Over of the day
At 237 for 3 and with half an hour of the day’s play remaining, Englandwere in sight of a satisfactory day’s work. It had been slow andsapping, and possibly less rewarding than they had envisaged. Still, they were expecting to lay claim to at least a share of thespoils. And then Lasith Malinga wrecked all their good work in thespace of two new-ball deliveries. If Cook’s leg-before decision was debatable, therecould be no quibbling with his follow-up to Ravi Bopara. Full, fastand swinging, it ripped through the new boy’s defences and brought tomind the low-slung hostility Malinga generated in that incredibleWorld Cup spell in Guyana. He’s been quiet in this series so far, buthe’s always been about more than just his haircuts.Innings of the day
Throughout the first session, it seemed there was only one man to whomthis day was going to belong. Michael Vaughan was in such superlativetouch that by lunch he had outscored his junior partner by four runsto one. And yet, as the shadows began to creep, only one of thepairing was still standing. Cook committed himself to survival, andendured in the manner that recalled the endeavours of his Essexteam-mate, Nasser Hussain, seven years ago. Patience is the key in SriLanka, as all the sages in the England set-up like to profess. Cookcouldn’t quite see it through to the close, but he was the only manwho looked like heeding that advice.Drop of the day
It hasn’t been the easiest of series for Cook. His Kandy experiencelasted all of seven balls and though he had been hanging around forrather longer than that today, the runs were refusing to flow. Afterlimping to 8 from 38 balls, he edged Dilhara Fernando into no-man’sland between first and second slip. Realistically it was KumarSangakkara’s catch, but Mahela Jayawardene at second dived straightacross his team-mate, and the moment was lost. As England learnt totheir cost at Kandy, such let-offs can be crucial.Dismissal of the day
Like some mad scientist, Vaughan is always on the look-out for new andinventive ways to get out – handling the ball, getting bowled off theunderside of his thigh pad, serving up miracle one-handed plucks tooutstretched fast bowlers and the list goes on. Today, with a centurythere for the taking, he decided to test the adhesiveness of JehanMubarak’s thighs with a firm tuck off the hips. Mubarak at short legstood his ground, clenched his legs together, and rolled overbackwards to end the most fluent innings of the dayControversy of the day
A monstrous moment, and potentially a match-turning one as well.Kevin Pietersen drove with hard hands at his fifth delivery, and squirted asharp edge low to Chamara Silva’s left at third slip. Silva reactedbrilliantly, scooped the ball off the turf, juggled it as he fell toearth, by which time Sangakkara at first had swooped round to tidy therebound. Sri Lanka’s reaction was ecstatic and the umpires wereconvinced, but replays suggested the chance had gone to ground at thefirst attempt. Pietersen somehow attracts these moments. Against Indiaat Lord’s last summer he was reprieved as he reached the paviliongate, and once again he loitered with every intention of carrying onhis innings. This time it wasn’t to be, and England’s momentum waswell and truly quashed.Fight of the day
Ricky Hatton v Floyd Mayweather. It may have been taking place on theother side of the world, but the world title bout in Las Vegas was theonly topic of conversation on the morning of the Test. The ground wasechoingly empty for the first session of play as most of the BarmyArmy chose to watch the contest in the lounge at the Hilton. Onepunter was even said to have asked Angus Fraser over breakfast: “Whichare you off to watch today, the cricket or the boxing?”Idiot of the day
Midway through the 70th over, a streaker decided to liven upproceedings by hopping over the fence and giving a quick twirl of theoutfield. So far, so very average. The amusing aspect came a couple ofminutes later. Reunited with his shorts, and with a T-shirt drapedover his shoulder, he strutted along the hill, taking the salute fromEngland’s fans, and generally loving his moment. Unfortunately, hiscockiness left the ground authorities in no doubt whatsoever as to hisidentity. And off he was led to the local slammer, busted by his ownbravado.

