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	Pulling the same way: Nasir Jamshed has made an impressive start to his ODI career, but Shoaib Malik may not have been happy with his selection © AFP

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has downplayed reports of a rift that has emerged between the national selection committee and the team’s management over a number of issues, mostly revolving around the make-up of the team.The schism first emerged on Pakistan’s tour to India, with what appeared initially to be a miscommunication over the identity of a replacement player. The selectors, in apparent agreement with the coach and captain, had initially agreed on calling up Abdur Rauf as replacement for the injured Umar Gul.Having announced it officially during the second Test at Kolkata, the board changed tack later that evening and decided to send Rao Iftikhar Anjum instead. It is now understood that Shoaib Malik, the captain, and coach Geoff Lawson had wanted Iftikhar Anjum all along and convinced the board directly later, thus bypassing the selection committee.Since then, Cricinfo has learnt, there have been continuing disagreements over the playing XI in the current series against Zimbabwe. The selection committee has been keen to use the opportunity to blood new players in various positions. In particular, they were adamant that Nasir Jamshed should make his debut as opener; the team management, as well as Malik were instead eager to use Kamran Akmal as opener and play an extra bowler in place of Shahid Afridi.Before the series began, a heated debate is said to have taken place between Salahuddin Ahmed, chairman of selectors, and Geoff Lawson, the coach, over the matter. But as a result of a recent policy shift, it is now the selection committee that decides on the final playing XI during a home series.Jamshed has thus played and made an immediate impact in his first twoODIs. But Pakistan have also appeared a bowler short in both games, struggling to bowl out Zimbabwe with only three specialist bowlers and five realistic bowling options in total.Nasim Ashraf, chairman PCB, didn’t deny the reports, but sought to play them down instead, claiming them to be nothing more than everyday professional tussles. “Everyone is operating within their sphere of responsibility,” he told reporters in Hyderabad.”Both the selection committee and team management have separately told me in the last few days that they have a good relationship. If they don’t disagree on matters during meetings, what is the point of having these meetings at all? This is healthy debate and not signs of a rift.”Sources close to the matter maintain, however, that the issue is swiftly developing into more than just professional differences in opinion. One source adds that there has been another run-in with Malik following Pakistan’s win in the first ODI at Karachi. The last selection committee, headed by Wasim Bari, was widely thought to be little more than a rubber-stamp for Inzamam-ul-Haq’s choices while he was captain, particularly towards the end of its tenure. The current committee, the first in Pakistan’s history to employ full-time, paid selectors, is understandably keen to avoid a similar situation with Malik and eager to assert its authority.Ashraf also played down the contents of a report by manager Talat Ali following the tour to India, in which, according to a couple of local newspapers, the contributions of Younis Khan, Gul and Shoaib Akhtar have come under fire. The report is due to be discussed at a meeting of the board’s governing committee in Karachi on January 25.”We expect everybody to give an honest opinion in a respectful way,” said Ashraf. “We expect the manager and the coach to do this in their reports. The governing board is looking at the issue and the report will be discussed professionally. The idea of these reports is not to apportion blame but to learn from mistakes on future tours.”

England 351 and 48 for 0 (Vaughan 28*, Cook 13*) trail Sri Lanka 548 for 9 dec (M Jayawardene 195, Vandort 138, P Jayawardene 79, Sidebottom 3-100, Harmison 3-111) by 149 runs
Scorecard
How they were out

