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Scorecard
New Zealand women, also called the White Ferns, kicked off their tour of Ireland and England with a comfortable 200-run win over Ireland at Trinity College in Dublin. The New Zealanders are scheduled to play three warm-up matches against Ireland before taking on England.The New Zealand openers, Rebecca Rolls and Maria Fahey, justified their captain’s decision to bat first by adding 96 and helped themselves to half-centuries. Rolls fell for 50, bowled by the offspinner Mirian Grearley, while Fahey completed her fourth half-century in ten innings before being dismissed for 66. Fahey added 69 for the second wicket with Haidee Tiffen.Maia Lewis, the captain, and Sarah McGlashan finished with a flourish as they added 112, just four short of the New Zealand record. Lewis, who had prepared for the tour by getting some batting instruction from Roger Twose, scored 63 off 56 balls, which included a six. McGlashan finished on a breezy 31, and New Zealand ended with a mammoth 278.Ireland were never in with a chance and folded for just 78 in 36.1 overs. Louise Milliken, the medium-pacer, took 3 for 14 and achieved her best figures in one-dayers. Rebecca Steele, the left-arm spinner, finished with 2 for 6.

The Worcestershire pair of Kabir Ali and Vikram Solanki have been given surprise recalls to England’s one-day squad, as the selectors unveiled their 14 players to take on the world’s best in the Champions Trophy next month. Also included in the squad is their Worcestershire team-mate, Gareth Batty, as well as Yorkshire’s Anthony McGrath, who retains his place despite his peripheral role during England’s winter tours of Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and West Indies.For several months now, England have made it plain that their focus is on creating a side capable of competing at the 2007 World Cup, although it is unclear quite where that leaves their intentions for this tournament, ostensibly the second-most prestigious in the cricket calendar.Of the 16 players who featured in England’s plans for the recent NatWest Series, five have been dropped – the allrounders, Ian Blackwell and Rikki Clarke, who have been unable to match up to the all-conquering influence of Andrew Flintoff; the batsmen, Robert Key and Michael Powell, and Sajid Mahmood, Lancashire’s young fast bowler, who is perhaps the most unfortunate of all to be overlooked, despite being carted for 56 runs in seven overs on his debut at Bristol last month.Instead, the pace-bowling duties have been entrusted to Kabir, another man with a solitary cap to his name. However his debut, against Zimbabwe last summer, was even less of a success than Mahmood’s – it was washed out before he could even get his hands on the ball. He will provide back-up to James Anderson and Darren Gough, whose powers may be waning, but whose skills at the death cannot yet be overlooked by England.The batting, once again, is heavily weighed on the shoulders of the big three – Flintoff, Michael Vaughan and Marcus Trescothick – although Andrew Strauss and Paul Collingwood are becoming more-than-useful one-day back-ups. Once again, however, there is no room for Warwickshire’s Ian Bell, who had been tipped for selection following his phenomenal recent county form.Solanki, who scored a fine century against South Africa at The Oval last summer, appeared to have abandoned all hope of an England recall when he mustered 11 runs in three innings against Bangladesh last November. But the failures of his replacements, and concerns about England’s lack of mobility in the field have given rise to his recall. “He gives us options at the top of the order and is an outstanding fielder,” said David Graveney, England’s chairman of selectors. “He has been in fine form for his county in both forms of the game.”Commenting on the squad, Graveney admitted that the team had not done itself justice in the NatWest Series, where they missed out on a place in the final. “As a result, we spent a long time looking at our options,” he said, “firstly because we didn’t do ourselves justice, and secondly because there are various options available to us with a number of young players on the fringes of the squad.”Squad Michael Vaughan (Yorkshire, capt), Kabir Ali (Worcestershire), James Anderson (Lancashire), Gareth Batty (Worcestershire), Paul Collingwood (Durham), Andrew Flintoff (Lancashire), Ashley Giles (Warwickshire), Darren Gough (Essex), Stephen Harmison (Durham), Geraint Jones (Kent, wk), Anthony McGrath (Yorkshire), Vikram Solanki (Worcestershire), Andrew Strauss (Middlesex), Marcus Trescothick (Somerset).

