India's SA tour gets go-ahead

India's tour of South Africa later this year is all but confirmed, with a formal statement expected in the next 24 hours. The month-long tour is likely to comprise two Tests and three ODIs. The decision follows an assurance from Cricket South Africa that it will suspend its CEO, Haroon Lorgat, from dealing with matters related to India and the ICC pending an inquiry by the world body into allegations against him.

The allegations relate to Lorgat's role in the statement issued by David Becker, formerly the ICC's legal head, that the BCCI's flouting of the FTP could have legal implications. In his statement, released to the media last week, Becker had said it was "improper" to allow a member body to "blatantly disregard an ICC resolution".

The issue was touched upon during the ICC Executive Board meeting in London over the weekend and the BCCI's demand for an ethics committee inquiry against Becker and Lorgat gained a lot of support. Many ICC Full Members are believed to have expressed their reservations over Lorgat being a part of ICC proceedings.

Though an ICC spokesperson couldn't be reached for a comment, it is understood that Lorgat will be suspended from two of the most important responsibilities in his job profile but would continue to take care of all the domestic affairs at CSA as well as dealing with other ICC members.

The decision, which is expected to be made public through a joint statement by the two boards, will end a story that has been playing out for several months. It severely tested the relations between the BCCI and CSA, which have been on best terms since the end of apartheid in the early 1990s.

The origin of the issue was the schedule for India's tour of South Africa, which was announced by CSA on July 8. However, it immediately fell into problems because the schedule had not been endorsed by the BCCI. And though there was no official statement, the sticking point seemed to be CSA's appointment of Lorgat as its chief executive despite a series of run-ins between Lorgat and the BCCI during his tenure as ICC chief.

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Is Duleep Trophy no longer relevant?

With tournaments like Champions League T20 nudging Duleep Trophy towards the margins of India's domestic calendar, the once-popular event is facing an identity crisis

The last time the Duleep Trophy was shared, before this year's edition, was 16 years ago when the 1997-98 final between West Zone and Central Zone in Chennai lost three days of play due to rain. The common strands between then and now are the weather and the four-match format of the tournament.

However, the significance of the tournament to India's domestic calendar has changed. Sixteen years ago, the Duleep Trophy was the last hurdle on the domestic circuit to earning a national call-up. In 2013, the tournament is struggling to find a slot in the domestic calendar that allows at least the zonal stars to participate. The tournament has clashed with the Champions League T20 for the last few years, and had the status of the Duleep Trophy not devalued, it would have seen domestic stars in whites rather than the coloured clothing of their franchise.

In such a scenario, one of the semi-finals this year was decided by a coin toss, followed by a final that saw just 10 overs played over five days - the last thing the tournament, already in the midst of an identity crisis, needed.

Amay Khurasiya, who led Central Zone in that final 16 years ago, feels it's time to realise the declining worth of the Duleep Trophy.

"If there are so many avenues for a person to get selected for India, then some avenues are going to dip in terms of significance," Khurasiya, who is now the director of Madhya Pradesh Cricket Association's academy, told ESPNcricinfo.

The Champions League matches were mostly held in cities that were unaffected by rain. A match scheduled to be held in Ahmedabad was moved to Jaipur following heavy rain. Yet that facility was not extended to the Duleep Trophy final that was held at the same venue where, 72 hours earlier, the semi-final had been washed out.

Ratnakar Shetty, the BCCI's general manager - game development, told Mumbai Mirror that October was the only slot available and the tournament could only be held in the southern part of India because other venues around the country were involved with the Champions League or the India-Australia series.

TC Mathew, the Kerala Cricket Association president who is also a member of the BCCI's senior tournament committee, also cited the same reasons.

"First and foremost, we must understand that the rains were expected to subside in October," Mathew said. "And it wasn't raining every day, so the question of informing the Board of our (KCA) inability to host the final after the semi-final disaster didn't arise.

"At the same time, I don't think the Board was in a position to shift the final at the eleventh hour because of the volume of cricket played around the country. At the end of the day, when Kerala has seen rains more than 180% of the average annual rainfall, despite putting in all the possible human effort, we couldn't have more than 10 overs in the game."

