Bangladesh v Eng,1st Test

Siddique and Rahim hold up England

Bangladesh are not going down without a fight as backs-to-the-wall resistance from Junaid Siddique and Mushfiqur Rahim ensured England will have to come back for a fifth day. When the home side were reduced to 110 for 5 shortly before tea the hard work had seemingly been done, but the sixth-wicket pair remained undefeated throughout the final session, reports Cricinfo.
There has been a sense of inevitability about this whole match, but Bangladesh''s periods of resistance have made England dig deep in hot conditions.
Siddique showed great determination after being worked over in the first innings and, barring the occasion lapse in judgement, was impressively solid during a four-and-a-half hour stay.
He showed that Bangladesh batsmen are capable of occupying the crease without regularly finding the boundary and each time his concentration appeared to be wavering he refocused.
Rahim followed his first-innings 79 with another composed, mature innings and he was rarely troubled by pace or spin, except from the occasional top-edged sweep.
He passed 1000 runs in his 20th Test and again struck the ball cleanly when boundary opportunities were offered. England will look forward to the new ball in the morning, but creating chances when conditions go flat remains a challenge.
The pace bowlers certainly felt the heat as they operated in short bursts, while Graeme Swann continued his outstanding match by booking in for a 25-over spell before being given a break - and that was only for a change of ends. Tim Bresnan was the most impressive paceman, particularly with a six-over spell in the afternoon session where he extracted Aftab Ahmed and Mahmudullah with reverse swing, but Stuart Broad appeared laboured and couldn''t match the menace of the first innings.
England batted on for 50 minutes to leave Bangladesh a hypothetical target of 513 with the declaration based more on time that it was runs. Alastair Cook is following the conservative route of Andrew Strauss when he comes to declarations. After the way Broad bombed the top order in the first innings it wasn''t a surprise when the same tactics were used again. Tamim Iqbal was again the more confident of the openers, but Imrul Kayes offered greater determination after a limp first-innings dismissal as he survived the short ball.
Both Broad and Bresnan were rested after four-over spells - while Broad regularly got his head swathed in a cold towel at fine leg - with Swann given a successful early bowl and Steven Finn offered a chance with the ball still reasonably hard. In his second over, Swann produced another lovely piece of bowling when he spun one past Tamim''s outside edge to take off stump.
Finn immediately hit a testing line and made Siddique inside edge close to the stumps. Kayes couldn''t build on his gutsy start as Finn showed the value of height to make one climb outside off and graze the edge through to Matt Prior. The more Finn bowls the more exciting a prospect he appears and his two wickets doesn''t reflect his endeavours.
England were frustrated during the afternoon session as Aftab and Siddique played with impressive restraint. There was very little help off the pitch for either the quicks or Swann, but at around the 30-over mark the ball began to reverse. Bresnan has been more of a threat with the older ball in this game than with the new one and caused problems from the start of his second spell.
In his second over he found Aftab''s edge with a full delivery as the batsman drove without much footwork to undo his hard work. Mahmudullah then found life tough against the late movement, getting off the mark with a streaky edge to third man, and soon played all round a full delivery. It was a loose shot for a talented batsman but Bresnan deserved his success.
Shakib Al Hasan completed a poor match with the bat, although can feel aggrieved with his decision after replays showed he gloved a sweep that Tony Hill ruled had come off the pad. Shakib has felt his team hasn''t had much luck with umpiring decisions and his anger was clear. However, the fact he fell to Swann wasn''t a surprise. The offspinner has had the Bangladesh''s captain number throughout the tour and had almost bowled him first ball.
That loss appeared to open the door for a swift conclusion and an extra day off for England''s weary attack, but there is more bottle in this Bangladesh side than some people give them credit for.
England will still win, but Test victories are meant to be earned and the home side have ensured it hasn''t been handed to them on a plate
Brief score:
Bangladesh 296 and 191 for 5 (Siddique 68*, Rahim 47*) need 322 more runs to beat England 599 for 6 dec and 209 for 7 dec (Shakib 4-62).

