Ricky Ponting threw his weight solidly behind Cairns and Darwin as Test venues despite criticism from some quarters about those centres.”We really enjoy these games we play in Darwin and Cairns and I think it’s important that we try and grow this game and take it to the more remote cricketing areas of Australia,” Ponting said. “The crowds in Darwin weren’t great last year but the facilities in Cairns are world class and we just really enjoy the experience of being here. Hopefully we’ll get a good crowd and a good turnout and they’ll see some good cricket and hopefully North Queensland and Darwin can keep growing as cricket communities.”If the two cities drift off the international cricket map in the near future, Ponting said the Australian players would be disappointed. “Pick any of the guys out of the side and ask them what they think about being here and playing these games and they absolutely love it. It’s a great part of the world to be, especially at this time of year.”But Ponting said he wouldn’t want to play cricket in the northern part of the country if it was at the expense of the established southern venues. “I wouldn’t like to see any of the big venues in Australia which have hosted Tests for a long time lose out on a game for the sake of playing one here. But for these winter series it’s absolutely perfect. To be able to play a couple of Tests here in the middle of winter is a bonus for everybody.”Marvan Atapattu also endorsed the move to play in the northern cities but said Darwin’s Marrara Oval needed more work. “I certainly don’t have a problem, I think cricket should be taken all around the world, that’s how our game will prosper. I don’t have a problem in playing anywhere.”On the Darwin pitch, he said: “I’m sure they’ll learn from it and the next team who goes there will get a better wicket than that.”However, there may not be a next time. Cricket Australia lost about A$1million on the two Tests and three one-day matches against Bangladesh last year and will lose about half that amount on this Test series against Sri Lanka. Australia’s Ashes campaign in England next year means that there will be no winter series in 2005. Also, with the ICC considering a two-tier format for Tests, there’s a possibility of Zimbabwe and Bangladesh being relegated, making future schedules much lighter.

ScorecardBangladesh’s Under-19 team was left ruing a disastrous morning session on the third day of the first Test at Headingley, as England wrapped up a five-wicket victory with four full sessions to spare.Bangladesh had been up against it at the start of play, after slipping to 126 for 4 on Thursday evening. But with Samit Patel weaving an impenetrable web with his left-arm spin, Bangladesh lost their last six wickets for 30 runs in 20 overs, and a finely balanced game had been tilted decisively towards England.Patel finished with 3 for 31 from 17 overs, and with Ravinder Bopara providing (3 for 19) providing fine support, Bangladesh lost their way badly. Aftab Ahmed, 45 not out overnight, brought up his half-century but fell shortly afterwards for 54, and of the rest, only the wicketkeeper, Dhiman Ghosh, reached double figures.England’s target of 118 was briefly challenged when Joe Denly was bowled by Shadahat Hossain for a duck, and when Nadif Chowdhury and the captain, Enamul Haque jr, grabbed two wickets each, England were made to sweat just a touch. But Alistair Cook’s 57 anchored the chase, and Luke Wright steered England to victory with 14 not out.

There’s still no guarantee that there’ll be any cricket awaiting them, as the telecast-rights dispute rumbles on through the courts of India, but Australia’s cricketers are nonetheless preparing to fly out to Mumbai, ahead of their four-Test series, which begins in October.Four members of the squad were not involved in the Champions Trophy – the spinners, Shane Warne, Cameron White and Nathan Hauritz, and the opening batsman, Justin Langer – and they are set to arrive in India in the early hours of Friday morning. They are departing their home states today, before convening in Singapore to catch the same flight to Mumbai.For Warne in particular, the coming weeks represent one of the biggest challenges of his glittering career. Despite all his successes, he has never yet successfully cracked India, and if Australia are to avenge their 2-1 defeat in the corresponding series in 2000-01, then he will need to be at the top of his game.No travel arrangements have yet been announced for the main body of players, who are currently in England recovering from the shock of their semi-final defeat at Edgbaston. The first match of the tour, a three-day affair against the Ranji Trophy champions Mumbai, will begin at the Brabourne Stadium on September 30.

