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Dion Ebrahim, Zimbabwe’s former vice-captain, was arrested this morning for using a ZC-sponsored car two weeks after the board decided not to offer him a new contract. Ebrahim was held at Highlands Police Station in Harare for several hours. Beatrice Mtetwa, his lawyer, told journalists that the arrest was illegal as ZC had not paid Ebrahim his outstanding match fees.”They had him arrested because he was using their car,” Mtetwa said. “They are still holding him. I wrote their lawyers telling them that we will not release the car until he is paid his dues. They can only take the car with a court order. This case has nothing to do with the police. This is a civil case. It is an abuse of the police, and ZC have always done that.”A spokesman for the board told Cricinfo: “Ebrahim no longer has a contract with ZC and so there are no grounds for him to continue using ZC property. Because of the continued unlawful use of the ZC vehicle, ZC approached the police to retrieve from a former employee what belongs to it.”It later emerged that Tatenda Taibu, the former captain who quit international cricket, had also been contacted by the police. He told Associated Press: “I am not handing over the car until I have been paid all the money I am owed in several months’ salary and Test match fees amounting to a large sum of money.” Ebrahim said on his release: “Like Tatenda said, they are not getting the car until they pay me all the money I am due, which is a lot.”Ebrahim and Taibu are among a number of players who are still owed around $200,000 in backpay. ZC has repeatedly avoided settling, and even though they were supposed to be paid in US dollars, the players claim that ZC has only offered to settle in Zimbabwe dollars at a derisory exchange rate.”The issue of Ebrahim’s payment is separate from his continued use of the ZC vehicle,” the spokesman said. “However, for the record, Ebrahim collected part of his payment from us and rejected the other cheque saying it was not in the form he wanted, possibly foreign currency. As we have said before, we are under advice to pay in local currency. Thus, the payment that Ebrahim says is outstanding to him is only so because he has made it that.”Although the strike by leading players ended last week when almost all of them signed new contracts, the issue of backpay remains unresolved. Critics of the board claim that it has no money, and it is also reported that ZC has approached the ICC and asked for an advance of the money it will receive from the 2007 World Cup to help it meet its running costs.

Tasmania’s Cricket Australia board director Tony Harrison has lashed out at what he perceives to be a campaign to shift future Test matches typically earmarked for Hobart instead to Canberra, ahead of what is expected to be a small turnout at Bellerive Oval for Australia’s meeting against a West Indies side currently sitting eighth on the ICC Test rankings table.Bellerive has been extensively redeveloped since the most recent Test match held at the ground, against Sri Lanka in December 2012, with the new Ricky Ponting Stand dominating the southern side of the oval. However slim ticket pre-sales and the questionable drawing power of a struggling Caribbean outfit has left many wondering whether Hobart will be able to prove itself as a venue before CA schedules one of next summer’s six Tests at Manuka Oval instead.Harrison recently stepped down from his role as Tasmanian Cricket chairman in order to remain on the CA board as one of nine independent directors. However his loyalty to his state shone through in comments directed at the ACT, who Harrison felt were not working according to the “one team” philosophy adopted as a way of helping the game’s custodians work in a more unified manner.”I have read comments like, ‘we deserve the Test, Hobart doesn’t’ kind of thing. I don’t think that’s helpful,” Harrison told . “We are going through a process in Australian cricket at the moment called ‘one team’, which is the states and Cricket Australia all acting as one, and what has disturbed me most out of Canberra is that it is hardly ‘one team’ behaviour.”[CA] spent a lot of money and effort getting this one team thing going, and here instantly we have an issue… I think that is disappointing. I am frustrated that this debate is on and Tasmania hasn’t been given an opportunity to demonstrate that [the new grandstand] was a worthwhile investment and people will come and support it.”Canberra’s status as the country’s capital with the highest average weekly income in Australia contrasts with that of Hobart as the lowest, and Harrison said money had also been a factor in the ACT bidding successfully for other fixtures, such as last year’s ODI against South Africa in November. Harrison said there were elements of CA who operated with money in mind more so than cricket.”The workers of Tasmania are competing with the fat-cat bureaucrats in Canberra who have the highest disposable income in Australia,” Harrison said.”I do know that [the ACT] have made financial contribution to playing one-day international cricket there. So I suspect that may be the case [for a Test Match], but it hasn’t been confirmed to me. There are certainly people in Cricket Australia management who don’t necessarily look at it from a cricket perspective. They look at it from the dollars and cents perspective. But that’s why we have a board of directors.”Other factors are conspiring against Hobart, Harrison said, such as the lack of a Test match culture based on matches not being scheduled in the state on an annual basis, while the modest state of the West Indies side – something pointed out by plenty of commentators and former players – also serves to discourage spectators.”In the other capitals, they know there is a Test match every year whereas there hasn’t been one in Hobart for three years. So there isn’t the culture, people aren’t used to it,” Harrison said.”The thing that has distressed me most is the talking down of the West Indies, which sends a very poor message to the Tasmanian public. I’ve been very disappointed by the comments of former cricketers who have made a lot of money out of cricket.”

