Virender Sehwag blamed a collective lack of application from the Indian top order for the five-wicket defeat against England at Jamshedpur. “We didn’t bat well at all,” he said at the post-match press conference. “If even one of the top-order batsmen had been associated in a significant partnership with Dhoni at the start of the innings, it could have been an exciting game. The main reason for today’s defeat was our batting failure. There was responsibility on every single top-order batsman. You can’t criticise any single individual – if either of Yuvraj, Kaif, Raina, Venu [Venugopal Rao] or Sehwag had played for any length of time with Dhoni, things would have been a lot different.”While insisting that his team should have put more runs on the board Sehwag gave England’s batsmen credit for the manner in which they went about chasing the modest target. “They played quite well,” he said. “227 wasn’t that bad a total, but Strauss and Bell got them off to an excellent start, and they didn’t look back after that.”Inevitably questions were asked about the lack of form of Sehwag himself, and also Mohammad Kaif. “When the team is winning, you can afford to have one or two batsmen not in form because captains don’t usually change a winning combination,” said Sehwag. “At the end of the day, it all depends on the situation. Maybe it is best for me that I sit out a game, take a break. When you keep playing, it may not be possible to analyse things. Sometimes, rest is an option. Perhaps I will miss the next match, perhaps Kaif will. Rahul will be back as captain for the last match, it is up to him to decide what combination he wants to field.”Sehwag also came to the defence of his fast-bowlers, backing them to do well in the future. “There was a lack of experience in our bowling attack today. We were playing without Pathan, Agarkar and Sreesanth. RP Singh, VRV Singh and Munaf Patel don’t have a lot of experience, so they couldn’t deliver. I am sure if they play more regularly and pick up more experience along the way, they will definitely deliver the goods.”He was especially sympathetic to VRV Singh, who made his debut in this match but could not pick up a wicket and ended returns of none for 33 from five overs. “It is not easy to perform in your first international match. I remember when I made my debut, I only made one run. It is tough to perform on debut, you need to be lucky to be successful in your first match. Maybe VRV felt a little bit of pressure, maybe he was nervous. But he is a good bowler, and I am sure he will bounce back in time.”

Shane Warne has become embroiled in yet another sex scandal, just weeks after arriving in England for the start of his stint as captain of Hampshire.Warne, who underwent a high-profile divorce from his wife Simone during last summer’s Ashes, was pictured in the British tabloid The News of the World with two 25-year-old models.The alleged episode is believed to have taken place on Thursday night in West London, during Hampshire’s Championship match against Middlesex. “Shane blew our minds,” claimed one of the models, Coralie Eichholtz, an MTV presenter. “He was so fit. I’d give him top marks for more than satisfying us.”Ironically, Warne claimed to be suffering from fatigue during that match and said in an interview: “If I’m honest, I’m tired out”. It was hard to tell from his on-field performance, however – Warne took 7 for 99 in the second innings to bowl Hampshire to a ten-wicket victory.But serious doubts have emerged over the claims because the two models involved are notorious headline grabbers. Warne’s management did not immediately return calls.It is just the latest in a catalogue of scandals that have beset Warne during his stints in England. In June 2000, it was revealed that he had been having phone sex with a 22-year-old nurse, a revelation that cost him the Australian vice-captaincy and almost certainly the opportunity to succeed Steve Waugh as the national captain.

After the second Test had petered out into a tame draw at Cape Town, Stephen Fleming countered criticism of his decision to bat on into the third day by saying he declared too early. He thought the best chance of winning had been to force South Africa to follow on.”I needed everything I could get. I probably needed more. The follow-on was our only real chance. We had to bowl South Africa twice. When you commit to that you have to get enough cash in the bank.”He said it might have been better to let James Franklin and Jeetan Patel continue their free-scoring unbeaten ninth-wicket partnership of 58 for another half hour. “It might have been given us more cushion but we thought we had enough overs to bowl them out.”Graeme Smith said he was surprised New Zealand had batted on so long, “especially the way the Test match had gone with light in the evening and dew in the morning. They went past a point of having to make a game of it, they had to try and make us follow on.”South Africa responded by scoring 512, with centuries by Hashim Amla and Ashwell Prince, batting until after lunch on the final day. “We all want results but when you are put in a corner you have to play the situation,” said Smith. “We’re 1-0 up in the series. We were forced into being defensive and getting through this game and that’s what we did.”Smith said South Africa would look to play more aggressively in the final Test starting at the Wanderers on Friday. “We want to play positive cricket, winning cricket. We felt it better to grind their bowlers into the ground with the next Test starting three days later.”It gave us a great opportunity to go to the Wanderers with a bit of momentum. The batters have got runs under their belt. I’m sure the wicket there will be a little more juicy. It always has a bit more of a result in it than most other wickets.”Fleming said New Zealand were disappointed not to have a chance of winning the series. He said personal satisfaction at his own man-of-the match innings of 262 was tempered by the lack of a win. “It’s disappointment because we came here to win a series. We created some opportunities in this Test and couldn’t convert.”He added they were determined to try to level the series by winning the final Test. “It should be a result wicket. There’s been a lot of inclement weather up there and hopefully we can get on the right side of it.”

