South Africa have announced a 14-man squad for their two-Test series in Sri Lanka which gets underway in July.The main surprise is the inclusion of Thandi Tshabalala, a promising 21-year-old offspinner who has taken 39 first-class wickets in 17 matches for the Free State Eagles.The squad also marks the return of Herschelle Gibbs, who was released for the final two Castle Tests against New Zealand after losing form.Ashwell Prince has been named as vice-captain in place of Jacques Kallis who is recovering from surgery to his elbow and is not expected to return to action for at least two months. Last season, Prince deputised as vice-captain for Kallis when he was injured during the Test series in Australia.Shaun Pollock will join the team a few days after its departure on 18 July, as he will be with his wife for the birth of their second child.”With a demanding season ahead of us, a pragmatic approach to managing player workloads will mean rotating our players through the season,” explained Haroon Lorgat, the convenor of the national selection panel. “We have taken a bold step to include Thandi in our efforts to create more spin options. We want him to develop and gain experience with the squad, especially in subcontinent conditions.”We expect to face tough choices this season as the quality of our fringe players improve, and Jacques Rudolph can consider himself unlucky not to be in the squad following a successful tour of Sri Lanka with the A team a year ago. He was left out to accommodate a second spinner, and we opted not to carry an extra batsman to Sri Lanka for only two Tests”.South Africa squad Graeme Smith (capt), Ashwell Prince (vice-capt), Hashim Amla, Nicky Boje, Mark Boucher, AB de Villiers, Boeta Dippennaar, Herschelle Gibbs, Andrew Hall, Andre Nel, Makhaya Ntini, Shaun Pollock, Dale Steyn, Thandi Tshabalala.

Jimmy Anderson is set to return to action in club cricket when he turns out for his club side in Burnley on Saturday, but will only play as a batsman. He has been out with a stress fracture of the back since the end of the tour of India, but has slowly been stepping up his recovery by bowling in the nets with England.Anderson spent six weeks in back brace during his recovery and both England and Lancashire have been very careful not to rush his return. However, the medical teams now believe he is ready to take his first steps back to playing, although a return to first-class action is still unlikely before the end of the season and he isn’t ready to bowl in a match.Mike Watkinson, Lancashire’s cricket manager, said: “It is simply to get some cricket miles in his legs, have a bat and spend some time in the field, and hopefully to relieve his boredom as well.”Anderson has been named in England’s 30-man squad for the Champions Trophy, and will still have one eye on the Ashes tour, although he will have had very little cricket.

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).

Things aren’t going too well for Johan Botha, the Warriors and South Africa offspinner, as the ICC has termed his bowling action illegal for a second time in his career.Botha had been working on his action since he was called for chucking in his debut Test against Australia at Sydney this January.The ICC had examined his revised action in August and it was hoped that he would soon return to international cricket. But further tests done towards the end of August confirmed that he continued to bend his arm more than 15 degrees.”We’re very disappointed and will do everything possible to get Johan back in action as soon as possible,” Brian Basson, Cricket South Africa’s general manager, told Supercricket website. “It’s not good for cricket or the psychological welfare of the player to draw out the episode.”Botha had started out as a medium pacer for the Warriors, but switched to spin on the advice of Mickey Arthur, South Africa’s national coach. He last played international cricket in the VB series against Sri Lanka at Hobart this February. He played for the Warriors as a batsman the whole of last season.

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.