It’s top plays bottom this weekend when leaders New South Wales head to Western Australia for their WNCL double header on Friday and Saturday, followed by a Twenty20 at the WACA on Sunday. But if the Western Fury are hoping to usher in the New Year productively they’re going to need stern resolution: New South Wales have won every match so far and can secure a home final if they win both.The Fury’s head coach Steve Philippe is aiming high. “The girls are under no illusions as to how big the challenge will be this week,” he said, “but we will be looking to our experienced campaigners to lead from the front and give us a shot at victory.”The likes of Angele Gray, Jenny Wallace and Lauren Ebsary have been on the verge of delivering the goods in recent games and playing the best team in Australia over the past decade could be the catalyst for them to produce something special this week.”The Breakers top the table with 25.5 points, while their captain Lisa Sthalekar has again been the outstanding player in this year’s competition with 265 runs at an average of 53.00 and ten wickets at 13.80. Selectors have named 13 players for the trip, with experienced medium-pacer Sharon Millanta added to the squad which defeated Queensland before Christmas.The Twenty20 will be a curtain-raiser for the KFC Twenty20 Big Bash game between the Warriors and the Queensland Bulls. Previous experiments with the women opening for the men have proved successful and it is hoped that this will be replicated at international level on February 1, when England play Australia, while the men’s team are set to host India.Victoria, meanwhile, host Queensland in the same format of games and days. Their Twenty20 in turn will come before the men’s hosting of New South Wales, and that’s at the MCG.Megan Compston and Elyse Villani will make their WNCL debuts and come into the side at the expense of Jane Franklin and Jessica Cameron. Compston is a lively medium pacer while Villani is a hard-hitting batter and handy change bowler. Teenagers Meg Lanning and Renee Melton will also play in senior Victorian colours for the first time in Sunday’s Twenty20 match.VicSpirit captain Sarah Edwards said the team was looking to bounce back from consecutive losses to NSW prior to Christmas. “We’ve been able to respond strongly to any defeats in recent times and will be looking to do so again,” she said. “It would be terrific to grab maximum points at the Junction Oval and then showcase our skills at the MCG on Sunday ahead of the Bushrangers clash.”New South Wales Breakers squad Lisa Sthalekar (capt), Alex Blackwell, Sarah Aley, Sarah Andrews, Charlotte Anneveld, Kate Blackwell, Leonie Coleman, Rene Farrell, Alyssa Healy, Lisa Kuschert, Sharon Millanta, Ellyse Perry, Leah Poulton.Victoria WNCL squad Sarah Edwards (capt), Rachael Haynes, Clea Smith, Julie Hunter, Kelly Applebee, Emma Inglis, Kristen Beams, Mel Jones, Megan Compston, Annie Rose Maloney, Jodi Dean, Elyse Villani.Victoria Twenty20 squad Sarah Edwards (capt), Rachael Haynes, Julie Hunter, Kelly Applebee, Emma Inglis, Megan Compston, Annie Rose Maloney, Elyse Villani, Meg Lanning, Jessica Cameron, Renee Melton.Western Fury WNCL squad Avril Fahey (capt), Renee Chappell, Emma Biss, Nicole Bolton, Donna Brown, Kate Burns, Lauren Ebsary, Angele Gray, Mel Holmes, Charlotte Horton, Holly Hyder, Peta Merrilees, Lauren Stammers, Jenny Wallace, Amanda Williams and Jaimi Wilson.Western Fury Twenty20 squad Renee Chappell (capt), Jenny Wallace, Emma Biss, Nicole Bolton, Kate Burns, Lauren Ebsary, Avril Fahey, Angele Gray, Peta Merrilees, Lauren Stammers, Gemma Triscari, Amanda Williams and Jaimi Wilson.

