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Tough task for Jamaica

Trinidad and Tobago (T&T) are sure to chase an outright victory on the final day of their Carib Beer Cricket Series match against Jamaica at the Sir Frank Worrell Ground in St Augustine.When play was called for the day, Trinidad had compiled a lead of 371 runs innings and were likely to declare overnight. After bowling out Jamaica for 193 in reply to T&T’s first innings of 386, their second innings stood at 178 for 7 when Richard Kelly and Rayad Emrit walked off to the pavilion at stumps. It is a commanding position, which did not necessitate the enforcement of the follow-on, and puts Jamaica on the back foot when play gets underway on the final day.A combination of good, disciplined bowling and a massive first-innings advantage proved too much for the visitors. When play resumed, Kelly and the probing spin of debutant Sanjeev Gooljar gave the Jamaican batsmen a lot to ponder. Except for Carlton Baugh, their wicketkeeper, the batsmen’s pondering led to hesitation, and hesitation and good consistent line and length bowling led to wickets.The first hour of play saw Tamar Lambert and Nikita Miller struggle to get any momentum against Kelly and Gooljar. In fact, in the first hour of play, the T&T bowling was plain stingy. Twenty three runs trickled from 17 overs and that sort of persistent tight bowling had Miller (8) playing away from his body only to snick an edge through to Denesh Ramdin, the wicketkeeper, who took a comfortable catch with the score on 119. Jamaica were reeling with four wickets down and a huge T&T score staring them in the face.The sustained effort of the T&T bowlers ensured the pressure would not be released. Lambert, who faced 86 balls for his 26 runs and was dropped by Mohammed at point off Kelly on 19, was deceived by Gooljar to give him his first wicket in the regional tournament. Dave Bernard, a former West Indies player, also struggled, facing 66 balls in 70 minutes for his meagre eight runs.It was only Baugh (30) who looked like ever getting on top of the T&T bowlers with his confident driving and quick running between the wickets. But once Dwayne Bravo enticed him to pull a delivery that came onto him quicker than expected and it looped high for Lendl Simmons to take a very good catch running back to long on, the few hundred spectators knew it would only be a matter of time before the Jamaican innings folded.Gregory Mahabir grabbed a spectacular two-handed catch inches from the ground when Gareth Breese (3) would have felt he deserved a boundary after playing a well-timed drive to mid-wicket off Bravo. Dave Mohammed accounted for Jerome Taylor (19) and Andrew Richardson to bring the innings to a close.T&T, according to the tournament rules, had the opportunity to enforce the follow-on. In the end, it did not matter. Despite a reckless shot from Simmons (22), attempting to pull a Jermaine Lawson bouncer to mid-wicket but only able to pick out Richardson at mid-on, and the quick fall of Daren Ganga (4), bowled by Bernard, and Bravo, who edged a wide delivery to Baugh from Richardson with the score on 45, T&T got some positive impetus from Jason Mohammed (21, 2x4s) and Kelly, whose most impressive shot was an immaculate lift off Richardson to beyond the long-on boundary for six. Kelly also banged six fours to rush T&T to their dominating advantage.

