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Dale Richards, the Barbados opening batsman, has returned home from Jamaica – where he was with the West Indies squad for the first Test – after it was learnt that his foot injury could keep him out of action for three weeks.Scans revealed the Richards, 32, had a “deep bone bruise” to the right big toe. The injury denied him the chance to make his international debut in the first Test between West Indies and England in Kingston. He could return for the third Test against England at Kensington Oval, which starts on February 26.Richards sustained the blow while batting for Barbados against the Leeward Islands in a WICB regional match in St Maarten almost two weeks ago.As Richards flew home, the two other non-playing members of the West Indies 14-member squad, Trinidad and Tobago offspinner Amit Jaggernauth and Leeward Islands fast bowler Lionel Baker, also left Jamaica to join their territorial teams in preparation for the next round of regional matches today. Jamaicans David Bernard and Gavin Wallace are performing duties as Windies emergency fieldsmen.

Scorecard
Points table

Martin Love rescued Queensland with 96 on a difficult opening day as they posted a hard-fought 247 against a Brett Dorey-inspired Western Australia. Dorey was a severe danger with 6 for 28, including Andrew Symonds on his first-class return from knee surgery, as the Warriors bowlers enjoyed the conditions.Love, 34, stayed calm as his top order team-mates departed during a composed century and he combined for an important seventh-wicket contribution of 93 with Ashley Noffke. Symonds lasted seven balls and was 5 when he edged Dorey to first slip and walked off having failed to impress Andrew Hilditch, the chairman of selectors. Australia’s squad for South Africa will be named next week and Symonds’ spot has come under threat due to his form and off-field troubles, which included a $4000 fine this week for swearing during a radio interview.Symonds’ dismissal contributed to Queensland’s problems on a bowler-friendly pitch at the Gabba. When he departed the Bulls were 3 for 37 after the openers Nick Kruger and Ryan Broad had fallen. Lee Carseldine also left before lunch as the Western Australians continued their surge.The debutant Drew Porter gained his maiden breakthrough when Chris Hartley, who was promoted to No. 6, nicked to Adam Voges, but the Bulls rebounded through Love and Noffke (41). However, both batsmen fell on the same score – Love was lbw to Steve Magoffin – and the innings was wrapped up by Dorey.He knocked over Noffke and Ryan Harris in consecutive balls and finished with Chris Simpson and Chris Swan during 20.2 overs of controlled speed. Voges took a record-equalling five catches before Western Australia lost the debutant Marcus Stoinis as they reached 1 for 16 at stumps.

Group A

Nineteen wickets fell on the second day in Karachi as Habib Bank Limited, buoyed by a fighting 86 by Kamran Hussain, and a rewarding spell by their spinners, were well and truly on top after bowling out Pakistan Customs for 87, securing a first-innings lead of 227. They reduced Customs to 61 for 5 after making them follow on, with their fast bowlers doing the damage this time, and 166 runs were still needed to clear the deficit. In the first innings, Customs lost three wickets for one run, with Kamran and fellow seamer Fahad Masood doing the early damage. The spinners then took over, with Shahid Afridi taking 2 for 32, and Danish Kaneria mopping up the tail with 3 for 19. Zahoor Elahi top scored with an unbeaten 35. In the follow-on, Customs fell to 2 for 3, and then lost a couple more wickets, as Kamran finished with 3 for 19. Zahoor, yet again, was the lone resister, unbeaten of 38.An unbeaten 151-run stand between Wajid Ali and captain Saeed Bin Nasir helped Sui Southern Gas Corporation gain control against Karachi Whites at the Quaid-e-Azam Park. Karachi Whites, who were eight wickets down overnight, could only add 20 more to their score of 258. SSGC lost Mohtashim Ali early, but Wajid played a patient innings, providing good support to Bin Nasir, who was unbeaten on 94, to take his team to 53 short of Karachi Whites’ first-innings total and help set the stage for a significant lead with eight wickets still in hand.There was no play possible on the second day of the match between Khan Research Laboratories and Water and Power Development Authority in Rawalpindi. The match was evenly balanced, with WPDA finishing day one on 217 for 5.Lahore Shalimar consolidated their strong position against Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited in Lahore, finishing a truncated second day on 215 for 2, with Junaid Malik and Suleman Khan extending their unbeaten partnership to 130. Junaid struck eight fours in his 84, and while Suleman struck none in his 64.Mohammad Aamer took 6 for 48 to lead National Bank of Pakistan‘s fightback, helping his team bowl out Pakistan International Airlines in Karachi for 215 and gain a lead of 2 runs. He was well supported by fellow fast bowlers Wasim Khan and Uzair-ul-Haq who took two wickets each, as the PIA batsmen failed to support their opener Khurram Manzoor, who remained unbeaten 86. NBP batted well the second time round, after being bowled out for 213 in the first innings, with opener Nasir Jamshed remaining unbeaten on 54 and adding 69 for the third wicket with Naumanullah.