We arrive at the Wankhede Stadium just in time to see Sachin Tendulkar bowl a huge outswinger to Rahul Dravid in the nets. There is a collective gasp in the crowd as he misses it. Tendulkar adjusts his silver bracelet, turns on his heel and prepares to bowl again. He beats Dravid with a similar delivery. The crowd’s gasp is less muted, and someone yells, “C’mon Sachin!” The third time it happens, there is an uneasy silence.The sky is a light grey, and the early cool breeze has made way for a hot and sticky late morning. But nothing causes more discomfort than the sight of a part-timer beating the edge of India’s most reliable bat … repeatedly. Dravid is more assured against the others, and middled strokes against Zaheer Khan and Ashish Nehra probably calm him somewhat. In the next net, VVS Laxman is in the middle of an extended session against Harbhajan Singh and Anil Kumble, who seem faster on television. Both batsmen practise blocking and leaving. Young local bowlers mill around, awaiting their chance to bowl.A look around the stadium reveals that the most vibrant colours – the neon yellows, the burning reds – come from the hoardings. Behind them, the stands are faded. Only the deep-blue wooden seating of the Sachin Tendulkar Stand seems newly painted. Iron fences surround the perimeter, and these too, have seen better days. The Wankhede is not a structure that lives on its own. It’s too grey for that. It needs people breathing, screaming, running around to bring it to life, to bring it colour. Tomorrow will be very different.Nets are quickly set up on the other side of the ground, and Travelex posters are stuck up. There is a tremble in the crowd, and they hesitate briefly before leap-frogging over partitions from one stand to another, until they reach the one closest to the Australian nets. Nathan Hauritz gets his eye in against Cameron White and an assortment of eager local bowlers. He hits the ball hard, prompting the grass-pickers to scatter frequently. On one occasion he hits it so high that no-one knows where it’s going to come down, and a cry of “Watch out!” spreads so rapidly that everyone on one quarter of the ground crouches, shielding themselves from the ball.”Some people think he’s lucky to be here,” says an Australian beside me. Hauritz hits another one cleanly. “Cameron White is Shane Warne’s successor. He’ll come back to India when he’s 26. At the moment his batting is better than his bowling.” The man turns out to be a scorer coming out of retirement. It’s his first tour here. We talk a while, but stop to watch the photographer Hamish Blair take some pictures of Bob Merriman and a little kid.Everywhere you look, someone is preparing for something or other. The police discuss strategies, shaking their walkie-talkies at different parts of the ground. Men gabble into headsets and adjust enormous cameras. Polly Umrigar, who’s in charge of the pitch itself, is on his precious track, pointing and talking animatedly – and the officials nod so vigorously that you can see it from the stands. The pitch is the main pre-match talking point, but the curator, Mr Roy, insists he doesn’t know what all the fuss is about. “It’ll last five days.” That’s all you need to know, he says. “It has got sufficient grass to last for five days.”What about the talk of including three spinners and all that? The curator stands by his earlier prediction. “After reading the wicket in their own way, it is their headache, not the curator’s headache.”As the sun sets on Mumbai, the painters apply the finishing touches to the white pitch lines and the big corporate logos on the outfield. The floodlights are switched on, and a weird white haze lights up the sky. Long red cushions are placed on wooden benches on the F and G blocks, where former cricketers and umpires and other distinguished guests will watch the action from behind the bowler’s arm over the next five days.Groundsmen dressed in khaki drag out tarpaulins and place them over the pitch, as well as alongside it. But there’s plenty of finishing up to do, and the mower has a long night ahead. The writers have left, and the fans are long gone. But the men and women who make it happen are still here. Even before the action begins tomorrow morning, it’s an active green.