Prasanna Jayawardene extended England’s toil with 79 © Getty Images

It wasn’t the most attractive day of Test cricket, but Sri Lanka’s batsmen put them in a dominating position on the fourth day at Colombo with a 197-run lead over a weary England, grinding their noses into the ground. As ever, Muttiah Muralitharan looms large but England’s openers took them to a position of relative comfort, racing to 48 before bad light curtailed the day’s play.It was another torrid, wearying day for England’s bowlers who battled in intense heat to pick up 5 for 169 before Mahela Jayawardene, the Sri Lanka captain, finally ended their misery with a declaration 30 minutes after tea. The ease with which Prasanna Jayawardene, the wicketkeeper, batted with his No.10, Dilhara Fernando, belied the consistent allround effort England’s bowlers showed – in particular Steve Harmison, who improved upon his encouraging display yesterday with a determined and disciplined performance on a lifeless pitch.It was he who gave England early hope of restricting Sri Lanka’s lead, too, removing Jehan Mubarak with a nasty lifter. Stuart Broad, England’s 6ft 7in debutant, also stuck to his task and was rewarded with his maiden Test wicket when Chaminda Vaas – no rabbit with the bat at No.8 – was too late on a pull, gloving a bouncer to Ian Bell at slip. It was just reward for Broad for what has been a daunting introduction to Test cricket.Jayawardene lacked the fluency and elegance he showed yesterday, and threw away his wicket with an ugly slog off Monty Panesar, top-edging a simple catch to Paul Collingwood at second slip. It was the first and last sign of any form of urgency from a Sri Lanka batsman who, from then on, blocked their way to the declaration, grinding England’s noses and spirits into the ground.Panesar hasn’t bowled with his magical, tantalising flight during this series but was much improved today and, after dismissing Jayawardene, bowled with greater control, trapping Lasith Malinga in front to briefly give hope to England of limiting Sri Lanka’s lead to under 100. However, with one Jayawardene dismissed, England were at the mercy of another, the wicketkeeper who was ably assisted by Dilhara Fernando. The pair put on a determined and turgid ninth-wicket stand of 98, just when England felt they had broken the back of Sri Lanka’s innings.It was grizzly cricket but hugely effective for Sri Lanka, as England’s shoulders dropped. Fernando, with a beaming smile and equally enthusiastic defensive technique, rode his luck against Kevin Pietersen, smacking a straight drive to bring up Sri Lanka’s 500 and the pair’s fifty partnership.Jayawardene might not share his captain’s elegance or range of strokes, but there was no denying his application. He rode the bounce of Harmison’s shorter deliveries and used his feet well to Panesar, flicking him through midwicket before slamming one over mid-off. His second Test fifty came from 109 balls.England didn’t enjoy much luck, however. Fernando back-cut Pietersen for four before he was rapped on the back leg, seemingly plump in front. And, off the next ball, Prior should have stumped him but the ball somehow lodged itself between his pad and leg. As tea approached, Sri Lanka’s lead went past 150, and England were on their knees.The declaration finally came when Jayawardene edged Harmison behind for 79, causing the bowler to roar his delight, justifiably, too, as he bowled with impressive energy and discipline for a man returning from injury. Nevertheless, Sri Lanka’s lead reached 197 and England had an hour of Chaminda Vaas and Muralitharan in which to survive.Impressively – particularly on a day in which the run-rate barely lifted above three per over – Cook and Vaughan were immediately into their stride, cracking 48 from 13 overs. Cook picked off two classy fours, showing impressive timing, while Vaughan continued his fine form, driving with aplomb to reach 28 by stumps.The pitch remains flat and true, and hasn’t cracked up nearly as much as England feared. But Muralitharan remains the big threat, and England have a big fight on their hands.

