Ponting was fearless - Viv Richards

Viv Richards has hailed Ricky Ponting's brashness and "show-no-fear" attitude as among his greatest traits, and Shane Warne has lauded Ponting's habit of making runs when Australia most needed them. Ponting farewelled Test cricket with Australia's loss to South Africa in Perth this week and on Thursday, Warne and Richards, in Melbourne in the lead-up to Friday night's Big Bash League opener, reflected on Ponting's 17-year Test career.

"Certainly he's up there with the very best," Richards said. "What I love about him more than anything else, you look at the way he walks out to the crease. He always has presence. There is a tenaciousness about him. He walks out and believes. He's not going to be intimidated by no one. I would like guys like that. I appreciate seeing guys who come out and have a particular presence."

The same words could have been used to describe Richards, one of Wisden's five cricketers of the century, a man who never wore a helmet and stared down fast bowlers all over the world while nonchalantly chewing his gum. Although the careers of the two men did not overlap - Richards retired from Test cricket four years before Ponting made his debut - Richards saw plenty of Ponting's batting and was impressed by the attitude he displayed from his very first match in 1995.

"A young batter who wants to make it, you cannot feel like you have one foot in and one foot out," Richards said. "You've got to make that crease your house. Ricky always made the crease his house. I've always been in his corner as a player because of that brashness, he's an in-your-face sort of guy. Show no fear. Batsmen sometimes can be intimidated by a guy from how far he runs up, but you just put that at the back of your mind and bat with what you have. Ricky, to me, certainly did that."

Richards is part of the BBL this year as a batting mentor for the Melbourne Stars, who are captained by Warne, a man who played 85 Tests alongside Ponting. Although Warne was not always enamoured with Ponting's captaincy decisions, he said Ponting's ability to score runs when Australia faced potential trouble was one of the reasons the team was so successful.

"It was fun to play with Ricky Ponting," Warne said. "I met him as a 16-year-old at the cricket academy in Adelaide. He was a guy who was pretty tough and an uncompromising sort of player. He will definitely go down with Greg Chappell and Allan Border and Bradman as the greatest batsmen Australia have had, and he'll hold up well on the international stage.

"He loved a scrap, he loved a fight, he was always good when the team really needed him he put his hand up. That's a really good characteristic in any player. It's not about how many runs you get, it's about when you get your runs and when you take your wickets. I think Ricky always got the majority of his runs when Australia really needed him. That was a standout characteristic of his. He was good fun to play with and tough as nails."

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Quick Indian-visa process likely for Pakistan fans

Pakistan's whistle stop two-week, five-match tour of India that starts on Christmas Day in Bangalore could be kicked off with the 3000 Pakistani ticket-holders for the series being issued Indian visas in less than ten days.

The Pakistan tour of India, featuring two T20 Internationals in Bangalore and Ahmedabad, and three ODIs in Chennai, Kolkata and Delhi, has been pushed through via the highest levels of the government and cricket administration on both sides of the border. The PCB will be issued the 3000 tickets to be distributed, by the board, in Pakistan: 1000 for the match in Delhi and 500 for each of the other four cities. Pakistan citizens holding tickets to all five matches will be issued five-city visas, an unusual diplomatic practice in itself. An announcement on a quicker visa-issuing process for the cricket is expected in a few days' time.

A four-man PCB recce team concluded its visit of India on Thursday, after travelling to each of the venues where the matches will be held. Nadeem Sarwar, the PCB's general manager, media, said that the issue of security will be left in the hands of the hosts. "What we expect is fool-proof security for our players, and we expect that the capability that these cities have will provide that."

The PCB recce team's chief concerns were more related to practice facilities and net bowlers, and ensuring that team hotels clear out mini-bars. There was, Sarwar said, no strict 'ban' on players socialising or attending private parties. "We would discourage individuals from socialising because it's going to be a very busy tour - five matches in 14 days. It's not like there's a ban or a restrictive list [of activities] on the tour, because there is very little time for socialising."

He said the future of Indo-Pak cricketing relations depended on India: "The ball will now be in their court." As for international cricket in Pakistan, Sarwar said that the PCB was confident that teams would start visiting Pakistan "very soon". "It is, at the moment, just a question of perception. We are in negotiations with several boards. Teams will start coming to Pakistan, hopefully soon."

On this tour, the Pakistan team, Sarwar said, wanted to redress their recent poor record against India: India had won the previous four games between the teams - two Asia Cup ODIs, the 2011 World Cup semi-final and a World T20 group match in September.

In Kolkata the PCB team met with Jagmohan Dalmiya, the former BCCI president, who recognised PCB chief Zaka Ashraf's role in pushing the series through. The May and June meetings between Ashraf and BCCI president N Srinivasan led to the announcement of a schedule for the series, which is sandwiched between England's Test and ODI tour of India. In September, Ashraf met with the-then Indian foreign minister, SM Krishna, in Islamabad and two months later, the Indian high commissioner to Pakistan travelled to Lahore for discussions on visa issues with PCB officials.

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McCullum takes over as New Zealand captain

Brendon McCullum has been appointed New Zealand's captain in all three formats after Ross Taylor declined an offer to stay on as leader of the Test side in a split-captaincy scenario. Taylor has also chosen to make himself unavailable for the upcoming tour of South Africa, although New Zealand are hopeful he will be back in the side for the home series against England early next year.

The confirmation of the change came at a press conference in Auckland on Friday morning where David White, the New Zealand Cricket CEO, said he regretted the way the captaincy debate had played out in the public spotlight. McCullum, who has previously led New Zealand in eight ODIs and 12 Twenty20s, will become the country's 28th Test captain when the series against South Africa begins on January 2 in Cape Town.

There had been much speculation this week about the future of Taylor since the squad returned from Sri Lanka despite their impressive series-leveling victory in Colombo. In that match Taylor, who took over as captain in 2011 after being preferred to McCullum for the role, scored 142 in the first innings, but it was one of few highlights in a poor year for New Zealand.

They lost Test series against South Africa, West Indies and India before the draw in Sri Lanka while they have slipped to ninth in the one-day rankings below Bangladesh. They were also knocked out in the Super Eights of the World Twenty20. It was after the review of that tournament, as well as the tours of India and Sri Lanka, that the coach Mike Hesson recommended splitting the captaincy.

"Mike Hesson proposed a split captaincy that was endorsed by me as CEO and agreed by the board," White said. "The original recommendation was for Ross Taylor to be retained as Test captain and Brendon McCullum to be short-form captain. We regret that Ross Taylor has declined the opportunity, therefore Brendon McCullum has been appointed as Black Caps captain for all three forms of the game.

"I met with Ross ... for about three hours yesterday and we considered a number of different options. One of them was ... for him to go to South Africa and even just play the Test matches if he wanted to do that. But he thought about it long and hard and he said that he would like a break and to spend time with his family and we've agreed with that and we respect that. It's not ideal and we would be a stronger team with Ross Taylor in it."

Despite the change in captaincy, White said he did not believe Taylor had lost the support of his players. "I don't believe he lost the dressing room," White said. "He is well respected."

Hesson, who took over from John Wright as New Zealand's coach in July, was due to front a press conference in Christchurch later on Friday.

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New Zealand drop Kruger van Wyk

New Zealand's change of captaincy has overshadowed a number of changes in their Test squad for the upcoming tour of South Africa, with the wicketkeeper Kruger van Wyk, the legspinner Todd Astle and the batsman Rob Nicol all left out after being part of the group that toured Sri Lanka. A 15-man squad has been named, with the other change the absence of Ross Taylor, who has decided to take a break from cricket following the captaincy drama.

BJ Watling will take the gloves for the two Tests in Cape Town and Port Elizabeth, while the batsmen Dean Brownlie and Peter Fulton have earned recalls. Brownlie, 28, was impressive during his first two series against Zimbabwe and Australia last year but was dropped following the tour of the West Indies in August, while Fulton, 33, has not played for New Zealand in any format for three years.

