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Ishant Sharma, who missed the first two ODIs against England due to an ankle injury, has been declared match-fit but the team management is yet to take a call on whether he will play the third game on Thursday in Kanpur.If Ishant returns, either Munaf Patel or RP Singh will have to sit out in Kanpur. RP looked scratchy in the two games played with just one wicket. The team is looking to rotate the fast bowlers during the seven-match ODI series as a precautionary measure keeping in mind the subsequent two-Test series. “We would like to play both of them [Zaheer and Ishant] till we are in complete control of the series,” sources said.Ishant flew to Mumbai immediately after the Nagpur Test against Australia to have his ankle checked by Dr Anant Joshi, BCCI’s medical consultant. The MRI scan did not reveal anything and Joshi suggested the bowler be given a some rest. “It was just minor sprain which happens due to the workload,” Joshi told Cricinfo. “I sent the report to the physio recommending rest.”Ishant was rested for India’s victories in Rajkot and Indore after the team management decided to give him a five-day break.

Scorecard

Theo Doropoulos got Western Australia home despite a couple of nervous wobbles in their run chase at the WACA, where Tasmania’s injury-depleted attack could not defend 197. Doropoulos registered his maiden first-class half-century and struck the winning runs in the four-wicket victory, which gave the Warriors the perfect start to the season – two wins from two games.Brett Geeves did his best to inspire the Tigers with a pair of wickets early and another two strikes late but he was shouldering a heavy burden after Ben Hilfenhaus failed to take the field in the second innings. Hilfenhaus hurt his knee in a batting collision with his fellow tailender Tim Macdonald as the pair added nine in the morning session.It proved to be a big blow for Tasmania as Marcus North and Doropoulos comfortably guided the chase with an 80-run partnership after the openers both made starts. North fell to Geeves for 47 with 21 still needed and if the quick removal of Luke Ronchi gave the Tigers a glimmer, it was quickly extinguished by Doropoulos.His half-century continued his impressive start to the summer and he finished unbeaten on 58, ensuring the task of completing the chase did not fall to the tail. Geeves collected 4 for 62 to add to his five wickets from the first innings but his was a one-man effort and could not stop Tasmania beginning their campaign with two losses.

The fate of the US$70 million deal between the BCCI and Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) has become a matter of intense speculation; however, official negotiators from both sides continue to insist the ten-year arrangement is very much in place and is currently in the “discussion stage”. Indian board officials said the deal is not a bailout package from the BCCI or IPL for Sri Lanka but part of a “revenue-sharing arrangement” offered by the Champions Twenty20 League to all participating nations.A series of news reports from Sri Lanka over the last week suggested top Indian officials told the Sri Lankan delegation during a meeting in Bangkok that they would not move forward on the deal as long as Arjuna Ranatunga was in charge of SLC. However, Indian officials associated with the discussions said no such statement was made, at least during official discussions.Neither board was willing to officially comment on the matter. Duleep Mendis, the SLC chief executive, told Cricinfo the issue was being handled by the sports ministry while Niranjan Shah, the IPL vice-chairman, said details of the deal were only a matter of speculation.Graeme Labrooy, secretary of the Sri Lanka Cricketers’ Association, which played a vital role in negotiating the package, said the deal was still on though some “technical issues” needed to be sorted out. “A US$70m offer over a ten-year period cannot be finalised at one meeting,” Labrooy said. “We need to look at the international cricket calendar and see what windows are open to us to fit in our programmes. There are some technical issues that we need to look into before finalising such a deal.”A senior Indian official agreed with Labrooy’s assessment, but gave a completely different twist to the deal. “The common misconception has been that this is a bailout package from the BCCI for Sri Lanka cricket, or the IPL,” the official said. “But that’s simply not true.”Australia and South Africa, which are sending two teams for the Champions League, are likely to get amounts in the region of $150m and $120m for ten years, from the $975m that the tournament is worth,” the official said. “Now Sri Lanka has been invited to take part from next year, and will send one team and hence gets a lesser amount. There will be similar deals with all participating countries, be it England, West Indies or Pakistan.” The official described the Bangkok meeting as “normal” and added that “nothing was said against any Lankan official during the official negotiations.”The BCCI holds a 50% share in the tournament, which is expected to feature a Sri Lankan domestic team from next year. However, sources in Sri Lanka insisted that the Indian officials expressed disappointment at the “attitude” of Ranatunga, who had described the Twenty20 cricket as “instant noodles” and later attributed India’s defeat during a recent Test series in Sri Lanka to a Twenty20 overdose. The Indian officials told the Lankan delegation in Bangkok the “deal is out because we understand that your chairman is trying to take the credit for it”, the sources said. The BCCI was also irked by Ranatunga’s comment during the recent ICC meeting in Dubai that the deal was an “endeavour to buy over Sri Lanka cricket”, the sources said.Lalit Modi, the IPL chairman, Niranjan Shah and N Srinivasan, the BCCI secretary, are understood to have conveyed these views in Bangkok last Sunday to the Lankan delegation that comprised S Liyanagama, the Sports Minister’s secretary, Duleep Mendis, Sidath Wettimuny, SLC’s interim committee member, and Labrooy.Liyanagama is expected to convey the results of this meeting to Gamini Lokuge, Sri Lanka’s sports minister, who had initiated discussions on this deal with the Indian board.

