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.

Three new caps have been named in the New Zealand women’s team for their Test and one-day international tour of India next month. Maria Fahey, Natalee Scripps and Katey Martin are the new players.Mike Shrimpton, the coach of the White Ferns as the world champion New Zealand women’s team are known, said he was pleased that places were found in the team for the newcomers. “Scripps was the leading wicket-taker in last season’s State League [New Zealand women’s domestic competition]. She is an experienced bowler and a constant performer in domestic cricket who is deserving of an opportunity at the highest level.”Fahey was a member of last year’s NZC Academy and is a stylish left-hand top-order batsman who has worked hard on her game in recent months and is a very exciting player. Martin is a member of this year’s Academy. She is a promising wicketkeeper who excelled at age-group level. The tour will provide Martin with the opportunity of developing her allround skills as she is also a talented batsman.”Anna Corbin returns to the team after she was forced to miss the World Series of Women’s Cricket held in Christchurch last year due to a broken thumb. “Those missing selection will have an opportunity to be selected in theNZ A team to play warm-up matches against the White Ferns and Australiabefore next year’s Rosebowl Series and a four-match series against AustraliaYouth at Lincoln University in early February,” Shrimpton said.The White Ferns will have four days preparation at the Cadence Academyin Puna on their arrival in India. The last time they played in India was in the 1997 Women’sWorld Cup, however, the last time the team played a series in India wasin 1985. The team drew the three-match Test series and the three-matchODI series.”The players are excited about the opportunity to play a Test match. Itwill be the first Test Match played by a White Ferns team since the 1996tour of England,” said Shrimpton.New Zealand’s itinerary is:November:Sunday 23 – Monday 24 v Warm-up Match at MumbaiThursday 27 – Sunday 30 v India Test Match at Hindustan Inks Ground,VapiDecember:Tuesday 2 v Warm-up Match at MumbaiThursday 4 v India 1st ODI at Cricket Club of India Ground,MumbaiSunday 7 v India 2nd ODI at Aurangabad CricketAssociation Ground, AurangabadWednesday 10 v India 3rd ODI at Chinnaswamy Stadium,BangaloreSaturday 13 v India 4th ODI at Lal Bahadur Shastri Stadium,HyderabadTuesday 16 v India 5th ODI at Chidambaram Stadium, ChennaiThe team is:Maia Lewis (captain – Wellington), Haidee Tiffen (vice-captain – Canterbury), Nicola Browne (Northern Districts), Anna Corbin (Wellington), Maria Fahey (Canterbury), Amanda Green (Wellington), Michelle Lynch (Auckland), Sara McGlashan (Central Districts), Katey Martin (Otago), Aimee Mason (Central Districts), Louise Milliken (Northern Districts), Kate Pulford (Central Districts), Natalee Scripps (Auckland), Rebecca Steele (Canterbury).

Scorecard

The unheralded Joginder Sharma, playing as a substitute for Ashish Nehra, who went over on his left ankle again yesterday evening, embarrassed the cream of India’s batting talent as India A took charge of the warm-up game against India Seniors. With Amit Bhandari, who removed both the openers, and Murali Kartik providing sterling support, the Seniors were bowled out for just 213 in reply to India A’s 302. By stumps, the lead had been extended to 136, with Maharashtra’s Dheeraj Yadav playing some handsome strokes in front of the wicket against Irfan Pathan.Only Sourav Ganguly, with an assured 65, managed a decent stint in the middle, but any satisfaction he derived from that would have been offset by the failures of Aakash Chopra, Yuvraj Singh and Virender Sehwag, for whom run-making has been something of a mystery of late.Sehwag was dropped by Gautam Gambhir at second slip before he had scored, but Bhandari’s disappointment was quickly assuaged by a wretched shot to Mohammad Kaif at cover (10 for 1). His partner of last season, Chopra, never got going either, struggling against the accurate line of Shib Sankar Paul and the bustling endeavour of Bhandari.And it was Bhandari who got him, with a delivery on off stump that Chopra (18) edged through to Mahendra Dhoni behind the stumps. That brought in Rahul Dravid, who made his intentions clear by creaming Bhandari for three fours in an over. Mindful of his options, Dinesh Mongia called on Sharma, the Haryana medium-pacer who has also represented lowly Tripura while picking up an impressive 60 first-class wickets from 15 games.Bowling with a mixed action at a lively pace, Joginder concentrated on bowling just on or outside off stump. The rewards were ample. First, Dravid, untroubled during his 22, cut one uppishly to Jadhav at point (60 for 3), and then VVS Laxman wafted at one that was well away from the body (68 for 4).The innings needed some rescuing, but only Ganguly could oblige. As has often been the case, he reserved the most contemptuous treatment for the slow left-armer, twice stepping out and lofting Kartik over the infield. But around him, it was a shambles. Yuvraj, who had earlier been hit on the shoulder by Sharma, was surprised by one that reared up at him and took the edge through to Dhoni (99 for 5), while Parthiv Patel’s attempt to hook Paul out of sight only found his wicketkeeping rival.Pathan then gifted Kartik a first wicket, driving one high into the cover region, and Zaheer played all around a straight one from Bhandari. With partners deserting him faster than lemmings near a cliff, Ganguly had no option but to chance his arm, and an ambitious sweep against Kartik flew off the top edge to Sridharan Sriram at short fine leg (155 for 9).Anil Kumble’s tenacity, and Harbhajan Singh’s eclectic range of strokes – including one superb straight six off Kartik – averted abject humiliation, but it was a woeful batting display from a line-up that has to face the might of McGrath, Gillespie and Warne in exactly a week’s time.Things didn’t go much better with the ball either. The India A innings had been wrapped up in quick time in the morning, with Harbhajan running out Bhandari, and Sriram, the best batsman on view, slashing Kumble to Yuvraj at deep backward point. But at the second time of asking, Pathan was well below par, and only Zaheer, who had Gambhir caught by Ganguly at second slip, strode in with real menace.To be fair to the players though, everyone was distracted by news trickling through from Kolkata and Delhi, where the BCCI elections and the telecast-rights imbroglio were no nearer resolution. Once he was out, Ganguly spent a fair bit of time trying to appraise the situation by talking to journalists and using his phone. Next to him was Hemang Badani, who but for an injury would surely have been a contender for a Test slot.The only folk who looked truly relaxed were the better halves of Laxman and Dravid, spotted having a bite to eat in the shade of the clubhouse. With neither of their partners having troubled the scorers unduly, there was little to get worked up about.Later in the day, that was certainly the case with Dhoni, Paul, Sriram and Ambati Rayudu, who shared a few snacks on the pavilion balcony with the insouciance of young men who know that their time might have come sooner than they imagined. Don’t write off the Seniors just yet, but a few reputations are on the line heading into the final two days of a practice match that could be so much more.