New Zealand keep faith in Guptill, Craig

New Zealand retained the out-of-form duo of Martin Guptill and Mark Craig as they pruned their Test squad from 16 to 12 for the two-match home series against Sri Lanka that begins on December 10. Opening the batting on their just-concluded tour of Australia, Guptill made a highest score of 23 in his six Test innings, while the offspinner Craig picked up eight wickets at an average of 64.12 while conceding more than five runs an over.Out of the squad that toured Australia, New Zealand left out fast bowlers Matt Henry and Mitchell McClenaghan, back-up wicketkeeper Luke Ronchi and back-up opener Hamish Rutherford. Allrounders Corey Anderson and James Neesham, who are both nursing back injuries, were not available for selection.”Mark and Martin didn’t perform to the level they would have liked over in Australia, but both have shown in the past what they’re capable of and we’re confident they’ll make valuable contributions in the upcoming series,” New Zealand coach Mike Hesson said.Left-arm seamer Neil Wagner and allrounder Mitchell Santner, who made his debut during the day-night Test in Adelaide, also kept their places in the squad. Wagner didn’t play any of the Tests in Australia, but picked-up a five-wicket haul in a tour game against a Western Australia XI.”The level of composure Mitchell showed on debut was very impressive and he certainly displayed how exciting a player he is with both the bat and ball,” Hesson said. “His ability to bat in the top six and bowl good overs gives us options and assists the team balance. We’re looking forward to watching Mitchell’s continued development. Neil impressed in Australia and not only showed that he’ll run in hard all day, but was swinging the ball again.”Wagner has also been included in the New Zealand Board President’s XI, which will take on the Sri Lankans in a three-day warm-up match that begins on December 3.Test squad Brendon McCullum (capt), Trent Boult, Doug Bracewell, Mark Craig, Martin Guptill, Tom Latham, Mitchell Santner, Tim Southee, Ross Taylor, Neil Wagner, BJ Watling, Kane WilliamsonPresident’s XI: Ryan McCone (capt), James Baker, Joe Carter, Joel Harden, Shawn Hicks, Tim Johnston, Ken McClure, Matt McEwan, Glenn Phillips, Bharat Popli, Ben Smith, Blair Tickner, Neil Wagner

Atherton moves to The Times

Mike Atherton will replace Christopher Martin-Jenkins as cricket correspondent of after England’s tour of New Zealand early next year.Atherton, who has made his name as a journalist on , and is considered one of the major successes of a player becoming a writer, will continue with his Sky Sports commentary alongside his new brief. Martin-Jenkins, who was handed the Peter Smith memorial award at the Cricket Writers’ Dinner in September, will take a role as senior cricket columnist.It is the first major reshuffle of the broadsheet newspapers since 2002 when Angus Fraser retired from playing to take up the main role at and Derek Pringle moved to .

World Cup visa row frustrates Australians

Fans travelling to the World Cup from Australia have had a bad week. Hot on the heels of finding out that they will need to pay an additional US$100 for a special visa when they visit the Caribbean, it now appears that the hassle-free system to apply for the necessary documentation has proved anything but.Ostensibly, the visa is to enable visitors to travel between various islands without going through the normal immigration controls, although a number of people have contacted Cricinfo asking why they have to pay the additional sum when they only planned to visit one island.The authorities had trumpeted how visa centres had been established and how there would be a two or three week turnaround for applications.However, Mia Amor Mottley, the deputy prime minister of Barbados, admitted yesterday that all was not well. “We have hit a snag with the issuing of the special visa in Australia but we are seeking to resolve the issue as soon as possible. I wish to assure our friends in Australia that this will be ironed out.”We took the decision to establish a temporary physical consular presence in Australia to reduce the inconvenience to Australians and New Zealanders. We believe that this is a gesture of good faith on our part in spite of the expense which we are incurring. This is especially since Caribbean people are unable to obtain a visa to enter Australia without sending their passports to Canada.”Mottley’s last remark will hardly be of any consolation given that there would seem to be a duty on any country hosting a major international tournament to make access as straightforward as possible.The comments came after reports that the process for issuing visas in Australia was a shambles. “The visas could take up to three weeks, and you have to send your passport in,” Australia’s honorary consul general to Trinidad and Tobago, Michael Agostinhe, said. “But we don’t know where they have to send it. The mission has arrived here and they’ve got offices but they haven’t taken them up yet. They have staff but we don’t know where they are.”It has been reported that Cricket Australia had received a formal complaint from the Australian Federal Government about the visa delays and was contemplating its next move. “It’s an issue we might seriously need to raise with the ICC,” Peter Young, general manager of public affairs for the board, stated.The authorities denied accusations that the visa was a money-making venture, insisting that the revenue raised would barely meet the costs of the acquisition of the visa system. They also explained that the visa carried wide-ranging security features which would enable the region to minimise the security threats which it may face during the games.

