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Younis Khan’s further participation in the ODI series against West Indies is uncertain after his elder brother, Farman Khan, passed away from a prolonged ailment in Germany on Thursday at the age of 40.Younis was batting in the second ODI in Faisalabad when the news of his brother’s death reached the team management. Younis only came to know about the situation after he returned to the pavilion at the end of his innings. Younis, immediately, left for his home town Mardan.Last year, during the England tour to Pakistan, Younis faced a similar situation when his younger brother died in an accident in Ukraine. Earlier in the year, Younis had to fly back from a tour to Australia after his father had passed away.Inzamam-ul-Haq, Pakistan’s captain, told a local news channel that the team’s thoughts were with Younis and that there wouldn’t be any pressure on him returning for this series.Pakistan will also be able to welcome back Mohammad Yousuf for the third ODI in Lahore on December 10. Yousuf left the squad before the second ODI to be with his wife who is expecting a child. Wasim Bari, chairman of selectors, told Cricinfo that Yousuf had confirmed his availability and they would only consider changes to the squad after the third ODI.”Yousuf will be available for the third ODI. I have kept in touch with Inzamam over these two matters and we felt there was no need for a change to the squad just yet,” he said. “After the third ODI we will see whether any changes or additions are needed.”

Pura Cup XI
Michael Di Venuto
One of the most in-form retirees in recent memory. Scored 947 runs, only 14 fewer than his best Pura Cup season ever, which was last summer. Averaged 52.61 and left a big gap in Tasmania’s top order when he announced he was departing.Chris Rogers
Less remarkable than his prolific 2006-07, but still one of the best openers in the country with 744 at 43.76. Narrowly beats his newly-retired Western Australia team-mate Justin Langer for this position, and was recognised with his first Test call-up this season.Simon Katich (capt)
Simply outstanding. Scored 1328 at 94.85 and is a chance in the final, which starts on Saturday, of breaking the all-time Pura Cup record for most runs in a season. Struck five centuries including a career-best 306 against Queensland, an innings that unbelievably included 184 in a 150-minute session.David Hussey
Continued to be a domestic run-machine with 955 at 59.68. Was disappointed not to strike a higher score than 104 – his best came on the first day of Victoria’s campaign – but it also highlighted how consistent he was to maintain such an average.Daniel Marsh (vc)
After a couple of modest summers with the bat, last season’s Pura Cup-winning captain fought back with 758 at 54.14. Made three centuries and played his part in trying to help Tasmania defend their title, but had too little support.Luke Pomersbach
Had an eventful year: was given a month-long state ban for ignoring a team curfew, earned a car-park call-up for his Twenty20 international debut, won the Bradman Young Cricketer of the Year award, and was axed from the Warriors’ one-day team due to lack of form. Importantly, just kept making runs in the Pura Cup, with 743 at 61.91.Brad Haddin (wk)
National ODI duties meant he was only available for six games, but was still the most dangerous wicketkeeper-batsman in the competition. Scored 422 runs at 60.28 and secured 30 dismissals to confirm himself as Australia’s best option in the post-Gilchrist era.Ashley Noffke
Incredibly, finished ninth on the run tally with 686 at 45.73 and second on the wicket list with 43 at 21.25. Made his second first-class century, earned his initial international call-ups, and on occasions made the dismal Queensland at least vaguely competitive.Ryan Harris
Was one of very few bright spots for South Australia. Grabbed 37 wickets at 29.86 and averaged 24.20 with the bat, rescuing the Redbacks from embarrassment several times after top-order failures.Bryce McGain
Went from IT specialist to full-time cricketer at the age of 35 and was the biggest surprise packet of the summer. Spun his way to 35 wickets at 32.77 and was suddenly being talked about as a potential Test bowler.Doug Bollinger
Missed the last two-and-a-half games of the season with a broken foot and still finished on top of the wicket tally. Needed only seven matches to grab 45 victims at 15.44, enjoyed two ten-wicket games and was to 2007-08 what Ben Hilfenhaus was to 2006-07.Mathew Inness (12th man)
Enjoyed an amazing turnaround after playing no games last season, finishing behind only Bollinger and Noffke with 40 wickets at 20.12. Given his form and age – he is only 30 – surprised with his decision to retire at the end of the campaign.