Sourav Ganguly has said that he does not mind playing under Rahul Dravid, the current Indian captain for the triangular series in Sri Lanka. He has also said that he was pleasantly surprised that his ban for slow over-rates had been reduced from six ODIs to four. He will now be available for selection for the game against Sri Lanka at Dambulla on August 3.”I did not expect that the ban will be reduced so much,” said Ganguly quoted by PTI. He said that as a cricketer, his sole aim was to play for India irrespective of whether he was captain or not. “I don’t mind playing under anybody – be it Dravid or [Virender] Sehwag or Harbhajan [Singh].” He also said that, though he had played primarily as an opener, he did not mind batting at any position if it was in the team’s interest.Ganguly was initially banned by the ICC for six ODIs after India twice failed to bowl its 50 overs within the allotted time against Pakistan in April. The reduction to four matches came after the Indian Cricket Board argued Ganguly’s case with an ICC Dispute Resolution Committee after an earlier appeal was rejected by an ICC Appeals Commisioner.Ganguly, who did not play the last two ODIs in the series against Pakistan, has to sit out for two more matches to serve his ban. He will leave for Colombo on Sunday and join the Indian team in Dambulla before their third match of the IndianOil Cup.

Warner Park has become the newest international venue and will stage a Test and a one-dayer when India tour West Indies next year. While it has never hosted international matches, Warner Park has previously hosted international teams, since it was a regular stop for warm-up matches for visiting sides to the Caribbean.Ken Gordon, the new president of the West Indies Cricket Board, delivered the good news to St Kitts & Nevis Prime Minister and Minister of Sports, Dr Denzil Douglas, when he paid a courtesy call on Friday.”St Kitts & Nevis will be holding its first one-day international on May 24 next year, and its first Test on June 22, so the federation of St Kitts & Nevis has now emerged into one of the international cricket venues of the world, and congratulations are in order,” Gordon told a news briefing.Gordon admitted that the announcement of the two international matches at Warner Park was being made prematurely, although the formal announcement would have been made after ratification following a WICB directors’ meeting on Sunday in Antigua.Douglas, the elated prime minister, indicated that the staging of the two international matches was further justification for his government’s decision to upgrade Warner Park, and put forward the Federation to host matches in the 2007 ICC World Cup in the Caribbean. “The infrastructural development, the organisation, and the planning that we are doing for 2007 has landed us these very important and historical first international matches.”

