Warne attacks Ponting, Cook

Shane Warne has accused Ricky Ponting of being motivated by "jealousy" in criticising his Australian captaincy successor Michael Clarke, while also asserting that Alastair Cook will risk losing the Ashes for England should he continue to lead in a "negative" manner.

In a typically showstopping stream of opinions ahead of Australia's return bout with England, Warne leapt to the defence of his "best friend" Clarke, arguing that Ponting's written critique of the incumbent leader in his autobiography was the result of bitterness. He also said Ponting's actions did not compare favourably with those of Allan Border and Mark Taylor, the "two best captains" the former legspinner played under.

"I know he beats himself up mercilessly about being the only Australian captain ever to lose three Ashes," Warne said in a press conference call with English media for the Ashes broadcaster Sky Sports. "And I know Ricky made that horrific decision to put England in at Edgbaston in 2005. I don't want to be mean about Ricky - he's a good guy and he tried to do the best he could.

"But to bring up the stuff about Pup [Clarke] - maybe there was a bit of jealousy, because Pup was batting so well and Ricky was not making any runs. To me, Michael's very well respected. The best captains keep stuff in the dressing room. No-one ever finds out about it. That's what good leaders are about. So to hear all this in a book is pretty ordinary."

Cook's leadership of England has thus far been characterised by a close relationship with the coach Andy Flower and a calm guiding hand rather than any great invention in the field. England's preferred approach is of a more conservative nature than that of Clarke and the Australian coach Darren Lehmann.

"If Michael Clarke did the same things, I'd say he was negative, but he's not. That's not the way he captains," Warne said. "Cook can be negative, boring, not very imaginative - and still win and be pretty happy. But I think he needs to be more imaginative. If Australia play well and he continues to captain the way he does, I think England are going to lose the series.

"I don't think he can captain like that - and I'm not working in any capacity whatsoever for Cricket Australia. Darren Lehmann is a good mate of mine, and Michael Clarke is my best friend, of course I speak to them a lot but I call it as I see it. And I'm not the only one who thinks Alastair Cook is a negative captain.

"He lets the game drift. He waits for the game to come to him. I don't think he can captain the side like that. For me, Michael Clarke is the best captain in the world at the moment. He just has a lot of imagination. Cook would never have a leg slip, bat-pad and leg gully, like Clarke did for Jonathan Trott in the summer."

To round off his serve, Warne said England would do well not to play Joe Root at the top of the order during the series, suggesting the young Yorkshireman would be "crucified" facing the new ball on Australian pitches. Warne preferred to see Michael Carberry as Cook's opening partner, with Joe Root to bat at No. 6 instead of Jonny Bairstow.

"I don't think Root's an opener because of his technique. Australia found him out in England, and in Australian conditions they'll find him out more. You can't get stuck on the crease in Australia because of the pace of the wickets.

"It could be crucifying him if he has got to face Ryan Harris, Peter Siddle and Mitchell Johnson on some fast, bouncy pitches. I think he's just going to nick off a lot. Besides Lord's, where he got 180, Australia really did have his number."

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This win better than 4-0 - Mushfiqur

Bangladesh captain Mushfiqur Rahim rated the 3-0 whitewash against New Zealand slightly ahead of their 4-0 win over the same opponents in 2010. He believed the win this time was evidence of Bangladesh's progress and at the same time argued it is harder to follow up on a previously high achievement.

The home side won three close matches last time New Zealand visited, but in the current three-match series they won comfortably in the first two and chased 309 in the third and final game in Fatullah.

"Both the achievements have different experiences but personally the 3-0 win feels better for me," Mushfiqur said. "Firstly, I am the captain, and secondly because you can achieve a result with a lot of hard work but to hold that result is even more difficult."

"During the 4-0 win in 2010, the team was different. Here our best performers were not in the team. Despite everything we won this series, so I feel this series win is doubly important. This is proof that the Bangladesh team is improving."

The sense of confidence within Mushfiqur's team was evident in his decision to bat first in Mirpur in the second ODI, which they won by 40 runs, and also by the decision to field first in Fatullah. The recent scores on this newly-laid wicket suggested that batting first would be a better option due to lower bounce in the second innings. However, it turned out to be a truer wicket with better bounce and Bangladesh made 309 when the average second-innings score on these wickets had been 157.

