South Africa’s delayed tour of Pakistan will now start with a warm-up one-day match at Lahore on October 1, while the first ODI will be played at the same venue two days later. The itinerary was forced to be revised following South Africa’s concerns over security after a bomb blast in Karachi. The new schedule comprises five ODIs but just two Tests, one lesser than was originally intended. Importantly, the South Africans will go into the Tests without a single three-day warm-up game.Earlier, the tour was salvaged after the PCB managed a last-minute deal with the South African board. “We made a decision on Saturday, based on information from our security consultants who had also been in contact with intelligence agencies,” said Gerald Majola, the chief executive of the UCB. “That information was that the situation in Pakistan, particularly following a bomb blast in Karachi on Friday evening, meant that sending our team to Karachi on Sunday as planned would have constituted an unacceptable risk.””The Board has at all times been committed to making every effort to ensure the tour could go ahead, with the safety and security of the national squad as our primary concern,” said Majola. “The tour is important to both Pakistan and to South African cricket and we are sympathetic with the disappointment expressed in Pakistan when the team’s departure for Karachi on Sunday had to be called off. We appreciate the PCB’s compromise on an abbreviated tour, and that compromise is indicative of the continuing good relationships between our two boards.”In a radio interview on SABC, the national state broadcaster, Majola also informed that the South African team would be given VVIP security cover, which is normally given only to visiting statesmen. “We have decided to go ahead with a shortened tour because we now have a security plan in place that has been approved by Pakistan, South Africa and our own police service,” he said. “The VVIP security will be monitored on a regular basis by our own security people who will be travelling with the team during the tour.””We feel it is a welcome sign for cricket in Pakistan because we have gonethrough very hard times in the last four days,” said Rameez Raja, the chief executive of the Pakistan board. “[There were] misconceptions about Friday’s blast,” he said. “After talking to our security officials, [South Africa] got the clear picture that the blast was not linked to terrorism.”Ehsan Mani, the president of the ICC, expressed his satisfaction at the outcome of the discussions. “Over the past two days, this has allowed all parties to get a considered, fact-based and accurate understanding of the security and safety concerns and of the way in which these are being managed. I am very pleased that through this process the PCB and the UCB have reached this in principle agreement.”However, Mani criticised the haste with which the tour had earlier been called off. “I am concerned that there appeared to be a lack of consultation within the international cricket community before the initial decision not to tour was taken,” he said. “This meant that both the ICC and the PCB were not given the opportunity to provide relevant information to the UCB as it considered its position.”One solution may be to introduce a cricket-wide protocol for this type of situation, where any country that is facing the situation the UCB has had to deal with is obliged to consult with both the ICC and the host country before reaching a decision. In that way every country would retain its right to determine where and when its team plays but it would also ensure that all parties affected by its decisions would be able to have their views considered and discussed as a decision is being made.”Mani promised that he would raise the issue at the next meeting of the ICC’s executive board, which is scheduled for the Caribbean at the end of October.Pakistan threaten to sue
Miandad leads the protests

John Dyson, the new coach of the Sri Lankan team, has suggested that England can expect a much tougher challenge from the Sri Lankans than they did on their recent tour of Bangladesh. England, who comfortably won two Tests and three one-day internationals in Bangladesh, will commence the Sri Lankan tour with the three-match ODI series, which starts on November 18.”England are a very good side, a very professional unit. They’ve improved remarkably in the last six months. But I think they will get much harder cricket here in Sri Lanka,” said Dyson. “Michael Vaughan said a couple of weeks ago that it’s been a good warm up for them in Bangladesh, but he expects more difficult cricket in Sri Lanka. I am confident that’s what they’ll get.”Dyson said that Sri Lanka had been preparing for this series for a very long time. “After a long break from cricket the team is physically fit and looking very good. They finished the West Indies tour in June and they’ve prepared very hard for this series. They are physically, skill-wise and mentally ready for it. They are ready to go out and test everything they’ve prepared themselves for. Now’s the time to get on the park and play the game.”Dyson also commented that the Premier Trophy tournament – Sri Lanka’s domestic three-day competition in which all the top players played – had been the ideal preparation before a tough series. “I think the Premier trophy tournament has given the players the competition they need to play against England. The tournament’s got some very good cricket in it. There are possibly things which Sri Lanka Cricket can look at in relation to the tournament, but I am pleased with what the guys have done. Their attitude, the way they have approached their cricket and, the way they have approached their practice, they have been very professional.”I think we have all departments covered. We have good players in all departments and great players in a few. Given that they take their form into the middle, I am very confident that we are going to perform very well.”Dyson made special mention of the threat Muttiah Muralitharan would hold for England’s batsmen. “If a team’s got a player like Murali, probably the best ever, everybody knows that in tight situations you’ve got a world-class player like him to look up to. That situation hasn’t changed. Just because England played him well the last time, it doesn’t mean they are going to play him well this time. We’ve got to see what sort of form they are in and, take it from there.”Dyson was also keen to ensure that sporting pitches were prepared for the series. “The wicket needs to provide everybody within the team with a chance if they play well enough to get good results. I have been fortunate enough to meet all the curators and tell them exactly what I’ve just said.”