Rashid Latif has sent a legal notice to the PCB to contest the six-month ban imposed on him by Shaharyar Khan, the board’s chairman, for forfeiting a domestic game due to an unfit pitch. In a statement released by his lawyer, Justice Malik Qayyum, Latif said, “I have just sent them [the PCB] a legal notice asking them to withdraw the suspension and fine order. I do not, as a first resort, want to drag the PCB to court as I have dutifully served them. But if I am forced to then I will have to.”The chances of legal action being initiated remain high, as Latif has ruled out going to the appeals committee that Shaharyar had set up to hear the case. Latif told Cricinfo: “I am not going to appeal, especially in this ad hoc setup. This tussle with the board has been going on for a year now, but I think legally this time, they have acted incorrectly. I want to have this ban removed legally because the procedure the PCB undertook is illegal. I will argue that the ban is illegal.”Latif was leading the Karachi Blues in a Quaid-i-Azam trophy match against Faisalabad last week when he declared with his side tottering at 33 for 4, forfeiting the game. The decision to ban Latif alone, and not throw the team out of the tournament – as is required by domestic regulations – has been widely criticised for its arbitrary and unilateral nature. Some ex-cricketers and journalists have suggested the decision to ban him was part of a wider PCB agenda to banish the outspoken Latif – a constant thorn in the board’s side – from Pakistan cricket.The legal notice probably scuppers any chance of a meeting between Shaharyar Khan and Latif. Over the last few days, newspaper reports had suggested thatthere might be a meeting to try to resolve the matter. Earlier, speaking to Cricinfo, Abbas Zaidi, the director of the PCB’s media arm, had reiterated: “If Rashid Latif wants to see the chairman and explain his position, he is most welcome, anytime, to do so.”When asked whether Latif’s views should have been sought before the punishment was handed out, Zaidi replied, “We looked at the views of the umpires and the referees, not the captain. The captain is nobody to decide on this. The point is that Latif had access to the umpires and the referee, yet he still chose to take a unilateral decision. He could have called the chairman then and it would have been fine, but you can’t jeopardise domestic cricket by refusing to play at your own whim. He now has the chance to appeal to the appeals committee or he can come and explain his case to the chairman. We hold no grudge against him.”According to sources in the PCB, there has been extensive correspondence between Latif and Shaharyar on the issue. While Latif accepted the decision he made violated the regulations, he argued that he deserved at least the right to explain his case before any punishment was handed out: “In the current case I have been banned without being even asked as to why I took the decision. The natural course of justice was not followed before the penalty was slapped on me. One could have asked for my viewpoint. In addition, my viewpoint was not something out of the ordinary. Several games this season part of the same tournament have either been relocated or postponed due to below-standard or dangerous playing conditions. [With] such background I at the very least deserved a chance to be asked to explain and justify the reasons for my action.”He also hinted that the PCB was working to a pre-ordained agenda to oust him from Pakistan cricket, although Shaharyar has denied this. He stood by his decision for imposing the ban, arguing that a team ban would have been too harsh, but said that he would meet him personally if Latif wanted to.But Zaidi also said there was little chance that Shaharyar would reconsider his decision to overturn the ban: “I don’t think there is any question of changing the punishment or the ban now. The chairman is the person who has imposed the penalty so he can’t be the appellate authority.” In view of this and the ad-hoc nature of the appeals committee, it is perhaps not surprising that Latif turned to unprecedented legal action to save his career.

Few players will have taken more satisfaction out of South Africa A’s seven-wicket victory over England than Mark Boucher. He was recently dumped from the Test team in favour of Thami Tsolekile, after 75 consecutive Tests as South Africa’s wicketkeeper, but responded to the slight with five comfortable catches and a bloody-minded 26 not out from 74 balls. He spoke to Andrew Miller before the first Test.