The Stanford Superstars squad will take part in a six-week training camp beginning September 18. The camp, which will involve intense preparations, will run till the start of Stanford Super Series on October 25 when the Stanford Superstars take on Trinidad and Tobago in the opening match.Shivnarine Chanderpaul, currently contracted with Durham in county cricket will join the sixteen players later on. The players will be guided by head coach Eldine Baptiste and his expert team of professionals including assistant coach Roger Harper, fielding coach Julien Fountain, manager Lance Gibbs and assistant manager Cardigan Connor.Meanwhile, chairman of the Stanford Superstars selection panel, Sir Vivian Richards announced two changes to the squad. Darren Sammy will replace Dwayne Bravo, who is recovering from ankle surgery, and Travis Dowlin will come in place of Xavier Marshall, who was omitted for undisclosed reasons.Sammy, who hails from St Lucia, has played five Tests, 17 ODIs and five Twenty20s for the West Indies. Dowlin, who is yet to make his international debut, has played in 62 first-class matches and was Player of the Stanford 20/20 Tournament in 2006 when Guyana emerged winners.The Stanford Super Series culminates with the Stanford 20/20 for 20 on November 1 when the Stanford Superstars take on England for US$20,000,000, the largest prize, so far, in the history of cricket.Stanford Superstars squad: Lionel Baker, Sulieman Benn, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Lennox Cush, Travis Dowlin, Rayad Emrit, Andre Fletcher, Chris Gayle, Chad Hampson, Lindon James, Sylvester Joseph, Dave Mohammed, Kieron Pollard, Daren Powell, Darren Sammy, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Jerome Taylor.

South Africa’s strike bowler, Dale Steyn, has won the Test Player of the Year award at the ICC Awards ceremony in Dubai.Steyn beat off short-list competition from Shivnarine Chanderpaul of West Indies and Sri Lanka’s captain Mahela Jayawardene, as well as his South Africa team-mate, Jacques Kallis, to win the first ICC Award of his career.During the 12-month voting period, Steyn put in some remarkable performances, taking 86 wickets at an average of just 18.10 in the 14 Test matches he played. No other bowler took more than 58 wickets in the same period and he was the only bowler to earn an average less than 21.50 (of those who played more than three matches).Steyn, 25, who comes from Phalaborwa in the northern province of Limpopo, also had the best strike-rate with a wicket every 31.9 deliveries and he boasted two 10-wicket matches and six five-wicket innings.After collecting his award from the former West Indies captain and current chairman of the ICC Cricket Committee, Clive Lloyd, Steyn said: “I have had a pretty decent year I suppose but I didn’t think about winning this award until the past few days. I don’t really know how I feel. Perhaps tomorrow morning it will have sunk in for me because obviously this is a huge award and it’s massive for me.”What I would like to do is maybe turn it into a goal for the future. I would like to win this award again and maybe other awards too so it would be something to aim for.”I am really enjoying my cricket at the moment – we have been involved in a few great series recently so I count myself as lucky to be a part of this South Africa team.”It’s a good time for South African cricket even though we lost four one-day matches in England. Winning this award makes up a little for that but I am still going home knowing we were beaten in the one-dayers. But we have some new faces coming into the one-day side and we are still very positive for the future.”The Test Player of the Year Award was one of eight individual prizes given at this year’s LG ICC Awards. Steyn also featured on the ICC Test Team of the Year as picked by the ICC selection panel.The panel was chaired by Lloyd and included former Australia captain Greg Chappell, recently retired South Africa all-rounder Shaun Pollock, former Sri Lanka opener Sidath Wettimuny and former Bangladesh batsman Athar Ali Khan.The ceremony is now in its fifth year and this is the first time it has been staged in Dubai, the home of the International Cricket Council. Previous ceremonies were held in London (2004), Sydney (2005), Mumbai (2006) and Johannesburg (2007).