The BCCI finds itself in a conundrum of scheduling too many tournaments in limited span of time, with recent additions such as the Corporate Trophy, IPL, Champions League and the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. With a prolonged Ranji trophy, which now assures each team of at least eight games per season, there are questions over whether the BCCI should let go of the Duleep Trophy that, until recently, used to be a marquee event. Khurasiya isn't averse to the idea.

"In an era when a four-over spell or an eight- or ten-over burst with the bat can catapult a youngster into the national team, Duleep Trophy has almost lost its value," Khurasiya said. "Nothing lasts forever. With times everything changes.

"You need to have vision. If something's not worth it, you better not continue with it. No doubt plenty of avenues have been created for cricketers to get noticed. At the same time, too much of cricket is also not good if it's affecting the quality. And I suppose the quality is being affected these days."

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Anderson eager for pace and bounce

James Anderson has welcomed the suggestion that Australia will prepare relatively helpful pitches for seamers in the forthcoming Ashes series.

After England prevailed 3-0 at home on surfaces that were generally low and slow, it has been suggested in some quarters that the pitches in Australia will provide far more encouragement to the home side's seamers. The groundsman at the Gabba, Kevin Mitchell, told the Courier Mail that his pitch would be "pretty different" from those used in England and would "definitely have a tinge of green" in it, while Darren Lehmann, the Australia coach, promised pitches that would "speed up" and where "those nicks will carry and you'll be able to bowl them out quicker."

But while Australia's seamers may well prefer their home conditions, they will also be to the liking of England's. And, bearing in mind that England's opening seamers currently sit at No. 1 (Stuart Broad with 45 wickets) and No. 2 (Anderson with 41) in the Test wickets tally for 2013, Anderson is confident that England have the bowlers to exploit any assistance. Graeme Swann, England's offspinner, is at No. 4 in the table.

"We'll love it if the pitches are more helpful," Anderson told ESPNcricinfo at a Slazenger event. "Over the last few years, wickets around the world have become flatter and flatter. And in England they've gone especially flat.

"So to go somewhere where they produce something in them for bowlers, we'll be delighted. It's 100% a good thing as far as I'm concerned. Hopefully with the bowling unit we've picked, we'll be able to make the most of it."

While Anderson accepted that conditions in Australia were slightly different, he felt that the experience of England's attack rendered them well prepared.

"Yes, they use a different ball in Australia, but it's not a huge deal," he said. "We use the Kookaburra ball loads of places and, although it's slightly different, the white ball we use in England is a Kookaburra and feels the same in the hand.

"The last time we went there, in 2010-11, the wickets had a bit in them for bowlers and I enjoyed it a lot. It doesn't swing for a huge amount of time, so having other weapons, such as reverse and consistency, is very important. Quite a few of us have played out there before, so I wouldn't anticipate too many surprises."

Anderson was particularly effusive in his praise for his new ball partner Broad, suggesting that, aged 27, he has time to improve further in the months ahead, and in Swann who, he felt, was likely to play a key role in the series, even if the pitches are designed to negate his bowling.

"People forget how young Broad is," Anderson said. "So he has time on his side. But it's great to have someone who can run through a side the way he does at times.

"Yes, he can blow a bit hold and cold, but what you see at the moment is that spells he showed against New Zealand at Lord's and Australia at Durham will become more frequent and the spells in between will be more steady. He's aiming for more consistency and he's getting there.

"The guys in the team know how important Graeme Swann is to us. Even if the pitch doesn't turn, he bowls that attacking line outside off stump and there aren't many orthodox offspinners that are brave enough to do that. He does an incredible job with the bat and at second slip."

And Anderson had encouraging words for Graham Onions, who missed out on selection despite being the most impressive seamer in county cricket for the second season in succession.

"He's unfortunate to miss out," Anderson said. "I've experienced that, too, and it's tough to take. It's really tough on him.

"But if I was him, I'd try and find a positive angle. He's going to South Africa to play domestic cricket so I'd recommend he focuses on that. Then, if there are any injuries among our bowling unit, he could be in a better position than some of the people who were picked originally. He would be match fit and he could fly straight in to the side."