The result against England must have been very satisfying for you.
Very much so. I’ve played for South Africa A once before, but this was a new side with a lot of talented guys, and all of us are keen to get into the national team. There was a good vibe throughout, we stuck to our guns, and it was nice to get a win at the end of it.But personally, it must have meant a huge deal. That much was clear from your batting.
Yeah, it was a bit more of a tentative innings than I usually play. I didn’t go out there saying that I was going to block every ball, but the bowlers found good areas, and I was batting at the time with Albie Morkel, a youngster who hits the ball very sweetly and was caning it to all corners of the park. I just had to sit back on my bat, take a few singles, and play a more stable role from the other end. Unfortunately we lost a few wickets later on, but I was just happy to spend time in the middle.Do you think you succeeded in making one or two points to the selectors?
I don’t go out to make points. I go out to play to win, and it was job accomplished.Even so, it must have been a big shock to have been dropped after 75 consecutive Tests?
Yes, it was a big disappointment, one of the biggest of my career. But it’s not the first time I’ve suffered disappointment, there’ve been a couple of occasions like that in the past. I’m a firm believer that you can only really judge a character by what they are like when the chips are down. I believe I’m a fighter, and I’ll be trying my best to get back in that side, by putting in some big performances. I’m not about to give up.I guess it all stems back to South Africa’s terrible tour of Sri Lanka earlier in the year. What happened to the team out there?
A lot of things happened! The bottom line is we lost, but we did come up against a really tough side. Sri Lanka are not the sort of team you just walk all over, especially in those conditions. We were lacking one or two spinners, and our batsmen just didn’t click, but the wickets they prepare were never going to suit our seam-based attack. That’s how sides like that try to beat us. They take away our pace, and back themselves to take 20 wickets with their spinners.Graeme Smith made some comments at the time that you were “no better than club cricketers”. Was that a fair assessment?
I don’t know about club cricketers. But Graeme’s got his theories about how the team went. I just thought we were outplayed.As one of the senior members in a changing side, do you think you were singled out as a scapegoat?
I don’t know. You tell me. I really don’t know. I’m not present at those selection meetings and I don’t get to hear what’s said about me. I just try to control what I can control. I can’t control selection, I can’t control what happens in the media. All I can control is what happens out in the middle. At the end of the day, I’ve been dropped. I’ve just got to pick myself up and get back in the side.Given your record against England, you must have been hopeful of a recall.
If I said no, I’d be lying. Yes, I did expect to be back. I’d had quite a good SuperSport Series back home, and I thought I kept very well as well. So yeah, I had my hopes up for the first Test. It didn’t happen, which was another disappointment, but the sun came up the next morning, and I got selected for SA A side instead. It was a chance to prove my worth, and we won the game, which is great.

Do you get the impression that England are glad not to be facing you?
I really don’t know! I haven’t spoken to any of them. But I’ve had a bit of success against them in the past which is always nice. I believe they are a very good side – especially their bowling attack, which will be a handful on these tracks. But Thami’s a good keeper and a good batter as well, so I wish him all the bestHe was your understudy in England last year. Have you given him any advice?
I don’t like to get involved. Ray Jennings is the coach now, and he’s probably the best wicketkeeper we’ve had in this country. So any advice will come from him. I sent Thami a text message before they went to India, wishing him good luck and telling him if there’s anything he needs, give me a shout. But I don’t want to stick my fingers into the national camp at the moment. They’ve got more important things to worry about.The coach has given you his backing though, which must be ncouraging.
Yeah, Ray’s spoken to me once or twice, telling me to keep going. But from his point of view, it’s important that there are guys coming up to challenge the people in the national side. They’ve got to be kept on their toes, and not allowed to rest on their laurels, thinking that there’s no-one behind them. Because there is, and after the result in this game, there’s going to be even more pressure on the national side to perform. That’s not a bad thing at all. It shows the depth in South African cricket.One of the big issues in your cricket is the current lack of fast bowlers. As a keeper, you’re in a good position to judge them.
This pitch at Potchefstroom is one of the quickest I’ve played on all season, and it just goes to show that you don’t need extreme pace to take wickets. Charl [Langeveldt] wasn’t slow, but he swung the ball, and as long as you do that, it’s always going to be difficult to play, never mind how quick and bouncy the wicket. I doubt if St George’s will be like that, having played there before, but as long as you’re doing something with the ball – either running in at 150kph, or swinging it at 135 – it’s going to be tough for the batters.Have you seen much of Dale Steyn?
I’ve played against him once. He’s got some good wheels, he swings the ball nicely and late as well. He’s young and he’s raw, and I believe he could take some time to find his feet, but he’s also the sort of guy who can run in and get you a five-wicket haul. If he puts enough balls in the right area, he’ll be a handful.You’re the underdogs for once in a England v South Africa series. What’s your take on that?
Of the series that I’ve played in, we lost over there in 1998, won over here in 1999-2000, and then in 2003 we were in position to win, but somehow lost the last Test through some poor cricket, despite being 380 for 2 after the first day. Overall we’ve had the upper hand, but I don’t read too much into us being underdogs this time. England in England are a very good side and have had some success, but they haven’t played over here for a few years now, and they haven’t played in Australia for a while either. We have some depth, and with several guys pushing for national selection, I just hope that they don’t take us too lightly.Andrew Miller is assistant editor of Cricinfo. He will be following England’s fortunes throughout their Test series in South Africa.

