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Mohammad Yousuf’s lawyer, Tafuzzal Rizvi, has moved an application against the Indian Cricket League (ICL), saying his client had returned the money paid to him before backing out of a contract and signing with the officially-sanctioned Indian Premier League (IPL).In the application, Rizvi, who represented Yousuf at an arbitration hearing in Mumbai on January 24, insisted that there was “no contract” with the ICL as the money was “received back by the ICL without any objection”.Based on the application, the arbitrator has issued notices to the ICL, asking their legal team to appear before him on February 20 to provide their response.Meanwhile, a PCB media release, while elaborating on the details of this case, says Yousuf’s name will be included in the IPL bidding process on February 8, which is open to its eight city-based franchises.

Positioning fielders is like manoeuvring chess pieces and there is usually a lot of build-up before any reward. Dinesh Karthik, a substitute for Wasim Jaffer, was the pawn who helped break down Australia’s famed batting order and all he did was move a couple of steps.Harbhajan Singh was involved in a tight tussle with Ricky Ponting, who was fortunate to avoid another cheap dismissal to the offspinner when Mahendra Singh Dhoni missed a stumping, and he was starting to look comfortable when working the ball to fine leg. Anil Kumble had ordered a short leg, short midwicket, midwicket and mid-on to stifle Ponting’s legside play; he responded by shuffling across the stumps and finding space with flicks and dabs.The careful Indian plan was being exposed and Harbhajan needed a change. Karthik, who was under the helmet at short leg, was shifted a couple of metres to his right to cut down Ponting’s safe scoring option. Now just behind square, Karthik’s new spot forced Ponting to play straighter and into India’s trap. It was a switch that worked at the first attempt, although the tourists received some charity from the umpire Mark Benson.Harbhajan’s doosra forced Ponting back and he intended to push down the ground, but the ball hurried on, hitting his edge before the pad. India roared, having achieved the prized dismissal, and Harbhajan ran to point, waiting for his team-mates to approach before bowing like a matador. It was the seventh time in eight Tests he had accounted for Ponting and he deserved the wicket, even if the lbw decision was wrong.Ponting was furious, hanging his bat towards the umpire and swinging it over the boundary rope as he walked off, but he had already benefited from a not-out ruling to a leg glance off Sourav Ganguly on 17, and an over before his dismissal he could have been caught at deep square leg if Rahul Dravid had been more alert. His 55 contained some brilliant drives and a century seemed assured if only he did not have to face Harbhajan.In Harbhajan’s second over of the day he enticed Ponting, facing his fourth delivery from the bowler, to come down the pitch and Harbhajan was horrified to see the ball brush Dhoni’s glove and speed for two byes instead of a legside stumping. Ponting had fallen to his first ball from Harbhajan in Melbourne and was again in trouble against high-quality offspin, just as he was when facing Muttiah Muralitharan in November. For the rest of the over he went back to defend, but during lunch devised a strategy for runs to fine leg.A quick change in the field helped straighten up India as well as Ponting. The essential breakthrough gained in significance when Australia lost their legs with the departure of their captain, dropping 4 for 15 in 30 balls. However, a tiny first innings was avoided by the fine recovery of Andrew Symonds and Brad Hogg, and no amount of tinkering in the field by Kumble could stop the partnership reaching 173. By then even Ponting was feeling upbeat again.

Kent’s redevelopment of the St Lawrence Ground in Canterbury could be delayed by legal action brought by a member who claims the club has not provided any financial details of the sale of land that is being used to finance the project.A report in the Times quotes Ben Moorhead, a local lawyer who successfully opposed other development work in the area. “If you were selling your house, would you expect to exchange contracts without being informed of the price?” he said. “I hope to achieve the appropriate details, followed by a proper consideration of the matter by members at a fresh special general meeting. The resolution passed at the meeting in September is invalid and it follows that the general committee is not authorised to dispose of the club’s land.”Moorhead opposes the construction of a hotel next to the pitch but insists his move is purely on grounds of corporate governance.The county maintain they can dispose of land as they see fit and that members were provided with sufficient information for them to take an informed decision.

