lance Klusener, Makhaya Ntini, Justin Ontong, Jonty Rhodes, Graeme Smith, Roger Telemachus. Replacements: Paul Adams, Loots Bosman, Steve Elworthy, Justin Kemp, Neil McKenzie. Coach: Eric Simons; assistant coach: Corrie van Zyl; physiotherapist: Shane Jabaar; fitness trainer: Andrew Gray; manager: Goolam Rajah. Sri Lanka's cricket selectors named Kumar Dharmasena in the 14-man squad for the ICC Champions Trophy. The off-spinner, a member of the team that won the 1996 World Cup, has been added to the squad playing in the ongoing triangular Morocco cup tournament in Tangiers. The tournament will be played in Sri Lanka between 12 and 20 September. The Sri Lanka squad: Sanath Jayasuriya (captain), Marvan Atapattu, Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardena, Aravinda De Silva, Russel Arnold, Hasantha Fernando, Chaminda Vaas, Dilhara Fernando, Muttiah Muralitharan, Upul Chandana, Tillekaratne Dilshan, Pulasthi Guneratne, Kumar Dharmasena.

Morocco cup

The race for the Morocco Cup triangular series is still wide open going into Saturday's match between Pakistan and Sri Lanka with all three contenders having each won and lost a match. Sri Lanka heads the table after gaining a bonus point in their 93-run victory over South Africa, but there are no clear contenders for the Aug. 21 final. "It does set the tournament up nicely now. We've got one game against each other left and it's basically do or die," South African captain Shaun Pollock said. "Sri Lanka have a bit of an edge because they have a bonus point which means basically that if they win one more game they are through." All three sides have shown an equal amount of good and bad in the 50-overs tournament - the first international cricket event held in North Africa. The $250 000 tournament began on Monday with South Africa convincingly beating a disappointing Pakistani side by 54 runs. South Africa's four spinners are set to play a major role as the Morocco Cup one-day international cricket tournament goes into the second round. Shaun Pollock's men are worried that the character of the pitch has changed and it is likely to create more opportunities for the team's spinners - Nicky Boje, Justin Ontong, Paul Adams and Graeme Smith. Fast bowler Allan Donald said the pitch, not quick to begin with, is getting slower. "The wicket was getting lower and it was becoming harder to score. "That's a concern, because if it's like that now what will it be like when the final gets played next Wednesday. "We've got the guys who can bowl on that kind of wicket. I expect Nicky to be more switched on in our next match and then we've also got Smithy, Gogga and Ontong." Donald and Smith are two players, at different ends of their careers, who are hoping to use this tournament as a launching pad for the World Cup in South Africa next year.

Under-19 cricket

Under-19 Test match, Nothampton: England 341 & 402-5 beat India 310 & 248 by 185 runs Balal Shafayat scored an unbeaten double century as England U19s secure an emphatic win over their Indian counterparts at Northampton. Shafayat smashed 23 boundaries in his marathon 201 not out that lasted more than seven hours. The opener accumulated a total of 319 runs in the match following his 118 in the first innings. Kadeer Ali hit 13 fours scoring 111 and shared in a second wicket stand of 256 with Shafayat as England amassed 402-5 declared in their second innings. Paul McMahon then claimed four wickets as India subsided to 248 all out in their second innings as England won the three-Test series 1-0. McMahon polished off India's tail after Graham Wagg undermined India's innings with two early wickets. India kept England at bay with a ninth wicket stand of 84, but Tim Bresnan took the last wicket to wrap up an England series victory.

Women's cricket

Second Women's Test, Taunton, day three of four India 445-6 v England 329 The second women's Test between England and India appeared destined for a draw as both sides found it difficult to take wickets. Mithali Raj scored an unbeaten double century as India finished day three on 445-6 in reply to England's 329. Raj hit 19 boundaries in a marathon 210 not out that spanned six and a half hours. She put on 55 with Anjum Chopra (52) for the second wicket and then 144 with Hemlata Kala (62), who came in after Chopra was dismissed. Jhulan Goswami then scored an unbeaten 54, including two boundaries, as she put on an unbeaten 148 with Raj. England used nine bowlers, but only Clare Connor, with 2-64 enjoyed much success. The series also looks certain to draw a blank with the first Test washed out.

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