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Yuvraj Singh and Hardik Pandya were brought into the Indian T20 side to address the lack of big hitters, but there is a good chance they might come back from Australia having contributed only with the ball and in the field. If what MS Dhoni says is to be gone by, another good start by the top three in the final T20 international could mean no batting for Yuvraj and Pandya. Dhoni said he was against experimentation even though India wrapped up the series win in Melbourne, but then again Dhoni also ruled out playing Rishi Dhawan precisely two days before he was picked in the ODI XI.The final T20I in Sydney on Sunday will be a dead rubber, and Dhoni was asked if India would go out of the way to see what potential Pandya held and what kind of form Yuvraj was in. “It is a difficult one,” Dhoni said. “Experiment word is never there with the Indian team. It is never there. Yes we want to see what Yuvraj will do in the batting, we want to see what Hardik can do, but where is the opportunity? That also we have to see.”We can’t make them open. Virat [Kohli] is batting very well at No. 3. If the partnership goes on, and if it is the 15th or the 16th over, then it is my time to come in and play the big shots. It will be difficult for them, but with a few of the games coming up maybe they will get better chances. But as I said there won’t be any experimentation. If an opportunity arises definitely they will get a chance to bat.”Yuvraj and Pandya, though, have freed Dhoni up to play around with his bowling options. After Australia got off to a good start in their chase, R Ashwin picked up a wicket to give India a sniff, but by that time India’s four main bowlers had exhausted 10 of their overs. This was a crucial period with Australia past half of their target at the halfway mark. The next two overs were bowled by Pandya and Yuvraj, and both brought a wicket each.”The strength of the piechucker [Yuvraj] is his bowling,” Dhoni joked. “He bowled really well. You need more individuals who can do more than one job in the field. Especially if all of them are good fielders, and if they can contribute with bat and ball if needed. Just adds to the strength of the side. Sometimes in T20 you need to bowl only one over, and once the captain has given you that one over, irrespective of whether it is good or bad that one over is out of the equation. That actually helps you. That one over. By the time the batsman figures out what you are trying to do you get rid of one over.”It helps us because Pandya also bowled decently well (1 for 17 in two overs). Both of them together will be very good. Not to forget we have [Suresh] Raina too. If needed he can also bowl if there are many left-handers in the opposition. Yuvi bowled really well, hit the areas, and with time he will get better and better because he is that sort of player.”Pandya has really impressed Dhoni, and might leapfrog Rishi and Stuart Binny as the seaming allrounder in ODIs too. While counting the positives from the tour, Dhoni said: “Also the performance of Hardik as a bowler. Still it will be tough for him to bowl 10 overs in an ODI game but if others are contributing a few overs here and there then we can look to have him in the side. That can strengthen our batting also and at the same time put pressure on the opposition.”It is in foreign conditions that India really need that extra seamer because the spinners become less effective, and this is where Dhoni wants the ICC, too, to stop experimenting. When asked about the luxury his spinners provide him, Dhoni said: “All of a sudden the spinners are bowling well. Not like they were bowling badly but we have to see the rule changes also. I think it is quite against the spinners. I feel they will have to do something with the rules [in ODIs]. In T20 you have the five fielders outside throughout. You have that extra fielder [as opposed to ODIs where only four fielders are allowed outside the circle until the start of the 41st over]. Let’s see how it goes.”

Mahendra Singh Dhoni has been given the thumbs up by Dilip Vengsarkar, India’s chief selector © Getty Images

Dilip Vengsarkar, India’s chairman of selectors, has expressed confidence in Mahendra Singh Dhoni as captain.”I have been watching Dhoni from close quarters for quite some time now. I found him to be a very good student of the game,” Vengsarkar told . Before his appointment as captain following Rahul Dravid’s resignation, the selection panel had elevated Dhoni to vice-captain for the tour to England. “He is extremely focussed, down to earth and very disciplined. He is modest about his achievements and possesses good man-management skills. He has all the qualities of a good captain.”Vengsarkar has been at the helm of India’s selection affairs for over a year now, a period in which the team had an early exit at the World Cup in the West Indies, followed by a win at the recently-concluded World Twenty20 in South Africa. “Well, it was rather satisfactory because, apart from the early exit from the World Cup, the team did reasonably well, winning a Test for the first time in South Africa,” he said about his tenure. He indicated that he was undaunted by the task. “I have been selecting teams for a decade and a half. It is nothing new.”Vengsarkar also said the selectors’ decision to bring back Sourav Ganguly and Zaheer Khan was vindicated by their performances. “There has to be a good blend of youth and experience in the team. In the Tests, temperament plays a major role,” he said. “Though Sourav and Zaheer were not in the best of forms when selected, as selectors, it was important for us to back our gut feeling.”On Munaf Patel, Vengsarkar said he could be recalled if his regains both form and fitness. “Munaf has the potential to become the front-line bowler for India. However, he must realise that to bowl consistently fast match after match, he must be extremely fit. He just cannot be a line-and-length bowler, not in Test cricket.”