The eight squads for the women’s World Cup qualifiers have been finalised. The qualifiers take place in Lahore from November 17, with two spots up for grabs at the World Cup which will be held in Australia in 2009.The teams will compete in two groups initially – South Africa are in a pool with Bermuda, Netherlands and Papua New Guinea, leaving the other pool with PNG, Scotland, Zimbabwe and Ireland.Ireland, South Africa and Pakistan had already announced their squads.Bermuda Wendy Woodley, Reuna Richardson, Rhoda Jones, Stacey Simmons, Brittney Marshall, Maryellen Jackson, Rickelle Smith, Sinshea Paynter, Terry-Lynn Paynter, Suzette Albouy, Arkeita Smith, Stacy Babb, Chevonne Furbert.Netherlands Marloes Braat, Lotte Egging, Margaretha de Fouw, Jolet Hartenhof, Mandy Kornet, Maartje Koster, Marijn Nijman, Cheraldine Oudolf, Jacqueline Pashley, Helmien Rambaldo (capt), Annemarie Tanke, Violet Wattenberg, Denise Prins.PNG Konio Heagi, Henao Sam, Fari Mea, Karo Lumis, Pauke Siaka, Lucy Ovia, Vavine Amini, Ura Rigana, Norma Ovasuru, Mebo Ipi, Boni David, Bede Morea, Moa Kamea.Scotland Kari Anderson, Kathryn White, Charlotte Bascombe, Abbi Aitken, Caroline Heron, Catherine Smaill, Fiona Campbell, Fiona Urquhart (capt), Caroline Sweetman, Leigh Kasperek, Sehar Aslam, Charlotte Farr, Diane Pedgrift, Vari Maxwell.Zimbabwe Julia Chibhabha (capt), Yvonne Rainsford, Tina Kamchetsa, Susan Kudzibatira, Nonhlanhla Nyathi, Precious Marange, Hazvinei Saili, Thandakwenkosi Mlilo, Sinikiwe Mpofu, Emily Jinjika, Sharne Mayers, Christabel Chatonzwa, Ruvarashe Chinyemba, Chipo Mugeri.

Lasith Malinga found out that it sometimes doesn’t pay to belt sixes off fellow fast bowlers © Getty Images

Lee whacks Sri Lanka with four by four
Brett Lee was the Man of the Series for his 16 wickets – he was consistent with four in every innings – and Ricky Ponting believes he is benefiting from extra thinking about his work. “The more you play the smarter you become and the more you understand what you have to do to be successful,” Ponting said. “That’s where it is with Brett at the moment.”Supersub strikes again
Rhett Lockyear’s impression of the supersub Gary Pratt continued as he contributed to his third dismissal of the match by running out Dilhara Fernando. Fernando hit to midwicket and was lethargically attempting a third when Lockyear turned and threw in the same action. The ball bounced over the stumps and Brett Lee completed the duties without the need for the TV umpire. On day three Lockyear, a Tasmania 2nd XI player, helped run out Prasanna Jayawardene and on Monday caught Michael Vandort. Pratt, who ran-out Ricky Ponting at Trent Bridge, would have been proud.Where there’s smoke …
It has been an eventful week for Bellerive Oval’s weather, with rain, bad light, cold conditions and beautiful sunshine. Today there was another element: smoke. A bush fire in south-west Tasmania caused the problem, but despite the poor visibility it did not force an interruption.… there’s fast-bowling ire
Lasith Malinga added to the on-field fire by belting consecutive sixes off Stuart Clark before lunch, but he was nursing a bruise after the break. Brett Lee unleashed more short-pitched bowling on the tailenders and Malinga was struck in the jaw. It wasn’t like Malinga, who blazed 42, had been mean to the opposition fast men. Australia’s Nos 8 to 11 didn’t bat in the series.

For India it was precisely the start they wanted; for Kenya there was little disgrace in defeat by eight wickets.Between them, the Kenyan Cricket Association and the ICC put up a good show in most respects. The Nairobi Gymkhana Ground looked a picture with a good and enthusiastic crown scattered around a collection of new stands. The pitch played well, the players entertained and the weather behaved itself.But for the sizeable media contingent who turned up for the opening match of the ICC KnockOut 2000, the facilities were far from ideal. Kenya hope to stage their games during the 2003 World Cup at home. If the present state of affairs persists, this dream cannot even be countenanced.Still, the rest of it was good value. Kenya didn’t really give themselves a chance by making only 208 for nine in their 50 overs, the major share of which came by way of an 81-run stand for the fourth wicket between Ravindu Shah and skipper Maurice Odumbe.Shah, compact and composed, looked a fine player during his 60 while Odumbe also bagged a half-century with 51 off 87 balls. But apart from Thomas Odoyo’s unbeaten 35, there was little support. Kenya desperately needed a substantial contribution from their best batsman, Steve Tikolo, but he made just 5. The three Indian seamers, Zaheer Khan, Ajit Agarkar and Venkatesh Prasad shared seven of the wickets with Anil Kumble taking two for 22 in his 10.India started cautiously, and Kenya had their best moment of the day when Sachin Tendulkar was adjudged leg before for 35 by Dave Orchard. But the home side had to bowl their most likely wicket-taker, Martin Suji, out – his 10 overs costing just 30 – and Saurav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid seldom looked like getting themselves out.They added 88 for the second wicket before Ganguly rushed down the wicket to Odumbe only to be beaten by the turn and stumped, but Vinod Kambli, so often a wayward genius, came in and set about getting things over with quickly.Kamblie crashed seven boundaries in his 32-ball 39 and if Dravid was more leisurely in making his 68 not out, he was no less able to find the gaps as India picked up the pace.In the end the Indians got home with six-and-a-half overs to spare in what was a useful, if not unduly taxing, day at the office. Australia will no doubt provide a somewhat sterner test when the two teams meet in the first of the quarter-finals on Saturday.By then the ICC and the KCA might have found a way to make reporting on the match something less of a test for man and machine.

