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Shahid Afridi has been banned for two Twenty20 internationals after being found guilty of ball-tampering during Pakistan’s two-wicket loss to Australia in the ODI at the WACA. Afridi, Pakistan’s captain in Twenty20 cricket, was charged with an article 2.2.9 offence of the ICC Code of Conduct which relates to “changing the condition of the ball in breach of Law 42.3 of the Laws of Cricket”.Afridi, leading Pakistan in the absence of Mohammad Yousuf, was caught by TV cameras apparently biting the ball on a couple of occasions. This was reported to the on-field umpires by the TV umpire and, after a chat with Afridi, the umpires changed the ball.Afridi was called into a hearing with the match referee Ranjan Madugalle immediately after the match. Madugalle said Afridi pleaded guilty to the charge, apologised and regretted his action.In later public comments, Afridi admitted to tampering the ball but added the practice was common among all teams. “I shouldn’t have done it. It just happened. I was trying to help my bowlers and win a match, one match,” he told , a Pakistan-based news channel. “There is no team in the world that doesn’t tamper with the ball. My methods were wrong. I am embarrassed, I shouldn’t have done it. I just wanted to win us a game but this was the wrong way to do it.”Intikhab Alam, the Pakistan coach, said: “It’s unacceptable. It shouldn’t have happened but it happened and I feel sorry for him. Being a captain you should be above everything but unfortunately it’s happened.”The punishment poses a quandary for Pakistan, who end their tour of Australia with a Twenty20 in Melbourne on Friday. Yousuf, who captained Pakistan in Tests and ODIs, is not part of the Twenty20 squad and Younis Khan, who was captain before the tour of New Zealand which preceded this one, has retired from the format. Shoaib Malik, who was captain in all three formats this time last year, might be one of those in the running to take charge. Afridi will also now miss the first Twenty20 against England in Abu Dhabi in February.Another candidate is Kamran Akmal, the Pakistan wicketkeeper and vice-captain. However, his own form with the gloves has been poor. He was dropped for the third Test in Hobart, following a debacle in the previous Test in Sydney, where he dropped Michael Hussey thrice to give Australia a chance to sneak back into the match and eventually beat Pakistan by 36 runs.Afridi’s conduct was part of a bizarre finale to the game, which sealed a 5-0 win for Australia. Opener Khalid Latif was tackled by a fan who broke through the security cordon and ran on to the field. Police have spoken to Latif, who is not thought to be seriously injured. But action is likely to be taken against the spectator and Pakistan’s management will also look at the incident in further detail.”I thought it was disgraceful,” Australian seamer Clint McKay said. “Something you don’t want to see ever. For someone to go out there and to touch one of their players is not on. Hopefully it all gets put to bed and he gets a right whack. It’s probably the worst thing that can happen on a cricket field, so hopefully it gets stamped out and we don’t see it again.”