Group B

Noor-ul-Amin took 4 for 71 to help Abbottabad wrap up the Rawalpindi innings for 325 in Islamabad after Rashid Latif, who top scored with 82, and Jamal Anwar, added 148 for the eighth wicket to take their team from 171 for 7 to past 300. Noor-ul-Amin dismissed Jamal Anwar and Haseeb Azam in quick succession to bring a reasonably quick end to Rawalpindi’s resistance. A score of 325 was more than what the batting team would have bargained for, however, after losing more than half their side for not too many.Faisalabad strengthened their dominant position against Hyderabad at the Iqbal Stadium, progressing to 209 for 1 after the first-wicket pair of Imran Ali, who scored 103, and Zeeshan Asif added 190, surpassing Hyderabad’s score of 179, and setting the foundation for a massive first-innings lead. Sajjad Ali dismissed the centurion, but only after the openers had scored at a healthy rate, with Imran, in particular, going great guns at a strike rate of 80.46 – a marked contrast to his partner Zeeshan, whose strike-rate is 38.83.Fast bowler Babar Rehman took 5 for 73 to help Karachi Blues bowl out Sialkot for 238, and limiting their lead to just 12, in an evenly contested match at the National Stadium. Sialkot lost quick wickets early on the second day, being reduced to 76 for 4 before top scorer Haris Sohail, who made an unbeaten 74, and captain Mohammad Ayub began the recovery. Following the loss of two more wickets, Sohail was involved in another fighting stand with Nayyer Abbas, adding 61 for the seventh wicket to take his team close to 200. Babar then came back to finish off the tail but not before Sialkot had surpassed the Karachi Blues score. The Sialkot bowlers then responded well, dismissing opener Shadab Kabir for a duck. His partner, Shahzaib Hasan, though, was in good nick, racing to 46 off 43 balls to take the score past fifty. However, Karachi Blues lost the No. 3 batsman Mohammad Faheem late in the day to finish at 52 for 2 at stumps and with the contest still wide open.Only 13 overs were possible at the Marghzar Cricket Ground as Islamabad were 47 for 2 against Peshwar, after fast bowler Waqar Ahmed had taken both the wickets. Umair Khan and Fayyaz Ahmed were the two unbeaten batsmen.Multan kept Quetta under control, limiting them to 144 for 4 on a shortened day in Multan. Their fast bowler Abdur Rauf took two wickets as Quetta were struggling at 50 for 3 at one stage. But captain Nasim Khan made a quick 54 to ease the nerves, and added 80 with Taimur Ali (29 not out) before being bowled by Mohammad Irshad.

