The future of West Indies women’s cricket could be in doubt. They haveplayed no international cricket for the last two years and as yet theyhave no plans to play any more until the next World Cup in Australia in2009 – plunging their participation in that event into seriousjeopardy.West Indies, who gained automatic qualification for the 2009 World Cupat the last tournament in 2005, struggled for funding then, but this time they may struggle even for practice – although this may change if they do manage to arrange any games. It is hoped, by the ICC at least, that they will: nobody from the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) would provide a comment when Cricinfo contactedthem on several occasions.The ICC told Cricinfo that it had written to the board to ask about its plans. “We hope that the WICB is in touch with other cricket boards to arrange matches for its women’s side. We are working closely with the WICB and our other member countries to continue the development of women’s cricket around the world.”Should West Indies not meet their minimum requirements (as yet to bedetermined by the ICC) then the third-placed finalist from the WorldCup qualifiers later on in the year would replace them [at the 2009World Cup] in 2009 – the top two teams from the qualifiers will already gothrough.

Questions are being asked about the selection issues which have blighted Northerns’ Logan Cup campaign. Northerns, who were expected to be among the pace setters in the tournament, finished the bottom Zimbabwe side and failed to win any of their five matches.An insider told Cricinfo that the main problem was that a number of players did not see eye-to-eye with Steyn Kombayi, the board’s general manager for Harare and a regional and national selector.”Kombayi does not like Tafadzwa Mufambisi who, in my view, is a better wicketkeeper than Brendan Taylor,” the source said. “Mufambisi was left out of the Northerns match against Westerns (in which they were bowled out for 47) for no reason. I am actually told that the Northerns team for that particular match was announced after the toss as they were not sure who was actually playing.” Kombayi is understood to have claimed that Mufambisi, who has played six ODIs for Zimbabwe, had attitude problems.Kombayi is said to be pushing for the selection of Regis Chakabva, the former Under-19 keeper, for the national team. Chakabva’s inclusion in the A side against Kenya caused more than a few raised eyebrows given his moderate form in the handful of matches he has played.Another source said that Graeme Cremer had refused to play in one match after Alois Tichana was named captain. Cremer, it was claimed, “was getting frustrated that he was being captained by someone who could not even set a field for his bowling”.Zimbabwe’s wicketkeeper-batsman Brendan Taylor was unavailable after having a row over contracts, and although he did report for training ahead of the match against Westerns, he withdrew at the last minute.Kombayi is also thought to have major issues with Takashinga, arguably the best club in the country, and is to all intents blocking players who have come through the club. To this end he is being backed by Terrry Mumbwandarika, the ZC operations assistant manager, who is also anti-Takashinga and who is also a Northerns selector.What is not clear is why provincial chairman Cyprina Mandenge has allowed the situation to deteriorate so far and why, given Northerns dismal performance, he has not insisted that the best side be picked.

Peter Moores said Monty Panesar’s persistent appealing during England’s third Test win against West Indies was simply a sign of his enthusiasm and not an example of unsporting behaviour. Panesar finished the match with figures of 10 for 187 at Old Trafford as England won by 60 runs to take an unbeatable 2-0 lead in the four-match series.It was the first time in a decade an England spinner had taken ten wickets in a Test but Panesar’s achievement was almost overshadowed on Monday by a succession of increasingly desperate appeals which might have seen him charged under the ICC Code of Conduct. As it was, umpire Aleem Dar made do with warning Panesar, reminding him to appeal to him first before celebrating a wicket.However, Moores was satisfied with Panesar’s conduct and he praised Dar and Billy Bowden for the way they dealt with the pressures of a hard-fought final day. Asked if Panesar’s appealing represented an attempt to put pressure on officials, Moores replied: “Not really, because I know it’s genuine. I think good umpires do understand that in many ways the enthusiasm and the excitement of the game can suck players into it. When the umpire says not out then Monty stops which I think is fine, it’s when people go again that isn’t right. I thought all the appealing that went on was fine.”With West Indies chasing what would have been a fourth innings Test record total of 455 to win, on a pitch taking turn, Moores said plenty of Panesar appeals were inevitable. “There was always going to be a lot of hits on the pad and a lot of bat-pads going on and there was going to be that sort of tension in the game,” said Moores.Panesar even appealed when a rogue ball bounced so much it hit Shivnarine Chanderpaul on the head. Afterwards Panesar said he’d struggled to keep his cool. “You want to take wickets and you want the game to go forward and it was a very testing period for myself, but I have to stay calm, put the ball in the right areas and let the pitch do the work,” Panesar said. “Aleem told me to appeal before I start celebrating. I guess I get a little bit excited when I’m out there.”England have opted for a four-man attack during this series with Panesar the lone specialist spinner. Moores said an increased workload had benefited Panesar. “The fact we’ve used three seamers has allowed him to bowl a bit more and from that he’s stepped up again and he’s shown what a quality bowler he can be,” Moores said. “He’s learning all the time and getting better and it’s very exciting to see spinners in the game because they create a different type of pressure.”

