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Ian Healy believes Andrew Symonds, his former Queensland team-mate, could have been looking for a way out of the international game after being sent home from England for breaking team rules. Symonds was cut from the squad three days before Australia’s opening World Twenty20 match in a decision Andrew Flintoff said would “be detrimental to the tournament”.Symonds was punished for drinking while watching the opening State of Origin rugby league game on Wednesday and has been replaced in the squad by Cameron White. Healy, the former Test vice-captain, said Symonds always loved a drink and it may have turned into a problem.”The other thing is he might just be sick [of cricket],” Healy told radio station . “He’s just cooked and tired of cricket and sort of wants to be dropped.”I’m not sure whether Symo wants to play cricket or be bound by contracts or be bound by the Cricket Australia structure. I sense that he might be seeking the freedom that IPL and maybe a county stint might offer him.”Healy remembered Symonds’ grilling of Shane Warne when the legspinner was banned on the eve of the 2003 World Cup for a drug issue. “Now it’s Andrew Symonds who has created a similar indiscretion and let a squad down,” he said.”It’s damaging and not defendable as yet. Cricket either changes those team boundaries to accommodate him or they lose him. That might be the scenario.”Flintoff has had his own drink-related problems, including the pedalo incident during the 2007 World Cup, and was sad Symonds had left. “It’s going to be detrimental to the tournament,” Flintoff told the BBC. “People want to see the likes of Andrew Symonds. It’s sad for Symo and it’s sad for the tournament as well. I’m sure Symo will be back. He’s far too good and he’s far too strong-willed to let this upset him too much.”Dean Jones said Symonds was “too Australian”. “He just had a beer and supported Queensland’s big win over New South Wales … He left the hotel without telling anyone,” Jones told . “Can you imagine that in the old days with Dennis Lillee or Jeff Thomson having to tell the manager where they were going. It’s a security reason for whatever reason. But they’re in England aren’t they?”

ScorecardJames Hildreth’s career-best 303 was the earliest triple century in an English season•Getty Images

James Hildreth wrote his name into the record books at Taunton by recording the earliest triple-century in an English season. In a neat twist the previous record-holder had been his captain in this match, Justin Langer, who scored 315 on April 20, 2007. Another who will remember this day was Hildreth’s partner, the wicketkeeper Craig Kieswetter, who scored an impressive maiden first-class century as the match ended in a predictable high-scoring draw.The only realistic purpose for the final day’s play was to let the Somerset batsmen fill their boots, as a result was out of the question unless the Warwickshire batsmen were to commit collective suicide against a weak bowling attack on a placid pitch. By the time the declaration came during the afternoon, the respective boots of Hildreth and Kieswetter were overflowing.There was little competitive element left in the match and they could be excused if they set their sights on individual feats. Somerset resumed the day at 454 for 4, and Hildreth moved from 191 to his 200 in the fourth over of the day, reaching the landmark with a tickle to fine leg for four after facing 237 balls. He slowed down temporarily until he had passed his previous best of 227 not out, and then continued in fine style. He now looked in total control, seeming to toy with the bowling and employing the sweep to good effect.His 250 came up off 292 deliveries with a nudge through the vacant slip area for four, and shortly afterwards Kieswetter reached three figures with the nearest to a chance that Warwickshire enjoyed all morning. He miscued a stroke just clear of backward point on 98 but managed to collect the two he needed. It took him 198 balls, and he celebrated with the fourth six of his innings. More were to come, as he laid into the hapless bowling in fine style, although he survived a chance to long leg when on 132.Hildreth showed no sign of nerves as he approached his major landmark, which came as he pulled a short ball from Jonathan Trott to the midwicket boundary. Off the very next ball, in a new over from Darren Maddy, Kieswetter reached 150 and Langer immediately declared, probably unaware that the pair was only two runs short of Somerset’s all-time fourth-wicket record with their unbroken 318. Their respective figures were enough to make the bowlers cry: Hildreth 303 not out, 338 balls, 35 fours, 4 sixes; Kieswetter 150 not out, 238 balls, 10 fours, six sixes. The slaughter was over.Warwickshire went in again 172 runs behind and with potentially 54 overs left for play, but nobody seriously expected a result. The visitors began slowly, just to make sure no starry-eyed locals suffered from unnecessary excitement, and after tea Langer put on his part-time bowlers. But, whether front-line or occasional, none of the bowlers in this match ever really worried the opposition on a good pitch.This fact took some of the lustre away from Hildreth’s monumental innings, but it was not his fault. A player can only do his best with what is placed in front of him, and he certainly did that. He showed that he has more than just the talent to score big runs in county cricket, but the right mental attitude as well, and if this is indeed a new beginning to his career, he could not have made a better start. Everyone – including the selectors – will be following his progress with great interest this season, hoping that indeed a new star has been born.Meanwhile, if Somerset are to have serious championship aspirations, they will need to improve their bowling and produce pitches to give them a little more assistance. As things stand, they will not bowl many, if any, teams out twice at Taunton. Warwickshire’s bowlers, too, will not have gained much confidence from their return to top division cricket.