"It wasn't a win-the-toss-bat-first kind of wicket," Mushfiqur said. "Since it was a day game, we wanted to use early swing in the first five to ten overs, take wickets and put them on pressure.

"But they started well and it seemed like they would score 320-330 at one point. A score like 307, with the new ODI rules, is not a big target. We just tried to play at our best."

This win was secured by the little contributions within the batting line-up. It started with Ziaur Rahman's cameo where he swung at almost every ball and came up with two fours and two sixes in his 20-ball 22. By the time he fell in the eighth over, Bangladesh's run-rate was well in line with what was required.

Mominul Haque's 32 kept the run-rate intact while Naeem Islam's half-century was responsible for the rest of the innings. Nasir Hossain provided the finishing with an unbeaten 44 off 38 balls, with Sohag Gazi and Mahmudullah also helping out

"I think the small contributions were a lot in numbers. The young players are playing well, putting pressure on the senior players. We also have to try to hold our position," Mushfiqur said."This is good for Bangladesh cricket. Everyone sees the team's interest ahead of their own.

Mushfiqur revealed he had had a talk with Nasir after the batsman did not contribute in the first two matches of the series. He added that Naeem, too, was an inspiration because he was not even in their plans until Shakib Al Hasan came down with dengue fever, but he turned out to be one of the Man-of-the-Series contenders with the highest runs among both teams although that ultimately went to the captain

"I never thought of becoming the Man of the Series," Mushfiqur said. "I was congratulating Naeem bhai because he is the highest scorer, so he was unlucky that I got it. He wasn't supposed to play. If Shakib didn't get sick he would not be playing the whole series, so I feel that everyone has matured a lot.

"Nasir didn't score in the last two games. I have been telling him for the last two days not to worry too much. When the team needs runs you will score, we said. I hope that we can continue like this which is the biggest challenge. It's difficult but if we have the mentality we can do it."

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Pakistan's proposed tour to South Africa scrapped

The plans for Pakistan's proposed limited-overs tour of South Africa in November have been scrapped due to the PCB's ongoing legal existential crisis that has prevented them from making a commitment to the tour. The short series was planned during a two-week window in November after the two sides wrap up their current bilateral series in the UAE on November 15.

The PCB currently has no board chairman or any kind of body running its affairs, after the Islamabad High Court suspended chairman Najam Sethi and the five-member Interim Management Committee (IMC) on Thursday, until at least after the weekend. Cricket South Africa (CSA) had requested the PCB to confirm the tour at least two weeks prior to its commencement, in order to sort out the logistics. However, the PCB finds itself unable to sanction the tour, since its top decision-making officials are suspended for an indefinite period.

Sethi said that CSA had offered the PCB US$1.5million to host them. "CSA had offered us to play a short series in South Africa. But due to the ongoing legal crisis in the PCB, we cannot extend discussions with them," Sethi said in his program Aapas Ki Baat in Geo News.

"The day I had started working on the proposal by CSA, the court suspended me and the IMC, so the idea could not materialise."

The tour was suggested after the original itinerary of India's tour of South Africa was altered. The seven ODIs were cut down to three, the three-Test series brought down to two, and the two-match T20 series was scrapped altogether.

India will begin their tour of South Africa on December 5, with the first ODI. CSA was expected to lose R200 million (US$ 20m approx.) owing to the curtailed India tour, with the proposed home series against Pakistan expected to help recover some of those costs.

Pakistan are scheduled to return to the UAE on December 6 to take on Sri Lanka in two T20s, five ODIs and three Tests. The second half of November is the only period in which both Pakistan and South Africa have no other commitments.

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Saker wants bowlers under pressure

A hailstorm, heavy rain and temperatures about 20 degrees lower than Perth greeted England's cricketers as they arrived in Hobart for the second leg of their Ashes warm-up.

The players were quick to take to Twitter to say how much it felt like home - and bemoan not packing a few warmer clothes - and for England's bowlers the feeling of something more familiar is likely to extend a bit further than the climate when they face Australia A this week on a ground that has a reputation for a spicy wicket and low scores.