There was also a call-up for the uncapped left-arm spinner Bruce Martin, 32, who is the leading wicket taker among spinners in the Plunket Shield this summer with 15 at 31.80. Martin, who plays for Auckland, was second only to Neil Wagner among all wicket takers last season with 37 at an average of 37, and the selectors believe his style of bowling will be of more value in South Africa than the legspin of Astle.

"We don't require a leg-spin option in South African conditions so have left out Todd Astle but he is very much part of our thinking for the future," coach Mike Hesson said in a statement. "Bruce Martin is a specialist spinner who can bowl a lot of overs and he deserves an opportunity after showing good recent form. Following on from BJ Watling's good form in Sri Lanka and again while back in New Zealand, he has been selected as the Test wicketkeeper."

Fulton is also back in the Twenty20 squad, having not played a T20 international for nearly four years, while there were call-ups for a number of uncapped players. The left-arm fast bowler Corey Anderson, allrounder Jimmy Neesham, wicketkeeper Derek de Boorder, batsman Colin Munro and fast bowler Mitchell McClenaghan were all included and could make their debuts.

Tim Southee and Jacob Oram were not considered for the T20 squad due to the upcoming births of their children, and Andrew Ellis was ruled out with a side strain. The tour begins with a Twenty20 in Durban on December 21, followed by T20s in East London and Port Elizabeth, before the Tests take place in the first half of January. Three ODIs will follow the Tests, but the one-day squad is yet to be named.

Test squad Brendon McCullum (capt), Martin Guptill, Kane Williamson, Peter Fulton, Daniel Flynn, Dean Brownlie, BJ Watling (wk), James Franklin, Tim Southee, Doug Bracewell, Neil Wagner, Trent Boult, Jeetan Patel, Bruce Martin, Chris Martin.

Twenty20 squad Brendon McCullum (capt), Martin Guptill, Rob Nicol, Peter Fulton, Colin Munro, Nathan McCullum, Corey Anderson, James Franklin, Jimmy Neesham, Derek de Boorder, Mitchell McClenaghan, Doug Bracewell, Trent Boult, Ronnie Hira, Adam Milne.

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Younis blitz leads Abbottabad to tight win

Abbottabad Falcons 139 for 5 (Younis 48*, Hammad 35) beat Karachi Zebras 135 (Ghani 46, Ahsan 30, Usman 3-23) by five wickets
Scorecard

An attacking knock of 48 off 28 deliveries from captain Younis Khan took Abbottabad Falcons to a last-ball five-wicket win against Karachi Zebras at the Lahore City Cricket Association Ground. Chasing 136, they had lost four wickets for 71 runs in the 13th over, needing 68 off 43 balls, before Younis dominated his stands with Baber Khan, and later Khalid Usman, and kept them in the hunt. Karachi seamer Tabish Khan bowled economically, giving away 18 runs in his four overs.

After being put in to bat, Karachi kept losing wickets regularly. By the seventh over, four of their top-order batsmen had been dismissed. However, a fighting 73-run stand in quick time between Daniyal Ahsan and Sheharyar Ghani helped them build a solid platform for acceleration towards the end. But that didn't happen, as they lost their last six wickets for 19 runs, due to wickets by Amjad Waqas, Junaid Khan and spinner Khalid Usman, who took three wickets in the innings, and two run outs.

Abbottabad were in control of the chase at 67 for 2, with opener Hammad Ali having scored 35. Two quick wickets and slow scoring pegged them back, before Younis played his match-winning hand.

Multan Tigers 155 for 6 (Maqsood 38, Yasin 34*, Sadaf 32, Malik 3-17) beat Sialkot Stallions 113 for 7 (Nayyar 43*, Zulfiqar 4-15) by 42 runs
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details

A solid combined batting effort and a four-wicket haul by left-arm spinner Zulfiqar Babar ensured Multan Tigers' convincing 42-run victory against Sialkot Stallions. Sialkot's chances of chasing down 156 were blown away early when Zulfiqar, and seamers Mohammad Irfan and Kashif Naved left them struggling at 29 for 5 in the eighth over. Although captain Shoaib Malik and No. 7 Nayyar Abbas stuck together till the 12th over to repair the damage, and Nayyar tried to steer the innings towards some respectability in the company of the lower-order batsmen, the target proved too far off.

Multan's innings revolved around two productive partnerships, and three knocks worth over 30 runs each by opener Sohaib Maqsood, wicketkeeper Gulraiz Sadaf and Naved Yasin, who remained unbeaten. They also suffered a setback early in their innings, when opener Zain Abbas was dismissed for four in the third over. But a 44-run stand between Maqsood and Sadaf, and a 54-run stand in 5.1 overs between Yasin and Kashif Naved took them to 155 for 7 after 20 overs.

Faisalabad Wolves 137 for 3 (Misbah 43*, Khalid 36*) beat Peshawar Panthers 135 for 4 (Israrullah 56) by seven wickets
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details

After a slow start, captain Misbah-ul-Haq and Imran Khalid helped Faisalabad Wolves chase 136 in 18.2 overs and defeat Peshawar Panthers by seven wickets at the Gaddafi Stadium. The duo, having been together at the crease since the 11th over, did not hit a single boundary till the 13th over, when the required run rate had gone beyond eight per over. An expensive 14th over, in which four boundaries were hit, and the 16th over, of which 11 runs were taken, made the chase easier. Needing 18 runs off 18 deliveries, two fours, a six, and five singles took them home with ten balls to spare.

Peshawar, it seemed, paid the price for the want of better acceleration in their innings. Their innings run rate could have been higher than the eventual 6.75 per over, as they had lost only four wickets after 20 overs. Opener Israrullah scored a half-century, Shoaib Khan snr scored an unbeaten 24 off 30 deliveries. At 107 for 4 at the end of the 18th over, middle-order batsman Zohaib Khan smashed three sixes and eight fours to take his team to 135 for 4.

Bahawalpur Stags 140 for 2 (Imranullah 60, Kashif 39*) beat Lahore Eagles 136 for 7 (Taufeeq 53, Talha 2-19) by eight wickets
Scorecard

Imranullah Aslam was the star of the chase as Bahawalpur Eagles overhauled Lahore Eagles' total with eight wickets in hand and continued their unbeaten run in the tournament. Imranullah shared a quick half-century stand for the first wicket with Hamid Ali and then added 38 runs for the second wicket with Kashif Siddiq. By the time he was out, for 60 off 46 balls, the Stags needed 33 off 43 balls. Kashif ensured that there was no further damage as the chase was completed with 17 balls to spare.

Eagles, after choosing to bat, were in early trouble as they lost three wickets with 30 runs on the board in the sixth over. But skipper Taufeeq Umar scored a half-century and shared a 74-run stand with Raza Ali Dar to revive the innings. The lower order, however, crumbled again and Eagles were limited to 136.

Lahore Lions 130 for 9 (Jamshed 26, Mohibullah 3-15, Jalat 3-23) beat Quetta Bears 86 for 7 (Altaf 2-1) by 44 runs
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details

A collective bowling performance by Lahore Lions helped them defeat Quetta Bears by 44 runs. Although Quetta's left-arm spinners Jalat Khan and Mohibullah took three wickets each to restrict Lahore to 130 for 9, their batsmen let them down.

Lahore's innings was built on productive knocks by the top five batsmen, all scoring between 19 and 26 runs, which helped them to 109 for 4. But they too collapsed, as the last five batsmen scored 16 run between them. Opener Nasir Jamshed was the highest scorer in the match with 26.

Quetta went about their chase slowly, but two quick wickets in the 10th and 11th overs pegged them back. Three more batsmen were dismissed quickly, but after having lost seven wickets for 69 in the 15th over, they scored a further 17 runs off the remaining deliveries. Their run rate at the end of the game was 4.30 runs per over.