Scorecard

Namibia made a good start to their tour of Zimbabwe as the guest team in theone-day Faithwear Series, by winning their opening match against Midlands by89 runs at the Harare Country Club, the home of the CFX Academy.The most significant performance took place at the very start of the match: Jan-Berrie Burger where he left off on Namibia’s previous visit to Zimbabwe by torturing the local seamers and some unimaginative captaincy with a blistering innings of 61. He faced only 47 balls, hit 11 fours, and shared an opening stand of 85 with Danie Keulder, who made 37. Later the spinners were able to limit the damage, and only Gavin Murgatroyd contributed much in the final total of 220 for 7.Midlands were never in the hunt, losing their first six wickets for 50 and eventually being dismissed for 131. Keulder and Rudi van Vuuren were the main wicket-takers, but Karel Burger took the two crucial scalps of Vusi Sibanda and Alester Maregwede.
Scorecard
In an outstanding one-day match at the Harare Sports Club, Matabeleland beat the Faithwear champions Mashonaland by 10 runs, with the result in doubt until the penultimate ball. The match was dominated by two outstanding individual performances: by Chris Mpofu of Matabeleland, who took 6 for 42, and Mashonaland’s captain Tatenda Taibu, who scored 121 not out and very nearly took his team to a miraculous victory.Mashonaland, chasing 276, looked dead and buried at 25 for 5, thanks to the bowling of Mpofu, who took five wickets for five runs in his first four overs. Later they were 78 for 7, but Taibu was still there, and he almost turned the match with an incredible partnership of 134 with Kuda Samunderu (43). Then a brilliant return catch by Gavin Ewing turned the match again, and the task proved just too great for the gallant Taibu.Matabeleland’s 275 for 9 was set up by a dynamic 42 off 24 balls by Greg Strydom, and some more restrained batting by Ewing and Mark Vermeulen. Samunderu had also shown his skill as an offspinner, with 3 for 42.This match was a wonderful opportunity for Zimbabwe cricket to promote itself. Unfortunately, thanks to almost non-existent marketing, only about ten spectators were present, and the chance was totally wasted.

South Africa A 47 for 0 (Bosman 22*) beat Sri Lanka A 45 (Steyn 5-20) by 10 wickets
ScorecardDale Steyn bowled South Africa A to a thumping ten-wicket victory in their opening one-day match at the Premadasa Stadium in Colombo, taking 5 for 20 in seven overs as Sri Lanka A were routed for 45 in just 21.4 overs. South Africa’s openers, Andrew Puttick and Loots Bosman, then rattled off the required runs in a mere 29 balls.After winning the toss and choosing to bowl first, South Africa were given the perfect start when Steyn trapped Avishka Gunawardene lbw for a first-ball duck, and the Sri Lankan innings scarcely improved after that. Tyron Henderson also struck in his first over, and when Steyn struck again to make it 4 for 3, the Supersub, Jehan Mubarak, was already strapping his pads on.Mubarak, however, was unable to stem the tide, falling for a fourth-ball duck, and the only double-figured contributions came from Jeewan Mendis and extras, both of whom made 11. Albie Morkel, South Africa’s Supersub, wrapped up the innings with two wickets in 16 balls, and a crushing result was already in the bag.

The departure of their impressive international contingent has forced New South Wales to make a string of changes to the Pura and ING Cup squads for matches against Western Australia in Perth. Aaron Bird, Ed Cowan, Grant Lambert and Matthew Phelps have been added to both outfits while Matthew Nicholson, Aaron O’Brien and Doug Bollinger were included in the Pura Cup unit.Greg Mail, the batsman, was dropped following the comfortable four-day win over South Australia at the SCG last week while Simon Katich, Brett Lee, Glenn McGrath, Nathan Bracken and Stuart MacGill will be in Brisbane for the first Test. The Blues play a day-night match at the WACA on Friday before the Pura Cup game begins on Sunday.New South Wales squad Phil Jaques, Matthew Phelps, Corey Richards, Dominic Thornely, Ed Cowan, Brad Haddin (capt, wk), Aaron O’Brien, Grant Lambert, Stuart Clark, Matthew Nicholson, Aaron Bird, Doug Bollinger.

Scorecard

Jason Arnberger’s 149 helped Victoria significantly erase much of their deficit against South Australia as they ended day three of the Pura Cup match at 4 for 318. Arnberger, who had managed just 43 runs in seven innings this season, returned to form by posting his 12th Pura Cup century and also brought up 5000 first-class runs as the Bushrangers earned a 78-run lead.Beginning the day 233 runs behind, Victoria were given a solid start by Arnberger and Michael Klinger (38) before Lloyd Mash (94) joined Arnberger in an 184-run stand for the second wicket. Mash, 23 and playing only his third first-class game, got off the mark with a six but then did not score for 41 deliveries, and his innings included times of caution and sessions of pure aggression.However, just when it seemed Victoria would secure a significant lead both batsmen fell to the impressive Jason Gillespie, who took 2 for 66. David Hussey was the other batsman out today, caught by Callum Ferguson at square leg off Matthew Weeks for a duck.Arnberger, 33, was confident of Victoria pressing home the advantage on the final day. “We’ve only just got our noses in front, so we’ve got to bat until after lunch and onwards and then hopefully the wicket will deteriorate a bit more and keep low … then we’re a chance,” he told .South Australia received some good news with their captain Darren Lehmann expected to play in next week’s ING Cup match against the same opposition. Scans on his injured thumb showed only severe bruising instead of ligament damage after he jarred his thumb in the field on day one. Lehmann fielded today and even bowled three overs of left-arm spin.