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As expected, the Indian selectors have names an unchanged 14-member squad for the second Test against Pakistan starting at Kolkata on March 16. VVS Laxman, who was under pressure to perform after an indifferent series against Bangladesh, scored a polished 58 in the first innings and Mohammed Kaif, who could consider himself unlucky for failing to make in to the squad for the first Test, will have to mark his time.Squad Sourav Ganguly (capt), Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Irfan Pathan, Anil Kumble, Lakshmipathy Balaji, Zaheer Khan, Harbhajan Singh, Ashish Nehra, Yuvraj Singh.

The standoff between the Indian Premier League and the media over controversial guidelines for covering the inaugural tournament looks set to ease after a meeting between officials of both sides on Monday. The IPL has toned down some of its earlier restrictions, especially benefiting the print media, though it has not relaxed its ban on websites covering matches from the ground, nor its ban on news agencies supplying websites with images.It was also disclosed that the date for submitting accreditation forms would be extended beyond the original April 8 deadline.”We have successfully concluded with them [media representatives] the way forward and there are no issues on the table,” Lalit Modi, the IPL commissioner, said after the meeting in Mumbai. “New media guidelines are being issued this evening, and will be published [on the IPL website].””It was two-way traffic at our discussions and it was a happy ending,” Pradeep Vijayakar, vice-president of the Sports Journalists Federation of India (SJFI), said.Barry Parker, South-East Asia bureau chief of Agence France Presse (AFP), told Cricinfo that he and the international media coalition that also includes AP and Getty Images are waiting for the written version of the new guidelines before they decide on their next step. Parker had earlier said the terms and conditions as existed “don’t allow us to cover the event.”The day’s bad news was reserved for websites, whose representatives will be granted accreditation for the tournament but not match tickets, enabling them to report on pre- and post-match activity but barring them from the press box during play. This, IPL officials said, is because the league wishes to protect the portal rights it has sold to an American firm.The other contentious clause that remains is preventing news agencies from selling their pictures to websites, who will have to source images from the IPL database. Modi said the IPL’s planned photo database would integrate resources that can take about 10,000 photographs on a single day at various venues.”That makes things difficult,” Parker commented. “There’s more than one issue as far as the AFP is concerned.”However, there was resolution on other major contentious issues, largely surrounding use of images. Contrary to the earlier guidelines, the IPL will not have the rights, free and without restrictions, to all photographs taken at the matches; and news organisations will not have to upload on the IPL site, within 24 hours, all images taken at the ground. The IPL has also allowed newspapers with their own web publication to upload six different pictures on their online photo galleries in addition to the pictures published in print.

The IPL also relaxed its limit of accreditations for each organisation – there will now be two accreditations each for reporters and photographers from any media house.”There has been a misunderstanding to a certain extent as far as the guidelines and there was no clarity on the guidelines,” Modi said.The original guidelines, published last week, had provoked widespread outrage in the media. The influential Editors’ Guild of India criticised the “prohibitive conditions” that it said were “unprecedented and unacceptable to the Indian media.”The SJFI had also issued a statement expressing “alarm and concern” over the IPL’s conditions and asked that the “unfair and unethical restrictions being placed on the media be withdrawn unconditionally”.

Shoaib Akhtar was left out of the Pakistan squad for the tour of West Indies on disciplinary grounds, Inzamam-ul-Haq has said. It was widely assumed that Shoaib had been left out because he was unfit. Akhtar, who had recovered from his hamstring injury, was asked to shed some weight to be fully fit.”Shoaib has disciplinary problems and I believe no player is bigger than the team,” Inzamam was quoted as saying by The News. “We’ve had these problems with him in the past and my concern is that it has a negative impact on other players also.” Akhtar has been questioned several times in the past for his off-field activities and his approach towards the game.Inzamam also brushed off the suggestion that the team would miss its spearhead. “What I learnt in India was that when every player contributes and you play strictly as a team, the absence of even the best player is not felt. In the West Indies to be successful we’ve to again play as a team and with spirit to do well. The strength of our bowling attack is not such a big issue.”Pakistan have never won a series in the West Indies and are scheduled to play in three one-day international and two Tests. The first one-dayer is on May 18 in St.Vincent.Younis Khan will lead the side in the first Test, in the absence of Inzamam, who has to serve a one-match ban for showing dissent in the third Test against India in Bangalore. Inzamam remarked that Younis would find no difficulty in captaining the side. “Even if I’m not playing I’ll be there involved in everything and the planning. As far as Younis Khan’s ability to lead the side is concerned, he is a good future prospect and will be an asset for the team in future.”

