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Match facts

May 12, 2009
Start time 12.30pm (10.30GMT, 16.00 IST)

Big Picture

Will Brendon McCullum step down from the captaincy, if Kolkata do not make the semi-finals?•Associated Press

Royal Challengers Bangalore and Kolkata Knight Riders remain at the bottom of the table but, while Kolkata are almost certainly out of the tournament, Bangalore still have a chance of making the semi-finals. That alone should give them the edge going into the game. Bangalore’s three-match winning streak has been rudely halted by back-to-back defeats to Rajasthan Royals and Mumbai Indians but there are still bright spots in the campaign. Anil Kumble’s captaincy has been very impressive and the South African connections – Jacques Kallis, Mark Boucher and Roelof van der Merwe – have paid off. Not so the other overseas player they have picked in the XI, New Zealanders Jesse Ryder and Ross Taylor must step up if Bangalore are to return to winning ways and harbour any serious ambitions of entering the top four.For Kolkata, things can only get better. A defeat on Tuesday will end even a mathematical chance of making the final four, at which point it will be seen whether Brendon McCullum actually steps down from the captaincy, as he had said. There is still time, though, for Kolkata to test the qualities of their big-ticket signing, Mashrafe Mortaza, who has not got a single game so far.

Form guide (completed matches, most recent first)

Royal Challengers Bangalore: LLWWW
The batting still remains a poser for coach Ray Jennings, especially at the top of the order. The have tinkered with the opening partnership right throughout the tournament, which possibly has deprived them of the much-needed solid start. The only stand of note was the 69 posted by Shreevats Goswami and Jacques Kallis against the same opposition in Durban.Kolkata Knight Riders: LLLLL
There simply isn’t a specific area where Kolkata are lacking. Though parallels may be drawn with Bangalore about the opening combination, the batting in general hasn’t been up to scratch. Add to this the lacklustre fielding and the lack of penetration from the bowlers, and you have all the makings of an ailing team.

Watch out for

McCullum v Kumble: A few bad decisions and poor shot selection have kept the Kolkata captain subdued for most of the tournament. His swatting Ashish Nehra off the second ball of the innings for a six in the match against Delhi perhaps was a reminder of the brilliant innings in the first match of the IPL last season, but he was then undone by a harsh lbw decision. The opposition might be the same from last time around, but Kumble has shown plenty of guile and application in his bowling in South Africa and could ensure McCullum’s pyrotechnics fizzle out fast.

Team news

Bangalore would do well to employ the services of a Kolkata boy, Shreevats Goswami, to lend some solidity as one of the openers. Ryder is off the boil and Taylor continues to disappoint. Expect Praveen Kumar to return and lead the bowling attack along with Vinay Kumar, giving Kallis the option to run in first change.Royal Challengers Bangalore: (probable) 1 Jacques Kallis, 2 Shreevats Goswami, 3 Robin Uthappa, 4 Rahul Dravid, 5 Virat Kohli, 6 Mark Boucher (wk), 7 Roelof van der Merwe, 8 Dillon du Preez, 9 Praveen Kumar, 10 Vinay Kumar, 11 Anil Kumble (capt).David Hussey’s return from Australia’s series against Pakistan in the UAE augurs well for the limp batting line-up, though he did not feature in the last match against Delhi. Mortaza, Kolkata’s prized purchase at $600,000, continues to warm the benches – a move which has the player and the fans stumped alike. With little at stake, it would be a good time to try something entirely new – the call is for foreign players with considerable international experience to ensure a couple of highs for Kolkata during the last lap.Kolkata Knight Riders: (probable) 1 Brendon McCullum (capt), 2 Sourav Ganguly, 3 David Hussey, 4 Morne van Wyk, 5 Yashpal Singh, 6 Wriddhiman Saha, 7 Laxmi Ratan Shukla, 8 Ajit Agarkar, 9 Murali Kartik, 10 Mashrafe Mortaza, 11 Ishant Sharma.