Had Pakistan not turned up for this series, Australia might have had a tougher time winning it. The tourists’ generosity has scarred this contest through three Tests. More catches have already been dropped than there are seagulls in Hobart; this afternoon, just as Australia were beginning to understand the toil required to break through on this surface, came two more gifts, borne of an ineptitude that was laughable and horrific.First went the skipper, Mohammad Yousuf, who was attempting a legitimate third only to realise too late that Salman Butt wasn’t even moving. Soon after, Umar Akmal happened upon the same realisation, that Butt wasn’t running for a tight but gettable single, as the day closed. The two best Pakistani batsmen gone in a trice and a miserable second day for Pakistan complete; saving this Test now will be as much as a win.The blame, Yousuf was surprisingly candid later, lay fully with Butt. So candid that he even had a pop, with a tired smile, at Butt’s priorities.”I don’t think there was anything of panic,” said Yousuf. “Three easy runs were there, if somebody is not coming out of the box, what can anyone do? He must come out, or shout he doesn’t want to come. Not like this.”We are not playing for self, we are playing for the country. I am 35 years old, if I get three runs, he is 25 years old, why can he not run? Me and him did the same 140 overs of fielding. We play for the country here not self. He is a little lazy runner everybody knows that.”Ricky Ponting said run-outs like that are not a good sign around a team and that is to be taken as ominously as it sounds. Pakistan have come apart since Sydney, playing like men whose insides are already broken. Yousuf lingered forever after the dismissal, not so much in anger it seemed as in unknowing bewilderment; what, after all, can be done when your team plays cricket as intrinsically stupid as this? Where do you begin to resolve the situation? He did well to get back to the dressing room without keeling over in frustration.”I just stopped, not saying anything. I was just very sad because he is 25 and he can’t run,” he said. “That is why I was standing there. I cannot say anything to him. I am not coming back, I can only back him to play a long innings. On a flat wicket, two run-outs are very disappointing.”Rain stands between Pakistan and a fourth successive whitewash at the hands of Australia and because of the lessened nature of this Australian side, this should hurt more than the efforts of 1999-00, 2002-03 and 2004-05; genius burst out of the Australian sides that inflicted those defeats. But Yousuf still believes in two things.The first is that this Pakistan side has done better than those in the past here. “One thing I tell you,” he said, tired and pensive. “Over the past years, many teams come here from Pakistan with big players and nobody performed like this, like we did here. Obviously we lost the series but we at least came near winning.”We are a young team, with averages like 25, 30, 27, 28 it is very difficult. I appreciate my team, they are trying to deliver whatever they can. I am happy with my team performance and I think they are trying everything. We’ve won just one game in 1996 and many teams came here and lost everything, not even getting close like we did in Sydney. I think we are not bad here.”He also believes that Pakistan – or fate – can save this Test. Rain is forecast over the next couple of days. “It is difficult to save this game. It is a very flat wicket, but if we play for the country and try to survive sessions, not go for runs, every session we try to save, maybe we can save the game. It is difficult but not impossible. We cannot give up on it.”There is nobility in both beliefs and that is admirable in a way. But they are ultimately as poorly-judged as Butt’s running.

Four Pakistan players have been cleared for visas by the Indian ministry of external affairs, possibly paving the way for their return to the IPL in 2010. The final call on whether or not they actually participate, it appears, will now be taken by the league, which had earlier ruled out the participation of Pakistan’s players as they had not obtained their visa clearances by December 7, the extended deadline.Kamran Akmal, Umar Gul, Misbah-ul-Haq and Sohail Tanvir all applied for visas – the first three in Wellington, where they are involved in a Test series, and Tanvir in Islamabad – and Ijaz Butt, chairman PCB, confirmed that clearance had been granted. “Yes the visa clearance has been granted for four of them, three in New Zealand and one in Islamabad,” Butt told Cricinfo.The board will now contact Lalit Modi, the IPL commissioner, and hope “that he considers this latest development,” Butt said. The league had already granted two deadline extensions to the PCB to have its players cleared to take part, though no word has so far come on whether another might be granted now.Butt has fought hard to get his players back into the IPL after they were prevented by their own government from playing in the second season, a fallout of a deterioration in political ties between India and Pakistan after the Mumbai attacks of 2008. He met Modi in October to begin finding a way back for the players.There is no clarity, however, on the situation of Abdul Razzaq, who is currently in Dhaka; he is believed to have signed up with Kolkata Knight Riders but is the only one of the group who hasn’t played in the IPL. Akmal and Tanvir, with Rajasthan Royals, Gul with Kolkata and Misbah with Bangalore Royal Challengers, all have contracts already in place, which stood “suspended” over the last year.

There will be an old familiar face around Australia’s changing squad this summer with Justin Langer set to take on a coaching role with the Test squad. Cricket Australia has confirmed Langer will help Tim Nielsen’s coaching team as a batting coach and in a mentoring capacity during the Test portion of the season.It is the first step into coaching for Langer, who stood down from international cricket after the 2006-07 Ashes and retired from first-class cricket this year after three seasons as Somerset’s captain. Cricket Australia’s general manager of cricket Michael Brown said Langer, a veteran of 105 Tests, would be a valuable addition to the staff.”Justin Langer will join the Australian Test squad and provide specialist skills in assisting the batters prepare for Test match cricket,” Brown said. “He’ll also develop plans to assist players cope with the rigours of the Test match game.”We are thrilled to have a player of Justin’s experience working with the Test team. Justin was renowned for his professional approach to preparation and his commitment to play for his country. He will help many young players as our team continues to develop.”The Test squad has taken on a vastly different look since Langer’s retirement with Matthew Hayden, Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath, Adam Gilchrist, Stuart MacGill and Andrew Symonds all having moved on. So much has altered that 14 men have made their Test debuts for Australia since Langer departed and he is looking forward to taking a leadership role within the group.”When CA approached me about this appointment, I felt privileged to be considered,” Langer said. “I have been passionate about Australian cricket for many years so I am excited about playing a ‘hands-on’ role in the continued development of the Test team, particularly in the batting and leadership departments.”