Group B

Afghanistan spinner Raees Ahmadzai celebrates with team-mates after dismissing Denmark captain Freddie Klokker•Associated Press

A stellar allround effort from Ryan ten Doeschate, who scored an unbeaten 106 and bagged two wickets, helped Netherlands race to a four-wicket win over Kenya in Potchefstroom as they made short work of a competitive Kenyan score of 247. They did experience a minor wobble, losing the first three wickets for 62. ten Doeschate and Bas Zuiderent launched a counter-attack, adding an unbeaten 186 at almost a run-a-ball to shut Kenya out of the game. Zuiderent played the patient hand, while his partner’s second century was a brisk one, laced with nine fours and three sixes. The Netherland bowlers did their part in restricting Kenya down to a chaseable score, striking at frequent intervals and preventing any threatening partnership from taking root. Kenya’s decision to bat first appeared to backfire early on as fast bowler Edgar Schiferli dismissed the openers with just 14 on the board. He was well supported by ten Doeschate and Peter Borren who shared four wickets. The highlights for Kenya included a half-century by Jimmy Kamande and the lower-order recovery that helped them salvage a testing score from a precarious situation at 103 for 5. However, their efforts proved inadequate in the wake of a ruthless display of batting by ten Doeschate, who was adjudged Man of the Match.Afghanistan, perhaps the most closely followed team in the tournament, didn’t disappointing their fans, beating Denmark by five wickets in Vanderbijlpark. Their bowlers justified captain Nowroz Mangal’s decision to field by limiting Denmark to 204 for 9, and the batsmen recovered well to chase down the target with more than three overs to spare. Afghanistan’s star performer was Karim Khan who started his List A career on a high, taking 4 for 27 with his offspinners and scoring a brisk 39 as opener. Denmark, after getting themselves into a good position at 133 for 2, lost their next seven wickets for 71 as Khan, supported well by Mohammad Nabi and Hasti Gul made frequent inroads. Though Denmark did fight back with the ball, restricting Afghanistan to 88 for 4, including the wicket of Khan, their efforts were dented by a 78-run stand between wicketkeeper Mohammad Shehzad, who made an unbeaten 55, and Nabi who lent stability to the Afghan innings and helped their team to victory.It was a new role for Khan, who took a break his wicketkeeping duties to have a bowl, and he was pleased on receiving the Man-of-the-Match award. “It was bad luck for Denmark that I injured my finger, which meant I stopped keeping wicket,” he said. “My captain trusted me with the ball and I bowled wicket-to-wicket and ended up with four wickets and a run-out. I’ve done this before, but our new coach wants me to focus on my wicketkeeping, while Taj (the former coach) always used to trust me with my bowling. My coach is very happy with my bowling today, and I am hoping he will let me bowl in the other games.”United Arab Emirates, buoyed by an impressive allround display by their captain Khurram Khan, who scored an unbeaten 40 and captured three wickets, beat Bermuda by four wickets in the day’s main upset in Potchefstroom. UAE gained the early advantage after they were asked to field, dismissing both the Bermuda openers fairly cheaply, leaving them reeling at 67 for 5. Medium-pacers Amjad Javed and Zahid Shah shared four wickets before the lower-order led by Janeiro Tucker’s 66, staged a recovery, adding 78 for the last four wickets to salvage a score of 187. UAE started off briskly and their batsmen Arshad Ali and Saqib Ali had taken them to comfortable position at 105 for 2, after rain clouds cooled down the day and the teams left the field briefly during the reply, with lightning threatening to be a problem on the Highveld. Though they then lost four wickets for 53, Khurram held the innings together, stroking five fours, and received good support from Sameer Nayak to help take his team past Bermuda’s total.Edgar Schiferli reflects on a dropped catch during Netherlands’ win over Kenya•Getty Images