PCB and manager wrangle over player bans

Younis Khan axing Mohammad Yousuf from the second ODI against New Zealand in Abu Dhabi last November ultimately led to his own resignation from the captaincy and created problems within the team, according to the report of the manager of the side Abdur Raqib. This, and a number of other revelations, was announced by the PCB today in a press release salvo aimed at the former manager, who was with the side on tours to Abu Dhabi, New Zealand and Australia, reports cricinfo.
The three tours culminated with a winless trip to Australia and the results led to an inquiry committee looking at the reasons behind the loss. The committee - with assent from the board chairman Ijaz Butt - last week handed out severe fines and bans to seven senior players for various breaches of discipline.
But the board, to mounting criticism, has refused to make public the committee report, which itself took inputs from reports of the coach, manager and interviews with many players. This release, in which details of Raqib''s reports are released, could however mark the beginning of a drip-drip release of the entire report.
Since the punishments Raqib has publicly spoken of his surprise - and in some cases disappointment - at the fines and bans. But the board today released a statement claiming that Raqib had wanted players to be heavily fined. According to the board, in his manager''s report, Raqib writes "that when Younis Khan decided to drop Mohammad Yousuf for the second ODI against New Zealand in Abu Dhabi [Yousuf played the second ODI, but was dropped from the third match], it led to a series of events that ultimately forced Younis Khan to resign. Raquib''s tour report clearly mentioned that when Yousuf was told he was dropped on account of his poor fielding he curtly replied, "I have been fielding like this for the last 7 years". He publicly argued with the team coach and the resulting disquiet in the team led to the dropping of Shoaib Malik and Umar Akmal. Raquib stated that it was in the backdrop of these events that team unity completely broke down and eventually Younis Khan resigned from the captaincy. Raquib has also admitted that he was unable to take any corrective action and remained totally helpless to arrest the sharply falling team morale in during these events."
Other incidents revealed in the report confirm the impression that there was considerable disquiet within the side through the three-month trip. Most damaging is the apparent confirmation of the behaviour of the Akmal brothers after the Sydney Test. Kamran was fined for making statements to the Australian press about playing in Hobart, but Raqib''s report also says that younger brother Umar complained of a non-existent back injury in the run-up to the Test. "After the second Test in Sydney when Kamran Akmal was apparently being dropped for poor performance he started giving statements in the Australian Press which was a clear breach of the player''s code of Conduct. Consequently Umar Akmal complained of a back injury; however after a medical check up no injury was found. Umar Akmal however also violated the code of conduct by giving statements to the press."

NZ put faith in Peter Ingram at No.3

Mark Greatbatch, the New Zealand coach and selector, has backed Peter Ingram to hold his place for this week''s first Test against Australia despite his axing from the one-day team. Ingram''s lack of footwork was exposed by Australia''s fast men in the ODI series and he was cut for the final match, reports cricinfo.
The inclusion of the veteran top-order batsman Mathew Sinclair in the 13-man Test squad raised the possibility that Ingram would lose his place in the five-day side, but the selectors will give him another chance. Ingram''s only Test appearance came in the win over Bangladesh in Hamilton, where he made 42 and 13, and he will need to lift against Australia.
"Peter Ingram, the last three years in domestic cricket, has averaged 60," Greatbatch said on Monday. "That''s where he has really excelled, in domestic cricket, and obviously the test is to jump up. He''s had one Test against Bangladesh.
"The core group of this squad has been involved in the last four Test matches with Pakistan [and Bangladesh], and we''ve won two of them, drew one and lost one. We want to give those opportunities to those players and Peter to show his skills at the highest level."
Greatbatch said Sinclair, 34, was unlikely to add to his 32 Tests during this series unless there was an injury in the batting line-up. Sinclair has not played a Test since March 2008 but has remained in terrific form at domestic level and this season has scored 638 Plunket Shield runs at an average of 58.
"Mathew, 18 months ago, had an opportunity previously with five or six Test matches and it didn''t quite work out for him," Greatbatch said. "At the time, the selectors said they were going to look at some other players. Time always moves on for everybody but Mathew has been in good form for the last year and a half, two years.
"He''s the cover top-order batter for the Tests, so unless there''s an injury he won''t play, but it''s nice to have him back in the environment. He''s experienced, he''s mature and he''s got competitive juices so that''s what we''re going to require against these guys."