Three of Bermuda’s squad members who should have appeared in their side’s Stanford 20/20 campaign are facing lengthy bans after failing a drugs test.”If any athlete has tested positive with us we then send a portion of the specimen to the government lab for confirmation,” Cathy Belvedere, a spokesman for the Bermuda Council for Drug Free Sports, told newspaper. “And if it is confirmed positive they then get a one year infraction.”They can apply for the domestic application whereas they won’t be able to represent Bermuda during that year but can go back to playing gymnastics, football, cricket or whatever sport they are involved in,” Belvedere added. “They would also have to agree to some counselling, but that’s only if there’s a positive find.”Although the identity of the players is not yet known, it was confirmed that two of the trio represented Somerset – one of Bermuda’s domestic teams – while the other is “a prominent member” of St George’s, the domestic champions.”All of the players [in the national team] were tested, but unfortunately not everyone cleared the process which has policies in place that all national bodies must adhere to,” Reggie Pearman, president of the Bermuda Cricket Board, said. “All of the players knew what was required of them and what the consequences were.”

Yesterday, Agha Zahid was the most sought-after man in Pakistan. As head curator for the Pakistan board, it was to his door most people rushed after Gaddafi Stadium produced over 1200 runs but only eight wickets. By some estimates, he gave over 50 interviews at Iqbal Stadium yesterday afternoon. Today, he even found himself the subject of an editorial in the , a leading English-language daily, which called for him to be flogged in public in Lahore. It was, it should be hastily added, more tongue-in-cheek than serious comment but revealing nonetheless how the Faisalabad pitch now shares with Sehwag, Dravid, Inzamam and Shoaib, headline status.What pitch will we be encumbered with then? On inspection, in its beige hue, it looks like Lahore’s although on closer inspection, some suggest it might be harder. What grass there is on it is dead. Against England, two months ago, the pitch ultimately didn’t do what was expected of it – turn on the last day. This, even after Shahid Afridi and some batsmen did their best to hasten its deterioration although the strip next to it is being used here.Clearly though it is a source of much humour among those who know. When Inzamam was asked about it, with a smile he said, “We can see a little bit of grass on the pitch.” A little later he added, “It will be a better wicket, in the sense that if there is a result then it is a good wicket.” If you think about it, actually that says nothing at all.Rahul Dravid also smiled when asked for his thoughts. “It was slightly different from Lahore. A bit more grass on it and it may change as the game goes on.” Michael Holding bellowed (although that might be because he was asked whether he would pull a muscle on this pitch as he had joked of the Lahore strip) and said, “This is a pitch for the beautiful batsmen.” Yesterday, Bob Woolmer couldn’t conceal a smirk when he said it looked a little better. In the Indian camp, one bowler simply laughed when asked whether he would get more joy from this pitch. Bowlers, it looks likely, might need some sympathy tomorrow.In , Inzamam denied he had asked for the grass to be shaved off on the eve of the first Test and asked for similar pitches to the ones that were used against England. The dead grass here was his choice, because he reckons, “When you have live grass the ball seams around a lot on the first day and then the pitch eases out. But when you have dry grass it remains consistent and the ball keeps on deviating off the blades and there is also spin on all five days. Ultimately it all depends on how the weather behaves.”And there it is. No one has really taken into account quite how the weather has hampered pitch preparations. Poor Zahid was at pains to explain yesterday and since the start of this series that rain, cold and damp have severely affected his work. During the Lahore Test, he was already in Faisalabad combating the effects of rain. For what it’s worth, he told AFP yesterday, “We can only do our best but we can’t beat the weather. We need a strong sun to make a hard wicket but the rain three days back and mild sunshine since then has made our job very difficult.”The sun has been shining for two days now and the forecast has lightened up, but both are notoriously fickle at this time of the year and too prone to change. Lahore too started in sunshine. Zahid says the sun, and plenty of it, is essential now for the pitch to play sportingly. You have to feel for him, for he has become a convenient and early scapegoat for the weather, the itinerary and his employers.Dravid, at least, is willing to give him the benefit of doubt: “I would hope the curator has made the best wicket in the time he has got. Let’s give it a chance and see how it pans out.” If it doesn’t, then maybe the more pertinent questions will be those asking the PCB why they scheduled the series at this time of the year and in this region and not Zahid about why he can’t produce a pitch for Test match cricket.