They would be wise, however, not get too comfortable if they see some seam movement and swing because the batting-friendly conditions they encountered at the WACA are more likely to be the norm for the next few months.

Other than James Anderson, who eased into the tour with an accurate 23 overs against the WA Chairman's XI, it was an unconvincing performance from his fellow fast bowlers - the three who are trying to secure one vacant spot in the attack for the Gabba.

In fairness to Boyd Rankin, Chris Tremlettand Steven Finn there was an upward curve as the match progressed through its final day but a reasonably low bar had been set in the first innings as they trio produced combined figures of 64-6-303-2.

Anderson could be rested this week in Tasmania with Stuart Broad who, like Alastair Cook, had a few back issues in Perth needing to get his tour up and running while Graeme Swann also sat out the opening match. That means only two of the three other quicks are likely to find a spot in a match where England will hope to increase their intensity.

However, David Saker, the bowling coach who committed to England until 2015 at the beginning of the tour, was keen assure all his fringe bowlers that nothing would be decided on the basis of their first run out of a long tour.

"We're three days into a long tour and haven't really made any strong decisions yet, so they're still going to be fighting out for that one position," he said. "I think that's a really positive thing. You can see when they're working in the nets, or out in games, there's some added pressure on them which is great.

"We're always assessing after every session. People can jump [past] others and it just keeps changing all the time.

"From where I sit, it's exciting. I'm sure it isn't from where they sit. But it's always good having competition for spots because then you get probably the best out of everyone. If all of them bowl at their maximum, it's going to be a hell of a hard selection."

Saker was encouraged by the second-innings bowling display as the WA side closed on 5 for 168. Rankin, after a nervous start to his red-ball England career, removed both openers and Finn boosted his confidence with a brace of late strikes although still conceded more than five runs an over.

"They got some really good spells under their belts and all of them looked better as the game went on," Saker said. "That is a pleasing sign.

"Sometimes in Australia you get flat wickets and it's hard work. You've got to find different ways to get wickets, and the best way for us as a team is to try to build some pressure. As the game went on, I felt the guys were doing that. The last day was a good performance - 160 for 5 on that wicket."

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Najam Sethi hits out at Islamabad High Court in editorial

Najam Sethi, the suspended PCB chairman, has attributed the Pakistan board's ongoing existential crisis to "extraordinary judicial intervention". He wrote an op-ed in the Friday Times, the weekly newspaper of which he is editor-in-chief, questioning the Islamabad High Court's (IHC) rulings by which two chairmen have been suspended in past five months, leaving the board's administration in a state of turmoil.

The PCB currently is without a chairman, and this has left it in "disarray" and "losing billions", Sethi wrote. "An extraordinary judicial intervention in the affairs of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has thrown everything and everyone into confusion, disarray and gridlock," Sethi wrote in his article headlined "This is not cricket". "Worse, it is threatening to post huge financial, administrative and sporting losses on the only tax-paying national sport institution in the country.

"The PCB is incurring financial losses of billions by delaying urgent financial, administrative and sporting decisions. The matter needs to be brought to a fair, just and constitutional closure as early as possible by the honourable judges in the national interest."

Sethi was appointed interim chairman of the PCB in June 2013 - for a 90-day period - after the IHC suspended former PCB chairman Zaka Ashraf over questions about the legality of the elections conducted to appoint him. In July, Justice Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui set a deadline of October 18 for the PCB to hold fresh elections for the chairman. Sethi failed to hold those elections and instead, on October 15 just before the deadline, the prime minister of Pakistan - the new patron of the PCB according to the court - Nawaz Sharif, dissolved the governing board of the PCB, and formed a five-member IMC, headed by Sethi, to administer cricket. Then, on October 28, Justice Siddiqui suspended Sethi from his role as IMC head for not complying with the earlier legal order to elect a permanent PCB chairman by October 18.

In his order that directed the board to organise fresh elections, Justice Siddiqui had also ordered a comprehensive makeover of the PCB. The 30-page judgement, asked for changes in the structure of the PCB, questioned the appointment of the selection committee, as well as the board's financial and recruitment affairs. According to his order, a candidate competing for the post of chairman had to be an ex-first-class cricketer, a graduate.

