Shaharyar Khan, the Pakistan Cricket Board chairman, has denied that Shoaib Akhtar’s action is being closely monitored once again by the ICC, following a maelstrom of rumour and speculation over the last week that suggested the fast bowler was under scrutiny. “The ICC has told me there is nothing against Shoaib because if there was it has to come out and be reported to them,” Shaharyar told Cricinfo. “No report has been received, nothing has been done and the status quo that his action is fine remains.”Since the second Test at Faisalabad, where Shoaib put in fiercely quick spells on the third afternoon and fourth morning, there have been whispers about ICC’s concern with Shoaib’s action. Cricinfo has learnt from sources close to the team that one of the on-field umpires during the Test had privately expressed his concern over some deliveries Shoaib bowled to the Pakistan management but did not report it officially.The fires were fuelled further by Greg Chappell’s comments during the subsequent Test at Karachi, in which he is alleged to have said there was “something seriously different” about Shoaib’s action. Those remarks set off a separate furore altogether, with the PCB, at one point asking the ICC to investigate whether what Chappell had said constituted a violation of the ICC code of conduct.Shaharyar said that matter had now been laid to rest. “We were concerned about the comments made about his action. I went to the ICC and said if Chappell has actually said them they are against the code of conduct. They said if we lay a formal charge, the case will be examined. Subsequently we have not laid a charge because the statements have not been corroborated. We received a reply from the ICC saying Chappell had been informally spoken to and he said he had been quoted out of context. If he says it is out of context then we don’t lay a charge and it is over.”But with Shoaib pulling out of the ODI series due to a stress fracture in his ankle – he will miss the Sri Lanka tour – rumours have only gathered more steam. Reports in India claimed he had been pulled out for fear that he would be called again. And locally, there has been talk of communication between the ICC and the PCB, in which the former has brought to attention the deterioration in Shoaib’s action to the home board. It has been construed by some as an implicit warning of sorts that he may be called if his action isn’t rectified.A few days ago, a local newspaper questioned whether Shoaib was missing the ODI series because of his ankle injury or due to concerns he might be reported during the series. Shaharyar was adamant, however, that no such communication has been passed on from the ICC. “Nothing of the sort has happened. Malcolm Speed has not asked me not to bowl Shoaib. In fact, the ICC has said he has been reported three times and has been passed fit to play. There is nothing from the match referee or the umpires so there is nothing for us to do. His ankle is genuinely bad. He bowled when he shouldn’t have against England and he has damaged his other ankle by avoiding putting pressure on one ankle. It is a genuine injury and that is the only reason he is not playing.”

Stephen Fleming, the New Zealand captain, expects South Africa to offer a stiff challenge despite their recent 3-0 defeat against Australia. The New Zealand squad has arrived in Johannesburg ahead of a three-Test tour and Fleming is ready for a tough battle.”South Africa will still be very tough, you don’t come here expecting anything less,” Fleming told reporters. “They’ve been playing a level of cricket which makes you hard because Australia push you to the limit. South Africa had some good performances in isolation, but they needed a bit more.”The form of Makhaya Ntini, who took 19 wickets in the Australian series – including 10 at Johannesburg – is of particular interest to Fleming. New Zealand are arriving with a top-order that is still trying to prove itself at Test level and they will be put through their paces by Ntini.Fleming said: “The nature of their defeats [to Australia] was more interesting than the actual results, South Africa were by no means out of it. Makhaya Ntini bowled very well, it’s pretty clear that he’s in good form.”However, New Zealand are not without firepower of their own with a fully fit Shane Bond in the squad to lead the attack. He will be supported by Chris Martin, Kyle Mills and James Franklin, while Daniel Vettori will provide the spin option. The Kiwis have also spent extra time preparing their batting line-up for the autumnal conditions they are expected to face.The Tests are being played extremely late in the South African season, with the final match not starting until May 5. Light will also be a factor, and the South African cricket board has brought forward the start times of the Centurion Park and Wanderers Tests to 9.30am.John Bracewell, the New Zealand coach, said the team has been chosen with the conditions in mind. “New Zealand playing conditions are often green seamers so there are not too many guys volunteering to bat up top. So the top-order batting has been a problem going back a long time to John Wright and Bruce Edgar.”But that’s why we’ve chosen two specialist openers and a specialist number three for this tour, guys who want the job in Michael Papps, Jamie How and Peter Fulton.”New Zealand begin their tour with a three-day match against a Rest of South Africa team on April 7 at Benoni.Rest of South Africa Neil McKenzie (capt), Stephen Cook, Alviro Peterson, Davey Jacobs, JP Duminy, Justin Ontong, Thami Tsolekile (wk), Rory Kleinveld, Robin Peterson, Garnett Kruger, Monde Zondeki, Vaughn van Jaarsveld