Stats and trivia

• If it’s a day match at the SuperSport Park, expect the team batting second to come out trumps. In the two early starts, Deccan triumphed over Delhi by six wickets while Rajasthan beat Bangalore by seven.
• The contrast is too stark – nine matches for McCullum this year have translated into 91 runs, a far shout from the 158 he scored in just the one match, last season’s opener against Bangalore.
• Just to emphasize the opening-stand predicament for Bangalore. With the opening partnership ending on no-score on four occasions, the statistic is the worst among all teams in the competition. The stands in the 10 matches so far read: 0,0,0,6,0,69,2,24,10 and 23

Head-to-head record

It was a thriller last time around in Durban as Mark Boucher’s cool head prevailed in a five-wicket victory off the penultimate ball of the match. McCullum smashed 158 off 73 balls to annihilate Bangalore by 140 runs in the opening game of the IPL last season. Kolkata won their home game at the Eden Gardens as well by five runs after Bangalore were restricted to 124 for 4 in 16 overs.

ScorecardIt was a bad day for Michael Vaughan, but a glorious one for his team-mates Jacques Rudolph and Anthony McGrath. Both of these former Test players recorded fine centuries as Yorkshire ran up a total of almost 400 against a toothless Worcestershire attack, and put on a double-century partnership for the third wicket.The morning was bright and sunny at Headingley, but the rain of the previous day had taken its toll and the outfield was initially unfit for play. An early lunch was taken and play finally began at 1.30pm, despite the presence at the ground of that renowned rainmaker, Dickie Bird. The sun still shone intermittently and this made batting conditions better than on the first day, apart from the outfield, which was still very slow.Yorkshire continued from their overnight score of 123 for 1. All eyes were on Vaughan, after his omission from the Test squad, but the sun did not shine for the former England captain. He got off the mark, then drove Ashley Noffke with his usual regal splendour through the covers for four. But the bowler replied with a superb delivery that had Vaughan fencing and edging to the keeper for 5.In came McGrath, and from the start the Yorkshire captain showed that he meant business. Some good bowling from Noffke and Matt Mason did not daunt him, though he slashed and missed a couple of times. Mason enjoyed a good if unsuccessful opening spell, but on the whole the Worcestershire bowling was again inconsistent. Bar the occasional good over or two, they were unable to string together a whole spell of sustained aggression, and as a result the pressure was never on the batsmen for long. McGrath made the bowlers pay, pulling Imran Arif for a powerful six over midwicket, and Rudolph, the dominant figure on the previous day, was now content to play second fiddle to his captain – for a while at least.Chris Whelan had McGrath in trouble with one excellent over, but again he was unable to maintain the pressure for long enough, and the batsman ran to his 50 off 81 balls with another pull for six. Rudolph, sedate as he approached three figures, steered the ball skilfully backward of point for four to reach his century (182 balls). The century partnership soon followed, McGrath having registered 61 of them; it took only 25 overs, a considerable achievement on such a slow outfield.After tea came the second new ball, but McGrath only unleashed another powerful attack on the hapless bowlers. Worcestershire now began visibly to lose heart, and their over-rate declined. Rudolph finally decided to come to the party, as Duncan Fletcher would have said, and began to outscore McGrath, who was approaching his century. Rudolph on 142 drove Gareth Batty for a straight six into the building site and then ran to 150 (257 balls) with a two through the covers. The next landmark was McGrath’s century, which took him 166 balls.Yorkshire’s only problem now was how to time their impending declaration. McGrath, probably with that in mind, hit out and was caught at extra cover off Daryl Mitchell for 120. He faced 130 balls and hit 13 fours and two sixes; the stand was worth 237 and Rudolph was now on 181. Also possible was a fifth batting point for Yorkshire; they needed 33 for the point off the final nine overs available, but fell nine short. Rudolph was approaching 200 with caution and Andrew Gale was settling in slowly; Yorkshire might have done better had they sent in a more aggressive batsman at this stage. Only in these final overs could Yorkshire be criticised today; perhaps they simply forgot that bonus points now apply to 120 overs rather than 130 this season.With Rudolph unworried about reaching 200 before the close, it is possible that Yorkshire may not declare overnight and allow him to reach the landmark. With a dicey weather forecast, Yorkshire will be looking to their bowlers to win the match in quick time.