‘This is not a second-string squad. These are the 15 best players we have in Pakistan’ © AFP

Reactions are never to expected from Inzamam-ul-Haq, and after leading hisside to a nine-wicket win, Pakistan’s fourth in their last seven homeTests, few were apparent on Inzamam’s face. Each win is equal, just somemore than others and this was a much-needed one after two months wherethey have only lost three international matches but, really, taken analmighty battering away from the field.Impassively, Inzamam greeted the win. “Yes, after all that has happened,the boys were a bit down and this could have been difficult,” he toldreporters. “Their confidence was down but they worked hard, believed inthemselves and did well with both bat and ball. We’re just hoping tocontinue like this now.”One of the many fall-outs from the autumn was the loss of Shoaib Akhtarand Mohammad Asif, leading to suggestions that there was somethingdecidedly second-string about the side which took the field. But asexpected from a captain used to playing without key players through histenure, Inzamam was adamant that this was the best team. “This is not asecond-string squad. These are the 15 best players we have in Pakistan.”We do miss big names like Shoaib and Asif; anyone would. But we are usedto it and we can win without them and that is a good thing. Obviously, ourchances of winning improve with them in the side but this is still a goodside.”

Asked how he felt about his eight-ball duck, he answeredmajestically, and to much laughter, “Even I can perform badly sometimes.”

Indeed, the attack was capable enough to bowl out a strong batting line-uptwice, in just over 150 overs of two innings, Umar Gul and Shahid Nazirdoing the bulk of the damage. “The confidence we have put in them both haspaid off and they bowled extremely well through the match. They got helpfrom the wicket but they still had to do the job.”With what is becoming an increasingly regular occurrence before mostseries Pakistan are involved in, Danish Kaneria’s role was touted as thekey one here. He might not have succeeded to the extent that the tourists’supposed traditional weakness against leg-spin suggested, but threewickets wasn’t a bad few days’ work. The rewards, Inzamam said, could havebeen greater. “He bowled very well and I think he was desperately unlucky.He picked up important wickets in the first innings and in the second hewas very good, just not very lucky.”As questions dried up at the press conference, one journalist asked, in aunique twist to the norm, what lessons Pakistan would learn from the. Momentarily flummoxed, Inzamam paused, looked around, andto knowing sniggers, asked “What shall I say?”When prompted, he highlighted, as ever, the fielding. “We dropped catchesand though we can always improve in all departments we need to improve ourfielding most.” He will hope to improve his own score from this Test aswell. Asked how he felt about his eight-ball duck, he answeredmajestically, and to much laughter, “Even I can perform badly sometimes.”As dry as ever and thus most definitely back.

Angelo Mathews, an allrounder from St. Joseph’s in Colombo, has been retained as captain of the Sri Lankan under-19 team for next month’s Afro-Asia under-19 tournament in India. The national selectors named a 14-member team for the tournament, which takes place at Visakhapatnam from November 17-25.Mathews, an outstanding allrounder, had led the side on their tour to England earlier this year and is tipped to lead Sri Lanka in the forthcoming under-19 World Cup tournament which is scheduled to be held in Sri Lanka in February 2006.Lalith Kaluperuma, the chairman of selectors, said that the squad of 14 players and six reserves named for the tournament would form the nucleus of Sri Lanka’s World Cup squad next year. “We have to submit the names of 30 players by December 5 and prune it down to the final 14 by January 5. It is an ICC requirement,” said Kaluperuma. He said that in addition to the 20 already picked for the Indian tournament his committee would include another ten players to make up the initial 30 based on talent and form.”We have identified certain players as future prospects, but it all depends on their form at the time of selection,” said Kaluperuma. “We picked the 14 to India taking into consideration performances based on the five practice matches and performances in the under-17 schools tournament among other things.”Kaluperuma said if the picked 14 players perform to potential his committee would probably think of retaining the same team for another one-day under-19 tournament, which takes place in Bangladesh soon after the Afro-Asia tournament.”We want to give the players some continuity leading up to the World Cup and depending on how they perform suitable changes will be made,” he said. India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Zimbabwe are the other countries participating in the nine-day Afro-Asia tournament.Squad
Angelo Mathews (capt), Ashan Peiris, Chathupama Gunasinghe, Dilan Cooray, Dimuth Karunaratne, Sameera Soysa, Hans Fernando, NLTC Perera, Rajeeva Weerasinghe, Rishan Kavinda, Sachitra Pathirana Sachitra Serasinghe, Shalika KarunanayakeReserves
Charles Fernando, Chathura Herath, Malinda Pushpakumara, NR Perera, Pramuddha Perera, Umesh Karunaratne