John Bracewell, the Gloucestershire coach, has told the England management to stop blaming county cricket for the national side’s shortcomings. Bracewell, who leaves at the end of the season to coach New Zealand, accused England of having an excuse environment.After England’s 191-run defeat against South Africa at Headingley, Michael Vaughan claimed that county cricket was not tough enough to prepare players for Test cricket. But Bracewell said it’s time Vaughan and the management stepped out of their blame culture and stopped making excuses, and that they can start by looking at their rugby counterparts.He said, “They should sit down and talk to Clive Woodward and work out a similar environment to the England rugby side. There they have a no-excuse environment.” He continued, “If the England rugby team lose the World Cup it will be because of their players and not because of what’s been put around them. If we trip up at Gloucestershire we know it’s down to us. It’s our problem. Because we’ve been given the budget, the environment and the licence to do what we like.”But England haven’t bought into that. They’ve got the contracts they want, they take blokes out of games and they still blame the nursery of the game. It does annoy me. The England cricket team has an environment that offers them a lot. Not every cricket team in the world is gifted with the resources the England cricket team has.”Bracewell has led Gloucestershire to six one-day trophies in five years, including this year’s Cheltenham & Gloucester Trophy, in which they thumped Worcestershire by seven wickets in the final.

	Inzamam: “I want to forget the tragedies of the World Cup, but I can never forget Bob” © AFP

Twelve months after the death of Bob Woolmer, former Pakistan captain Inzamam-ul-Haq has admitted that he will never forget the inspirational coach.”Pakistan cricket will always be indebted to Bob Woolmer for his contribution to the game,” Inzamam told AFP. “I want to forget the tragedies of the World Cup, but I can never forget Bob. He was not only an excellent coach, but also a very good human being.”Woolmer, who had also coached South Africa, was found dead in his hotel room in Jamaica on March 18, 2007, just a day after Pakistan had been sensationally knocked out of the World Cup following a shock defeat to Ireland. The tragedy was initially treated as murder but after the biggest manhunt in Jamaican history and following months of wild speculation, an inquest jury in October eventually returned an open verdict on Woolmer’s death.Inzamam was so shattered by the events that he quit one-day cricket in tears immediately after Pakistan’s last game in the World Cup.”He [Woolmer] was helpful to all and very accommodating. He always thought about the team and saw to it that we kept improving,” said Inzamam, who also quit Test cricket in October last year. “After the defeat to Ireland we were all depressed but Bob was trying to console everyone and was trying to convince us that it was just a bad day and things would improve for the team.”He asked me what were my plans. I told him that my mind was not working and we would talk the following day, but that opportunity never came and we got the shocking news of his death.”Mushtaq Ahmed, the former legspinner, said Woolmer was an inspiration for all those he coached. “Bob was successful at county level where he coached Warwickshire, then lifted South Africa and was hoping to build Pakistan into a great team before he met a cruel fate.”The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has dedicated their indoor cricket school to Woolmer, which was inaugurated by both the Pakistan and South African teams. “Bob will be remembered in Pakistan cricket and hopefully his legacy will continue,” said PCB chairman Nasim Ashraf. “His memory is still fresh because his contribution to Pakistan cricket was immense.”Both Inzamam and Mushtaq said they were willing to help at Woolmer’s academy in South Africa.”I feel for his family because they are the real sufferers. Whenever they need me to coach at Bob’s academy, I will be more than willing to go,” said Inzamam. “Perhaps through this we can pay back for what he did for Pakistan.”