Despite criticising his appointment, Javed Miandad says he is willing to work with Pakistan’s new coach Geoff Lawson. Miandad, along with Intikhhab Alam, was among the first to slam Lawson’s appointment, claiming that not only was he a foreigner, and thus “less patriotic”, but also that, on merit, Dav Whatmore was the better option.Lawson, placed in charge of Pakistan for two years initially, responded with a peace offering of sorts. He told that he wanted to bring his critics on board and use their inputs as well. Miandad, against whom he played eight Tests between 1982 and 1984, was the ideal personality to use, said Lawson.”I’d like to get Javed on board to be part of the coaching crew, to be part of the system and help out, because he was an outstanding player and a tough bloke as well,” Lawson said. “We could do with a few of those characteristics among the guys at the moment. I’m hoping to talk to all those people and see what contributions they can make. We can’t control outside influences but it would be good if we could have some of those outside influences being positive.”Miandad has now welcomed the offer, though was unwilling to firm up the sentiment. “I was and am always available whenever Pakistan cricket would need me,” Miandad told .But when asked whether he would consider the possiblity of working as a specialist batting coach, Miandad said, “It is premature to say anything on it. There is no such offer at the moment so I would only think about it if there is any possibility in the future.”Miandad, arguably Pakistan’s greatest batsman, described Lawson’s gesture as “a slap in the faces of those {PCB} officials” who have overlooked his credentials in recent years. Miandad has coached Pakistan on three occasions and in his last stint he was eventually replaced by Bob Woolmer in June 2004. Famously, the two had a private dinner soon after Woolmer took over but relations between the two continued to cool thereafter, leading Miandad to hope that “it will be different with Lawson.”

Scorecard

Hundreds from Subramaniam Badrinath and Parthiv Patel carried India A to a 408 for 8 declared and then Piyush Chawla spun out four Kenyan wickets to put the tourists on the verge of a big win on the second day at Mombasa. Collins Obuya’s 51 was the top score for Kenya, who began their second innings 309 runs in arrears, but a lack of support saw them stumble to 191 for 8 by stumps.The morning began with a light drizzle but play started on time, although Kenya were without their captain, Steve Tikolo, who did not take the field until later because of a calf strain. Patel and Badrinath, the overnight batsmen, began the day in the same aggressive vein as the evening before. Patel, who resumed on 100, was aggressive and moved to 124 quickly before slapping Hiren Varaiya’s slow left-arm spin to a diving Jimmy Kamande at mid-on.Badrinath was rock solid. He found an able ally in Irfan Pathan (32 from 50 balls), with whom he added 65 for the sixth wicket. Kenya got rid of Chawla and Yo Mahesh, but No. 10 Pankaj Singh showed an appetite for a scrap, hitting an unbeaten, run-a-ball 40 to help Badrinath past his century and India to over 400.Singh worked the ones and twos confidently, and also hit three sixes as India ground Kenya down. With the declaration close, and his hundred safely behind him, Badrinath picked up quick fours and a six off Rajesh Bhudia.Faced with a mountain to climb, the Kenyan openers, Maurice Ouma and David Obuya started confidently, adding 40 in five overs, but strikes from Pathan, Singh and Pragyan Ojha had the hosts in trouble. Tanmay Mishra, with 32 from 70 balls, and Obuya, with 51 from 72, resurrected the innings somewhat but Chawla’s introduction had India right back on top. He trapped Mishra leg before, and whittled away for 11 overs to finish with 4 for 31, leaving India two wickets away from taking a 1-0 lead in the two-match contest.