Jagmohan Dalmiya wants the case to be resolved soon, one way or another, for the sake of the BCCI and Indian cricket© Getty Images

Zee Telefilms has rejected the suggestion made by the Mumbai High Court last week, that they should go in for a fresh bidding process for the rights of international cricket in India for the next four years. Zee had earlier won the rights from ESPN-Star Sports (ESS), who then filed a petition alleging that Zee were ineligible to bid as per the terms of the Indian board’s tender.Zee’s contention, of course, is that the bidding process was fair and transparent to begin with, and there is no reason for them to enter it again. ESS’s original contention, about Zee’s ineligibility for the rights, will now be heard on September 16.The Board of Control for Cricket in India, for its part, wants the fracas to be resolved as soon as possible. Speaking to Indiantelevision.com, Jagmohan Dalmiya, the BCCI’s president, said, “Forget the money, we would lose face if the matches are not televised as we are obliged to provide replays, etc to the third umpire, and ICC may even penalise us heavily, apart from the likelihood of the Australian board demanding compensation.”

Kenya’s High Court has ruled that the decision taken in 2001 by Sports Minister Katana Ngala, to dissolve the Kenya Cricket Association (KCA), was illegal – the decision itself has been revoked.The dispute had begun when the KCA had cancelled the contracts of its professional players after they threatened to boycott a match against Sri Lanka in January 2001. Ngala had stepped in and appointed Nairobi lawyer Paul Ndung’u as head of a new administration which included Sharad Rao, S V Sarvaiya, Tom Tikolo and Sameer Inamdar.This group were to document the dispute between the KCA, its players and its members while also reporting on the KCA finances. The matter reached the courts when the original committee, led by Jimmy Rayani, sought legal advice and decided to challenge the decision taken by the Minister. As a result, the Minister’s move was put on hold pending a full hearing of the case.In her ruling, Justice Jean Gacheche said that the Minister had acted ‘ultra vires’ – beyond his power – and outside his jurisdiction as defined by the constitution of the Kenya National Sports Council. The Justice said that Ngala had flouted the rules of natural justice by not according the association the audience it was entitled to before appointing an investigation commission.The International Cricket Council and Kenya’s Olympic Committee both backed the right of the Kenya Cricket Association to deal with their own affairs. At the time of the Minister’s move the secretary-general of Kenya’s National Olympic Committee, Tom Omwombo, said that if there was dissatisfaction with the way a sport was run, it was up to the affiliates of that sport to employ democratic processes to effect change.

On paper Pakistan and Sri Lanka are ‘even stevens’ andSunday’s Khaleej Times Trophy final is between two wellmatched sides loaded with explosive individuals capable ofchanging the fortune of the match.In earlier two league outings the honours have been shared.Sri Lanka outplayed Pakistan in every facet of the game towin the first match by seven wickets.Pakistan evened the score by winning the second encounter bythe identical margin although faced a much stiffer target.Will it be Sanath Jayasuriya holding aloft the trophy forthe second successive time or Waqar Younis leading Pakistanto victory stand for the first time since taking theleadership mantle is anybody’s guess?Pakistan, rightly considered as the most unpredictable side,are good enough to beat the best on their day if perform totheir talent. But in recent times the Pakistanis have becomechokers specially when competing in the finals.The Sri Lankans on the other hand are better organized thantheir more talented rivals and have the psychological edgeover Pakistan having beaten them in last April’s final.While Pakistan rely on individuals brilliance for victorythe Sri Lankans work as a unit hoping everyone to chip inwith useful performances.Both teams rested their best players for Friday’s tie butwill be at full strength. Champion off-spinner MuttiahMuralitharan will be back to tantalize Pakistani batsmenprobably at the expense of Prabath Nissanka. So will bedemon pace bowler Wasim Akram and classy Saeed Anwar forPakistan. All-rounder Azhar Mahmood and off-spinner ShoaibMalik are likely to make way for the two battle-hardenedveterans.As the pitch is expected to be batsman-friendly a highscoring final is predicted.Teams (from):Pakistan: Waqar Younis (captain), Saeed Anwar,Inzamam-ul- Haq, Yousuf Youhana, Younis Khan, Shahid Afridi,Shoaib Akhtar, Abdur Razzaq, Naved Latif, Rashid Latif,Wasim Akram, Shoaib Malik, Azhar Mahmood.Sri Lanka: Sanath Jayasuriya (captain), AvishkaGunawardena, Marvan Atapattu, Mahela Jayawardena, RusselArnold, Kumar Sangakkara, Romesh Kaluwitharana, KumarDharmasena, Chaminda Vaas, Charith Buddhika, MuttiahMuralitharan, Prabath Nissanka, Dulip Liyanage.

