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The ICC has clarified that the benefit of doubt will be granted to the fielder in cases of inconclusive evidence over contact with the boundary rope while completing a catch or effecting a run-out. The clarification follows controversy surrounding Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s dismissal on the fourth day of the Antigua Test recently.According to the protocol, if the on-field umpires are uncertain, they can refer the decision to the third umpire, whose sole responsibility is to decide whether the boundary was scored. However, if the replays are inconclusive, the benefit of the doubt will be given to the fielder, which means that no boundary will be awarded due to lack of evidence. As no boundary has been scored, the only decision left would be for the on-field umpire to give the batsman out caught.The action was necessitated after Daren Ganga claimed Dhoni’s catch at the edge of the mid-wicket boundary but the batsman stood his ground, as there was doubt whether the fielder was touching the boundary rope while taking the catch. However, the TV replays were inconclusive, leading to utter confusion among the players and on-field umpires. Ultimately, Dhoni walked off after Brian Lara told him to take the fielder’s word that the dismissal was effected legitimately.The same rule would apply to inconclusive run-outs, where it is uncertain if the fielder was touching the rope in the pick-and-throw process. Once the third umpire’s decision is conveyed to the on-field umpires, they will have to decide whether to refer the run-out as well. In this case, the third umpire could be called to make two separate decisions.Dave Richardson, the ICC’s general manager, explained the reasons for issuing the protocol. “The confusion in Antigua arose over what the third umpire was required to adjudicate on – a boundary or a dismissal”, he said. “That confusion created understandable frustration among players and spectators and the clarification of this protocol should ensure a similar situation does not arise in the future.”

There was a time, not so long ago, when matches involving Bangladesh were an affront to Test cricket’s good reputation. Second-string teams would help themselves to career-best performances without so much as a by-your-leave, and at one stage Bangladesh had shuffled haplessly to 12 innings defeats in 14 matches.But to watch the way in which England have prepared for tomorrow’s first Test at the Bangabandhu Stadium in Dhaka, is to be convinced that that era is drawing to a close. Certainly Bangladesh’s Test record of 23 defeats in 24 matches is likely to get worse before it gets better, but there can be no doubt that the “Test” has been restored to the cricket that they play.In their two weeks in this country, England have been tested by the conditions, which have alternated between gaspingly hot and torrentially damp. They have been tested by the facilities (a solitary indoor net some 20kms to the north of Dhaka), and by some of the sights they have seen along the way. But most of all, they have been tested by the opposition, the majority of whom have been members of Bangladesh’s Under-19 squad. It augurs well for the future, and makes the present task just that little more enticing.Most observers are agreed that they have never seen a fitter or better prepared England squad that this. It is one from which complacency is a notable absentee, not least because everyone is too knackered at the end of a day to embrace it. And yet, despite all the gym sessions and throwdowns and shuttle runs, there are still some areas of preparation that cannot be covered by fitness levels, and these continue to cause England’s selectors sleepless nights ahead of tomorrow’s curtain-raiser.The balance of England’s attack is the central issue. Hardly an interview goes by without mention of Freddie Flintoff, the unquestionable linchpin of the team but a man who will not be making an appearance until the one-day series at the earliest. “With Freddie in the side, the team picked itself,” admitted Michael Vaughan in his pre-match press conference. In his absence, however, opportunity knocks for several fringe members of the squad.The most obvious beneficiary is England’s new No. 6 and first-change bowler Rikki Clarke, a man whose career trajectory has something of the Jimmy Anderson about it – in the early part of last season, he was still playing club cricket for Guildford. Now, however, he is now on the brink of his England Test debut, although the susceptibility of his seam bowling has created one or two knock-on effects in the lower reaches of England’s order.Most pertinently – and it is an issue that neither Duncan Fletcher nor Vaughan yet appears to have fully resolved – is the question of whether to play two spinners. Ashley Giles, who cut a lonely figure during last summer’s seam-dominated series against Zimbabwe and South Africa, has frequently mentioned how much he enjoys bowling in tandem with another slow bowler, and in Gareth Batty he seems to have hit upon a like-minded but subtly different partner. In the second innings of their recent warm-up match at the Bangabandhu, they shared six wickets – a performance that all but bowled England to victory.

