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A captain’s knock of 102 by Aamer Bashir lifted Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL) in their Patron’s Trophy Cricket Championship Quadrangular Stage round match against Habib Bank at the Multan Cricket Stadium on Monday. His knock was the only high point of an otherwise dispirited batting display by PTCL on the second day of the four-day encounter. Having been put in to bat on Sunday’s opening day, they were however helped to a decent total of 271.Batting at number five, Aamer struck 15 fours and a six after his team had started the second day at their overnight 58 for 2. While Aamer batted with authority and assurance, wickets tumbled around him at regular intervals. He dominated the fifth-wicket stand of 95 with Mohammad Hussain, the former Pakistan left-handed all-rounder, whose contribution was 34 off 90 balls with five fours.For Aamer, 33, who was playing on his home ground, the 155-ball knock in just over three and a half hours was his 16th hundred in 178 first-class matches. All five Habib Bank bowlers used by Hasan Raza, the Pakistan middle-order batsman, claimed wickets with Fahad Masood emerging as the best of the lot with 3 for 55.By the close of play, in yet another match disrupted by poor weather and fading light, the Habib Bank openers had negotiated just two deliveries without putting any runs on the board. Only 18 overs were bowled on the first day, on which PTCL lost their opening pair while reaching 58. Yesterday, a total of 62.1 overs’ play was possible.PTCL, who have yet to win a Patron’s Trophy title, are pitted against Habib Bank, record seven-time winners of the competition. The latter in addition also shared the trophy last season with Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) after the final was rained off. After a group-league round among 10 teams divided in two groups of five each, the top two teams from either pool have qualified for the tournament’s Quadrangular Stage round. The side finishing on top of the points table will be crowned the season’s Patron’s Trophy champion. The Quadrangular Stage round will see each of the four teams playing three matches. The other two outfits that have made it this far are PIA and five-time Patron’s Trophy champions National Bank of Pakistan (NBP).The other match between Pakistan International Airlines and National Bank of Pakistan, due to start at the Khan Research Laboratories (KRL) Stadium in Rawalpindi, saw a completely blank day due to rain in the city.

Former BCCI secretary Niranjan Shah, a long-time administrator and currently secretary of Saurashtra Cricket Association, has endorsed Shashank Manohar’s “personal” view that the ICC needs to be more democratic. This comes as important support for possible change in the structure of the ICC, especially considering BCCI secretary Anurag Thakur had essentially opposed Manohar’s view.Shah had told ESPNcricinfo in November that it was not fair that everybody earned equal revenue when India contributed a majority of it. “I remember we fought against the infamous veto rights of England and Australia,” he said. “Now it is almost like we have brought back that system, except that we have added ourselves to that list.”Last week, Manohar had said in an interview with the that the revenue-sharing structure the Big Three had imposed needed changing. “I don’t agree with the revenue-sharing formula, because it’s nice to say that India [BCCI] will get 22% of the total revenue of the ICC, but you cannot make the poor poorer and the rich richer, only because you have the clout. The ICC runs cricket throughout the world.”This had brought about an opposing view from Thakur. “The [BCCI] president said this in his personal capacity,” Thakur told . “He made it very clear that it was his personal opinion. The Indian subcontinent contributes close to 70% of the ICC’s revenues. To take 21% of that is not much. That was the position with Australia and England earlier, and no one objected to it then. If this happens to India today, we shouldn’t object to it.”Shah, who will be a voting power if this issue comes up for discussion in the BCCI, believes the board shouldn’t take the view that this becomes right just because somebody else had done it in the past. Shah also compared it with the structure of the BCCI. “In India Tripura and Mumbai have the same voting powers and get the same share of the revenue,” he said and reiterated Manohar’s view that even if India contributes more to the world cricket financially, it needed good competition to do so.Shah said that if the ICC was to be restructured, the matter would be brought up in the BCCI first. Asked if he, as a member of the BCCI, would support such a move, he answered in the affirmative, but said that only a majority view was likely to be considered.

The ICC has said that there are no plans to extend the number of Associate members who will gain ODI status.On a visit to Uganda, Cassim Suliman, the CEO of the African Cricket Association, was reported as saying that he would push for more countries to be added to the six Associates that currently have one-day status.”I will try to see that within 180 days, three more countries get one day international status,” Suliman said. “You [Uganda] have good facilities, development programmes and administration. I see no reason why we do not have more countries out there.””I’m currently working on ensuring that Uganda, Namibia and Kenya gain full ODI status in the next 18 months.”But an ICC spokesman told Cricinfo: “There is no intention at this stage to increase the number of teams playing ODIs. However, the six Associates currently enjoying ODI status may not be the same ones doing so after the 2009 ICC World Cup Qualifier [formerly the ICC Trophy] in 18 months’ time. Conceivably, Uganda could be playing ODIs after that, provided they qualify for the next ICC World Cup.”Uganda – along with Namibia, Argentina and Denmark – have been added to the ICC High Performance Program, making a total of ten teams. However, only six of those teams play ODIs and that is not about to change.”