Ricky Ponting has dismissed the fracas surrounding Shaun Tait’s action as “absolute rubbish” and called New Zealand’s insinuations “a bit disappointing”. But he admitted the situation motivated Australia to victory in the Chappell-Hadlee Series opener in Adelaide on Friday.”It seems to be their opinion,” Ponting said. “To air it publicly is a bit disappointing I suppose, but what can you do? It probably just makes us a bit hungrier to go out there and play some good cricket against them.”He said he can’t see anything wrong in Tait’s action, which hasn’t been questioned before, and wasn’t reported to the match referee after the Twenty20 match on Tuesday. “He’s got my full support, it all looks pretty good to me,” Ponting said. “I think everyone handled it well and Shaun especially. When things like that come up that are absolute rubbish you dismiss them.”Ponting himself contributed a chanceless century in the seven-wicket win on Friday, while Tait took three wickets, including a crucial double-strike which punctured New Zealand’s momentum and left them 30 runs short of a par score.Daniel Vettori clarified his position after saying on Thursday, “You ask Braces [coach John Bracewell]” that one”, when asked if he had an issue with Tait’s action. “I never meant to insinuate that he was a chucker,” Vettori said after the match. “There is a process in place if you feel a bowler has an illegal action and obviously we haven’t gone through that process.”Although New Zealand came up short on a flat track, Brendon McCullum’s 96 to push them past 250 gave them a psychological boost. “It certainly helps,” Vettori said. “We were obviously coming in off question marks about whether we could play pace or not. I’d like to think we answered that.”There are few question marks surrounding Australia’s continued dominance and they are now one step closer to regaining the trophy from New Zealand’s clutches. The visitors have to win on Sunday in Sydney to stay in the series.

Inzamam-ul-Haq, Pakistan’s captain, confident in the faith the selectors have shown in him by confirming his position for the the next three series, is upbeat about his young side’s chances on the forthcoming tour to Australia. Speaking to Wisden Cricinfo, Inzamam said, “These are Pakistan’s best players and I feel it is a balanced team. Conditions in Australia are difficult but the way they have performed in the last few months, I am confident that they can perform very well there. I am going there to win, there is no compromise on that.”The composition of the squad has been questioned in some quarters for containing only two specialist openers and the omission of Taufeeq Umar. But both Wasim Bari, the chief selector, and Inzamam defended the decision, arguing that Yasir Hameed, till now the future of Pakistan at one-down, is now to be considered an opener as well. Bari told us: “Hameed can go one-down and as an opener and we are considering him seriously as an opener – if Andrew Hall can work as an opener then why not Hameed? Yasir has opened in ODIs before and we are confident he can do it.”The selection of Kamran Akmal as the sole wicketkeeper, ahead of the discarded Moin Khan and Rashid Latif, may well signal the end of an era for Pakistan behind the stumps. “We want to give Akmal responsibility, we want him to develop now because potentially he is very good and if you give someone like him responsibility he will develop faster,” said Bari.Inzamam played down fears of not having any back-up: “I don’t want to put pressure on Akmal by taking an extra keeper, in case he fails. I want to give him a free hand for this tour.”The selectors, said Bari, were impressed in particular with the newcomers Mohammad Khalil and Mohammad Asif. “Khalil, in particular, is a very fit young man, and he impressed in the trials. He gives us variety as a left-armer, and with Asif, who is tall and gets good bounce, we have adequate back-up. But we will miss Shabbir Ahmed and Umar Gul.”The recall of the experienced Shahid Afridi for the Test squad, after a considerable period, also came under scrutiny, with some former cricketers questioning the need for a third allrounder, and one unproven at Test level. “He has developed well recently, especially his bowling,” asserted Bari. “I feel he can be called upon to do a job as a utility member for the Tests – he gives an extra option to the captain.”But, as selector and captain pointed out, it will be the younger players who will need to perform and establish themselves on this tour. “Australia are the strongest team in the world – it will be a tough series and they need to fight it out,” said Bari. “It’s time for players like Farhat and Hameed to step up to the next level.”