Out you go, Yuvi
After his misadventure in the slips yesterday, Yuvraj Singh was shown through to more conventional field placings. Sachin Tendulkar was still unavailable, so another new man had to come into the slips: Gautam Gambhir, at first slip. VVS Laxman stayed at second, and Rahul Dravid took the third. Yuvraj did effect a run-out from cover.201 and gone
Jesse Ryder brought up his maiden double-century with a stylish swivel pull to fine leg, but the release next ball wasn’t quite favourable for New Zealand. He went for a big booming cover-drive, played the ball on, and was so frustrated he kept hitting the ground with his bat on the way back.Run Munaf run
Late into the day, 153rd over on, and Munaf Patel wasn’t really keen on running around. He found himself a place in the shade, deep and square on Brendon McCullum’s off side. But that cruel Harbhajan Singh kept bowling short, making poor Munaf run to third man, then to point, and then to third man again, in successive deliveries. McCullum perhaps enjoyed the fun, and he tried to cut the fourth ball too, which was much fuller than the cutting length. In the end he pushed it to short third for a single, and Munaf could pant easy.Tired? What tired?
India spent 154.4 overs in the sun, and one would have expected a tired Virender Sehwag to be more watchful than usual. You gotta be kidding. Three of the first four balls he faced, he hit for boundaries. That would have been good way to tell New Zealand they could be in for a good long haul themselves if he hadn’t got out with 15 overs to go before stumps.The home advantage
It was seen when India bowled that they spent time in getting the helmets out and then sending them back depending on whether they needed close-in fielders or no. But New Zealand know their grounds. Jeetan Patel came out with a helmet, and lifted a square lid at around short midwicket, opening up an underground compartment for the helmets, and left it there. Smooth.Twilight watchman
For some reason India continue with their practice of using a nightwatchman, in perfect light, and perfect batting conditions. And that too a fast bowler who has just finished bowling 27 overs. Ishant Sharma couldn’t survive the last six overs. At least India are consistent there: they sent in Ishant against Australia too, in Delhi last year, with the same consequence. Gary Kirsten said then: “Certainly, in all the cricket I have played in my time, and it’s no different here, we always ask the No. 3 or 4 batsman if they want a nightwatchman. And it was requested that a nightwatchman be used. This is what happens every single time, in every situation, and there are very few batsmen who don’t want a nightwatchman.”

Ashwell Prince’s appointment as South Africa’s Test captain has lastedless than 24 hours. The day after Prince was named as the stand-inleader for the Cape Town Test in the absence of Graeme Smith, CricketSouth Africa (CSA) reversed its decision and instead handed the captaincy to Jacques Kallis.Kallis will lead the side in a one-off capacity in the third Test atNewlands, which begins on March 19. A CSA statementsaid the decision was made to allow Prince to concentrate solely onhis new position as opening batsman.Normally a middle-order player, Prince has been thrust into theopening role because the selectors were reluctant to tamper with theirsuccessful middle order of Hashim Amla, Kallis, AB de Villiers and JPDuminy. Prince was overlooked for the first two Tests after Duminycemented his role during the tour of Australia, when Prince had abroken thumb.Prince, usually the vice-captain of the side under Smith, has ledSouth Africa in two Tests. Kallis also captained South Africa duringthe final Test of Australia’s previous tour, again when Smith wasinjured.

