Praveen fined for arguing with umpire

Praveen Kumar, the India seamer, has been fined 20% of his match fee for arguing with umpire Marais Erasmus over an unsuccessful lbw appeal on the first day at Trent Bridge. Praveen pleaded guilty to the charge of a Level 1 breach of the ICC Code of Conduct.

The incident occurred in the 18th over of the day, during which Praveen appealed for a leg before against Kevin Pietersen. Erasmus turned it down. Praveen was disappointed by the decision and argued with Erasmus before being ushered away by Harbhajan Singh and Suresh Raina.

Pietersen had been struck in line and, though he had made a big stride forward, replays suggested the ball would have clipped the bails. The absence of DRS for lbws during this series, at India's insistence, denied Praveen a chance of a referral.

Praveen was found to have breached Article 2.1.3 of the Code of Conduct, which relates to "arguing or entering into a prolonged discussion with the umpire about his decision." Praveen admitted to the breach and accepted the fine imposed by match referee Ranjan Madugalle.

Praveen bounced back later and bowled an outstanding spell of 6-4-7-2. He removed Andrew Strauss, for 32, and Eoin Morgan in the space of three deliveries. He could have had Ian Bell's wicket had Rahul Dravid not spilled an easy chance at first slip. Earlier in the day, MS Dhoni had given the new ball to Praveen on an overcast morning despite Sreesanth being in the side in place of Zaheer Khan. Praveen swung the new ball both ways and made use of the two-paced pitch with the old ball. He dismissed Graeme Swann with a ball that reared from a length and smashed the glove before lobbing to gully.

In his short Test career, Praveen has had several run-ins with umpires. Billy Bowden warned him at Lord's for running on the danger area of the pitch. Praveen had been removed from the attack for a similar offence in the first Test in the West Indies after two warnings from Daryl Harper.

Afridi disappointed with Butt's 'petty' statements

Shahid Afridi has said he was disappointed by the "petty things" PCB chairman Ijaz Butt brought up whilejustifying Afridi's axing as Pakistan's one-day captain.

"I am disappointed because such petty things coming from the head of the board were unwarranted," Afridi told the Daily Times. "He himself made me captain, and everyone, from experts to fans, had praised my leadership and the unity in the team."

Afridi led Pakistan to the semi-finals of the 2011 World Cup, their best performance at cricket's flagship one-day event since 1999. After that, he led Pakistan to an unassailable 3-0 lead in the five-match one-day series in the West Indies before a selection meeting bust-up between him and coach Waqar Younis sparked off a controversy. Pakistan went on to lose the two dead rubber games, and Afridi was stripped of the one-day captaincy. He responded by announcing a "conditional retirement" from the game.

Last week, Butt defended the move to axe Afridi by blaming him for the losses in the West Indies, and deeming him as "not captaincy material", in an interview with Geo Super television channel.

Afridi, who is currently in England playing in the Friends Life t20 tournament, said he would consult with his lawyers before planning his next move. "I will unmask all these people who are running a smear campaign against me," he said. "I don't want to say anything right now because I am enjoying my time with Hampshire but when I return I will respond to them."

Meanwhile, Afridi's legal counsel, Syed Ali Zaffar, said the player would have a case if he chose to take Butt to court over his statements. "Ijaz Butt's statement that Shahid Afridi will not captain the Pakistan team again is not only very irresponsible but is like an order or direction to the governing council members [who choose the captain in consultation with the board chairman] and to the selection committee not to even consider him," Zaffar told the Nation. "In this regard, Mr Butt is usurping the authority of the governing council members and selection committee and is clearly acting illegally.

"Afridi can take him to court if he so chooses. I will however add that I have had no discussion with Afridi in this regard. Mr Ijaz Butt is a loose cannon. Under Pakistan Cricket Board's constitution the chairman virtually enjoys dictatorial powers."

SLC officially postpones Sri Lanka Premier League

Sri Lanka Cricket has officially announced the postponement of the Sri Lanka Premier League to 2012, citing a lack of time to organise the tournament in the absence of Indian players as the main reason.

"Attempts to obtain the release of the Indian players were unsuccessful, causing a delay in the naming of the final composition of the SLPL teams which then had an impact on making related arrangements in an effective and timely manner," SLC said in a statement. "Therefore, SLC and the SLPL committee find that there is insufficient time to arrange a tournament of this magnitude this year, within the available window."