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Phil Jaques ensured his name would remain in the Australia selectors’ minds with 75 from 57 balls as New South Wales scored an easy win over Tasmania in their Ford Ranger Cup match at Bellerive Oval. The Blues reached their target of 167 with seven wickets in hand and 93 balls to spare, after the Tigers were dismissed for 166 from 41 overs.Jaques let fly right from the start, hitting 10 fours and two sixes – both of which went out of the ground and on to the practice pitches – to set up the crushing win that gave New South Wales a bonus point. It was his first half-century in the FR Cup this season but runs have not been eluding Jaques, who scored two centuries against England in tour matches in the space of a week.He scored freely in all directions until he got a thick edge to the diving Xavier Doherty at third man when he attempted to hit Brett Geeves over mid-on. Michael Clarke failed to make the most of his chance to play a lengthy innings and was caught at mid-on for 28 from 50 deliveries but Brad Haddin guided the Blues home with 42 not out.Tasmania captain Dan Marsh elected to bat after morning rain reduced the match to 43 overs per side. Wickets fell at regular intervals for the Tigers, with Michael Bevan’s 39 the highlight of a disappointing innings. Nathan Hauritz was the pick of the New South Wales bowlers, finishing with 3 for 25 from his eight overs, but all of the Blues’ fast men claimed wickets as well.The New South Wales captain Simon Katich said Jaques’ performance was no surprise. “Whatever form of the game he’s playing in he’s going to get runs,” said Katich. “Whether it’s club cricket, state cricket or when he gets the chance for Australia.”The Blues, who came into the match with one win from three games, now sit in third place on the table and Tasmania are fourth. “We knew it was a big game but we’ve got a big month coming up and we can really go up the ladder if we keep playing like this.”

In the aftermath of Ireland’s World Cup farewell, Trent Johnston, their captain, dropped a broad hint that he would soon be announcing his retirement.”This might be my last game” he said. “Maybe Phil [Simmons, the new coach] wants to get rid of the dead wood and get the young boys in? I don’t know. I’ll sit down with my family and see where we are going. It’ll be pretty hard to go on after a World Cup and the seven weeks we’ve just had like this. But if I turn around I’d love to be a part of what Phil wants to achieve. It’s a fantastic cricket calendar coming up and exciting times.”Reflecting on his team’s experiences, Johnston said that the moment he jumped off the team bus after the group-stage victory over Pakistan was the one that would leave with him the longest. “That was the highlight for me,” he said. “The reception we got there, when we went to visit our families and friends. I probably walked about two metres in 50 minutes. People wanted to talk to you and sign things, and that’s never been seen before in Irish cricket. There were other moments, but spending that time with our families was great, because they have sacrificed a lot for us.”As Ireland prepare to embark on a new chapter in its cricket, Johnston was keen to stress the strength in depth in the country’s grassroots cricket, and paid tribute to the programmes that Birrell had set in place – programmes that had turned Ireland into European champions at every level from Under-13s to seniors. “We’ve got to hang onto those kids and not let them go off to county cricket,” he warned. “That’s something down the track we’ve got to look to do.”The majority of this squad will be around for the next World Cup. It’s been a massive experience for them and a learning curve. Hopefully we will qualify and make the Super Eights again, because that’s another goal and a realistic goal. The way we’ve performed here means we’re going to get a lot more games against the high-profile teams. That’s got to be good for Irish cricket. But we’ve got to keep those kids coming through.”

Andrew Symonds has been named in Australia’s starting 11 for the third Test beginning at Perth on Thursday. Adam Voges, who was in the original 13-man squad, has been left out and Mitchell Johnson will be 12th man.Symonds, who will play his 11th Test match, has been listed to bat at No.6, with Michael Hussey and Michael Clarke each moving up one spot in the order. Ricky Ponting said there was no reason Symonds could not permanently hold down a place in the team. “I am pretty confident in him actually,” Ponting told . “I have watched him pretty closely over the last few days.”He might have thought his Test career has passed him on, but he is really excited about being back in the team again and right now he feels better about his game than he probably ever has before. We all know what a great talent he is and he hasn’t shown it at Test level yet, hopefully over the next few days we will see some of that.”Ponting said Symonds’ ability to bowl both medium pace and offspin – which he did with success for Queensland in a Pura Cup match at the WACA last month – would be vital. “He was the pick of the bowlers on a wicket that might have been pretty similar,” Ponting said.”It will give Shane [Warne] a chance to have a bit more of a rest, and probably Glenn [McGrath] at different times. We are going to need some guys to bowl a number of overs up into the wind and Symo will probably give us that.”Australia 1 Justin Langer, 2 Matthew Hayden, 3 Ricky Ponting (capt), 4 Michael Hussey, 5 Michael Clarke, 6 Andrew Symonds, 7 Adam Gilchrist (wk), 8 Shane Warne, 9 Brett Lee, 10 Stuart Clark, 11 Glenn McGrath.