Group A

Uganda held their nerve to complete a six-run victory against Namibia in Krugersdorp. A composed fifty from opener Roger Mukasa and forties from Joel Olwenyi and Frank Nsubuga lifted Uganda to 234 for 7. Uganda started well reaching 45 for no loss in 10 overs but lost their first wicket, that of Arthur Kyobe for 17, in the 13th over. Mukasa scored 51 off 66 balls, hitting seven boundaries and one six en route, before he fell to Deon Kotze – Namibia’s top performer with the ball with 2 for 22. The Namibian spinners did stem the flow of runs, but Frank Nsubuga provided some late fireworks with a 36-ball 45. During the chase, Namibia started slowly but Raymond van Schoor and Sarel Burger handed the advantage to Namibia, hitting 59 and 50 repsectively, and putting on 101 for the second wicket. However, both fell to right-arm offspinner Davis Arinaitwe, who went on to pick up 4 for 53, and his spell played a crucial role in containing Namibia to 228 for 9 in their 50 overs.A brilliant hundred from captain Sunil Dhaniram helped Canada crush Oman by 103 runs in Pretoria. Having stroked 100 off 91 balls to push Canada to 247, he picked up two wickets as well to complete formalities by the 41st over during Oman’s chase. Put in by Oman, Rizwan Cheema provided the momentum at the top with a quick 64. However, having lost their way in the middle, Dhaniram propped them up, hitting 10 fours and two sixes during his unbeaten stay. Tariq Hussain was the most impressive among the Oman bowlers picking up 5 for 39. It was disaster right from the start of the chase, as Oman lost three wickets for no score. And with half the side gone with nine runs, thanks to Khurram Chauhan’s splendid effort of 4 for 27, it looked to be a tall ask. A 50-run partnership for the ninth wicket between No. 3 bastman Nilesh Parmar (38 not out) and Farhan Khan (43) was the highest of the innings, as Dhaniram fittingly brought an end to proceedings.William Porterfield led from the front with a fine 101 as Ireland cruised to a seven-wicket thumping of their old rivals Scotland in the clash of the pre-tournament favourites. Read Will Luke’s match bulletin here.

Zimbabwe’s gradual rehabilitation received another boost with news that former captain and coach Dave Houghton will be returning to work as director of national coaching.Houghton was one of many who turned his back on the crumbling Zimbabwe cricket scene, but he will resume in August. All that needs to be sorted are contractual details, but a source close to the board said it was in effect a done deal.His job is not full-time and will take up around five months of the year during which time he will act as technical director to national team and age-group coaches and ensuring there is a uniform approach throughout.Houghton’s presence will give an invaluable experienced edge to the coaching set-up. Aside from his unquestionable pedigree as a player, he has overseen the national side as well as enjoyed spells with Derbyshire and Worcestershire.He will continue to keep his main home in England and it is not thought likely that he could be tempted into taking on the post of national coach which has been an ongoing worry for the board for some time. The parlous state of the country as a whole, and the cricket structure in particular, has made it almost impossible for the board to hire anyone of any quality.

