Lasith Malinga, the Sri Lankan fast bowler, has said he would like to bowl faster than he did on his last tour to Australia. “I have more pace now than last time we played here. I think maybe I can get around 140kph now,” Malinga told AFP. “I want more pace.”All fast bowlers like to do the bouncer and everything. I am the same. We are going to be very attacking.”Mahela Jayawardene, the Sri Lanka captain, said Malinga had improved in the three years since Sri Lanka’s previous tour of Australia. Malinga made his Test debut in that tour and took 10 wickets at 26.40 in the two Tests.”He [Malinga] has learned to adjust to different conditions and batsmen,” Jayawardene said. “Now he’s got the ability to control his aggression, which is a good thing. He is one of our attacking options [but] we don’t want to put a lot of pressure on the young guys.”Asked about the recent rise in on-field verbal attacks, Jayawardene said it was important not to lose one’s cool. “You need to be aggressive but you should not go overboard. When you lose your composure, that’s when they [Australia] come back at you very strongly. It’s the seniors’ responsibility to guide the guys through periods in difficult situations.”

Scorecard

Simon Katich made an emphatic statement in the lead-up to Australia’s six-Test summer, smashing a career-best 306 in front of a national selector while also earning New South Wales first-innings points against Queensland. Katich crawled to triple-figures from 204 balls but cut loose in the middle session, cracking 184 in the two and a half hours between lunch and tea.His second hundred took 75 deliveries and his third came in 67 as the spinners Chris Simpson and Daniel Doran suffered the most. With Jamie Cox, one of the Australia selectors who axed Katich from the contract list during the off-season, watching on, Katich struck 30 fours and nine sixes in reaching the highest first-class score at the SCG since Don Bradman made 452 in 1929-30.Brad Haddin was in fine form as well, striking 123 as he and Katich added 334 for the fifth wicket. Dominic Thornely (64) supported Katich during the opening session after New South Wales resumed at 3 for 151, still 316 short of Queensland’s total.It seemed Katich would bat on indefinitely until Ashley Noffke, who grabbed 5 for 108, ended his seven-hour innings. Mitchell Johnson’s 0 for 134 was hardly the result he wanted ahead of a potential Test debut, as the Blues finally declared at 8 for 601. The Bulls had cut their deficit to 111 at stumps, reaching 0 for 23 with Matthew Hayden on 14 and Ryan Broad on 9.

Kapil Dev, the former Indian captain who is heading the unofficial Indian Cricket League, has said the tournament will go ahead despite pressures from various boards around the world.The ICL has been facing a slew of problems since its launch, from the active opposition of the Indian board to the massive wage bill incurred by promising dozens of players’ hefty packages that start at Rs30 lakhs (US$ 80,000 approx). But Kapil was determined to prove the doubters wrong.One key problem is the availability of grounds, with the BCCI barring the use of any of its facilities to the ICL. However, he claims to have found a functioning ground at Panchkula near Chandigarh. “We have done the pavilion and the lights will be ready,” Kapil was quoted as saying in the London-based . “The advertisements are running on Indian television, the publicity has started, and we have prepared the uniforms for all six teams.”We are very determined and very proud of what we are doing, which will promote the game of cricket and give many young players the chance to build a career. If people think they can block us, that’s fine. The best thing is just to wait and watch.”News related to the ICL has been trickling into the Indian media on a daily basis. It has conducted two camps so far, the second of which ended in Chennai on October 25, and is now planning regional camps in Hyderabad, Chandigarh, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata and Delhi. The Kolkata camp, starting on Friday, will be overseen by Daryll Cullinan, the former South African batsman roped in to coach the Calcutta Tigers team.However the reported that the camp could run into difficulties because the venue, the Calcutta Cricket & Football Club (CC&FC), is an affiliated unit of the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB). It’s also one of the founding members of the CAB. The connection could force the ICL organisers to look out for another venue.The Calcutta Tigers currently comprises 13 players from the domestic circuit — seven from Bengal, four from Assam and two from Jharkhand – while the names of the five international players allocated for the side from the east zone will be announced in a couple of days’ time. Following the Kolkata camp the players will fly down to Mumbai for a round of warm-up matches before heading to Panchkula.Meanwhile there was some controversy surrounding ICL in Bhopal, in central India. Former Indian allrounder JP Yadav and Mohnish Mishra, another first-class cricketer, were not allowed to play in the All India Manish Agnihotri Memorial Cricket Tournament in Bhopal because of their alignment with the league.

