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If you have any left after the injuries and absences that have ravaged England and Pakistan, spare a thought also for Sussex. Fighting for room at the top of the County Championship, they are resigned to be without the cheery – and startlingly effective – presence of Rana Naved-ul-Hasan for the season.They could also lose out on the services of their talisman Mushtaq Ahmed, should Pakistan choose to test whether he can beguile England’s international batsmen as much as he does their county counterparts. And now, having smartly covered the potential absence of both by recruiting Yasir Arafat, Pakistan’s allrounder forever on the fringes of national selection, they might conceivably lose his services as well at some point this season.Arafat is an allrounder of typically Pakistani ethos; ideal for ODI cricket but capable of spectacular feats in Test matches. And though useful as a lower-order plunderer, his bowling remains his stronger suit. His type of straight, full, skiddy bowling accounted for Andrew Flintoff’s wicket at an ODI in Pakistan last year, nine wickets against England in a warm-up game during the series and five wickets in six balls in a domestic game in December 2004 (four of the five were either leg-before or bowled), a feat performed by only three other bowlers. His experience of English conditions has also borne fruit; in three county matches for Sussex this season, he has already taken 17 wickets (two five-wicket hauls) and scored two fifties. The performances haven’t gone unnoticed.”We have considered him and his name has come up in discussions but no decision has been taken yet,” Bob Woolmer told Cricinfo. “Because of the nature of our injuries many players will be talked about, discussed. Ultimately we have to do as well as we can with what we have.”With concerns over Abdul Razzaq’s fitness heightened after the drawn first Test at Lord’s, Arafat’s chances of being called up would have increased. But Zaheer Abbas, Pakistan’s manager, confirmed that Razzaq is likely to play at Old Trafford. Abbas told that Razzaq had started running at the weekend and is expected to take part in nets at Old Trafford. These nets will decide whether or not Razzaq has overcome the back strains that have afflicted him since the final day of the first Test.”We will have our first nets at Old Trafford tomorrow and Razzaq is supposed to take part. It would be there we will know whether he has fully recovered from a back problem,” Zaheer said. “Razzaq is keen to play and I am sure that he would work hard to get fully fit for the next match.”Apart from the return of Younis Khan it is unlikely too many changes will be made after just one Test. If there are any more injuries – and that is hardly unlikely over this summer – who knows. Wasim Bari, chief selector, confirmed to Cricinfo that no requests had been made by the team management for any back-up or replacements. “We have told them just to inform us if they feel they require a certain player but at the moment nothing has been said.”Though Arafat might not mind it too much, Pakistan will keep their fingers crossed that Bari receives no SOS calls between now and Thursday when the second Test begins. Ditto Sussex.

New Zealand have left for Zimbabwe to play a two-Test series despite strong opposition to the tour because of the president Robert Mugabe’s campaign to demolish urban slums, leaving thousands homeless. According to polls, most New Zealanders are opposed to the tour because of the human rights violations in the country.Rod Donald, the New Zealand Green Party co-leader who has been leading a campaign to prevent the tour, said on Monday the trip could be prevented. “Our government could still find the courage to stop the tour,” he told . “There is also the prospect that the fuel and food shortages in Zimbabwe will deteriorate to such a point that New Zealand Cricket (NZC) will decide that it’s unsafe for our team to be there anyway.”The New Zealand government had asked the ICC to allow NZC to cancel the tour without facing a fine of US$2 million and being liable to compensate Zimbabwe for lost revenue. The ICC said NZC could refuse to play without penalty only if the government made it illegal to tour Zimbabwe. However, Phil Goff, the foreign minister, said the government was not willing to restrict its citizens from travelling overseas. NZC then said that it could prevent the tour if the security of the players was threatened.New Zealand will train and play warm-up matches in Namibia before arriving in Zimbabwe on August 4. They will also feature in a triangular one-day tournament involving India and Zimbabwe.

Shaharyar Khan, the chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board, is keen that former players and officials refrain from unsubstantiated comments regarding the match-fixing issue. Shaharyar said that it would be one of the points that he would bring up in the International Cricket Council meeting in London, for which he left for yesterday.”We have prepared a proposal,” Shaharyar said before his departure, “through which we will press the ICC and its executive-board members to have some sort of code of conduct to discourage former players and officials from making unsubstantiated match-fixing allegations.”Shaharyar added, “We know that the ICC has already said it is not in a position nor does it have any legal framework through which it can prevent former players and officials from giving statements on match-fixing.”But at the same time he wished that the ICC understood the potential damage that these allegations could inflict and wished that they had a protocol in place for such incidents. “Players around the world, including in Pakistan, are being damaged badly because of former players and officials making unsubstantiated and damaging allegations of match-fixing from time to time in the press.”Shaharyar’s comments come in the wake of Rashid Latif’s remarks regarding the one-day series between India and Pakistan. Latif, the former Pakistan captain, had expressed his fears that the series might have been fixed. That provoked a severe backlash from the board, which contemplated legal action, while Inzamam-ul-Haq threatened to walk out of the team.

