All-round Pakistan Women claim T20 title

Pakistan Women 72 for 3 (Javeria 38) beat South Africa Women 68 for 9 (Kapp 40, Iqbal 2-14) by seven wickets
Scorecard

Pakistan Women capitalised on a poor batting display by South Africa Women to win the final of the PCB Qatar Women's 20-Over Tri-series by seven wickets in Doha on Friday.

South Africa were put in to bat and their innings had a poor start as pacer Asmavia Iqbal dismissed opener Lizelle Lee off the first ball of the match. That early wicket set the trend for the rest of South Africa's innings. South Africa did not help their cause with four run-outs, and more than half their total came courtesy Marizanne Kapp, who scored a 48-ball 40. After Kapp, the second-highest score in the innings was Sunette Loubser with 8. Iqbal and pacer Sania Khan picked up two wickets apiece as South Africa stuttered to 68 for 9 in their 20 overs.

Pakistan's chase was guided by opener Javeria Khan, who scored 38 off 46 balls with three fours. The side lost three wickets in their chase, but the target of 69 was hardly demanding and Pakistan went past it with nearly four overs to spare.

South Africa captain Mignon du Preez said, despite the implosion in the final, her team had done very well overall on the tour. "We had a bad day at the office today," she said. "We didn't put on the runs needed to have a competitive enough game and we disappointed ourselves. Hats off to Pakistan for playing their game ruthlessly and getting the win.

"But I'm proud of our team's efforts throughout this tour here in Doha, we have shown ourselves and many others that we are definitely a team to watch out for in the World T20. Now, it's time for us to go home and to work out the problem areas that we have discovered here and make sure we are at our peak by the time we reach Bangladesh [for the World T20]."

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Northants confirm three for IPL auction

This year's IPL auction takes on increased significance for English cricket and Northamptonshire are the latest county to confirm they will have a vested interest on February 12.

The ECB has opened up a bigger window for their centrally contracted players and many counties have also relaxed their stance on IPL participation, despite the prospect of losing players for nearly half of the County Championship season.

Northamptonshire have given their full blessing to Azharullah, Steven Crook and their overseas player Jackson Bird to seek IPL deals but losing all three would seriously hamper their chances of retaining a place in Division One of the County Championship for 2015.

Crook was a key member of the Northants' squad that won promotion last season. He took 43 wickets at 26.48 and also averaged 40.16 with the bat. Azharullah did not break into the Championship side until halfway through the campaign but added 25 wickets at 28.68. He also starred with the ball as Northants claimed a fairytale Friends Life t20 triumph, finishing the competition as top wicket-taker with 27 scalps.

Losing Bird, who Northants signed for ten Championship and seven T20 games, would rob them of a bowler who has played three Tests for Australia. An IPL clause was included in his contract.

But the county can breathe easy over David Willey, the very promising allrounder, who was also the subject of strong interest from several IPL franchises. He has withdrawn from the auction to focus on his fitness ahead of the new county season having suffered with a lower-back injury while in Australia with the England Performance Programme.

"We as a club recognise the opportunities offered by the IPL," the Northamptonshire chief executive, David Smith, said. "We will not stand in the way of the players wanting to take part in the competition, due to the development and financial benefits on offer."

Head coach, David Ripley, added: "The IPL is firmly established in the international cricket calendar and we fully understand the desire for players to be a part of it. We wish the lads well if selected, and if they are, it will give opportunities for others to start the season well for us."

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Vijay Zol available for Ranji Trophy final

Vijay Zol, the Maharashtra batsman and India Under-19 captain, will be available for his side's Ranji Trophy final against Karnataka, which begins in Hyderabad on January 29. The BCCI had earlier asked Zol to skip the final in order to train with the Under-19 team at the preparatory camp ahead of the upcoming Under-19 World Cup in the UAE.

The BCCI had given Zol permission to play only the semi-final against Bengal but the Maharashtra Cricket Association requested the board to release the young batsman for the final. Surendra Bhave, the Maharashtra coach, said the board had accepted the association's request and Zol is likely to join the team in Hyderabad on January 27.

Zol said he considered himself "fortunate" to play in the final. "I am fortunate to have been able to play a Ranji final in my maiden first-class season," he said. "I will try to help my team regain the coveted title and thus prepare for the big-match scenarios just before the U-19 World Cup."