WI v Zimbabwe 5th ODI

Gayle happy with win but not with batting

Zimbabwe may not be the strongest opposition, but West Indies captain Chris Gayle was delighted after leading his team to a 4-1 ODI series victory, their first in the format in nearly 20 months, reports cricinfo.
"It''s been a long time since we last won a series, and it feels really, really good to have achieved this," he said after the four-wicket victory in the final one-dayer in Kingstown.
West Indies won with more than 22 overs to spare, largely due to Gayle''s typically full-throttle 63, but his dismissal sparked a collapse in which four wickets went down for eight runs renewing concerns over their batting fragility.
"We have to take a close look at our batting because we want to win games more convincingly and consistently, but a win is a win," Gayle said. "We have to try and not to lose wickets in bunches the way we do now, but it is something we have been discussing, and trying to get out of our system."
He was satisfied, though, that the team had fought back from the embarrassing defeat in the first one-dayer to win four in a row. "It has been an entire team effort because we started really badly, when we lost the first ODI. But for the guys to have bounced back, and win the series 4-1 was a tremendous effort."
New coach Ottis Gibson said West Indies had experimented with their batting order in the series - like the move to send Denesh Ramdin at No. 4 in the third ODI - as part of the finetuning for next year''s World Cup.
"I''ve just been here for two weeks now and I''m still getting to know the players and getting to know which player fits which position best so there''s been a little bit of shuffling.
"The thinking behind that is that we''ve got literally 12 games left before the next World Cup in India next year so I''ve got 12 opportunities to see players, to see where they best fit so that by the time we get to the World Cup there''s no shuffling."

Bollinger chases change of fortune

Doug Bollinger is confident he can bounce back from a poor one-day series to play a key role in Australia''s five-day attack when the first Test starts in Wellington on Friday. Bollinger had the first real lean patch of his international career when he managed only four wickets at 57.75 in the ODI series against New Zealand, reports Cricinfo.
It followed an outstanding home summer in Test and one-day cricket as Bollinger went from fringe player at the start of the season to a first-choice bowler in both formats. He will grab the new ball at the Basin Reserve against an inexperienced New Zealand top order and Bollinger is keen to take on extra seniority in a pace attack likely to feature either the uncapped Ryan Harris or Clint McKay, who has played one Test.
"It was not the best one-day series but you can''t get four-for every game," Bollinger said in Wellington on Monday. "I don''t think I''ve done it to the best of my ability this series but that''s the way it goes and I''m sure I''ll be back. Hopefully I''ll do well in the Test matches.
"There''s not much I can do about the one-dayers. That''s the game. That''s why we love it and that''s why we hate it. I''m happy to take that [extra responsibility] on. It''s something that I''ve wanted to do for so long so it''d be great to do."
The Australians are considering the balance of their side, with the legspinning allrounder Steven Smith considered a realistic chance to make his Test debut.