But seam bowling on these slow, low pitches is back-breaking work, and England will be loath to entrust the entire load to just two front-liners. Matthew Hoggard, returning from injury, is guaranteed to start, while Steve Harmison’s height and pace have unsettled more than one batsman on this tour so far, even if he has not been whizzing past their nostrils as much as he might like. But, given the strength-sapping conditions, and the doubts about Clarke’s stock-bowling role, it is conceivable that Martin Saggers might sneak past Richard Johnson into the starting XI. As he and Hoggard demonstrated last week, when the Board President’s side collapsed to 57 all out, an ability to swing the ball is an asset that few Bangladeshis have as yet mastered.The batting is more settled, although Mark Butcher’s throat infection is a slight cause for concern. He had been expected to take part in an optional net session on Sunday afternoon, but was instead advised by the team doctor to rest, and so missed the sponsors’ pre-match dinner as well. However, he trained on Monday and has been given the go-ahead to play. Worryingly, his nominated stand-in is Paul Collingwood, who has faced just three balls all tour.The Bangladeshis, however, merely hope to use the coming days to display their game in a new light. For Dav Whatmore, their new coach and the man who masterminded a similar turnaround in Sri Lankan fortunes, victory remains improbable – it is the manner of their defeat that counts. “I don’t give a damn about losing,” he said. “I just want to be able to make a close and truthful evaluation of individual performances.”In their most recent Test, against Pakistan at Multan last month, Bangladesh were deprived of victory by a desperate last-wicket stand. Nine of that team remain for this Test, with two new caps added to the squad. The first of these, the left-arm spinner Enamul Haq junior, is just 18 years old and has attracted praise for the maturity of his bowling in the first match of the tour. But the other new boy, Aftab Ahmed, was derided by the local press as a kneejerk selection after his 45 in the same game. He is, they say, too much of a one-day slogger for such an important match. Such strictures are a measure of how far Bangladesh have come in so short a time.Bangladesh (probable)
1 Hannan Sarkar, 2 Javed Omar, 3 Habibul Bashar, 4 Rajin Saleh, 5 Alok Kapali, 6 Khaled Mahmud (capt), 7 Khaled Masud (wk), 8 Mohammad Rafique, 9 Tapash Baisya, 10 Mashrafe Mortaza, 11 Enamul Haque jr.England (probable)
1 Marcus Trescothick, 2 Michael Vaughan (capt), 3 Mark Butcher, 4 Nasser Hussain, 5 Graham Thorpe, 6 Rikki Clarke, 7 Chris Read (wk), 8 Gareth Batty, 9 Ashley Giles, 10 Steve Harmison, 11 Matthew Hoggard.

Lunch
ScorecardChris Gayle and Ramnaresh Sarwan made good progress for West Indies in reply to Bangladesh’s first innings total of 416 in the third morning of the first Test at Gros Islet. After the early run out of Devon Smith, West Indies reached lunch at 68 for 1.Pedro Collins wrapped up Bangladesh’s innings early on in the day when Mohammad Rafique played on driving outside off for 111. He became only the 13th No. 9 to score a hundred and Bangladesh’s total was their highest ever.Just as West Indies were looking for a commanding start, disaster struck when Smith was run out without scoring. Gayle pushed Tariq Aziz to point and Smith set off for the single, but was then sent back by Gayle. Faisal Hussain swooped and lobbed the ball back to the bowler who broke the stumps with Smith well short of his mark (2 for 1).Sarwan, though, calmed West Indian nerves with a host of sublime drives and cuts. Gayle took his time to get going, and he had two strokes of luck on 24 when he edged Tariz through the slips, and then on 28, he slashed the same bowler to Rajin Saleh at gully, who put down an easy chance.Gayle began to find his feet with two sublime cover-drives in quick succession, but there’s still a long way to go for West Indies.