Zol, who scored an unbeaten double-hundred on his Ranji debut in Maharashtra's season-opener, missed their last two league matches due to the U-19 Asia Cup in the UAE. However, he made a vital 91 in the quarter-final against Mumbai, helping Maharashtra beat the defending champions by eight wickets. In eight matches for Maharashtra this season, Zol has scored 517 runs at an average of 51.70.

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Ishant dropped, India bowl again

India chose to bowl v New Zealand
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details

India finally agreed to change when they left out Ishant Sharma for Varun Aaron, but they persisted with chasing possibly because they can never be sure how much is enough with their bowlers. India's last four ODI losses - all away from home - have come in chases, and all after winning the toss.

Aaron last played an international match in December 2011. Suresh Raina, who was hit on the elbow in the nets, turned up fine.

On a really hard Eden Park surface, fast bowlers were expected to generate good bounce, which meant they brought in Hamish Bennett for Kyle Mills. Those were the only changes the sides made. New Zealand were looking for their first string of three victories against opponents other than Zimbabwe and Associates since 2010. India needed to start stringing a hat-trick of their own to keep their No. 1 ranking in tact.

New Zealand 1 Martin Guptill, 2 Jesse Ryder, 3 Kane Williamson, 4 Ross Taylor, 5 Brendon McCullum (capt.), 6 Corey Anderson, 7 Luke Ronchi (wk), 8 Nathan McCullum, 9 Hamish Bennett, 10 Tim Southee, 11 Mitchell McClenaghan

India 1 Rohit Sharma, 2 Shikhar Dhawan, 3 Virat Kohli, 4 Ajinkya Rahane, 5 MS Dhoni (capt. & wk), 6 Suresh Raina, 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 R Ashwin, 9 Varun Aaron, 10 Mohammed Shami, 11 Bhuvneshwar Kumar

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Australia bowl; England unchanged

Australia won the toss and decided to bat against England
Live scorecard and ball-by-ball details

Australia will aim to attack England with pace after winning the toss and bowling at the WACA. Defeat for England, who have named an unchanged side, would make it 10 in a row across all formats and equal their worst run.

After the loss in Sydney, Alastair Cook said he would consider his future as one-day captain but today admitted he was emotional and is now "desperate" to carry on in his current role.

Australia confirmed their XI yesterday once George Bailey, standing in for Michael Clarke as captain, confirmed he was fit after the hip problem which ruled him out of the Sydney match. Steven Smith and Matthew Wade come into the side for the rested David Warner and Brad Haddin.

Australia 1 Aaron Finch, 2 Shaun Marsh, 3 George Bailey (capt), 4 Steven Smith, 5 Glenn Maxwell, 6 Matthew Wade (wk), 7 Daniel Christian, 8 James Faulkner, 9 Mitchell Johnson, 10 Nathan Coulter-Nile, 11 James Pattinson.

England 1 Alastair Cook (capt), 2 Ian Bell, 3 Ben Stokes, 4 Gary Ballace, 5 Eoin Morgan, 6 Ravi Bopara, 7 Jos Buttler (wk), 8 Tim Bresnan, 9 Stuart Broad, 10 Chris Jordan, 11 James Tredwell

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BCB to decide on draft based on 'response of other boards'

BCB president Nazmul Hassan said the Bangladesh board will consider the other Full Members' takes on the 'position paper', put forward by a working group of the Finance & Commercial Affairs committee of the ICC, before coming out for or against it. However, ESPNcricinfo understands that when asked for their individual opinions at a board meeting on Thursday, an overwhelming majority of the BCB directors said the board should side with the BCCI or "we will be cornered".

The main concern for Bangladesh is playing Test cricket - something which is now under threat as one of the proposals is to make the teams ranked Nos. 9 and 10 play in the Intercontinental Cup (the ICC's first-class tournament for non-Test nations) from 2015. A board director, seeking anonymity, said that even if that proposal is approved, Bangladesh could still play bilateral series with the top eight if they align with India.

"The reality for the BCB is that we cannot afford to go against the BCCI," the BCB director said. "Bangladesh is the 10th ranked team, but if we align with them, there is every chance that they will help us get teams to tour Bangladesh and vice versa. Of course we have to consider many other factors before we go with them but the majority in the board believe that favouring India would be the best option for us."