James Anderson will be using the Slazenger V100 ULTIMATE TAS bat during this winter's Ashes series, part of the new 2014 Slazenger cricket range available to pre-order in November. For more information on the Slazenger range for 2014 visit Store.slazenger.com

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Toby Radford named Glamorgan coach

Toby Radford, the West Indies assistant coach and former Middlesex and Sussex batsman, has been named as Glamorgan's new head coach.

Radford, 41, who was born in Wales and previously coached Middlesex, will take over from Matthew Mott following a season where Glamorgan reached the final of the YB40. He will join Hugh Morris, the outgoing managing director of England cricket who has returned to his former county as chief executive, as part of a new management team at Glamorgan and is set to begin on November 1.

Radford said: "It was great to see the team reaching a Lord's final at the end of the season, and I believe we have a wonderful opportunity of building on this success and developing a team of which the Welsh nation can be proud."

"I am honoured to have been offered this position and look forward to working with chief executive and director of cricket Hugh Morris, and the playing and coaching staff of Glamorgan in bringing success back to the county I supported as a youngster."

Following a playing career that was limited to 14 first-class matches, Radford move into coaching firstly with Berkshire and then with the Middlesex Academy before taking temporary charge of the first team in 2007 when Richard Pybus quit midway through the season. He was then appointed on a full-time basis in 2008, the summer Middlesex won the Twenty20 Cup.

In 2010, Radford moved to the Caribbean to take up a post at the newly formed High Performance Centre in Barbados from where he became involved with the main West Indies squad firstly as a batting coach and then Ottis Gibson's assistant.

Gibson, himself, had been linked with the Glamorgan role but the WICB made it clear last week that they had not been aware of interest.

Morris, who takes up his Glamorgan role in January, said: "In recent years Toby has built a strong reputation as one of the most talented young cricket coaches in England and Wales, and his experience of managing and developing some world class cricketers will be a great asset to our club. He is a proud Welshman and is looking forward to working with our current players and nurturing local talent for the future."

Glamorgan's run in the YB40, which saw them secure their first Lord's final since 2000, was the high point of their season. Elsewhere, they finished second bottom in Division Two of the Championship and failed to qualify for the quarter-finals of the FLt20.

Some young players showed promise in 2013 notably offspinner Andrew Salter in the Lord's final and pace bowler Michael Reed who will be involved with the England development programme over the winter.

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'New Zealand are under pressure' - Mushfiqur

Bangladesh captain Mushfiqur Rahim wants his side to continue the consistency they showed in the first Test, and feels that New Zealand are the team under more pressure.

"I think they are under pressure," Mushfiqur said. "It is not easy to play in our home conditions. They wouldn't want to lose to a side ranked lower than them.

"We want to win this Test match. I think they would also want a result in this game. After the first two days, you can see which way the game is heading. The first innings is going to be vital in this Test. So we want to start well."

But in the last couple of years, Bangladesh's record in second Tests of the usual two-match series that they play have been poor, particularly after they impressed in the first match of the series.

Against Sri Lanka in March, they drew the first Test in Galle but were strangled in Colombo, to lose by seven wickets. Similarly at home in 2012, they ran West Indies close in the first Test in Dhaka before going down easily in Khulna. Against the same opponents in 2011, a similar theme continued when they drew the first Test but was crushed by 229 runs in the second game.

Mushfiqur believes that since the home team dominated long passages of play and had more individual performances in Chittagong, they hold the upper hand over the visitors.

"We are hungry to win the second Test," Mushfiqur said. "We had a lot of gains from the first game, but it was a draw. We wanted to win. The whole team is keen to win the game and the series. It is a huge challenge to play well in two Tests in a row, but the players are responsible these days. So I hope we remain consistent.

"We dominated three days of the Chittagong Test, so I would say we are ahead of them, mentally. Several players are just itching to get out there and perform. If we can combine it as a team, we will do well."

Some say that Mushfiqur's biggest advantage is that two of his best players, Tamim Iqbal and Shakib Al Hasan, are yet to make big contributions in 2013. They have had quiet times in Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe and in the Chittagong Test against New Zealand. Shakib did get a fifty in the second innings, but still hasn't hit the level he has maintained in the last four years.

"Shakib and Tamim are relaxed. They are always thinking about doing well in the next match. There are more performers in the team, around seven or eight guys. But the records of those two in Mirpur are great, so I am hoping that they do well here."