The Inter Provincial T20 tournament will be held in place of the SLPL, as ESPNcricinfo had first reportedon July 7. The winner of that tournament will qualify for the Champions League T20 to be played in September.

The SLPL would have featured seven teams and was scheduled to kick off on July 19, with the final to be played on August 6. The tournament hit its first hurdle when the BCCI decided to withhold its permission to allow Indian players to take part on the grounds that Somerset Entertainment Ventures, which owned the commercial rights, would be handling the contracts for international players and that it could lead to complications should disputes arise over payments.

In order to assuage the Indian board, SLC was willing to back the Indian players' contracts so that their financial interests were protected, but that was not enough to satisfy the BCCI. There have been suggestions that former IPL chairman Lalit Modi had a hand in the event, but SLC and Somerset have repeatedly denied the allegation, as has Modi.

The BCCI's decision meant the tournament did not have a broadcaster for the lucrative Indian market, a situation that made it much more difficult for the SLPL to find a secure financial footing. Adding to the sense of confusion was the dissolution earlier this month of the SLC committee that had created the tournament and its replacement by a new panel.

Sangakkara resists but England take control

The chalk-and-cheese nature of England and Sri Lanka's cricketers once again came to the fore in the fourth ODI at Trent Bridge, as James Anderson and his seam-bowling team-mates took advantage of a grassy pitch and damp conditions to restrict Sri Lanka's strokemakers to 174 all out. At 20 for 4 after 8.3 overs, however, their predicament could have been much, much worse, but for the efforts of Kumar Sangakkara, who produced his second command performance of the week to anchor the innings with 75 from 104 balls.

Following on from his majestic speech to the MCC at Lord's on Monday, Sangakkara showed that his attack on the "cronies" who are ruining the game in his country had not distracted him from his principal role of scoring runs to win cricket matches. He alone showed the necessary application, firstly to survive as he reached an 80-ball half-century, and then to thrive as he attacked in the batting Powerplay with only the No. 11 Suranga Lakmal for company. He was last man out in the 44th over, caught off a leading edge to give Jade Dernbach his best figures of 3 for 38.

Despite Sangakkara's efforts, England were more than happy with their mid-match position. They are at their happiest when the weather is dank and unsettled, as they proved with victory at The Oval last Tuesday; Sri Lanka prefer to have the sun on their backs, and claimed the series lead after two days of glorious weather at Headingley and Lord's over the weekend. Today, however, a rain-delayed toss greeted the teams in Nottingham, and when it did finally take place at 2.20pm, Alastair Cook was very happy to bowl first with an unchanged attack, and little wonder.

In that Oval contest, Sri Lanka had collapsed to 15 for 4 and 121 all out, and a similar denouement looked to be on the cards when Anderson extracted Tillakaratne Dilshan for a duck in the first over of the day. A full-length delivery swung just a fraction to graze the edge of the bat, and was easily pouched by Craig Kieswetter behind the stumps. Three overs later, Tim Bresnan provided a variation on the same theme to dislodge Sri Lanka's form batsman, Mahela Jayawardene, for 9 - the ball nibbled off the seam and took the splice of a poorly-judged push outside off.

Within five deliveries, Anderson had struck again, as Dinesh Chandimal - the centurion at Lord's - was pinned lbw for a duck by a full-length inducker, as if Cook's invocation of the cricketing gods after that match had paid dividends. And Anderson soon made it three in five overs, as Thilina Kandamby continued his poor series with a limp fence to second slip.

Stuart Broad's introduction to the attack started inauspiciously when he was edged second-ball through the vacant third slip for four, before being launched over the covers for a second boundary in five balls for Randiv. His figures were starting to suffer when Randiv cracked him through the covers in his third over to move along to 18 from 25 balls, but in the same over, he feathered a thin edge down the legside, to claim his first wicket of the series, and leave Sri Lanka's hopes very much in Sangakkara's hands.

Angelo Mathews did his best to provide solid support in a 72-run stand for the sixth wicket, as he proved his Chandimal-assisting go-slow at Lord's had been a strict exception to his usual free-flowing style. He had pushed along to 39 from 49 balls, with one four and a pair of big sixes down the ground, when Bresnan extracted him with a superb finger-tipped catch, as he dived forward in his followthrough to scoop a leading edge.