In the press conference that followed the meeting, Hassan said the BCB would take a measured decision before the ICC meeting on January 29. He also hinted at the revamped system being beneficial to Bangladesh, in that it could help them climb the Test rankings. The board would not "risk" Bangladesh's chances of playing against top nations by hastily refusing the draft proposal, he said.

"We have decided not to express whether we have taken a decision or not," Hassan said. "I want to know the opinions of the other boards from today. It doesn't matter what is said in public, unless the same thing is said in the meeting. If we oppose the proposal but it still goes through, we will be under a lot of pressure.

"I will go to Dubai on January 25 to speak to other boards to understand the matter more clearly. We have to take a decision based on the situation. We have to rely a lot on the response of the other boards.

Hassan said he was confident that Bangladesh's hosting of three international series in the immediate future - Sri Lanka in a bilateral series, the Asia Cup and the World Twenty20 - would not be affected by how the BCB votes. "If we oppose the proposal, it won't affect our hosting of the Sri Lanka tour, Asia Cup or World Twenty20," he said. "There's no connection between these two."

He believes if the proposal goes through and a multi-tiered system comes in, Bangladesh could take the No. 8 position in Test cricket - the draft proposal suggests the winner of the Intercontinental Cup could challenge the No. 8 ranked team, home and away, and if the Test team is beaten, the Intercontinental Cup winners are promoted into the top eight at the loser's expense.

"Our Test status will remain [since the draft proposal has a "no disadvantage" condition, by which none of the current Full Members will lose that status]. We will be among the ten Test playing nations. But our Test rating point is 18, so to reach No. 8 ranking [under the current system], we will need more than a decade. We are not getting enough opportunities. Zimbabwe has 34 rating points, so I don't know who we can beat to cover the difference.

"We have improved as a side in the last 18 months. We have played well against Sri Lanka, New Zealand and West Indies. But such performances haven't reflected on our ranking. There is a chance here to beat the others [in the Intercontinental Cup] and then have a go at the No. 8 ranked team..."

"We cannot take a risk, particular given the position of our cricket. If our vote doesn't matter, we will probably stay quiet. But if our vote decides the revamp, it will be very critical. What we will do at that stage is something I can only understand once I am at the meeting."

Hassan also believes that the Full Members will not be divided on this matter, but will arrive at a unanimous decision. "There won't be a split in world cricket. I don't think [the ICC committee] would have presented such a huge proposal without doing their homework and I also don't believe it will be a close-run thing. It will either be accepted or rejected."

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Draft will need 'extraordinary majority' to be passed - ICC vice-president

Mustafa Kamal, the ICC vice-president, has said an "extraordinary majority" will be required to approve ICC Finance & Commercial Affairs working group's increasingly controversial draft proposal. He does not believe, at this stage, that it would be right to bring such changes to the world of cricket.

Kamal was apparently not present at the meeting in which the proposal was first discussed during the January 9 meeting. He said that it would take a long time for such a revamp to take place. He doesn't think it would happen at such short notice, though there are reasons to believe that it will be the main topic of discussion at the January 29 ICC meeting.

"One must also remember that there are clauses that one will have to follow for making amendment to the constitution," Kamal told ESPNcricinfo. "They will need an extraordinary majority to make the amendments. There are so many discussions that will have to take place before such things happen. It is a long path.

"Anything that will affect the world of cricket should not be done," he said. "Cricket progressed a lot in the last decade, in terms of popularity, revenue and administration. I think it won't be right to bring changes."

His veiled stance against the draft proposal is a fair reflection of opinions in his home country, Bangladesh, and indicative of how rest of the ICC feels about it. Kamal said that he has discussed the matter with other board members, who have expressed similar surprise at what has been put in front of them.

"I have talked to members of different boards from around the globe and they are surprised too," he said. "No one had an idea of this proposal.

"I don't even regard this as a proposal at this stage, until it comes to me as a proposal in official form. I have no further comments to make."

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Leicestershire gloom set to deepen

Leicestershire's problems are set to intensify with the announcement of a significant loss for the 2013 financial year.

The club, which finished bottom of the Division Two County Championship table without a win in the season, have cited player salaries and the costs of maintaining their Grace Road ground as pertinent factors in the losses. Leicestershire also declared a loss of just over £250,000 for the 2012 financial year.