Pakistan’s preparations for the inaugural Twenty20 World Championship have been unusually well-planned. A gruelling summer of conditioning camps in three cities as well as a glut of practice Twenty20 matches indicated a seriousness of purpose unseen in other countries. But it all means little until they play their first actual match.”We can prepare strategies, try and find the right balances, work out plans and play any number of practice games,” Geoff Lawson, the Pakistan coach, told Cricinfo just before the team’s departure for Nairobi, where they play a series of warm-up matches against Bangladesh, Uganda and Kenya.”But that can only take you so far,” he said. “Until the first match happens, we won’t really know what to expect. We’ve got an excellent opportunity to play some matches in Kenya now and fine-tune our plans and get our combinations right.”The relative freshness of the format – there have only ever been 16 international matches – means teams start on a more equal footing than they might in a 50-over tournament. Pakistan have only played two internationals (won one, lost one) but were one of the first to organise a domestic Twenty20 tournament – with the fourth edition scheduled for this December – which has proved a wildly successful revenue-earner and has meant their players are familiar and comfortable with the format.”Most of the players in the side have played it and have good experience of it,” Lawson said. “Shoaib [Malik, captain] has an excellent grasp of the tactics in this format. He has been successful at leading domestically as well, so that will play a part.”Fortune, too, will play a role. “We have some explosive players but I think everyone understands that luck will play some part in this game too. Everyone wants to win and to do so, any side will need an element of luck.”It helps also if you have a pace attack “at least the equal of any other side in the world”. Shoaib Akhtar, Mohammad Asif and Umar Gul are simultaneously fit and available for the first time since they came together and despite the popular perception that the format is skewed heavily in favour of batsmen, pace, Lawson feels, might make a difference.”See, good cricketers are good cricketers in any format, 20 overs, 50 or a Test. And pace bowlers are good to have in any format. We have three or four very good ones, they are looking healthy and their roles will be crucial in South Africa.”Lawson has been with the side for just over a week, familiarising with the players and overseeing the final training camp in Lahore, but Talat Ali, the manager says the signs are already positive. “He had good interaction with the players, the body language between all of them is very positive,” said Ali. “There is a definite change in the atmosphere and the way the team is and that is a good sign.”Lawson himself has been impressed by the squad’s capacity for hard work. “I’m very happy with their attitude and the way they have responded to the training regime. With David [Dwyer, fitness trainer], we’ve given them some real tough, heavy workouts and full-on sessions. But they want to do it and that is impressive.”There is still considerable work to be done, however, for a side Bob Woolmer initially thought the poorest he had seen in terms of fitness. “We’ve looked at lots of areas in terms of their fitness. They have definitely improved, but they still have a long way to go. But we’re on that slope [of progress], which is good.”How far up that slope Pakistan is, will begin to reveal itself now. They open the four-nation tournament with a match against Uganda on September 1, before taking on Bangladesh the day after. They wrap up preparations by playing the hosts Kenya on September 4, before flying out to Johannesburg for the real deal.