Luke Pomersbach made one of cricket’s more unusual international debuts when summoned to stand in for Brad Hodge, who hurt his back in the dressing room, in the minutes before the start of Australia’s Twenty20 clash with New Zealand in Perth.Pomersbach, a middle-order batsman from Western Australia, was parking his car when he got a call from Australia’s team manager. “I don’t think I locked my car and my brother had to drop my stuff off,” Pomersbach told before he batted. “I’m still shaking, I can’t believe it. I thought it was one of my mates having a joke … I asked him whether he was joking, and he said ‘no mate get yourself to the rooms as quick as you can’.”He had no kit so had to borrow some until his brother Gavin was able to rush his own to the ground. Pomersbach settled himself with a couple of singles, launched a fierce six over midwicket and picked up 15 off seven balls before falling from the third-last ball.What is more remarkable is that Pomersbach is currently suspended by his state after breaking a curfew on a trip to South Australia last month and going out on a drinking session. He is not eligible to resume playing for Western Australia until December 14.

It might have escaped your attention, but several thousand miles away from the controversies in Australia, another Test match is about to get underway: the deciding third match between South Africa and West Indies in Durban.Prior to this series, few gave West Indies much hope of upsetting South Africa at home, and yet they approach the third Test level-pegging at 1-1. They caught South Africa snoozing in the first at Port Elizabeth, with an allround batting performance (inevitably dominated by Shivnarine Chanderpaul), and in spite of a number of injuries, they clawed at South Africa’s coat-tails doggedly for much of the second in Cape Town.The injuries have taken their toll, though, and West Indies’ chances of claiming their first series win over South Africa since 1992 are looking desperate. Chris Gayle, whose laid back leadership style clearly suits this young side, broke his left thumb in Cape Town and will miss out, exposing an already shaky batting lineup. And there is enough doubt over Fidel Edwards (hamstring) to suggest that even if he does make the final XI, he won’t be firing on all cylinders.Neither, it seems, will Dale Steyn whose hamstring injury has limited his preparations for Thursday. “He’ll probably only bowl (in the nets) at about 70 percent,” Mickey Arthur, the South Africa coach said yesterday. “He is making some nice improvement, but we’ll probably only have final clarity on the morning of [the Test]. (sic)”Should Steyn miss out, the decision South Africa take on his replacement could have a bearing on the future of their bowling attack. Shaun Pollock is tipped to return, but hot on his heels is Monde Zondeki, almost a decade his junior, who has been in blistering form this season.The most encouraging aspect of South Africa’s seven-wicket win in Cape Town was the return to form of Graeme Smith, who elbowed his way into rhythm with a pugnacious 85. The question of who opens with Smith continues to divide opinion though, and with Neil McKenzie ruled out with a calf muscle tear, Herschelle Gibbs (who was dropped in place of McKenzie in Cape Town) gets a recall.On the eve of the match, all eyes are on the Kingsmead pitch. With heavy rain over the past few days, the groundsmen are behind schedule and it could be another slow, low surface – which is not ideal for a series which deserves a competitive finale.TeamsSouth Africa (probable) Graeme Smith (capt), Herschelle Gibbs, Hashim Amla, Jacques Kallis, Ashwell Prince, AB de Villiers, Mark Boucher (wk), Paul Harris, Shaun Pollock, Andre Nel, Makhaya Ntini,West Indies (probable) Devon Smith, Daren Ganga, Runako Morton, Marlon Samuels, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Dwayne Bravo (capt), Denesh Ramdin (wk), Darren Sammy, Rawl Lewis, Jerome Taylor, Daren Powell