Chittagong 300 and 129 for 2 (Faisal 65*) beat Rajshahi 234 and 194 (Mashud 59) by 8 wickets
ScorecardFaisal Hossain, nicknamed Dickens, scripted another classic at Comilla when he hammered a 41-ball 65, and took Chittagong to a facile eight-wicket win. With this win, Chittagong joined Dhaka and Khulna at the top of the Mirzapore Tea Fifth National Cricket League. Faisal’s innings contained three massive sixes and nine fours.Akram Khan, captain of Chittagong, promoted Faisal up in the batting order after he had hit an unbeaten 99 in the first innings batting at number six. His breezy innings enabled Chittagong to reach the target of 129 in only 26.3 overs. Anisul Hakim, the opener, contributed 37.Faisal’s show completely overshadowed a gritty knock from Khaled Mashud, the Rajshahi captain, earlier in the day. Mashud scored 59 in 139 balls as Rajshahi finished on 196 in their second innings. Yasin Arafat, the offspinner making his debut, finished with a match haul of 9 for 149 and was later adjuged the Man of the Match. Saifullah Khan was the most successful bowler for Rajshahi, with match figures of 7 for 143.Khulna 160 and 156 (Parvez 48) beat Sylhet 80 (Razzaq 7-11) and 160 (Hadi 43, Bashir 4-36) by 76 runs
ScorecardAt Sylhet, Khulna needed only 25 minutes to wrap up their match. When Sylhet began the day on 145 for 9, the last two batsmen, who had added a stubborn 16 last evening, needed another 91 runs for victory. But they put on only 15 as Tapash Baisya was stumped by Hasibul Haq after scoring 30. Tamim Bashir, who claimed the last wicket, finished with 5 for 43 in his 23.3 overs. He was jointly adjudged Man of the Match with Abdur Razzaq, the Khulna spinner, who claimed seven wickets in the first innings.Razzaq’s magical spell resulted in Sylhet being bowled out for only 80 in the first innings with only the two openers reaching double figures. It was all downhill after that,and Khulna joined Dhaka and Chittagong at the top of the table.
Dhaka 374 (Halim 119, Niamur 62, Muntasir 58) beat Barisal 193 and 118 (Mahmud 4-19, Muntasir 4-31) by an innings and 63 runs
ScorecardKhaled Mahmud, after a combative half-century to rescue Dhaka from a perilous position, bowled them to victory, taking 4 for 19 as Barisal were skittled out for 118 in their second innings. Fahim Muntasir, an offspinner fighting to get back into the national side, also had a fine match, scoring 58 and, then, taking 4 for 31.

Glenn McGrath has been ruled out of the remainder of the current Test series against India. A scan revealed his ankle had not healed enough for him to participate in the Boxing Day Test, a New South Wales(NSW) team spokesperson said.”Glenn Mcgrath had a scan on Tuesday and it’s improved a lot but he’s still not right to play,” said Glenn Daniel. “He’s aiming for the New South Wales game against Victoria starting on 9 January.”McGrath was earlier expected to play for NSW against Tasmania on December 19, but cancelled a net session after experiencing pain.”It has not settled, and still swells up. He still gets pain when he bowls,” Pat Farhat, the NSW team physio, said.The latest setback comes after Jason Gillespie suffered a groin strain in the second Test. Brad Williams sprained a shoulder joint in the same test, but bowled on the final day, allaying fears about the extent of his injury.Australia’s frontline fast bowlers have been laid low with a spate of injuries in recent months, and this led to an under-strength attack playing in the first two Tests against India.The only sign of relief is Brett Lee’s likely return to the Test squad after recovering from ankle and stomach injuries. If found fit, Lee will be a certainty for the third Test, which begins on December 26.The squad for the third Test will be announced on Monday, December 22, after India’s tour match against Australia A.