Bangladesh are likely to keep the same playing eleven, but there were some murmurs of a third seamer being given a go in place of Abdur Razzak."It is likely that we will play the same combination. We will take a call tomorrow morning, but I am hoping to keep the seven batsman-four bowlers blend intact."

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Whatmore aims for strong series finish

Dav Whatmore has first-hand experience of how South Africa deal with losing. Thirteen years ago, they were cleaned up by an innings and 15 runs in Galle, thanks to a 13-wicket Muttiah Muralitharan special, and responded with a seven-run win in Kandy to square the series. Jacques Kallis is the only survivor from that tour but Whatmore believes South Africa still retain that attitude.

"They are very hard, very resilient," the Pakistan coach said. "You write them off at your peril because they come back hard." With that in mind, Pakistan know what to expect as they aim to account for another No.1 side and Whatmore believes they've had enough time to ready themselves for that.

He attributed Pakistan's success in the first Test to three key things, chief among them being sufficient practice. "We're better prepared against this opposition than we were the last time we played them in South Africa," he said. When Pakistan were white-washed 3-0 earlier in March this year, they had not played a Test for seven months but this time they had matches in Zimbabwe and practice games at home before the series.

With game time under the belts and changes to the squad, Pakistan were better equipped to exploit the 'home' advantage. "Conditions are different and we've had a slight change of personnel. It was a good, competitive effort over the four days."

Mohammad Hafeez's axing is thought to have sparked the change as Pakistan experimented with new openers and enjoyed success. Whatmore praised the selectors but stopped short of using one game to forecast long-term plans.

"Some credit should be given to the selectors, in terms of the ability to see Shan Masood. He is a good batsman, technically, and has a bright future," he said. "That's the thing with bold decisions, sometimes they come off, sometimes not.

"With Khurram, he played a lot of first-class cricket in Pakistan and you need that. Players have to go through a hard grind. He has the benefit of doing that. He came in with a bank of runs behind him and there was every chance he would do well. Now, he has to be consistent. This next match is a test for him but he certainly has the ability."

For Whatmore, Pakistan's win was a demonstration of their potential as a unit, something he knew all along. "I wasn't surprised we did well. Leading up to this series, people in Pakistan were alluding to the loss in Zimbabwe and were saying we didn't have a chance. In my mind that was never the case. I knew we could be competitive. We're better prepared. Conditions are different. We have other players. These things do matter."

And they will matter again when Pakistan take the field on Wednesday hoping to pull off another coup and prompt the decline of another No.1. South Africa's lead at the top of the Test rankings will be cut by 10 points if they lose two-nil (it currently sits at 19), which may be one reason Misbah said he would ask for a "result pitch" in Dubai.

Whatmore, however, said he had given the groundsman "no instructions" on what to do and that he has "prepared the pitch as he always does." Since Pakistan have been forced to make the UAE their home, Dubai has hosted four Tests with only one, against South Africa in 2010, a draw.

In that game, Pakistan had fought back after conceding a first-innings deficit. Misbah had said it felt like a win and Whatmore indicated he wouldn't be unhappy if the same thing happens again.

"I want to win the series. One-nil is just as good as two-nil," Whatmore said. "A hard-fought draw is very important for every team. I won't be upset if we don't win as long as we finish the game well." And that will mean not finishing it the way Sri Lanka did in Kandy.

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'Both teams are closely matched' - McCullum

New Zealand will be eager to register their first Test win in 2013, but they are not expecting one to be served on a platter by Bangladesh. Captain Brendon McCullum said he expects a tough fight in the second Test in Dhaka, and acknowledges that they are expected to win the series given the track record and difference in rankings between the two sides.

New Zealand have won eight out of the last ten Tests against Bangladesh, but the tide has started to turn since 2008. Bangladesh beat them in an ODI for the first time that year and pushed them a long way in the first Test, a few days later, before Daniel Vettori bailed them out. Bangladesh then surprised New Zealand with a 4-0 ODI series win in 2010 at home.

"We have a decent amount of respect for Bangladesh," McCullum said. "They are a tough opposition and we saw that in the last match. It was a very good match with both teams showing their skills and didn't, at any stage, relent.

"We said at the outset that we should be winning the series, and the expectation is on us to do so, and that hasn't changed. It didn't surprise me how close the last game went. Both teams are, in these conditions, closely matched. We have a real fight on our hands to get the result that we want."