Sri Lanka have recalled Russel Arnold for their tour of New Zealand later this month. Tillakaratne Dilshan, who was controversially axed for the Pakistan tour, has also returned to the fold. Muttiah Muralitharan will travel with the team as part of his recovery programme.The two squads – which were picked on Thursday night and passed to the Sports Ministry for approval – reflect a change of thinking within the seven-man selection committee after the public spat between skipper Marvan Atapattu and Ashantha de Mel, the chairman of selectors, in Pakistan.There, de Mel criticised Atapattu and the team management in the media for supposedly being selfish and holding back the development of young players. Dilshan was dropped, according to de Mel, to force the team to blood a youngster. Atapattu and the team management were shocked and angered by his attack.Arnold’s international future appeared uncertain when he was dropped for the Asia Cup after scoring 6 and 11 in the first Test against Australia at Darwin in July. The selectors looked then to have decided that the time had come for a younger player in the middle order. But while Arnold’s axing from the Test side was not surprising, his omission from the limited-overs team had raised eyebrows, especially considering the fact that he’d scored a crucial 51 not out in his last appearance. Admittedly, it was against Zimbabwe, but it still saved Sri Lanka’s blushes.Fortunately for Arnold, who is 31 and recently became a proud father, his good form in domestic cricket for Nondescripts, coupled with the relative failure of his replacements, forced the selectors to concede that he still has a role to play in the middle order where he can rebuild, tick along or tee off.Not only have Arnold and Dilshan returned, but Kumar Sangakkara has been handed back the wicketkeeping gloves on a fulltime basis after the retirement of Romesh Kaluwitharana. Dilshan will provide wcover for Sangakkara.The decision is another U-turn by the selectors, who had previously wanted Sangakkara – who averages 41.57 with the gloves and 68.15 without them – to concentrate on his batting in Tests. But Sangakkara enjoys wicketkeeping, and the selectors are clearly worried about the batting of Prasanna Jayawardene, the perennial A-team understudy.Muttiah Muralitharan will join the tour from the start as a 15th man despite not being fully fit. Atapattu wants him in New Zealand, and it is hoped that he will be match-fit in time for the first Test in the New Year. There is an outside chance that he might play in the last one-dayer.Mahela Jayawardene has been reconfirmed as vice-captain despite speculation that some of the selectors were pushing for a change and arguing the case for Chaminda Vaas. But Atapattu has clearly backed Jayawardene, who has provided solid backroom support and led well in his absence.Sri Lanka team for New Zealand tour
Marvan Atapattu (capt), Sanath Jayasuriya, Russel Arnold, Saman Jayantha, Mahela Jayawardene (vice-capt), Kumar Sangakkara (wk), Tillakaratne Dilshan, Upul Chandana, Chaminda Vaas, Nuwan Zoysa, Farveez Maharoof, Dilhara Fernando, Rangana Herath, Nuwan Kulasekera, Muttiah Muralitharan. For Tests only: Ian Daniel, Thilan Samaraweera, Lasith Malinga.

Victoria have named a strong squad to take on West Indies in a warm-up match at the MCG on Wednesday. Having won their last three ING Cup games, Victoria made only two changes to the team that overcame South Australia on Sunday and the rest of the selection was on expected lines.Ian Hewett and Brad Knowles have been rested for the game. Shane Harwood, the opening bowler, was picked after fully recovering from a broken cheekbone and will partner the in-form Michael Lewis. Nick Jewell was also given a chance after starring for the Victorian 2nd XI in the second tier Cricket Australia Cup this season.Victoria squad
Cameron White (captain), Adam Crosthwaite, Matthew Elliott, Ian Harvey, Shane Harwood, Brad Hodge, David Hussey, Nick Jewell, Michael Lewis, Jonathan Moss, Graeme Rummans, Tim Welsford.