Els holds off Schwartzel to win at Doral by 4

DORAL, Fla., Mar 15: For maybe the first time in his life, Charl Schwartzel found himself rooting against Ernie Els. Els had a 25-foot par putt on the 14th green. Miss it, and he and Schwartzel - two South Africans, the final pair at the CA Championship - would be tied for the lead with four holes left, reports AP.
Make it, and Schwartzel would stay one shot behind the guy whose swing he tried to emulate for years . "There''s always a turning point," Schwartzel would say later. Sure enough, that was it.
Els hit the par putt just hard enough to get it into the bottom of the cup, Schwartzel could only smile as he walked to the 15th tee, and he never had a good chance at catching his hero again. Els ended up running away to win the CA by four shots, finishing at 18-under 270 after a flawless final round of 66 at Doral.
"He''s still like a 15-year-old in my eyes," the 40-year-old Els said of his 25-year-old playing partner Sunday. "He seems so young still. And he''s already got so much experience.
But it just felt awkward. Him trying to win the golf tournament. I''m trying to win the golf tournament. I''m the old man. He''s the youngster. So it was a little different." Oh, but Els will take it.
He became only the fifth player with multiple victories in the World Golf Championships, joining Tiger Woods, Darren Clarke, Geoff Ogilvy and Phil Mickelson. It was his 61st victory worldwide, his 17th on the PGA Tour, and moved Els to No. 8 in the world ranking.
His fire is still roaring, too. Consider this nugget: A week ago, after finishing tied for 67th at the Honda Classic (a tournament for which Schwartzel, in somewhat baffling fashion, failed to qualify), Els didn''t go straight home from PGA National. He went to the nearby driving range at The Bear''s Club instead, and just before dark found something that worked.
Whatever it was, it worked wonders: Els was one of only three players with three rounds in the 60s at Doral, along with Alvaro Quiros and Paul Casey.
"I don''t think the motivation was lacking," Els said. "I just think that I went about it the wrong way. You know, I was almost chasing my own tail a little bit. I was not looking after the smaller things. ... I kind of let that all out of the window and I was going for the big prize. I was just not managing myself correctly."
He managed Doral correctly, for sure. Els played his last 23 holes of the week without a bogey.
"All credit to Ernie," Schwartzel said. "He played flawless golf."
It was Els'' first win since the 2008 Honda Classic, and gave him a check for $1.4 million. Schwartzel earned $850,000, and moments after the final putt holed out, the winner let the kid - who stayed with Els at his South Florida home last week, and will stay with him again this coming week - know what the bigger consolation prize was.
"He''s got his tour card over here now," Els said. "And now you guys can really see him in all his glory."
Schwartzel caught a bad break on the 15th hole when his ball plugged in a front bunker, and he knocked that into a back bunker on his way to a crucial bogey. He missed short putts on the next two holes and closed with a 70.
They were chatty at times, which was expected. Els won a tournament playing alongside Schwartzel''s father more than 20 years ago, and Schwartzel said he learned to swing by watching a tape Els made. Walking up the fourth hole together, they talked and laughed as if it were a practice round, not the final pairing of a World Golf Championships event.
Els hit his tee shot there to 8 feet, the best at No. 4 all day.
He made birdie.
"I think both of us were pretty focused," Schwartzel said. "We were trying to win and you know, I felt like both of us really gave it our all. He just played a bit better."
Matt Kuchar (68) finished seven shots behind Els, tied for third with Martin Kaymer (69) and Padraig Harrington (72), whose chances ended with three straight bogeys on the back nine.
Defending champion Phil Mickelson (68) was tied for 14th, 10 shots back.