  • Information on the issuing sites, visa application form and the Instruction Sheet are available on IMPACS website at: www.caricomimpacs.org.

  • India in familiar selection quandary

    Dravid hinted that India might go in with five bowlers, considering that it could be difficult getting 20 wickets in these conditions © AFP

    The day before the First Test at the Chittagong Divisional Stadium, the one thing more uncertain than the weather is the Indian team composition. Much of it surrounds the batting line-up, from the opening pair down to the middle order, possibly even the choice of keeper.Their squad of 15 has only one specialist opener, Wasim Jaffer; partnering him could be any one of the experienced Indian middle order – Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman, Sourav Ganguly, and Yuvraj Singh [making a Test comeback after his knee injury kept him out of Tests in South Africa] – or Dinesh Karthik. And if Karthik opens, only Jaffer and Dravid are the other certainties.Asked about the opening pair, Dravid said he would like to keep it a bit of a surprise.The bowling attack is similarly unknown, save the fact that Dravid may go in with five bowlers, given that it is going to be difficult to get 20 wickets on a flat wicket in the hot and muggy weather. “We do have the option of playing five bowlers in these conditions considering the weather, the wicket and what we are trying to achieve in this game,” Dravid said. Zaheer Khan and Anil Kumble look the certainties with the ball, while any two or three of the other bowlers might play.Bangladesh look more certain and announced their 12, the choice made easier by the elimination of Tushar Imran who is ruled out with fever. The selection could very easily have become difficult had Habibul Bashar not recovered well from the fever he had yesterday. Bashar said today he was confident of playing in the Test.One out of Saqibul Hasan and Mehrab Hossain jnr is set to make his debut. If they play two pacers, it will be the sturdier Shahadat Hossain and not the accurate Syed Rasel who will open the bowling with Mashrafe Mortaza.Dravid said that the conditions will be the same for both the teams. Yet, that does not take away the significance of the conditions in the build-up. “The wicket looks pretty bare. It should hold together for the first two- and-a-half or three days,” Dravid said, “It might break up as the game goes on. But initially I expect it to be pretty good and hold firm for a few days at least.”It may prove difficult to get 20 wickets here, and thunderstorms are never too far away either. India, on paper by far the stronger of the two sides, will probably attack the game from the off; therein lies Bangladesh’s chance. The longer Bangladesh deny them and stay in the game, the more likely India are to get frustrated and Bangladesh’s chances of causing a big upset will only get stronger. In Dav Whatmore’s last series as the coach, Bangladesh will need the one virtue they have lacked, one that Whatmore has been demanding all through his tenure: patience.Whatmore has been in the news in his own right, of course, having reportedly shown an interest in coaching India. Would such talk, even as the series is on, have any negative impact on Bangladesh? No, says Bashar. “We have never had such problems. He [Whatmore] is a professional; whenever he is on the field, he never lets his coaching suffer,” he said. “We are doing the same thing as a professional team.”The last time Bangladesh played India, their batsmen kept at bay the Indian bowling attack, which wasn’t weaker than the current one. But from 239 for 4, they collapsed to 333, even as Mohammad Ashraful, now the vice-captain, played the innings of that series, scoring an unbeaten 158. They ended up losing that match by an innings. That was three years ago, but the story was the same last year. At Fatullah, Shahriar Nafees had scored another breathtaking century and Bangladesh got 355 for 5 in the first day, but their next 15 wickets fell for 220 runs.This Test will most likely be a battle between the persistence of Indian bowlers and the will of the Bangladesh batsmen. There could be a twist in the tale: if Bangladesh manage to put up a considerable total, they can become the aggressors as they did against Australia at Fatullah.Squads
    Bangladesh: Javed Omar, Shahriar Nafees, Habibul Bahsar (capt.), Mohammad Ashraful, Rajin Saleh, Saqibul Hasan, Khaled Mashud (wk), Mashrafe Mortaza, Mohammad Rafique, Enamul Haque jnr, Shahadat Hossain, Mehrab Hossain jnrIndia: Wasim Jaffer, Dinesh Karthik, Rahul Dravid (capt.), Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman, Sourav Ganguly, Yuvraj Singh, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Ramesh Powar, Anil Kumble, Rajesh Pawar, Zaheer Khan, Munaf Patel, VRV Singh, RP Singh