Scorecard

Races against time at the Oval on a Saturday have become something of a feature of late. Worcestershire, of course, recently chased down a mammoth 285 inside in 32 overs.Surrey had no fears of killing off Leicestershire today, and they duly removed the last four wickets for 67 runs to complete a thumping win by an innings and 158 runs. But, like the rest of the country, they had another match on their minds.As Ian Salisbury confirmed just as play began: “We want to do it before the football.” In the end they had an hour to spare.He himself made two fairly swift incisions, removing Leicestershire’s vital organ Darren Robinson who feathered through for 106 and then Stuart Broad for 12 with a screaming return catch, held low. By this time Leicestershire were clinging on by a sinew, at 259 for 9.Salisbury then had a hand in the final wicket, catching Mohammad Asif for a duck off Nayan Doshi to wrap up proceedings. Mohammad Akram had made the first cut of the day, removing David Masters for 12, a convincing lbw (292 for 7).Salisbury finished with 4 for 64 from 33 overs and headed in delighted with a job well done and time to put his feet up ahead of kick-off.

A new state-of-the-art stadium in New Delhi will host the final of the 2011 World Cup, the Indian cricket board (BCCI) announced. This will be the first stadium owned entirely by the board, said Lalit Modi, vice-president of the BCCI.The BCCI stadium will be situated in south New Delhi, in a 70-acre area alloted by the authorities between the Maharani Bagh area and the banks of the Yamuna river. Modi stated that it was still very early to give out details regarding the cost of the stadium, but gave a glimpse of the proposed facilities. He added that construction work would begin later this year.”We are going to pull out all stops to make sure that by 2011 World Cup final, which will be hosted in this new stadium in Delhi and which has already been decided by the ICC and the four members (India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh), the stadium is ready,” Modi told Indo Asian News Service. “It’s too premature to talk in detail because at this stage we are only looking at it with a vision to make a world-class facility. There will be accommodation, club houses, floodlights, academies.”The project was conceived in 2001 but slowed down because of renovation work at the Feroz Shah Kotla, the regular venue which has hosted international matches. Eden Gardens in Kolkata is the only other ground in India which has hosted a World Cup final (1987).India was awarded the 2011 World Cup finals after a meeting in London by representatives from the four host nations. It was also decided that The Gadaffi Stadium in Lahore and the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo would host the semi-finals.

Javagal Srinath, the former India fast bowler, reckons Irfan Pathan’stemporary loss of form is “not a cause for concern and that he should bepersisted with.” Srinath asserted that, given his age and talent, Pathanwill bounce back and is still a worthwhile investment.Laxman Sivaramakrishnan, the former India spinner and currently acommentator, felt that it was crucial for Pathan to focus on swing and notpace. Speaking in a forum jointly organised by the television broadcaster, Ten Sports, and the Press Club of Mumbai, Sivaramakrishnan observed that Pathan had been low onconfidence in the recent series in the Caribbean.”When he started out, he was more side-on [at the point ofdelivery], but now his action seems to have opened up,” said Sivaramakrishnan. “Andy Roberts, [the former West Indies fast bowler] identified a few technical deficiencies. His initial strides in his run-up were longer and it shortened as heapproached the crease. Roberts said that it should be the opposite.”Srinath concurred with Sivaramakrishnan’s view that Pathan’s focus shouldbe on swing but asserted : “there is a minimum threshold of pace – 130kph – which he should maintain”.Looking ahead to the tri-series in Sri Lanka, also featuring India andSouth Africa, Muttiah Muralitharan was identified as the chief reason why Sri Lanka will start as favourites. Should the Indian batsmen, especially Mahendra Singh Dhoni, try to attack Murali? Srinath reckoned that it wouldn’t be an easy task.”Dhoni can tear apart a one-dimensional bowler,” explained Srinath, “but Murali is multi-dimensional, with his and variations.” Sivaramakrishnan agreed and was of the opinion that India should preserve wickets against Murali and ensure that they score 35-40 runs without losing a wicket. He said: “If he remains wicket-less, a wicket-taker like him might end up trying too hard and that could benefit India.”Sivaramakrishnan identified Ajit Agarkar as one of the key bowlers forIndia, with the capability of restricting Sanath Jayasuriya. “He was ourbest fast bowler in the West Indies and managed to contain Chris Gayle, astrokeplayer in the mould of Jayasuriya.” While Sivaramakrishnan felt thatAgarkar should have been retained for the Test series, Srinath believed his absence was a “blessing in disguise”. He said: “Agarkar’s body is fragile whichdoesn’t allow him long spells. He should stick to playing one-daycricket.”