ScorecardBangladesh Under-19 coasted to yet another win over a winless England, thereby clinching the seven-match series 4-0. Set a target of 153 in the fourth match in Fatullah, Bangladesh were helped home by the opener Saikat Ali’s 46 and an unbeaten 50 from Tasamul Haque.England’s innings was a disappointing one because they failed to bat out their stipulated overs. Apart from Joe Root’s 54 from 119 balls, batting at No.3, and a brisk 41 from Danny Briggs down the order there was little to speak of for the visitors. Shaker Ahmed did the most damage with 3 for 26 in the middle order, strikes that crippled England’s line-up.In reply, despite two early wickets, Saikat and Tasamul steadied the chase. Bangladesh’s middle order also suffered a bit of a wobble after Saikat’s dismissal but Tasamul finished the chase comfortably.England Under-19 coach Mick Newell conceded his side had been “outplayed” on their unsuccessful tour of Bangladesh, but he believed there would be a collective benefit ahead of the World Cup scheduled in New Zealand from January 15-30. “We played pretty good cricket in the Test and we were disappointed to lose that game on the last day when we deserved better,” he told . “It’s a huge learning curve for all of us. Cricket over here is very different – the pitches are quite slow and they turn a lot.”We have been facing 35 overs of spin in the 50-over matches and starting well against the quicker bowlers, but as soon as the spin bowlers come on we have had a problem knocking the ball around. That builds pressure which has led to mistakes being made.”There are positives to take from this tour and I would single out the likes of Joe Root, Danny Briggs and Nathan Buck as people who have stood out so far for me.”

Stuart Clark will be happy to lead New South Wales when Simon Katich is away this summer, but the downside of a possible promotion is it will mean he’s not in the Test side. With Australia’s selectors currently besotted by the trio of Mitchell Johnson, Peter Siddle and Ben Hilfenhaus – Brett Lee is hovering as well – Clark is facing an uncertain international season.However, if he is overlooked for the first Test against West Indies at the Gabba on November 26 he is a serious option to become a rare fast-bowling leader of a first-class side. Matthew Mott, the New South Wales coach, gave Clark the captaincy in a couple of warm-up games before the Champions League Twenty20 success and the 34-year-old enjoyed the experience, increasing his chances of taking over the back-up leader’s duties from Dominic Thornely.Clark impressed the team management with his tactics and could step in when Katich is opening the batting for the national side – although he hopes he’s not available for his state. “I’m still very focussed on getting myself into the first Test team,” he said. “We’ll have to wait and see what happens. But if I’m not in the Test team and New South Wales ask me to do the job, then I’d definitely do it.”Mott called Clark an “outstanding” thinker, which is not a surprise considering he has been doing a masters degree in commerce, and was happy with his work in the trials. “He brings a lot of experience and credibility and he’s a deep thinker,” he said. “He doesn’t waste his words either.”Fast bowlers are as untrendy as wicketkeepers in captaincy circles, but the Blues used Geoff Lawson in the late 1980s and early 90s and Dave Gilbert, the chief executive, was also astute enough to hold on-field leadership roles before heading upstairs. “I think it’s just hard bowling all the time, when you’re tired and you’ve got to concentrate and move fielders,” Clark said. “But I really enjoy the strategy point of the game, but that’s me as a person, I enjoy strategy. It’s not just cricket, but in life and business, it’s a big part of my life.”If he takes on the role his time in the field will change significantly. “When you bowl, you just bowl and go down to fine leg and think about what you’re doing next over,” he said. “Then all of a sudden you’re in the game all the time [as captain], pushing fielders left and right, thinking about who is going to bowl in 10 overs.”New South Wales have two Sheffield Shield and FR Cup games before the first Test so the team will continue to be Katich’s until then. Thornely led at times last year but the batsman may find it hard to hold a spot throughout the summer given the squad’s impressive list of well-credentialed run-makers. The opener Phil Jaques, who is in form at grade level following back surgery, is another contender being watched by Mott.