Traditionally in Pakistan Cricket, the nomination of the chairman has come from the president of Pakistan, and the post has rarely been filled by an ex-cricketer. Sethi objected to this direction of the court in his article. "Nowhere in the cricketing world is the head of any board a first-class or Test cricketer elected directly by a general body," he wrote. "The reason for this is that the basic functions of cricket boards are financial and managerial, with only sporting activities guided by committees headed by ex-sportsmen."

The fact that Sethi has written a piece about it in his position as editor of the weekly is likely to lead to more raised eyebrows of those who worry about the potential conflicts of interest in Sethi being a chairman and prominent media personality. Already questions have been asked, especially after the PCB awarded broadcast rights of Pakistan's series with Sri Lanka in the UAE later this year to Geo Super, a sports channel owned by the same media group with which Sethi doubles as a popular political talk show host.

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McCullum heads home with back trouble

Brendon McCullum, the New Zealand captain, is returning home immediately after being ruled out of the final two matches of the Bangladesh tour with "significant" pain from a long-standing back problem.

McCullum had already been withdrawn from the forthcoming short tour to Sri Lanka, alongside Ross Taylor, so that he could play some domestic first-class cricket in preparation for the Test series against West Indies which starts on December 3.

Now fitness, as well as form, is a concern for McCullum who endured a lean time with the bat in Bangladesh. He made scores of 21, 22 and 11 in the Test series followed by 0 and 14 in the first two one-day internationals which New Zealand lost to concede the series to Bangladesh.

Following an MRI scan in Dhaka, Paul Close, the New Zealand physio, said: "Brendon's back needs careful management - it's flared up and is giving him significant pain. The best course of action is getting him home for rehabilitation as soon as possible."

Although McCullum's form has slipped in recent weeks, New Zealand can ill-afford to lose his services for the beginning of West Indies' visit as Kane Williamson, the vice-captain, is a serious doubt for the opening Test in Dunedin, and possibly the second in Wellington, having suffered a fractured thumb in Bangladesh.

Problems with his back was one of the major reasons behind McCullum giving up the wicketkeeping gloves in Tests, a move he also tried to make in ODIs but Luke Ronchi's struggles in England, during the series earlier earlier this year and the Champions Trophy, meant McCullum took back the role for this one-day series.

Ronchi has now arrived in Bangladesh having been recalled following Williamson's injury but the gloves may go to Tom Latham as New Zealand aim to avoid a whitewash. BJ Watling is settled as New Zealand's Test wicketkeeper.

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Rohit takes strides towards consistency

Since moving to the top of the order, Rohit Sharma has become a more reliable cog in India's one-day set up, and that was on show in this series

Clint McKay was at the top of his run-up, ready to bowl, but he had to wait. And wait. Rohit Sharma had already punched the air in jubilation, hugged his captain MS Dhoni, soaked up the applause of the euphoric crowd and was walking towards the batting crease. While McKay was eager to bring another punishment-filled innings for the bowlers closer to an end, a grinning Rohit relished his double-century, setting off on part two of his celebration - a series of fist pumps and a wave of the bat to the dressing room and the fans.

After his part in running out the current golden boy of Indian cricket and favourite of the Bangalore crowd, Virat Kohli, for a duck, Rohit needed to produce something special, and he did.

What made it even more of a delight for Rohit was that the chance of the double-century sneaked up unexpectedly late in the innings. When Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag broke through the barrier, they set off at a breakneck pace right from the start, but here Rohit batted almost leisurely at the beginning, allowing Shikhar Dhawan to take charge.

Even as late as the 42nd over, when he had already hit eight sixes, he was scoring at less than a run a ball. In a matter of minutes though, the possibilities multiplied. A couple of boundaries off McKay in the 46th over took him to 150, and had people thinking about him going past 183 - the highest score of three modern Indian ODI masters, Sourav Ganguly, Dhoni and Kohli.

An onslaught on Xavier Doherty - 6 4 0 6 4 6 - took him there by the end of the 47th. The next target was the double-ton, and how badly he wanted it was evident in the penultimate over, when he emphatically called Dhoni back for a second so he could retain strike after stroking the ball towards sweeper cover.