Somerset’s first innings ended 25 minutes before lunch on the second day when they were bowled out for 488. Top scorer Keith Parsons remained undefeated on 193, an innings which contained 22 boundaries and one 6.Resuming from their overnight 390-6 Somerset’s not out batsmen Parsons and Jason Kerr looked to seize the initiative early and elevate their side to a potentially match-winning first innings total.During the West Indies last tour of the UK in 1995 Kerr scored 80 against them at taunton. Sadly his batting has stagnated somewhat and he yet to better that score. He began confidently on the second morning though, driving Nixon McLean straight for four and then slashing high over the slips for another boundary.Those two shots helped lift the county side beyond 400, the first side to do so this summer and the first time ever that Somerset have done it against the West Indies. With Reon King off the fielding – nursing a bruised instep – and Corey Collymore also mysteriously absent, Roger Harper, the West Indies’ coach, reminded us of a bygone era with some athletic stops and fine throwing from the deep.The tourists had perhaps expected to swiftly wrap up the Somerset innings on the second day but Parsons and Kerr had other ideas as they stretched their stand past 70.Nine years ago South African Jimmy Cook hit 162, the highest individual score by a Somerset batsmen against the West Indies, and he was expunged from the record books as Parsons went past him with a clip to midwicket.With the score on 422 Nixon McLean, in his 23rd over, at last picked up his first wicket. Kerr, having made an accomplished 32, steered a sharply-lifting delivery into the bucket-like hands of Lara at first slip.Adrian Pierson hung around for 20 balls (during which he only made a single) before he nicked one to ‘keeper Phillip, again off McLean. That brought 20 year old Joe Tucker in for his debut innings, which began with a McLean ‘throat ball’. A clumsily-conceded bye enabled him to escape to the relative sanctuary of Nagamootoo’s end, allowing Parsons to smash the quickie down the ground for 4.It was from the bowling of McLean that Tucker eventually got his first run, dabbing him on the on-side for a single. His next scoring shot almost brought his downfall – a dash for the line just beating Adrian Griffith’s direct hit from midwicket. Visibly growing in confidence he then pulled McLean square to bring up the 450.After bowling 12 consecutive from the River End Nixon McLean gave way to Wavell Hinds and the switch brought instant success as Tucker feathered hi first ball to Phillip for an encouraging 14.Last man Jamie Grove hung around to add 17 valuable runs but with Parsons in sight of a double-ton he lost his middle stump to Hinds, who finished with 3-32.

The possibility – albeit only a slight one – of a solution to the stand-off threatening to rip apart Zimbabwe cricket emerged with the news that the Zimbabwe Cricket Union has taken steps to try and find a compromise with the rebel players. A source close to the ZCU told the AFP news agency that a process had been put in place “which will hopefully help negotiations”.Vince Hogg, the marginalised chief executive of the ZCU, confirmed that there had been developments, but would add nothing else. “The players are looking at the document,” he said today. “It will be tomorrow at the earliest before we get their response.”Although no specifics were revealed, it is thought that the ZCU might have agreed to arbitration to try and find an end to the dispute . If the board softens its line then it would expect the players to make themselves available for future matches, as well as training sessions. But there was no mention of the board withdrawing the 21-day deadline imposed last week which stipulated that if the players did not fall into line by then, then they would be suspended or dismissed.The main sticking point could well be Heath Streak. Relations between Streak and the board are at an all-time low – the board announced that he had retired from all cricket – and in recent days the ZCU and the government-backed media have sought to identify him as a key instigator in what they paint as a racist plot to overthrow the board. Furthermore, Peter Chingoka, the ZCU chairman, has gone on record as insisting that Streak will not be reinstated and that the matter is closed. Without Streak, it is unlikely that the majority of the players would consider returning to play for a board which has thrown so much mud at them.The olive branch clearly comes as a result of pressure the International Cricket Council (Chingoka met with several of its representatives earlier this week), but it might be too little, too late.The other problem is that the board’s leeway is very limited. It is controlled by a government which rarely considers compromise, and rules by force. But that it has offered anything at all keeps alive a glimmer of hope.