The Blues open their season on Sunday with a FR Cup game against Western Australia at North Sydney Oval before the Sheffield Shield fixture at the SCG from Tuesday. With the side fresh from winning the US$2.5m Champions League, it would be easy for the players to feel their season had already peaked. However, Clark is one of a group of men on the edge of the national team. They know the interstate arena is more valuable than their fortnight of success in India.”It was great, but it’s now finished,” Clark said. “The guys are very committed to Twenty20 stuff but they also know that back home there’s quite a lot of domestic cricket that’s just as important, and probably more so for the guys who are on the fringe wanting to play for Australia.”Clark collected four wickets in Australia’s previous two Tests, a win in Leeds and the lost Ashes conclusion at The Oval, but wasn’t called for the following limited-overs encounters. Unlike many of the country’s players, he has had a break and avoided injuries, allowing him to start the summer in prime shape. After 24 Tests he requires another six wickets to reach 100.”I very much still want to play cricket for Australia,” he said. “I’m not sure where I sit with all of that at the moment, but I still haven’t given up playing Test cricket for Australia. With New South Wales, we have a pretty good team, if we keep some of our older players with our youth, I think we’ll do alright, definitely better than last season.” They were last in both the Shield and FR Cup, but this summer Clark might have a greater say in the recovery.

The SuperSport Series match between Titans and Warriors that was abandoned last week due to an unfit pitch in Benoni has been rescheduled for November 12-15 in Port Elizabeth.The original fixture at Willowmoore Park, between October 8-11, was called off after seven overs. The crease at the southern end of the ground was moist, affecting the bowler’s delivery stride. Titans bowler Ethi Mbhalati found that his front foot dug several centimetres into a soft crease. During subsequent overs, the ground staff tried, unsuccessfully, to tackle the problem with sawdust and other equipment.Cricket South Africa (CSA) decided to reschedule the game after a detailed investigation. “My recommendation is, therefore, that the abandoned fixture be replayed on 12th to 15th November, 2009, when both franchise teams have a bye,” Brian Basson, CSA general manager (playing affairs) said. “The match is to be played at Axxess Park St. George’s, Port Elizabeth, and all related costs of restaging the match are to be for the account of Easterns Titans.”Basson added that Titans, the hosting association, would not be fined or deducted points. “I can find no fair basis upon which to deduct points from the hosting team, or to award points to the touring team,” Basson said. “An imposition of a heavy financial penalty on the hosting franchise will serve no real purpose. The real tragedy is the elimination of a premier first-class match from the cricket schedule wherein two teams were precluded from participating in a match through no fault of their own.”

Wasim Jaffer will lead Mumbai in their Irani Cup match against Rest of India in Nagpur starting October 1. The 15-man squad has three other players with international experience: middle-order batsman Rohit Sharma, fast bowler Ajit Agarkar and offspinner Ramesh Powar.Other key performers for Mumbai in their Ranji Trophy victory last season who are included are fast bowler Dhawal Kulkarni and batsman Ajinkya Rahane.Mumbai will be missing the services of veteran middle-order batsman and former captain, Amol Muzumdar, who has switched to Assam, and allrounder Abhishek Nayar, who is with the national team in South Africa for the Champions Trophy.Three players are in with a chance of making a first-class return for Mumbai after missing out for several years: offspinner OJ Khanvilkar (who last played in 2006), wicketkeeper-batsman Sushant Marathe (last played in 2007) and batsman Prashant Naik (last played in 2007).Saurabh Netravalkar, the left-arm medium-pacer who played for Air India Red in the recent BCCI Corporate Cup, also finds a place in the squad. He is yet to make his first-class debut.Mumbai are up against a strong Rest of India side, led by Virender Sehwag, with a bowling line-up reading Irfan Pathan, Munaf Patel, Sreesanth and Pragyan Ojha.Mumbai squad: Wasim Jaffer (capt), Ajit Agarkar, Sahil Kukreja, Ajinkya Rahane, Rohit Sharma, Prashant Naik, Vinayak Samant, Ramesh Powar, Iqbal Abdulla, Dhawal Kulkarni, Rahil Shaikh, Murtuza Hussain, Sushant Marathe, Saurabh Netravalkar, OJ Khanvilkar