Sri Lanka have made changes to their squad for the five-ODI series against India, bringing in left-hand batsmen Jehan Mubarak and Malinda Warnapura. The 15-member squad does not include allrounder Kaushalya Weeraratne, who was selected in the original list of 14.Warnapura and Mubarak will also feature in a Sri Lankan XI that will take on the Indians in a warm-up match at the P Saranvanamuttu Stadium in Colombo on Friday. Chamara Kapugedera has been named captain of that side, which includes Mahela Udawatte, Chamara Silva, Weeraratne, Dilhara Fernando and Thilan Thushara. Kaushal Silva, the former Under-19 player, was chosen as wicketkeeper while legspinner Malinda Bandara provides the slow-bowling option.Mubarak had not been selected in Sri Lanka’s initial 14-member squad for the India ODIs but was in the 15 chosen for the Champions Trophy. He was to tour with the Sri Lanka A team to South Africa but will now stay back with the senior team. Kanchana Gunawardene, the Nondescripts Cricket Club opening batsman, replaces him in the A team.Warnapura, 29, has only played one ODI, against Pakistan last year. He was in impressive form in the Test series against India, which Sri Lanka won 2-1. He scored 243 runs at 60.75, with a hundred in the first Test at the SSC, and two fifties.Sri Lankan XI (from):
Chamara Kapugedera (captain), Upul Tharanga, Mahela Udawatte, Malinda Warnapura, Jehan Mubarak, Chamara Silva, Kaushal Silva (wk), Malinga Bandara, Kaushalya Weeraratne, Dilhara Fernando, Thilan Thushara,Chanaka Welegedara.

The pressure on the ICC to act over Zimbabwe grew with news that the British government has made it clear to the ECB that the Zimbabwe team will not be allowed into the country to take part in next summer’s ICC World Twenty20.The consensus was that while the side would be barred from taking part in a bilateral one-day series in May, they would be permitted to attend for the ICC event. But, in the light of the deteriorating political situation in Zimbabwe, that line has hardened in the last week.Gordon Brown, Britain’s prime minister, told the House of Commons that he wanted the Zimbabwe side banned. “The secretary for culture is working with the English board,” he said. “We want to ensure that Zimbabwe does not tour England next year and we will call for other countries to join us in banning Zimbabwe from the Twenty20 international tournament.”Jeremy Hunt, the culture, media and sport spokesman for the Conservatives, told parliament: “Gordon Brown needs to match tough words with tough actions. “If we are not going to recognise the regime, why are we welcoming a team that is run by Mugabe’s henchmen and will only be used to legitimise the evil he is perpetrating? Banning them from coming, by refusing to issue visas would send a clear message to Mugabe – the Zimbabwe cricket team is not welcome here whilst his criminal regime hangs on to power.”The ICC, which is to discuss Zimbabwe’s future next week, is left with a difficult choice.If it suspends or expels Zimbabwe from Full Member status then the problem goes away as they would immediately forfeit their place in the competition. But if Zimbabwe remain eligible to play, then the ICC will need to decide if the event can proceed in England.Next week’s ICC annual conference should have been staged in London, but with Peter Chingoka, the Zimbabwe board chairman, barred from entry to the UK, the executive moved the show to Dubai.It would take a complete about-turn for them to accept that the World Twenty20 could proceed as planned without a Full Member being present, and when the executive last met the majority of members were adamant such a situation would not be allowed.

ScorecardDefending champions Kent secured their place in Twenty20 Finals Day with a convincing 42-run victory against Warwickshire at Edgbaston. Darren Stevens was the star as he clubbed 69 off 32 to turnaround a stuttering innings then claimed two wickets.Kent’s innings was threatening to fall short of expectations as Warwickshire’s seamers – especially Neil Carter and Chris Martin – restricted the scoring rate. When Justin Kemp was bowled by Ian Salisbury for 9, Kent were 98 for 5. Stevens, though, didn’t panic and hit five sixes alongside six fours in his innings, adding 60 with Azhar Mahmood who took 25 off 13 balls.Stevens took a particularly liking to Chris Woakes, who was hit for three sixes before being order out of the attack for bowling two beamers in his final over. Darren Maddy completed the 19th over, which in total cost 33 runs.Chasing 176, Warwickshire lost Carter early and after reaching 40 for 1 suffered a terminal decline in the middle order. Maddy, who missed the qualifying section with a broken thumb, was run out for 27 off 18 balls. Mahmood was also miserly with the ball, conceding 16 runs from his four overs, while Yasir Arafat continued his good season with three wickets.Kent join Middlesex and Essex in Finals Day and the fourth team will be known after the rearranged quarter-final between Durham and Nottinghamshire, following the expulsion of Yorkshire.