Australian fast bowler Stuart Clark has been left out of the New South Wales squad for the Sheffield Shield clash against Western Australia at the SCG on Thursday to nurse his injured elbow. Cricket Australia had in fact, instructed the NSW selectors to rest him for the sake of being fit for forthcoming national assignments.”He (Clark) told me he wanted to play and wanted to play last weekend against Queensland but (national team physiotherapist) Alex Kountouris and his medical team had said no,” NSW chairman of selectors Brian Taber told .The Blues made three changes to from the previous game, bringing in Nathan Bracken, Ed Cowan and Steven Smith for Peter Forrest, Grant Lambert and Moises Henriques. However, batsman David Warner was once again omitted and will have to wait longer for his first-class debut.”We hope he will play in all forms in the not too distant future,” Taber said. He explained that it he was omitted in favour of Usman Khawaja who impressed in the Blues’ previous game.Squad: Dominic Thornely (capt), Nathan Bracken, Beau Casson, Ed Cowan, Burt Cockley, Phil Jaques, Usman Khawaja, Greg Mail, Ben Rohrer, Daniel Smith, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc.

West Indies 352 for 7 (Nash 47*, Benn 10*) lead England 318 (Pietersen 97) by 34 runs
Scorecard and ball-by-ball commentary

Chris Gayle and Ramnaresh Sarwan both recorded centuries in a second-wicket stand of 202, while West Indies’ traditionally brittle lower-middle order found a new backbone in the form of their Australia-born Jamaican, Brendan Nash, as England were made to toil for wickets on the third day in Kingston. By the close of play their first-innings total of 318 had been overhauled in a long, slow and determined grind that was seldom pretty to watch but mightily heartening for a lively and appreciative Sabina Park crowd.It was a consummate team performance from West Indies, and that’s a phrase that has rarely been used in recent years. From the diligence of Gayle and Sarwan at the top of the order, via Shivnarine Chanderpaul’s typically obdurate 20 from 86 balls, to a vital 66-run stand between Nash and Denesh Ramdin that halted England’s bid for momentum at 254 for 5, they found sufficient character at the pivotal moments of the day to leave England’s captain, Andrew Strauss, with plenty to ponder as he led his weary troops from the field.Compared with their lacklustre efforts on the second afternoon, England were actually a much improved unit with the ball. The pick of the attack was Stuart Broad, who claimed three vital breakthroughs with an attacking wicket-to-wicket line. It was he who ended Gayle’s superb innings in the penultimate over before lunch with a delivery that kept low to pluck out the middle stump, and having bagged Xavier Marshall lbw two balls later, he returned late in the afternoon session, armed with a new ball that had been delayed for 24 overs, to send Chanderpaul on his way in the same fashion.But in perhaps the key partnership of the day, Nash and Ramdin repelled England’s bowlers for 26 overs in their contrasting styles – Nash, a nuggetty left-hander, deflected and nurdled with little regard for the run-rate (save for one hostile Flintoff over, in which he employed the uppercut to good effect to poach two of his three boundaries). Ramdin, meanwhile, was more assertive, chasing width with scything cuts and drives, many of which would have been worth more on a less sluggish outfield. It was he who secured the first-innings lead with a feisty pull for four off Broad, although he hadn’t added to his score of 35 when he edged Monty Panesar to Paul Collingwood at slip two overs later. That wicket was Panesar’s first and only breakthrough in 45 overs of hard yakka.Steve Harmison added the wicket of