Zheng beats Sharapova in Paribas Open fourth round

INDIAN WELLS, California, Mar 15: China''s Zheng Jie has battled past former champion Maria Sharapova 6-3, 2-6, 6-3 to reach the fourth round of the BNP Paribas Open, reports AFP.
Zheng, whose run to the Australian Open semi-finals along with that of compatriot Li Na electrified Chinese tennis, next faces Alicia Molik, with a chance to avenge her first round loss to the Australian in Dubai last month.
Molik, a 29-year-old who is on the comeback trail after a second career-threatening ailment, cruised into the round of 16 with a 6-0, 6-2 victory over British qualifier Elena Baltacha.
But Zheng toiled for two hours, 43 minutes to dispatch the 10th-seeded Sharapova - the second set alone taking 68 minutes.
"It was a tough match," Zheng said. "The second set, I still had some chances, a lot of games went to deuce."
Sharapova was impressed by Zheng''s tenacity.
"She''s like a ball machine," Sharapova said. "She hits a lot of balls back, hits them hard and deep.
"I mean, I''d say I should have done a much better job on her serve, because her serve is definitely one of her weaker parts of the game, but... "
After dropping her serve in the first game of the third set, Zheng broke back immediately. Sharapova broke again to take a 3-2 lead, after which she received treatment on court on her elbow - and didn''t win another game. "I just felt like I couldn''t really extend it all the way," Sharapova said. "It was a little stuck."
Sharapova said the elbow had been bothering her since she arrived at Indian Wells, and was a hindrance on her serve. For Zheng, the injury timeout was a welcome breather. "It was good fighting for the final set," she said. "I think it was 2-3 down, and I came back to 6-3. It''s not easy. I''m so tired.
"When she called the trainer, I called my coach. I said, ''Oh, I have time for rest.'' Coach tell me, ''Keep fighting.'' It gave me more confidence." Sharapova had two double faults, including one on break point, in the eighth game as Zheng seized a 5-3 lead.
The 26-year-old from Cheng Du then raced to a 40-0 lead, but missed her first opportunity to seal the match when she put a forehand into the net. She made no mistake on the next however, firing a forehand winner to the baseline.
With the victory, Zheng improved on her previous best Indian Wells performance - a third-round appearance in 2008.
Sharapova won the title in the California desert in 2006, but didn''t play singles here last year as she continued her recovery from shoulder surgery.
The former world number one lost a three-set slugfest to compatriot Maria Kirilenko in the first round of the Australian Open, but bounced back last month by lifting the WTA title in Memphis.
Kirilenko put up little resistance Sunday against second-seeded Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark, who closed the action on stadium court with a 6-0, 6-3 victory.
Fourth-seeded Russian Elena Dementieva also advanced, beating Belgian Kirsten Flipkens 6-4, 6-2 to set up a clash with France''s Aravane Rezai, who outlasted Italy''s Francesca Schiavone 6-7 (4/7), 7-6 (7/2), 6-4.
Fifth-seeded Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland beat Argentina''s Gisela Dulko 6-1, 6-0, advancing to a fouth-round meeting with France''s Marion Bartoli - a 6-2, 6-0 winner over American Jill Craybas.

Higuain hat-trick helps Real Madrid stay top

MADRID, Mar 15: Argentine Gonzalo Higuain scored a 20-minute hat-trick as he and Real Madrid buried their painful Champions League last 16 exit with a resounding 4-1 win at Valladolid on Sunday to nudge Barcelona off the summit on goal difference, reports AFP.
It was the day of Argentine hat-tricks with Lionel Messi scoring a sublime treble earlier on Sunday as Barcelona beat 10-man Valencia 3-0 to go level on 65 points with Real, but only below on goal difference.
Higuain inexplicably missed an open goal against Lyon in his team''s midweek Champions League exit, hitting the post rather than the back of the net.
But he put it out of his system with a treble against Valladolid to take his season''s tally to 19.
Cristiano Ronaldo was also on target with a free-kick to make it 15 goals in 17 league outings.
Messi is on 22 goals for the season and Argentina coach Diego Maradona must be delighted with his and Higuain''s form ahead of this summer''s World Cup.
"It was difficult for us in the first half but in the second half we showed our character and Messi showed he is the best player in the world," said Barcelona team-mate Gerard Pique.
"Real won''t drop many points and we have to go to win every game. If we lose points we will go to the Bernabeu (to face Real) without options."
Ronaldo rifled in a trademark free-kick on 28 minutes to open the Real scoring although it did take a slight deflection.
Higuain then took centre stage scoring three times in 20 minutes as Valladolid felt the Real backlash.
Brazilian Kaka, furious at being substituted against Lyon, was absent through injury but Xabi Alonso and Marcelo returned after being suspended in Europe.
Valladolid had an early penalty claim turned down to leave Sergio Ramos breathing a huge sigh of relief.
Ramos should have scored on 22 minutes but his header and follow-up shot were well-saved.
Predictably it was Ronaldo, on target against Lyon on Wednesday, who opened the scoring, firing in a free-kick on 28 minutes although it took a slight deflection off Diego Costa.
Iker Casillas made a fine save to stop a dipping free-kick from Portuguese midfielder Pele and Real took control from there on.
Higuain guided in a Rafael van der Vaart cross for his opener on half-time and some poor defending allowed him to strike again on 52 minutes before wrapping up his treble in the 65th minute after a Raul Albiol own goal had given Valladolid some hope.
Compatriot Messi was also on top of his game scoring a brilliant opener for Barcelona on 56 minutes combining speed, dribbling and trickery as the 22-year-old led three Valencia defenders a merry dance before slotting home.
With Valencia down to ten men after the dismissal of defender Hedwiges Maduro on 69 minutes, Messi ran riot scoring an 81st minute left-footed curler and a deft chipped effort with his right foot a minute later.
Barca are still in the Champions League and face VfB Stuttgart in the Champions League last 16 second leg at Camp Nou on Wednesday with the score at 1-1 from the first leg.
For third-placed Valencia, who had to do without star striker David Villa, this was a fifth defeat of the season and they lie 18 points behind Barcelona and Real.
Earlier Villarreal closed to within six points of the top six enhancing their hopes of qualifying for the Europa League with a 2-0 home win over Xerez at El Madrigal on Saturday.
Villarreal had been Xerez''s first ever La Liga scalp when they lost 2-1 last October but there was no repeat on Sunday as goals from Joseba Llorente (32 min) and Damian Escudero (90) secured victory.