Barbados 224 and 248 for 6 (Campbell 70, Browne 50*) lead Guyana 249 by 223 runs
ScorecardThe Carib Beer Cup match between Barbados and Guyana was intriguingly poised after three days – Barbados were 223 in front with four wickets in hand, and Guyana were likely to have an interesting run-chase ahead of them on the final day at Bridgetown. Trailing by 25 in the first innings, Barbados were bolstered by half-centuries from Sherwin Campbell and Patrick Browne, and ended the day on 248 for 6. Campbell, the captain, scored 70, while Browne was unbeaten on 50 at the close. Guyana took only six wickets in the day, but throughout they kept a check on the runs, conceding only 244 from 107 overs. Mahendra Nagamootoo was primarily responsible for Barbados’ poor scoring rate – he wheeled down 40 overs and took 3 for 75, in the process becoming the leading wicket-taker for Guyana with 271 scalps.Leeward Islands 262 and 87 for 5 (Williams 60*) trail Winward Islands 417 for 9 dec (Smith 142, Murray 66) by 68 runs
Scorecard
Windward Islands took charge of their match against Leewards Islands at St Thomas. At close of play on the third day, Leewards were struggling at 87 for 5, needing a further 68 to avoid an innings defeat. Resuming at 279 for 3, Windwards stretched their first innings to 417 for 9. Devon Smith and Junior Murray were the stars, adding 143 for the fourth wicket – Smith made 142, while Murray scored 66. Trailing by 155, Leewards made a horrendous start to their second innings, losing both openers for ducks. Stuart Williams then led the counterattack, and was unbeaten on 60 at close, but with wickets continually falling at the other end, Winwards were well on top.

South Africa 480 for 7 dec (Prince 139*, Boje 82) beat Zimbabwe 265 and 149 (Zondeki 6-39) by an innings and 62 runs
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details

Monde Zondeki led South Africa to a convincing victory inside three days at Centurion, and a 2-0 series win, as they finally came to life in this Test. Zondeki manfully carried the injury-hit attack, and was reward with his first five-wicket haul in Test cricket, nine wickets in the match and his best figures in first-class cricket. Like Ashwell Prince, his reward was a place in the squad for next month’s Test series in the Caribbean, and in addition he snuck ahead of Prince, who made an unbeaten 139, for the Man-of-the-Match award.South Africa had to overcome some dogged resistance from Zimbabwe’s middle-order, especially Elton Chigumbura who played his shots before gloving an attempted sweep off Nicky Boje (147 for 8). His wicket ensured that there would be no need to return on the fourth day.Tatenda Taibu had battled the pain of his injured shoulder to stave off the attack for over an hour, and although he was unlucky to be given out caught behind when his bat clipped the pad, his innings summed up Zimbabwe’s problems. He defended manfully but was rendered virtually strokeless, and most of the batsmen seemed unable to reach a balance between attack and defence. A notable exception was Hamilton Masakadza, who showed admirable restraint, an impressive technique and, importantly, sound shot selection – it took a perfect outswinger from Zondeki to dismiss him (85 for 6).

But better batting line-ups would have been troubled by Zondeki, who worked up a real head of steam, the pace proving too much for the Zimbabwean top-order. Since claiming a wicket with his first ball in ODIs he has gained a reputation for striking early and started the ball rolling by strangling Barney Rogers down the leg-side with his first ball (6 for 1). Stuart Matsikenyeri played all round a straight delivery and lost his middle stump, after being peppered by Andre Nel (18 for 3), while Brendan Taylor has looked out of his depth in both Tests, so it was no surprise when he was trapped lbw, missing a straight ball (29 for 4).Nel got into the act with the last ball before lunch, producing a beauty that Dion Ebrahim could only edge to Smith at slip, who grabbed the chance at the second attempt, after parrying it off his chest (13 for 2) He should have struck a ball earlier, but Smith made a mess of the chance offered by Matsikenyeri, and was still cursing himself when the next edge flew his way.After two days of relative slumber, South Africa had shown their intent from the start. Prince took up where he left off yesterday evening, adding to his maiden Test century – again playing impressively through the off side. However, it was Nicky Boje who really cut loose and had a maiden century in sight when he was deceived by a top-spinner from Graeme Cremer (480 for 7). They added 100 runs in just 18.5 overs to allow Smith to give his bowlers a crack at the Zimbabweans before lunch.The thought had been that South Africa would bat on into the afternoon, to give their injury-hit attack as many runs as possible. But Smith was keen to get this game done and dusted so his charges can rest before the tour to the West Indies. Though Zimbabwe fought hard, this has still been a drubbing and, commenting after the game, David Houghton, the former Zimbabwe captain and one of their harshest critics, said that it does nothing to enhance their credibility as a Test nation.How they were outSouth AfricaBoje b Cremer 82 (480 for 7)
Beaten in flight, played for non-existent turnHow they were outZimbabweRogers c Boucher b Zondeki 0 (6 for 1)
Edge down the leg-sideEbrahim c Smith b Nel 1 (13 for 2)
Fended to first slip, held at second attemptMatsikenyeri b Zondeki 5 (18 for 3)
Played around a straight ball, lost middle stumpTaylor lbw b Zondeki 6 (29 for 4)
Ball held its line, beat bat, clipping top of stumpsTaibu c Boucher b Zondeki 13 (76 for 5)
Unlucky, bat hit pad not ballMasakadza c Boucher b Zondeki (85 for 6)
Perfect outswingerStreak c Gibbs b Kallis 16 (143 for 7)
Ball bounced and swung, fended to second slipChigumbura c Boucher b Boje 44 (147 for 8)
Attempted sweep, ball ballooned off arm and back of batBlignaut c Boucher b Kallis 0 (149 for 9)
Limp shot outside off stumpCremer c Boucher b Zondeki 0 (149 all out)
Gloved bouncer