Sukhvinder Singh hit a sparkling century to give Assam the decisive upper hand in their Ranji Trophy league match against Tripura at Guwahati on Wednesday.Unbeaten on 65 overnight, Sukhvinder converted his fifty into a responsible hundred. Putting on 180 runs for the sixth wicket with SR Das (67, 174 balls), Sukhvinder hit 15 fours in his knock of 118 off 199 balls. He was the seventh wicket to fall, with the score on 325.A fifty (52 off 65 balls) from J Gokulakrishnan and some spirited cameos from the tail saw Assam past the 400-run mark. The home side were bowled out for 411 in 136.2 overs, with J Debnath taking 5-79 for Tripura.In their second innings, Tripura were 80/1 at the close of play. Opener Rasudeb Dutta was unbeaten on 27, while SD Chowdhury was not out on 4. The lone wicket to fall was that of skipper S Dasgupta, who made 41 off 91 balls.

New Zealand Cricket’s selection deckchairs have been rearranged to give new coach John Bracewell the final say, while previous chairman Sir Richard Hadlee becomes selection manager.A new structure, to complement the changes in the coaching and management of the side, has been put in place. But the only real change in the selection is the transfer of final say. Hadlee is happy with the change and said it had only taken him a weekend to think over whether he wanted to be involved when the situation was put to him.New Zealand Cricket’s chief executive Martin Snedden, a former team-mate of Hadlee’s, said: “Ultimately, the structure being introduced is consistent with the structure that has been introduced for the team’s management. Under that system, the coach is responsible and accountable for all cricket-related functions with the TelstraClear Black Caps unit. It therefore follows that the coach should have the authority to ultimately determine which players are selected.”Two more selectors will be announced by August 8. Snedden said incumbent selectors Ross Dykes, also a former convener, and Brian McKechnie were interested in being part of the new panel.Until Bracewell is in his position from December 1, acting New Zealand coach Ashley Ross will be part of the selection panel along with Hadlee, and the two appointees who will choose the side to tour India and Pakistan from September to November. From December, the panel will then be contracted through until May 2005.Hadlee said today, however, that Bracewell will be consulted over the team to tour India and Pakistan, and he planned to talk with him this evening. Snedden said that in many ways the selection system will carry on as it has but under the structure now in place, if the coach was adamant he wanted something then he would have the ultimate responsibility in selection.It involved better processes and it would work because of the quality of people who would be involved, Snedden added.Hadlee said he was excited by the change. He understood the need for a new structure, was aware there was going to be one and was asked to have some input into it. Hadlee said that as chairman he tried to get unanimous decisions in selection, and if he couldn’t then he tried for consensus. In the three years as chairman he had only once employed his casting vote.He said that every decision during the World Cup in South Africa had been unanimous. Hadlee said in his view the coach had to be a member of the selection panel while he said the input of the captain was important, and the relationship between Stephen Fleming and the selectors had grown enormously over the last few years.Snedden said he was delighted that Hadlee was prepared to stay on, and that while new processes were being introduced he had always wanted his experience to be retained.

Kenya is to take part in the ICC’s Intercontinental Cup and has been drawn in the same group as Uganda and Namibia. Together, the three countries represent the African region of the competition, with the Americas, Asia and Europe making up the other regions, it was reported today by the .The matches, which last three days, have been awarded first-class status by the ICC, which wants to speed up the process of enlarging the number of Test-playing nations.While Kenya, who have had significant international experience, are expected to top their group and move into the semi-finals, the opposition they will face from then on will be a different matter. Their opponents will be any one of USA, Canada, UAE, Nepal, Scotland or Holland. After the semis, the finals will be held in the United Arab Emirates at Sharjah.Kenya will play Uganda on July 23-25 and will take on Namibia on October 1-3.The pools
Kenya, Uganda, Namibia
UAE, Nepal, Malaysia
USA, Canada, Bermuda
Scotland, Holland, Ireland