Jerome Taylor late in the day for 7, and Nash reached the close three runs shy of a richly deserved third Test fifty in four innings. Nevertheless, the most celebrated innings of the day was played by another, more renowned Jamaican. On Bob Marley’s 64th anniversary, Gayle chose an auspicious date to record his ninth Test century, and first in front of his home fans. Despite his untimely pre-lunch demise, it was unquestionably one of the most disciplined innings of his career, and really rammed home West Indies’ overnight advantage, after they had resumed on 160 for 1.Gayle reached his hundred in a typically grandstanding manner – two massive sixes over long-on off Panesar were followed immediately by a delicate sweep to fine leg. And though that flurry may have been in keeping with his reputation, in truth this was an innings of intense dedication. He reached three figures from a devout 183 balls, and aside from those two late blows, he picked up only two other boundaries all day, both of them controlled deflections through the slip cordon.On a slow and sluggish surface, patience was the key for batsmen and bowlers alike. England ploughed a disciplined furrow outside off, occasionally teasing the edge but more often than not hoping against hope for an indiscretion from the incumbent batsmen. For an hour and 50 minutes of the morning session it was not forthcoming, as Gayle and Sarwan sensed a genuine opportunity to bat England out of the contest.Sarwan, whose form had been under some scrutiny in the build-up to this match, was every bit as disciplined as his captain. Resuming on 71, he continued to pepper the off-side with crisp drives and pushes, although on an incredibly slow outfield he did not get full value for his strokes. He picked up a solitary four through the covers as Andrew Flintoff overpitched, and then added his second boundary of the morning in the final over of the session, as he paddled Panesar delicately behind square to bring up his 12th Test century.For all the serenity of the pair’s partnership, there was another moment of drama involving the review system when Gayle had made 85. Flintoff sent down a leg-side delivery, and Matt Prior claimed a strangled catch with glee. Umpire Tony Hill immediately upheld the appeal, but Gayle was not amused and called for a second opinion. Daryl Harper in the TV replay booth was not permitted to use Hotspot to aid his adjudication, so he had only a very sketchy and inconclusive slow-motion replay to work with.For the second day running, the benefit of the doubt was given to the batsman, and Hill, who would not have been umpiring in this game had Asoka de Silva got his visa in time, must have been wishing he’d never landed in the country. Hill did at least have the pleasure of his first correct call at the fourth attempt later on in the day, when Chanderpaul’s lbw decision was upheld on review. And earlier in the afternoon, Hill had again been vindicated when England wasted their final referral on an over-ambitious Panesar appeal that was rightly dismissed out of hand.There was no review required for Sarwan’s eventual dismissal, however. Flintoff, bowling with typical pace and accuracy with the old ball, managed first to stifle West Indies’ scoring options, then find enough movement off a slow deck to find an inside-edge as Sarwan attempted to slash his way through the off side. He threw his head back in disgust after enduring for 290 balls for his 107. But nevertheless, his obdurate effort had given West Indies a substantial platform, and by the close Nash had followed the instructions of his senior colleagues to the letter. With two days to go and a lead of 34, West Indies are in a stronger position than most of the Sabina Park faithful could have hoped for.