Jeevan Mendis hung around to assist Sangakkara for a further 26-run stand, before Broad doubled his tally with a lifter that flew through to Kieswetter, before Dernbach's variations proved the perfect antidote to Sri Lanka's stand-and-deliver. Nuwan Kulasekara and Lasith Malinga fell in the same over to full and straight deliveries, before Sangakkara's departure rounded off the innings.

Sangakkara's challenge to cricket

Kumar Sangakkara has made the most important speech in cricket history. Brushing aside the twin temptations of romance and sentiment, the erudite Sri Lankan has dared to confront the truths about cricket in his country. Along the way he struck many meaty blows on the game's behalf. His discourse was nothing less than a challenge to cricket to set higher standards for itself, to reject jealousy, pettiness and greed, and to become part of the enlightenment.

Both cricket and Sri Lanka deserve better from the governors. Alas, the worst remain in office in so many places, with Ijaz Butt running amok in Pakistan; Givemore Makoni, with terrible inevitability, returning to official ranks in benighted and betrayed Zimbabwe; Gerald Majola still in charge in South Africa; and a mixture of government lackeys and bookmaking families running the show in Sri Lanka. Nor is there any reason to retain faith in Giles Clarke, England's puffed-up principal, or Australia's Jack Clarke, whose limitations have been exposed often enough.

Sangakkara, Sri Lanka's second-best cricketer, has never scored a hundred at Lord's, but his lecture can be put alongside the finest innings played on the ground. Actually it was not so much a speech as a plea for proper governance. Nor was it motivated by the darker forces observed in lesser men. Like the rest of us, Sangakkara is no saint, but his denunciation of the controlling forces at home spoke of frustration not ambition, affection not scorn, contribution not calculation. Its value lies in its very independence

That Sangakkara is a man of substance has long been known. Not long ago he visited a school in the north-east of the country, and spoke movingly about the need for all Lankans, Sinhalese and Tamils, to work together. It was a timely gesture because the government had recently banned the Tamil version of the national anthem. Likewise it prevented outside scrutiny of the allegations of executions, rapes and other abuses in the last months of the civil war. Channel 4's devastating exposé has put that back on the table. Sri Lanka is listed as one of the five most dangerous countries in which to work as a journalist.

As Sangakkara observes, Sri Lanka's cricket troubles began in the 1996, the year the World Cup was won. In the wrong hands success can be as damaging as failure. Hitherto the board had been run by benevolent and capable gentlemen from the old school. None had a finger in the pie, none needed the money, and all accepted stringent codes of conduct. In short, they were men of integrity. Over the years I have not spent much time siding with the "establishment" (itself a glib word) but these were men of honesty and honour, and I took their side in the subsequent struggles. The reason was simple: they were right. Accordingly I presented their case in a column in the Sunday Leader, a fearless newspaper whose fearless editor, also a friend, was assassinated.

Success attracted the charlatans as light attracts moths. A new guard realised there was money to be made in cricket. Thilanga Sumathipala appeared on the scene, looking not unlike Napoleon - an energetic man versed in the arts and crafts of manipulation, and with strong connections with the bookmaking fraternity (a custom that continues in the current administration). Inevitably the unscrupulous and opportunistic sided with him. He had the drive of new money, the ambition of the upstart. It was easy to see the attraction. He was ruthless too, and swiftly manoeuvred himself into power by persuading the majority of the 72 voting clubs to support him. That many of these clubs existed only in name did not deter him or his impatient backers.

Ever since, Sri Lankan cricket has been in turmoil. Indeed, it's been a shambles. In the last few months alone the board has been burdened with huge legal bills, allegations about malpractice in World Cup ticket allocations, allegations about cronyism in appointments, threats of bankruptcy as World Cup costs spiralled out of control, and posturing from a sports minister apparently intent on provoking the Indians and thereby supposedly scoring points with the masses. That the minister concerned was promptly removed from office was little consolation. His outburst lacked gravitas. Unsurprisingly the Indians, the IPL franchises and senior players ignored him.

If the ICC is serious about tackling corruption and stopping political interference in cricketing matters, it could start by sending a working party to Sri Lanka with the task of setting up sustainable democratic institutions.

Sanath Jayasuriya's selection for the limited-overs matches in England confirmed that politicians are involved in team operations. It had been a move long resisted by the team elders on the grounds that he was past his prime.

