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Hasan Raza, currently leading Karachi Urban against Mumbai in the Mohammad Nissar trophy, has been called up to the Pakistan A squad for the first Test against Australia A along with Asim Kamal, after the two had failed to make it to the one-day team.Pakistan won all three ODIs against Australia and were scheduled to play two Tests – in Faisalabad from September 12 to 15 and in Lahore from September 19 to 22.While internationals Yasir Hameed, who made two centuries in the one-day games, and Taufeeq Umar retained their place in the Test side, Tahir Khan, Shahid Yousuf, Rafatullah Mohmand and Junaid Zia missed out. Sohail Tanvir, the Rawalpindi allrounder who was named as Shoaib Akhtar’s replacement in Pakistan’s Twenty20 team, left the A squad for South Africa.Adnan Raza, Lahore’s left-hand batsman, and Rizwan Ahmed, the Hyderabad allrounder, were the new players in the side.Australia named an unchanged squad from the ODIs but Stuart MacGill, the legspinner, arrived in Pakistan only in time for the Tests and should boost his team’s chances.Pakistan A: Faisal Iqbal (capt), Taufeeq Umar, Hasan Raza, Khalid Latif, Yasir Hameed, Naved Latif, Adnan Raza, Sarfraz Ahmed (wk), Mansoor Amjad, Atif Maqbool, Mohammad Khalil, Abdul Rauf, Mohammad Irshad, Najaf Shah and Rizwan Ahmed.Australia A: Phil Jaques, Chris Rogers, David Hussey, Adam Voges (capt), Cameron White, Luke Ronchi (wk), James Hopes, Jason Gillespie, Ashley Noffke, Cullen Bailey, Dan Cullen, Luke Butterworth, Doug Bollinger and Stuart MacGill.

Mohammad Azharuddin, the legendary Indian batsman, has said he has given up hopes of playing for India but was fighting his case in the court of law to get his name cleared from match-fixing.”I have no hopes of playing for India. But I want to get my name cleared,” Azharuddin was quoted as saying in Press Trust of India. “I am expecting that the final hearing of my case will be in May before the judgment is announced.”Azhar was slapped with a life ban while Manoj Prabhakar, the former Indian fast bowler also involved in the scandal, was banned for five years in 2000. The court exonerated Ajay Jadeja who was earlier banned for life by the Indian board.Azhar however, refused to comment on whether he was made a scapegoat by the BCCI. “The matter is sub-judice and I cannot comment on that,” Azhar said. “But I firmly believe that the whole issue was blown out of proportion. I was destined to play 99 Tests, that’s the way I look at it. If I can play 99 Tests, I could have played one more,” he said when asked if he was deliberately prevented by the BCCI from achieving a personal milestone.However, Azhar, 43, said he cannot be banned from cricketing activities. “I don’t need any permission from anyone to play charity or veteran’s cricket. I cannot play in BCCI or ICC approved or sanctioned tournaments. Veterans’ cricket is a different body that is neither controlled nor governed by the BCCI or ICC.”Meanwhile the Pakistan Senior Cricket Board (PSCB) gave a new twist to the Veteran Cup controversy, claiming it was the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) which allowed Azharuddin and Manoj Prabhakar to play in Pakistan. Fawad Ijaz, the PSCB president and chief executive, told a news conference that the “Pakistan High Commission granted visas to the entire Indian cricket team, including Azharuddin and Prabakar, to travel to Pakistan for the one-day matches on the advice of the PCB.”When we applied for the no-objection certificate with the PCB, the names of the Indian team were clearly stated. The PCB issued us the NOC on the basis of which the Indians were issued visas in New Delhi,” Ijaz said. “Issuing of the NOC, followed up New Delhi granting visas clarifies that the entire Indian team is here with the permission and knowledge of the PCB.”Ijaz’s remark came in the wake of Shaharyar Khan, the PCB chairman, disassociating his establishment from Azharuddin and Prabhakar’s visit. “The senior cricket board is operating on their own and they have invited Azharuddin and Prabhakar,” Shaharyar had said. “The senior board is not affiliated with the PCB so they are holding this series on their own.”The veterans’ cricket board of India today came out in support of Azharuddin and Prabhakar, saying both were technically eligible to take part in the veterans’ tournament against Pakistan.Chetan Chauhan, former cricketer and President of Board for Veteran Cricket in India, said: “Prabhakar’s five-year ban is over and Azharuddin is banned from playing Test and first class cricket. Veterans’ cricket does not fall under any of these two categories. So both are eligible to play.”The veterans’ series is more of a friendly one to improve relationship between the two countries. Since Azharuddin is playing all sorts of festival cricket, there is no harm in his participation in it,”However, Chauhan refused to draw any comparison between Malik, who was prevented from taking part in the series, and the two Indian players. “Salim Malik’s case is different, “he said. “In their country, Justice Qayoom Commission has banned him from all forms of cricket. So he is not eligible to play veterans’ cricket.”