The Australian cricket team has called for a thorough police investigation after being robbed of their cricketing gear at Trinidad airport. Forty-two items were stolen as the team checked in on Monday for their flight to Grenada. It was the second time on the current tour that the Australian team had been robbed at the Trinidad airport – their gear had been burgled after last month’s second Test as well.”There’s been an issue at Trinidad airport for a number of seasons, where past touring sides have suffered from pilfering of cricket gear from team bags,” Steve Bernard, the Australian team manager, said. “We feel that because it’s a repeat – of a repeat of a repeat of a repeat – it’s vital the police are involved and it’s a thorough investigation. That would be my hope, but I’m not a decision-maker here.”Among the items stolen were bats, shirts, shoes, sunglasses, pads and gloves. Matthew Hayden, Michael Bevan and Andy Bichel all lost their bats, with Bichel losing the willow which brought him spectacular success at the World Cup.Australia are not the first team to suffer this fate in the West Indies – Indian and South African teams have also been robbed on earlier tours to the Caribbean. With the West Indies scheduled to host the 2007 World Cup, the authorities have plenty of work to do to ensure a trouble-free tournament.

Richard Davis, the former Kent left-arm spinner, has been diagnosed as suffering from a brain tumour. The thirty-five year-old has been appearingas player coach for Berkshire in the Minor Counties Championship since retiring from the first-class game, and has also been undertaking some coaching duties with the England women’s team.Known throughout the game as ‘Dickie’, Davis made his debut for Kent in 1986, was capped in 1990 and spent nine successful years as the successor to Derek Underwood. He left Kent to join Warwickshire for the 1994 and 1995 seasons, after which he played two seasons for Gloucestershire. He played as a one-day specialist for Sussex in 1998 before interrupting his retirement last summer to make one CricInfo Championship appearance for Leicestershire, when he returned figures of 6 for 73 in one innings.Davis first realised that something was wrong when he suffered two epileptic fits, and is now due to visit a brain surgeon for further examinations andtreatment.By a macabre coincidence, Alan Igglesden, the former Kent and England fast bowler, joined Berkshire as player-coach after his first-class career. However, he had to step down when it was found that he was suffering from a brain tumour. His former Kent team-mate, Davis, replaced him.

ScorecardRiki Wessels scored his second List A hundred and first for Nottinghamshire•Getty Images

The best one-day score of Riki Wessels’ career helped Notts Outlaws maintain their unbeaten start to the Royal London Cup and secure their place in the knockout stages.Wessels scored 132 as the Outlaws posted 295 for 9 to beat Middlesex by 49 runs at Lord’s, with 12 balls to spare.The 29-year old scored his runs from 118 deliveries and hit 12 fours and seven sixes as he registered just his second century in the format and first since 2008.Steven Mullaney and Luke Fletcher added some lustre to the Outlaws’ innings, sharing an eighth-wicket stand of 63 in just 8.1 overs before both fell in the final over of the innings.Ollie Rayner returned his career-best figures of 4 for 35 and Gurjit Sandhu ended with 3 for 64.Sam Robson scored 88 in Middlesex’s response but when he fell in the 38th over the home side’s chances disappeared with him as the Outlaws’ spinners took control. Imran Tahir ended with 3 for 38 and Samit Patel took 3 for 45.A combination of an uncertain weather forecast and a tube strike meant that very few spectators were in the ground to see the Outlaws’ openers walk to the middle after James Franklin had inserted his former county.Alex Hales was clearly attracted to the shorter boundary on the Tavern side and deposited Sandhu several rows back before then drilling a return to the same bowler to depart for just 11.Michael Lumb, playing his first match in this season’s competition only made a single, before edging Toby Roland-Jones behind as the powerplay produced a meagre return of 28 for 2.James Taylor, like Hales, had made a century in this same fixture 12 months ago but perished for just 8, shuffling in front to be given lbw against Roland-Jones.Brendan Taylor, fresh from a pair of ducks against Essex and Lancashire, over the last four days, scored 19 before sweeping Rayner’s first delivery to short fine leg.Wessels was already starting to pepper the short side, hitting two sixes in his fifty but then lost Samit Patel who chipped back to Rayner for 9.On 87, the opener had his only moment of concern as Dawid Malan got a hand to a leg-side blow but had to settle for pawing the ball back into play, rather than conceding the six runs it would have been had he continued to topple over the rope.Wessels reached three figures for the first time in a Notts shirt, from 100 balls, with his fifth six, a switch hit off Rayner. Two more sixes, from consecutive Roland-Jones’ deliveries, took him to 132, whereupon he presented a catch in the deep, off Rayner.Brett Hutton made just 9 but solid contributions from Luke Fletcher, who blasted 39 from 29 balls, including two sixes, plus 51 from Mullaney, saw the Outlaws to within five runs of 300.Mddlesex’s response was given the perfect start with a solid opening stand of 71 before Tahir had Malan caught at backward point by Hales for 33.Robson, playing just his 13th List A match, passed 50 from 70 balls with five fours and received good support from Nick Gubbins in a second-wicket partnership worth 81.The 29th over saw Notts make a double strike. Hutton sent back Gubbins for 45, with Taylor gratefully clinging on at midwicket and then former Outlaw, Franklin, was run out for nought by a direct hit from Lumb.Robson’s top score in this format came to an end with an ill-advised blow down the ground in Tahir’s comeback over and the tail folded meekly as Patel picked up the final three wickets to seal the win.