FR Cup XI
Matthew Elliott
Player of the Series for the second FR Cup in a row but won’t make it a hat-trick after retiring this season. Scored 521 runs at 74.42 and blasted two centuries, including 133 in a memorable stand with Darren Lehmann in the latter’s farewell match.Michael Dighton
The tournament’s leading run scorer with 549 at 54.90. He was an integral part of Tasmania’s FR Cup triumph and his 146 at North Sydney Oval even overshadowed Ricky Ponting’s hundred that day.Brad Hodge (vc)
Came home with a bang thanks to two consecutive centuries that helped Victoria into the final, and finished with 352 at 50.28.David Hussey
Belted the second-fastest century in Australia’s domestic one-day history with a 60-ball effort against New South Wales. Completed the season with 484 at 44.Daniel Marsh (capt)
Guided his team to the one-day title and was a solid contributor with 330 runs at 41.25.Rob Quiney
Regular compiler anywhere in Victoria’s order and finished with 380 at 47.50. Did not manage a century but four scores of 50-plus are testament to his consistent summer.Brad Haddin (wk)
His 314 at 62.80 showed why he was given games as a specialist batsman for Australia. The Blues’ disappointing campaign might have been saved had he been available for more than six matches.Xavier Doherty
Finished equal top of the wicket tally with 15 victims at 25.53. Was a key man in Tasmania’s final triumph, claiming 4 for 18 as Victoria collapsed.Brett Geeves
The standout fast bowler in Tasmania’s successful line-up, he too collected 15 wickets at 25.20. Grabbed 3 for 28 in the decider and helped his team over the line with the bat to be named Man of the Match.Steve Magoffin
Continued to anchor the Western Australia attack with 14 victims at 27.21, a strong effort from nine appearances.Shaun Tait
His decision to quit cricket indefinitely left him with only five games but he still managed a remarkable 12 wickets at 18.91 that would surely have earned him more ODIs had he been available.Bryce McGain (12th man)
Surprised even himself with his one-day prowess. Equal leading wicket-taker with 15 at 24.40, and nearly won the final for Victoria with a brilliant spell in the dying overs.

1:10pm
Scorecard

Damp conditions at Guwahati meant that the only game of the series that was scheduled on a Sunday had to be called off without even a single ball being bowled.Yesterday afternoon’s downpour, accompanied by thunder, lightning and hail enveloped the ground with a soggy film. Even the efforts of the groundstaff, with a super-sopper and a helicopter being put to use, turned futile. Rudi Koertzen and AV Jayaprakash, the on-field umpires, conducted three inspections before deciding that the conditions were not fit, but had left it to the captains to decide whether they wanted to go ahead and play anyway. The contest was finally abandoned at 1:10pm local time.Close to 1pm, ugly scenes erupted at the Nehru Stadium as the sun beat down. The crowd, which had waited all day in the hope of play beginning, grew restless and began throwing bottles onto the field. In sections of the stands banners, placards and newspapers were heaped together and burnt.Some of the Indian players were tossing a tennis ball around on the outfield and they went off the field as the police were called in to try and control the spectators. This was greeted by a further volley of bottled both full and empty, some of which travelled about 50 yards, landing well inside the field of play.On the eve of the game, a group of young cricket buffs held an exotic ritual by planting red and green chillies on the ground outside the Nehru Stadium, a ceremony conducted to invoke supernatural forces to keep the rains away. They and many more at Guwahati, which staged its last ODI around two-and-a-half years back, will have to brace themselves for another long wait.