Off the first ball of the final over, he hit a record-tying 15th six over cover to go past the magic mark, and followed it up with another six, this time over midwicket. Suddenly, Sehwag's 219 was in his sights. He couldn't get there, but he had already doubled his score in the final 12 overs, and taken India to a towering total. It was frenetic scoring, but Rohit made it look casual.

"Paisa vasool (value for money) boss," a fan shouted at the end of the innings, thoroughly satisfied though India's total of 383 had only added to what promises to be a long-running debate about the balance between bat and ball.

The 209 also extends Rohit's burst of heavy scoring - a record aggregate for a bilateral series - that repaid the immense faith placed in him by the management and which he needed to win over Indian fans, for plenty of whom he has been an object of derision over the past few years.

Rohit has shown flashes of his ability to turn matches previously, with Man-of-the-Series performances at home and away against West Indies in 2011. Those runs were scored in tougher conditions, especially in the Caribbean, and often with the team stuttering after a top-order failure.

Those signs of brilliance though came in low-profile series and were sandwiched by fallow spells, which meant the question marks over his place in the side never really went away. The worst of those lowlights was in 2012, during one of the many forgotten series in Sri Lanka where five single-digit scores finally ejected him from the XI.

The renaissance came about in 2013, with another go at the top of order against England. He began with a brisk 83 in Mohali, and he has been scoring runs ever since - he now averages 59.50 in 22 games since being promoted to open. The solid starts that were crucial to India's run to the Champions Trophy title were followed by substantial scores in the Caribbean tri-series, but the critics continued to ask about the lack of hundreds. He had only two centuries in nearly 100 ODIs till the start of this series, and it is another blot on his CV that he has erased with the unbeaten 141 in the gobsmacking chase in Jaipur and today's memorable performance.

Now, the big remaining blemish is his lack of Tests. While many argue about the endless chances he was given to come good in ODIs, few will disagree his superb first-class record merits an opportunity in Tests.

Except for rare cases like Cheteshwar Pujara, who is earmarked as something of a Test specialist, the route to make it to the Indian Test side has been through consistent success in the limited-overs matches. Rohit had checked that box, pushing him nearer and nearer to that elusive Test cap.

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Bangladesh opt to field, Tamim out

Toss Bangladesh chose to bowl v New Zealand
Live scorecard and ball-by-ball details

Bangladesh captain Mushfiqur Rahim won the toss and decided to field in the third and final ODI against New Zealand at the Fatullah Cricket Stadium, the first international game at the ground since April 2006.

New Zealand made four changes. Brendon McCullum returned home with a back injury while James Neesham, Tim Southee and Hamish Rutherford were also sidelined. Colin Munro, Luke Ronchi, Mitchell McClenaghan and Adam Milne were included in the playing XI.

For Bangladesh, Tamim Iqbal missed out due to abdominal pain, and was replaced by Ziaur Rahman.

New Zealand: 1 Anton Devcich, 2 Luke Ronchi (wk), 3 Tom Latham, 4 Ross Taylor, 5 Grant Elliott, 6 Corey Anderson, 7 Colin Munro, 8 Nathan McCullum, 9 Kyle Mills (capt), 10 Adam Milne, 11 Mitchell McClenaghan.

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

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Another high-scorer on cards for series decider

Match facts

Saturday, November 2, 2013
Start time 1330 local (0800 GMT)

Big Picture

The series couldn't have meant more differently to the two sides. It is tied 2-2, is headed into a decider in Bangalore, and what do Australia do? They take, Mitchell Johnson, self-admittedly their Man of the Series, and put him on a flight to Australia so he can present a case and prepare for the Ashes. India, on the other hand, have rested their important Test allrounder - on Indian turning tracks, that is - for the West Indies Tests because he has a shoulder strain, but they have every intention to play the man, Ravindra Jadeja, in this decider.

So down we go into one last run-fest between a desperate home side who last won a proper ODI series against these visitors back in 1986, and the tourists whose minds are already thinking of the Ashes. The captains and the bowlers have come to Bangalore fearing the worst because of the short boundaries there, the batsmen are not gloating about the runs they have amassed, and yet another 350-plays-350 - entirely possible here - could be the definitive message to the legislators of the game that they have badly skewed the balance between bat and ball.

