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The leaders of Division One of the Norwich Union League – Warwickshire Bears – are not in action this weekend, giving Worcestershire Royals the opportunity to bounce back to the top of the table. The Royals are away to Somerset Sabres and a win will take them back to level points with their Midland neighbours, but they enjoy a slightly better net run rate.It was expected that the Royals would win last week, but they suffered defeat at the hands of Durham Dynamos, who registered their first points of the season. The Dynamos are still humming away at the foot of the table but, who knows, perhaps they will have taken a liking for winning and will be trying to repeat the trick when they visit Kent Spitfires.There is one other match in the top flight this week with Leicestershire Foxes travelling to Wales to meet Glamorgan Dragons, with both sides knowing that they could be in for a difficult few weeks should they lose.In Division Two there are three sides locked on 14 points. Surrey Lions lead the way by virtue of having the best run rate, Gloucestershire Gladiators are second and Derbyshire Scorpions are third, but have a game in hand over other members of the 14-point club.The Lions should not be too travel-weary as they only have to cross the Thames to play Middlesex Crusaders this week. But the match of the day involves the Scorpions playing host to the Gladiators.The two other contests in the division see bottom-placed Sussex Sharks, who go along the South Coast hoping to bring the Hampshire Hawks down to earth, while Lancashire Lightening will be hoping to strike against Northamptonshire Steelbacks. Sparks might fly in that one.

Pakistan cricket team captain Waqar Younis claimed that seniors and juniors, both have disappointed the nation by losing all three Tests against Australia by humiliating margins especially in the second and third Tests at Sharjah.Addressing a press conference Friday, Waqar said that Pakistan lost the series because it inducted several young players, however, he admitted the failure of the seniors also, including himself who failed to perform up to the expectations.Waqar, while accepting the team’s dismal performance pointed out that their opponents were the best team in the world.Waqar explained that personally his morale was high and he hoped the induction of Inzamamul Haq, Yousuf Youhana and more senior players would strengthen the team for its tour of Zimbabwe, starting from Nov 1.Asked as to why he did not follow PCB chief’s example by resigning, Waqar countered that he was not a “coward” and as a cricketer he would fight against reverses.He did not agree with a questioner that Pakistan cricket was passing through its darkest era. “Bad patches are the part of the game and I still believe the Pakistan team will again show better performance in near future”, he said.While elaborating at length on the series, he stated that the juniors performed well in the opening Test in Colombo which raised the expectations of the nation. But the Australians did their home work in the next two Test to emerge worthy winners.When asked if he would find a place in the One-day side as PCB is contemplating to make Test and One-day teams, separately, Waqar said “let the time come”.Regarding team selection, he claimed that the decision nottoinclude leg-spinner Danish Kaneria in the team for the first Test in Colombo was taken after inspecting the pitch. However, the journalists were not satisfied with the response, as they contended with the response that spinners of either side had performed superbly, citing the example of Australian leg-spinner Shane Warne who took 11wickets in that Test (seven for 94 in the first innings and four for94 in the second knock) and Pakistan’s Saqlain Mushtaq capturing eight wickets (four for 136 in the first innings and four for 46 in the second).Similarly questioned about the exclusion of Mohammad Zahid and Rana Naveed-ul- Hassan throughout the series, Waqar said that he had the policy to provide proper chances to every player. For that he could not drop Mohammad Sami who was with the teamforthelast18 months and now he should get regular chances.He was optimistic that a strong team would be fielded for the next year World Cup to be held in South Africa, and explained that young players would get an opportunity to prove their mettle as there was a lot of cricket to be played before the mega event.He dispelled the impression that the players could face burn out because the national side had to play four Tests and 10 One-day matches before the World Cup.Waqar avoided a direct reply about the incident concerning Yousuf Youhana in Kenya, as a result of which the batsman was sent home by Waqar. “I have informed the PCB about that incident and I am not in a position to explain it before the press”, Waqar said,He admitted that the decision of sending back Youhana was made in haste and the matter could have been resolved there, but added it was an unanimous decision of the team management. He promised that no such incident would be happened in future. He denied that any grouping existed in the team.Waqar was all praise for new coach Richard Pybus and deemed him as suitable for the job than the sacked Mudassar Nazar.