Rawalpindi Rams 177 for 6 (Shoaib 50*, Tanvir 43) beat Hyderabad Hawks 158 for 6 (Aqeel 75*, Zia 2-24) by 19 runs
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details

An unbeaten half-century by Shoaib Ahmed was the highlight of Rawalpindi Rams 19-run win against Hyderabad Hawks at the Gaddafi Stadium. Shoaib shared a 75-run stand with captain Sohail Tanvir that lifted the team from a tricky 63 for 4. After Tanvir's dismissal, Shoaib carried on the acceleration as 61 came off the last five overs.

In their chase, Aqeel Anjum and Rizwan Ahmed put up 56 runs for the third wicket, but the lack of boundaries in the partnership pushed the required scoring rate up. Once Rizwan fell, the incoming batsmen were not able to keep up with the rate and lost their wickets. Aqeel, who scored an unbeaten 75 off 48 balls, remained unbeaten as the team fell short by 19 runs.

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Harbhajan, Rahane released for Ranji Trophy

Offspinner Harbhajan Singh and batsman Ajinkya Rahane, who have been part of India's squad for all three Tests against England, will join their respective Ranji Trophy teams for the next group game that begins on Saturday. The third Test of the four-match India-England series is currently underway in Kolkata, but neither player is part of the Indian XI.

This decision is in line with the policy adopted by the India team management over the past four seasons, by which as many players as possible are released from the national squad for Ranji games during home series'. This is done with a view to help the reserves remain match-fit.

Harbhajan and Rahane will fly from Kolkata to Mumbai on Thursday, to join Punjab and Mumbai - these teams will play each other at the Wankhede Stadium in the next round of Ranji games. The pair, along with most of the other India regulars, featured in the season-opening round of the Ranji Trophy matches from November 2. While Harbhajan could make little impact with the ball as the Punjab captain against Hyderabad, Rahane scored 129 and 84 for Mumbai against Railways.

The players' availability will be a major boost for both teams, in particular Mumbai; Punjab, with young batsman Mandeep Singh at the helm, have already assured themselves of a place in the knockouts with four victories in five matches, but Mumbai are yet to win this season.

Harbhajan, having recovered from a viral infection, featured in India's humiliating ten-wicket defeat against England at the Wankhede Stadium. Rahane is yet to play in the Test series. The final game of the four-Test series will begin in Nagpur on December 13.

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Lions top table after aborted game

Knights v Lions match abandoned
Scorecard

Rain forced the contest between Lions and Knights in Kimberley to be abandoned without a ball being bowled. Both teams received two points each, and with it, Lions finished the group stages of the tournament at the top of the table and secured their place in the final.

Knights' chances of grabbing a play-off spot were eliminated, as they finished fourth on the table. The teams that finished second and third in the group stages - Cape Cobras and Titans - will face-off for the remaining place in the final.

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Gambhir admits run out error

Virender Sehwag's run-out says a lot about the tentativeness and lack of confidence currently afflicting India. They had got off to a solid start, were 47 for 0 after 10 overs, when their most positive batsman had just played a lovely whip off the pads, the deep square-leg fielder had to run a long way to his left and dive to keep the ball from reaching the midwicket boundary, and yet Sehwag's partner didn't want to take a third run. Mistakes happen in cricket, but Gautam Gambhir's explanation for what happened said a lot about the team's mindset.

"I thought that was not the situation to take the third run, a risky run," Gambhir said. "I was watching the ball, and I was thinking it was in his hand, I thought rather than taking the arm on… The ball was in his hand, taking the run on the throw was dicey. After watching the replay I realised the third run was on, but we were thinking that the kind of situation we were in, it was not important that we go for a [un]necessary risky run."

The fact, though, is, as Gambhir acknowledged, this was a regulation three, and so circumspect were India that they thought it was a risk taking it. Well, at least one of them did. As it often happens with India, Sehwag's wicket brought a turnaround. The run-rate dropped, England bowled to a plan, and India weren't patient enough.

"Obviously when that kind of a dismissal happens, it starts playing on your mind," Gambhir said. "You have done all the hard work, you have won the toss, there was something for the bowlers early on, the ball was swinging, you have got 47 on the board, you have done all the hard work, and suddenly losing your partner through a run-put plays on your mind."

One of the casualties of the slide was Gambhir himself, who made a second good start but couldn't convert it into a definitive innings. He will be gutted with this. He is now three possible innings from having gone three years without a Test century. Whatever he might say about centuries not mattering to him as much as contributing to the team, this has got to play on his mind.

Gambhir is an intense cricketer, and he will know that more than the missing centuries, it's the sub-30 average over the period of three years that is hurting his reputation. He can't afford to waste starts. "It was disappointing," he said. "Not only from my personal point of view, but from the team's point of view as well. As an opening batsman, if you get a start, you want to score big runs.

"You don't want to put hundreds on your record, you want to put the team in a position from where they can dominate. If you ask me personally, I am more disappointed from the team's point of view rather than my personal point of view. Someone had to bat long and put a big score, and I got set and I got a start and I should have continued playing a big innings, but these things happen, this is what cricket is all about."

Gambhir also said Test cricket was all about comebacks, and it was reverse swing that India were banking on. "I think it's an even day, even contest," he said. "You can't say it has gone in England's favour. The wicket has something for everyone. Especially for the fast bowlers, if you see once it starts reversing it becomes difficult. It reverses big. If we can put 350 on the board, it's going to be a big contest."

That brings into picture another struggling Indian player, who has perhaps been most crucial to India's success since Anil Kumble's retirement. If the ball has reversed alarmingly for England, Zaheer Khan won't get a better opportunity to strike form.

"They [England] showed it was reversing big, and we all know Zaheer Khan is a master of reverse swing so if he gets going it is going to be very difficult for England," Gambhir said. "Hopefully Zaheer Khan and Ishant can do the job for us. This is the wicket where there will be something for everyone, for fast bowlers as well. It has carry, and at times up and down, and it was reversing big. It has enough for the fast bowlers."

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Outright wins for J&K, Tripura

Jammu &Kashmir 323 (Rassol 67, Haroon 52, Arup Das 6-87) and 318 for 5 dec (Ian Dev 118, Rassol 120*) beat Assam 165 (Jadhav 69, Rassol 7-41) and 241 (Tarjinder 105, Dayal 3-50) by 235 runs
Scorecard

Tarjinder Singh's attempt at saving the game for Assam by scoring a fourth-innings century was in vain, as Jammu & Kashmir managed to take the seven wickets they needed on the final day to achieve an outright win.

Assam began the fourth day in Guwahati on 46 for 3, chasing an improbable 477. They lost wickets at regular intervals at one end, while Tarjinder battled for 105 at the other. They were dismissed for 241 in 89.1 overs. Ram Dayal took 3 for 50 for J&K while, Parvez Rassol and Waseem Raza took two each.

Tripura 441 (Roy 111, Ali 83, Dhawan 4-114) and 177 (Ali 68, Murasingh 63, Malik 5-36) beat Himachal Pradesh 260 (Dhawan 54, Murasingh 4-86, Dutta 4-65) 189 (Dogra 105*) by 169 runs
Scorecard

Fifteen wickets tumbled on the final day in Nadaun as Tripura bowled out Himachal Pradesh in 60 overs in the fourth innings to secure a 169-run victory.

Tripura resumed their second innings on the fourth morning on 116 for 5, and they slumped to 177 all out. Manisankar Murasingh scored most of the runs, converting his overnight 19 to 63. Vikramjeet Malik took 5 for 36 for Himachal.

A target of 359 was always out of Himachal's reach but they failed to draw the game as well. Paras Dogra scored an unbeaten 105 but got no support from his team-mates. Aatish Bhalaik, who made 30, was the only other batsman to score more than 15. Sanjay Majumder and Rana Dutta took three wickets each for Tripura.