Sri Lanka Board President’s XI 298 for 9 dec and 77 for 8 (Hoggard 5-25) lead England XI 134 (Bopara 47) by 241 runs
Live scorecard

Matthew Hoggard demonstrated his imperturbability in the face of a bowling crisis, while Ravi Bopara rose to the occasion with both bat and – less expectedly – the new ball, as England’s cricketers turned their fortunes upside down on a frenetic second day at the Nondescripts Cricket Club in Colombo.At the tea break, England were bracing themselves for embarrassment. Their batting had imploded for 134, less than half the 298 for 9 on which their opponents had declared overnight, and to make matters worse, they had been reduced to a solitary fit fast bowler in Hoggard. With Steve Harmison already receiving treatment for a back spasm, James Anderson reported soreness in his left ankle while warming up in the innings break and took no further part in the day.And so Hoggard did what he has done so often in the course of his 64-Test career, and hoisted the entire burden of the attack onto his own perpetually stooped shoulders. First, he inflicted Upul Tharanga’s first failure in three innings by bowling him for 5, then he bagged three further wickets in four balls – Tillakaratne Dilshan edged low to Owais Shah at slip, Jehan Mubarak was trapped lbw for a second-ball duck, and Chamara Kapugedera fended his first delivery to Paul Collingwood in the gully.In between whiles, Bopara, maintaining a brisk line and length, picked up a bonus wicket as Malinda Warnapura played across the line to a straight one. Hoggard then wrapped up a fine spell by removing the attritional young keeper, Kaushal Silva, with a thin nick to the keeper, and finished with the superb figures of 9-3-25-5.Only the opener, Mahela Udawatte, showed any measure of control. He had negotiated his way to 45 from 83 deliveries before Bopara, who had earlier completed the run-out of de Silva, found the thinnest of edges through to Matt Prior. He was the eighth man out, and with Lokuarachchi in hospital, England needed just one more breakthrough to wrap up the innings, but Welegedera and Amerasinghe made it through to the close.It was entertaining cricket, but it wasn’t quite what England had had in mind when Michael Vaughan and Alastair Cook had walked out to open their innings at the start of play. This was meant to be a day in which the top-order gained valuable time in the middle ahead of next week’s first Test at Kandy. Instead Vaughan fell for a duck, losing his off stump to a beauty from the left-armer Sujeewa de Silva, to set the tone for a day of batting collapses.Ian Bell was the next to go, after a chaotic 16-ball innings in which he was dropped at slip on 1 and caught at square leg on 3 off a no-ball. de Silva made it third time lucky when he grazed the inside edge of a loose defensive stroke, before his fellow left-armer, Chanaka Welagedera, inflicted another failure on the out-of-form Kevin Pietersen. He was pinned lbw for 1.Cook looked in fluent form for his 35, until he missed a sweep at Kaushal Lokuarachchi and was given out lbw, but Owais Shah at No. 5 looked anything but. With Bopara enhancing his claims for a Test spot with every passing minute, Shah required 34 balls and more than an hour at the crease before he recorded his first run, and was eventually bowled through the gate for 26 as he drove without conviction at Ishara Amerasinghe.The pair had at least added an important 54 for the fifth wicket, but Bopara was the one to make his opportunity count. He survived one life on 17 when Lokuarachchi dropped a tough caught-and-bowled chance – so tough, in fact, that he was forced to leave the field with a broken finger. He picked off four fours in the course of his innings, including a pair of pulls off de Silva, and a half-century was there for the taking until he drove uppishly to short cover with only the tail for company.England’s tail, once again, did not cover itself in glory. Prior managed 10 from 27 balls before edging Kapugedera to first slip, while the remainder didn’t manage a single run between them. Hoggard and Anderson were both bowled for ducks, and Harmison didn’t come out to bat. The last four wickets fell for 11 runs in 20 balls and Muttiah Muralitharan will be licking his lips.