Somerset all rounder Ian Blackwell, who along with James Anderson and Paul Collingwood has been one of the success stories of the winter for England, spoke about the frustrations of missing out on the dramatic World Cup victory against Pakistan at the weekend.He told me: "The game was absolutely fantastic, it was probably more tense for me being on the sidelines because I couldn’t do a thing to influence the result. Albeit a resounding victory but I genuinely turned into a spectator watching from the outside.”He continued :"I must admit I really hope that I play on Wednesday as I haven’t got any finger nails left, and that was after a comfortable win!"Regarding his injury he said: " I had a fitness test on Saturday morning and I honestly would have said that I was around 80% fit. I felt as if I could have got through the game and I was bowling pain free during warm up. Dean Conway the physiotherapist and the captain chatted about my situation and thought that an extra four days recovery and treatment would be far more beneficial than risking me in the match."He continued: "I was gutted not to play and watching on the sidelines in such a big game the atmosphere just made me realise why we play this game in the first place. There must have been 15,000 people barracking for England. The ground had a real buzz to it, very similar to the atmosphere of the Lords Final two years ago when we beat Leicestershire."What about afterwards I asked him. "After the game I was delighted that we won but I found it hard to join in all the celebrations. I had a couple of beers and a glass of wine and went to bed while most of the other guys went out. I just couldn’t get worked up, the normal adrenaline rush of a win eluded me. Not like me I hear people cry" he said.Looking ahead to Wednesday’s game he said: " Everyone in the camp has a real sense of victory for the India game. They are a similar side to Pakistan, very talented but sometimes don’t fire."He went on: "Maybe someone is smiling on us after the fiasco of Zimbabwe and who knows it could be fate that we qualify. I’m not that superstitious but there seems to be that funny confident air about the team that was lacking in Australia."Did `Blackie’ think that he would be in the line up to face India in Wednesday’s crucial match. He told me: "I knew that giving up my place to Ashley Giles would possibly cause the management a few headaches and such an emphatic win will make it hard for them to change a winning side and that would hurt me. Giles didn’t put a foot wrong, he did what was asked and that is going to make their decision that little bit harder."He concluded: "I’m desperate to play against India and resume normal service. I don’t want to feel that bad after such a great win ever again."I’m sure that all Somerset readers will want to thank ‘Blackie’ for all the information that he has sent back for website and will be hoping that he is in the team on Wednesday and wish him every success in the match.

Well the Fourth Test was an amazing game.We were very disappointed to lose after dominating four out of the five days. There has been talk about a generous declaration and weather intervention but at the end of the day we couldn’t take the 10 wickets required to win the Test match.At the start of the final day, we backed ourselves to get all the wickets and we quite simply didn’t do that. I thought we bowled well in periods but the consistent pressure was not applied and we let them get away. That is the way the game goes sometimes.Full credit to the English batsmen. Mark Butcher played a great hand and received huge support from Hussain and Ramprakash. They applied themselves and set about the target and got through some testing times early in the day where we got the openers out. They took some risks and they came off. You always need a little luck to go along with a positive attitude and I think Butcher in particular played fantastically well.

The Fifth Test

Preparations for this match have been great considering the short amount of time between games. The bowlers haven’t done any bowling as we bowled on the last day of the Fourth Test and we just felt that a rest, massage and some swimming would be the perfect tonic in preparation for the game ahead.The batsmen and keepers like to get down to the ground and have a hit and a catch to keep in the groove. Adam Gilchrist and Wade Seccombe have what they call “catching bonanzas” where they will hit each other hundreds upon hundreds of catches!These two guys have been fantastic for each other over the whole tour and have both learnt a lot off one another during the course of the summer. The Ashes tour is the only Australian tour where two ‘keepers are taken so it certainly gives the wicketkeepers in domestic cricket in Australia something to really strive for.We are excited about this Test. This is the last game on tour and for some the last game they will play in England. It is a special occasion. I for one, cannot wait. We really want to win this series 4-1. There are a lot of hard yards to make to achieve that but the lads are hungry and raring to go. C’mon Australia!