Sri Lanka took a bright young team to Australia in October 2010, and beat the hosts 2-1 in the ODIs. On the surface all seemed well. Behind the scenes, though, the team management was worried. Jayasuriya had long since been a liability and they feared he might be imposed upon them, thereby compromising the team and affecting its morale. It did not happen, because the incumbents kept winning and the think tank stood its ground.

But the Jayasuriya issue did not go way. He is a Member of Parliament, representing the governing party, a ruthless outfit intent on controlling all the levers of power, and to that end prepared to lock up the leader of the opposition, a popular soldier responsible for the final crushing of the LTTE. Arjuna Ranatunga, an opposition MP, took part in a protest about his leader's imprisonment, whereupon an arrest warrant was issued. Such are the joys of life in Sri Lanka.

By bringing its strengths and weaknesses to the attention of the wider public, Sangakkara has once again served Sri Lankan cricket with distinction. Only those with empires to protect will resent his words. Only those blighted with the curse of nationalism will deny him his voice. He spoke as a patriot, a higher calling altogether. Significantly he raised his concerns on behalf of his people, pointing out that "the administration needs to adopt the values enshrined by the team over the years: integrity, transparency, commitment and discipline. Unless it is capable of becoming more professional, progressive and transparent then we risk alienating the common man."

Happily, Sangakkara also spoke about cricket's ability to promote enlightenment, an opportunity so often wasted. Indeed, his criticisms were directed towards that end. After all he has seen civil war, strife, greed and selfishness, and wants no more of them. He pointed out that "cricket played a crucial role during the dark days of civil war… but the conduct and performance of the team will have even greater importance as we enter a period of reconciliation and recovery… Cricket can and should remain a guiding force for good within society, providing entertainment and fun, but also an example of how we should approach our lives."

That is the crux of the matter. When cricket falls into the hands of the narrow-minded it withers. To prevent that it's essential that men like Sangakkara speak out, and that governing bodies accept their responsibilities. So much has been accomplished. The Berlin Wall has fallen, apartheid is gone, the Arab uprising is underway, a Muslim has played for Australia, and a Tamil has taken 800 Test wickets for his beloved country. Just that there is a lot more to do. Cricket is connected with the world and ought not to pretend otherwise.

Peter Roebuck is a former captain of Somerset and the author, most recently, of In It to Win it. 

Vettori to play only Tests

Daniel Vettori, the former New Zealand captain, has confirmed that he will be taking a break from one-day and Twenty20 cricket in an effort to prolong his Test career.

"My reason for taking a break from the shorter forms of the game is primarily so that I can preserve my body and continue to represent New Zealand in Test cricket," Vettori said. "I also believe a break now will give me the best possible chance to take up one-day cricket again in the next couple of years and, if all goes well, make the World Cup team for 2015."

Vettori has been battling a knee problem: he hurt his right knee during New Zealand's World Cup league game against Pakistan in March. He missed the rest of his side's league games, before returning to play in the quarter and semi-final matches, and struggled during the IPL with the injury. He said that one of the reasons for the break was injury management. "Part of the break is around injuries," he told the Weekend Herald, "and trying to stay a little bit fresher and I'll reassess the situation at the end of the contract year and go again from there."

Vettori, who made his debut at the age of 18, is the youngest to play Test cricket for New Zealand and is one of eight players to have the double of 300 Test wickets and 3000 runs. With 345 Test wickets, Vettori could close in on Richard Hadlee's 431, and only Stephen Fleming has played more Tests for New Zealand.

New Zealand have a busy summer, playing Tests against Zimbabwe, Australia and South Africa and Vettori hoped to be fully-prepared for the challenge. "I want to play Tests as long as I can," he said. "That's the part of the game I've always loved. I want to be fully fit and prepared and ready to go for those, and sometimes a lack of preparation can hinder your Test performance. So hopefully there's a nice buildup to each of those series and I can hit the ground running."

Vettori has already been succeeded as New Zealand captain by Ross Taylor, who had served as his deputy. "I think Ross will do a great job. I don't know where that conservative tag comes from because I don't think he'll be like that at all. He's got a really good cricket brain," Vettori said.

New Zealand Cricket chief executive Justin Vaughan said he respected Vettori's decision and was delighted to know he has kept his options open for the future. "Dan has been a great servant for a long time now and I believe this decision is not only in his best interest but also for New Zealand," he said. "The fact that he has signalled a desire to play ODIs and Twenty20s in the future and possibly make a return when we co-host the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 is great.