The confusion over Sourav Ganguly’s involvement in the fifth one-day international at Kanpur was finally resolved after the Indian board issued a statement saying that he would not play.According to the Press Trust of India, the BCCI secretary SK Nair said: “There will be no change in the team already selected, with Rahul Dravid as captain for the Kanpur ODI. Since less than 24 hours remains for the start of the match, the board felt that it was extremely important for the players to concentrate and focus on the match, so that they could bring out the best performance. In view of this, the board has decided to continue with the selected team for the Kanpur match.”Cricinfo had earlier reported that Ganguly was unlikely to play the match despite being cleared to do so after the Indian board appealed against the six-match ban imposed on him for slow over-rates. With Ganguly missing, Rahul Dravid will lead the team, with Dinesh Mongia likely to fill Ganguly’s slot in the middle order.The ICC has announced that The Hon. Michael Beloff QC, the Chairman of the ICC’s code of conduct commission, will hear Ganguly’s appeal against his ban within the next seven days, unless another agreement his reached. He will determine whether Ganguly has to serve his ban, or if any adjustment will be made.

South Africa go into the first Test against Pakistan in Lahore on Friday deprived of the lung-busting allround skills of the banned Andrew Hall, but the former Test offspinner – and ex-national selector – Pat Symcox still believes they will be too strong for their hosts.Hall’s ban – one ODI and two Tests – for his altercation with Yousuf Youhana in the one-day series, which South Africa eventually won 3-2, was upheld on appeal this week. But Symcox – Man of the Series the last time South Africa visited Pakistan, in 1997, when he starred with both bat and ball – does not believe that Hall, a combative allrounder, will necessarily be missed.”I don’t think South Africa will miss Andrew Hall at all,” Symcox told Wisden Cricinfo today. “He does not bowl out-and-out pace, and whoever replaces him will probably be a similar type of bowler. I don’t see him as a guy who is going to run up and take six-for in a Test match. He could do a good job and pick up one or two, but he’s not going to be a matchwinning bowler in Pakistan like Makhaya Ntini could be. And I don’t see him having a great influence with the bat at No. 9. I think the games will be won and lost at the top of the order.”Under Graeme Smith, their young captain, South Africa are still searching for a settled side, with important questions still to be answered by the middle order and the back-up bowlers to Shaun Pollock and Ntini. However, Symcox believes South Africa will have enough in their armoury to win, especially against a Pakistan side that will be without their captain, Inzamam-ul-Haq, who has a leg injury.”We’re well equipped to beat them in the Test matches – we’ve got momentum on our side,” says Symcox. “Pakistan have also seen that pace is not going to beat us. We’ve shown we can handle Shoaib Akhtar and co., and I would think the guys are pretty confident right now. Pakistan have to look at other avenues now. I don’t know if they have got the batsmen to post really big scores.”Symcox went on: “I would have gone the spinners’ route from the beginning and played Shoaib plus one other seamer, and then had Saqlain [Mushtaq] and Mushie [Mushtaq Ahmed] bowling. But to use your spinners well you need to post big scores, and I don’t think they’ve got the batters to do that.”Although Herschelle Gibbs is struggling for form with the bat, the South African top order has been strengthened by the arrival of Gary Kirsten, the veteran left-hander whom Symcox pinpointed as central to the tourists’ cause. “Gary is absolutely crucial because he understands the need