Ricky Ponting stormed to the top of the 2003 batting charts, in the process becoming only the fifth player to score back-to-back double hundreds in Test matches. Wally Hammond was the first to do it, at this very ground, way back in 1928-29, and Sir Donald Bradman achieved the feat no less than thrice. By sheer coincidence, the last of that awesome threesome came at Melbourne (270) and Adelaide (212) as Australia came from 2-0 down to win the Ashes 3-2 in 1936-37.Ponting though wasn’t even aware of that, saying, “Tell me about the records, I haven’t got a clue … It’s nice to have your name mentioned alongside these past legends, but for me, all that matters is being part of a side that has a chance to win this Test match.”He said that his controlled 257- an effort defined as much by patience as by superb strokeplay – was a response to the situation that his team found itself in after India had dominated the opening day. “It was important that we get as big a lead as possible,” he said. “The bounce will be more variable as the game goes on, and the wicket’s slower too. If our bowlers can keep banging the ball into the wicket tomorrow, they should get a few bowled or leg before.”Ponting admitted that he had enjoyed a wonderful year, and attributed much of his success to the increased responsibility that came with batting at number three. “That was the biggest change in my game,” he said. “As a junior, I had opened the batting and batted at three, and I also used to bat at number four for my state [Tasmania]. When I came into the Test side, and batted at six, it took some getting used to.”There was also time for a veiled jibe at the Indians, who let Sachin Tendulkar stay in the dressing room at the fall of the second wicket this evening. “I was very surprised that Tendulkar didn’t come out,” he said. “He is under a lot of pressure and I suppose the team has certain thoughts regarding that … you probably wouldn’t see it happen in our side, but it’s not for me to say whether it’s the right or wrong decision. If he comes out and makes a lot of runs tomorrow, it’ll look like the right choice.”Ponting also paid tribute to Steve Waugh, who came out in the afternoon, and scratched out a gritty 19 despite having been struck a blow on the elbow by Ajit Agarkar. “He was struggling a lot,” said Ponting. “It was a big effort just to come out. It was a vital stage of the game, our lead wasn’t much. It was a great effort, but then you wouldn’t expect anything else from him.”Trefor James, the Australian team doctor, added that Waugh had been hit on the outside of the elbow, resulting in a large haematoma. But investigations had revealed no fracture, and the medical team would review his progress over the next few days. “Our expectation is that he will be able to continue here and also play in Sydney,” he said.Anil Kumble, who bowled with tremendous heart and discipline for his six wickets, said that it was a tough time for India. “It was important for us to get an early wicket today. We got Martyn, but it was hard work after that. Ponting batted really well.”Of Ponting’s knock, he said, “He took a calculated risk early on [a miscue off Kumble fell short of Tendulkar] but didn’t take many chances after that. For my part, I just had to keep plugging away, bowling the same line and waiting for the mistake from the batsmen.”Kumble insisted that the mood in the dressing room was still upbeat. “It would have been nice to keep all ten wickets in hand. But you have to remember that three of the batsmen [Rahul Dravid, Sourav Ganguly and VVS Laxman] have made hundreds already, and the fourth [Tendulkar] is yet to fire.”There’ll need to be a lot of fire, and much luck, if India are to leave the MCG with that precious lead still intact. On a pitch where the ball will misbehave more and more, it would help their cause if umpires David Shepherd and Billy Bowden were to be as conservative with decisions as they were today, when India certainly copped the wrong end of the stick. Credit though to Ponting, whose magic carpet ride has left India with a sinking feeling.