The MCC World Cricket Committee has called for an extension of the player referral system used in the Friends Provident Trophy during the English season into Test cricket with more use to be made of the technology available.It recommended a continuation of the current system whereby two appeals against umpiring decisions are allowed per innings by both the fielding and batting sides. However, unlike the ECB experiment where only a ‘clear of obvious mistake’ could be over-ruled by the third umpire the cricket committee wants the TV official to be able to make his own decision with the help of more sophisticated technology.It said that Ultra Motion cameras – the extra-slow replays – should always be available to provide evidence of thin edges and bat-pad catches or lbws.During the Friends Provident Trophy the third umpire could only use standard replays to form his decision, and no decisions were overturned, but the committee wants the introduction of Hawk-Eye into the process, although adds its accuracy would have to be independently verified first. During a recent meeting in Cape Town the cricket committee met with the makers of Hawk-Eye who guaranteed the accuracy of the system to within 5mm.The MCC has offered to assist with the increased costs of the cameras for the trial period, but also concluded that the trials should take place in a Test series, where the highest quality of technological presence is available.The committee felt that the game should make use of Hawk-Eye to assist in the tracking of deliveries for lbw decisions up to the point of impact with the batsman, but that the predictive path technology, currently used on television to predict where the ball might have gone thereafter, should not be used by the third umpire.But they added that other technology, such as Snickometer and Hot-spot, should not be used for initial trials although didn’t rule out an introduction in the future.”The committee feels that the player challenge system could have a positive effect on the spirit of the game,” said a statement. “A batsman who gets an obvious edge on a ball but is given ‘not out’ may be more inclined to walk in the knowledge that he would certainly be given out by the third umpire, if the fielding side made a challenge.”The committee recognised that to dispute an umpire’s decision is contrary to the Spirit of Cricket but felt that the system is nonetheless worth trialling when utilised in tandem with the extended availability of technology to the third umpire. However, the trial must be conducted in such a way as to assist the umpires in every possible way and all challenges to umpiring decisions in the trial must be made in a way which maintains the umpires’ dignity and authority over the game.”The format and success of the World Twenty20 was also praised, but the committee warned of the dangers of increasing the number of matches played and feels the current level set by ICC – three home games in a summer – should remain.However, they reiterated their view that some teams play too much Test and ODI cricket, adding: “Twelve Tests is considered a reasonable limit and the maximum number of games in a one-day international series should be five. The committee is worried that players will increasingly suffer from tiredness and injury as a result of their increased schedules, as well as having no time to play in their own domestic cricket. “