Two months ago, one of India’s selectors, looking ahead to the Australia tour, said: “Zaheer Khan, Sreesanth and Munaf Patel would be a great combination, especially in Perth.” None landed up at the WACA and a second-string attack was left to shoulder the burden on a day when the skin threatened to peel off. They didn’t just stand up, they soared.A year back you wouldn’t have thought RP Singh would get a Test. Ditto Irfan Pathan, who seemed to have lost his way after a fine arrival. At the same time Ishant Sharma was taking his first steps in domestic cricket. Here they were, like rookies in a bullring, against the most formidable batting line-up. Australia’s batsmen probably thought they were facing India’s ODI attack – their innings lasted exactly 50 overs.They bowled as a team. Pathan swung the new ball as superbly as RP Singh swung the old. Ishant didn’t just hit the deck, he also straightened the ball off the narrow. Importantly, they held their nerve during a mid-afternoon lashing. They made the batsmen play more often than their Australian counterparts and did better in partnerships. It was the most heartening pace-bowling effort since Nottingham last year, the last time they won a Test overseas. It was Australia’s shortest innings since Nottingham two years earlier, the last time they lost a Test.The game turned on several pivots but it was the half hour either side of lunch that cracked the contest open. India had lost four quick wickets and Australia went back into the dressing room with a spring in their stride. A new opening combination walked in with an air of expectation. Running in from the Marsh-Lillee end, Pathan didn’t just swing the ball to get rid of Chris Rogers and Phil Jaques, he changed the momentum.Nobody should be surprised with India’s young bowlers accepting responsibility readily. Look through the last five years and you have tyro after tyro taking the leap. The problem hasn’t been so much about bowlers being intimidated early as about keeping them injury-free. Pathan and L Balaji burst on to the scene sensationally, Sreesanth surprised with seam movement and Munaf with pace. Faisalabad may top a vote among bowlers as the venue to skip but not only did RP Singh debut there, he picked up a Man-of-the-Match award.Ishant, thrown into the cauldron in Sydney, ended the first day as their most impressive bowler. He ended wicketless but bowled with pace and heart. He showed gumption with the bat, scoring more runs in an innings than he had in his first-class career, and didn’t flag through the game. He didn’t try anything fancy here, and even showed he possessed the lethal ball that left the right-hander.Ponting might have received better deliveries in his career but rarely would have been so outfoxed by a 19-year-old. Harbhajan Singh wasn’t around but Ishant made sure he did some sort of impersonation of the celebration: running ecstatically towards the dressing-room. “He’s learnt which areas one needs to bowl in,” Kumble said about Ishant defying expectations. “Look at the way he’s bowled in the last two Tests. He’s ready to bend his back and looks like he belongs to this arena.”From a purely bowling point of view, this series is pretty neck and neck. Australia have had the more accomplished attack but India’s young men have not been cowed down. At the most bowler-friendly surface of the series, they’ve won the first innings. “They utilised the breeze well,” he said, “and bowled with a lot of control. It was commendable to see the way they controlled the swing.” RP Singh was asked if he was tempted to pitch the ball short and use the bounce at the WACA to scare the batsmen. His reply came with a smile: “Not really.”

Tawanda Mupariwa, Zimbabwe’s fast-medium bowler, will miss the fourth ODI against Pakistan in Faisalabad on Wednesday (January 30) after spraining his left ankle during a training session.Mupariwa bagged a career-best 4 for 46 in the third ODI in Multan, his first outing of the series, including the wicket of Younis Khan off his first delivery. He fell over after stepping on the boundary rope while attempting a catch during practice today. Mupariwa was immediately put under the supervision of Amato Machikicho, the team’s physio, with further checks scheduled for tomorrow.Christopher Mpofu, dropped from the side after giving away 72 runs in his ten overs in the series opener, will replace Mupariwa. Zimbabwe have decided against making any other changes to the side that lost by 37 runs in Multan.The tourists are already without Prosper Utseya, their captain, who failed to recover from the ankle injury he aggravated while batting in Hyderabad. Hamilton Masakadza will lead the side tomorrow with Utseya set to undergo an assessment just before the final ODI in Sheikhupura onSaturday.