Left-arm swing bowler Lonwabo Tsotsobe has been included in South Africa’s squad for the three-Test series in Australia starting in December. Left-arm spinner Robin Peterson is the other addition to the 13-man squad named for the home Test series against Bangladesh, and would provide cover for first-choice spinner Paul Harris, who fractured his left thumb during the first Test in Bloemfontein.Andre Nel, who had been omitted from South Africa’s Test and limited-overs teams for the recent home series against Bangladesh and Kenya, was not considered for selection after he underwent surgery to repair knee ligament damage. There is also no place for Herschelle Gibbs, who has not been part of the Test side since he was dropped for the tour of Bangladesh earlier this year, with Neil McKenzie firming a spot at the top of the order.Tsotsobe, who plays for the Eastern Province and Border franchise Warriors, has been picked after an impressive showing in the domestic season. In four first-class matches, he has taken 16 wickets at 18.12. Tsotsobe, 24, was also the leading wicket-taker for South Africa A in the recent two-Test series against Sri Lanka A, held in August-September.”We have felt for some time that we need to explore the left-arm swing variety to add an extra dimension to our attack and Lonwabo Tsotsobe made a good impression at the recent national camp we held in Kimberley,” Craig Matthews, acting convenor of selectors, said. “With an injury worry over Paul Harris, we have Robin Peterson ready to step up if needed. He took a five-wicket haul in his last Test against Bangladesh.”However, Tsotsobe and Monde Zondeki will find it tough to break into a Test attack led by Dale Steyn on the tour, with Makhaya Ntini and Morne Morkel the likely first-XI candidates. “We have maintained the policy of consistency that has served us well over the last couple of years,” Matthews said. “The starting line-up chooses itself and we feel we have good cover for all eventualities.”South Africa will be led by Graeme Smith, who has forged a formidable opening pair with McKenzie this year. Middle-order batsman Ashwell Prince will be Smith’s deputy on the tour, with Mark Boucher as wicketkeeper. The form of Jacques Kallis, though, will be worrying for coach Mickey Arthur, who is one of the many voices to state this is South Africa’s best chance of beating them in a Test series. South Africa have never won a Test series in Australia, and not one against them since readmission. Hashim Amla, AB de Villiers and JP Duminy are the other batsmen included to tour.After their tour of Australia in December-January, South Africa will host Australia for three in February-March. The South African Test side has had a successful stint heading into the tour, with away series wins against Pakistan, Bangladesh and England, home successes over New Zealand and West Indies and a drawn series in India.”The team has earned the right to be confident with the results they have had,” Smith said. “I have a lot of confidence in the players I have around me. We go there with a mature, settled environment. Everyone knows their roles. We will arrive with a clear goal in mind.”We’re going to be challenged on an Australian tour but like the England tour I am confident we can meet them. We’ve got the players to do well there.”South Africa squad: Neil McKenzie, Graeme Smith (capt), Hashim Amla, Jacques Kallis, Ashwell Prince, AB de Villiers, Mark Boucher (wk), JP Duminy, Paul Harris, Morne Morkel, Makhaya Ntini, Robin Peterson, Dale Steyn, Lonwabo Tsotsobe and Monde Zondeki.

The PCB has hit back at allegations made by former chief operating officer Shafqat Naghmi about Mohammad Asif’s detention at Dubai airport in June this year and the subsequent investigation into the matter.Naghmi revealed earlier this week that Asif had been detained and eventually deported for possessing opium. He said that as head of a three-man inquiry committee into the matter, he had recommended a financial penalty and a ban, though the report was still with him unsigned and undelivered. Naghmi left the board in acrimonious circumstances after Ijaz Butt took over as chairman.In an extensive and strongly-worded statement, the board struck back. “The revelation of former chief operating officer Shafqat Hussain Naghmi about fast bowler Mohammad Asif is a crude attempt to malign a Test cricketer and cast aspersions on the current management of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). Naghmi was removed from PCB by a unanimous decision of the governing board, a fact to which he has not yet reconciled.”The board said Naghmi’s comments were “a gross violation of government service rules as well as PCB rules and are highly unethical, irresponsible, and unbecoming of a senior civil servant. Naghmi should have realised the dignity and responsibility of his official status before talking to a foreign news agency. The hallmark of civil service, namely anonymity, neutrality and transparency, have all been done in by Naghmi’s unbecoming conduct.”Importantly, the board seems to also cast doubt on the exact nature of Asif’s indiscretion. Though Naghmi identified the contraband, the statement implies – though doesn’t definitively deny – it wasn’t correct. “An inquiry into the Asif’s incident has revealed the investigating committee headed by Naghmi – Zakir Khan and Nadeem Akram as members – only met for 15 minutes duration during which Asif’s statement was recorded. It was not his place as a government servant to issue any statement against Mohammad Asif and allege negligence to the present management of the PCB for not asking him about the said report on the fast bowler.”Naghmi should have also refrained from chastising Mohammad Asif that he was caught with a small amount of opium at the Dubai airport. A member of the committee headed by Naghmi, namely Zakir Khan has condemned the statement of Naghmi as rubbish since Zakir Khan categorically denies the preparation or the making of any such report.”The statement also details the circumstances surrounding Naghmi’s departure from office when Butt took over, reiterating charges that he had tried to leave with board files and documents, before a final ticking off. “Naghmi’s utterances that the new PCB management didn’t bother to ask him for the report on Mohammad Asif appears a cruel joke. How could the new management of the PCB know about the existence of such a report? It was the moral duty of Naghmi to give charge of every thing to a responsible official of the PCB which he didn’t. The PCB expects that in future Naghmi, being a government official, would follow his code of conduct and refrain from issuing statements against an institution whose patron is the president of the Islamic republic of Pakistan.”Zakir Khan is expected to speak to the media today about the case.