The West Indies has traditionally been regarded as the cradle of fearsome fast bowling, and each of the four speedsters picked by the Indian selectors for the upcoming tour will be relishing his prospects of bowling there. Particularly active in licking his lips will be Ashish Nehra, one of two left-arm seamers in the squad.Coming back into the side after an injury, Nehra will be looking to establish himself as the premier exponent of swing bowling in the country. A few days before the squad’s departure, Nehra spent an hour chatting with fans on , fielding their questions about his career, plans and thoughts.”Our Test side has been performing quite well in the recent past,” said Nehra about the current crop of Test cricketers. “During the Zimbabwe and England tours, the team played quite well.”This observation naturally prompted a query on India’s poor record in series away from home. Nehra answered the question diplomatically. “Overseas our players have performed well, but at times have lost by a close margin,” he said. “But we are in high spirits and give in our best at all times.”Nehra took some questions on his teammates for the upcoming tour as well. “Everyone knows his potential, and we hope that he does well,” he said of VVS Laxman. He also had words of praise for Dinesh Mongia. “He is a very promising cricketer and is currently in a very good knick.”Virender Sehwag, sidelined with a shoulder injury sustained during the India-Zimbabwe one-day series, is Nehra’s teammate and close friend at ONGC, and the lanky fast-bowler was quite sure they would miss him. “Sehwag has been ruled out of selection because he has not fully recovered from his injury. He is a great player, and I hope that he is back in the side for the one-dayers.”Questioned about his compatriots in the bowling department, Nehra delivered fulsome praise. “It is good to see Anil Kumble back in the side. He is one of the best spinners in the world,” he said. Shifting his focus for a moment to the one-day arena, Nehra added, “I think Zaheer Khan and Ajit Agarkar are two of the best bowlers in the slog overs. Javagal Srinath is also very experienced.”The tour of the West Indies is one of India’s best chances to win a series abroad, coming as it does against a weak opposition and at a time when almost all of India’s stars are fit. Nehra recognised this and said, “I think we should do well in this series. We have a good side.” He was certainly unequivocal about his own role in the mission. “I will give my best to do well in the West Indies. It feels great to play for my country again, and I hope I can live up to everyone’s expectations.”

Australia will continue its build-up for the 2003 Cricket World Cup withSuper Challenge II, a three-match series against Pakistan in June to betelecast exclusively on the Nine Network.The series could also decide who is the world’s fastest bowler withPakistani speedster Shoaib Akhtar and Australian paceman Brett Lee bothexpected to play.Super Challenge II will see two matches played under the closed roof ofMelbourne’s Colonial Stadium on Wednesday, June 12 and Saturday, June 15and a third game at The Gabba in Brisbane on Wednesday, June 19. Allgames will be day-night matches telecast live by Nine’s Wide World ofSports.The concept is similar to the Super Challenge staged in August 2000 whenAustralia and South Africa become the first teams to play aninternational in an enclosed stadium.With the three-game series falling in the winter football season,Colonial Stadium will be transformed to make it suitable forinternational cricket. The Australian Cricket Board will use a “drop-in”pitch prepared under hothouse conditions at Seymour in Victoria.In Brisbane, a pre-existing wicket will be prepared in co-operation withthe tenant AFL club, the Brisbane Lions.The Wide World of Sports coverage of Game 1 of Super Challenge II willbegin on Wednesday, June 12 at 2.00pm.Simon O’Donnell will host Nine’s broadcasts with Mark Taylor, Ian Healy,Tony Greig, Bill Lawry and Ian Chappell calling the action. RichieBenaud is unavailable due to commitments with Channel 4 in the UK.Also joining Nine’s commentary team for the series will be Mark Waugh,Australia’s leading run-getter in one-day internationals with 8500 runsat an average of 39.35 and a strike rate of 76.83.Wide World of Sports will also use the two matches at Colonial Stadiumto install a new camera position within the closed roof showing anoverhead view of the pitch and the action below.Super Challenge II Telecast TimesGame 1: Wednesday, June 12 at Colonial Stadium: 2.00pm to 6.00pm and7.00pm to 10.15pmGame 2: Saturday, June 15 at Colonial Stadium: 1.00pm to 4.45pm, 5.15pmto 6.00pm and 6.30pm to 9.15pmGame 3: Wednesday, June 19 at The Gabba: 2.00pm to 6.00pm and 7.00pm to10.15pm* Times are AEST. Viewers should check local guides for full telecastdetails.