"Although he's taking a break from 50-over cricket, I look forward to seeing him turn out in the whites for New Zealand, as I'm sure are many cricket fans around the country."

Vettori will continue to play first-class cricket for the Northern Districts and will also honour his commitment to play for the Bangalore Royal Challengers in the IPL. He is likely to feature in the Plunket Shield as well as the HRV Cup Twenty20 competitions for Northern Districts.

"They're [Northern Districts] keen for me to be involved and it's obviously less intense than international stuff," Vettori said. "I'll sit down and decide on that in the next little while because they need some answers too and are looking at overseas players and what to do with that."

Offspinner Nathan McCullum and left-arm spinner Luke Woodcock were part of New Zealand's World Cup squad and Vettori said he would be "happy to fight" for a place in the national side, should another spinner seal a permanent spot in the shorter versions.

"I think that would be a good thing for me, reignite that challenge to fight pretty hard for a place in the team. It's weighed on my mind that I might fall back into the pack and may not be able to fight my way back. But you've got to back yourself if you want to get back."

Hafeez, Akmal issued showcause notices

AB de Villiers relishes captaincy challenge

At the start of his cricket career, captaincy may have "definitely not been" one of AB de Villiers' goals, but now that he has been appointed South Africa's limited-overs captain, de Villiers is "prepared to give up everything to make it work".

He didn't enjoy captaincy during his school days, but South Africa's new limited-overs captain AB de Villiers is prepared "to give up everything to make it work" now� Associated Press.

de Villiers takes over from Graeme Smith, who stepped down as the ODI and Twenty20 captain after the World Cup, and will be Smith's deputy in Tests. In an interview with Reuters, de Villiers confessed that while he didn't enjoy his previous stint as captain when he was at school, those misgivings were now behind him. "I captained my team at school (Afrikaans High School, Pretoria) for a few games but I didn't enjoy it so much," De Villiers said. "I was more focussed on my batting then and playing other sports like rugby."

So what was it that brought about a change of heart? "Captaining South Africa was definitely not one of my goals," de Villiers said, "but I started believing I could do it when Graeme Smith said I had a lot of leadership qualities. He said I should take more responsibility, act more like a leader and talk more in team meetings."

"Henning Gericke [mental conditioning coach] and Corrie van Zyl [South Africa coach until the World Cup] said I could be a captain if I wanted to be one. That's when I started to believe."

de Villiers rated his predecessor Smith as the best captain he has played under and said he was very keen to make his captaincy stint work. "I truly believe I have qualities as a captain and I have to make up my own mind - captain the team my way, not how Hansie [Cronje] or Graeme did it. As a captain, I can't make the same mistake twice. As a player, you can get away with that, but if the captain does that then it affects the whole team."

He also said he respected the "passion, pride and fighting spirit", that Gary Kirsten, South Africa's newly-appointed national coach, showed during his playing days. "He's shown the same qualities as a coach, especially at the World Cup, and I hope I'll be able to help bring those into our side too. I'd like to be the same sort of captain, showing resilience.

"I think we'll complement each other a lot, Gary's just a wonderful coach and a top-class human being."

Having played 66 Tests, 119 ODIs and 33 Twenty20 games for South Africa, de Villiers is not only one of the senior batsmen in the side, he is also keeps wickets in the limited-overs format. He acknowledged that with captaincy, the additional responsibility of keeping wickets will have to be re-examined. "We're definitely going to have to discuss the wicketkeeping, although it doesn't have to happen right now. But it is important to decide if there is too much on my shoulders."

de Villiers said one of" his key objectives as captain would be to address South Africa's history of failing to succeed in multi-team tournaments. "Obviously, we have a history of not performing well in big events. We didn't play badly overall, but went down when the pressure was on us again.

"But there's a fresh look in the side now, which is good, and then it's up to the leaders to work together with trust. But it's an unbelievable responsibility.

Rohit shows willingness to change

"He is a lot more disciplined now," was what Suresh Raina had to say after Rohit Sharma played one of the most mature knocks of his international career to help India win the third one-dayer against West Indies in Antigua. It wasn't the pitch, or the attack that Rohit conquered today - there wasn't much venom in either. Instead it was an on-going inner battle with himself that he finally won. For some time now the battle has been: Rohit v Rohit. He has always given the impression of man who gets bored easily. He will lace a couple of pretty drives, play a big shot, make it all look easy before suddenly and, inexplicably, throw his wicket away. Perhaps the game came too easily for him.