Group A

National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) emerged firm favourites in their tie against Pakistan Customs at the National Bank of Pakistan Sports Complex in Karachi. Captain Fawad Alam took full advantage of the home conditions, scoring an unbeaten 296 in NBP’s 627. A brisk innings saw him taking full toll of the bowlers, stroking 37 fours and two sixes in his 294-ball innings. Nasir Jamshed also reached his hundred, while Qaisar Abbas provided able support with 52. Six of the seven bowlers used finished with economy-rates above five, with a run-rate of 5.70 for the innings. More trouble was in store for Customs, who were reduced to 18 for 3 in their second innings and need another 479 runs to avoid an innings defeat.Ali Asad completed his century while Asim Kamal scored an unbeaten 58 to help Karachi Whites extend their lead to 148 against Habib Bank Limited (HBL) at the Southend Club Cricket Stadium in Karachi. Resuming on 95 for 0, Asad lost his opening partner Murtaza Majeed for 41. But he continued strongly from his overnight score of 58 to finish on 108, hitting 13 fours. Kamal’s composed half-century further strengthened HBL and along with Javed Mansoor guided them to 324 for 5 at the end of the day. Fahad Masood provided the little cheer for Karachi with his 3 for 70.Fifities from Umar Akmal and captain Azhar Shafiq put Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited on top against Lahore Shalimar at the Lahore City Cricket Association Ground. The two put on 124 for the third wicket to give SNGPL a slender nine-run lead, as they ended the day on 216 for 4. Mohammad Saeed was left to fight a lone battle after Lahore continued from 176 for 7 the previous day. He remained unbeaten on 59, as they were bowled out inside the first 14 overs.Imran Abbas missed out on a century as Sui Southern Gas Corporation were bowled out for 278 on the second day of their match against Pakistan International Airlines at the Quaid-e-Azam Park. He failed to build on his unbeaten 82 from the previous day, finishing on 90, as SSGC added 72 runs to their overnight score. PIA were struggling at 59 for 3 at one stage before fifties from the two Iqbals, Fahad and Faisal, propped up the Group A toppers and took them to a strong 181 for 3 at the end of play.It was Junaid Nadir’s turn with the bat, after his bowling heroics on the first day for Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited against Water and Power Development Authority at the Sheikhupura Stadium. Coming in at No. 6, his 117-ball 60 was crucial in ensuring a first-innings lead after the good work by Afaq Raheem (82) at the top threatened to come undone. Mustafa Iqbal finished with 4 for 39 and Sarfraz Ahmed picked up 3 for 47, as ZTBL were all out for 242 in reply to WAPDA’s 199.

Group B

Multan posted an impressive 332 in their first innings against Faisalabad at Okara. While Usman Tariq starred on the first day, Naved Yasin and Majid Majeed carried on the good work from the overnight score of 153 for 4. Yasin fell eight short of a century, while Majeed scored 75 off 199 balls, including ten boundaries and a six. The sixth-wicket partnership of 139 between the two was the highlight of the day’s play, as was Zahoor Khan’s 5 for 100 in the innings. Faisalabad lost their openers, Imran Ali and Zeeshan Asif, during the reply and finished on 68 for 2 at stumps.Riaz Kail’s 87 helped Abbottabad gain a 145-run lead against Karachi Blues at the United Bank Limited Sports Complex. Beginning the day at 146 for 5, Abbottabad lost Rashid Mansoor early, but Kail’s 187-ball innings, which comprised ten fours and a six, put them in charge. Kail was involved in two 50-plus partnerships – 57 for the seventh wicket with Mohammad Kashif, and 67 with Noor-ul-Amin for the seventh. Abdul Ameer’s five-for, and Tabish Khan’s 4 for 99 were the only bright spots for Karachi, who slipped to 101 for 5 in their second innings. The Abbottabad seamers, Armaghan Elahi and Rashid Mansoor, split the spoils as Karachi were left facing an uphill struggle, still trailing by 44.Waqas Ahmed and Junaid Zia contrived to shoot out Quetta for 256 in their fixture against Lahore Ravi at Muridke. Mohammad Aslam brought up his half-century, but could only add four runs to his overnight score of 48. Waqas and Junaid then ran through the lower half who failed to hold up against the seamers. But Lahore were left precariously at 103 for 4 at stumps during their reply, to set up an intriguing third day.Rawalpindi may have been disappointed at being bowled out for 297 in their first innings, but Mohammad Rameez and Rizwan Akbar rang in the cheer as they ended Sialkot’s reply on 155 in Islamabad. Resuming on 231 for 5, Naved Arif brought about a quick end to Rawalpindi’s innings as finished with 6 for 63. Sialkot, however, never got going during the reply, losing wickets regularly. The highest partnership of 37 came from the fourth-wicket pair of Haris Sohail and Nayyer Abbas. Rameez bagged 4 for 45, while Rizwan picked up 3 for 56. Rawalpindi were 4 for 0 in their second innings at stumps.Azeem Ghumon’s century pushed Hyderabad to 244 for 8 on the opening day against Peshawar at the Niaz Stadium. His 163-ball effort comprised ten boundaries and was the stand-out effort in a disappointing batting card. Imran Khan accounted for three of the top five bastmen and ended with 4 for 37, enabling Peshwar to claw back.