England’s 5-0 drubbing may have been their first at the hands of the Australians for 86 years, but the last occasion came much more recently than that. In 1984 and 1985-86, England slumped to ten defeats out of ten against the mighty West Indians, and Michael Holding was an integral member of the legendary four-man pace attack that doled out those beatings.But, Holding told Cricinfo, the pride that his men felt in inflicting back-to-back “blackwashes” would be nothing compared to the jubiliation in the Australian dressing-room at present. “I don’t think there’s a serious comparison,” he said. “Australia must feel a lot better about this 5-0 than West Indies about theirs, because the Ashes means so much to Australia, and of course England.”Having lost in 2005 this was a big comeback for them. The embarrassment of losing has spurred them to these great heights. It’s difficult to fight back when you are being overwhelmed on a regular basis,” said Holding, who took 249 wickets in a 60-Test career that included 31 wins and just eight defeats. “After Adelaide I thought it would be 5-0.”This was a team with a double-centurion, a player with a big 150 and a bowler who took seven wickets, and they still lost. What more could they have done to win a Test match? How could they come back from that? When you have been downtrodden it is difficult to lift yourself, and I never expected England to lift themselves.”Holding refused to compare the current Australian team with the great West Indian sides of his day, saying that times have changed and so too has the game. But, he added, he did not believe that Ricky Ponting’s Australians were quite the same force as Steve Waugh’s side of four years ago.”When Waugh was captain, he had Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath at their very best, and Jason Gillespie at his very best,” said Holding. “I think it was a better bowling attack, and bowlers win matches.”

Mark Vermeulen has offered to help rebuild the Zimbabwe Cricket Academy – the same building he burned down in an arson attack in 2007.Vermeulen, who was cleared of the offence on psychiatric grounds last October, has offered to pay some of the construction costs if he is allowed to return to playing the game.”I’m jobless at the moment, the only job I can do is playing cricket. I’ve kindly asked ZC to give me my job back, then I will give a percentage of my earning towards rebuilding of the Academy,” he told Zimbabwe’s Independent newspaper.He admitted that his attempts to resume a first-class career have been stalled. “I went down to Bulawayo to try to play for Westerns,” he said. “I was told I had to get permission from someone at the offices in Harare.” His chances of that are probably not helped by the fact that he also tried to burn down the board offices the day before the Academy attack.On playing ability alone, Zimbabwe cricket desperately needs players of Vermeulen’s experience and ability to provide some backbone to the first-class game. But his previous history hardly makes the board likely to welcome him back with open arms, despite his assurance that he is now mentally and physically stable to play again following psychiatric rehabilitation.The news also raises questions about the state of the Academy which the board claimed would be finished by the end of April but which seems to be behind schedule.

Walter Hadlee, the former New Zealand captain and administrator, has died in Christchurch at the age of 91. He had been seriously ill ever since suffering a stroke after hip replacement surgery six weeks ago.For almost three-quarters of a century he was at the forefront of New Zealand cricket as player, captain, selector and manager, and three of his five sons – Sir Richard, Dayle and Barry – went on to play international cricket for New Zealand.”Spare, slight, angular, nimble and trim,” wrote Denzil Batchelor, “he wore white flannels as a fish wears gills.” An attacking batsman, Hadlee made his Test debut in England in 1937, but like many he lost his best years to the war, and with New Zealand not a major Test-playing nation, his chances were limited anyway. He was appointed captain immediately after the war, and even then he only played two matches in four years.In 1945-46 he hammered 198 out of 347 against the touring Australians, and a year later he scored his only Test hundred – 116 in two-and-a-half hours against England after New Zealand had been put in to bat at Christchurch in cold and difficult conditions.The highlight of his eight Tests in charge was the 1949 tour of England when he led a strong and popular New Zealand side which drew all four Tests, driving home the point to the English authorities that awarding only three-day Tests to the New Zealanders underestimated their abilities. The stalemates, however, did not reflect his adventurous approach to the role.Although his Test average was a modest 30.16, he was never dismissed in single figures. In a 19-year first-class career he scored 7523 runs at 40.44, including 18 centuries. He continued to play club cricket for 15 years.After retiring following the 1950-51 series against England, he maintained strong links with cricket as a leading administrator, and was a decisive president of the New Zealand Cricket Council during the Packer crisis. He was also involved in women’s cricket, rugby and hockey. He was awarded an OBE in 1950 and was honoured again in 1978 when he became a CBE.