New Zealand are likely to add Neil Wagner in place of one of the spinners to strengthen their pace attack. "We have a number of options which is good from the point of view of the squad," McCullum said. "We have to make sure we are completely comfortable with the way we go forward from here. It is something we need to look out and work out the balance of our team. If we do include the extra seamer it will be in place of one of the spinners."

He claimed that the wicket in Mirpur should be similar to that in Chittagong, where the first Test was played. Judging by the Dhaka Premier League matches this season, there should be more carry in the Mirpur wicket than in Chittagong, but it will remain a tough surface to get wickets for the bowlers.

"It should be similar to Chittagong where there is not much pace and bounce," McCullum said. "I think that's the challenge of playing in Bangladesh. It is a myth that it spins in Bangladesh. I think Sri Lanka and India offer a lot more for the spinners. In Bangladesh it tends to skid and you have seen it in the modes of dismissal in the last game. Their spinners bowled very well and they will ask us a lot of questions in the next five days."

New Zealand are unlikely to change their batting approach, which lets the top order take up a considerable amount of time before someone like McCullum comes in at No. 5. "I don't think they [top order] need to bat at a higher tempo," he said. "They did a good job. We have talked about batting four sessions in the first innings and around three in the second innings. I thought our batting was faultless in the first Test."

The bottom line will be how the New Zealand batsmen withstand another relentless innings of spin bowling. Sohag Gazi's second-innings performance served as a warning to the visitors who would be wary of the offspinner.

"Everyone will have their own plans against him," McCullum said. "He bowled exceptionally well in the last Test. When we looked to dictate terms, he got the wickets.

"Prior to that, I thought we played him pretty well. He had a very good game and thoroughly deserves the accolade that has followed. If we have to do well, he is one of the guys we have to overcome."

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McKenzie fifty gives Lions first win

Lions 212 for 6 (McKenzie 73*, de Kock 47) beat Cape Cobras 206 (Kemp 67, Viljoen 4-61) by 4 wickets
Scorecard

Veteran Neil McKenzie led Lions to their first win of the tournament with an unbeaten 73. Chasing Cape Cobras' 206, the Lions lost six wickets but sailed home on McKenzie's fifty with four balls to spare. Lions are now placed fifth out of the six teams, while Cobras are third with two wins from four matches.

After Lions lost their opener Stephen Cook for a duck to Charl Langeveldt in the first over, Quinton de Kock and Rassie van der Dussen almost took them to 50 before the latter fell for 15. De Kock was dismissed soon after for 47, which included seven fours. McKenzie and Temba Bavuma steered them to a comfortable position with an 83-run stand for the fourth wicket before Bavuma was run-out for 33. They needed 48 from the last 10 overs and even though McKenzie didn't get much support from Jean Symes and Chris Morris, he stayed unbeaten with his 56th List A fifty to seal the win with a six in the last over.

The Cobras got off to a shaky start after they were put in to bat, losing five wickets for 70 runs. Justin Ontong (37) and Justin Kemp's 44-run stand revived the innings fleetingly and the only other substantial contribution of 28 from Dane Piedt helped Kemp, who scored 67 off 76, take them past 200 but it wasn't enough.

Dolphins 212 for 7 (Smit 47*) v Titans 78 for 1
Scorecard

Titans were firm favourites in their game against Dolphins, having reached 78 for 1 in the chase of 213, when rain wiped out the rest of the match in Durban.

After being put in, Dolphins had a poor start, being reduced to 52 for 4 in the 16th over, making the rest of the innings an extended recovery mission. They still had David Miller in the middle, but though he made a start he was dismissed for 20 by David Wiese. The major contributions came from lower down the order, with No. 7 Daryn Smit and No. 9 Kyle Abbott hitting 40s to lift the total beyond 200.

Titans began the chase in a hurry, with opener Henry Davids lashing 35 off 26 as the 50 was raised in the seventh over. His dismissal brought down the run-rate, but there were no more wickets for Dolphins before the rain arrived and settled in.