Did you find that match a bit tougher than you expected?
No, we always knew it was going to be tough in these conditions, and against an ever-improving Bangladesh team. We’ve got a pretty inexperienced team ourselves, but full credit to Bangladesh on days three and four – they were excellent and put us under a lot of pressure. But Steve Harmison and Matthew Hoggard did us proud. In that heat and humidity, and on a placid wicket, to pick up that many wickets [16 in all] was a true testament to the hard work they’ve put in over the last three weeks.Will there be changes to the bowling attack at Chittagong?
In any game of cricket, you have to take 20 wickets, so there are bound to be one or two guys who miss out and others who cash in. It’s the same with the batters. In this game the pace bowlers were outstanding, while Bangladesh played our spinners pretty well. We’ll go along to Chittagong, take a look at the wicket and come up with the best formula for success.Did the prospect of defeat play on your minds?
Not at all. You always have to give the opposition the utmost respect, and full credit to Bangladesh – they were outstanding. They were particularly good yesterday, when they dug in and withstood everything that we could throw at them. But we knew that the hard work that we put in then would pay dividends today, and so it proved. We expected to win today, and set out to do so in a positive manner.How did you feel when they reached 120 for 1 just before lunch yesterday?
Obviously we could have bowled a little better, but their batters stuck to their task, played in an aggressive manner and got on top of us at times. But we got the wicket [of Habibul Bashar] at a crucial time, just before dinner, although they still stuck around afterwards and made life difficult for us. Days like yesterday are a true test of the team’s character, and I thought we came through pretty well.Were you ever worried in that time?
There’s always a slight worry, but we were playing to win and if you take that mentality, you’ll come out on top more often than not.Was the first-innings batting the biggest disappointment?
Me and Tres played the new ball pretty well – it flies off the bat a little better over here – but their spinners and the quick bowler [Mashrafe Mortaza] played exceptionally well and shook a few of our guys up. From six down, we are very inexperienced, and you have to give them a little bit of leeway, as they are learning all the time and gaining valuable experience with every session.Were you happy to be back in the runs?
Of course I am. Whether I’m captain or not, as I’ve said before, I’m an opening bat first and foremost, and my job is to score runs. Thankfully I’ve done that. The first ten runs in my first innings were among the hardest I’ve ever had to get. The bowlers and the wicket made life tough, and it was quite hard to split the ring of fielders. I was just trying to find my rhythm, but thankfully I got a few rewards for all the hard work I put in then.What did you make of the Rikki Clarke incident?
I haven’t seen any replays, so I can’t comment. But these conditions will test an inexperienced team, especially when you are not getting many wickets. As I’ve said before, we always play in an aggressive manner, but if anyone steps over the line, we will have something to say about that.Are you in favour of the ICC’s bid to clean up cricket?
It’s important that we as players portray the right image to everyone involved. A lot of kids watch the game, and it’s not good if the players that they idolise are doing untoward things on the field. We do look after ourselves out in the middle though – it is important to have that little bit of aggression and banter, otherwise the game would be a little bit boring.Are Bangladesh worthy of their Test status?
On their home soil in Dhaka, they are a tough team to beat. The wicket suits their style of play, and we’ve got a few inexperienced players who’ve never been to the subcontinent. After their performances in Pakistan, we knew they’d be a tough nut to crack, and it took a lot of hard work. On days three and four, they were excellent. They have a Test win just around the corner, I’m sure, but hopefully not next week!We didn’t expect to finish them off so quickly this morning, but today was reward day for all our efforts on the previous four. Hoggy got a couple to nip away from the right-handers, Steve put it in the right areas once again, and we knocked off the runs nice and quickly. But there’s no such thing as a perfect performance, and we’ve got lots of things to mull over before the second Test on Wednesday. But I’m delighted with the result – it’s a great Test win.