Tatenda Taibu’s return to the Zimbabwe cricket team is almost complete after he was included in a select side for two four-day matches against India A at home.Cricinfo revealed last month that Taibu’s comeback was imminent, although he was recently quoted saying his lawyers were still in negotiation with Zimbabwe Cricket, possibly over outstanding payments still owed to him by the board.The former captain however will now play under the current leader, Prosper Utseya.Wicketkeeper Brendan Taylor was also named in the side although he is yet to return from the Netherlands and may miss the first four-dayer at Harare Sports Club. Sean Williams, who is recovering from an injury which kept him out of training for six weeks, was also included.Allrounder Keith Dabengwa meanwhile misses out on selection, but will captain the A side on a tour of South Africa at the same time the Select will be facing India A. The batsmen Chamu Chibhabha has also been relegated to the A side, where the only other senior players are the pace bowler, Blessing Mahwire, and the former Zimbabwe A captain, Alester Maregwede.Zimbabwe Select Prosper Utseya (capt) Terry Duffin, Tatenda Taibu, Vusi Sibanda, Brendan Taylor (wk), Hamilton Masakadza, Sean Williams, Stuart Matsikenyeri, Tino Mawoyo, Elton Chigumbura, Graeme Cremer, Ed Rainsford, Chris Mpofu, Gary Brent, Trevor Garwe, Tawanda Mupariwa.Zimbabwe A Keith Dabengwa (cpat) Chamu Chibhabha, Eric Chauluka, Tafadzwa Kamungozi, Bornaparte Mujuru, Forster Mutizwa, Alester Maregwede, Regis Chakabva, Alois Tichana, Taurai Muzarabani, Prosper Tsvanhu, Timycen Maruma, Admire Manyumwa, Tendai Chisoro, Blessing Mahwire, Patient Charumbira.

Inclement weather in Colombo has forced the postponement of certain Premier league matches in Sri Lanka. Matches that were scheduled to begin on November 24 and December 1 have been pushed back to January 12 and 19.Basil Perera, Sri Lanka Cricket’s tournament committee chairman, said that in fairness to the 14 clubs represented the postponement was necessary because the current season was one of transformation for them. “Each of the clubs has only six matches in their respective groups to try and finish in the top ten to qualify for next season’s competition so it is only fair to give them the maximum opportunity of playing time,” he explained. “Last week four matches did not start at all due to bad weather and ground conditions. Of the remaining two only one club recorded victory while the other game was also affected by the weather.”It was the consensus of the captains that they were disappointed with the outcome. In consultation with the Met Department which predicted rain for the next two weeks we decided to postpone the matches for January,” he added. “Rescheduling of matches is not a difficult task but one has to look at the expenditure and revenue. Then there is also the question of venues being available. There are five clubs playing in the Premier league without a ground of their own.”Matches of the Premier limited-overs tournament scheduled for November 28 have also been postponed to December 3.The Premier league will recommence December 8 with the following matches: SSC v BRC at Maitland Place, Ragama CC v Saracens tbc, NCC v Bloomfield at Maitland Place, Tamil Union v Chilaw Marians at Sara Stadium, Colts v Sebastianites at Havelock Park and Moors SC v CCC at Braybrooke Place.