    'We've dominated the Indians through the summer' – Smith

    Smith: ‘Mentally and emotionally, we’ve got to pick ourselves up and make sure we’re ready for the Test’ © Getty Images

    Two days on from an ultimately emphatic victory in Durban, Graeme Smith was confident that his South African side held the edge going into the decisive third Test at Newlands. But while he cited the special atmosphere at the venue, Smith was slightly concerned about the moisture in the pitch, and the physical and emotional toll that the Durban exertions had taken on his players.”It’s a difficult pitch to read at the moment,” he said when asked about a surface that had more than a hint of grass. “Because of the [recent] rain, there’s some moisture. There will be a little bit in it on the first day and as the surface dries, it’ll be a pretty good wicket.”Durban saw South Africa at their hungriest, battered by criticism after a 123-run defeat at the Wanderers. Even at Kingsmead, they had to dig deep to emerge victorious against an Indian side for whom Sreesanth once again picked up eight wickets in the game. “Mentally and emotionally, we’ve got to pick ourselves up and make sure we’re ready for the Test,” said Smith. “It was quite an emotional win in Durban after the week we had building up to the match. The guys are motivated, focussed, and we really want to win the series.”They will doubtless be boosted by the return of Jacques Kallis, who missed the Kingsmead game with a back injury, and Dale Steyn is also back in the fray after recovering from a quadriceps strain. But any joy over Kallis’s return is tempered by the uncertainty over Andrè Nel, who didn’t bowl at nets today after bruising a bone in his right foot.One man who will definitely play is Paul Harris, with Smith expecting the pitch to take turn as the match wore on. And though he was a little wary of what Anil Kumble might do, Smith insisted that he and his side wanted to end the engagements against India as they had started in the one-day series. “We just had one bad game at the Wanderers,” he said. “By and large, we’ve played better cricket. That confidence is there. But for Wanderers, we have dominated the Indians throughout the summer.”One of the Indians to suffer most has been Virender Sehwag, who has a highest score of 33 from four ODIs and two Tests. “All the areas we’ve attacked him have been successful,” said Smith. “Obviously, he’s very low on confidence; we haven’t allowed him to get off to a start. The way we started against him, we have made the first ten balls count, haven’t allowed him to find any rhythm upfront. Our channels to him, Sachin [Tendulkar] and others have been pretty good.”Smith, who has been through the wringer himself as a batsman in recent times, stopped short of writing off Sehwag though. “He’s a guy who can take the game away from you,” he said. “If he gets a hundred, he gets it in quick time and can put you under pressure. He’s a big cog in the Indian team; he’s had a huge run of success over the years. As a senior player, to keep him on the back foot is important.”But if the pitch plays anything like that on which Stuart Clark took 9 for89 not so long ago, Sehwag won’t be the only one on the back foot.

    The bowlers won us the Cup – Dhoni

    Mahendra Singh Dhoni played down the praise for his captaincy and attributed the success to his players for responding to the challenges © Getty Images