Sharad Pawar has emerged as a strong contender for the BCCI president’s election, necessitated by Jagmohan Dalmiya’s death on September 20. Not only has Pawar received formal backing from N Srinivasan, the ICC chairman, but it is also understood that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which runs the federal government in India and controls a sizeable number of BCCI votes, could be open to aligning with Pawar for larger political motives.However Pawar’s biggest hurdle could be his own supporters, a number of whom who are against any alliance with Srinivasan given their recent mutual hostility. Pawar – currently president of the Mumbai Cricket Association – has rarely faced open opposition in his long political and administrative career, preferring to negotiate and broker deals away from the spotlight, but the adamance of his supporters will test his skills.Pawar, who met Srinivasan on Wednesday night in Nagpur, is understood to have briefed his key supporters (Maharashtra, Saurashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Vidarbha and Mumbai) about Srinivasan’s offer of support. However, a senior member of Pawar’s camp told ESPNcricinfo that some of the West Zone members made it clear that it was not a wise move.”Srinivasan promised him support and said they should have an election, but some of us are not in agreement to this and we told Pawar our support wouldn’t be unanimous,” the camp insider said. “Key members of Pawar group had resigned because of the allegations against Srinivasan.”Significantly, one of his key supporters and longtime associates, Shashank Manohar, was not present during the Srinivasan meeting though he was in the nearby hill station of Mahabaleshwar. Once allies, Manohar – who was BCCI president in the term between Pawar and Srinivasan – has turned into a vocal critic of Srinivasan in the last two years. Pawar would need all his powers of persuasion to get Manohar on his side in this matter.On Friday, Maharashtra Cricket Association president Ajay Shirke met Pawar at the Yeshwant Rao Chavan centre in Mumbai, but he said it was not to discuss the BCCI at all. “There is a book being published to mark Pawar’s 75th birthday celebrations and I am contributing a chapter there. We were there to discuss the book,” Shirke said. “He did not tell us about any deal,” he added.Shirke and Sanjay Jagdale had quit as BCCI treasurer and secretary, respectively, in 2013, after the IPL corruption scandal broke. They were protesting against Srinivasan’s refusal to take moral responsibility and step down as the BCCI president.According to the insider, if Pawar did stand for the elections with Srinivasan’s backing, he would only be guaranteed about 12 votes, which would not be enough to garner a majority number in the 30-member BCCI. From the West Zone vote bank, Pawar has assured support from Maharashtra, Saurashtra, Baroda and Mumbai, and from Central Zone he has the backing of Vidarbha and Madhya Pradesh.One BCCI official told ESPNcricinfo he wondered why Pawar would be interested in aligning with Srinivasan considering the Tamil Nadu heavyweight just had a handful of confirmed votes on his side. “Why does he need to make a deal with Srinivasan? He [Srinivasan] is doing all this to stay in the news. Even on the eve the last AGM in Chennai he told his supporters he had the majority of the votes and in the end how much did he get – just 13 and lost the critical vote of the secretary. Between then and now his stock has improved? It is an effort to remain in fray and not get marginalised. And Pawar is too seasoned a politician to not understand this.”Such talk does not, however, dissuade the Srinivasan camp, which is confident that Pawar will get nominated for the elections, a date for which will need to be announced at the BCCI’s special general body meeting, scheduled soon. “At this time, BCCI needs an experienced person like Sharad Pawar to handle various difficult situations,” a Srinivasan camp official said.The X factor in this is IPL chairman Rajiv Shukla, who is an MP from the opposition Congress party but has always maintained cordial relations with the rivals – both in the political sphere and within the BCCI. He also has a good rapport with current BCCI secretary Anurag Thakur, who is head of the BJP youth wing. It is evidently clear that the BJP will play an integral part in who becomes the next BCCI president and it will most likely take that decision based on larger political factors.