Leverkusen back in title hunt after Kiessling double

BERLIN, Mar 15: Germany striker Stefan Kiessling scored twice on Sunday to put Bayer Leverkusen back in the title race and seal a 4-2 win over Hamburg while Bayern Munich stayed top of the Bundesliga, reports AFP.
After their shock defeat by Nuremberg, Leverkusen''s win leaves them third in the league, but just two points behind leaders Bayern who needed two goals from winger Arjen Robben to come from behind and beat Freiburg on Saturday.
Kiessling''s double makes him the league''s top-scorer with 16 goals for the season as he has now scored three goals in two games.
The Germany striker opened the scoring, then produced a powerful header after Swiss striker Eren Derdiyok also scored to put the hosts in control.
Hamburg fought back to 3-2 through goals by Brazil midfielder Ze Roberto and Czech Republic defender David Rozehnal before Leverkusen''s Gonzalo Castro settled the tie with his side''s fourth goal on 84 minutes.
Earlier, Werder Bremen moved a step closer to a European place for next season when their ex-Chelsea striker Claudio Pizarro scored a late goal to seal their 1-0 win at Hoffenheim.
Bremen were heading to a 0-0 draw before Pizarro popped up in the 81st-minute to mark his 100th Bundesliga appearance by lobbing Hoffenheim goalkeeper Timo Hildebrand.
It was the Peruvian''s 11th league goal of the season and showed why Bremen were prepared to pay English giants Chelsea two millions euros for him last August to bring him back from the Premier League.
The result leaves Bremen sixth in the table and one-point from the top five which would qualify them for a place in Europe with eight league games left this season.
"Today we have been shown again why we made such an effort to bring him back," said Bremen coach Thomas Schaaf whose side drew 1-1 with Valencia in the Europa League last Thursday.
"Claudio can be vital in such a game, last Thursday''s match clearly took a lot out of us."
On Saturday, Bayern Munich suffered a Champions League hangover before Dutch winger Arjen Robben scored twice to seal a 2-1 win over strugglers Freiburg to put the hosts back on top of the Bundesliga.
Earlier rock-bottom Hertha Berlin slipped closer to relegation after suffering a 2-1 home defeat to fellow strugglers Nuremberg who grabbed an injury-time winner.

N.Korea ''helps S.Africa prepare'' for WC

SEOUL, Mar 15: North Korea has sent around 1,000 workers to South Africa to help build or renovate stadiums hosting the upcoming World Cup football tournament, South Korean media reports said Monday, reports AFP.
The sanctions-hit state has sent the workers ahead of the June opening of the event, in which its own football team will participate, in an apparent attempt to earn much-needed hard currency, the JoongAng Daily newspaper said. It said the North Koreans are working at four to five stadiums, including Soccer City in Johannesburg, where the opening and closing ceremonies as well as the final will be staged.
"The North''s government will likely demand loyalty from those workers and collect their wages to add to their foreign currency reserve," a Seoul government official told the paper.
Yonhap news agency carried a similar report.
"It appears to be related to the efforts North Korea is increasingly making to earn foreign currency," a source told the agency.
The country''s economic difficulties have deepened since it went ahead with a second nuclear test last May and triggered tougher UN sanctions, which banned lucrative weapons exports.
A bungled currency revaluation last November is widely reported to have worsened food shortages and fuelled inflation.
The reports did not say how much the South African government, which has set aside 12 billion rand (around 1.6 billion dollars) to prepare 10 World Cup stadiums, is paying the North Koreans.
In Senegal, North Korean workers are helping to build a 160-foot, 22-million dollar "African Renaissance Monument."
Outside Africa the North has up to 30,000 workers in China, Russia and some Middle Eastern countries, according to JoongAng.