He usually starts his innings a touch edgily but he flowed from the start on Saturday. The intent was still the same; he usually goes for couple of big hits early in his knock and he did so again. In the past, those attempts have threatened to derail him. Even in the second ODI, there was an expansive heave against Devendra Bishoo when he was yet to get off the mark and the ball just about cleared mid-off. On Saturday, he hit a six and a four against Sammy early on but in a more controlled arc, in the V.

The thing that stood out, though, was how well he controlled the chase. We have seen it from him in the IPL where he has earned his name as a finisher. He has rarely displayed that skill at the international stage but he did it in Saturday's game. India coach Duncan Fletcher was lavish in his praise. "It was a tremendous innings," Fletcher said. "I thought it was a great innings. It's not easy to finish like that. It shows the quality of this team that a player like him is not in [the] Test [squad]. He can probably make most Test sides but there is such quality in Test side now- there are such great players in there …"

Rohit seems to be in a hurry to erase the blots in his CV. He is a lot fitter now and by his own admission, a lot hungrier for success. He had played over 60 one-dayers for India with little to show. At the start of the tour he said that he was a changed man, desperate do well and represent India for long. He has done most things right in the series so far.

However it is a touch early to say that Rohit has turned the corner and has finally arrived. He has definitely taken the first step but more proof of that will come on tougher pitches and against tougher attacks. It wasn't all that long ago when he struggled against the bounce and movement that Morne Morkel extracted in the ODI series in South Africa early this year.

And there were a few technical problems that ailed him even before that. He would often drive without quite leaning forward fully and the short cover was almost omnipresent in most opposition plans. He worked on this shortcoming in the nets by using a shorter bat which forced him to lean forward as otherwise you couldn't connect with the ball. However, in the recent times, he started to develop an initial forward-and-across movement with his front leg which helped him to lean into the drive but threw up other complications: if the delivery cut in at pace, he often found himself having to play around the front pad and became an lbw candidate. If the ball, as Morkel repeatedly did, bounced from short of length and held its line outside off, Rohit would get a touch squared-up and stab out at it.

These are technical kinks but the most important criticism leveled against him was about his mindset. Rohit has shown the willingness to change and the third ODI was further proof of that. He has fans in the opposition camp as well. "He is a wonderful player," Ramnaresh Sarwan had said earlier in the series. "He has a way of sneaking up on you. He seems to be flow quietly and suddenly you realise he has reached 40."

Even as the ball that brought up the winning runs sped towards the midwicket boundary, Rohit turned to collect a stump for a souvenir. This knock could well be the one that he will look back later in his career as a little "big moment".

West Indies collapse again, losing five for 20

So what's new? West Indies have collapsed yet again after competing well for 15 overs, losing five wickets for 20 runs in 10 overs after Lendl Simmons and Ramanresh Sarwan provided them a decent platform. It all began - at 65 for 1 in the 15th over - with a mix of ordinary running, good fielding and some misfortune, but didn't seem like stopping anytime soon. Amit Mishra kept tormenting the West Indies batsmen who seem like they won't be able to read his variations if he wrote them down on paper. There was everything, the small legbreak, the big legbreak, the straighter one, and the googly.

Amit Mishra had West Indies in a spin again

Simmons was once again the bright spot for West Indies. Even though they lost Kirk Edwards for nought to a good Munaf Patel outswinger, Simmons targeted the same bowler to get the innings underway, hitting him for a four and a six in the sixth over. Sarwan, too, made a positive start to depart from his ways of late, hitting Mishra's second delivery for a straight six.

Sarwan's running, though, remained slow, and was part of reason why the collapse started. Simmons played just wide of midwicket, called him for a single, but Sarwan was slow to leave the crease. Suresh Raina was quick in returning a one-handed throw by the stumps, and as Sarwan - struggling to make it - slid his bat in, the bat stuck in the pitch. All over. Even if the bat had not stuck, Sarwan would have struggled to make it.

After that it was all Mishra. Marlon Samuels' wicket was a piece of smart bowling. Operating on a middle and leg line, Mishra bowled legbreaks with a crossed seam. The balls turned, but not big, and Samuels defended them. And then came the orthodox big legbreak, dipping at Samuels, luring him out of the crease, and then ripping across, beating the bat. Stumped.