Scorecard

Western Australia prevailed by 11 runs in a pulsating contest at Perth in their Ford Ranger Cup match against Victoria. Half centuries by Jon Moss and Grant Lindsay revived Victoria’s chase after a middle-order hiccup but eventually fell short, as the asking rate climbed towards the end of the innings.In pursuit of 261, Victoria didn’t get off to an ideal start, losing their first two wickets with 28 on board. Brad Hodge and David Hussey stabilised the innings, adding 60 for the third wicket, maintaining a rate of over four an over. Ben Edmundson, back into the attack after an expensive first spell, immediately accounted for Hussey, caught by Adam Voges at backward point. Hodge brought up his fifty in the next over, coming off only 52 balls. Voges was in action again, bowling the well-set Hodge.At 6 for 141, Victoria were in a spot of bother, before Moss and Lindsay then added exactly 100 for the seventh wicket, scoring at a healthy clip. Both scored 59, with Lindsay slamming three sixes in his knock which came at over a run a ball. However, Western Australia pulled things back in the 49th over, with the run out of Lindsay, still 20 runs adrift of the target.Earlier, Shane Harwood, the promising Victorian fast bowler, had a good outing with a five-wicket haul, which helped restrict the opposition to a more manageable total. Voges and Luke Ronchi both scored half centuries, threatening to push the score past 300 but were pegged back by Harwood, who bowled with good pace and bounce.Voges held the innings together once Ronchi departed with the score on 96, picking up singles regularly. His 82 included only four boundaries and he looked set for a century, but fell to Harwood’s inspired spell towards the end of the innings, in which he picked up three wickets in six balls. Harwood finished with figures of 5 for 40.

Sourav Ganguly has, over the last few months, often stated that India are the second-best side in the world. Now, he has the opportunity to see his team climb to that position in the official ICC Test Championship table – all he needs is a series win against Australia.Even a victory by a one-Test margin (1-0 or 2-1) will help India, currently in fourth place with 104 points, gallop to 111, ahead of England, who are now in second place with 109. In such a scenario, Australia will still maintain their top spot, but will slip from 129 points to 123. In fact, Australia are so far ahead of the pack that even if they lose all four matches, they will have a four-point lead – 119 to 115 – over India at the top of the table. On the other hand, a 3-0 win will boost Australia’s tally to 131, their highest-ever rating in the Test table.In the event of a drawn series, India will move to third spot with 108 points, while Australia’s total will slip marginally to 126.

The 2006 Standard Bank National Academy squad will face Australia’s Commonwealth Bank Centre of Excellence squad in two limited-overs matches before playing the tourists in a four-day match at the High Performance Centre (HPC), University of Pretoria next week.Anton Ferreira, CSA’s coaching manager, said: “It is an ideal opportunity for our young academy candidates to test their skills and gauge their individual strengths and weaknesses against quality opposition. These games will also provide a chance for the three coaches [Barney Mohamed, Corrie van Zyl and Richard Pybus], who have been responsible for the development of the players during their stay at the HPC, to asses how much improvement has taken place under their guidance”.The limited-overs matches will be played on Sunday 20 and Monday 21 August with the four-day match scheduled to take place from August 24 and all matches will be played at the University of Pretoria.Standard Bank National Academy squad:
Keagan Africa (KwaZulu Natal), Craig Alexander (Western Province), Farhaan Behardien (Western Province), Werner Coetsee (North West), Riell de Kock (Captain for limited-overs matches) (Free State), Dean Elgar (Free State), Robert Frylinck (KwaZulu Natal), Heino Kuhn (Northerns), Corne Linde (Free State), Said Mhlongo (KwaZulu Natal), Hillroy Paulse (Boland), Abdul Hack Razak (Kwazulu Natal), Pepler Sandri (Boland), Blake Snijman (Captain for four-day match) (Gauteng), Abongile Sodumo (Border), Dominic Telo (Western Province),Coach: Barney Mohamed (Western Province).Commonwealth Bank Centre of Excellence (CBCE) Australian squad
Shaun Marsh, Adam Voges, Ben Hilfenhaus, Brett Dorey, Tim Paine, Daniel Doran, Cullen Bailey, Ben Edmondson, George Bailey, Callum Ferguson, Aaron Finch, Grant Sullivan, Brendan Drew, Adam Crosthwaite, Tim Nielsen (Head Coach), Brian McFadyen (Coach).