If anyone doubted the progress that Bangladesh have made in the last 18 months, their improved performances against Sri Lanka and their emphatic wins in the opening two matches of the one-day series against Kenya should have made it clear that they are on the up.Habibul Bashar, their experienced captain who has been through the bad – and the very bad – times was keen to underline that his side is now looking up for their next victims rather than being worried about who might beat them. “I don’t want to compare our team with Kenya,” he said after the nine-wicket win at Khulna. “You all know we have defeated teams like India, Australia and Sri Lanka in the recent past. And I believe as a team we should compete consistently against the big teams and it is actually our ultimate goal.”As I have repeated often, our performance against Sri Lanka was quite decent and there was a clear sign of improvement within the squad. And I think that impressive performance has helped us to do much better against Kenya.”We have won the first two matches quite convincingly and we are looking forward to winning the remaining matches in the same fashion,” added Bashar, before curtly dismissing suggestions that Bangladesh should experiment in the remaining two matches at Fatullah. “I am totally against that,” he stressed. “I want to field my best side to finish the series on a high note ahead of the tough home series against Australia in April. We are all enjoying the game that’s why it would be unwise to break the rhythm.”We have improved in every department especially the way the top order has been batting in the series is refreshing for us. But what has impressed me most is the effort of the two new ball bowlers, especially Syed Rasel who has injected new blood in the attack. The right-left bowling combination has worked brilliantly since our Sri Lanka trip. Our new-ball attack was erratic in the past but the new pair has bought real discipline. It is now proved that if we bat to our potential we can give any of our opponents a tough time.”

Having taken an age to sign him, it appears likely that Daniel Vettori’s stint with Warwickshire might be limited to just a single match, after it was confirmed today that he is suffering from a stress fracture to his back. He will return to New Zealand to undergo treatment immediately.Vettori, the New Zealand left-arm spinner, bowled 31 overs in Warwickshire’s draw against Middlesex at Lord’s last week, before his back injury flared up again – the same which has dogged his Test career so far.”Dan was looking forward to being part of a successful [Warwickshire] set-up this summer but clearly now he will need to focus his energies on getting healthy,” Mark Greatbatch, director of coaching, said.”We wish him well for a speedy recovery and share his disappointment at having to return home so soon. We all hope it is not too long before he is back in action.”