Ehsan Mani, the president of the ICC, has said that suspending England from international cricket was never really considered. On Wednesday, Mani watched the second one-day international at Harare Sports Club, when England beat Zimbabwe by 161 runs.”Talk of suspension was never on the radar,” he told reporters. “I think the ECB was right to protect its interests. The threat of suspension was a possibility, even if it was only a 1% or 5% or 10% possibility. It could have been a terrible penalty, which would have hurt badly.”The game would have gone backwards, and that was my concern, not punishing England. The tour is hugely important for the development of cricket in Zimbabwe. The country has enough problems without adding another.”Mani lives in St John’s Wood, near Lord’s, and is aware of the antipathy in England towards the tour. But at the same time, he supported the way David Morgan, the ECB chairman, has handled the entire affair. “He has gained a lot of respect in the ICC for the way he handled this issue. I could see that England were caught between a rock and a hard place, but he has been absolutely superb – honest and totally up-front with people. He has had to deal with a lot of domestic pressures, which is understandable because of the unique situation between England and Zimbabwe. The issue was not going to die down.”Mani wants to meet with England’s players within the next few day to talk about all aspects of their Zimbabwe experience. “It is very important to hear their views,” he said. “I want to know what they think about the level of cricket in Zimbabwe and their experiences in the country so far.”England are due to play back-to-back one-day matches at Bulawayo over the weekend.

Jagmohan Dalmiya, the former Board of Control of Cricket in India (BCCI) president, has strongly denied the charges of financial irregularities made against him by the current BCCI regime. Addressing a press conference in Kolkata today, Dalmiya said he had replied to each of the charges to to the BCCI’s marketing committee.The BCCI had last week asked Dalmiya to clarify certain financial transactions made during the 1996 World Cup by the PILCOM (Pakistan-India-Sri Lanka), the organising body which Dalmiya was the convenor secretary. The charges included the transfer of certain amounts to the Cricket Association of Bengal.”Nobody has lost a single paisa — be it BCCI or Cricket Association of Bengal”, Dalmiya today said.”The new convenor secretary of PILCOM (Niranjan Shah) has made a wild, defamatory charge through innuendo. I wish to state categorically that I am not aware of any amount being due from TWI … It is expressly reiterated that not a single penny was misappropriated and the BCCI received the entire amount with due justifications.”Asked if he was contemplating any legal action, he said, “I have already given the papers to my lawyers, once I find things are going too much beyond control, I will not hesitate in moving the judiciary.”He added that he had some revelations to make about the current regime. “I have a lot to tell. I will come to you very soon. Only I know what kind of transparency they have. I have nursed the BCCI like my child. If something grossly wrong is being done, I’ll come back to you. You have to just wait.”Turning to the goings-on in the February 21 meeting, Dalmiya said that a ten-page document was circulated and he was asked to answer without knowing the contents. “I wanted seven days’ time. But such was the aggressiveness of some of the members, that they wanted me to reply then and there,” he continued.However, Dalmiya praised Sharad Pawar, the board chief, for not bowing to the pressure tactics of those members. Releasing to the media his reply to Shah’s note as also various other documents pertaining to the PILCOM, Dalmiya clarified that it had only one account maintained by Pakistan and India at Citibank, London. “It has no other account anywhere, be it Kolkata or any other place.”

Scorecard

A century to Michael Klinger gave Victoria every chance of pulling off a remarkable win before New South Wales bounced back with late wickets on a wearing SCG pitch. Klinger helped the Bushrangers rein in the target of 360 but fell late in the day and at the close the visitors were 5 for 241, needing a further 119 for victory with David Hussey looming as the key.Klinger, who has been in outstanding limited-overs form but was playing his first Pura Cup game for the season, reached his second first-class hundred before Stuart MacGill drew an edge to slip when he was on 102. That dismissal proved a catalyst for New South Wales, who went on to claim Jon Moss and Andrew McDonald without scoring. The chase will rely heavily on Hussey, Victoria’s stand-in captain, who was unbeaten on 62, and Adam Crosthwaite (1 not out).Hussey, who made 212 when Victoria chased down a record 455 at Newcastle in 2003-04, again frustrated the Blues in a 114-run partnership with Klinger after Nick Jewell (57) helped with the strong start. A Victoria win looked unlikely as New South Wales built a substantial lead thanks to Dominic Thornely and the lower order.Thornely made 89 and received vital support from Beau Casson, Matthew Nicholson and MacGill as they pushed the score to 299. Bryce McGain did his best with 6 for 112 – his best first-class figures – but Shane Harwood (3 for 95) was the only other bowler to make a dent in the Blues’ line-up. McGain, playing just his fourth Pura Cup game in a career spanning six seasons, removed Thornely for 89 but received a hiding from MacGill, whose 15-ball 33 included three sixes.