Hark, yonder mobile phone is abuzz with a text message. From Zimbabwe.”Are you coming up for the tour? Need some warning to go hunting for food!”No, your correspondent does not eat more than the average reporter. It’s just that he has loads of good friends in Zimbabwe who make damn fine dinner hosts.But it would seem that these days Zimbabweans – even those with the means to “go hunting for food” – don’t know where their next meal will come from.Not that the South Africans who will play three one-dayers in Zimbabwe next week will have to worry about such trivialities as they ponder their room-service menus. Actually, cricket aficionados of all stripes don’t seem to have expended much thought on South Africa’s imminent jaunt northward to take on the world champions (of inflation, that is).The media remains confused over Jacques Kallis’ omission from the squad for the Twenty20 World Championship and with Mark Boucher’s spirited reaction to his friend and team-mate’s fate. The absence of both Kallis and Boucher from the squad to tour Zimbabwe was explained away by Cricket South Africa (CSA), which also labelled the matches against Zimbabwe as preparation for the Twenty20 event.None of the selected players have said anything about the dangers of lending legitimacy to one of the planet’s most oppressive regimes. Perhaps that is the price we pay for raising a generation of abject professionals. Or are the players mindful of what happened to Errol Stewart, who withdrew from the 2003 South Africa A tour to Zimbabwe on moral grounds and was promptly barred from representing his country again?It would be cynical to wonder whether CSA created the Kallis situation with the express aim of taking the sting out of this disgraceful tour. But we need to forgive our cynical selves considering CSA is a bedfellow of the ICC. After all, it is the ICC who has refused to take Zimbabwe off the international fixture list.”The Zimbabwe issue was debated fully, and at length, at the ICC annual meeting in London,” Norman Arendse, CSA’s president said on August 9 after Cricinfo’s broadside against South Africa A’s tour to Zimbabwe. “Despite initial criticism from countries like Australia, England and New Zealand, after full debate and discussion, the Full Member countries of the ICC unanimously agreed to retain Zimbabwe as a full member.”That can only mean the cricket bosses of nice, civilised, First World places like England, Australia and New Zealand are not repulsed by the starvation, routine violence and strife that is part of the daily reality of living in Zimbabwe.In other words, they just don’t give a

A second-string Mumbai team is scheduled to arrive in Karachi today for the Nissar Trophy four-day match against Karachi Urban, the Pakistan domestic champions. The squad has lost majority of its big names due to pullouts and non-availabilities.In the revised squad announced before departure, only five players actually played for Mumbai in the 2006-07 Ranji Trophy which the team won. Captain Amol Muzumdar had declared himself unavailable because of his league engagements in England while Rohit Sharma, with the Indian team in England, was also not available. Wasim Jaffer, India’s Test opener, who was later named captain of the touring team, opted out due to a minor knee injury while former international Nilesh Kulkarni was omitted from the squad because of an alleged connection with the Indian Cricket League (ICL). Crowd-pullers Sachin Tendulkar, Ajit Agarkar, Zaheer Khan and Ramesh Powar were already ruled out due to their involvement in India’s on-going tour of England.Mumbai have now appointed batsman Bhavin Thakkar as their captain, a player who was not in the original squad. Only Sahil Kukreja, Vinayak Mane, Hiken Shah, Abhishek Nayar and Rajesh Verma of the initially-announced touring side played for Mumbai in last season’s Ranji Trophy. Now, Thakkar, Kshemal Waingankar and Mudeep Mungela have been added to the team, all with Ranji Trophy experience in 2006-07. Several of the remaining players, including Omkar Gurav, Iqbal Abdulla and Vikrant Yeligati have yet to appear in any first-class matches.The one-off match is to be played at the National Stadium from September 8 to 11. Last year, in the first match of its kind, played in India, Uttar Pradesh comprehensively beat Sialkot by 316 runs.The Karachi Urban squad is yet to be announced.Mumbai: Bhavin Thakkar (capt), Sahil Kukreja, Vinayak Mane, Prashant Naik, Ajinkya Rahane, Vinit Indulkar, Hiken Shah, Abhishek Nayar, Omkar Gurav (wk), Kshemal Waingankar, Mudeep Mungela, Aavishkar Salvi, Rajesh Verma, Iqbal Abdulla, Vikrant Yeligati.

Indian fast bowler Sreesanth, who took three wickets in the rain abandoned first ODI against Australia in Bangalore, is aiming for a a five-wicket haul on his home ground in Kochi.”My ambition is to take five wickets in the match in my home ground where I did my training all through,” Sreesanth told , adding that he would like to emulate Sachin Tendulkar’s bowling feats at the venue. “Sachin has achieved it here twice. I would love to achieve the same.”Sreesanth, who has dismissed Matthew Hayden twice in succession, the first occassion being the charged-up semi-final of the ICC World Twenty20, downplayed the importance of his wicket. “Hayden is a good batsman. But he is not the only batsman in the Aussie team. All the wickets in any match are important. We are not scared [of the Australian team]. [But] outside the ground we are friends and we respect all.”Sreesanth’s aggressive methods, which resulted in him being docked 25% of his match fee for excessive appealing in India’s semi-final win over Australia, could once again be on display in the Kochi match after recent comments made by the Indian team manager Lalchand Rajput.”We have to give it back to them [Australia]. The strategy is clear. If they throw stones, they’ll get them back. We’ll fight fire with fire,” Rajput told , the Mumbai-based tabloid. “The Aussies’ tactic is to keep chatting and unsettle the opposition. But we have decided that if anyone says something, they will get it back. However, there should be no physical contact.”However, Rajput stressed that the team should not get carried away. “There are clear instructions to stay focused. The players should say whatever they want to as long as they don’t get carried away because that would mean playing into the Aussies’ hands.”The match itself appears in doubt owing to a wet outfield. The teams couldn’t get a full game at Bangalore and the rain appears to be following them. Two days before the game the outfield at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium were slippery and parts of the playing area covered with sand. The pitch though, has been unaffected by the conditions and will favour batting if the match takes place.