Daft decision of the day
Play didn’t begin until 3pm, reducing the match to 24 overs. Withheavy rain forecast at 6pm, it would seem only sensible to reduce theinterval between innings as much as possible, in order to give thehardy Edgbaston crowd the chance of seeing a full match. Instead, theytook 30 minutes while the rain petered down, and the race against theweather continued.Shots of the day
It was only a reduced game, but Luke Wright took full advantage toprove his worth which, in six ODIs prior today, had yielded only onefifty. He looked out of sorts at Chester-le-Street, yet today appearedto resemble the fearless striker members of Hove have enjoyed for thepast two seasons. His target? Michael Mason. The first rocketed overcover, going inside out, which was followed by the cleanest of sixesover the top. He saved the best for last, however, with a slog-sweepover midwicket so emphatic as to make Steve Waugh, the shot’s pioneer, greenwith envy. Now, England just need Ian Bell and Wright to fire in thesame innings and they might have found a useful, potentiallydestructive, opening partnership.Unwise marketing of the day
Britons are renowned boozers, and never more so than at the cricket.And while international grounds have, for the most part, banned peoplefrom bringing in their own, one Australian wine company exploitedBritain’s thirst with unlimited quantities available to all, albeit ina tea-cup sized plastic container. With each rain break, the crowdscame eargerly flocking for a top-up, but such was their increasingstupor that they remained beside the bar, ready for another. A trafficisland of sozzled fans, none of whom were capable of remembering whatthey had enjoyed, blocked the entrance to the hospitality suites,prompting a naïve policeman to call for order. He failed.Belly-flop of the day
Dimitri Mascarenhas is many things, but any aspirations he had ofemulating Paul Collingwood’s salmon-leaping catches came tumbling downto earth today. With a bump. Stationed expectantly at short fine-leg,Brendon McCullum flicked one aerially just to his left. He sprangforward, almost getting both feet off the ground, before collapsingflat on his stomach rather indignantly. It was a moment to make allaspiring league cricketers proud.

Round two of the State Championship gets underway tomorrow and the rampaging Canterbury side will be looking to put a significant performance together against Northern Districts to get their season off to the perfect start.Both sides will suffer when the national side is chosen, and points gained at this early stage of the summer when the sides are at close to full strength could come in very handy further down the line.But there are other reasons for Canterbury to want to do well.All-rounder Chris Cairns goes into the match on 599 first-class wickets, Chris Harris will be playing his 100th first-class match and wicket-keeper Gareth Hopkins who is on 98 first-class dismissals.More importantly though is the quality time available to players who are prospective Test candidates for the New Zealand team to be named at the weekend.With that in mind Daryl Tuffey will be looking for a similar sort of return for Northern Districts that he had at the Village Green last year. That was the effort that saw him recalled to the Test team, with such outstanding effect in New Zealand’s victory over England at Eden Park.Should Ian Butler pass the fitness test he has to do before the match, it will be an important trial for him to show he is ready to be considered for Test play.Daniel Vettori will be looking too, to get more overs under his belt, the more the merrier probably.Equally, Chris Martin and Shane Bond will be wanting to have plenty of bowling too.In many ways this game is perfectly placed coming as it does before the Test. Two strong teams doing battle on what is expected to be a good pitch at Rangiora, should make for a tight contest.The other match of the round, between Auckland and Wellington at Eden Park’s outer oval, should be an equally absorbing contest.The home team’s batting, especially the top order, will be well tested by the highly impressive Wellington attack which did so well against Central Districts in the first round.Another good performance by left-armer James Franklin could make Test considerations very interesting while Mark Richardson, Lou Vincent and Matt Horne, all prospective Test batsmen will at least have the chance to work out against some top quality bowling.Then there’s the natural rivalry between these two sides to consider. It is shaping as one of the more intense rounds of the competition.