Kerala 314 (Jagadeesh 199*, Yadav 4-95) and 193 for 3 dec (Hegde 107) drew with Services 335 (Chatterjee 107, Yashpal 89, Warrier 4-86) and 85 for 0
Scorecard

Only three wickets fell on the fourth day at the Palam A Ground in Delhi, where Kerala and Railways played out a tame draw. Railways had the better of the game by having secured the first-innings lead.

Kerala were 9 for 0 in their second innings at the start of the final day and they plodded to 193 for 3 before declaring, having scored at only 2.50 runs per over. Abhishek Hegde made 107 while Rohan Prem was unbeaten on 53.

Chasing a target of 173, Services batted only 15 overs in the fourth innings and reached 85 for 0 before the match was called off.

Andhra 393 (Shivkumar 106*, Mumuzdar 88*, Bandekar 5-107, Gadekar 4-97) and 193 for 6 dec (Pradeep 65) drew with Goa 328 (Shukla 121, Shivkumar 6-45) and 14 for 0
Scorecard

Andhra took the last Goa wicket that stood between them and a first-innings lead comfortably on the final morning, after which the match in Visakhapatnam meandered to a draw.

In response to Andhra's first-innings 393, Goa were 285 for 9 at the start of the final day. They got to 328 before Ravikant Shukla, who had reached a century, was bowled by Shaik Basha.

Andhra scored 193 for 6 in their second innings before declaring to set Goa a target of 259. AG Pradeep was the top-scorer with 65. Goa's openers survived the small passage of play before the match was drawn. They played out 26 overs and scored 14 runs.

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Vettori out of South Africa Tests

Daniel Vettori has been ruled out of New Zealand's Test matches in South Africa which begin early next year. He has not recovered from hernia and Achilles injuries, the latter picked up during the World Twenty20 in Sri Lanka.

Vettori, 33, has missed New Zealand's last five Tests against Sri Lanka, India and West Indies having initially suffered a groin injury in the Caribbean. He had hoped to prove his recovery from the latest setbacks in the Plunket Shield for Northern Districts but has not been able to make an appearance.

With Vettori unavailable Jeetan Patel, the offspinner, will remain the No. 1 slow bowler while Todd Astle, who made his debut in Colombo last week when New Zealand levelled the series, could be included as a second option.

New Zealand play two Tests in South Africa, the first in Cape Town starting on January 2 followed by one in Port Elizabeth from January 11.

There are reports emerging that New Zealand may not be led by Ross Taylor for the tour - which also includes Twenty20s and ODIs - after his relationship with coach Mike Hesson reached breaking point despite the impressive series-leveling victory in Colombo.

Other than the win in Colombo it has been a difficult year for New Zealand with Test series defeats at home to South Africa then away in West Indies and India while they were knocked out in the Super Eights of the World Twenty20. They have also lost 10 of their last 13 ODIs and in the latest ICC rankings have slipped to ninth behind Bangladesh.

Brendon McCullum, who has captained eight ODIs and 12 Twenty20s, is tipped to take the role.

Taylor was named captain in June last year following Vettori's reign having previously done the job as a stand-in. The captaincy had a positive impact on Taylor's Test average with it rising to 49.85 from 13 Tests compared to his overall figure of 43.57 and he struck three hundreds in those matches, including a crucial 142 in Colombo recently.

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Cook positive over split coaches

The addition of a separate coach for limited-overs cricket will instil the England squad with new energy according to Alastair Cook.

England last week announced the appointment of Ashley Giles as the coach of the England limited-overs sides, with Andy Flower retaining overall management of all three sides but only day-to-day involvement with the Test side.

Now Cook, England's ODI and Test captain, has welcomed the addition of Giles to the coaching staff and, in a clear hint that Flower was considering turning his back on the England job entirely, expressed his delight that the his services had been retained at all.

"It's great that we've managed to keep hold of Andy," Cook, who admitted he did not try to talk Flower out of the decision, said. "He's a great person to be involved with and we're also adding more experience into the coaching team with Ashley coming on board. It is exciting times and I am sure it will work well."

Cook denied any suggestion that Flower's authority would be diluted by the arrangement and pointed to England's use of three captains - one for each format - which had worked seamlessly until the retirement of Andrew Strauss saw Cook take on the ODI and Test roles.

"It is very clear that Andy is still the team director," Cook said, "and to me it is very similar to what happened with the three captains. That worked well and there is no reason why this can't work well with the people involved. Having three captains gave new energy to each form of the game and I can see that happening here. Also, the coaches will have a little more time to prepare for each series. It is new, so it is virgin territory, but I can't see why it won't work really well.

"A lot of the coaches' work is done when we're not playing. It's great that we've managed to keep hold of Andy, he's a great person to be involved with, and we're also adding more experience into the coaching team with Ashley coming on board."

Cook admitted he did not know what style of coach Giles might be, but he provided a ringing endorsement of his character and his record in county cricket. As director of cricket at Edgbaston, Giles led Warwickshire to the County Championship title in 2012 and also saw the team contest two and win one Lord's one-day final in the last three seasons. Cook also felt that Giles' record as a player who made the most of his limited ability should render him well-suited to a coaching role.

"What Giles has had is a lot of success at Warwickshire," Cook said. "He's turned that club around. All the reports coming out of Warwickshire are that he is doing a fantastic job. He is a really good character and he knows what it takes to succeed at international level.

"He did it the hard way as well. He would probably be the first to admit he wasn't the most naturally gifted of cricketers but, my God, he worked hard to get results. I assume he'll be carrying that into his coaching as well. As I say, he's done a great job at Warwickshire and I'm really looking forward to working with him. It is vital we form a good relationship as captain and coach because all three of us need to work together."

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Hazlewood out of Sri Lanka Tests

Josh Hazlewood is out of contention for the looming Test series against Sri Lanka after complaining of foot soreness eerily reminiscent of the stress fracture he suffered last season.

Twelfth man for the third Test against South Africa in Perth, Hazlewood was highly likely to debut against the Sri Lankans before the foot soreness emerged.

One of the stand-out performers at this year's Twenty20 Champions League with the Sydney Thunder, 21-year-old Hazlewood has been ordered to rest for four to six weeks, meaning he will also be out of action for this summer's BBL, which begins on Friday.

"Josh Hazlewood reported some left foot soreness in the same region of his foot where he had a stress fracture last season," Cricket Australia's Chief Medical Officer Justin Paoloni said. "Because of his age and history with this type of injury, he will have a short break from bowling for a few weeks and be back playing in approximately 4-6 weeks."

Hazlewood trained with the Australian team in Brisbane at the start of the South Africa series before being formally named in the squad for the Perth Test. He was only narrowly edged out of a spot in the team by John Hastings after both Ben Hilfenhaus and Peter Siddle were ruled out.

Australia's captain Michael Clarke, meanwhile, has been ruled out of his one scheduled BBL appearance for the Sydney Thunder after reporting back stiffness towards the end of the South Africa series. Clarke, Hilfenhaus and Hastings have all been ruled out of BBL action this weekend ahead of the Sri Lanka matches.

"Given the amount of cricket Michael Clarke has played in the past month, and having reported some lower back stiffness after the Perth Test, and with the first Test match against Sri Lanka starting next Friday, our medical staff have advised Michael not to play cricket this weekend," the team performance manager Pat Howard said.

"Ben Hilfenhaus has also been advised not to play BBL this weekend, although the NSP are yet to meet to determine the Australia squad for the first Test match against Sri Lanka."

Hastings, who bowled indifferently at times during his debut at the WACA ground, is likely to be ruled out of the Hobart Test due to back pain he suffered towards the end of the Perth match.

"John Hastings had some back pain at the completion of the Perth Test," Paoloni said. "He had scans that have ruled out serious injury. He will be reviewed later this week to determine his return to training and playing. He will miss the first T20 Big Bash League game and possibly be unavailable for selection for the first Test versus Sri Lanka in Hobart, depending on how responds to treatment."