Group A

Fast bowler Samiullah Khan and offspinner Raza Hasan took three wickets each to precipitate a quick end to Karachi Whites‘ innings and hand Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited a massive win at the National Bank Sports Complex. Barring a 53-run fourth-wicket stand between captain Khalid Latif, who made 71, and Afsar Nawaz, there was little resistance from the Karachi Whites batsmen. Starting the day 245 runs adrift, Karachi Whites slipped to 62 for 3 before Latif and Nawaz got together. Fast bowler Imran Ali broke their stand with the score on 115 to trigger a collapse. SNGPL took six wickets for 62 to bowl out Karachi Whites for 177 and win by an innings and 90 runs. The other noteworthy effort down the order came from wicketkeeper Adnan Baig, who made 26 before having to retire hurt.Left-arm fast bowler Mohammad Aamer finished with career-best figures of 7 for 61 as National Bank of Pakistan beat Lahore Shalimar by an innings and 90 runs at the Gaddafi Stadium. Lahore Shalimar, struggling overnight at 33 for 5, needed of 210 more runs to make NBP bat again. Though captain Zulqarnain Haider, who top scored with 60, and lower-order batsman Mohammad Saaed resisted with a 104-run seventh-wicket partnership, the rest of the batting line-up simply crumbled. Only three batsmen reached double figures. Lahore Shalimar lost their last four wickets for six runs, including two scalps for Aamer, in an innings that lasted 32.5 overs.An unbeaten 120 from Aftab Alam helped Habib Bank Limited overcome a collapse against Khan Research Laboratories in Rawalpindi. Fast bowlers Yasir Ali and Akhtar Ayub took three wickets each as HBL were reeling at 159 for 9 after being put in, despite a 76-run fifth-wicket stand between Younis and Sulaman Qadir, who made 36. However, Alam helped his team salvage a respectable score as No.11 batsman Irfan Fazil supported him well with a determined 19 in a last-wicket stand of 82. In reply, KRL were 16 without loss at stumps.Ali Azmat and Naved-ul-Hasan scored centuries to put Water and Power Development Authority on top against Sui Southern Gas Corporation in Muridke. The pair were helped by contributions of 86 from captain Aamer Sajjad and 72 from Jahangir Mirza as WAPDA declared on a formidable score of 460. The effort marked a remarkable recovery from a potentially precarious situation at 77 for 4 on the first day. In reply, SSGC struggled to reach 50 for 3 at stumps as Naved followed up his admirable batting display to take 2 for 20 and put pressure on the opposition. With a day remaining, the chances of victory for SSGC are low.Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited got themselves into a dominant position against Pakistan Customs in Sheikhpura. A collective batting effort helped them gain a potentially decisive first-innings lead of 237. Overnight batsman Inam-ul-Haq top scored with 110, but it were the contributions from the middle order that enabled his team reach an imposing score. Aamer Bashir was bowled one short of a century, Abdul Razzaq was run out two short, and Faisal Naved made an aggressive 77-ball 72 to extend ZTBL’s advantage after they had overhauled Pakistan Customs’ 280. Mohammad Hussain took four wickets, but not before conceding 156 runs. In reply, Pakistan Customs lost their openers Rameez Raja and Rameez Aziz on the same score after they had provided their team a sound start, adding 88. They finished the day on 105 for 2, but with a day’s play remaining, ZTBL will look to force a result by bowling out the opposition cheaply.