Bayern still waiting for Ribery

MUNICH, Germany, Mar 15: Bundesliga leaders Bayern Munich are still waiting on a decision from French midfielder Franck Ribery as to whether he will extend his contract with the German champions, it was revealed Sunday, reports AFP.
Bayern are eager to hear their star''s future plans and should the Frenchman not put pen to paper before the end of the season, they are likely to sell him this summer rather than risk him leaving next year on a free transfer.
"I brought up the subject with him yesterday and asked him where he imagined playing in the future," said Bayern''s director of sport Christian Nerlinger with Ribery reported to be worth around 50 million euros.

SPORTS NOTES

Dilshan signs on for New South Wales

Tillakaratne Dilshan, the explosive Sri Lanka batsman, has signed with New South Wales for next summer''s Twenty20 domestic competition. New South Wales won the Champions League Twenty20 last year but did not requalify for the lucrative tournament and have wasted no time in securing a big name to partner the likes of David Warner and Phillip Hughes, reports Cricinfo .
Dilshan is currently with the Delhi Daredevils in the IPL, is signed up with the English county Sussex, and has also played for New Zealand''s Northern Districts this season. Dave Gilbert, the New South Wales chief executive, said Dilshan was one of the world''s most destructive batsmen in the format.
"We look forward to him playing a leading role in helping New South Wales win next season''s Big Bash and thereby qualifying for the Champions League," Gilbert said. Dilshan, 33, has played 60 Tests, 174 ODIs and 23 T20 internationals for Sri Lanka.

NZ pull out of Zimbabwe tour

New Zealand want to postpone their already rearranged tour of Zimbabwe until 2011 or play it in a neutral venue due to the security situation in the African country. The side was due to tour last year but rescheduled the trip for June 2010 and Justin Vaughan, New Zealand''s chief executive, said the situation had not improved, reports Cricinfo.
"It is clear from our recent discussions that the government''s assessment of the security situation in Zimbabwe has not changed from that of a year ago, when the scheduled tour was postponed," Vaughan said.
He has told Zimbabwe Cricket of the decision and asked for the matches to be postponed again. "We have a possible window for the rescheduling of the tour next year in May/June," Vaughan said. "The other option is that we look at playing the scheduled tour in a neutral venue."
The prime minister John Key said the main concern was for player safety. "They are the major issues when we last looked at this issue about a year ago," he said.
Key said although some progress appeared to have been made in the political situation in Zimbabwe, there were still concerns. New Zealand last toured Zimbabwe in 2005 for two Tests and a one-day tri-series.

Clarke joins squad in Wellington

Michael Clarke has arrived in New Zealand to prepare for the two-Test series after taking a week off to deal with the breakdown of his engagement. Clarke did not speak to the media on his departure in Sydney on Monday morning or after landing in Wellington and was flanked by team officials and security at both ends of the trip, reports Cricinfo.
Clarke, the vice-captain, was given time off by Cricket Australia to deal with his personal life but his team-mates are confident he will be in Test mode by the start of Friday''s opening game at the Basin Reserve. After missing the final three one-day internationals in the 3-2 series win over New Zealand, Clarke''s next step is to train with the squad on Tuesday.
Mark Greatbatch, the New Zealand coach, said Clarke would be treated as just another batsman during the series. "He''s a qualified and wonderful Test player, we''ll have plans to bowl to him like we have for the other guys," he said. "He won''t be any different."