Kushil Gunasekera was appointed by the Interim Committee last night to act as the Coordinating Secretary for the Board of Control for Cricket in Sri Lanka (BCCSL).Gunasekera, a successful businessman, has assumed a low profile in Sri Lankan cricket during the last eight months after resigning from the board in May 2000 because of a personal conflict with Dammika Ranatunga, the Chief Executive at the time.He is widely respected as a cricket administrator, however, after his untiring efforts as Tournament Secretary in the Under 19 World Cup, which was staged in Sri Lanka in January 2000

Today may have been a religious day in the sacred city of Kandy but it was far from a harmonious one as tempers flared on a dramatic third day. England overwhelmed a distraught Sri Lanka side and now look certain to level the series tomorrow.Sri Lanka had begun the day with high hopes of wrapping up the England innings in the morning. It wasn’t to be as a combination of controversial umpiring decisions and excellent batting allowed England to add 87 runs for the sixth wicket and 41 for the last, which gave them a precious lead of 90 runs.

Disaster then struck for Sri Lanka as they lost three wickets in the first 13 balls of the innings. Darren Gough ripped out Marvan Atapattu for two and had Aravinda de Silva caught in the gully off his glove for one. It was the dismissal of Sanath Jayasuriya, however, that broke the back of the Sri Lankans.Jayasuriya had just watched his vice-captain depart in Gough’s aggressive first over and knew that his team needed an innings from their leader. He drove at Andrew Caddick’s first delivery and appeared to edge the ball into the ground. It ballooned up and Graham Thorpe took an athletic catch at third slip. The English players appealed and the Sri Lankan umpire BC Cooray gave Jayasuriya out after confirmation by Koertzen that the catch had been taken cleanly.Jayasuriya could not believe what was happening. He thought they would refer to the television umpire but, as Hanumant Singh, the match referee confirmed afterwards, catches can only be referred if there is doubt as to whether the ball was taken cleanly. Bump balls, he said, are a matter for the umpires.Jayasuriya lingered on his way back to the pavilion and threw his helmet in disgust and sat on the dressing room balcony fully padded as if he expected a reprieve at any moment.He became the latest player to be hauled into the match referee’s room after the close of play to receive a suspended suspension of two Test matches and two One-Day Internationals. He was also fined 60 per cent of his match fee.”The team are trying their best but unfortunately we cannot do anything about what is happening to us at the moment,” said Jayasuriya afterwards. Commenting on his own fate: “There was no luck at all for me – everyone can see the television replays, but I cannot comment on the decision.” Sri Lanka coach Dav Whatmore struggled for words, but said: “It was very tough to sit here and watch.”Soon after Jayasuriya’s dismissal, Kumar Sangakkara and Michael Atherton were involved in a verbal confrontation, which ended up with Atherton pointing his finger. Hanumant Singh admitted afterwards that he would be looking into the incident tomorrow.The ECB issued a statement afterwards, which said: “Mike Atherton was using his finger to make a point about a remark made to him by a Sri Lankan player. He was not abusive to the umpire.”Jayasuriya admitted afterwards that he was going to struggle to lift his players tomorrow: “When everything is not going your way, it is very difficult to pick up the morale, but we have to come back tomorrow and try to get a lead of 150, which would put England under pressure. Sangakkara is still there and we are hoping that he can get a big one.”

The day began well for England as Alec Stewart and Craig White added 87 priceless runs to overhaul the Sri Lankan lead and then, after the home team had taken three quick wickets after lunch, Robert Croft and Darren Gough added 41 more for the last wicket.After an early tea Gough’s fast bowling could not be faulted. He exploited Atapattu’s off stump weakness to perfection and then produced a brute of a delivery first up to Aravinda de Silva in his second over.Following the dismissal of Jayasuriya, Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara counter-attacked bravely, scoring 39 runs in 46 balls. It was electrifying batting and was only ended by a distinguished off cutter from White that Jayawardene played on to his stumps.Russel Arnold then added a further 39 runs with Sangakkara before Robert Croft snatched two further wickets to seal Sri Lanka’s fate in this match. Arnold was adjudged lbw as he padded up for 22 and Tillakaratne Dilshan was caught at slip without scoring.When asked about a previously arranged dinner engagement, a Sri Lankan player summed up the situation for his side perfectly: “I don’t think today is a good day.”