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Seamers chip away for Performance squad

Dr DY Patil Sports Academy 219 for 7 (Indulkar 69*, Mangela 55) v EPP
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The England Performance Programme (EPP) bowlers shared around the success on the opening day of their latest match against Dr DY Patil Sports Academy in Mumbai. The home side closed on 219 for 7 with Vinit Indulkar unbeaten on 69 to ensure the EPP side had to spend a full day in the field.

James Harris and Ben Stokes took two wickets apiece, both bowlers striking in consecutive deliveries, as the hosts fell to 116 for 5. The opening partnership between Shrideep Mangela and Bhavin Thakkar spanned 20 overs before Harris struck twice. Mangela progressed to 55 before he fell to Chris Wright.

Stokes, the Durham allrounder, who has tasted full international cricket, then found two edges that were taken by Craig Kieswetter, the captain of the EPP side.

Unlike the first match the EPP side played, where Scott Borthwick and Simon Kerrigan were among the wickets, there was less success for the spinners this time. With the squad being rotated, Danny Briggs, who is part of England's Twenty20 squad, and Yorkshire's Azeem Rafiq were given their chance and Rafiq claimed the one wicket for spin in the day.

The EPP will have had visions of batting towards the end of the day but Indulkar, who faced 199 balls and hit eight fours, added 58 for the seventh wicket with Sufiyan Rehmani.

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BCCI wants 'prime' home season

The BCCI is looking to establish a "prime season" for the Indian cricket team at home much like it is in England and Australia, thus reducing the team's touring commitments in the winter.

BCCI president N Srinivasan said: "We are starting to look at and define our prime season, and during your prime season you should be playing at home." Speaking exclusively to ESPNcricinfo, Srinivasan said formalising the Indian season would mean a structured calendar of teams touring India. "We want to have possibly one or two visiting teams during our domestic season, starting in September all the way up to March, and we'll see the extent to which we don't tour outside. Given the FTP that is there, we are going to see how we can adjust."

Domestic cricket would also be rescheduled to make home Tests the centre piece of the season, and encourage more international players to take part in the Ranji Trophy. Srinivasan said: "This year we also encouraged our big players and stars to play domestic cricket. This is a change from the last several years." The Ranji format has been changed to three groups of nine teams each, the BCCI had been told by first-class players, that they wanted to play more cricket.

The BCCI's measures over the last few years, Srinivasan said, had sought to improve the quality of cricket particularly of the longer form of the game. "That is where the emphasis is. An uncapped player who has not played for India cannot play in the IPL unless he plays 60% of the Ranji Trophy games. So in more ways than one, we are pushing a player to the longer version."

In a wide-ranging interview, which will appear in full on ESPNcricinfo on Tuesday, Srinivasan spoke about issues concerning Indian cricket, the BCCI's financial power in world cricket, its refusal to accept the mandatory application of the umpire's Decision Review System (DRS), and the IPL's growing influence on players all over the world and the longer form of the game.

Srinivasan denied that the BCCI had taken an 'obstructionist' approach to the DRS. "We have not taken an obstructionist policy. We don't believe in it, so after discussion members have agreed it should be bilateral. I don't want to dictate to other people… our position has been clear from start. We don't believe the technology is good enough."

He said the ICC's statement that the DRS technology had "improved further" was in a way "acceptance that it was not good enough then" referring to the India tour of England last year. "But it was touted as being good at that point in time. Our problem is that when they say it is all right, then they say it'll get better tomorrow, or an improved version now. So we concede the fact that there was less than adequate perfection. Which is our point, if you want to use technology it must be perfect."

Srinivasan also said that restricting the DRS to two referrals was in some ways a contradiction in itself. "If you don't have faith in the umpire, which itself is a contradiction as in cricket the umpire's verdict is final, if a player shows dissent you fine him. But now you're saying that I have two attempts to question your decision. So the reconciliation between that is difficult. So if you take it to the end point of it, then you have two lampposts with coloured lights red, yellow and green, you don't need an umpire at all, as you refer every decision, so let an automatic reply come from there after a review and you say red or green."

	So if you take it to the end point of it, then you have two lampposts with coloured lights red, yellow and green, you don't need an umpire at all, as you refer every decision, so let an automatic reply come from there after a review and you say red or green The BCCI continues to resist the DRS

India's unwillingness to use the DRS means that there are two officiating systems at work in world cricket, to which Srinivasan said: "It doesn't bother me at all because, apart from all this, there is a cost to DRS and there are only one or two people involved. It's a monopoly-area situation, which I am not going in to here. It doesn't bother me if two other countries use DRS, they are happy, that's okay."

The ICC he said had the right to use DRS in its own events, but the BCCI was very clear in its stand on its usage in any bilateral series featuring India. "We are clear in our mind, but I hope, slowly, people will see our point of view."

The IPL, the BCCI's "showcase event" did not, he said, have a negative bearing on international cricket and the BCCI's refusal to ask for a window for the event, was based on the acceptance of the overseas players' packed international calendars. "The IPL management, the BCCI, franchise owners are aware that all the players won't be available all the time, and we've sort of settled down with that."

The IPL he said was not putting "a strain" on other boards. The event's popularity amongst overseas players were a reflection that, "it's a free world. People and players make their choices and we can't compel a person… I don't think that it is all-consuming." While the IPL attracts cricketers from all over the world, he said, "there are only so many players who can play in the IPL, because we have a cap on the number of players in the team. And from what I have seen, players may not be happy to sit out as we have a cap on foreign players. So squad size and the number of franchises have a limiting effect."

The BCCI he said was aware that there was "no real window" available on the international calendar for the IPL. "The BCCI has recognised that today you have ten Full Members, they play each other home and away once in four years. The number of ICC events has increased from ten years ago, so there's a lot of clutter. So the BCCI accepts the fact that there is no real window and that whoever is available plays."

The BCCI's reputation as a bully on the IPL board he said, was "not fair" - and denied that other boards would be wary of going against the BCCI's wishes. "That is not a fact. In the ICC all members are sovereign. The ten full members are sovereign."

Despite India's 8-0 defeats in England and Australia, Srinivasan said it was not fair to say that India got exposed when travelling abroad. "It's not that we get exposed when we go abroad. Every country is used to its own conditions, whether it is England, South Africa, Australia, so they tend to play better in home conditions, which is what we also do."

He said the media in the other teams did not end up "berating their players for not doing well [abroad]" and that there had to be an acceptance and recognition of the "advantage of home conditions… So I don't think we should run down our players by saying we did not do well abroad. Other teams don't do well when they come to India. In the past, we have had teams that have done well both here and abroad, when players were possibly younger."

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USACA eyes Associates in scaled-down league

Months after plans were outlined for a professional Twenty20 competition in the USA that was going to be so impressive there was talk of it impacting on the English season, it seems the reality of finances and availability has led to a marked downscaling of the scheme.

Rather than the big-name international stars originally suggested, USA Cricket Association president Gladstone Dainty has said that organisers will be looking for the best players from Associate and Affiliate countries to form the core of the competition. But that approach could also have major pitfalls by bringing USACA into conflict with other boards.

The competition is due to start in July 2013 and while Dainty admitted there had been unforeseen problems, he insisted it was still very much on course. "It will be a truly global set-up and emerging players - from the likes of Afghanistan, Ireland, Scotland, Kenya, wherever - will be given plenty of opportunity," Dainty told ESPNcricinfo. "In the USA we don't have this big pool of players so we will tap into the Associate and Affiliates and we also have New Zealanders to draw on. It's in this way we hope the cricketing world will support our efforts.

"It'll be a showcase and a stage where their players can be playing against the best. There will be financial incentives for their players and I don't think there will be a problem. It's not a long season and flying a player from Ireland or Scotland every week is certainly not a very expensive proposition."

Asked if availability of players in the middle of the European season would be an issue, Dainty said: "We would want them released … just as if an England player is released from their county to play for England. We don't want to stop the Irish and Scottish boards from doing things, we're just trying to put a quality product together and we will work with them to ensure we have access and can share them."