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The England captaincy is a hot potato at present, with the selectors frantically juggling their options until such time as Michael Vaughan’s knee comes back to life. Away from the spotlight at Canterbury, however, Robert Key was demonstrating that leadership doesn’t have to be a burden. He led from the front for England A, compiling a beautiful unbeaten 128 to give Pakistan’s bowlers a tough workout ahead of next week’s first Test.After the battering that the senior side has received in recent weeks, this fixture comes as a welcome opportunity for the England camp to regroup. Consequently the side has been packed with men with several points to prove – not least among them Key himself. As Kent’s captain, he is in familiar surroundings, but today’s news that Vaughan has officially been ruled out of this winter’s Ashes added an extra frisson to his innings.Key made a favourable impression on the previous trip to Australia four years ago, but hasn’t played for the Test side since the tour to South Africa in January 2005. While England’s batsmen were dropping like flies in India this winter, he was recuperating from shoulder surgery and so was overtaken in the pecking order by men such as Alastair Cook and Owais Shah.”It’s been a slow start for me in four-day cricket,” Key admitted afterwards, having not yet registered a century this season. He began his innings bullishly with four fours and a six before lunch, and later clouted Danish Kaneria straight down the ground for another maximum to bring up his 150 partnership with another recent England discard, Ian Bell.The conditions were very much in favour of the batsmen, as Key was quick to acknowledge. “We played Notts on a wicket like that,” he said. “We got 600 and couldn’t bowl them out.” But with the likes of Mohammad Asif and Umar Gul obtaining some reverse swing from as early as the 20th over, it was never entirely plain sailing. “They showed some class,” he added, “on a wicket where there was no conventional swing and no seam movement.”England suffered an early setback when Cook was caught behind for 3 off Mohammad Sami, a neat low catch in front of first slip by Kamran Akmal, but Akmal was soon forced to leave the field after damaging his left index finger. On the stroke of lunch, clearly discomforted, he dropped Key off Asif for 30 and did not return.It was an alarm for Pakistan, who have no reserve keeper in their squad and instead handed the gloves to Faisal Iqbal. The uncapped 20-year-old, Zulqarnain Haider, would have been flown in from Lahore in the event of a break, but Pakistan’s coach, Bob Woolmer, later confirmed Akmal had suffered nothing more than bruising around the top joint.Faisal did at least manage to hang onto the one catch that came his way. Bell is becoming a familiar face to this Pakistani attack, having top-scored for the Test team in last winter’s tour, a performance that included a century in the second Test at Faisalabad. But this time he was unable to make the most of similarly flat conditions, and was second man out for 74 (187 for 2).Shah came in at No. 4, as if to showcase the strength of England’s middle-order reserves, although judging by the current medical bulletins, they are going to be needed in the weeks and months to come. He made another start, 23 from 97 balls, but was unable to pick up his momentum and eventually edged a low catch to Imran Farhat at slip off Danish Kaneria.There were four changes for Pakistan, after their eight-wicket win over Leicestershire, with their captain Inzamam-ul-Haq returning in place of vice-captain Younis Khan. Mohammad Yousuf came in for the big-hitting Shahid Afridi, Abdul Razzaq replaced Shoaib Malik in the allrounder’s spot, while Asif was given a chance ahead of seamer Shahid Nazir.Though Pakistan were not fielding their full Test XI, it was nonetheless an important first century of the season for Key, whose recuperation from surgery has been hampered by some “interesting” wickets at the Rose Bowl and Stockton, among others. “Before you know it, you’ve been nicked off a couple of times,” he explained, “and you’re staring down the barrel of an ordinary start to the season. But the last two have been perfect for batting, so it’s nice to cash in.”Key won’t be in contention for the Lord’s Test, because his shoulder is still not back to full strength. “I was starting to think I’d never throw again a few weeks ago,” he admitted, “but all of a sudden I’ve starting rocketing them in from about ten yards! But it was a big operation. They reckoned it would take 12 months before I was throwing properly. It’s seven or eight now, so give it a couple of months, and it shouldn’t be a problem.”That would coincide nicely with the Ashes considerations, and in Vaughan’s absence, there is a definite prospect of a tour place for Key. “Any runs are valuable, but this is probably slightly more in the spotlight. This is definitely a set up from county cricket when you come up against an attack like that. You feel more a part of the England set-up, with a different group of people and an England shirt of some means. I think it’s a great format.”

Protesters have staged demonstrations over the current conflict Lebanon during Israel’s match against Norway in the European Championships in Glasgow.The Stop the War Coalition said the match in Glasgow should not be taking place amid the Middle East conflict. An earlier game involving the Israeli team, scheduled for Thursday, was called off on public safety grounds and this match is being played behind closed doors. Dozens of police were stationed outside the ground for Saturday’s match.The European Cricket Council, which arranged the match, said it appreciated “the seriousness of the situation in the Middle East”. But it added: “The ECC and its parent body, the International Cricket Council (ICC), are not political organisations; the task of both bodies is to promote and encourage cricket, a game that embraces diversity, and that mission is the driving force behind this tournament.”Both the ECC and the ICC believe this tournament can send out a positive message by showing the value of sport as a force for good and something to be enjoyed.”