England A 100 for 3 (Lumb 30*, Gidman 21*) beat Malaysia CA 99 (Jones 4-22) by seven wickets
ScorecardEngland completed a second win against a Malaysian Cricket Association Invitation XI at the Royal Selangor Club, Kuala Lumpur, with Simon Jones taking another important step back to full fitness. The Glamorgan pace bowler took four for 22 from his six overs as England A won by seven wickets with time to spare.It was perhaps a strange decision by the home captain to bat first on winning the toss, even though his side was bolstered by the inclusion of three members of the touring party. They were soon in trouble with Graham Wagg, who took three wickets in the opening game of the tour, claiming two wickets in the second over of this match when there was only a single on the board.Bilal Shafayat was one of the players guesting for the MCA, but he was bowled by Sajid Mahmood for four and Ed Smith was dismissed in similar manner by Graham Napier for 12. That was when Jones came into the attack to take the next four wickets in quick succession, including Simon Francis, bowled for a duck.Shaftab Khalid claimed the wicket of Sarath, the one Malaysian batsman who held up England A’s march through the opposition, before Mahmood claimed the final wicket and the home side were bowled out for 99 in 28.1 overs.England A took only 23.3 overs to knock off the runs. Although Scott Newman and Kadeer Ali fell cheaply, Kevin Pietersen set about the attack in muscular fashion with three fours and a six in his stay of 31 balls producing 30 runs. When he went, it was left to Michael Lumb and the captain, Alex Gidman, to knock off the required runs without further alarm.The match won, and with a full house expected for the afternoon, the sides then played an unofficial match of 25 overs a side. England A scored 198 for five in their innings, with MCA 90 for six when the rain came to force an abandonment.

Saeed Anwar has said that reverse swing will be a big threat for the Indian batsmen on the forthcoming tour of Pakistan. He has also implied, and juicy controversy will surely follow this, that Sachin Tendulkar is a spent force, while saying that Sourav Ganguly is the biggest threat among the Indian batsman.Anwar said that the Indian batsmen were most at threat not from the new ball, but from the reverse swing that Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Sami were capable of producing. Speaking to The Times of India, Anwar said that a late burst by those two bowlers could tear the heart out of the Indian batting. He had some tips for the batsmen on how to play them.”Start with seeing what side the shine of the ball is. Then, right-handers should take middle-stump guard. That will help them [in] playing the ball on the leg side with its late inswing. Even otherwise, they should play it as if they are playing inswing. Then, try and see the ball early and play it late. For that, you need a good eye, which you can develop by training hard.”Anwar then shifted his attention to the batsmen themselves, implying that Tendulkar was past his best, while praising VVS Laxman and Ganguly. “Laxman was superb in Australia,” said Anwar. “Sachin is great in the mind but 10-12 years of international cricket is [sic] catching up. Rahul Dravid has always played better than Sachin abroad. Sachin hasn’t won much for India against us and we know that.””Actually,” Anwar revealed, “Sourav Ganguly is the best bet for the Indians. He has performed better than Sachin and Rahul against us. We fear him the most.”Anwar also revealed how highly he thought of the two sides when he said, “I think the first Test will be crucial as neither team has the character to bounce back. India squandered [the] advantage against Australia while Pakistan are light on experience.”Anwar continued: “It all depends on who absorbs pressure better. The recent contests have been one-sided both in Test[s] and one-dayers, except for the Chennai Test in 1998-99. I think this series should be no different.”Anwar then revealed what goes on in a Pakistan dressing room before a game against India. “They are quite tense and different,” he said. “Everybody is told that any performance against India can make or break their careers. We saw what happened to Waqar Younis and Aaqib Javed after they suffered at the hands of Ajay Jadeja during the 1996 World Cup quarter-final in Bangalore.”So what was the solution for this tension? “We just tell each other to play without worrying,” said Anwar. “I know this is difficult, but then, that’s the key.”Anwar ended on a note of warm advice for the Indians. “Indians should play with heart and not with brain,” he suggested. “Cricket dil ka khel hai, deemag ro sir dird honay se kaam karna band kar deta hai. [Cricket is a game of the heart, the brain stops working when one gets a headache.]”