England’s decision to send its team back to India barely two weeks after the terror attacks in Mumbai has led to a significant thaw in ties between the two national boards. Talks are still at a delicate stage but the BCCI, it is learnt, is now more open to accommodating the ECB in its Champions Twenty20 League blueprint, possibly in the way of one more team, a voice in its management and a host status in the future. The two boards are also known to be formalising a five-Test ‘icon’ status series, on the lines of the Ashes.A top Indian official told Cricinfo India’s relations with England are now “almost on par with our current relationship with Australia” – a far cry from the status earlier in the year, when the two sides were almost in opposite camps on a number of issues. He also suggested there was a new understanding within the BCCI of England’s position on a variety of issues, including the primacy of England’s domestic season that has prevented its players from participating in the IPL and the opportunities that will open up if England are invited to host the Champions League in the future.Significantly, at the ICC level, India and England are now together in opposing a proposal from Australia for a Test championship to replace the current Future Tours Programme (FTP) that ends in 2012. The proposal involves neutral venues and limiting Zimbabwe and Bangladesh to home series to ensure commercial viability. More importantly, it suggests a central TV revenue pool, which England and India are averse to – they are cricket’s major TV revenue-earners and stand to lose in such a deal.The thaw began when the ECB decided to send its team to India after the terror strikes and was intensified after talks in Chennai and Mohali – the venues of the recent Test series – between Indian and English officials, including Giles Clarke, the ECB chairman, David Collier, the ECB chief executive, Shashank Manohar, the BCCI president, and N Srinivasan, the BCCI secretary.No concrete decisions were taken in the absence of Lalit Modi, the IPL and Champions League chairman, but more talks are scheduled between the two boards in January. “The ice has been broken,” the official said. “The relations between the two boards are at its best phase ever.”The mood is echoed on the English side. “The relationship between the ECB and BCCI is extremely strong and we will be delighted to work together for the betterment of world cricket,” an ECB official said.This is in stark contrast to a period from June-September when bilateral ties hit their lowest spot after India shut England out of the Champions League largely due to the presence of ICL players in the county circuit and a perceived “personality clash” between Clarke and Modi, the businessmen-administrators. This chill was reflected in a strongly worded email in July from the BCCI to the ECB, rejecting its invitation to send an Indian team for a rival Champions League in the Middle East, and telling England that it was time to “avoid playing ping pong” on the issue.The BCCI had also taken strong exception to the ECB signing a tour deal with Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC), then headed by Arjuna Ranatunga, for May that would have prevented Lanka’s cricketers from taking part in the second IPL edition. Sri Lanka subsequently pulled out.

“The past is past,” the Indian official said. “The possibilities are endless now.” At the bilateral level, it could mean the ECB having some kind of a say in the Champions League – though the other founding partners, Cricket Australia and Cricket South Africa are yet to agree. More realistically, it could mean one more English team in the 2009 edition and the multi-national event being staged in England at some point in the future. The ECB, which is open to hosting the tournament as early as in 2010, has listed a number of factors to back its case, especially the substantial TV market for Twenty20 cricket and the ability to reach prime time in almost all cricket-viewing zones.”Besides, there will be a much bigger audience at the grounds in England for matches between, say, Victoria and Titans [South Africa], than in India,” the Indian official said. “England’s multi-cultural, multi-ethnic spectator base would work perfectly for a tournament like the Champions League.”The ECB, on its part, has alerted the counties to the perils of fielding ICL players, which would hamper their chances of playing in the Champions League – only Middlesex, who had no ICL players, were invited for the aborted inaugural edition. And, many counties have subsequently eased out the ICL players in their ranks, including Stuart Law, Saqlain Mushtaq and Jason Gillespie.The BCCI, CA and CSA are scheduled to meet by January end to discuss the Champions League format in India for 2009, which could have up to 12 teams from the current eight.Indian officials are also aware they may have to adjust future IPL schedules to secure England players for the entire tournament, though a senior IPL official has ruled out any change in their calendar, as of now. The IPL runs during April-May, while England’s traditional summer starts in May, this time with a home series against West Indies. “A lot of progress has been made,” the Indian official said. “England is the home of cricket and should now emerge as a valuable partner for India.”