Ramnaresh Sarwan and Chris Gayle have been included in a Stanford 20/20 Super Star team which will take on South Africa in a one-off Twenty20 international in November. The teams will battle it out for a massive US$5million prize at the Stanford Cricket Ground in St John’s, Antigua, the venue which hosted the recently concluded Stanford 20/20 tournament.Apart from Sarwan and Gayle, the squad also includes Marlon Samuels and Pedro Collins. Sarwan led Guyana to the Stanford 20/20 title on Sunday, scoring an unbeaten 49 as Guyana beat Trinidad and Tobago by five wickets in a thrilling encounter. The 20-member line-up also has notable performers like Travis Dowlin, the Player of the Match in the final, Kieron Pollard, the Trinidad and Tobago batsman who scored 83 in the semi-finals, and Tonito Willet of Nevis, whose undefeated 86 against Antigua was also the highest individual score of the tournament.Kelbert Walters, William Perkins and Kieran Powell, three of the outstanding young players in the tournament, will also train with the squad to gain experience.Squad Carlton Baugh, Pedro Collins, Esuan Crandon, Narsingh Deonarine, Mervyn Dillon, Travis Dowlin, Andre Fletcher, Daren Ganga, Chris Gayle, Dennis George, Wavell Hinds, Rawl Lewis, Mahendra Nagamootoo, Nelon Pascal, Kieron Pollard, Darren Sammy, Marlon Samuels, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Jerome Taylor, Tonito Willett
Reserves Kelbert Walters, William Perkins, Kieran Powell

The Trinidad and Tobago Cricket Board (TTCB) will embark on a massive coaching programme from which approximately 120 persons will be certified as West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) Level One coaches.There will be six courses, five in Trinidad and one in Tobago, with the first programme scheduled to get underway in the south zone on Friday September 15. Each course will run over a six-day period between 9am to 4.30 pm and will cater for 20 participants from each zone. According to Forbes Persaud, chief executive officer/general secretary of the TTCB this is just another one of the several development programmes to be undertaken by the board in their efforts to improve the standard and quality of local cricket.”We are hoping that through this exercise there will be more qualified coaches who will be available to teach the proper techniques to local cricketers at the zonal, clubs and schools levels,” Persaud said. He added that according to the board’s investigations, there are several zones and clubs operating without sufficient qualified coaching personnel.”We have found out that there is a shortage of qualified coaches in several parts of the country and as a result it is our view that an exercise of this nature is very critical for the development of young cricketers and the game in general.”We are therefore calling on all interested persons to get in touch with their respective zonal officers in order to be a part of this massive exercise.”As far as the youth development programmes were concerned, Persaud claimed the new initiatives introduced this year were successful. These included the Star Programme for form one students across the country, the High Performance Centres and three developmental tours.”The Star Programme attracted approximately 2500 boys and the main aim of this programme was to get the participants to enjoy the game of cricket”, he said. “However, we will be modifying the programme in the new season which will culminate with a cricket festival for form one cricketers.”Persaud also claimed success for the TTCB’s High Performance Centres. “The High Performance Centres catered for 128 elite under-15 cricketers at eight centres, seven in Trinidad and one in Tobago. These camps were conducted on weekends over a three-month period and will continue every other Saturday from September. Also in September, we will be starting the High Performance Centres for under-17 cricketers.”Persaud pointed out that at these centres, the aim was not only to develop the young cricketers’ skills but a lot of emphasis will be placed on their all-round development.Following are the dates for the WICB Level One courses.Course 1 South Zone Sept 15,16,17, 22, 23, 24
Course 2 North Zone Oct 6, 7, 8, 13, 14, 15
Course 3 North East Zone Oct 27, 28, 29, Nov 3, 4, 5
Course 4 South East Zone Nov 10, 11, 12, 17, 18, 19
Course 5 Central Zone Nov 24, 25, 26, Dec 1, 2, 3
Course 6 Tobago Zone Dec 8, 9, 10, 15, 16, 17