ScorecardA bristling 54 from Maurice Ouma and a fearless 34 from Lameck Onyango, who remained unbeaten at the end, took Kenya to a three-wicket win over Bermuda in the second one-dayer at the Gymkhana. Encouragingly, Bermuda fought harder this time after their dismal effort in the first ODI and the game was not without incident, but they nevertheless face a 3-0 whitewash going into the final match tomorrow.Irvine Romaine, the Bermuda captain, called a halt to play while Kenya were chasing down 184 when a section of the crowd began chanting “policeman”. Four minutes were wasted while Romaine was appeased by the umpires, Buddhi Pradhan from Nepal and the South African, Ian Howell, together with Mike Proctor the match referee. The crowd’s target, Dwayne Leverock – a policeman back home – seemed far less bothered by the kafuffle.Romaine was Bermuda’s mainstay in their underwhelming total of 183, grinding out a laborious 61 from 131 balls. Thomas Odoyo broke through the top-order to finish with the remarkably miserly figures of 3 for 7 from seven overs.Given his team-mates propensity for collapses, Romaine’s anchor-like innings was all the more valuable – though Janeiro Tucker gave Bermuda a hurry-up with a more adventurous 49 from 71. Malachi Jones also cracked three leg-side sixes in his bristling 27.Kenya got off to a barnstorming start to their reply with Ouma creaming Jones twice through the covers and picking him off through mid-on for three consecutive fours. He lost partners at regular intervals, however, and when Steve Tikolo – playing in his 100th ODI – was bowled by Rodney Trott, Kenya were slipping at 113 for 4. Thomas Odoyo was trapped in front by Kevin Hurdle who then ran out Nehemiah Odhiambo, leaving Kenya in further trouble at 183 for 7.But Onyango waited patiently for the bad balls, flicking Hurdle for consecutive fours down to fine-leg, to take Kenya home. The third and final ODI is on Sunday.

Phillip Hughes is set to become New South Wales’ second-youngest first-class debutant in 30 years after being named in their Pura Cup side to take on Tasmania in Sydney starting next Tuesday. Hughes will be aged 18 years and 355 days on Tuesday – 111 days older than Michael Clarke when he debuted for the Blues in 1999.A left-hand batsman, Hughes starred in the four-match Australia Under-19 series against Pakistan Under-19 in Queensland in April, striking 101, 101, 48 not out and 74. He was also one of Australia’s top batsmen at the Emerging Players Tournament this year and made 51 and 137 for the New South Wales Second XI against the Victoria Second XI this week.”I’m delighted to be selected for the first time,” Hughes said. “I’ve been working extremely hard on my batting and this is a tremendous opportunity for me. I’m looking forward to training with my team-mates and preparing for this match.”Hughes has replaced Nathan Hauritz in the Blues’ 12-man squad, while Tasmania have included Nathan Wegman in place of the injured Adam Griffith. Wegman, 30, made his one-day debut for Tasmania this month and starred with 4 for 44 with his right-arm fast-medium bowling.The Tigers have also named their FR Cup squad to take on the Blues following the Pura Cup match. Ricky Ponting is expected to play in that game, with Australia’s Test commitments finishing early next week.New South Wales Pura Cup squad Ed Cowan, Grant Lambert, Simon Katich (capt), Dominic Thornely, Peter Forrest, Phillip Hughes, Brad Haddin (wk), Beau Casson, Matthew Nicholson, Nathan Bracken, Mark Cameron, Doug Bollinger.Tasmania Pura Cup squad Michael Di Venuto, Michael Dighton, Travis Birt, George Bailey, Daniel Marsh (capt), Luke Butterworth, Sean Clingeleffer (wk), Jason Krejza, Brendan Drew, Brett Geeves, Ben Hilfenhaus, Nathan Wegman.Tasmania FR Cup squad Michael Dighton, Travis Birt, Ricky Ponting (capt), George Bailey, Daniel Marsh, Tim Paine (wk), Luke Butterworth, Xavier Doherty, Brendan Drew, Brett Geeves, Ben Hilfenhaus, Nathan Wegman.