Wasim Akram has proposed setting up a fast-bowling fund as a way of continuing to contribute to Pakistan’s fast-bowling future. Akram, along with Aaqib Javed and Mudassar Nazar, is currently overseeing a PCB-organised camp for the country’s most promising fast bowlers and opening batsmen at Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore.The experience has already spurred him to consider broadening his role in the future. A more regular, involved position was all but ruled out given his media and business commitments, but he is keen to make some kind of contribution.”It’s too early to say right now about a permanent role as it depends on my timings,” Akram told Cricinfo. “I have media commitments and I’m away from Pakistan a lot. But I think whenever I have time, a week or two off, I could come back and help out.”But my idea really is to set up a kind of fund, a Wasim Akram fast-bowling fund. Depending on how much time I can give, instead of payments, the money can go into this fund. From this, we can then send, say two bowlers and cover their costs at the academy in Pakistan or an academy in Australia to hone their fast-bowling talent. I have given the idea to the chairman and he liked it, so it could be a regular thing.”Akram, regarded by many to be the best left-arm fast bowler ever and one of the best outright, has often offered informal, impromptu help to Indian and Pakistani fast bowlers, since he retired from the game in 2003. Often it has had telling effect, but this is his first official involvement of any kind and it came about on his own prompting.”It just came up like that,” he said. “I think this much I owe to Pakistan cricket that when I have time and I am in the country, I can work with some younger bowlers, give them some advice, some help, pass on some things I learnt.”

Pakistan allrounder Abdul Razzaq has joined Worcestershire for the remainder of the 2007 season as a replacement for Phil Jaques and Doug Bollinger who have returned to Australia for the A-team tour of Pakistan.Razzaq had announced his retirement from international cricket as a protest against his omission from Pakistan’s Twenty20 World Championship squad. He arrived in Worcester on Sunday and would join the squad for training before travelling to Canterbury for the Championship match against Kent starting on Tuesday.”It has been very difficult to find quality replacement overseas players because of the forthcoming Twenty20 World Championships and Abdul’s availability has come at just the right time,” Worcestershire chief executive Mark Newton said. “He has scored over 6500 runs and taken nearly 350 wickets at international level and will certainly give us the quality and experience we need during the last few weeks of the season, particularly in the Natwest Pro40 competition. We have received clearance from the Pakistan Cricket Board but still need to complete the registration procedures with the ECB.”

Shoaib Akhtar once again attracted controversy when he was fined by the organisers of the Twenty20 Cup for refusing to wear a sponsors’ logo during the event.A Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) official said on Tuesday that Shoaib was fined Rs10,000 after he flatly refused to wear the logo of Mobilink, which sponsored all the participating teams of the Twenty20 Cup held in Karachi from December 21 to 26.Shoaib, still in danger of being banned for doping, was told by match referee Anwar Khan to wear the cellular company’s logo when he featured in the Twenty20 Cup for the Rawalpindi Rams. He was told that all players have to wear the logo since the PCB has an agreement with the company. However, Shoaib refused, saying that he had no contract with the PCB and was not being paid by the board or the sponsors to do it.Shoaib hid the logo on his T-shirt with a sticker and played two matches for the Rams who were bundled out of the competition at the first hurdle.The PCB official said that after giving Shoaib repeated warnings, the event’s officials decided to fine him.Shoaib was not present to hear about the fine as was among 25 players invited by the PCB for a conditioning camp that got underway at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore on Tuesday in preparation for next month’s tour of South Africa.

West Indies have made two changes for the final two one-day internationals against India in Trinidad. Wavell Hinds replaces the injuried Shivnarine Chanderpaul while Sewnarine Chattergoon, a left-hand opener, comes in for Runako Morton.Scans after the third ODI at Warner Park in St Kitts revealed that Chanderpaul suffered a small hamstring tear to his left leg while batting. Though not available for the ODIs, Chanderpaul will remain with the squad to receive treatment from Stephen Partridge, the team physiotherapist.Chattergoon made his debut in the recent series against Zimbabwe and replaces Morton who has struggled to cement a spot at the top of the order despite a string of chances. Hinds, meanwhile, has not played for West Indies since the tour of New Zealand in March.Squad Brian Lara (capt), Chris Gayle, Sewnarine Chattergoon, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Wavell Hinds, Marlon Samuels, Dwayne Smith, Dwayne Bravo, Carlton Baugh (wk), Corey Collymore, Fidel Edwards, Jerome Taylor, Ian Bradshaw, Dave Mohammed.