Form guide

Australia LWLWW (most recent games first, completed matches)
India WLWLW

In the spotlight

Virat Kohli comes back to his third home for this ODI. His second home is Delhi, and his first is when he is batting in a chase. Within 13 days he has scored India's fastest and third-fastest centuries to make them the only side in the world to have successfully chased down 350 or more twice. India will need more of the same.

George Bailey has been to Australia what Kohli has been to India. He will be fighting Johnson for the Man-of-the-Series award. Bailey has done enough to make a case for himself: he now has the most runs in a bilateral series by anyone. He is also the leading ODI run-getter in 2013.

Team news

Amit Mishra's first home ODI began well with the ball turning and the batsmen not picking his wrong 'uns, but it went wrong pretty soon, and long hops made regular appearances as he was put under pressure. He could lose out to Jaydev Unadkat in the only likely change in the Indian XI.

India (probable) 1 Rohit Sharma, 2 Shikhar Dhawan, 3 Virat Kohli, 4 Suresh Raina, 5 Yuvraj Singh, 6 MS Dhoni (capt & wk), 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 R Ashwin, 9 Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 10 Jaydev Unadkat, 11 Mohammed Shami

Nathan Coulter-Nile is expected to take Johnson's place.

Australia (probable) 1 Aaron Finch, 2 Phillip Hughes, 3 Shane Watson, 4 George Bailey (capt), 5 Adam Voges, 6 Glenn Maxwell, 7 Brad Haddin (wk), 8 James Faulkner, 9 Nathan Coulter-Nile, 10 Clint McKay, 11 Xavier Doherty

Stats and trivia

• Kohli needs 81 runs to reach 5000 in ODIs. If he does it in this game, he will be the fastest to the landmark. If he takes two innings to get there, he will be the joint-fastest, alongside Viv Richards
• Kohli is the only player to have scored five successive scores of 50-plus on two separate occasions
• Only Hashim Amla has reached 1500 career ODI runs faster than Bailey, who did so in his 32nd innings

Quotes

" It has turned out to be a great series for our team in many ways; the way we've fought back from different situations. Personally, I've been pleased with my batting and hopefully I can do it again in the last game."
Virat kohli

"It's a very exciting way to end this series. I think it's just reward that it's two-all now, leading into the final, because it has been an outstanding series so far."
Brad Haddin

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Botham, Jayawardene open Murali Cup

Ian Botham and Mahela Jayawardene opened the 2013 Murali Cup in Kilinochchi on Friday, as the five-day tournament began in five venues across Sri Lanka's northern province. The Murali Cup aims to promote unity and reconciliation as well as the development of cricket, in the post-war regions of the country, by bringing men's and women's teams from the south to play sides from the north and east.



Jayawardene, who had been one of the first public figures to visit the north after the war ended in 2009, said his belief that cricket could facilitate role in social reconciliation in Sri Lanka had only been heightened by his experience of the inaugural Murali Cup, last year.

"It's all about these kids getting together, and having fun. They have open minds, and you can see the love that the people in the north have for the game, and we should be there to foster that," Jayawardene said.

"Last year, the team from St. Peters stayed with the boys from Kilinochchi, instead of staying in the separate accommodation that they had been assigned. They made friendships and exchanged Facebook and numbers, and when St. Peters got into the final against Jaffna, the boys from Kilinochchi got into a bus and went to watch that game, specially. That's the kind of thing that needs to happen."

Botham also began his charity walk through Sri Lanka after inaugurating the tournament, the first leg of which finished in Mankulam, 29 kilometres to the south of Kilinochchi. Sourav Ganguly, Steve Waugh and Allan Border are scheduled to join Botham on later legs. 



"It's a terrific tournament - one which shows cricket's capacity to bring people together, and be a common point of interest," Botham said. "It fits in really well with the idea behind the walk, which is to use sport to improve people's lives."


Kumar Sangakkara will visit the tournament venues on Saturday and Sunday, before Muttiah Muralitharan arrives for the finals on Tuesday. Twelve Under-19 teams and eight women's teams will compete in 34 Twenty20 matches.

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