Overnight leaders KwaZulu-Natal collapsed to a heavy defeat, while Free State’s bid to stay in contention was thwarted by failing light just when they had Norhrt West on the rack:Super Sixes – final day:Western Province 311 and 371 for 4 dec (Bassage 61, Ferreira 100, Prince 110*) beat KwaZulu-Natal 322 and 196 (Klusener 80*) by 154 runs
Scorecard
A match that had the making of an exciting finish ended in a one-sided victory for Western Province as KwaZulu-Natal collapsed to 196. WP declared at 371 for 4 with Ashwell Prince, making full use of a placid pitch, scoring 110 not out. Lance Klusener fought a lone battle for Natal, but at 60 for 6 the writing was on the wall. Three wickets apiece for Alan Dawson, Claude Henderson and Charl Willoughby (who took his 300th first-class wicket), were enough for WP to reclaim top spot in the table from Natal.Free State 267 and 337 for 6 dec (Dippenaar 115*, Liebenberg 72) drew with North West 349 and 148 for 8 (Venter 4-60)
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Free State, needing a win to stay in touch with the leaders, came from behind only to be denied by the failing light. Gerry Liebenberg’s 72 and a patient 115 not out from Boeta Dippenaar allowed Free State, 82 runs in arrears on the first innings, to declare at 337 for 6, setting North West a target of 256. Davey Jacobs put together a near run-a-ball 47, but with wickets tumbling around him North West slumped to 148 for 8 when bad light ended play with eight overs remaining. Destroyer-in-chief for Free State was Kosie Venter, who took 4 for 60 with his tight offspin.Shield – 3rd day:Northerns 451 for 7 dec and 173 for 6 dec (de Villiers 85) vBoland 259 (Strydom 67, Thomas 7 for 91) and 28 for 1
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Alfonso Thomas, taking his second seven-wicket innings haul of the season, helped bowl Boland out for 259, although Gerhard Strydom’s 67 and Con de Lange’s 48 not out were instrumental in taking the match into the fourth day. Northerns decided not to enfoce the follow-on, and made 173 for 6, thanks to a 85 from AB de Villiers, before declaring and setting Boland a target of 366.Gauteng 34 for 1 v Eastern Province
Scorecard
Only half-an-hour’s play on the first day of this match means that barring some sporting declarations it is certain to end in a draw.

Where were you when it happened? Younger readers of Cricinfo will not even have been born. Javed Miandad may be having a tough time with this Indian tour, but there were several years in the late 1980s and early 1990s when he should have been acclaimed as the world’s greatest batsman. No less an authority than Sir Vivian Richards did just that by nominating Miandad as the man he would choose to bat for his life.On April 18, 1986 – a hot day in Sharjah – Miandad batted out of his skin to win Pakistan the Austral-Asia Cup. It was a match that Pakistan was losing right until Miandad smashed a full toss from Chetan Sharma out of the ground from the last ball. Pakistan won by one wicket. In that instant two competing emotions took hold. Pakistan realised that they could become a team of achievers; India developed a neurosis, worrying that if they could not beat Pakistan after such domination, when could they beat them?Since that time many players, commentators, and fans have wondered about the effect of that one strike on the psyche of the two nations. Did it give Pakistan an unimaginable boost? Did India suffer a crushing, morale-sapping blow? If so, how long did this effect linger?When the British Medical Journal decided to publish a special edition on South Asia, I thought it would be wrong to ignore cricket, a subject so close to the hearts and minds of the region. But something new had to be done, beyond simply recording win:loss ratios and percentages. My mind leapt to Miandad’s six and the unanswered question: what effect did it have on the subsequent performance of the two teams? Might advanced statistical analysis answer the question?I recruited Khalid Khan, an obstetrician but also an expert in statistics and researcher methodologies. Together we analysed the results of all matches between India and Pakistan. To our surprise we found a dramatic effect of Miandad’s six — an effect that is unlikely to be explained by chance. Pakistan was much more successful after Miandad’s six and this effect was most apparent in one-day matches. Variables such as the toss, the venue, and the team batting first did not alter this finding.We analysed all matches up to the end of 2003, although the inclusion of the recent results would not affect the study, simply because Pakistan won so many matches in the years after Miandad’s six. It may take many years for India to completely cancel out its effect — though Sourav Ganguly’s team has made a good start.Has India had a magic moment of its own? I suspect it might have. Sachin Tendulkar’s six off Shoaib Akhtar in last year’s World Cup may prove to be the shot that restored the Indian psyche. But we will have to wait a few years before we can perform a similar analysis.Kamran Abbasi is deputy editor of the British Medical Journal. Click here to read the full BMJ research paper: India versus Pakistan and the power of a six

The Hampshire allrounder, Dimitri Mascarenhas, has been found guilty of a level II breach of conduct, after an outburst against umpire Nigel Llong during the National League match against Essex on Sunday.Mascarenhas, who bowled Hampshire to an improbable victory over Leicestershire in the last rain-ravaged round of county games, has been given three penalty points by the England & Wales Cricket Board. They will remain on his record for a year, and he will face a suspension if that tally reaches 12.