Debutant Danza Hyatt, in because Dwayne Bravo wanted to be rested having played four ODIs and seven IPL games since the start of May, had no clue which way Mishra was turning. Even then the swipe to a googly that bowled him was ugly. The big blow, though, came when another big legbreak kissed Simmons' glove to deny him a sixth half-century in last seven innings. That capped a spell of three wickets for one run for Mishra.

Harbhajan, who had supported Mishra well with five overs for just 11, removed Kieron Pollard in the 25th over, but it wasn't clear if the edge had hit Parthiv Patel's pad as he fumbled the chance before catching it.

Latif's future with Afghanistan still unclear

Uncertainty continues to surround Rashid Latif's position as Afghanistan coach, after an Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) official said his contract would not be renewed. Latif, however, says he has not been contacted yet about any decision.

Rashid Latif's contract as Afghanistan coach expires on July 20

Following the 3-0 series defeat to Pakistan 'A' last month Latif had said he was disappointed with the attitude and effort put in by some of the players, who he believed did not perform to the best of their abilities because they wanted to see former coach Kabir Khan back in the post.

Now, according to a report in the Pakistan newspaperThe News the ACB has decided against renewing Latif's contract. "We believe he has failed to fulfill our expectations and that has prompted us to look at other options," ACB chief executive Naseemullah Danish told the newspaper. "We all respect Latif, but the recent drubbing at the hands of Pakistan A forced us to ponder over our future. We need someone who is mentally tough and does not make lame excuses for defeats.

"I can tell you that we have received the CVs from England and one of them is a big name with a ten years coaching experience in county cricket, and he is likely to be appointed as our batting coach."

Latif told ESPNcricinfo, however, that his contract was currently valid until the end of next month. "I have not been contacted about this. My contract is valid as far as I know till July 20th," he said.

Danish said the board is looking to reappoint Khan as bowling coach. "Kabir will help us in two ways, firstly he is very close to our players and secondly he will help our players understand what the foreign coach will instruct them, since most of our players cannot understand and communicate in English."

The former Pakistan fast bowler Kabir has been coaching United Arab Emirates since October last year after his stint as Afghanistan coach ended abruptly in August 2010; alleged interference from ACB officials forced him to leave the team then.

The situation, however, may not be as clear-cut as it appears. It is believed that there has been contact between ACB chairman Hazrat Omar Zakhilwal and Latif in a bid to clear the fog around what has gone wrong between team members and Latif during the Pakistan 'A' series. That intervention, observers believe, may yet have a role to play in the conclusion of this matter.

Amir fixture was official match, say ECB

The England & Wales Cricket Board has launched an inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the appearance of the banned Pakistan fast bowler, Mohammad Amir, in a Surrey League fixture last weekend, after accepting that the fixture, between Addington 1743 CC and St Luke's, falls under its regulatory jurisdiction.

In a press release, the ECB announced that it had requested the Surrey Cricket Board to assist it in its investigation, adding that it had also written separately to Addington, seeking a full written explanation from the club of the events leading up to Amir's appearance in the match.

The ECB's acknowledgement of the incident increases the likelihood that Amir will now face sanctions from the ICC for breaching the terms of the five-year ban that he incurred earlier this year, following his involvement in the spot-fixing scandal which erupted during the Lord's Test between Pakistan and England last August.

Though Amir did not deny reports in the Daily Starthat he had taken part in the fixture, he claimed he had done so on the understanding that it did not contravene the terms of his ban - something that the ECB have now made clear is not the case.

"I was informed by club representatives before the game that it was a friendly match, being played on a privately owned cricket ground," Amir told PakPassion.net. "I asked the club representatives if the match fell under the jurisdiction of the ECB and they informed me that the match did not. I spoke to several club representatives about the issue and they all told me that it was a friendly match and therefore would not contravene my ban from the ICC. I was informed that I was fine to play."

Amir also denied that he had signed any registration documents with the club and insisted that he would never have taken the risk of playing had he known it was an official match.

"I would not be stupid enough to knowingly play in a match that I knew would contravene my ban. Wherever I am going to play cricket, the world will know about it. I would not be stupid enough to play in a match where I knew that I would be taking a risk".

Amir was central to Addington's 81-run victory in the game, against St Luke's CC. He surprisingly opened the innings and scored 60 before returning figures of 4 for 9 in seven overs.