Waqar Younis is likely to be named the bowling coach of Pakistan for their tour of India. According to a report by Press Trust of India, Waqar has already given his verbal consent to the offer, which has the backing of Bob Woolmer, the Pakistan coach.Commenting on the issue, Shaharyar Khan, the PCB chairman, told PTI: "Yes he is under consideration but no negotiations have started. In the next few days we intend to write to him to seek his availability," Shaharyar said, adding, "We all know Waqar has recently been doing television assignments. We want to know if he is free during the Indian series so that we can utilise his services."If Waqar does come on board to help out, it will be a huge boost for Pakistan, who might be forced to field an inexperienced bowling attack after injuries to several of their frontline bowlers. Umar Gul and Shabbir Ahmed have been ruled out, while Shoaib Akhtar, Mohammad Sami and Mohammad Khalil are all doubtful.Waqar had an outstanding record in international cricket, taking 373 Test wickets and 416 scalps in one-dayers, averaging less than 24 in both forms of the game. Known for his devastating inswinging yorkers, Waqar had a phenomenal strike-rate of 43.4 per wicket in Tests, third in the all-time list of bowlers with at least 100 wickets.

John Buchanan, the Australian coach, has said that Australia played “ugly” cricket to win the VB Series recently, and that one-day cricket needs to be be spruced up. Speaking to AAP, he said: “I think it’s a tired old format, but that’s what the rules are and that’s what we play to. Until somebody changes the game then really it’s our duty to work out ways in which we can play better cricket within the existing format.”Buchanan admitted that Australia’s performance in the recent triangular was less than appetising. “I think one thing we did do through the whole series was learn to play some ugly one-day cricket,” he said. “Everybody’s quite used to Australia dominating with the bat and then backing it up in the field with our defence, but I think this time it did show that while we didn’t dominate with the bat our defence was [of a] pretty high standard right throughout the tournament. Overall I would have thought our batting is an area that can do with some improvement.”Buchanan said that the Australian selectors will take a long-term view when they meet to select the squad for the forthcoming tour of New Zealand. “We are looking to develop a broad squad so we might have 20-plus players that selectors can pick from come World Cup 2007, which means we cover all our bases and positions,” he said. “The other principle will be trying to understand how we want to better play the game, balance of sides, makeups of sides, the types of players we need to do that and the strategies we want.”He refused to comment on Darren Lehmann, who, at 35, is in danger of having his career ended by the selectors. He was also non-committal about whether Matthew Hayden would play both Tests and one-dayers in the upcoming series. “[Hayden] wants to be part of that Australian one-day side,” he revealed. “I think basically his foundations are good … he’s basically trying to deal with the mental side of his game.”On a broader issue, Buchanan was all for Twenty-20 cricket, but did not believe that it could replace one-day cricket. “It’s part of the overall package that encourages people to enjoy cricket, to understand the game a little bit,” he said. “It’s a good part of the mix if used correctly. I think it provides some fun and excitement. It is a game that is condensed to a shorter period of time so I think that offers parents, families and clubs a real opportunity to encourage more people into the game.”