But Dainty's view on availability seems to be based on the requirements of boards to release players for international competitions - and the USA league would not class as that.

Cricket Scotland chief executive Roddy Smith, who said that he had not had any contact from USACA, told ESPNcricinfo: "The scheduling will obviously be problematic for Scottish players as it clashes directly with our home season. The primacy of international cricket is paramount as is the high priority CS places on its home non international and regional cricket.

"Contracted players will not be released if it means them missing cricket for Scotland. If there is a window where players are free, and our performance staff believe it is beneficial for all parties that they take part in a sanctioned ICC T20 event then their participation may be a possibility."

Those views were echoed by Cricket Ireland boss Warren Deutrom. "As in anything, our first thought is to be reasonable and provide an opportunity to our players if the schedule permits. As you know, a few of our non-county players have occasionally spent stints in county cricket for specific competitions - for example the ECB T20 - when we have no international commitments.

"Of course, the schedule is key here. Once we know the exact dates for the USA event, we'll be in a better position to know whether it conflicts with our existing commitments which obviously take precedence. USACA would need to seek permission of the counties to release those players during that period."

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Shivkumar, Rassol star with all-round efforts

Kerala 314 (Jagadeesh 199*, Yadav 4-95) and 9 for 0 trail Services 335 (Chatterjee 107, Yashpal 89, Warrier 4-86) by 12 runs
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Services captain Soumik Chatterjee scored a century to give his team the first-innings lead against Kerala in Delhi. Chatterjee, who opened the innings and batted 313 deliveries for 107, was supported by useful contributions from the rest of Services batsmen, most notably Yashpal Singh, who made 89.

The fight for the first-innings lead had got tense at one stage, when Services were 264 for 5 as Chatterjee fell, but the lower-order batsmen secured a 21-run advantage. Sandeep Warrier took 4 for 86 in his second first-class game for Kerala. The visitors were 9 for 0 at stumps, trailing Services by 12 runs.

Goa 285 for 9 (Shukla 84, Shivkumar 6-41) trail Andhra 393 (Shivkumar 106*, Mumuzdar 88*, Bandekar 5-107, Gadekar 4-97) by 108 runs
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A day after scoring his maiden first-class century to lead Andhra to a commanding total, Duvvarapu Shivkumar claimed his first five-wicket haul to take his team to the verge of securing a significant first-innings lead. Shivkumar's 6 for 41 reduced Goa to 285 for 9, still behind Andhra by 108 runs.

The third day in Visakhapatnam began with Goa on 72 for 1, and they lost Sagun Kamat after only one run was scored. Thereafter, Goa had only one substantial stand - 90 between Ravikant Shukla and Reagan Pinto for the fifth wicket. Shukla ended the day unbeaten on 84 but watched Shivkumar cut through his team-mates at the other end. Goa scored only 213 runs in the day.

Assam 165 (Jadhav 69, Rassol 7-41) and 46 for 3 (Dayal 2-12) need another 431 runs to beat Jammu &Kashmir 323 (Rassol 67, Haroon 52, Arup Das 6-87) and 318 for 5 dec (Ian Dev 118, Rassol 120*)
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Centuries from Ian Dev Singh and Parvez Rassol built Jammu & Kashmir a huge lead on the third day in Guwahati, and three early wickets in Assam's improbable chase gave the visitors a good chance of an outright victory.

J&K began the third morning on 1 for 0, with a lead of 159. Ian Dev went on to make 118, and Rassol continued his excellent match by hammering an unbeaten 120 off 106 deliveries. He had made 67 in J&K's first innings and also taken 7 for 41 to dismiss Assam for 165. J&K scored 318 for 5 before declaring, setting Assam a target of 476.

Ram Dayal struck two blows with the new ball for J&K before Assam had even scored, and Ian Dev picked up a third wicket. Assam go into the final day with seven wickets in hand to try and prevent an outright defeat.

Tripura 441 (Roy 111, Ali 83, Dhawan 4-114) and 116 for 5 (Abbas Ali 59*, Malik 3-25) lead Himachal Pradesh 260 (Dhawan 54, Murasingh 4-86, Dutta 4-65) by 297 runs
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Himachal Pradesh resumed their first innings on 111 for 5 on the second morning and were dismissed for 260, 181 runs behind Tripura. Manisankar Murasingh and Ranadutta finished with four wickets each.

In their second innings, Tripura lost their first four wickets for 13 runs but Abbas Ali steadied the innings with a half-century. By stumps they were ahead by 297 with five wickets in hand. An early declaration on the final day could give Tripura enough time to press for an outright win.

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Kenya appoint first female chair

Cricket Kenya have created a piece of history by electing a women as their new chair - the first female to head a national cricket board.

Zehra Janmohammed, a Nairobi-based lawyer, was unanimously elected to replace Samir Inamdar, who held the post for seven years.

"I take this opportunity to thank the cricket fraternity for placing their trust for leadership under me," Janmohammed said. "I would like to make a covenant of uniting everyone for the benefit of the sport and my only agenda will be to grow the sport and achieve measurable results."

She served as a legal advisor to the old Kenya Cricket Association and will be responsible for implementing the findings of a comprehensive review that was carried out in the wake of Kenya's disastrous 2011 World Cup campaign - their worst performance in a World Cup.

Kenya were hammered by New Zealand - who bowled them out for 69 - Pakistan and Sri Lanka, handsomely beaten by Australia and, of most concern, being swept aside by Zimbabwe and comfortably beaten by Canada. An alarming set of results only eight years on from a semi-final in 2003.

"My short term plans are to ensure both the national Under-19 and the senior men's team qualify for the next World Cup," she said. "Kenya play Canada in the UAE in March, in a match we need to win to stay in contention for the 2015 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand."

Kenya currently lie sixth in the ICC World Cricket League Championship, with the top two teams in the group automatically qualifying for the 2015 World Cup. Kenya have six points with two matches to play. Ireland top the table with 13 points, Scotland are second with 11.

Should Kenya miss out on automatic qualification, they will still have a route to the World Cup via the qualifying tournament in 2014.

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Washouts in Johannesburg and Bloemfontein

Match abandoned Lions 208 for 6 in 43 overs (McKenzie 73, Ntini 2-23) v Warriors
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Lions and Warriors shared points because their game in Johannesburg was washed out after only 43 overs were bowled in the first innings. Lions stayed on top of the league with 28 points, while Warriors were bottom with nine.

Lions were put in by Warriors and they slipped from 31 for 0 to 60 for 4, with Makhaya Ntini striking twice. Neil McKenzie stayed steady at one end, scoring 73, and he had a 80-run stand with Temba Bvuma. Lions had reached 208 for 6 when the match was interrupted and ended by bad weather.

Match abandoned without a ball bowled Knights v Cape Cobras
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The players didn't even take the field in Bloemfontein, where another washout gave Knights and Cape Cobras two points each. Cape Cobras are second in the league with 24 points, while Knights as second from last with 18.

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Kerala's Jagadeesh stranded on 199

Services 84 for 2 (Warrier 2-13) trail Kerala 314 (Jagadeesh 199*, Yadav 4-95) by 230 runs
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VA Jagadeesh was stranded on 199, agonisingly short of what would have been his maiden double-century in first-class cricket, as Kerala were bowled out for 314 by Services on the second day in Delhi.

Kerala began the day on 192 for 5, with Jagadeesh batting on 126. Like on the first day, Jagadeesh got little support from his team-mates and batsmen came and went at the other end. From 240 for 5, Kerala slipped to 260 for 8. Jagadeesh did most of the scoring and motored towards a double but lost last man Sandeep Warrier in the 135th over of the innings.

Warrier returned to strike early blows in Services' reply, reducing them to 30 for 2. They were 84 for 2 at stumps.