This is not the first time Amir has appeared in a game which has had to be investigated by cricket authorities. Earlier this year in January, when he was under provisional suspension and still awaiting punishment for the Lord's scandal, he turned out for a Rawalpindi club to play a friendly game. That prompted the ICC and PCB to investigate the nature of the game before the former eventually concluded that it was an unofficial game and the club wasn't registered with the Rawalpindi cricket association; Amir was thus found to have not broken the ICC's anti-corruption code of conduct

Mature Kohli makes all the right moves

Virat Kholi, comes to meet the press in a sleeveless shirt. An image of a Japanese samurai warrior with a sword raised screams out in a tattoo on his left shoulder. He looks relaxed; the musk he is wearing is called confidence. He was once brash but he was always ambitious. For a while he was living on the edge, struggling to come to terms with early fame, but his ambition has roped him in.

Virat Kohli was back to his old habit of anchoring chases

It was during an inane tri-series in Bangladesh in January 2010 that he first showed signs of maturity in public. It made you sit up and notice then. These days he wears it lightly. The clarity of thought is striking. He seems to be at peace with himself. It's no coincidence that his cricket too is flourishing.

Today's knock was yet another one from the stable of Kohli. He seemed always under control. The bowling wasn't too testing, the pitch had eased up and he rarely let the opposition into the game. Later, he said the right things. These days he always says the right things with a smile. The confidence hits you. The once brash brat is now almost likeable. Times they are changing.

"I was always determined to do well," Kohli said. "Probably what I was doing off the field was not on at that time. I probably got carried away. Someone or other always tell you that this has been spoken about you at this place. I decided to change. I decided myself. No one can force myself to change. I had to do it. It was time to change.

"I have been given a chance to play for India, which is not a small thing because you have 20 others with same talent are waiting for that kind of a chance. So why waste the opportunity given to me. I got the odd game here and there in 2009. I was a replacement player then. I was very determined to do well at each opportunity."

In the early days, the lack of consistent runs devalued the swagger that he always seemed to have. It made him look arrogant. Brash. Wild. Unlikeable. And even made you forget that he was just a young boy, learning to deal with things that not many at his age are forced to deal with. The bad press accumulated. The bad karma continued. Kohli was living in the headlines for the wrong reasons. A talent was on the verge of self-destruction. Then something happened.

"It's about realising that every opportunity is as important as the next one or previous one," he said. "Not everyone gets an opportunity to play for India. It's a big honour for me. I have realised that massively in the last one and half years. I want to give 100% and make use of every opportunity. Initially, in my ODI career, I have made rash mistakes with my rush of blood at important times. If you keep doing it, you are not going to get the opportunity. I enjoy my batting these days. Especially during a chase I know what I have to do, rotate the strike."

Questions about his attitude have dogged him for a while. Has he got bored now? "I think I have answered that too much," he said with a smile. "But I have enjoyed answering that question every time. I feel good with myself for having changed what people did not like initially and then transform into that performances. I feel good about it but it's not something I want to be too proud of and get relaxed. I don't want to get complacent. The whole point in changing from that kind of attitude to this current attitude to perform consistently. I want to keep going."

It's not going to be easy. It will take a constant vigil over oneself. The danger of relapse is going to be there. But Kohli continues to not only say but also do the right things. Sample this answer to a question about whether he strives to ape a Tendulkar or a Sehwag. In his own mind, he has translated that question to mean whether he is striving to be as famous as them.

"It was never in my mind that I had to be at the level of them in fame or whatever. Those guys have been there, done that. It has taken a lot of time to reach where they are. There is no point in comparing oneself to them. Everyone has their own style of batting. I have realised that in the last one and half years. I admire them but there is no use batting like them. Take the first match of the World Cup. If I had tried to bat like Virubhai, I would have perhaps ended up scoring 40. They have a special ability that has made them legends of the game. There is no point in doing what is not my strength."

The answers were perfect. The cynics will say they were too perfect. His fans will say they come from a man who is in a hurry to mature. He won't say it publicly but one gets the impression that he thinks he can become India's captain one day. Kohli has always struck you more ambitious than a Rohit or even Raina for that matter. A scribe put it to him that he has a wonderful ability to talk and express, and asked if he works on that skill.

"I don't think I work on that ability (to express myself)," Kohli said. "It's about being honest."

Does he think it's a leadership quality?

"I can't say anything about it being (leadership quality). I am honest in whatever question is thrown at me at every press conference. I don't really work on it."

Virat got up and left the room. Ambition floated in the air.