Warwickshire were thwarted by rain and bad light in their bid to gain revenge for their humiliating nine wickets defeat at the hands of Worcestershire a week ago.Warwickshire, seeking their first championship home win of the season, were moving into a commanding position at tea when play was halted prematurely.In reply to Worcestershire’s 263 they had obtained an impressive 224-1 with opener Mark Wagh their dominant player.The former Oxford University player recorded his personal best score of the season and when play ended for the day Wagh was 118 just six short of his previous personal best.On a friendly, easy paced wicket Warwickshire were never in any real trouble.Worcestershire, however, were to rue their indifferent fielding.Wagh, dropped in the first over of Warwickshire’s innings before he had even scored, made Worcestershire pay dearly for their lapse.Michael Powell, Warwickshire’s other opener, also gave a chance when 28. Warwickshire were then 59-0 but he too prospered and along with Wagh put on 166 for the first wicket.It was then that Powell was induced to play a forward return shot to a slower delivery from Glenn McGrath to enable the Australian pace-man to take an easy catch.Powell’s contribution was 69 which contained ten fours and at that stage Warwickshire were building what appeared a winning foundation.Wagh, whose previous best score this season had been 59, carried on relentlessly and sent up is century with a straight on-drive off Stuart Lampitt for four – his 14th of the innings.It was his third century of his career and he was only able to achieve this landmark because Nick Knight has been ruled out of action for the rest of the season because of a knee injury.Warwickshire, faced by a mediocre attack, moved to 224-1 when bad light and rain ended play on a day with 41 overs were lost due to the adverse conditions.

Hyderabad Heroes 130 (Rayudu 46*, Naved-ul-Hasan 5-22) beat Lahore Badshahs 130 for 9 (Nazir 30, Farhat 30, Reddy 4-19, Binny 3-9) in a bowl-out after match tied
Scorecard

The Lahore Badshahs nearly pulled off a great escape in Hyderabad, but the hometown Heroes held their own in a bowl-out to win the third tournament of the Indian Cricket League with a 2-0 triumph in the best-of-three finals.A largely one-sided affair had turned on its head in the 18th over of the Heroes’ chase. Rana Naved-ul-Hasan dismissed Stuart Binny, Anirudh Singh and Chris Harris to trigger panic in a chase that was going along smoothly. Naved-ul-Hasan had 11 to defend off the final over, but he nearly squandered it with two no-balls – and the resultant free hits – first up. A wide levelled the scores, but fortunately for the bowler, Ambati Rayudu, batting on 46, attempted harakiri by going for the single. Alfred Absolem was run out as wicketkeeper Humayun Farhat threw down the stumps. Naved-ul-Hasan finally got his line right for the next delivery; an inswinging yorker castled No. 11 Inder Shekar Reddy, giving the bowler a five-for, and more importantly, handing the Badshahs a chance to level the finals in the bowl-out.Nicky Boje hit the stumps first for the Heroes to make it 1-0, which remained the same when the delivery from Naved-ul-Hasan failed to swing in, narrowly missing off stump. Absolem missed, so did Shahid Nazir. Reddy hit, but Naved Latif’s miss left Heroes captain Harris with the chance to seal the game. He duly obliged, his team clinching the US$625,000 prize money. The distraught Badshahs had themselves to blame: their bowlers fared no better than that of Pakistan’s in the Durban bowl-out last year.Before Naved-ul-Hasan’s intervention, the Badshahs did not look like stretching the Heroes to a third final. Inzamam decided to bat his opponents out of the game, but the Heroes showed their upset win in the first final in Panchkula was no fluke. A disciplined effort from the opening bowlers denied the Badshahs a blazing start, with the Imrans – Nazir and Farhat – failing to capitalise on their starts, both falling for 27-ball 30s.They were the highest scores in the Badshahs’ innings as left-arm spinner Reddy and medium-pacer Binny cut through the line-up. Inzamam didn’t hide his discontent when he was given out leg-before while sweeping Reddy, replays – and Inzamam himself – indicated that he had edged it on to the pads. Binny struck twice in the 16th over, and at 98 for 6 the Badshahs’ chance of making a challenging score of around 150 were quelled and they ended with 130 instead. Reddy had four wickets in the innings, while Binny’s figures read an impressive 3-0-9-0.The Heroes’ openers didn’t throw it away in hunt of a modest target. The denied the quick bowlers an early breakthrough, and it was Mushtaq Ahmed who removed both Abdul Razzaq and Jimmy Maher for 19.Boje fell after a run-a-ball 15, but Rayudu held firm at one end as the Heroes eased towards their target. Justin Kemp only managed 3, but when Binny hit two consecutive fours off Shahid Nazir – the first one a bottom-edge that bounced over the keeper’s head – they needed only 26 off 20.Naved-ul-Hasan then came up with the heroics of the 18th over, however, he only managed to stave off the inevitable. Their consistent display in the final made the Heroes worthy winners of the title, though the Badshahs can claim bragging rights having dominated all opposition in the league phase.Perhaps the irony wasn’t lost on the Badshahs; their captain Inzamam and coach Moin Khan were among those who had moved from the Heroes to the recently-formed team, but they left back an ace in Razzaq, who emerged as the Man of the Tournament.