What a defining summer this could be at Arsenal. 12-months ago the club was deeply embroiled in two separate transfer sagas sending panic levels soaring around North London. The eventual sale of Cesc Faberags and Samir Nasri left Arsene Wenger with a monumental bank balance but little time to sufficiently purchase replacements. The consequences were severely detrimental during the seasons opening weeks as the Gunners struggled to get over the hangover of losing two key players. From the looks of things this time around the Frenchman has seen the error of his ways and is conducting his transfer business as early and quickly as possible. The swift £10 million capture of Lukas Podolski from Cologne could be turn out to be a very shrewd move especially if he has a prosperous Euro 2012 campaign with Germany. Bringing some big names to the Emirates Stadium will also aid Wenger’s attempts to tie captain Robin Van Persie down to a new long-term contract. The Dutchman has held talks with the club over an extension but the fear that he will leave to boost his chances winning trophies remains.

This week on FFC which prolific French international striker is Wenger chasing and do Arsenal need to start paying close attention to the salaries they’re handing out to average players as the financial fair play rulings loom.

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FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

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Arsene, if you want to buy in the chav bargain basement, buy the right ones. – Le Grove

Wenger to go cheap – again? Bendtner & Arshavin on their way & Welcome Bould, go find us a Beckham! – Highbury House

If Baines Wants Out, It’s Arsenal He Should Sign For, Not United… – Transfer Tavern

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Quote of the Week “It is more than excitement, it is an absolute privilege and an honour.I know I have some big boots to fill with Pat having spent 44 years at the club and that is going to be the hard part.”I will be learning on the job a little bit but myself and Neil Banfield are more than excited.” Steve Bould talks about replacing the immortal Pat Rice as Arsene Wenger’s assistant.

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Wenger states delight at avoiding 4th place

On the face of it, there is plenty of spice that has been lent to the ongoing Vijay Hazare Trophy with the presence of a number of India internationals like MS Dhoni, Yuvraj Singh, Harbhajan Singh and R Ashwin in the mix. Apart from the format which has been changed from the zonal system to four random groups picked through a draw, giving even the unfancied sides an opportunity to brush shoulders with the best, another talking point has been the use of the Kookaburra Turf ball, which is used in ODIs and T20s, instead of the Kookabura Regulation ball that is generally used in grade cricket.While the regulation ball has a more pronounced seam that can sometimes make even part-time medium pacers look threatening, the flip side has been the fact that the ball gets very soft as the game progresses. In comparison, the turf ball settles down to allow a better balance between bat and ball. Taking the argument a step further, Ashwin, who is leading Tamil Nadu in the domestic 50-over competition where the ball change has been effected for the first time, felt the Kookaburra ensured a level-playing field.”The fact that we are using the Kookaburra Turf ball is welcome because it is a far better option in these conditions than the Kookaburra Regulation ball,” Ashwin explained. “Some kind of balance has been restored, one can say, and for us to play with this ball before we play in Australia means we are using the same ball in a match environment too.”Ball apart, the early-morning starts have given the tournament a predictable feel, with captains having no hesitation in sending the opposition in. While the chasing team has come out trumps most times, Ashwin, who lauded the quality of cricket, said there was a case of either pushing back the start time to take the toss out of the equation or tweak the format slightly to ensure the team batting first was not at a disadvantage even before a ball was bowled.”One of the most standout features of the league phase was the quality of the cricket, which was fairly high. Having said that, because of the 9.00 am starts, there wasn’t too much planning that could go into the matches,” Ashwin explained. “It was a simple strategy of winning the toss and putting the opposition in because it was far easier batting second. Apart from a few games where the teams made big runs, totals were generally in the range of 230-240, which took some of the sheen off the competition.”These are not the kind of totals you get in international cricket. I suppose we have two options in front of us. Either we have a slightly later start, or the teams bat 10 overs each at the start of the day and then the team that batted first plays out its remaining 40 overs. But if this is how it is, then as players we are fine with that too.”Format and tweaks apart, Ashwin also delved into his role as captain and the challenges he faced in order to bring the best out of a young team on an upward curve. “One of the things I felt was required was to have ideas as a bowling unit,” he said. “As captain, I am trying to put systems in place, trying to show the way towards excellence. Along the way, I am ticking a few boxes personally as well.”I am trying to bowl in pressure situations, at the death, or I am batting either when we need to get a move on or when we have lost early wickets and we need to grind our way out of trouble. It might sound clichéd, but we want to play fearless cricket. We want to go out and express ourselves. Most of all, we want to inflict some serious scars on some good teams, and we want to last the distance.”2:13

WATCH – Ashwin’s concerns with the SG ball