On how he rates the second century in comparison to the first
It’s very hard to rate hundreds, I hate rating innings. Both hundreds in this game were equally good, and like on the first day, I felt in control today also. Having said that, it is very satisfying because it came in the second innings, when we needed it. The second-innings century was tougher than the first because the pitch played lower and slower. Each innings has its challenges, but the circumstances under which today’s knock was made, made it more special. It’s especially a challenge to get a big score immediately after making a hundred in the first innings.On whether these twin tons are more valuable than the twin tons in Hamilton, 1999
This definitely means a lot more. The first century in Hamilton was a good and important innings, but the second came when the game was all but drawn. This has a lot more meaning. I have always wanted to score a hundred in both innings in a winning match, especially after reading about Steve Waugh’s twin hundreds against England [Manchester, 1997]. That was always at the back of my mind, to score a hundred in each innings and help play a role in the team’s victory.On whether he expected the pitch to have done more on the fourth and fifth days
We knew coming into this game that this would be a good wicket, but we expected a bit more turn. Some balls are keeping low, but the ball hasn’t turned as much as we expected it to. The conditions are quite tough and it is going to be a challenge tomorrow. The side that’s fitter and holds its nerve better will win the day tomorrow. This match is a great advertisement for Test cricket. Going into the final day, all three results are a possibility. The pendulum has swung in every direction, and there will be no predictions today about how this game will pan out. We have confidence in ourselves and are positive about our chances, and I am sure they are too.On Dinesh Karthik’s innings
It was a crucial partnership, a critical phase of the match. Dinesh played beautifully; it was a fantastic knock by a youngster under pressure. The balance could have shifted in either direction, but he played a stand-out innings. I just told him to back and trust himself. He took his time to settle down and then played his strokes, which helped.On what the non-striker feels when he sees a batsman getting hit
You do have concern for your mate, but once you know he is alright, you have got to carry on. You have to focus on your job and stick to it; you have to move on because you have a job at hand and a task to do. I was trying to take the external factors out, play one ball at a time, focus on the present and stick to my plans. I do feel the pressure, everyone does, but you have to try and focus on something else, like the ball or team plans and individual goals.

“I’ve never seen so many policemen in my life,” said a local shopkeeper as I made my way past bamboo barriers, fortified steel gates and police keeping watch on every corner around Green Park in Kanpur, where India and Pakistan will play the fifth one-day international of the six-match series tomorrow. They have every reason to be watchful. The local arm of the Shiv Sena – a political party not known for peaceful protests – recently suggested that they would make their presence felt.Inside, business was frenetic, as the day preceding a major event tends to be. There was chaos around the stairs as a press conference was announced. The media hustled Rahul Dravid and Younis Khan, crowds swamped around the net area, and right in the middle of a circle of green, inspected by men in teapot poses, was a pale pitch, devoid of any colour. But the wicket, for which questions of the day are usually reserved, found itself upstaged by Sourav Ganguly’s six-match ban. Will he play or won’t he? Dravid appeared undisturbed: “We have not been intimated about it. We’re preparing as normal.” Later, a team member said that Ganguly was in Kolkata, so perhaps he would not be playing. Dravid spoke about the series now resting on two days, about how it was a task the team was eager to undertake: “It’s a great challenge. The team’s looking forward to it. I hope to get support from the squad.”The pitch then did garner its proper share of attention. “The pitch appears slow,” answered Younis when asked for his opinion. “It’s difficult to predict,” said Dravid. “There will be some low bounce, though not much help for the fast bowlers.”Even so, Dravid expects the bowlers to apply themselves with more verve than they did at Ahmedabad, where Pakistan finally achieved the first successful run-chase of the series. Both he and Younis said that batting first would be preferable, though Dravid thought the pitch would behave the same throughout the match. If Pakistan won the toss, he said simply, India would have to restrict them by getting past the more accomplished batsmen. “Their top order has done well. Inzamam [ul-Haq], [Yousuf] Youhana [and the others] have hurt us badly.”Younis added Shahid Afridi to that list: “Shahid is playing well. He hits 30-40 runs in 15-16 balls.” It was his primal batting that got Pakistan going at Ahmedabad. “The boys are playing well,” he summed up, and with regards to Pakistan being front-runners now, added: “When you play well, you win.” That was the underlying theme of Dravid’s talk with the press, too. “We’ll have to score big runs and play good cricket for 100 overs. We’ve played well in patches previously. We didn’t bowl or defend runs well. We’ve learnt from some of the things [we did wrong]. Sometimes it just comes down to utilising skills better.”