Goa 72 for 1 trail Andhra 393 (Shivkumar 106*, Mumuzdar 88*, Bandekar 5-107, Gadekar 4-97) by 321 runs
Scorecard

Duvvarapu Shivkumar scored his maiden first-class century to lead Andhra to a sizeable total against Goa in Visakhapatnam. Resuming on 12 on the second morning, Shivkumar went on to make an unbeaten 106, leading his team to 393. He and Amol Muzumdar extended their sixth-wicket stand to 124 before Muzumdar was lbw to Saurabh Bandekar, who finished with 5 for 107. Bandekar's new-ball partner, Hanumant Gadekar, claimed 4 for 97.

Shivkumar had success with the ball too, removing Goa opener Swapnil Asnodkar cheaply. Sagun Kamat remained unbeaten on 41 as Goa ended day two on 72 for 1.

Jammu &Kashmir 323 (Rassol 67, Haroon 52, Arup Das 6-87) and 1 for 0 lead Assam 165 (Jadhav 69, Rassol 7-41) by 159 runs
Scorecard

After scoring a half-century in Jammu & Kashmir's first innings, Parvez Rassol took career best figures, his 7 for 41 securing a 158-run first innings lead against Assam in Guwahati.

The second day began with J&K on 240 for 7 and the tail contributed to stretch the total to 323 before they were dismissed in the 110th over. Assam bowler Arup Das also took career-best figures of 6 for 87.

Assam's openers Dheeraj Jadhav and Pallavkumar Das added 55 for the first wicket, and Jadhav's half-century led his team to the secure position of 126 for 2. Jadhav's dismissal, however, triggered a slide during which Assam lost eight wickets for 39 runs in about 17 overs. Rassol took six of the eight.

Himachal Pradesh 111 for 5 trail Tripura 441 (Roy 111, Ali 83, Dhawan 4-114) by 330 runs
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After beinning the second day on 325 for 4, Tripura's middle and lower order added only 116 more runs in Nadaun, but by stumps they stood a great chance of taking the first-innings lead. Manisankar Murasingh and Rana Dutta took two wickets each to reduce Himachal Pradesh to 111 for 5.

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Bell returns to complete copybook

Ian Bell has returned to India determined to put right what he believes is the one glaring omission in his record as an international batsman.

Bell, who missed the second Test on paternity leave, feels that personal success in India represents the final frontier in an international career that has encompassed significant highs in every other Test-playing nation.

But, after six Tests in India, Bell's record is distinctly modest. He averages 18.36 with a top score of 57, made on his first senior tour in 2006. It is a disappointing return for one so richly talented and stands in stark contrast to his overall career record of 5,549 Test runs at an average of 46.24. His ODI record in the country - 237 runs from nine matches with an average of 26.33 - is also markedly lower than his overall record.

"India is the one place," Bell said. "My first tour to Pakistan went really well. I played nice cricket in Sri Lanka. But here has not gone so well. And it's been the same in one-day cricket. It's the one place left around the world for me."

Bell admitted his anxiety to prove himself in India had resulted in his first innings dismissal in Ahmedabad - caught at mid-off as he charged down the pitch and attempted to loft his first delivery over the infield. The example of Alastair Cook and Kevin Pietersen had reminded him that occupying the crease offered a more sensible long-term tactic than trying to dominate from the start.

"Maybe sometimes I have tried a bit too hard," he said. "That shot in Ahmedabad was a sign of me saying, 'Right, I'm coming at you, I'm not going to sit here and just get out'. I've got off the mark a lot with that shot over the last few years. It's a big shot for me. My attempt was to be positive. At times, I have been reactive rather than positive. When it doesn't come off, it doesn't look particularly great but that's probably the first one I've hit straight up in the air in an England shirt. I'm not going to put that shot away but I'll probably have to pick a better time to play it. I take full responsibility: it was a poor way to get out in that situation.

"Watching the way Cook and Pietersen played in the last game, there are runs out here if you occupy the crease long enough. Cook has led by example. It will get easier but you have to do the work early in your innings."

	"He's been able to turn Warwickshire into a really good side and created an environment where players can learn to do things for themselves." Ian Bell on Ashley Giles

While Bell arrived back in England just too late to support his wife through the birth of their first child, he still described fatherhood as "the best thing that has ever happened to me" and felt the added perspective the experience had given him would only help him as a cricketer. "From what's happened in the last week, my thoughts have changed," he said. "Maybe I've built a bit too much on myself in the past and now I just want to go out and trust my ability and spend time in the middle and score runs.

"I've got better over time but, certainly in my early days, I'd beat myself up a lot. You want to score runs every time but the realism is that you're not going to. There will be times when you are in really good form and times when runs are hard to come by. But certainly now it gives me more of a balance and I can enjoy every day and every time I am with the England team. That's what I want to do - not worry about things and go out and enjoy my cricket."

Bell also welcomed the appointment of Ashley Giles as England's limited-overs coach. Bell played with Giles for Warwickshire and England and, more recently, has watched Giles at close quarters in his role as director of cricket at Edgbaston. "It is exciting for him," Bell said. "He has been fantastic at Warwickshire. When he took over we were in a tricky position and it took him a couple of years to sort it out. In the last couple of years, with a couple of good signings as well, he's been able to turn the team into a really good side. He's created an environment where players can learn to do things for themselves. Hopefully, with Andy Flower, he can do that with England, too.

"I see no reason why having two coaches won't work. Look at the fixtures: people talk about the players, but the backroom staff have to do every game as well. It's just as important to rotate those guys and keep them fresh as it is for the players. Hopefully, this will have a great impact for Andy and the whole back-room staff. To keep that intensity all year round is hard, so to bring in fresh energy will be great."

While Bell is likely to win his place back in the team, it is no certainty. Jonny Bairstow, who made such a fine impression in the final Test of the series against South Africa, making 95 and 54, could count himself most unfortunate to miss out on selection in Ahmedabad and had little luck when being given out in Mumbai, caught by a ball that had bounced off Gautam Gambhir's helmet at silly point.

"It was obviously desperately disappointing," Bairstow said of being dropped for Ahmedabad. "But I'll be delighted if I do get selected this time and I'm working hard in training and in the nets. That's the situation in professional sport. You learn to deal with it, growing up when you come through playing for your county and then for the Lions, then one-dayers and up to the Tests."

It is possible that both men could play. The experiment with using Samit Patel as an allrounder could well be abandoned - he delivered just four overs in the Mumbai Test - leaving him to fight for selection on the merit of his batting alone. And, averaging just 12.66 with the bat after four Tests, he has not made the strongest case for his retention.

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New rule denies Talha Jubair shot at perfect ten

Dhaka Metropolis medium-pacer Talha Jubair took the first eight wickets to fall in the National Cricket League match against Rangpur Division in Bogra, but he was prevented from trying for all ten because of a new rule implemented by the Bangladesh board to protect players from injury. From this season, a seamer is allowed to bowl a maximum of 15 overs per day in Bangladesh's domestic first-class tournament.

Jubair took eight wickets in an opening spell that lasted 13 overs and spanned the entire first session. His last wicket came in his 11th over, and he sought permission to bowl more overs but the match referee Hemayet Ahmed did not allow it after Rangpur turned down the request. Left-arm spinner Arafat Sunny took the remaining two wickets.

"Pace bowlers this season have been asked to bowl no more than 15 overs per day," said Hafiz Joarder, member secretary of BCB's tournament committee. "The technical committee has made this recommendation before the NCL started, and our physician has also approved of it.

"Many of our pace bowlers have had back and leg injuries in the past few seasons due to the hard grounds across the country. Not every outfield is like the one in Khulna or Mirpur."

Joarder said the BCB can enforce such a decree on the pace bowlers because it is a domestic tournament. "We can do it because it is being held domestically. We follow all the ICC rules and playing condition but we can include our own rules too."

Jubair's 8 for 35 is the best bowling figures in an innings for a Bangladeshi seamer in first-class cricket, beating Al-Amin Hossain's 7 for 37 from the 2011-12 season.