The Cape Cobras made a successful start in their defence of the MTN Domestic Championship (previously the Standard Bank Cup), with two wins in their first two matches of South Africa’s premier domestic one-day competition.The Cobras beat the Warriors at Newlands, Cape Town on Friday. Batting first, the captain Justin Kemp made 68 to boost the Cobras to 221 before a four-wicket haul from Charl Langeveldt, ably supported by 3 for 51 from Tyron Henderson, sent the Warriors crashing to a 90-run defeat. Andrew Puttick, the Cobras’ wicketkeeper, had a field day behind the stumps, pouching five catches.In Bloemfontein two days later, the Cobras picked up their second victory against the Eagles, in a match reduced from 45-overs a side to 20. Langeveldt was again among the wickets as the Eagles were restricted to 125 for 5. The chase was anchored by Puttick, who opened the batting and finished unbeaten on 64 as his side completed a seven-wicket win.In the opening game of the tournament on Wednesday in Bloemfontein, the Eagles, fresh from claiming the SuperSport Series, triumphed over the Warriors. Dillon du Preez, the leading wicket-taker in the SuperSport Series, grabbed four wickets while his new-ball partner Victor Mpitsang chipped in with three. Left-hander Arno Jacobs made an even 50 as the Warriors were rolled over for 148, a score that was hunted down by the Eagles with five wickets and 11 overs to spare.The Titans sailed to a six-wicket win over the Dolphins in Durban on Friday. A disciplined bowling performance from the Titans restricted the Dolphins to 164. Ahmed Amla scored an unbeaten 60 off 98 balls, while Paul Harris was the pick of the bowlers with 3 for 25 from his nine overs. Titans’ keeper-batsman Heino Kuhn top scored with 51, and useful contributions from Gulam Bodi (34) and Francois du Plessis (44) sealed the win.The Dolphins bounced back from that loss with a win against the Lions on Sunday in Durban. The Dolphins opted to field and did well to bowl out the Lions for 166 in 41.4 overs. The Dolphins didn’t cruise during the chase, but eventually scampered home with three wickets in hand, having been 69 for 4 and subsequently 138 for 6.The Lions‘ campaign had got off to a winning start on Friday in Johannesburg. A high-scoring encounter against the Eagles was won with only an over remaining. Morne Van Wyk’s 128, and useful 40s from Boeta Dippenaar and Dean Elgar guided the Eagles to a challenging 271 for 6 off 45 overs. However, a wonderfully-paced run-a-ball chase, powered by the Lions’ top three, left the Eagles on the losing side.Stephen Cook and Alviro Petersen set the platform with a 128-run opening stand. Both openers were run out – Petersen for 95 – but Neil McKenzie all but stayed till the winning runs were hit. McKenzie, who made it to the Test team for Bangladesh ahead of Herschelle Gibbs, made a 70-ball 87, before falling on the brink of victory in the 44th over. Roger Telemachus struck twice in the penultimate over, but Justin Ontong’s six off the last ball won it with an over to spare.Zimbabwe, featuring in this year’s competition, failed in their match against the Warriors in Bulawayo on Sunday. Tatenda Taibu made 52 as the hosts posted 213 for 9, which was not to be enough as the Warriors chased it down to earn their first points in the tournament from their third game. Juan Theron took four wickets while Jacobs top-scored with 68 as the Warriors coasted to a six-wicket win.