Group B

It was a bizarre day in Islamabad, with both teams forfeiting their first innings to force a result after two days were lost to bad weather. The move, though, backfired for Quetta, who were bowled out for 41 in under 14 overs, with fast bowler Mohammad Rameez taking 6 for 17. Only two of their batsmen, including Jalat Khan, who made 21, managed double figures and Rawalpindi reached their target without much difficulty, seven overs to complete the job. Opener Babar Naeem made an unbeaten 26 off 21 balls to hasten the end for Quetta.Only 30 overs were possible on the third day in Sargodha, as Faisalabad finished on 85 for 1 at stumps against Abbottabad. Asked to bat, the Faisalabad openers Imran Ali and Zeeshan Ashraf put on 56 before left-arm spinner Asif Ali had Imran caught behind for 27. Zeeshan was unbeaten on 38 at stumps but a draw is the likely result after no play was possible on the first two days due to bad weather.Karachi Blues were helped to 249 for 9 by their middle and lower orders against Islamabad at the Diamond Club Ground. Asked to bat, Karachi lost opener Shahzaib Hasan early with the score on 5, caught off fast bowler Saad Altaf, who finished the day with 3 for 82. They recovered with captain Shadab Kabir and Wajihuddin adding 55 for the second wicket, but lost their way, losing three wickets for 11 runs to slip to 79 for 4. However, the middle order stepped up. Danil Ahsan made 42, and added 84 with Faraz Patel, who made 38, to restore some stability to his team’s innings. Though the Islamabad bowlers struck back, reducing the opposition to 194 for 8 – Rauf Akbar and left-arm spinner Imad Wasim took two wickets each – wicketkeeper Owais Rehmani remained unbeaten till stumps on 53, adding 55 with No. 10 Tabish Khan.Lahore Ravi had the better of the third day at the Lahore City Cricket Association Ground. They bowled out Multan for 306 – spinners Kashif Siddiq and Sohail Ahmed took four wickets each – and batted themselves into a comfortable position at 196 for 3 at stumps. For Multan, Naved Yasin remained unbeaten on 125 and was involved in an important 78-run stand with Zulfiqar Babar, which helped take their team past 300. Babar proved handy with the ball as well, taking all the three Lahore Ravi wickets to fall, but half-centuries from Siddiq and Raza Ali ensured their team responded fittingly to Multan’s total. However, with only a day left, the match appears to be meandering towards a draw.Centuries from Haris Sohail and captain Mohammad Ayub, and three wickets from left-arm spinner Nayyer Abbas put Sialkot firmly on top against Peshawar at the Arab Niaz Stadium. Fast bowlers Waqar Ahmed and Nauman Habib took nine wickets between them, including the final five wickets for 65, but Sohail and Ayub added a match-turning partnership of 273 for the fifth wicket to take their team past 300. They helped Sialkot recover after the side were left reeling at 31 for 4. The Sialkot bowlers then responded well to the 369-run cushion provided by their batsmen, with the Peshawar openers dismissed within ten runs of each other. Abbas and medium-pacer Bilawal Bhatti kept chipping away at the Peshawar batsmen, restricting them to 120 for 6 at stumps. Only Jamaluddin offered any resistance, scoring 40. However, with one day left, Sialkot will need to bring an early conclusion to the Peshawar innings in order to force an innings win.