The South Australian Cricket Association (SACA) today announced the 12-man teams who will play Queensland in next week’s ING Cup and Pura Cup games.Redbacks all-rounder Mick Miller has been named in both sides and returns from a shoulder injury which kept him out of the State side for about four weeks.Southern Districts fast-medium bowler Andrew Staunton has been selected in the 12-man team for the Pura Cup match, and if selected in the final 11, will make his first-class debut.Staunton this year moved to Adelaide from Sydney to further his cricket career and made his debut for the South Australian second XI during last month’s Cricket Australia Cup match against the ACT.Also returning in the Pura Cup side for the Redbacks is Bradman Medallist Ryan Harris, who will play his first game for the Redbacks this season. The Northern Districts bowling all-rounder took 5 for 46 in that same Cricket Australia Cup game, which was his first State-level game back after recovering from a chronic groin strain.Staunton and Harris come into the side to replace Paul Rofe and Shaun Tait who will make their debut for Australia A when they take on India in Bellerive from December 19.The Redbacks ING Cup side is:

Greg Blewett (c)	Mark Higgs
Mark Cleary	Ben Johnson
Mark Cosgrove	Graham Manou
John Davison	Mick Miller
Shane Deitz	Paul Rofe
Andy Flower	Shaun Tait

The Pura Cup side is:

Greg Blewett (c)	Andy Flower
Mark Cleary	Ryan Harris
Mark Cosgrove	Mark Higgs
John Davison	Graham Manou
Shane Deitz	Mick Miller
David Fitzgerald	Andrew Staunton

The ING Cup game takes place on December 17, with the Pura Cup game from December 19 to 22 on the GABBA ground in Brisbane.

Damien Martyn acknowledges applause for his hundred© Getty Images

Damien Martyn
On his innings
Good to make a century, happy about it. I think we got good partnerships. We lost too many wickets by the end of the day but if we can make 450-plus we’ll be happy to take it.On the pitch
It’s still going to nip around, that’s the hope for our quicks, who should get a lot of assistance from it as the game goes by.On how this century compared with the last one
The two were very different centuries. The last one came when we had our backs to the wall. Today, we were just looking to be positive, play our shots and get a good score on the board in the first innings.On playing well on the subcontinent
It’s just that we have been playing a lot of cricket here in the last 12 months. It’s satisfying to get these runs in tough, spinning conditions against world-class bowlers. As a batsman you have to do well against the best and I am happy that I did.On Kartik’s bowling
I thought he bowled really well. He realised early on that there was not much spin on the wicket and varied his flight and pace beautifully. It was tough to score off him and there were patches when we struggled against him.On stepping up a gear after reaching 100
We always play positive cricket and with myself and Clarke in, we were looking to score well. But I had been playing my shots early on as well and not just after the 100. It’s disappointing that I got out and [that] a couple of other wickets fell before close of play. Murali Kartik
On playing Test cricket after a gap of nine months
The last tour was Pakistan, but the best thing is to play for your country. Every time you play for your country you try to give it your best shot. It’s not every day that you do brilliantly well, but as long as you gave it your best when you take a shower at the end of the day, it feels good.On when he knew he was going to play
I only got to know this morning that I was playing for sure. But I was kept on standby since Harbhajan [Singh] was not feeling well.On whether it has been painful to be out of the Indian team
I wouldn’t say it has been painful. But the way my career has shaped up, I’ve always been in the shadow of Anil [Kumble] and Harbhajan. Those two have done exceptionally well for the country and I’ll have to bide my time.On the suggestion that he is a much-improved bowler since Sydney
I wouldn’t put it that way. People are probably saying that because in the first innings in Sydney they took me on.On which wicket was the best of the day
Lehmann’s wicket came at a time when we weren’t getting breakthroughs. But Gilchrist’s wicket was also important – we all know how dangerous he can be. Gilchrist and Clarke took the game away from us in Bangalore.On the pitch
The pitch is on the slower side. It did seam for the fast bowlers in the morning and there’s a bit of bounce, but it is on the slower side.On his blond highlights
I like the salt-and-pepper look. By the time my hair naturally turns grey I may not have any left.