India’s Central Information Commission (CIC) has asked the BCCI and all its 29 member units for details about the land and buildings occupied by them, including information on stadiums allotted by state governments, the annual rent paid by the BCCI, and its units and copies of lease deeds as part of their agreement. The Information Commissioner has constituted a full bench of the CIC to hear the case on July 25 and 26 in New Delhi.The CIC is a government body formed to effectively shed light on the working of India’s traditionally opaque public institutions by entertaining petitions from the public under the country’s relatively new Right to Information Act (RTI); a ruling earlier this month sought to bring political parties within its purview. Under the law, the Central and State Information Commissions have the same powers as a civil court.The CIC’s issuing of a notice to the BCCI is yet another step by the Indian government to establish the BCCI as a public body. The BCCI is currently registered as a private society. In its notice, dated July 10, the CIC has directed the BCCI and all of its affiliated units to attend the hearing either personally or through authorised representatives.The CIC’s deputy registrar K L Dass, who is the signatory on the notice to the BCCI, said: “The question here is whether the BCCI is a public authority or not and [to this end] the CIC wants to check if the BCCI is getting any government funding? This is why [the] CIC has asked the BCCI and its units to provide details.”The CIC has also instructed the BCCI and its member units to provide information regarding income tax, customs duty, entertainment tax exemptions, if any, for the last five years from the 2007-08 fiscal year. The full bench is also expected to examine the security expenses incurred by states government for organising cricket matches during the same period.The petitioner, Delhi resident Madhu Agrawal, says that bringing the BCCI under the RTI Act is a matter of national importance because the BCCI conducts cricket matches with various teams under their purview, and utilises facilities offered by the federal and state governments.Agrawal’s petition is a redrafted version of an existing petition filed by her husband Subhash Agrawal, a well-known RTI activist. That petition is pending before a one-member bench of the CIC. Agrawal told ESPNcricinfo that it was filed in his wife’s name because RTI rules give priority to petitions filed by women senior citizens – a full bench of the CIC is required to take up such cases “sooner than any other case.”The CIC has also been hearing a petition against the BCCI, following a 2005 case concerning its public function. The BCCI has submitted a copy of the Supreme Court’s judgment of 2005 in the Zee Telefilms v Union of India & others, which said the BCCI was not defined as a ‘state’. The BCCI also argued it didn’t take any financial help from the Indian Government. In February, 2011 though, the Supreme Court upheld a Kerala High Court decision and stated that officials of the Kerala Cricket Association are ‘public servants’.

Match facts

June 25, The Oval
Start time 6.30pm (1730 GMT)Eoin Morgan will lead England against New Zealand two days after his Champions Trophy final disappointment•Getty Images

Big Picture

Remember New Zealand’s tour of England? Well, it didn’t end two weeks ago. Less than 48 hours after England failed to win their first piece of global 50-over silverware by losing a T20 shootout against India, the T20 leg of the New Zealand series will begin at The Oval. The insistent rumble of the Ashes, which got even louder on Monday, means that a squad made up of T20 specialists and assorted young tyros has been assembled, with none of England’s senior Test players involved. Oh, except for Kevin Pietersen, who could play in the second game on Thursday.In Stuart Broad’s absence, Eoin Morgan will lead a side likely to contain four of his Champions Trophy team-mates. The T20 team, logically, diverges the furthest from England’s Test blueprint and the likes of Michael Lumb, Alex Hales, Luke Wright and Jade Dernbach are regulars in the shortest form but there could still be a debutant or two involved, with call-ups for Yorkshire’s hard-hitting middle-order batsman Gary Ballance and the former Ireland seamer Boyd Rankin.New Zealand won the ODIs against England 2-1, raising expectations, but faltered in the Champions Trophy group stage, albeit that the weather played a big role in two of their games. The squad has been freshened up a little for what will be New Zealand’s last international fixtures before a few months off. Back at the start of February, these two teams began their 16-round tussle over two continents with England smashing the ball around Eden Park with record-breaking abandon. Hopefully there will still be some gas in the tank.

Form guide (most recent first)

England WLWWL
New Zealand LWLLW

In the spotlight

Ravi Bopara sneaked into England’s Champions Trophy squad and then proceeded to make himself an indispensible member of the team, at a time when many were prepared to write him off as an international nearly man. Bopara appeared to be a central component for England in the build up to the World Twenty20 last year, only to lose form and confidence at a crucial time. His last T20I innings was a single run from six balls in the Super Six defeat to Sri Lanka that sent the holders out but he now has the opportunity to further strengthen his renaissance credentials.New Zealand rarely seem to be short of nuggety allrounders to hit hard down the order and fill in with a few overs of medium pace. Corey Anderson was brought in as an ODI debutant in the Champions Trophy match against England, many thought precisely because of the threat of rain and a shortened game – he bowled one over at a cost of four runs and then biffed 30 in a revitalising partnership with Kane Williamson. The burly left-hander appears likely to get an opportunity to press his case ahead of James Franklin.