Stuart MacGill, the Australian legspinner, has urged the national selectors to persist with him in a bid to prolong Shane Warne’s career. He also admitted that the realisation that his days as an Australia cricketer were numbered had added a sense of urgency to his performance in the first Test against Bangladesh last week.”I think that if you ever — and there’s not many of them — pick up little troughs and plateaus in Shane’s career they’re predominantly based around workload … They’re all following hard seasons or are either immediately before or after operations,” MacGill told . “And in all of those situations there would have been definitely plenty of scope to play a second wrist spinner and I think that you can maybe avoid those situations completely if you do share the pain a bit. It’d work out great for me because I’d play more and probably will stretch Shane’s career a little bit, too. I don’t necessarily see there being a huge difference between the end of Shane’s career and the end of my career.”MacGill gave the example of the Dhaka Test, when Warne was forced to leave the field on the first day with a shoulder strain. “In the Ashes everybody was looking at Shane’s 40 wickets, which is an amazing achievement but if you look further than that maybe the last week was a physical manifestation of that workload,” he said. “(It was) the end of a very, very long season and maybe if I had played a couple of more times in between it would have been avoided.Despite an impressive 191 wickets at 27.35 from 39 Tests, MacGill has found it hard to cement a place in the side. With Warne coming back extremely well since his one-year ban – he picked up a record 96 wickets in 2005 – the 35-year old New South Wales bowler has found himself spending entire series on the bench or carrying drinks. “It’s not as if you’re going to be saving me up for later,” he said. “We’re similar ages and we’ve both got other things to do, so it would be great to be used at the moment.”MacGill also admitted that he knew this tour of Bangladesh could be his last. “I certainly can’t see another Australian tour for me, unless I miraculously hit one-day cricket,” he said.”The next scheduled tour is Zimbabwe in the middle of next year, which I won’t be part of (because of a political boycott). From there, there is a Pakistan tour the year after, so this would be my last Australian tour, I would say. The Ashes summer is there but I don’t know when I am going to be used, so you don’t know what’s going to happen. I have got to make sure I cash in in these games because I might not get another Test.”The second Test against Bangladesh starts at Chittagong today.

Dav Whatmore has expressed surprise and disappointment at reports that Arjuna Ranatunga, the former Sri Lanka captain, has advised the PCB against hiring him as their next coach.According to , Ranatunga had a chance encounter with Talat Ali, the Pakistan manager, in Scotland recently. When asked for his thoughts on Whatmore as an option, given that the two had worked together extensively and led Sri Lanka to their 1996 World Cup triumph, Ranatunga reportedly offered the advice that Whatmore should be avoided.”I don’t know what his motivations were but he is entitled to his own personal views and I have no desire to get dragged into a public argument with him,” Whatmore told Cricinfo.Whatmore was one of three Australians shortlisted by the Pakistan board for the coaching position, lying vacant since the death of Bob Woolmer in March. Geoff Lawson, the former Test fast bowler, and Richard Done, the ICC’s High performance manager, are the others.”The facts are that I have indicated my desire to coach Pakistan and, if appointed, I am confident of being able to do an extremely good job with a very talented group of players,” Whatmore said.Kumar Sangakkara, who made his debut while Whatmore was in charge, endorsed his credentials to be the Pakistan coach. “I have absolutely no doubt that Dav is exactly the kind of coach Pakistan needs right now,” Sangakkara told Cricinfo.”He has the expertise and the experience, including a World Cup win, the pinnacle of coaching success. I count myself as very fortunate to have broken into the national side with him as coach. It helped me to hone the right attitude towards hard work and getting out of my comfort zone that has stood me in good stead ever since,” he said.Ranatunga’s advice comes on the back of increasing chatter within Pakistan that Whatmore may not be the favourite he once was for the position. Some of the players, especially senior ones, are said to be more keen on Geoff Lawson, wary of Whatmore’s reputation as a no-nonsense taskmaster. According to the report, Talat Ali has also given Lawson his backing.The board, however, is refusing to say anything other than each candidate was impressive and that a final decision will be taken soon. Though Nasim Ashraf, the board chairman, has repeatedly said a decision would be made by July 1, it looks likely that one will be taken at the next meeting of the board’s ad-hoc committee, in the middle of the month.

Graeme Smith, the South African captain, has said that his team is ready to take on a resurgent India in the five-match one-day series beginning in Hyderabad on November 16.”We have come here on a good run and see this tour as a massive opportunity,” Smith told AFP after arriving in Mumbai. “India are a strong side with a bunch of young guys who are doing well. Sachin Tendulkar is also back in their side but I hope we continue to win.” South Africa have had an awesome run of form, blanking New Zealand 4-0 in the recent one-day series and winning 16 of their last 18 games with two matches washed out. India, too, have thrashed Sri Lanka 6-1 in the just completed one-day series.Mickey Arthur, the South Africa coach, said that they weren’t too worried about countering Mahendra Singh Dhoni, the Indian wicketkeeper who was named Man of the Series for his 346 runs in seven matches against Sri Lanka. “We have studied his technique well and have some plans for him. We only have to wait and see how well we are able to execute them,” said Arthur. “The key to India’s fortune is the return to form of Sachin Tendulkar as he can really lift the team. Rahul Dravid and Greg Chappell are doing a good job and we respect the Indian batting line-up in home conditions but we also back ourselves to win in India.”South Africa’s tour begins with a warm-up game on November 14 at Hyderabad followed by the first ODI on November 16. The remaining four matches are all day-night fixtures at Bangalore, Chennai, Kolkata and Mumbai on November 19, 22, 25 and 28.