    India started off in this tournament as a strong batting team, but it wastheir bowling that bailed them out more than once. Mahendra Singh Dhoni,the winning captain, recognised that it was the bowling that had won themthe cup.”On paper the batting was much stronger,” Dhoni said. “But the way thebowlers bowled was very good, and if you compare the two, our bowling wasmuch more consistent. Though there were a few good individual battingperformances, the bowling was better through the tournament.” That, hesaid, was also a reason why he chose to bat first on most occasions afterwinning the toss. “The idea was to get a decent score and then try todefend it. Our fielding helped too. We effected a run out in almost everygame. When the total is relatively low – only around 150-155 – run outsand good fielding increases the total by 15-20 runs, and we managed to dothat in most of the games.”Dhoni’s captaincy has come in for plenty of praise, but he chose to playit down, instead praising the players for responding to the challenges.”The captain hasn’t done much. The players who have been given theresponsibility have delivered. There was no [top order] batsman who hadn’t scored runs,the fielding had been very good overall. Yuvraj [Singh] has been very good, whileHarbhajan has made a very good comeback. The best part is everything whohas been given the responsibility has delivered. This side is confident,enjoying each other’s success and backing each other.”Dhoni admitted that he was concerned about Misbah-ul-Haq’s late charge,but said he knew they were only a wicket away from wresting the initiativeagain. “We knew they didn’t have wickets in hand. Pressure becomes a veryimportant aspect in big games. Harbhajan Singh was good though he wentfor a few, Joginder [Sharma] was excellent in the last over. But I always thoughtas the game approached the final stages, our chances would increase.”About the decision to bowl Joginder instead of Harbhajan in the finalover, Dhoni said it was prompted by the form on the day. “That was thebest option available. Harbhajan didn’t bowl his last over very well. Ithought if a medium pacer bowls it would be slightly difficult sinceMisbah was timing it very well against Harbhajan, who was also not 100%sure about his yorkers. And Joginder had had a decent spell till in thematch, so I decided to go with him.”

    The practice sessions were planned such that we were always fresh when we took the field for a match

    Dhoni admitted that the number of runs they had wasn’t a par score, andpraised Pakistan’s effort in the field. “In Durban it was a lot moredifficult for batting – 170-180 was a very good total there. Here Ithought we should have got 180, as the wicket was not very difficult. Butthe way they bowled was really good. After 12 overs they bowled someexcellent yorkers, so you could hardly score off them.”He also had a special word for Rohit Sharma’s 16-ball 30, which lifted theIndian total to 157. “Rohit’s innings was critical. We looked like getting140, but we ended up getting more than 150. The confidence level went upand with our fielding we increased the target further to 170-175.”Looking back at the tournament, he said the way the team planned thepractice sessions and the periods of rest was critical. “There was atwo-and-a-half month tour to England, so it was tough on the players. Theway we planned this tournament was very important. The practice sessionswere planned such that we were always fresh when we took the field for amatch.”The Indians didn’t practice before the final, despite playing at avenue where they’d played only once before in the tournament.

    Afridi reverses retirement decision

    Afridi: ‘He [Woolmer] told me that I am one of the main players in the team and squad and that Pakistan really needed me’ © AFP