Simon Katich, who was dropped from the Australia squad for the second Test against West Indies, will lead the top-of-the-table New South Wales in their crucial ING Cup match against Queensland at the SCG on Sunday. The squad also includes Nathan Bracken, Michael Clarke, Brett Lee, Stuart MacGill and Glenn McGrath, who will all play the match before flying to Hobart for the Test.Brad Haddin, the wicketkeeper, has been ruled out due to a finger injury he suffered in Perth. A further assessment on the injury will be made next week but Haddin is hopeful of being fit to play in the Pura Cup match against Tasmania starting next Friday.Matthew Hayden is the only change to the Queensland team that lost to South Australia on Friday night, replacing the injured James Hopes. Hopes hurt his shoulder during the match and expects to be fit in time for Australia’s Chappell-Hadlee Trophy series against New Zealand in December.Queensland squad Jimmy Maher (capt), Matthew Hayden, Andrew Symonds, Clinton Perren, Craig Philipson, Nathan Reardon, Chris Hartley (wk), Nathan Hauritz, Andy Bichel, Mitchell Johnson, Michael Kasprowicz, Chris Simpson.New South Wales squad: Simon Katich (capt), Nathan Bracken, Stuart Clark, Michael Clarke, Phil Jaques, Brett Lee, Stuart MacGill, Glenn McGrath, Aaron O’Brien, Corey Richards, Daniel Smith, Dominic Thornely.

Inzamam-ul-Haq, the Pakistan captain, has finally agreed to play in the ICC Super Series one-off Test against Australia in October. The Pakistan Cricket Board released a statement saying Shaharyar Khan, chairman of the PCB, had spoken to Inzamam and explained the background of the genuine misunderstanding regarding his selection for the Super Series squads.According to the statement, Shaharyar told Inzamam that in the interests of Pakistan cricket he should participate in the Super Series. In turn, Inzamam responded positively to the chairman’s advice and agreed to play in the Test match at Sydney.An official at the PCB told Cricinfo that the whole situation was nothing more than a “minor misunderstanding” between Inzamam and the board.Inzamam said he agreed to feature in the Super Test to improve Pakistan’s image. He told reporters, “I did say that I would not go but after being convinced by the chairman that my participation is necessary for the better image of the country, I have decided to tour Australia.”The u-turn follows Inzamam’s decision to snub the Super Series yesterday, after he heard that he was selected only for the Test squad. The PCB had announced on Wednesday that Inzamam would be in both teams, but two days later the ICC said that he would feature in the six-day Super Test squad only, and that too as a replacement for Sachin Tendulkar. He was omitted from the one-dayers, with the ICC instead naming Chris Gayle and Rahul Dravid as replacements for Tendulkar and Herschelle Gibbs.Expressing disappointment over the earlier confusion, the ICC said there had been preliminary discussions between the ICC and PCB to find out whether Inzamam would be available for the Super Series selected.An ICC spokesman clarified to AFP, “Once it was understood that he was available… the selectors discussed replacements for Tendulkar and Herschelle Gibbs of South Africa and selected Inzamam for the Test squad only.”Inzamam said newspaper reports on Tuesday suggesting he was angry at the decision were incorrect. “Newspaper reports suggested that I was angry which is wrong. It was a principled stance that I should be treated with respect and that’s why I was disappointed.”

Kerala ended the second day of their South Zone Ranji Trophy matchagainst Karnataka, trailing by 68 runs with seven wickets in hand inthe first innings at the Nehru stadium in Kochi on Thursday. Replyingto Karnataka’s first innings total of 236, Kerala were 168 for three.Resuming at 231 for seven, Karnataka were dismissed for the additionof only five runs. Medium pacer Tinu Yohannan bagged three wickets for61 whereas Sunil Oasis and Suresh Kumar picked up two each.Kerala scored at about two runs an over in making a confident replybefore play was called off an hour early due to bad light. PrashanthMenon was the top scorer with a steady 63. He faced 123 balls and hitseven fours and a six. Dodda Ganesh picked up two of the threewickets. Sunil Oasis (30), having been dropped twice, had Ajay Kudua(17) batting at the crease when play was halted.