Classical leave
If England were to get anywhere near India’s totalin the morning, much was needed from Stuart Broad, whose batting has beennearly as impressive on occasion as his new-ball bursts. But whenHarbhajan Singh came round the wicket and flighted one in at the stumps,Broad shouldered arms. Someone should have told him that Harbhajan hasn’tturned his off break properly in ages. This was a straight ball and ittook out off stump.Reverse it one way, reverse the other
Zaheer Khan set up GraemeSwann beautifully. Coming round the wicket, he tempted him with a deliverythat angled away from the bat before producing one that angled in, nippedback off the seam and made a mess of the stumps. Far too good for No. 10.The Jonty route to success
Ian Bell’s contribution with the bat inthis series has been negligible but at least he can point to a moment ofincredible fielding. Virender Sehwag had given India’s second innings atypically brisk start when he decided to chance a single despite Broad,the bowler, having got his hands to a straight drive. Bell was in like awhippet from the covers and with ball in hand, he just flew into thestumps. Sehwag just kept on walking.Keep a man down
It’s funny how often you see one bowler creatingthe pressure and the other being rewarded with the wicket. Jimmy Andersonkept Rahul Dravid scoreless for 18 balls and when he finally got a chanceto face Broad, the delivery cannoned into the stumps off the bottom offthe bat. First-innings century to second-innings zero.Know who you’re running with
Gautam Gambhir did little wrong on anafternoon when he played the sheet-anchor role, but he did forget who hewas running with. VVS Laxman, with his dodgy knees, isn’t built for quicksingles, and he had no chance once Andrew Flintoff was unerringly accuratewith his pick-up and throw.This pie-chucker can bat
Kevin Pietersen stood at leg slipwhile Yuvraj Singh was batting, and a couple of pleasantries must surelyhave been exchanged by these best of friends. But if England expectedYuvraj to be a soft touch, they were in for a rude shock. A wonderfulheave for six over midwicket off Monty Panesar was the highlight of his40-ball 39, and in the space of an hour, the match had been left with onlytwo possible results – a draw or an Indian win.

South Africa carry “unbelievable potential” in their bowling line-up but the coach Mickey Arthur has warned they are not at the level of the great West Indies attacks of the 1990s. Pace will be a crucial asset for the tourists, who arrived in Perth on Sunday, as they attempt to win their first series in Australia over the next month.Dale Steyn, a 25-year-old who can deliver outswingers at 150kph, leads the attack that is complemented by the experienced Makhaya Ntini and the 24-year-old Morne Morkel. “People must realise that our guys are still young,” Arthur told . “They are not the West Indies attack of the 1990s, as they were written up in England.”But they are learning all the time and there’s unbelievable potential. There’s a huge amount of potential there. You’ve got Makhaya who bowls from a different angle, you’ve got Dale who swings it out and you’ve got Morne Morkel who is quick and bouncy.”Arthur said the group was “covered in all areas”. “People have often said our attack is one-dimensional,” he said. “You’ll see three different quick bowlers, all who bring different elements to our attack, which is brilliant, lots of variation.”It is one component in a two-year plan to prepare the squad for a tough tour of Australia. “We come here as a pretty settled and deep unit,” Arthur said. “We have huge respect for Australia. They haven’t lost a home series since 1992-93, so we know what awaits us. We are going to be challenged in every way.”The opening Test starts in Perth on December 17 and a fast surface is expected. Arthur is not sure what will be provided but he will gain a better understanding of the surface during a couple of practice matches against Western Australia teams over the next week. “I have seen that it is getting quicker though,” he said. “I’m confident we’ll adjust quite quickly.”