    Less than a fortnight after announcing a surprise retirement from Test cricket, Shahid Afridi has reversed his decision following talks with Shaharyar Khan, the Pakistan Cricket Board chairman and Bob Woolmer, the Pakistan coach.Afridi told Cricinfo that both had been instrumental in him reversing his surprising decision. “Bob spoke to me in Abu Dhabi and was quite upset with me for making the decision. He told me that I am one of the main players in the team and squad and that Pakistan really needed me.”Afridi also spoke to Shaharyar a couple of days ago, having initially contacted him because he was about to leave for England. Shaharyar also persuaded him likewise. “I spoke to him initially because I was off to England to play for Ireland but he said to me that I should play on as well as the team needed me. After those two, as well as many other friends and advisors, I decided to take back my decision.”Shaharyar told Cricinfo he felt Afridi had initially decided to retire because of the pressure he was putting himself under every time he went out to bat. “I don’t think it was due to any differences within the team. I think he felt the pressure of having to perform for a crowd every time he went to bat. In Faisalabad and Karachi recently the ovation he has got has been absolutely phenomenal. Some English players told me when they played in Karachi they’d never seen the type of reception Afridi got when he came out to bat. In Faisalabad, people left the stadium when he was out.”Shaharyar added that from the moment Afridi announced his `retirement’, he was determined to speak to him to convince him otherwise. “I had it in mind from the beginning to speak to him and ask him to reconsider. Then we spoke and I said to him that while it is a personal decision and it must be respected, it is disappointing nonetheless. I reminded him that his Test form of late had been brilliant and that while he may not be an automatic selection in the eleven, he is an essential member of the playing squad.”Afridi originally said that he wanted to concentrate on one-day cricket ahead of next year’s World Cup because of an increasingly heavy playing schedule and the lack of family time it allowed him. He maintained that it is still an issue. “I still say there is too much cricket and that our schedules are packed. I think the key is now how we – the PCB and the players – manage it. We have to look at issues like increased rest between matches and tours maybe or ask for rest at the right time but it has to be handled.” Afridi is due to leave for England in a couple of days to play for Ireland in the C&G Trophy.Shaharyar added, “I understand playing schedules are very hectic now but we are trying to work on it with the players. Hopefully, everybody’s concerns will eventually be seen to.” Afridi’s turnaround thus brings to an end a bizarre chapter even in a career as unconventional as his, though it does at least ensure that the Pakistani cricketing tradition of players reversing retirement decisions – think Imran Khan, Javed Miandad, Wasim Akram – is well and truly alive.

    Kumble's maiden hundred caps Indian domination

    Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
    How they were out

    Crowning moment: Anil Kumble is one of Test cricket’s leading wicket-takers but his maiden hundred would be something he will cherish for ever © Getty Images

    India stood on the brink of a series win in England – 2-0 was as a real possibility, 1-0 a virtual certainty – as they piled on a massive 664, with Anil Kumble scoring his maiden Test hundred on the back of impressive performances from several of his team-mates. India’s batting fired all through, with each of the 11 batsmen getting into double figures, and eight partnerships of 50 or more. England lost Andrew Strauss in the eight overs they had to negotiate, ending on 24 for 1 to cap a near-perfect day for India.With India “getting out of jail” in the first Test at Lord’s, saved by the rain, and decisively winning an exciting game at Trent Bridge, the two teams came into the final Test fairly well matched. By the end of the second day, though, India were far ahead, with England battling hard to stay in the hunt.Added to the pressure that the series scoreline put on the English batsmen was the pressure of the huge Indian total. The question Michael Vaughan will be asking himself is, “How can England win this game?” For if they can’t visualise a positive result, it might just become too difficult to bat three days and keep the negative one away.The day was well set up when it began, with India narrowly ahead on points at 316 for 4. Sachin Tendulkar quickly got to his half-century, Matt Prior dropped VVS Laxman, Mahendra Singh Dhoni carted the ball around for a lusty 92, and all seemed to be going according to the Indian script. Then came the event of the day, something that was 36 years and 297 days and 118 Tests in the making. Kumble got to his half-century, off 109 balls, playing second fiddle to Dhoni. Then slowly, as he crunched one unassuming cover drive after another, the maiden century became a real possibility, even with Dhoni gone.Zaheer Khan played with care and common sense for 52 balls to score 11 but he could take Kumble only as far as 67. RP Singh hung around 21 balls for his 11 and left Kumble on 76. With 24 still needed, Kumble was visibly nervous as Sreesanth strode out to bat. Miraculously, Sreesanth kept his cool – something he hasn’t always done with the ball in hand – and Kumble speared one from Kevin Pietersen through Matt Prior’s legs, off the inside edge, to reach three figures.Scrambling to regain his crease, Kumble saw that the ball had evaded the keeper and before Steve Bucknor, the umpire, could signal the boundary, he had his helmet off and waved his bat towards the Indian dressing-room. To a man the Indian team – already crowding the balcony – rose to their feet, celebrating Kumble’s moment. It was one of cricket’s romantic moments, a popular hero achieving a milestone that appeared to be evading him in a 17-year-old career.For those less inclined to the game’s romance, there was still enough to savour on a day the statisticians had little respite. India’s innings was the first instance of eight partnerships crossing the 50-run mark. James Anderson conceded 182 runs, more than any Englishman has conceded against India in an innings. All eleven Indian batsmen got into double figures. Kumble took more Tests than any batsman in history to reach a maiden Test hundred, beating Chaminda Vaas (96), and, till he got there this was the highest score without a century.And if you had no interest in either romance or statistics, and wanted pure cricket, you couldn’t have asked for a refund on your ticket money at the end of the day. Laxman batted pleasingly for 51, barring the ball that got him and the one that should have when Prior shelled the chance. Tendulkar played more shots in the second half of his innings, including a near six – a hook off Anderson – and well-constructed punches through mid-on and cover. He was on target for a century when Anderson produced a delivery that swung late and, for the second time in the innings, got rid of a well-set top-order batsman.Anderson’s ball to dismiss Tendulkar, almost as good as the one that got Rahul Dravid on the first day, was no fluke. England’s bowlers tried hard, hampered as they were with the loss of Sidebottom after the 102nd over, and it wasn’t as though they bowled especially badly. It was just one of those days when almost everything India did went their way.