Somerset are hoping to speak to Ricky Ponting and Graeme Smith in a bid to get one of them to play next summer.Ponting’s brief spell at Taunton in 2004 coincided with a marked upturn in Somerset’s performances, while Smith led the county for part of 2005, guiding them to victory in the Twenty20 Cup.”We will be talking to the connections of both players,” Brian Rose, Somerset’s director of cricket, Was quoted as saying by the official website. “But we won’t commit ourselves unless either can play for a meaningful period. It could all come down to how long their respective cricket boards are willing to let them play county cricket for next season.”Ponting is due to lead Australia in Bangladesh at the start of the 2006 season and Zimbabwe at the end of the summer, while Smith and South Africa should be in Zimbabwe in August.

Greg Chappell, India’s coach, was confident and positive in the pre-departure press conference ahead of India’s campaign in the forthcoming World Cup in the Caribbean. “We’re all looking forward to the World Cup. It’s the showpiece tournament in one-day cricket and we are in as good a position as we could have been,” he said. “The pieces of the jigsaw puzzle have fallen into place in the last few weeks. There is a good balance, good experience and youth in the squad, and a good variety in bowling and batting. That will give us a wide range of options no matter what the condition and no matter what the opposition.”Over the recent months India’s journey in limited-overs cricket has been far from smooth, and the fielding has come in for specific criticism. But Chappell did not think the fielding would be a major worry. “The fielding in the last few games has been good,” he said. “We have worked hard on it and will continue to so in the World Cup. The positive side is that we have got some 1900 ODIs between the group and that hopefully will offset any deficiencies anywhere.”The one aspect that Chappell and Rahul Dravid have been insisting on over the last year and more has been the need for flexibility within the squad, and Chappell was happy with how this side of the game had shaped up. “We have cover for pretty much all the key players and key positions. We have got flexibility in bowling and batting. We have got a squad that we can expect to do well with,” he said, adding a note of caution. “Obviously now it is down to execution. We can do all the preparation that we have done and continue to do in the Word Cup, but now it is up to the performance on the day and each game and that’s where the pressure is going to be.”But Chappell, who has come in for some criticism for changes in the batting order, would not be drawn into saying who would open the batting in the World Cup. “We cannot really talk about that at the moment because a lot of it will depend on the conditions and opposition. We have some plans and ideas on which we have been working towards in the recent months,” he said. “We have got the options to do a number of things and to mix the batting order in a number of ways but we have some strong ideas of where we play players and what sort of role that they will have. We will be sitting down with players and reinforcing them once we reach the West Indies. To talk about that will be a bit premature at this stage.”Chappell also said that India could take some pointers from their recent trip to the West Indies, although they lost the one-dayers 1-4 on that tour. “Obviously we have some experience in West Indies. We are not playing on some of the grounds that we played last year and will play on some new grounds,” he said. “I do not expect the conditions to be very different from what I have experienced in the last 30 years. In a World Cup the intention will be to get the best possible batting wickets and that certainly doesn’t do us any harm as batting is our strength. It’s really a matter of what we do on that day and execution can be the decider. If anyone is going to have an advantage you will think it will be the home team. But then again the hosts have never won a World Cup.”When asked about the terms “process” and “systems”, which are common enough and yet have taken some rather negative connotations vis-à-vis the Indian team, Chappell said there was always work to do and ways to improve. “They have come along well from the point that we have come to this, where we have a fit and in-form team ready to go for the World Cup. It’s been successful but it’s a never ending process and you try to improve the group and each player tries to improve himself,” he said. “The coaching staff is trying to expand its vision and range and in all ways and will continue in the World Cup and after the World Cup. I suppose we will be able to answer that question definitively after the World Cup.”Chappell also did not want to read too much into Australia’s recent run of losses. “It shows that New Zealand is a good side. It shows that England has made some progress. No doubt it will effect Australia’s balance if [Brett] Lee and [Andrew] Symonds are not going to be there, but I am sure they have got good cricketers there. Stuart Clark has come in and maybe he will be the player of the series for them,” he said. “The loss would have made them a bit hungrier and determined to play well. I would have preferred that they won all the matches and gone to the West Indies overconfident. Now they will be right on the job. We will have our job cut out.”