England’s build-up to next week’s opening Ashes Test has suffered another blow with Steve Harmison forced out of the tour match against South Australia with a side strain. Harmison was omitted from the three-day game, which is the final fixture before Thursday’s opening Test, as a precaution and replaced by Sajid Mahmood. Scans proved inconclusive and he had a painkilling injection.Duncan Fletcher, England’s coach, said: “We’ll just have to see how this injection goes and what effect it has on him We’re not going to guarantee it, but we’re planning, if he’s fine tomorrow and it’s not as bad as it was, we’ll give him a bowl and see how he feels with it.”An England team spokesman said Harmison felt tightness in his side when he woke this morning and, although he bowled during the warm-up, team management decided to rest him. The news comes three days after Marcus Trescothick quit the tour and returned home citing a reoccurrence of a stress-related illness.Harmison’s withdrawal leaves him underdone in the lead-up to the Test series after he struggled through the Champions Trophy and bowled only 25 overs against New South Wales. Harmison also sat out the first match of the Australian tour against the Prime Minister’s XI last Friday.But with Simon Jones injured and captain Andrew Flintoff still regaining bowling fitness after ankle surgery, England desperately hope Harmison can play a major part in the series. “He had an effect in the Ashes last year,” added Fletcher. “He’s been an effective bowler for us and the other bowlers feed off him. We’ve just got to monitor the amount of balls he bowls because we’ve got to get some mileage in his legs.”

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.

The turbulent times at Yorkshire show no signs of abating with Anthony McGrath, one of the club’s senior players, set to try to leave Headingley despite being offered the captaincy for next season.This news comes in the wake of Chris Adams’s last minute decision to turn down a move to Yorkshire in favour of staying at Sussex. McGrath had been lined up as the new captain, alongside a new three-year contract, but is instead focusing his interest elsewhere. However, Yorkshire have made it clear to McGrath that he is still under contract and they are not willing to release him, which leaves the situation heading for a legal battle.Stewart Regan, the chief executive, told the club’s website: “We are bitterly disappointed that Anthony has turned down this opportunity. He has been a Yorkshire player since his teens, and it is sad that he no longer wants to be part of this club.”I have personally spent several hours with him over the past few weeks, offered him the captaincy and a very attractive contract, but he still wishes to go elsewhere. I have therefore reminded him that he is under contract with this club, and we are not prepared to release him from his obligation.”Unfortunately, it is my understanding that he intends to try and break his contract. If he does not want to play for the club it will ultimately end up in solicitors’ hands. It is a very sad state of affairs.However, Regan tried to remain positive about the direction of the club after it managed to escape Championship relegation in 2006. “This club has taken some knocks in recent weeks, but it’s been around for 143 years, and I’m sure it’ll be here for many more. It’s at times like this that we need to be united, and I hope members and staff will now get behind the players, in particular the younger lads who will certainly get their chances next season.”McGrath, 31, made his Yorkshire debut in 1995 and has scored 9816 runs in first-class cricket. He played four Tests for England in 2003 alongside 14 one-day internationals.

Stuart Clark has out-bowled Glenn McGrath and Brett Lee throughout the first three Tests and the thought of being the side’s leading man seems a slightly uncomfortable one. Australia’s two most highly-decorated fast men have made contributions during the series but it has been Clark who has created the extra zip and movement that has caused regular England discomfort.Three wickets today lifted Clark’s tally for the series to 14 and he has quickly grown into an essential member of the side in his third Test campaign. He opened the bowling this morning and again finished with better figures than McGrath and Lee, who each collected two victims. At the end of the day he was even asked if he was now the attack’s leader.”It’s nice to bowl behind them,” Clark said. “Brett puts the wind up them, Glenn puts it on a length, [the batsmen] are under pressure when I get the ball in my hand. Where I see myself is part of a good bowling line-up.”Andrew Strauss was Clark’s first dismissal and while there was doubt over whether he connected with an edge to Adam Gilchrist, there was no question over the bowler’s method. Giving Strauss a big gap through cover, Clark allowed an uppish boundary through the empty region and followed up with a slightly shorter and wider delivery that the batsman swung at wildly. Sajid Mahmood also fell to a Gilchrist catch and Steve Harmison’s dismissal ended the innings with a 29-run lead for the home side.The only batsman to get away from Australia was Kevin Pietersen, who faced largely defensive settings with a group of outfielders protecting the ropes. “If you have all the field up it gives Pietersen more chances to score boundaries,” Clark said. “There’s a fair chance if he plays a big shot he’ll get caught because he hits the ball pretty well. It’s part of modern-day cricket.”Australia were 1 for 119 at stumps, with Matthew Hayden and Ricky Ponting both 57 not out, and Hayden left the ground pumping his fist at the dressing-room. “We’re in a good position and there’s a lot of excitement about getting ourselves into a position to win the Test,” Clark said. “If we do win then the Ashes will be part of it, but it’s not what we’re focussing on.”