"We are about to announce a five-figure loss shortly, in the next two or three weeks, for the year to September 2013," the club's chief executive, Mike Siddal, told the BBC. "We have a relatively old ground which needs a lot of money spending on it in repairs and renovations. Players' salaries go up all the time and we need to invest in the team. I know it sounds a bit simple, but our costs exceed our income."

While the club's on-field form has been poor over the last couple of years - they also failed to progress from the group stages in either of the limited-overs competitions in 2013 - they do have a fine record of developing players.

Stuart Broad, Luke Wright, Harry Gurney and James Taylor are all recent examples of players who have developed in part through the club's system and gone on to interest the England selectors while Shiv Thakor and Ned Eckersley, of the current crop of players, are tipped to join them. The club's 18-year-old off-spinning all-rounder Rob Sayer is also highly regarded and currently represents the England U19 side.

But with the club losing money and failing to perform adequately on the pitch, it is inevitable that Leicetstershire will be used as an example of the weakness of the county system by those who believe there are too many first-class counties. Not for the first time, they will start next season fighting to justify their existence and their ECB funding.

Leicestershire did have hopes of diversifying the use of their ground last year, which has one of the largest playing areas in first-class cricket, but plans to make use of the space by providing a home for the city's basketball team fell through when the project failed to gain the financial backing of Sport England.

Plans to build a multi-purpose sport centre in Leicester went on public display a year ago. A £2.5m project on empty land at Grace Road cricket ground also involved Leicester Riders basketball team and Leicester College as well as a number of apartments and was much in keeping with ECB guidelines to finance county grounds by multiple use.

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WV Raman appointed KKR batting coach

WV Raman, the former India batsman, has been appointed batting coach for the Kolkata Knight Riders ahead of the seventh edition of the IPL. Raman had earlier worked with Kings XI Punjab as the assistant coach for the 2013 season.

"Former Indian cricketer WV Raman has been appointed @KKRiders batting coach #PepsiIPL," the IPL tweeted on Wednesday night.

Raman, who played 11 Tests and 27 ODIs for India between 1988 and 1997, is currently the coach of Tamil Nadu, also his home state. Raman had earlier served as coach of the same side for four years before taking over as Bengal coach in 2010. He was replaced in 2013 by Ashok Malhotra and then returned to coach Tamil Nadu.

The other members of the Knight Riders coaching staff include Trevor Bayliss (coach), Vijay Dahiya (assistant coach), Trevor Penney (fielding coach) and Rudi Webster (mental skills coach). The 2012 winners had a poor season last year, finishing seventh out of nine.

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De Villiers making slow progress after hand surgery

AB de Villiers, South Africa's Test wicketkeeper, has admitted he is making slow progress after his hand surgery but remains confident he will be fit for the upcoming series against Australia. De Villiers went under the knife on January 10 and was estimated to need up to a month of rehabilitation before taking the field again. 

"It's still swollen because it was done not so long ago. I still need time away from the game, unfortunately," he told South African news channel eNCA. "I'm going through rehab at the moment and it's quite painful."

De Villiers required the operation to remove a plate from his hand, which had been inserted after a fracture sustained during the IPL in 2011. The plate had begun to cause discomfort and had to be surgically removed. The recovery period means de Villiers will play no part in the ongoing domestic twenty-over competition, which had been largely marketed on the availability of international players. 

But with a high-profile contest against Australia ahead, de Villiers' absence from the Titans is in the national interest. De Villiers is one of the candidates who could slot into the No. 4 spot left vacant by Jacques Kallis, a role he is expected to fill only if he is unburdened of the wicketkeeping gloves.

Whether or not de Villiers moves into Kallis' place in the batting line-up, there is no doubt he will have to assume more responsibility as a senior player as South Africa attempt to beat Australia at home for the first time since readmission. De Villiers was part of the outfits who defeated Australia on South Africa's previous two tours there, in 2008-09 and in 2012, and now hopes they can repeat the same in front of their own fans.

"I'm looking forward to a massive series against Australia," he said. "They're playing really good cricket, but there's no reason for us to stand back. We beat them the last time we played, but it's been a while since we beat them in South Africa." 

While the Australia players have been vocal about their chances, the South African camp has been largely silent but de Villiers hinted it won't stay that way. "I'm looking forward to a rough series against Australia. That's how it's going to be played."

The three-Test series starts on February 12 in Centurion.

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