Habibul Bashar’s last ODI at home, and Dav Whatmore’s final ODI as Bangladesh coach, ended even before it could start, as heavy downpours over the last 36 hours forced the umpires to call off the third and final one-dayer at Chittagong without a ball being bowled. India thus wrapped up the series 2-0.The conditions cleared up in the morning – the sun was out when the umpires came out for their final inspection at 1pm local time – but the damage had already been done by the rains through most of Monday. Though the pitch and the square itself was in good condition, the outfield had received plenty of rain and large parts of it were still unfit for play. The umpires confirmed that the groundstaff would need about two more hours to ensure that the outfield was in playable condition, but that would go past the cut-off time of 2.20pm.The result was a disappointment for the full house that had thronged the Chittagong Divisional Stadium since morning. The series had already been decided, but there was an opportunity for Bangladesh to regain some pride, and for India to try out some of their players who hadn’t got a game so far. Cyclone Akash, though, put paid to those hopes – the rains had caused large puddles in the outfield, which forced the umpires to put off their first inspection till 12 noon. The situation improved in the afternoon, which briefly raised hopes of a 20-over match, but with the sun not staying out for long enough periods, there was little opportunity for the ground conditions to improve.With the forecast not encouraging for the next few days, expect the weather to cause more interruptions during the first Test, which will be played at the same venue from Friday.

Former Zimbabwe coach Phil Simmons, who is now based in London, has said that current players are still coming to him for help despite the fact that he is no longer the national coach. He has also claimed that he is still pursuing Zimbabwe Cricket over money owed to him.Simmons also said that several of the Zimbabwe side spoke to him when he briefly returned to Trinidad to watch the last two matches in the recent series which West Indies won 5-0.”They were coming to me asking for help,” he said. “I have been watching the games and most of the players were having problems but no one told them why they were having those problems. They were not being told simple things and when they came to me I had no problem doing that.” Those comments were an implied criticism of Kevin Curran, who was controversially brought in by ZC to replace Simmons.And as for the future, Simmons was clear. “They need to get back all those players who left. The current players are willing but they need to have experienced players around them. They need people they can look up to.”Simmons was sacked by the board last year and, he claims, has not been paid all he is owed. “Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC) haven’t paid me since November,” he told Zimbabwe’s new Sportsonline website. “Of course I still want my money.”Simmons is not alone in being out of pocket. A number of former players – including Tatenda Taibu, Heath Streak and Andy Blignaut – have still to be paid match fees totaling around $200,000 from nine months ago.

The expectations are so high that many of us are already bracing to be disappointed. How can this series live up to the last two between India and Australia, both classics, with evenly matched teams playing cricket of the highest quality? In fact, the last two Test series that India have played, against Australia and Pakistan, featured fabulous cricket. Can lightning strike thrice?The answer to that question rests with India. The Australians play consistently outstanding cricket, series after series, at home and away – that is why they are one of the greatest teams of all time. They did not, in fact, play much above themselves in those two series against India – it was India that turned those into such wonderful contests by playing out of their skins.Sourav Ganguly’s men have, in the past, risen to the big occasion after a disappointing lead-up to it. They reached the final of last year’s World Cup after being thrashed in New Zealand; they went to the verge of a series victory in Australia after a lacklustre show against New Zealand at home. They come into this series after a bad run in one-day tournaments. Can they lift themselves again? Or will Australia win their first series in India in 35 years?Examining Australia – outstanding bowlers, under-rated batsmen