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Roy ton builds strong base for Tripura

Kerala 192 for 5 (Jagadeesh 126*, Yadav 2-52) v Services
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VA Jagadeesh scored his second century of the season but his team-mates couldn't give him support and Kerala slipped to 192 for 5 on the first day against Services in Delhi. Jagadeesh batted the entire day, facing 225 balls for 126. Kerala's openers added 49 before Abhishek Hegde was lbw to Suraj Yadav. The Kerala captain Rohan Prem made 5 off 69 balls before he was dismissed and his team them slumped to 112 for 4. Jagadeesh dominated a 70-run stand for the fifth wicket before Sachin Baby fell close to stumps.

Tripura 325 for 4 (Roy 111, Ali 83, Ratra 55*) v Himachal Pradesh
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After making half-centuries in his previous two games, Tripura opener Subhrajit Roy scored his first hundred of the season to lead his team towards an imposing first-innings score against Himachal Pradesh in Nadaun. Roy made 111 with 20 fours, adding 160 runs for the third wicket with Abbas Ali, who made 83. Roy did not see the day out but the Tripura captain Ajay Ratra made an unbeaten 55 to lead his team to 325 for 4 at stumps. Rishi Dhawan was the pick of Himachal's bowlers, taking 2 for 83 in 25 overs.

Jammu & Kashmir 240 for 7 (Rassol 67, Das 4-58) v Assam
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Assam seamer Arup Das took 4 for 58, his best figures this season, to prevent Jammu & Kashmir from having sizeable partnerships on the first day in Guwahati. J&K's openers fell cheaply after they were asked to bat but the middle-order batsmen got starts. Only Parvez Rassol went past fifty though as Nos 3 and 5 were dismissed in the 30s. Wicketkeeper Obaid Haroon was unbeaten on 35 at stumps.

Andhra 240 for 5 (Muzumdar 56*, Bandekar 3-62) v Goa
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Andhra were reduced to 137 for 4 by Goa in Visakhapatnam before Amol Muzumdar steadied the innings with a half-century. Muzumdar made and unbeaten 56, and had partnerships of 57 with AG Pradeep and 46 with Duvvarapu Shivakumar to lift his team to 240 for 5 at stumps. New-ball bowler Saurabh Bandekar caused the most damage for Goa, taking 3 for 63.

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Root beds in after 'daunting' start

Joe Root endured an unfortunate start to his first senior England appearance a few weeks ago. Root, who already looked as if he might have difficulty being served in a bar in London, turned up in an England blazer that, he reckons, was six or seven sizes too big for him. It did nothing to alleviate the impression that this tour had come a year or two early for him. "It felt like I was wearing Chris Tremlett's blazer," Root said. "It was good fun, though, as it was a nice ice-breaker for the rest of the side to get to know me."

Root, 21 years old, is certainly fresh faced. But it would be wrong to read too much into that. After all, Alastair Cook and Sachin Tendulkar hardly looked like grisly old pros when they started. Sometimes a youthful face can hide a steely interior. Besides, you wonder if Tendulkar and Ricky Ponting might swap all those runs, all those centuries and all that success to be where Root finds himself right now: at the start of the journey.

Root is a talented young man with a bright future. Having developed through the same Sheffield Collegiate club side as Michael Vaughan, Root surpassed 1,000 first-class runs in his first full season in 2011 and impressed Graham Thorpe, England's lead batting coach, on the subsequent England Performance Programme (EPP) tours. He followed it with another solid season in 2012, helping Yorkshire secure promotion and winning the Cricket Writers' Club Young Player of the Year award. Geoffrey Boycott is among Root's many admirers.

Root admitted, however, that his first experience of the England dressing room had been somewhat intimidating. One of the downsides of central contracts, compared to many upsides, is that international players are rarely seen in the county game. And one of the downsides of the more professional approach that players have these days is that opponents do not so readily meet for a drink after play to chat about the game

"It was quite daunting walking into that room with guys you've spent the last five years watching on the telly," Root said. "They are heroes you look up to and the next minute you're training with them every day and learning from them. I didn't know them at all to be honest.

"But they've been brilliant. It's a great environment to be part of and everyone's really excited for the rest of the series. Everybody has been very good at making sure I'm welcomed into the side and Tim Bresnan, in particular, made sure everyone got to know me. That was really beneficial. It's been fantastic."

Root knows that this tour, for him, may well be about acclimatisation. With Nick Compton having been preferred to Root for the Test side and having taken his chance pretty well, Root has been relegated to the role of understudy. While there is an element of disappointment about that, Root also accepts that the time familiarising himself with the England dressing room, its characters, habits and work ethic will help him feel more comfortable if and when his chance comes.

	"It's good to ease your way in and get exposure to all the coaches and the lads and it's brilliant to get some advice on board from everyone and a great learning opportunity"

"Any time spent around the team is valuable," he said. "It's good to almost ease your way in and you get great exposure to all the coaches and all the lads and it's brilliant to get some advice on board from everyone and a great learning opportunity. I'll just keep trying to get as much from this tour as I possibly can."

He showed he remains in decent touch with a century for the EPP squad last week. While the quality of the opposition was modest, Root took the opportunity to remind the selectors of his form and, should injury intervene, he insists he is ready.

"Everyone needs time in the middle," he said. "Especially when you've not been playing, you need to have the confidence that, if something does go wrong, if someone does go down, I've got a weight of runs behind me to stand me in good stead.

"I'll just be doing everything I can in the nets, working with all the coaches to try to improve my game and take as much from the tour as possible. And also to make sure that, if required, I'm ready to go."

That game also featured Steven Finn's comeback from injury. While no decision about Finn's involvement in the third Test has yet to be made - the next three days of training will define that - Root, at least, was impressed by the fast bowler's performance.

"He looked very dangerous," Root said. "He bowled fantastically well, took some wickets and got good overs under his belt. He bowled great areas and looked threatening like he always does. I think he's pretty happy with where he's at now, and interesting to see how things go over the next three days in training."

Part of Root's training involves working on his offspin. While he remains very much a part-time bowler at present - he claimed just one Championship wicket in 2012 - he knows that an ability to perform a role as second or even third spinner might, at some stage, make a crucial difference when it comes to selection.

"I'm working really hard on my bowling," he said. "I'm trying to take this opportunity of being part of this squad to be a better player and my bowling is definitely part of that. My aim is to improve and give the captain another option, so I have to be able to take some wickets or tie an end up."

The England squad, which now contains Ian Bell and James Tredwell, will resume training on Sunday when they take their first look at the much-debated pitch for the third Test at Eden Gardens. They spent Saturday helping a children's charity in Kolkata. While there may be much cynicism about sports people engaged in charity, no media were present on this occasion and no notice of their activity was published.

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Dwayne Smith in, West Indies bowl

Toss West Indies chose to bowl v Bangladesh
Live scorecard and ball-by-ball details

West Indies won the their second toss in as many games and this time decided to bowl first at the Abu Naser Stadium. West Indies were hammered in the opening game at the same venue on Friday, when their 199 was proved woefully inadequate.

Darren Sammy reckoned there would be something in the pitch for his seamers to exploit first thing in the morning and noted that it got better for batting during Bangladesh's chase in the opening game.

West Indies made just one change, bringing in the allrounder Dwayne Smith for the fast bowler Kemar Roach. Bangladesh went in with an unchanged line-up.

Bangladesh: 1 Tamim Iqbal, 2 Anamul Haque, 3 Naeem Islam, 4 Nasir Hossain, 5 Mahmudullah, 6 Mushfiqur Rahim (capt & wk), 7 Mominul Haque, 8 Mashrafe Mortaza, 9 Sohag Gazi, 10 Abdur Razzak, 11 Rubel Hossain

West Indies: 1 Chris Gayle, 2 Lendl Simmons, 3 Darren Bravo, 4 Marlon Samuels, 5 Kieron Pollard, 6 Darren Sammy (capt), 7 Devon Thomas (wk), 8 Dwayne Smith, 9 Andre Russell, 10 Ravi Rampaul, 11 Sunil Narine

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