for patience in a place like Pakistan. You’ve got to have the mentality that scoring a hundred in Pakistan is not the same as in other places – runs are harder to come by and it just takes longer.”What we know is that if you get in, it is vitally important to stay in, because it’s tougher to come to the wicket later on when the ball’s older and reversing and spinning. If you don’t set up the innings and lose three or four wickets you can lose a good position very quickly. Someone has to bat through.”Meanwhile South Africans continue to express their dismay at Hall’s ban, with the majority feeling that he has been harshly treated. The former Test fast bowler Fanie de Villiers said this week that 99% of the callers to his TV cricket show were unhappy at the severity of the sentence handed down to Hall.de Villiers added some opinions of his own, about the way the affair had been treated by the ICC and its chief executive, Malcolm Speed. “This shows the incompetence of the ICC,” said de Villiers. “Their decision is both diabolical and disappointing. They are a bunch of old fools on the ICC. I’d like to know if they actually even spoke to the players.”Teams
Pakistan (from) Taufeeq Umar, Imran Farhat, Yasir Hameed, Yousuf Youhana (capt), Misbah-ul-Haq, Faisal Iqbal, Asim Kamal, Shoaib Malik, Moin Khan (wk), Shoaib Akhtar, Mohammad Sami, Mushtaq Ahmed, Danish Kaneria, Shabbir Ahmed, Salman Butt, Kamran Akmal (wk).South Africa (from) Graeme Smith (capt), Herschelle Gibbs, Gary Kirsten, Jacques Kallis, Boeta Dippenaar, Jacques Rudolph, Neil McKenzie, Mark Boucher (wk), Shaun Pollock, Makhaya Ntini, Alan Dawson, Paul Adams, Robin Peterson, Charl Langeveldt, Andre Nel.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details

Pakistan gained the psychological edge in this dress rehearsal of Saturday’s Paktel Cup final as they overhauled Sri Lanka by six wickets with seven balls to spare. Set 293 to win by Sri Lanka, spearheaded by 111 from Marvan Atapattu, Pakistan edged home in the final round-robin match of the tournament. Inzamam-ul-Haq built on a steady platform and was the key batsman for Pakistan as they remained undaunted by the prospect of batting under the Lahore lights. Inzamam, supported by Shoaib Malik, clubbed 76 from 59 balls as Pakistan pulled off a convincing win.Atapattu had earlier rescued Sri Lanka from an early wobble after Naved-ul-Hasan had removed the openers Saman Jayantha and Sanath Jayasuriya to leave them 26 for 2. Atapattu was ably assisted by Kumar Sangakkara, who contributed 69, and their stand of 146 thrust the initiative back Sri Lanka’s way.But Pakistan’s reply got off to an assured start, as Salman Butt and Yasir Hameed struck a healthy partnership of 99 for the first wicket, and scored at nearly five an over in the first 20. Yasir was bowled by Upul Chandana just two runs short of his half-century (99 for 1), and the run rate dipped gently, offering Sri Lanka some hope. And their hopes lifted again when Salman, having brought up his half-century, fell way short of converting it, as he edged Chaminda Vaas through to Sangakkara for 57 (139 for 2).Enter Inzamam, who joined Malik at the crease, and made his intentions clear from the outset with a meaty thick-edged four to third man off his first ball. This match may have been a dead rubber – both sides have already qualified for the final – but Inzamam enlivened proceedings as he and Malik added 71 for the third wicket. Malik himself passed his half-century, but then was bowled by paceman Dilhara Fernando after adding only six more runs (210 for 3).But with Inzamam at the crease Pakistan had every chance to gain the upper hand, and with Yousuf Youhana’s support in the latter stages, Inzamam made sure they grasped it, as he steered Pakistan home for a convincing win that will do much to boost their hopes ahead of the final.