Ricky Ponting knew from the moment he spotted Michael Hussey on the final morning he was in the mood to break out of an extended form slump. Hussey’s goals were to save his team and, possibly, his place in the Test side. While the first dream scenario didn’t eventuate, he did score his first century in 29 innings.Four years ago it was Matthew Hayden who saved his spot at The Oval after a wretched series, but both men’s revivals could not stop a numbing series defeat. In the end Hussey’s 121 only delayed the loss, cutting it to 197 runs, but it was the one bright spot as Australia conduct their post mortem.”You could see in his eyes this morning that he was really up for the challenge,” Ponting said. “It’s been a while since he made a hundred and he’s probably felt that more than anyone else. It was great to see him stand up and make that hundred in difficult conditions when the team needed him most, and when he needed it most. It would have been a really satisfying innings, it was great for us.”Until this display Hussey had only two half-centuries for the contest along with a string of failures that weakened his hold in the team. The Australians kept the faith and watched Hussey score his 10th hundred, relived to know he would be staying with them for a bit longer.In partnership with Ponting he gave Australia some hope that they would get close to the other-world figure of 546 for victory, but the middle order tumbled in a couple of run-outs. Hussey was last out, starting England’s party with a bat-pad catch off Graeme Swann.”He played beautifully today, exceptionally,” Ponting said. “It was good fun to be out there and share a partnership … He showed today just how much of a class player he is.”Most of Hussey’s problems have occurred with him not being able to sense the placement of his off stump. He knew today, leaving well and pushing forward or back. Seeing him purr on the tricky surface made it hard to believe he had been in a rut for almost a year.There were awkward moments from the offspin of Swann, who had him dropped twice, and the sharp Steve Harmison, who troubled him with some short deliveries late in the day. When the cloud of defeat disperses, Hussey will recall happily the string of pull shots he sent to the boundary and his driving through the offside.A crisp cut off Stuart Broad took him to 98 and he followed with a two to cover to bring up three figures. It was a sombre celebration, but a satisfying one, and he looked to the sky with one of his bat raises.Four years ago Hayden followed his century at The Oval with three more hundreds in a row to signal the start of the next phase in his life of domination. A similar streak would help Hussey convince himself that he is capable of remaining a prolific force on the international scene.

Jon Holland, the emerging Victorian spinner, is one of seven uncapped players in Australia’s preliminary Champions Trophy squad as the selectors search for young talent ahead of the 2011 World Cup. But the ODI careers of Brad Hodge and Stuart Clark appear all but over after they failed to make the initial 30-man group.The left-arm spinner Holland, 22, has played only eight List A games and is by far the least experienced member of the extended line-up, from which the final 15-man squad will be picked. However, the selectors are keen to keep an eye on Holland, who impressed in the recent Australia A games against Pakistan A in Queensland.The offspinner Jason Krejza has also been named but he and Holland will face a tough battle to make the final touring party with Nathan Hauritz firmly entrenched as the No. 1 spinner. The Tasmanian wicketkeeper Tim Paine has emerged as the new limited-overs backup to Brad Haddin, also following strong performances for Australia A.Phillip Hughes may also be trialled in the one-day format after being used as a Test specialist so far, while his fellow Ashes squad member Andrew McDonald is also in the mix. The other members of the group yet to make their ODI debuts are Moises Henriques, who has played a Twenty20 for Australia, and the Victoria fast bowler Clint McKay, who also featured for Australia A recently.Surprisingly, his state team-mate Hodge was not named in the 30-man group despite holding a Cricket Australia contract and enjoying another productive domestic season. There was also no room for Clark, who has been a fringe ODI player and featured in the recent series against Pakistan in the United Arab Emirates.”The Australian side is currently in a rebuilding phase as we prepare for the 2011 ICC World Cup, following the loss of so many important players from the 2007 World Cup-winning team,” the chairman of selectors Andrew Hilditch said. “The ICC Champions Trophy is a key event in international cricket and a very important one for Australia as we look to lift our one-day international performances in our bid to retain this trophy.”The squad recognises the performances of our proven one-day international players, the strong performance of the Australia A side in the recent one-day series against Pakistan A and the performances of our interstate players in the Ford Ranger Cup.” The deadline for Australia to submit their final squad of 15 is on August 23.Preliminary squad Ricky Ponting (capt), Michael Clarke, Doug Bollinger, Nathan Bracken, Callum Ferguson, Brett Geeves, Brad Haddin, Ryan Harris, Nathan Hauritz, Moises Henriques, Ben Hilfenhaus, Jon Holland, James Hopes, Phillip Hughes, David Hussey, Michael Hussey, Mitchell Johnson, Jason Krejza, Brett Lee, Shaun Marsh, Andrew McDonald, Clint McKay, Marcus North, Tim Paine, Peter Siddle, Shaun Tait, Adam Voges, David Warner, Shane Watson, Cameron White.