Dravid was reminded that India have not won a major one-day series at home for nearly five years. He smiled and said, “We believe we can do it. We have the players to do it.” Dhoni was one of those players, he suggested, but he needed to perform consistently. “He has to play a lot more. He has talent and has shown good cricket sense. He has the capability to do it.” Asked if Dhoni’s arrival came as relief for himself, Dravid said with a grin, “The team is relieved, the [opposition] bowlers aren’t.”Conditions, as they are in India in the awkward months between winter and the monsoons, continue to remain oppressive. And Kanpur, already regarded as a hot-spot for pollution, is more uncomfortable these days as it becomes hotter. But Dravid played down the weather, saying that there were only two more games to go; it could not be used as an excuse.Both teams were guarded about the team composition, though Younis inadvertently gave an insight into Pakistan’s likely team: “If there are no injuries, there are no changes.” But the Indians had more to contend with after back-to-back losses as well as Ganguly’s possible absence. There was the likelihood of Dinesh Mongia playing, and though Dravid said he was one of a few options, he acknowledged that Mongia’s bowling would be as important as his batting. Anil Kumble could also make the cut on a pitch that might assist slow bowlers.Ticket queues at 5am – as there were today – tell a story. A press card starts cricket conversations and debates with strangers in unlikely places. It wins you smiles. There’s a language being spoken here, one that has no need of words.India (probable) 1 Virender Sehwag, 2 Sachin Tendulkar, 3 Mahendra SinghDhoni (wk), 4 Rahul Dravid (capt), 5 Dinesh Mongia, 6 Yuvraj Singh, 7 MohammadKaif, 8 Anil Kumble, 9 Zaheer Khan, 10 Lakshmipathy Balaji, 11 Murali Kartik.Pakistan (probable) 1 Salman Butt, 2 Shahid Afridi, 3 Shoaib Malik, 4 Younis Khan, 5 Inzamam-ul-Haq (capt), 6 Yousuf Youhana, 7 Abdul Razzaq, 8 Kamran Akmal (wk), 9 Mohammad Sami, 10 Naved-ul-Hasan, 11 Danish Kaneria.

Mark Butcher has admitted that he does not know when he will be back playing as his wrist injury continues to take longer than expected to recover. Butcher has had a injection in his left wrist, in a hope of improving the problem.He told BBC Sport: “I’m having a jab which will settle things down but I’m still waiting and seeing unfortunately.” He had to leave his commentary stint with Sky Sports during the Middlesex against Surrey Championship match at Lord’s to go and get the injection. He was the sporting a large amount of strapping on his wrist when he was interviewed during the tea interval.Butcher still has six weeks to try and prove his fitness against the Ashes but his chances of regaining his spot are rapidly receeding. Ian Bell made full use of his two innings against Bangladesh to rack up 237 runs without being dismissed while Robert Key and Kevin Pietersen are now ahead of Butcher if batting places become available.Butcher, who is in his first season as Surry captain but has yet to lead them on the field, originally suffered his injury during England’s tour of South Africa last winter. He was left out of Cape Town Test and flew home shortly afterwards. He subsequently underwent surgery during February the hope that he would only miss the start of the season but a return to action is still some way away.