While farmers across the Free State welcomed the rain that fell on Wednesday night, South Africa’s cricketers would not have minded if it stayed dry for a few more hours. The hosts believed they were on track to take the opening honours, despite losing by 39 runs on the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern calculation.”It was advantage England but our run rate was right up there. I think we gave them a nice scare and showed them what we are all about as a top seven,” captain AB de Villiers said.South Africa were batting at 7.46 runs to the over, not too far behind the initial required run rate of eight an over to chase down 400. Their required run rate had climbed to 8.20 when the clouds burst but with five wickets in hand and Quinton de Kock unbeaten on a career-best 138, de Villiers was confident they would have got over the line. “We were exactly on target; spot on with our run rate. It would have been a nice finish,” de Villiers said.De Kock, the man in the middle at the time, backed himself to bat through even as cramp crept on him as his innings grew long. “I haven’t scored a hundred like that in a while so it was nice to stay in. Unfortunately because of the rain, I couldn’t carry the team, but I’m sure there will be many more opportunities to do that,” he said. “It was touch and go but pushing to England’s side. It was a bit of steep total but we would have done out best to get there, given the chance.”Eoin Morgan agreed that viewers were denied a thriller but was not drawn into whether England felt under pressure. “We would have liked to have played a full game against a strong South African side. It would have been a good ending,” Morgan said.South Africa might have believed their chance was buried when de Villiers was caught on the boundary by Ben Stokes in the 20th over, with rain already in the air. At that stage, South Africa had amassed 151 for the loss of two wickets but needed to be 169 for 2 t the end of the over to meet the DLS target. De Villiers was trying to get those other 18 runs when he was dismissed.He admitted if he had been luckier, the result could have been different, while also hinting there were some questions over whether Stokes was in the field of play when the catch was taken because the wind had blown the boundary rope further away than where it was originally placed.”If I batted another 30 minutes there, we would have been in a good position,” de Villiers said. “There are lots of rumours of theories going on in the change room. Lots of guys think I was unlucky there. But I am happy to walk off when the umpire gives me out. It was a silly shot. I am better than that.”De Kock also shrugged it off as part of the game. “Chasing a big target, a couple of those shots are needed,” he said. “It’s unfortunate that it was AB and Ben Stokes decided to pluck it out the air like that. It could have gone for six and we could have been on Duckworth-Lewis on the winning side.”Perhaps South Africa really lost in the first innings, when their bowlers leaked runs against an aggressive England line-up. De Villiers was gentle on his attack, even though they started waywardly and the fifth bowler, shared between JP Duminy and Farhaan Behardien, cost 93 runs. “I’m not to going to be hard on my bowlers,” he said.Morgan agreed that the Bloemfontein surface was a “bowler’s graveyard” but praised Jos Buttler for a match-winning century even though he was not awarded Man of the Match. “Jos was phenomenal. He is the kind of player who can change the game,” he saidThe England captain had similarly praiseworthy words for the rest of his line-up, who all contributed to the team’s second-highest ODI score ever. “It’s important to create an environment where everybody believes they have a chance,” he said. “It was a nice way to start.”