The Indian board has decided to postpone the Ranji Trophy Plate League opener between Assam and Bengal in Guwahati after Thursday’s bomb blasts in the city. The match was scheduled between November 3 and 6 and new dates haven’t been announced yet.”The match has been postponed. We will decide about a fresh date after assessing the situation. We have written to Assam Cricket Association and are waiting for a response,” Ratnakar Shetty, the BCCI’s chief administrative officer, told PTI.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details

The chase was over in a blink. Ryan Campbell hit an explosive half-century in front of a boisterous home crowd to charge the Ahmedabad Rockets to a crushing win over the hapless Mumbai Champs, who had dawdled to 130.”To just get past the first ball was a start for me,” said Campbell, also Man of the Match, after failing in his first two innings. The relief was palpable. And what an innings.Campbell, an explosive batsman from Western Australia, began the carnage after two quiet overs. He slammed Johan van der Wath to fine leg and the extra-cover boundary after fellow opener Parvez Aziz picked up two fours in the same over. Campbell then turned his attention to Michael Kasprowicz, hitting him first over mid-off before clearing long-off. He wasn’t done, yet. In the fifth over, he hit Ranjit Khirid all around the ground in a 15-run over.After five overs the score read 54 for 0 and though Aziz fell just after, slogging across the line, Campbell batted on fluently. He slowed down temporarily, having raced to 46 from 18 balls, but upped the tempo again to finish unbeaten on 92 from 51 balls. Victory was achieved with such ease that Mumbai were again exposed as the weakest team in the tournament.Even in the first game, where Mumbai stretched it to the last over, the quality was below par. It was another average performance from them today. The start set the tone: Robin Morris miscued a pull, Nathan Astle flicked a slower one straight to deep square leg and Raviraj Patil ran himself out. Taufeeq Umar picked up the odd boundary and Hasan Raza dealt in singles but they couldn’t create any momentum. Ahmedabad’s Bhima Rao had a great day in the field, taking four catches and effecting a direct-hit run out. Rao, identified by the ICL’s high performance director Jock Campbell as the fittest player at the preceding physical training camp, lived up to the high praise.It took the entry of van der Wath at the end of the 16th over to breathe some life into the game. In the 18th over, he pulled Heath Streak for two fours and launched one over long-on and really exploded in the last over of the innings against the same bowler. The first one, a full delivery, was dismissed over long-on, the second, a slower one, was carted to cow corner before van der Wath finished off with two more sixes. He finished on 41 from 15 balls, with four sixes. Post van der Wath’s arrival, the score jumped from 79 for 6 to 130 but it was too little.The ICL caravan moved to a new venue today but encountered an old problem. The light towers crashed for the third time in the tournament, holding up play for 45 minutes. Luckily, no overs were lost, and the partisan crowd thoroughly enjoyed their team’s domination.