Considering the sluggish wickets on offer in Sri Lanka, Srinath said thatit was imperative that India went with two specialist spinners – Anil Kumbleand Harbhajan Singh, backed by two seamers. The panel felt that theplaying surfaces in Sri Lanka and the West Indies, where the World Cupwould be played, are quite similar, and hence this tri-series would be anideal dress rehearsal for the big tournament.Srinath believed it was time Kumble was reinstated permanently to the ODI squad. “Kumble is a senior pro and should be assigned a task to groom the other bowlers – spinners as well as fast bowlers, given that he has a wealth of knowledge in fast bowling. He should have been included earlier.”Srinath backed Zaheer Khan – who has been out of the squad since the tourof Pakistan and now included in the 30-member probables list for theChampions Trophy – and stated that he had earned his recall after asuccessful stint with Worcestershire.On the Rahul Dravid-Greg Chappell combination, the panel shared the viewthat Dravid had found a like-minded individual in Chappell – both aremethodical in nature but felt that it was time they cut down onexperimenting and arrived at a settled combination. While Srinath acceptedthat flexibility is important, the constant shuffling of the batting orderhad affected the performances. He cited Pathan as a case in point. “Theadded pressure of batting has affected his bowling.”On Sachin Tendulkar’s return from injury, the panel exuded confidence thathe would be among the runs. Srinath felt that Tendulkar could still walkinto the team. He said, “He has to play whether he makes runs or not. He mighteven struggle in this tri-series but will come good soon. It will bedifficult for anybody, however great, to come back immediately into formafter a long lay-off.”The panel were unanimous in their opinion that South Africa were severelyhandicapped by the absence of Graeme Smith, Jacques Kallis and JustinKemp. Manjrekar and Srinath expressed concern over Shaun Pollock’s loss ofform and pace. Srinath opined that “his body has taken enough beating”,while Manjrekar was especially “saddened” at the sight of Pollock bowlingoffspin in the recently concluded Test series against Sri Lanka.

Johan Botha, the South African offspinner who had been suspended because of a dodgy action, has received support from his countryman and former offspinner Shafiek Abrahams. Abrahams, who played a solitary ODI in 2000, felt that the equipment used in England recently to evaluate Botha’s action was below standard and outdated.He also added that it was strange that Botha’s action was within the prescribed 15 degrees when he was tested in South Africa. “It is incomprehensible that Johan’s action has again been found to be illegal,” Abrahams told News24.com. “This is really laughable. He was tested several times in South Africa and his action was far under the prescribed mark of 15 degrees. However, in England it appeared well over the mark.”Even with the naked eye one can see his action looks good. A bowler’s action cannot change so much overnight. There are many other bowlers in world cricket whose action does not look as good as Johan’s.”There are many more cameras and other equipment at the Institute of Sports Sciences than at the ICC’s centre,” said Abrahams. “I know people at Cricket SA are unhappy about the test. They are drawing up a report. Much money has been wasted to have Johan tested.”Tim Noakes, head of the Sports Science Institute at Newlands, was also baffled by the result of the recent test. “The result of the test [done in England] shows that Botha now bends his arm more than he did when he was originally tested in Australia. This means all the work we did during the past few months has made his action worse,” Noakes was quoted as saying on the Supercricket website.Noakes was doubtful about the English test. “This is not a simple test in which the guy’s arm is measured while it is flat on the ground. You measure the movement in his bowling action, and that happens very quickly. You have a specific model that you have to use. The Australians in Perth use the same model as we do. The people in England use another model.”Noakes also claimed that when Botha was tested in Cape Town for the first time after the test in Perth, the result was almost the same. “The difference between the results was less than half a degree. In science, you try, as far as possible, to repeat tests in precisely the same manner to obtain the best results.”Botha’s action was reported in his debut Test against Australia at Sydney in January 2006 and he was suspended after tests in Perth. He will again be tested at Newlands on Thursday. If his action is shown to be legal, Cricket SA will request that he be tested again in Perth.