Venkatesh Prasad, India’s bowling coach, has said the selectors should have consulted him before deciding to pick Munaf Patel for the ongoing one-day series.Munaf, who missed the Test series because of a back strain, was included in the one-day squad as a replacement for Sreesanth. Prasad said he was “pretty happy” with his fitness but suggested that he wasn’t bowling with the same intensity as earlier.”He has not played much cricket but what’s important is that the selectors need to talk to me on how a bowler is bowling,” he said. “It’s important to have a good communication and be proactive in terms of fast bowling. When I’m handling the fast bowling it’s important [the selectors] have a talk with me on how one is doing and how one needs to be going about it. It’s a proposal I’m giving to the board.”Before joining the squad Munaf last played in May, against Bangladesh in Mirpur. He played two games during the Diamond Jubilee Tournament organised by the Karnataka Cricket Association before being selected for this series. He has picked up four wickets in two games against England but been profligate enough to concede 8.23 runs per over.”I’m pretty happy [with his fitness],” said Prasad. “But I need to know from the bowler and know how he’s bowling. I’ve been travelling and there needs to be somebody else to make sure that he is bowling with the same intensity that he was bowling earlier while playing for the country.”Prasad felt that fielders dropping “easy catches” had not helped India’s new-ball bowlers. However he felt that they needed to work hard on their pace-variations, especially while bowling in the death.”We’re talking about that. The yorker percentage has been pretty good but change of pace is something we’re working on. We don’t normally practice slower balls at the nets but it’s something we need to do. We also need to make sure they are managed well between those matches. They need to be given time for rest and recovery.”

Shahriyar Khan, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman, is hoping one of England’s greatest glovemen can help faltering wicket-keeper Kamran Akmal regain his form behind the stumps.Shahriyar is hoping Bob Woolmer, Pakistan’s coach, can persuade one or other of Bob Taylor (174 dismissals in 57 Tests) or Jack Russell (165 in 54), two of England’s best keepers of modern times, to work with Akmal. Akmal has missed several chances during the ongoing series against England, including two routine efforts off Marcus Trescothick in the third Test at Headingley when the opener was in single figures before making a second innings 58. Pakistan lost that match by 167 runs and with it the series as England went 2-0 up with one to play.”Kamran Akmal is one of our finest players and Rodney Marsh – one of Australia’s greatest glovemen – said he was the best wicketkeeper in the world last year,” Shahriyar told bigstarcricket.com. “He’s had a bad tour but he will be back. I’m going to ask Bob [Woolmer] if he can ask Bob Taylor or Jack Russell to work with him. I always thought that both of those guys were superb keepers. Kamran just needs a good match and a return to confidence.”Meanwhile, Shahriyar has also backed Woolmer and Inzamam-ul-Haq despite Pakistan’s first Test series loss in 18 months. Pakistan cricket politics usually demand major changes after a series reverse but Shahriyar said he would resist calls for vice-captain Younis Khan to replace Inzamam as captain. “We aim to remain steady and calm,” he said. “Last time we lost a series, the manager was sacked, and the captain (Mohammad Yousuf in Australia) was sacked. We don’t believe in that.”There are just a couple of things that have prevented us from moving forward. We have struggled to find opening batsmen, and have been unlucky with Shoaib Malik’s injury. Hopefully he will return for the one-day series, while Mohammed Hafeez is also looking good having scored runs for the A team in Australia.”

John Buchanan, the Australian coach, feels that Shane Warne would benefit from an attacking game-plan since Australia had many bowlers who could provide restricting options. Buchanan said that Warne’s main problem on the previous tour, in 2001, was that he was forced to perform a dual role of attacking and defending at the same time.The quoted Buchanan as saying: “We’ve also got a couple more defensive options in the squad. And that’s why it was picked like it was.”If we get it right this time, we hope he’ll just be able to more or less wheel away, and not have to play a dual role. Or, if he has to play two roles during the series, it should be made pretty clear what he has to do. That’s important, because last time it meant he was bowling a huge amount. That wears you down.”Unlike the previous two tours, when he was hampered by shoulder and finger injuries, Warne had no fitness worries. “It’s the first time that [Warne] has come to India in really good shape. That’s got to be a big plus for us and will mentally help him.”Warne also had a fantastic return from his one-year layoff as his 26 wickets engineered the 3-0 whitewash of Sri Lanka arlier this year. “That is still fresh in his mind,” said Buchanan. “It’s not just his results but how he actually bowled. If he continues in that vein he’ll really enjoy this series.”