The Pakistan Cricket Board has failed to convince the regional cricket associations in the country to alter the format of the four-day Pentangular Cup in order to make it more competitive. Due to the lopsided nature of some of the results in the previous edition – particularly in matches involving under-strength teams like Balochistan and NWFP – the PCB had suggested to split all 75 players into five evenly-matched teams but the proposal was rejected.In another development, the one-day version of the Pentangular Cup has also been scrapped as the board does not have a budget allocation for it. With India due to tour the country for a three-Test and five-ODI series in January-February 2009, the PCB has decided to hold the Pentangular Cup ahead of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, Pakistan’s premier domestic tournament.Sultan Rana, the PCB director of domestic cricket, said another meeting with the regional heads is scheduled for October 4. “Hopefully, all five teams will be announced soon after the meeting,” Rana told the . The Pentangular Cup will also start from Oct 22 instead of Oct 21.The five teams in the series are Punjab, Sindh, Federal Areas, Balochistan and NWFP.

South Africa A’s bowlers once again dismissed Sri Lanka A quickly to help their team win the second four-day game and take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.Sri Lanka, who had lasted just 41 overs for their 180 in the first innings, began the day needing another 286 runs to make South Africa bat again. The task was onerous, but the response was tame. Barring opener Tharanga Paranavitana, none of the batsmen went past 50 as the visitors were bowled out in 58 overs, scoring 233.South Africa had success in the third over of the day when Upul Tharanga was caught off Johann Louw. Paranavitana and Gihan Rupasinghe added 52 for the second wicket, before Yusuf Abdullah had Rupasinghe caught-behind. Wickets fell regularly from there on as Sri Lanka’s middle order failed to forge big partnerships.Thilina Kandamby made 42, but Sri Lanka were staring at defeat when he departed, with the score at 173 for 7. Legspinner Malinga Bandara provided some resistance, but his 25-ball 35 and No. 11 Ishara Udana’s unbeaten 18 – following up on his 33 in the first innings – failed to push Sri Lanka into the lead. Abdullah finished with 3 for 44, while Lonwabo Tsotsobe, CJ de Villiers and Thandi Tshabalala took two wickets apiece.The dismal batting performance came after Sri Lanka’s domineering display in the first game, when they scored 749 for 5 declared at a rate of 4.51 runs per over in a drawn affair. The two teams will now head to Willowmore Park in Benoni for the third Test, which starts on September 11.

Stephen Fleming, the former New Zealand captain, has urged his country’s cricket board to take a stance on touring Pakistan for the Champions Trophy in September, instead of leaving individual players to decide. It is understood that several high-profile players are likely to opt out of the tournament owing to security fears, after the ICC last week confirmed Pakistan as hosts.New Zealand are also scheduled to tour the country for a three-ODI series in August but that too looks in doubt.”I know I’d be reluctant if I was still there, although it’s tough to say categorically without being privy to the security reports circulated,” Fleming told .”But it’s only going to demean the tournament as a spectacle if three or four of the leading nations send second-string sides, which is why the national body needs to step in and make the decision.”Besides New Zealand, players from other leading teams like England, Australia and South Africa have expressed reservations over touring. The respective cricket boards are likely to take a final decision when the ICC-appointed task force carries out its security inspection after August 14th, when Pakistan celebrates its Independence Day.Fleming felt that New Zealand Cricket (NZC) was fortunate to have the backing of other leading teams on this issue.”It’s an unenviable position for New Zealand Cricket to be in, definitely,” Fleming said. “It’s a situation we’ve been in before, when we refused to play in Kenya [at the 2003 World Cup], although back then New Zealand was on its own standing up to the ICC.”This time we have some fairly hefty weight behind us in the form of Australia and England, which significantly changes the landscape and any potential repercussions.”He did however sympathise with Pakistan, which has experienced several bomb blasts in major cities over the last few months. India, too, was affected by blasts in Bangalore and Ahmedabad but there have been no reports yet of Australia or England cancelling or postponing their respective tours of the country later this year.”I know the situation might not be 100% there, but there’s constant bomb blasts in India, and Sri Lanka’s reputation [when it comes to terrorism] is hardly squeaky-clean,” he said. “You’ve got to wonder if Pakistan aren’t questioning why they’re the only ones being singled out.”The Champions Trophy is scheduled between September 11 and 28 in Karachi, Lahore and Rawalpindi.