Brett Lee believes Australia’s strong bowling depth will ensure they can cope without the fiery pace of Shaun Tait throughout the CB Series. Tait became a one-day regular over the past year when Australia boasted two potent weapons, but he has taken an indefinite break from all forms of the game.Australia unveiled a fresh fast-bowling attack on a sporting pitch in Brisbane and it succeeded in reducing India to 194 in the rain-ruined contest. Lee made sure Tait and Clark, who was absent for family reasons, were not severely missed with an exceptional haul of 5 for 27 from nine overs.”It’s not nice that we haven’t got Shaun to pick from,” Lee said. “But we have got a great bowling squad including Clark and Ashley Noffke, who bowled very well. The talent is around and we’ve got heaps of depth.”Usually at this time of year Lee would be expecting a short break, but his extra responsibilities as the attack leader mean he will probably be needed until Australia move closer to securing a safe passage to the finals. He will wait on the advice of the team coaches and wants to appear in his home-ground game against Sri Lanka on Friday.”I have bowled a lot of balls this summer and my workload has increased a fair bit,” he said. “We’ll have to wait and see [about a rest]. I’m looking forward to playing in Sydney and we’ll see what happens after that.”

Mitchell Johnson performed strongly, taking 1 for 33, while Nathan Bracken was loose in steamy conditions that should have suited him more. Noffke, the debutant, was nervous during his first four overs but came back well in his final two spells to finish with 1 for 47 off nine.Lee was confident Noffke, who came in for Clark, would be a useful addition to the squad in Tait’s absence. “It’s always hard in your first game,” Lee said. “After his first couple of overs he was rushing through a little bit and we had a chat and a laugh and he was fine.”The way he’s played over the past couple of seasons, he’s a great find for Australian cricket, not only with the ball, but also with the bat. He’s a fantastic allrounder and can do some great things for Australia.”The match ended early due to the rain with Australia 3 for 51 in the eighth over, 89 short of the revised target. “It would have been a good fight from us to get home from there,” Lee said. “With our batting we would have had a good chance, but it was disappointing the rain came.”Mahendra Singh Dhoni, the India captain, was also frustrated by the no result. “It was evenly poised,” he said, “but the momentum was with us, especially in the second session when our bowlers bowled really well.”

Mark Cosgrove is disappointed after it emerged he was dropped for being out of shape as well as his poor form, saying South Australia should base selection on runs only. This is the second time in three seasons that Cosgrove, who debuted for Australia 18 months ago, has been dumped owing to fitness concerns.Cosgrove, 23, denied that his weight affected his game. “I don’t think it makes any difference at all,” he told the Adelaide Advertiser. “All you have to do is watch the ball, hit the ball. You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to play cricket.”He averages 26.15 in first-class matches this year but he is the fifth highest run scorer for the struggling team. After retirements and the poor batting form of some team-mates, he still also averages in the top five of the recognised and available batsmen.”I don’t think I have let myself down in any shape or form. I can bat, bowl and I’m catching pretty well, so I am pretty disappointed. I didn’t think I was going that bad. I didn’t see it coming. I am the first to say I am not hitting them that great. This year was pretty disappointing but it was still a shock.”Graham Manou, South Australia’s captain, offered his support. “Mark’s got to go away and decide what he wants to do and what’s best,” he told . “That’s him playing good cricket and obviously presenting himself in the best possible fashion like the 28 other blokes in the squad.”As a mate it disappoints me to be honest with you, he’s got more talent in his little finger than a lot of other people going around playing parkland cricket and I’m sure they’re frustrated for him. We need him playing for us, he’s by far our best batsman when he’s going well and this week was one of the saddest I’ve had as a mate for him.”Mark Sorell, South Australia’s coach, said that Cosgrove was dropped for form and fitness reasons. “He knows he needs to be in the best possible shape to be a three-tiered player for us – batting, bowling and fielding,” Sorell told the Adelaide-based Messenger earlier this month. “We’ve talked about the need for him to be the best he possibly can and he’s got to keep working at that.”The batsman has played three ODIs, making 74 on his debut against Bangladesh in 2006 but a return to international cricket seems further away than ever. He can’t even buy a run at club level, in two knocks for Northern Districts this season he has made 3 and 12.

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.