A day of rain in Buenos Aires meant that two of the final round-robin matches will have to be replayed on Saturday, keeping the World Cup dreams of Afghanistan and Uganda still alive. Both teams were in precarious positions when rain came to their aid. In the only game that was completed, Papua New Guinea thrashed Hong Kong to move to top the table with eight points, but they will have to await the results of Saturday’s games – if both Afghanistan and Uganda win, net run-rate will determine which teams make it through to the ICC World Cup Qualifier.A disastrous batting performance from Hong Kong against Papua New Guinea ended their hopes of advancing. Five of their top six failed to get past 10, and it was a 25 from No. 8 Ilyas Gull that helped them to 91. The only other batsmen to reach double digits were Zain Abbas (18) and Irfan Ahmed (10), with extras contributing 13. Loa Nou took 3 for 12 off 7.3 overs for PNG, with Rarva Dikana and John Ovia snapping two each in similar economical spells. PNG raced to the target in 12.3 overs, giving a healthy boost to their net run-rate, which had dropped after their heavy loss to Afghanistan. The openers put on 82 in no time. Vani Morea hit two sixes in his 31-ball 42, while Chris Amini made an unbeaten on 38 off 44 balls.”Today was a completely different performance to Wednesday. I thought we needed to stand up collectively and show a bit of character and the boys responded really well,” Martin Gleeson, PNG’s coach, said. “There were no individual stars with the bowling – it was just a really good all-round performance.”Our batting focus was on knocking off the runs as quickly as possible, hitting the ball and not slogging it. I think we showed that we can score six or seven runs an over with the bat. We will just have to see how the other matches end up.”Defeat looked imminent for Afghanistan against Cayman Islands when rain, which had caused a five-hour interruption, returned to save them. Things went wrong for Afghanistan, one of the pre-tournament favourites, from the start, with openers Shafiqullah and Karim Khan falling cheaply. They were reduced to 47 for 5 when Raees Ahmadzai and Mohammad Nabi were dismissed in the space of four balls by Saheed Mohamed. Captain Nowroz Mangal’s unbeaten 26 helped them recover to 68 for 5 in 31 overs before rain halted play. When play resumed, Duckworth/Lewis came into play, and Cayman Islands needed only 63 off 20 overs. Dawlat Ahmadzai removed the openers, but Keneil Irving put the chase on track with three fours in a Hameed Hassan over. At 35 for 2 off seven overs, Cayman Islands were in sight of an upset win when a late downpour forced to umpires to call off the game. Afghanistan played a bit smartly as well, delaying matters in the field in order to let the elements bail them out. A win on Saturday will ensure their place in the top two, since they already have a better net run-rate than PNG.”I nearly had another heart attack. I think I need to say thank you to God as he has been very kind to us today. We needed it to rain and it did,” Kabir Khan, Afghanistan’s coach, said. “We have to play better tomorrow as PNG has already won its game and Uganda has a very good chance of winning their game as well, so we need to win and with a good run rate as well.”Cayman Islands coach Theo Cuffy was disappointed but knew there was nothing they could do about the rain. “I thought we looked very comfortable today, but we will have to see what happens tomorrow. I am confident, but tomorrow is just another day. We will try our best. I thought our bowlers really stuck to their plans today and it is just unfortunate about the weather.”Uganda, too, were wobbling in their game against Argentina, and were at 69 for 4 in 31 overs when rain intervened. Lucas Paterlini struck twice for the hosts, but the inclement weather upset their hopes – at least on the day – of finishing a disappointing campaign on a winning note.With the two replays taking place on Saturday, the play-off matches for the standings have been cancelled.

The ICC has been forced to issue a hasty media release after criticism of its rankings following Wednesday’s announcement that Matthew Hayden was rated as the 10th-best Test batsmen of all time. One newspaper said that it had been forced into a “damage-limitation exercise” after the top 10 did not feature Sachin Tendulkar, ranked at No. 26.”This does not necessarily mean he is the 10th-best Test batsman or 18th-best ODI batsman in the history of the game,” an ICC spokesman said. “The rankings give an indication of how players peaked during their careers but do not give a full picture of those players’ level of consistency or longevity in the game.”The rankings are a great way to compare the performances of players but the all-time list of highest-rated players does not by itself rank those players in terms of true greatness. For that reason some players, who are considered by most observers of the game to be truly great, such as Brian Lara, Sachin Tendulkar, Wally Hammond, Greg Chappell and others, do not feature in the top 20 in the all-time high ratings.”But many remained far from convinced. “I am appalled at the ICC’s methods of devising the best batsman and the best bowler,” fumed Kapil Dev. “It is all the more disappointing when I see that the names of Gavaskar and Tendulkar do not figure on the top.”India’s former left-arm spinner Maninder Singh labelled the rankings a “joke” and said “sadistic” ICC officials should stop coming out with such lists. Even former BCCI secretary Niranjan Shah was moved to describe the rankings system as laughable.”I don’t know if anyone takes this ranking system seriously, it has no bearing on anybody,” Shah told the Sydney Morning Herald. “There are so many other companies in India doing these sorts of rankings and the ICC just wants to get some publicity for their own system.”