This is the best bowling attack Australia have ever brought to India. Glenn McGrath, Jason Gillespie, Brett Lee and Michael Kasprowicz are a formidable pace quartet, though at least one of them will be on the bench, with Shane Warne at the fittest – and perhaps the most motivated – he has been coming to India. When else in the last decade has a fit McGrath been uncertain of a place in the final XI, as he is now? Rumours before the warm-up game indicated that Gillespie and Kasprowicz were certainties for the Bangalore Test, with McGrath and Lee vying for the third spot. McGrath was sharper in the warm-up game at Mumbai, though, and seems to have wrapped that up.The spin back-up is weak – or at least the specialist component of it is. Nathan Hauritz, with a first-class bowling average of 44, and Cameron White, with 34, might be investments for the future, but don’t expect them to get a Test here. If Warne needs spin back-up, it will probably come from the part-timers in the team, with the left-arm spin of Michael Clarke, Darren Lehmann and Simon Katich, the last a wrist-spinner, likely to be deployed frequently, especially at Nagpur, where a result is unlikely, and the burden of the Australian specialist bowlers will need sharing.Australia’s batsmen lack star power compared to their last trip here, but not ability. The Waugh brothers were wonderful brands, with formidable reputations, but the less experienced batsmen in this middle order are no lame ducks. Katich, Lehmann and Clarke are all superb players of spin. Katich played Anil Kumble with ease at Sydney earlier this year, where his exquisite 77 not out, after 125 in the first innings, helped Australia save the Test and the series. Lehmann handled the Sri Lankan spinners, including Muttiah Muralitharan, quite comfortably earlier this year on their own turf. As for Clarke, the way he uses his feet against the spinners is a treat for the eyes, and his will be the most overdue Test debut of the year.And then, of course, there are the repeat visitors from last time. Matthew Hayden, who made 549 runs in the 2001 series – more even than VVS Laxman – is at the peak of his powers, and looks to dominate the bowlers from the outset. Justin Langer averaged just 32 in that series, but looked comfortable throughout at the crease. He has a Test average of 45, and 19 centuries to his name. Adam Gilchrist will be keen to prove that his century at Mumbai the last time around was not an aberration, but that his subsequent failures were. Damien Martyn was a tourist the last time around, but has since become a linchpin of the Australian middle order, and one of the prettiest batsmen to watch.Australia aren’t here to be pretty, of course. They’re here to win, and they have the weapons to do so. Can India match them?Examining India – class is permanent … but dammit, form is necessaryHow will India’s woeful one-day form this year affect their performance in the Test series? They will feel self-doubt, of course, and like confidence, that can perpetuate itself. If Australia come hard at them in the first Test, and take a win, India’s fortunes could spiral downwards in the rest of the series. Sachin Tendulkar’s injury looks set to keep him out of action for a while, and Virender Sehwag and Yuvraj Singh have been pilloried in the press for their poor one-day form.

But Test cricket, unlike one-dayers, allows batsmen to play themselves into form. Batsmen like Rahul Dravid and Laxman will not have the pressure of a limited-overs deadline when they walk out to the middle, and will be able to play themslves in. The longer they’ll play, the more confidence they will gain, and the more Australia will start to worry. Their 300-plus partnerships at Kolkata and Adelaide were the pivotal points of the last two series, and with Dravid certain to bat at No. 3 and Laxman, in Tendulkar’s absence, likely to bat at No. 4, they will again be India’s key batsmen. It was heartening for India, also, that Sehwag and Yuvraj got centuries in the practice game at Bangalore. Bowlers seal victories in Test matches, but batsmen set them up, and India have the batsmen to do the job.Their bowling is a worry, though. How long before Zaheer Khan breaks down again? How fit is Ashish Nehra, really? One of the matchwinning bowlers of the series against Pakistan, L Balaji, is absent due to injury, and the other, Irfan Pathan, is the strike bowler of a side he wasn’t even a part of a year ago. Ajit Agarkar, a matchwinner at Adelaide last year, is still inconsistent, more potential and hope than performance and trust. But India are unlikely to need more than two of them in any Test – Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh are virtually certain to be India’s strike bowlers through the series.Kumble was India’s biggest matchwinner in the 1990s, and Harbhajan was an irresistible force the last time Australia toured India. The two of them have rarely bowled at their best together, but they will seldom be more motivated to do so. If any of the pitches are dustbowls, they will be difficult to overcome, but even otherwise, they will be hard to resist. The defining battle of this series may well between India’s attacking spinners and Australia’s counter-attacking batsmen.