Having seen off India’s timid challenge, Australia and West Indies willcontest bragging rights in the DLF Cup final in Kuala Lumpur on Sunday. For the first time in a competition where they have experimented with all types ofcombinations, Australia will be fielding their strongest side, and a WestIndian team missing the experience and canny swing bowling of CoreyCollymore will have its work cut out to be competitive.The two teams split the two matches in the league phase, with West Indieshaving squandered a tremendous opportunity in the tournament opener, whenthey went from 172 for 1 to 201 all out. On Sunday though, they’ll facethe world’s most potent new-ball attack, with Glenn McGrath and Brett Leein tandem for only the second time in the competition. The support cast isno less impressive, with the ever-improving Shane Watson and NathanBracken, and West Indies would also do well to be wary of Brad Hogg, whosorted out a couple of Indian batsmen with his variations on Friday night.The batting order, even without the hulking figure of Matthew Hayden -rested in view of not being part of the Champions Trophy squad – isimposing, with Damien Martyn likely to miss out from the twelve chosen forthe game. Simon Katich and Watson should open the innings, with RickyPonting, Michael Clarke, Andrew Symonds and Michael Hussey forming afrightening middle order. Brad Haddin’s effervescent efforts with the bathave made the absence of Adam Gilchrist seem like a trifling problem, andHogg too is no Bugs Bunny with the bat.West Indies’ prospects will depend entirely on the top order, capable ofshredding any attack on a good day. Brian Lara leads the way, and his 87in the last game against Australia was touched with genius. Chris Gayle,Ramnaresh Sarwan and Shivnarine Chanderpaul have also shown signs ofexceptional form at various times in the tournament, and West Indies wouldlove all four to make an impact against a bowling line-up that will be atthem from the outset.Jerome Taylor’s raw pace complements Ian Bradshaw’s control with the newball, and Dwayne Smith has performed creditably in his outings with theball, swinging it late with great accuracy. But Dwayne Bravo has had anindifferent series, and plenty of worries remain about the fragility ofthe middle order. Wavell Hinds scratched around dreadfully in the lastmatch against India, and Marlon Samuels may just have played his way outof the XI.With a thigh injury depriving them of Collymore’s services, West Indies’only real hope is to bat big and hope to pressure Australia’s batsmen intomistakes. Chasing against the likes of Lee and McGrath is a difficult taskat the best of times, and as India found out yesterday, the anaconda gripgets you eventually.TeamsAustralia 1 Simon Katich, 2 Shane Watson, 3 Ricky Ponting (capt), 4Michael Clarke, 5 Andrew Symonds, 6 Michael Hussey, 7 Brad Haddin (wk), 8Brad Hogg, 9 Brett Lee, 10 Nathan Bracken, 11 Glenn McGrathWest Indies 1 Chris Gayle, 2 Shivnarine Chanderpaul, 3 RamnareshSarwan, 4 Brian Lara (capt), 5 Dwayne Bravo, 6 Wavell Hinds, 7 RunakoMorton, 8 Dwayne Smith, 9 Carlton Baugh (wk), 10, Ian Bradshaw, 11 JeromeTaylor

Kenya 224 (Obuya 44, Tikolo 43) beat Bermuda 145 by 79 runs
ScorecardKenya continued their dominance over Bermuda with a 79-run victory in the opening match of the three-ODI series at Mombasa Sports Club.The ground’s inaugural ODI had been in doubt after heavy storms during the week – the same rains which had washed out the Intercontinental Cup tie at Nairobi Gymkhana – but the game started on time and Kenya overcame a mid-innings wobble to score 224 for 8.Opener David Obuya continued his good form with a determined 44 and he received good support from Steve Tikolo who was on course for a fifty when he was run out by Janeiro Tucker. But Kenya’s middle order wobbled and it took an unbeaten ninth-wicket stand of 66 in 7.1 overs to give the home side a decent score. Peter Ongondo blasted 26, including a four and a six, off 21 balls, while Nehemiah Odhiambo’s 31 included three fours and a six. Saleem Mukuddem, who took six wickets at Nairobi, was the pick of the Bermuda bowlers with 3 for 45.Bermuda started reasonably to reach 55 for 2, but they failed to cope when the spinners came on, losing four wickets for 32 to effectively end their hopes. Ongondo and Thomas Odoyo bowled an excellent line but the pick of the bowlers was slow left-armer Hiren Varaiya who picked up 3 for 29 from his 10 overs.