Chris Tremlett has said New Zealand should be prepared for a short-pitched attack during the first Test after England Lions gave the batting line-up a working over on the second day at The Rose Bowl. There was one major exception for New Zealand as Aaron Redmond compiled a career-best 139, but Tremlett wasn’t overly convinced.Redmond took a blow from Graham Onions and also a couple of bruising hits on the body from Tremlett. “At times it didn’t look as though he fancied it too much so we got stuck into him but he’s got the bulk of their runs and has played well at the end of the day,” Tremlett said.”On a couple of occasions, the way he reacted to it, he didn’t look too comfortable against the short ball and I think that’s quite obvious from our point of view so we tested him. I’m sure those messages will go across to the boys for the first Test.”During the series in New Zealand the short ball was a tactic England tried with mixed results. Stuart Broad used it well in Napier, but sometimes it was overdone to players like Ross Taylor and Brendon McCullum who weren’t afraid to attack.Redmond, who is now in line for a Test debut at Lord’s, said the short stuff is nothing less than he expected. “It’s all part and parcel of being an opener. If I was a fast bowler I would run in and bowl short to any batsman, it’s just the way they are. It’s also good practice for the future games.”Tremlett has been accused of not always bending his back but he was the pick of the bowlers on the second day. Onions produced some nippy away swing, but it was the bounce from Tremlett that caught the attention, and not only of New Zealand’s batsmen. “I’m certainly happy with my first couple of spells from the Pavilion End, I lacked a bit of rhythm from the other end but it was generally a pretty good day,” he said. “It’s probably not the best I’ve bowled all season but it’s good to put my name in the hat.”He doesn’t believe, though, there is much of chance forcing his way into the Test line-up with James Anderson, Matthew Hoggard – who didn’t impress here despite three late wickets – and Andrew Flintoff vying for a place.”There’s lots of competition. Anderson got some wickets today so he’s obviously bowling well and in contention for the first Test. [Stuart] Broad and [Ryan] Sidebottom bowled well in New Zealand so their places probably aren’t up for grabs so it’s just about being consistent and knocking on the door. Realistically I probably don’t think I’ve got a chance of playing in the first Test and the other thing is that Freddie might be back as well.”However, last year a strong performance for the Lions against India earned him a call-up to the squad and he played all three Tests of that series, impressing at stages against the likes of Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid. A difficult winter followed where he wasn’t selected for the Sri Lanka tour and then got injured after being a late replacement for the Test party in New Zealand when places became available.”I’d only really been bowling in the nets and hadn’t a chance to play any games. Then unfortunately I got injured. It was disappointing that I had to go home, but if my body had held up there would been a good opportunity but hopefully I’ll get a game this summer.”Last year it [the Lions game] got me in the frame against India and then I got called up and played in the first Test. These matches are important and you try to do as well as you can. Hopefully it shows the selectors what you capable of and that you are on form.”

Scorecard

Four quick wickets from Andy Bichel saw Queensland fight their way into the match after being bowled out for just 169 by Victoria on the opening day of the Pura Cup match at Brisbane. Bichel (4 for 31), began the rot by forcing Michael Klinger to edge behind in the fifth over, and followed that up by claiming the key scalps of Nick Jewell, David Hussey, and Cameron White as Victoria failed to capitalise on its fine work in the morning session.Earlier, White, the Victoria captain, got it right when he inserted Queensland on a greenish wicket and saw Michael Lewis (4 for 35) and Gerard Denton (4 for 58) rip through the opposition. Together, both fast bowlers delivered Victoria a strong start, Denton trapping Jimmy Maher, the Queensland captain, leg before for just 1 in the fourth over. Lewis was more lethal, dismissing Martin Love, Clinton Perren, and Craig Philipson in a fiery burst of 3 for 9 off eight overs.Queensland had done well to recover from 6 for 69 thanks to a 46-run partnership between Bichel and Christ Hartley, the wicketkeeper, before Lewis returned to trap Hartley in front of the wicket for 24. Bichel continued the repair work in a 42-run eighth wicket stand with Chris Simpson (32), taking Queensland beyond the 150 mark before Denton and Allan Wise (2 for 37) returned to wipe up the tail.Jon Moss and Adam Crosthwaite will have a tough task ahead of them on the second day as Victoria try and build a lead over Queensland.