Michael Vaughan is planning to be in Australia throughout England’s Ashes campaign this November, even though it is almost certain he will play no part. Speaking to Vaughan revealed he plans to fly out to Australia the week before the first Test which starts on November 23 at Brisbane.”The rehab is going as well as possible and we’re looking at me batting (in the nets) in October,” he said. “The day I get on a plane to Australia will be the time people can start thinking I’m going to play cricket pretty soon, because I won’t go unless I’m about two or three weeks off playing.”Vaughan, who had knee surgery nine weeks ago, missed England’s tour of India earlier this year and was ruled out of the summer. Even the most ardent of optimists would rate his chances of playing any part of the Ashes as decidedly low, but Vaughan remains quietly confident that he will, at least, pick up a bat again before Christmas.”There’s a realistic chance I’ll be on a plane on November 17 and do 10 days of training around the first Test,” he said. “I won’t train with the team because it’s important they just get on with it but I hope to use the likes of Matthew Maynard, the trainer and physio.”Hopefully I’ll play some cricket in December. I’ll have to do that if I want to be available to play the one-day series (starting in January). If things go incredibly well, there’s a small chance I could play in the end of the Ashes, though if it’s 1-1 with two to play, I can’t see them saying ‘have a game’ when I won’t have played for 12 months. But who’s to say I won’t be able to tell them I’ve scored two hundreds in Perth and I’m available for selection? Whether I get back in, or come back in as captain, is for others to decide.”

“I won’t go in and say, ‘I’ve won the Ashes, listen to me’, but I’m there to speak to anyone if they need advice,” Vaughan insisted. “Andrew Strauss rings me regularly and I ring him and we pass ideas off each other. I don’t think anyone’s a wizard who can say, ‘This is the way to play’, because it’s all instinctive when you get out in the middle against a team like Australia. Plans can change every half-hour.”The England captaincy was a hot issue throughout the winter tour of India. With Vaughan absent, the captaincy was handed to Marcus Trescothick before he too withdrew from the tour owing to personal problems. Andrew Flintoff was next in line and named captain for their tour of India, and for the summer. He then broke down, though, missing the Pakistan series and handing Andrew Strauss the captaincy. Vaughan isn’t concerned who captains England; be it Flintoff or Strauss, and insists that his presence in Australia won’t be a hindrance to the appointed leader.”I have every confidence that whoever they pick will do a good job. They probably need a bit of my experience of captaining against Australia, but I think they’ll be fine. I may be more help to the younger players, who are there for first time. I’ll be there if they want a coffee. Whoever gets the captaincy will do okay.”I don’t think it has a huge effect because hopefully I’ll be coming back, but it will be a life-changing experience for whoever does it, because captaining in the Ashes is more intense than anything. Every decision will be analysed. Only time will tell how much I’ve been missed.”

Cricket Australia already has three former Test players to consider for Allan Border’s spot on the national selection panel when the board meets on Friday. Steve Smith and Ray Bright have registered their interest alongside Steve Rixon while Damien Fleming and Geoff Lawson have refused to nominate after Border’s sudden resignation on Tuesday.Border’s departure, which was caused by a combination of expanding business commitments and a conflict of personal sponsorship with a Cricket Australia partner, has raised concerns selectors are not being paid enough. The Courier-Mail reported Border declined to sign a contract that could have severely restricted his commercial opportunities.”Previously Cricket Australia had not worried about him not signing because his commercial deals were not as high profile as they were when he was playing and had flown under the radar,” the paper reported. “But the Fourex deal thrust him into the spotlight and Foster’s felt it was a form of ambush marketing they were not happy with.”Border has signed on for a heavily-advertised beach cricket series in January and February with the makers of XXXX, a brewing company in direct opposition to Cricket Australia’s sponsor the Foster’s Group. Border will captain Australia in the event that involves teams from England and West Indies.David Gilbert, the New South Wales chief executive, has warned it is difficult to find people to fill selection roles “when it is often not worth their while to give up the jobs they have”. “Years ago, when players were playing for match payments and the love of the game, they were cut from the same cloth as the selectors,” Gilbert said in the . “But you have to have a situation now where you have people who are qualified to make informed decisions on professional careers.”Lawson, who is a commentator like Fleming, told the paper former players would not consider joining the panel “unless they pay a selector enough money so that he doesn’t have to do his media job”. Fleming said he was “too busy with everything else” to consider taking the position. Andrew Hilditch chairs the panel that also includes David Boon and Merv Hughes.