Australia are scheduled to arrive in India for a four-Test series on September 29, one day after the Champions Trophy final in Lahore. If they fail to make it past the group stage of the Champions Trophy, Australia will get a ten-day break before their only tour match in India between October 2 and 5.Bangalore will host the first Test, as it did when Australia visited India in 2004-05. After a three-day gap the teams travel to Mohali, which will stage its first Test since England toured in 2006, for the second match between October 13 and 17.A week later the sides will meet in Delhi for the third Test followed by the final one in Nagpur, where Australia regained the Border-Gavaskar trophy last time round, from November 5 to 9. Australia are the current holders of the trophy after they won their home series 2-1 in December and January.James Sutherland, the chief executive of Cricket Australia, said the games in India would be particularly interesting after the tight series in Australia, which also featured several controversial moments. “The rivalry between Australia and India has developed into one of the most captivating contests in world cricket,” Sutherland said.”The 2007-08 series was highlighted by dramatic, brilliant cricket which added another chapter to the passionate competition between the world’s two best Test playing nations. I’m sure all cricket lovers in Australia and India are awaiting the 2008 series with great anticipation.”Fixtures
October 2-5 – Tour match
October 9-13 – 1st Test, Bangalore
October 17-21 – 2nd Test, Mohali
October 28-Novermber 1 – 3rd Test, Delhi
November 5-9 – 4th Test, Nagpur

South Africa have unveiled their list of centrally contracted players for the 2005-06 season, and as anticipated, it has been trimmed from a squad of 20 to just 13 elite players.Despite his performance in the Centurion Test, Monde Zondeki is one of the unlucky players to miss out, alongside the rising star of South African cricket, AB de Villiers, who recorded his maiden Test century against England, also at Centurion, earlier in the season. At this early stage of their careers, however, a place on the tour of the Caribbean should be ample consolation.Unlike de Villiers, Zondeki had been on South Africa’s books for this season, and the other players who have been removed from the list are: Paul Adams, Lance Klusener, Garnett Kruger, Neil McKenzie, Albie Morkel, Robin Peterson and Martin van Jaarsveld. Of those, only Morkel, who made an unbeaten double-century for Titans in the latest round of SuperSport matches, is likely to have a role in South Africa’s near future.Commenting on the reduction in contracted players, Haroon Lorgat, South Africa’s convenor of selectors, said: “We feel that 20 was too many. There were times last year when we had many non-contracted players in the team. We would like to play, as often as possible, with a core group of contracted players.”National contracts must be deserved and a just reward for consistent performance at the highest level over a period of time,” added Lorgat, who went on to reassure de Villiers and Zondeki that a strong showing in the Caribbean might enable them to join the elite group. “This number is not capped,” he said, “and the selectors may, from time to time, recommend additional players to be contracted.”The contracts, which run from May 2005 to April 2006, are broken down into four bands as follows:A+
Graeme Smith
Herschelle Gibbs
Shaun Pollock
Makhaya Ntini
Jacques Kallis
A
Mark Boucher
B
Nicky Boje
C
Andre Nel
Boeta Dippenaar
Andrew Hall
Jacques Rudolph
Ashwell Prince
Charl Langeveldt

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.

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.

Fourteen objections were raised against the candidates for the Sri Lanka Cricket elections and those against K Mathivanan and Asanga Seneviratne running for vice-president were upheld on the grounds that they had not served on the executive committee for a minimum period of two years. Easman Narangoda’s nomination for treasurer was rejected for the same reason.According to the SLC constitution, only those who had represented Sri Lanka in Test and ODI cricket are waived of this requirement. So Arjuna Ranatunga’s candidacy for vice-president is safe. The former World-Cup winner is bidding for one of two posts along with his brother Nishantha Ranatunga and Shammi Silva, who is also now the sole contestant for the treasurer’s post. The elections take place on January 3.The two frontrunners for the post of Sri Lanka Cricket president – Nishantha and Thilanga Sumathipala – were given the green light to contest after objections were filed against them by rival candidates.Director-General of Sports Ruwanpathirana said that the objections raised against Sumathipala, Nishantha and a third candidate Jayantha Dharmadasa were overruled by a committee headed by him after a careful study.Sri Lanka Cricket is holding elections after a period of seven months during which time their affairs were looked after by a nine-man interim committee headed by former Sri Lanka Test cricketer Sidath Wettimuny.