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ICC extends Bangladesh's World T20 venue deadline to Nov 30

The ICC has accepted the Bangladesh Cricket Board's request to extend the deadline for the readying of its stadiums for the 2014 World Twenty20 to November 30. The ICC Development International (IDI) board took the decision after reviewing a report on the condition of the venues, put together by the ICC venue consultant.

The main issue is with the stadiums at Sylhet and Cox's Bazar, which are still being developed. An ICC team visited the venues last week. The Sylhet stadium's pavilion, the biggest reason for all the delay, is close to completion, with the structure in place, and the press box also almost complete.

The original deadline for the completion of the stadiums was September 30. BCB president Nazmul Hasan had said in August that he had "no doubt that the construction work will end by mid-October". The tournament is scheduled to be played between March 16 and April 6 next year.

Now, sources in the BCB have said it plans to finish the work by the first week of November, and host Indian state side Maharashtra at the ground to judge its readiness. Maharashtra Cricket Association president Ajay Shirke, however, said "no such proposal is in the pipeline". But Maharashtra have a break in first-class Ranji Trophy between October 30 and November 14, and given the association's severe cash crunch due to its ongoing dispute with Indian company Sahara Pariwar over title rights of the new stadium on the outskirts of Pune, it may agree to send over a team if all expenses are borne by the hosts.

While the BCB has been given more time by the ICC to complete work on the stadiums, the schedule for the tournament will be announced in Dhaka on October 27. These decisions were taken at the ICC board meeting in London, on October 18 and 19.

The other major decision taken at the meeting was with regard to the ICC's anti-corruption code. A revised version of the code, which an ICC release termed "more robust and strengthened" will be submitted for discussion at the board's next meeting, in January 2014. The matter of Mohammad Amir's ban, which the PCB is looking to get reduced, will be discussed only after the new anti-corruption code is finalised, the ICC said.

The board also decided to maintain the current playing conditions for ODI cricket, bad light and the DRS.

An ICC chairman will be appointed and take over only after the board's annual conference in 2014, the ICC release said. The post of ICC's chairman was first adopted in 2012 and will turn the role of the ICC president into a ceremonial one while vesting executive powers in a new chairman. It is understood that the BCCI and ECB are seeking a dilution of power to be exercised by the new chairman, and prefer that his role be reduced from head of executive office in the ICC to that of a convenor.

The ICC board also approved an increase in the financial assistance provided to Afghanistan, through its Targeted Assistance Performance Programme (TAPP), to US$ 1.1m. This move was prompted by Afghanistan's qualification for the 2015 World Cup.

The 2014 Under-19 World Cup will be played in the UAE, from February 14 to March 1, the board confirmed.

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The Ishant Sharma over that changed the game

With 44 needed off 18, India seemed to have the match well within their grasp. Then James Faulkner slammed 30 off an Ishant Sharma over, and the game turned on its head. Here's a ball-by-ball account of that over:

47.1 I Sharma to Faulkner, FOUR, full and wide, Faulkner throws the bat at that and connects well, that soars over extra cover for four, the first ball is hit for a boundary and the 50 partnership comes up.

47.2 I Sharma to Faulkner, SIX, what an amazing hit that is, this was short from Ishant, sat up for Faulkner, who clobbers that to cow corner, he enjoyed that shot, it went a long way beyond the rope, 10 off the first two balls, what will Ishant serve up now? First he has to get the ball back, it went into the crowd and hasn't been returned since.

47.3 I Sharma to Faulkner, SIX, superb hit from Faulkner, that was a length ball, 'hit me' it shouted, Faulkner obliged, that is as straight as they come, over the sightscreen, and some fans in the crowd hang their heads in disappointment.

47.4 I Sharma to Faulkner, 2 runs, goes short this time, Faulkner is swinging at everything, connects well, but only a couple to deep square leg

47.5 I Sharma to Faulkner, SIX, this game has turned on its head in five deliveries, fans are stunned into silence as Faulkner reels off another six, another short ball and that is hooked behind square leg for another six

47.6 I Sharma to Faulkner, SIX MORE, what on earth? Ishant Sharma had his critics before this game, there aren't going to be many people backing him after this, short once more, another pull, right off the middle off the bat, and that sails into the crowd once more, crowd not sure whether to be gobsmacked by this hitting from Faulkner or be thrilled by this sensational turnaround, that's Faulkner's 50 as well

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