“We deeply appreciate the public support that we have received in recent weeks and ask that we now be given time to come together as a family,” Sir Richard Hadlee said in media release. “This is a difficult time for the family and we do request privacy. Dad will be laid to rest at a family funeral next week.”A public memorial service will be held at Christchurch Boys High School at 11am on October 14 for those who wish to acknowledge dad’s innings of a lifetime and his contribution to sport, business and the community.”Sir John Anderson, chairman of New Zealand Cricket (NZC) and Martin Snedden, the chief executive, paid their tributes to Hadlee. “Walter was very much the patriarch of NZC and made an enormous lifetime contribution to cricket in New Zealand. He was one of the great figures of New Zealand Cricket and will have a long legacy in the sport.”Walter left his mark on cricket in New Zealand equally as a player and administrator,” said Snedden. “He will be remembered for his skill and dedication as a cricketer, selector, New Zealand manager, NZC Chairman and NZC President. Walter took an active interest in cricket right up until his death and will be greatly missed by NZC’s Board, management, staff and the wider New Zealand cricket community.”

ScorecardFile photo: Stephan Myburgh blasted six fours and four sixes for his 67•IDI/Getty

Netherlands opener Stephan Myburgh’s first fifty of the tournament ensured his team cruised to a six-wicket victory against Canada in Edinburgh. Set a challenging 173 for the win, Myburgh and his opening partner Wesley Barresi began rapidly, blazing 65 inside five overs. Both players wasted no time in getting going, with Myburgh starting the innings with a six, and Barresi finishing the over with three consecutive fours, off Jeremy Gordon.Barresi was eventually dismissed for a 15-ball 33 after slamming seven fours, but Myburgh carried on to make 67 off 30 balls with six fours and four sixes, including 21 runs off an over from Rizwan Cheema. Nitish Kumar ended the carnage by trapping Myburgh lbw in the ninth over, but by then, most of the damage had been done as Netherlands needed just 64 runs from 70 deliveries. Cecil Pervez offered Canada a glimmer by picking up two wickets in consecutive overs, but Michael Swart’s unbeaten 34 took Netherlands home with 15 balls to spare.Earlier, Canada, having been inserted, rode on a half-century from Ruvindu Gunasekera (51) and late blitzes from Cheema and Hamza Tariq to post 172 for 8. Gunasekera and Hiral Patel began brightly with a 56-run opening stand, but Netherlands fought back with key top-order wickets in quick succession. Canada were precariously placed at 98 for 4 in the 14th over, but Cheema’s 12-ball 28, and Tariq’s 20-ball 40 powered the team past the 170-run mark. Swart was Netherlands’ best bowler, collecting 2 for 24 from four overs.

The third ODI of Pakistan’s tour of India which was scheduled for November 12 in Kanpur will now be played on November 11. The reason, BCCI Secretary Niranjan Shah said, was because the Indian board wanted the match to be held on a Sunday.As a result of that change, the first and second ODIs have also been brought forward by a day. The first match will now be played on November 5 and the second on November 8.The Pakistan Cricket Board was keen to fit in a Twenty20 match during the tour to raise funds for the Bob Woolmer cricket academy but PCB Chairman Nasim Ashraf said the Indian board had rejected the proposal.”They [BCCI] say that since the ICC has kept a cap of seven Twenty20 matches a year for all teams, they can’t fit in this match this season,” Ashraf told PTI. “But we feel this is a match for a noble cause and something can be managed. We are still trying to convince the Indian board to review the situation. We are very keen to do something for Woolmer’s academy and if it is not possible on this tour we will look at other alternatives as well.”Gill Woolmer, Bob’s wife, had sent a letter to the Pakistan and Indian boards requesting them to play a Twenty20 international to raise funds for the academy which Woolmer had established in his hometown of Cape Town.