Phil Jaques has been the forgotten man of Australia’s top order in the past few months but he hopes to be remembered when the squad for February’s tour of South Africa is picked. Jaques had back surgery after returning home from the India series in October and is preparing for a state comeback by the end of January.Amid all the questions over Matthew Hayden’s future and speculation that he could be replaced by Chris Rogers or Phillip Hughes, a Jaques return had been largely overlooked. In his most recent Test, in Barbados in June, Jaques played through back soreness to score 108 and he said the timing his injury lay-off had been frustrating.”When you’re not playing you open the doors to a lot of people,” Jaques said on Channel Nine on the first day of the Sydney Test. “There’s a lot of guys making runs around Australia at the moment.”Obviously I’m going to have to come back in and make some runs when I start playing. I’ve been trying to focus on getting myself right and getting myself back on the park and hopefully my runs will speak for themselves.”Jaques has been batting in the nets for a fortnight and running for three weeks and he said it was terrific to be back in action after “a hard couple of months”. He is aiming to return to grade cricket from January 17 with the goal of playing in New South Wales’ Sheffield Shield match against Tasmania in Newcastle beginning on January 30.It is the only four-day opportunity for Jaques ahead of the South Africa tour. Should he fail to make the squad it would mean a long wait until the announcement of the Ashes touring party and for a man who was until six months ago a key part of the Test side, that would be an excruciating wait.”I’m itching to go,” he said. “No one likes getting surgery mid-season, that’s for sure, and it’s probably been the hardest day today, coming down to the home Test in Sydney and watching the boys run around. It would be great to be out there.”

Shaun Udal, the Middlesex captain, has said the decision to cancel the Champions Twenty20 League was a shock, and has criticised the lack of communication from the tournament organisers.”Obviously, we are really disappointed. The communication lines have not been very good,” he told . “It is a shock. It’s come as a really big surprise – a bolt out of the blue. Financially for the club, it was a huge carrot that we were going to go out there and play in this tournament.”It would have been brilliant financially if we had done well. But it was a bonus, not something we had budgeted for. From both a potentially financial and a cricket point of view, it is hugely disappointing.”The BCCI, Cricket Australia (CA) and Cricket South Africa (CSA) met via a teleconference on Friday and took the decision to cancel the event “after considering all aspects, including the international calendar and the domestic schedules of the participating teams”.It was hoped the tournament might be squeezed in during the first few weeks of 2009 but the home and away series between Australia and South Africa, and the domestic Twenty20 fixtures of those countries, put paid to that idea. It is now scheduled to be held in October 2009.Middlesex, the Twenty20 Cup champions, were due to face the domestic winners from Australia, South Africa, India and Pakistan.

The BCCI has decided to challenge in India’s Supreme Court a decision by the Calcutta High Court to order criminal proceedings against six top board officials. The court directive relates to charges of perjury – filing a false affidavit – in a case involving Jagmohan Dalmiya’s expulsion from the Indian board.”The BCCI officials were not given an opportunity to put across their case,” Rajiv Shukla, the chairman of BCCI’s finance committee, told while explaining the board’s response.The six BCCI officials are Shashank Manohar, the president, Sharad Pawar, the current ICC vice-president and a former president, Ratnakar Shetty, the chief administrative officer, Niranjan Shah, the former secretary, N Srinivasan, the current secretary, and Chirayu Amin, vice-president.Dalmiya, a former board president himself, filed a case of perjury against the officials in June 2007 for producing false documents in court relating to his expulsion in December 2006.The BCCI had filed an affidavit – signed by the six officials – in the Calcutta High Court stating that the rule under which Dalmiya had been expelled from the BCCI had been registered as required with the Registrar of Societies in Chennai. Dalmiya then filed a case against the six officials alleging that the documents submitted in court were false and were produced with intent to mislead the court.On Wednesday, Justice Nadira Patherya of the Calcutta High Court asked for criminal proceedings to be initiated, in an appropriate court, under Section 195 of the Criminal Procedure Code. The section deals with prosecution for contempt of lawful authority of public servants for offences against public justice and for offences relating to documents given in evidence.