Team news

Apart from Pietersen, who will not be available for the first game, England have named a squad completely devoid of players likely to be involved in the Ashes. Alex Hales has struggled for runs with Nottinghamshire recently, while Jade Dernbach’s stock dipped when called into the ODI squad as cover before the Champions Trophy but the low-key nature of this series might be to their advantage. Boyd Rankin and Gary Ballance could both win their first caps for England.England 1 Michael Lumb, 2 Alex Hales, 3 Luke Wright, 4 Ravi Bopara, 5 Eoin Morgan (capt), 6 Jos Buttler (wk), 7 Ben Stokes, 8 Chris Woakes, 9 James Tredwell, 10 Jade Dernbach, 11 Boyd Rankin/Danny BriggsHamish Rutherford returns after a few weeks in county cricket with Essex but the majority of the team will be familiar. Tom Latham provided some fireworks in New Zealand’s win over Kent on Sunday and could return to the middle-order, with Grant Elliott absent through injury. Ian Butler and Doug Bracewell will vie to deputise for Tim Southee, while Ronnie Hira provides another spin-bowling option.New Zealand 1 Hamish Rutherford, 2 Martin Guptill, 3 Brendon McCullum (capt, wk), 4 Ross Taylor, 5 Tom Latham, 6 Colin Munro, 7 Corey Anderson, 8 Nathan McCullum, 9 Ian Butler, 10 Kyle Mills, 11 Mitchell McClenaghan

Pitch and conditions

Scene of England’s dominant Champions Trophy semi-final win, a different surface is likely to be used for the T20 but bounce and turn should still figure. The forecast is for a warm evening with some cloud cover, which could help the ball swing.

Stats and trivia

• England have won seven out of nine T20s against New Zealand. The only previous T20 international played between them in England was a nine-wicket home victory at Old Trafford in 2008.
• New Zealand have the top two T20 batsmen in the world – Martin Guptill and Brendon McCullum – according to the current rankings.
• Since making a half-century against Worcestershire at the start of May, Alex Hales has score 78 runs in 13 innings, with 11 single-figure scores.

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Sachin Tendulkar has called the developments in Indian cricket over the last fortnight – the spot-fixing charges against three Rajasthan Royals players and betting charges against top Chennai Super Kings official Gurunath Meiyappan – “shocking and disappointing”. Tendulkar is the first current Indian cricketer to comment on the issue – via a statement – and he said the sport needed to repay the faith the fans invested in the game.”It has always hurt me when the game of cricket is in the news for the wrong reasons. The developments in the last two weeks have been shocking and disappointing,” Tendulkar said. “As cricketers we are always taught to go out, fight hard, give our very best and play in the true spirit of the game. During this difficult phase, I join every cricketer, from the boys in the [fields] across the country to those who represent clubs, states and the country, who trust the authorities to take sincere steps to get to the root of the issue.”The faith reposed by the millions of fans should be justified and we owe it to them to ensure that Indian cricket is all about pride and joy.”India’s Prime Minister Manmohan Singh also said he hoped that politics would be kept separate from sport. “Not prudent to comment while investigations are underway,” he said. “I hope that sport doesn’t get mixed up with politics.”Former India batsman VVS Laxman had also said the issues of corruption in the IPL were “distressing”.”It’s very disappointing,” Laxman had said. “The last two weeks have been quite distressing and a feeling of anguish was definitely there. I hope the various investigations done by the police in Delhi, Mumbai and Chennai come to a logical conclusion, and more importantly the cause of this problem is erased. It is very important because just for some greedy players, the credibility of the rest of the players should not be affected. I think it is a very important issue and I am sure it will be cleaned up very soon.”The India captain MS Dhoni had said in Birmingham on Thursday that he did not feel that the reputation of Indian cricket had “gone” as a result of the scandals in the IPL. Dhoni had said he would not speak on the issue until the time was right because he wanted to keep the squad shielded from distractions during the Champions Trophy.