ScorecardOne could be dismissive about cricket as a great leveler being a cliché , yet it came back to haunt the Bengal dressing room today. A resurgent Karnataka outfit put the first day’s humiliation behind them to move into a dominant position at the end of third day of the Ranji Trophy Elite division semi-final clash played at the Eden Gardens.Venkatesh Prasad’s boys knuckled down to post a reassuring 168-run lead with half the batting left. The visitors ended the day on 317 for 5, powered by impressive efforts from in-form allrounder Chandrashekar Raghu (78*) and the openers Bharat Chipli (95) and Barrington Rowland (52). Giving Raghu company at stumps was skipper Yere Goud (14*).If yesterday was all about clawing back into the match, today’s matured performance from the Karnataka batsmen put them in command with two full days to go. On paper, it may appear that the below-200 lead isn’t all that threatening for the home team. More so, considering that the Eden wicket is slowing down considerably as progressively rising totals of 89, 238 and 317 for 5 reveal.Today, much depended on the first hour’s play, and that’s where Karnataka pipped their opponents. Openers Chipli and Rowland played superbly, seeing off the first hour and a half, even as first innings heroes Ranadeb Bose and Sourav Sarkar varied their line and length far too much to be able to put any pressure on the batsmen.After Chipli and Rowland posted a telling 151-run first wicket stand, 25-year-old Raghu took charge of the proceedings for the larger part of the day, teaming up with newcomer KB Pawan (43) to take the total to 271 for 3. On a pitch that was increasingly becoming batsman-friendly, Bengal adopted the unspectacular leg-side line. It did work out well in the sense that the second session saw Karnataka manage no more than just 67 runs for the loss of Pawan’s wicket — the youngster played into Rohan Gavaskar’s hands, flicking a low full toss down the leg-side to a diving Laxmi Ratan Shukla at mid-wicket. “It wasn’t a negative tactics, really. The idea was to stop the run-flow since getting wickets through our pacers was getting difficult, and it worked. The second session is when batting sides score the most runs at Eden. And we succeeded to keep a check on the runs,” Deep Dasgupta, the Bengal captain, explained.Venkatesh Prasad, obviously, thought differently. “Bengal’s negative line was very depressing. What will the players learn if teams try such policies? I personally had a chat with the umpires, but again, I am not complaining. It’s over and got over it,” he said.But it was Raghu who won the battle within the war, patiently playing out the long, nagging phase unflinchingly, as Gavaskar and leg-spinner Manoj Tewari persisted with the negative line. “If we give them a 250-plus target, it will be interesting to see them chase,” Raghu, who hung around for 294 minutes, said.For Bengal, the much-awaited relief came when they took the new ball after tea. Bose and Sarkar struck right away, removing the dangerous Thilak Naidu (17) and Balachandra Akhil (0). But Raghu carried on running the show, safely seeing off the last session with skipper Goud. With the experienced Goud middling the ball well during his painstaking 96-minute stay, and young Raghu promising to do an encore tomorrow morning as well, Karnataka could well be heading for what Raghu called the magic 250-plus mark.Dasgupta put on a brave face saying, “we still have the edge, we are still dictating terms. 317 for 5 looks big, but look at the lead, it’s still within reach. At this point, we are on top, having allowed Karnataka to come back into the match a little”. He, however, reckoned that things could get out of hand if his much talked about pace department fails to turn things around in the first hour’s play tomorrow. Prasad would only be too happy to concur. “It’s just the kind of comeback that we wanted after the first day’s play. We knew it’s a five-day game and we have clearly put the 89 all out behind us. The target now is to bat as long as possible, particularly in the morning session” he said.