With this being the end of coach Dav Whatmore’s four year tenure, Bangladesh will be looking forward to build on their successes in the World Cup and give him a victorious farewell when they take on India in three ODIs and two Tests beginning on May 10.After thrashing India in the group stage of the World Cup and South Africa in the Super Eights, Habibul Bashar, the Bangladesh captain, remained confident of beating India again. “We are not overawed by our rivals,” Bashar told AFP. “We know that if we play good cricket, we can defeat any team.”Bashar was speaking at a celebratory dinner on Saturday to felicitate the national squad after their World Cup performance. Specal mention, however, was reserved for Whatmore. Abdul Aziz, the Bangladesh cricket chief, said that they would “always be grateful to Whatmore for turning the team into a proud group of world beaters”.Whatmore said he was focused on his final assignment – the home series against India – and did not rule out returning to Bangladesh at a later stage. “I am proud and honoured to have been associated with Bangladesh,” he said. “It was great working with such a dedicated bunch of players who did all the hard work out there on the field. It is time to move on but I hope to return to Bangladesh some day in the future.” Whatmore is considered as a strong candidate to become India’s coach, when he finishes his assignment with Bangladesh.Since he took over as coach in 2003, Bangladesh have defeated the World Champions Australia, India (twice), Sri Lanka and South Africa in ODIs. They also secured their maiden Test victory against the Zimbabweans. But Whatmore believes that the team had a long way to go. “The journey has only just begun but they are on the right path,” he said. “There is more self-belief among the players than before and that is a good sign.”The three ODIs against India on May 10, 12 and 15 will be followed by two Tests at Chittagong (May 18-22) and Dhaka (May 25-29).

Goolam Raja, the South African manager, has revealed that one of his players was approached by a bookmaker during South Africa’s one-day tour of India in November 2005.Responding to a query about speculation that Bob Woolmer may have been about to write a book that lifted the lid on the match-fixing scandal, Raja admitted that there had been an “innocent” incident involving a member of his squad. Although he declined to name the player involved, Raja added that the player was not a member of the current World Cup party.”The question was just ‘What is the team tomorrow?’,” explained Raja.”In the past we would easily say, ‘Joe Soap is not playing’, but nolonger. Now we don’t announce the team, whether it is picked or not.”The players are trained to phone as soon as they’ve been approached, not to get into any discussion with these people, only to take their phone details and pass it onto the authorities. Nothing happened other than that one phone call.”That is the protocol. If a player is approached, he has to let usknow immediately because we have a system for dealing with it.”South African cricket still feels the scars of the Hansie Cronjescandal in 2000, although Raja insisted that the players were olderand wiser for the experience. “There’s a lot more awareness now thanthere was five years ago. The players are aware that there are peopleout there who are interested in finding out things we know, and theplayers are more cautious. Sometimes we took things for granted in thepast, because we never thought that these things would happen.”In the light of the murder investigation now underway in Jamaica, Rajasaid he would welcome heightened security for his players, even if itmeant more constraints on their freedom on tour. “Absolutely, if thereis one lesson that we’ve learnt, it is that you can’t have enoughsecurity,” said Raja. “We’ve made applications to beef up thesecurity, and ICC have assured us that that will be the case.”I think a lot of our players have experience of the subcontinent, andwhat we told them there is the same as what we’ve told them here. It’sa case of being vigilant. If you get a call or a knock on the doorfrom someone you don’t know, I’ve told them repeatedly to please letme know.”At the hotel, the presence of police and plain-clothes hasincreased,” he added. “Of course the central police officers aretrained to look out for people in the foyers of hotels, who notnecessarily don’t belong there, but look suspicious. They’ve beenasked to let us know.”Raja added that the news of Woolmer’s murder had not been as much of ashock to the players as the original news of his death. “The playerswere saddened to hear the circumstances of Bob’s death, it was such amacabre death, but the worse was when we first heard of it,” he said.”That was a total surprise but subsequently, like everyone else,we’ve been waiting for things to unfold.”