Kyle Mills and Ross Taylor joined the burgeoning ranks of New Zealand cricketers headed for the IPL last night, when they were snapped up by Mohali and Bangalore for US$150,000 and US$100,000 respectively in the second round of auctioning in Mumbai. With Daniel Vettori, Jacob Oram and Brendon McCullum already signed up, the competition is increasingly likely to conflict with New Zealand’s preparations for their tour of England in May.New Zealand’s first scheduled fixture of the England tour is on April 27, against MCC at Arundel, followed by a pair of three-day games against Kent (April 28-30) and Essex (May 2-5). The IPL, however, will be in full swing during those matches, and New Zealand Cricket are in discussions with their players’ representatives to allow dispensation for the five affected men to arrive in time for the final warm-up fixture against England Lions, which starts on May 8, a week before the Lord’s Test.”It’s a New Zealand Cricket decision and we have to abide by that, no matter which way it goes,” said Vettori. “They have asked us our views, and they have asked the team’s views. Obviously with five of us involved, it’ll set a different precedent than it would have with three, but we will work through it with Justin [Vaughan, the CEO] and whatever decision he comes to, we will abide by it.”There’s little doubt, however, where Vettori’s preferences lie. Having been signed up by the Delhi Daredevils franchise for a hefty US$625,000, he is understandably eager to play as many of the matches as possible. Realistically he and his team-mates could play in the first five or six rounds of the IPL, which begins on April 18, before joining the New Zealand squad in England in early May.Vettori’s argument is that New Zealand very rarely play warm-up matches on Test tours these days, and so it will make little difference to their preparations for England. What is more, if the senior players do sit out the early fixtures, it will provide an opportunity for younger players to be given invaluable experience of English conditions.”I’m not really worried about how it looks. I’m worried about how it affects the team and the dynamic,” said Vettori. “I know it’ll be a huge opportunity for some young guys to be assimilated into a New Zealand side. Like I’ve said a couple of times, we go away on most tours and don’t have any warm-up games. I don’t think we can say that we all need to turn up all on the same day because that’s the way it’s supposed to be, because we don’t do it on any other tour.”The junior guys are comfortable either way,” he added. “They’re comfortable if we turn up late and they’re equally happy if the whole team turns up together. I don’t think the preparation side is an aspect, it’s whether it fits for the team and the guys can handle it. If they can’t, then we have to sit back and say maybe it’s not the right thing. But if they can, then that’s the way cricket is probably moving.”Mills, who learned of his IPL acquisition from his wife, Diana, who had been tracking the auction online, believed that the opportunity to rub shoulders with some of the best cricketers in the world was more than adequate compensation for missing the early part of the England tour.Mills’ Mohali franchise is coached by Tom Moody, who has huge experience of county cricket with Worcestershire, and also includes regular England foes, such as Brett Lee and Kumar Sangakkara.” This will be a massive opportunity to pick Brett Lee’s brains for three or four weeks on how to bowl in England,” said Mills. “He was very effective against the Poms in England and in the Ashes last year, so I’ll be picking up a few tips on how to get the Poms out. In terms of a cricketing education, the players I’ll be playing with and against will be of huge benefit to me.”As to their possible late arrival, Mills was sure the players would adapt quickly. “That’s the nature of international cricket over these past five years,” he said. “You’re playing 11 months of the year, always chopping and changing from Twenty20s to one-dayers to Test cricket. I played a domestic one-dayer three days out from the last Test in Hamilton. So that’s the nature of professional cricket these days, we’ve all got to adapt quickly. We’ve all got experience of England before, so the transition shouldn’t be too hard.”

Dolphins 115 for 5 beat Eagles 114 by five wickets
ScorecardDean Elgar’s career-best bowling performance failed to stop the Dolphins from dawdling into the Standard Bank Pro20 final with a five-wicket win over the Eagles in Durban.Left-arm spinner Dean Elgar took 3 for 10, but the Dolphins were able to scrape together 115 for 5 in 18.3 overs to surpass the Eagles’ skinflint total of 114. The Eagles, whose top score was Boeta Dippenaar’s 30, succumbed to three run-outs and lost five wickets for 14 runs before being dismissed with the last ball of their innings.The Dolphins began their reply steadily in the shape of an opening stand of 49 between Imraan Khan (9) and Grant Rowley (48). Elgar, who separated the openers by running out Khan, struck again to trap Rowley in front and remove Morne van Vuuren (0) with consecutive deliveries as the Dolphins slipped to 87 for 3 in the 13th over.Then Elgar bowled Hashim Amla (34) to reduce them to 97 for 5 in the 15th over. But there were no further jitters as Jon Kent (8 not out) and Pierre de Bruyn (10 not out) put the Dolphins through to the final where they will play the winners of the other semi-final, between the Cobras and the Titans in Cape Town on Sunday, next Friday.