    India were already on course for a big total and then Mahendra Singh Dhoni went ballistic with an 81-ball 92, further demoralising England © Getty Images

    Dhoni’s frightening assault was one such thing. He walked out to bat with India in a strong position at 354 for 5 but there was still a long way to go. India’s first task was to score enough runs to eliminate the risk of defeat and then press on to a score so big that England would have to fight to save the game. Dhoni ensured that this gap was bridged. He did that with a typically marauding 92, including four huge hits for six and nine fours, off only 81 balls. He’d helped save the Test at Lord’s with a doughty, uncharacteristic innings; here he’d set things up with an idiosyncratic, bustling knock.Amid all that, Kumble ended up unbeaten on 110, scoring the only Indian century of the series so far as India eventually closed on 664. Then, in the eight overs that remained a tired Strauss pulled Zaheer from well outside the off and only managed a catch to fine leg, leaving England at 12 for 1. Alastair Cook stayed largely away from the strike, and trouble, as England ended on 24 for 1, a staggering 640 behind with three days to play.And that’s the key, as the man of the day put it. “I always knew I could bat and I didn’t think it would be 17 years coming,” said Kumble. “I’m really satisfied, and we’ll celebrate, but there’s still a lot of work to be done in picking up the remaining 19 wickets.”Kumble couldn’t stop smiling when he gave that TV interview but it is over the next three days that he has to be in his element – making sure the English batsmen are not enjoying their time out in the middle. After all, a 2-0 series-win in England beckons. And that’s almost as much of a once-in-a-lifetime event as Kumble’s hundred.

    Gibbs and Boje dropped from one-day squad

    Herschelle Gibbs and Nicky Boje, who yesterday both withdrew from South Africa’s tour to India, have been dropped from the 13-man squad announced to play the last two ODIs against New Zealand this weekend.Andrew Hall and Albie Morkel have been called-up as replacements as South Africa look to complete a 5-0 series win. Gibbs and Boje pulled out of the India tour, which starts later this month, because they received no assurance that they would not be arrested on arrival in the country due to match-fixing allegations.South Africa’s convenor of selectors Haroon Lorgat explained the decision to drop the pair: “It’s rather unfortunate, but we needed to face reality, make the tough decisions and look ahead at our tour of India. Ideally we need to slot in our replacements now, re-define roles in the absence of the two established players, and ready ourselves for India.”Boeta Dippenaar was ruled out after undergoing a wrist operation last night.South Africa squad for 4th and 5th ODIs Graeme Smith (capt), Mark Boucher (wk), AB de Villiers, Andrew Hall, Jacques Kallis, Justin Kemp, Charl Langeveldt, Albie Morkel, Andre Nel, Makhaya Ntini, Shaun Pollock, Ashwell Prince, Jacques Rudolph.

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