Ashes series

Craig White has been called into the England Ashes squad as a temporary replacement for Andrew Flintoff. The Yorkshire all-rounder is in Adelaide playing grade cricket and will cover for Flintoff, who is recovering from a hernia operation. White, 32, will fly to Perth on Friday to join up with the squad and may feature in England's three-day match against Western Australia at the Waca starting on Monday. The first Test against Australia is in Brisbane, starting 7 November. White will stay with the tourists until Flintoff regains full fitness. Matthew Hoggard has criticised the state of the wickets England are playing on in the build-up to the first Ashes Test. The fast bowler told BBC Sport Online he thought pitches were being made deliberately faster in the knowledge the surface at The Gabba will be slower. He said: "When we go to the other side of the world, they prepare wickets in such a way to make things difficult for us.

Bangladesh in South Africa

South Africa's bowlers have been told by selection convenor Omar Henry they need to improve when they take on Bangladesh in the second and final Test starting at the North West Stadium in Potchefstroom on Friday. South Africa won the first Test in East London by an innings and 107 runs Monday, but former Test spinner Henry said he was disappointed with the bowling, with the exception of fast bowler Makhaya Ntini, who wrecked the Bangladesh first innings when he took five for 19. But Henry indicated the selectors would stick with Mornantau Hayward, the team's fastest bowler, who was particularly disappointing in East London despite taking two wickets in each innings. Henry said the coaching staff would be working with Hayward to ensure he gets a better wrist action to enable him to hit the seam more regularly.

Miscellaneous

Sri Lanka's former cricket captain Arjuna Ranatunga and his brother have settled a criminal case against them by offering compensation to school students allegedly assaulted by them here in March last year. The students had alleged that Ranatunga, his brother Prasanna and others had beaten them up when they entered their residence here looking for a cricket ball that had landed in their premises from a school next door. The Ranatungas had vehemently denied the charge, contending that the students might have earned the wrath of domestic servants by their provocative behaviour, but faced a criminal case after some of the students were hospitalised with injuries. The case had been dragging on for months, and Ranatunga's lawyers offered to settle the matter by paying compensation. The students agreed to the offer of Rs 200,000, reserving their right to file a civil case for more. The son of West Indies batting great Viv Richards has been offered a contract with county side Middlesex - and it could be the start of his England career. Mali Richards, an 18-year-old allrounder, was offered a summer contract by Middlesex, whose home ground is Lord's. He is eligible for England because he was born at Taunton, Somerset, where his father was playing. Richards Jr. Has played already in the Caribbean for Antigua, his father's home island, but was school educated in England and starts a university degree at Cardiff University in Wales next year. "We haven't actually seen him play but he's got a good record in junior cricket and has been recommended to us," Middlesex coach John Emburey told London's Evening Standard on Wednesday. The NZC and the New Zealand Cricket Players’ Association (NZCPA) have agreed that no breach of bargaining protocol occurred in a lingering dispute between the two parties over player payments. New Zealand players have gone on strike between October 1 to October 31, forcing the cancellation of an annual pre-season training camp in Lincoln. The NZCPA had sought mediation over the impasse after NZC chief executive Martin Snedden released his side’s documents to the public two weeks ago. Snedden, however, denied the claim and the two parties have jointly agreed that neither side had breached the protocol. Season tickets for the India-West Indies third Test, beginning here on October 30, go on sale Thursday from Gate IV of the Eden Gardens. A CAB official said while the last time around 10,000 tickets were sold to the public, the association expects to to sell more than that this time. Denominations that will be on sale to the public are Rs 400, 500 and 1,000. The mix of the denominations for the public was not immediately known. The official said that affiliated unites have already picked up quota tickets worth Rs 25 lakh, and the demand here will decide the amount of tickets available to the public.

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