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Boeta Dippenaar has been named captain of a South African Invitation XI for the four-day warm-up match against the New Zealanders in Bloemfontein, which begins on October 25.The South African board was forced to select an Invitation team, instead of an A team as originally planned. “The one-day international team is in Pakistan. We have a team playing in the Hong Kong Sixes and players from the Highveld Lions are not available because they have a match against Zimbabwe,” Joubert Strydom, the convenor of selectors, told the Johannesburg-based . However, Strydom said that the board would announce a “fully fledged” A team for the second warm-up match scheduled for next week in Potchefstroom.Monde Zondeki and Lonwabo Tsotsobe have been included on the back of their performances in the domestic season, which has just begun. Zondeki has remodelled his action, which reaped rewards in its first unveiling, as he took a five-wicket haul in Cape Cobras’ draw against Titans. Tsotsobe, the Warriors left-arm seamer, took a career-best 7 for 39 in the drawn match against the Lions.South African Invitation XI:
Boeta Dippenaar (capt), Morne van Wyk, Imraan Khan, Ahmed Amla, Davey Jacobs, Zander de Bruyn, Thami Tsolekile (wk), Thandi Tshabalala, Monde Zondeki, Lonwabo Tsotsobe, Yusuf Abdullah, Ethy Mbhalati (12th man).

ScorecardIndia A completed an easy 10-wicket win over Northern Territory Chief Minister’s XI with a day to spare in their four-day match at the Marrara Cricket Ground in Darwin. Tejinder Pal Singh, with a century and six wickets in the game, made the most of his opportunities.It was Siddharth Trivedi, the medimpacer, who got India A away, picking up four first-innings wickets as NTCM XI were bowled out for only 234. Then India A responded well with Venugopala Rao, the captain, scoring a 100. Tejinder Pal Singh, who batted at No. 8 made a century of his own, and India notched up 430, a lead of 196 runs.When it was their turn to bat again NTCM XI managed only 224, with Tejinder Pal Singh taking 4 for 75 and Shib Sankar Paul picking up 4 for 60. India A needed just 3.3 overs to score the 29 runs that took them to victory, and did so without losing a second-innings wicket. The game was not especially memorable for NTCM XI, with just two batsmen scoring half-centuries, and no bowler picking up more than 3 wickets in an innings.

James Anderson has been called into England’s ICC World Twenty20 squad as a replacement for Ravi Bopara, who was ruled out earlier this week with a broken thumb sustained during the fifth ODI against India.Anderson’s impressive one-day form in the current series will have counted in his favour as the selectors opted for a strike bowler instead of an allrounder. Anderson currently holds the record for the most expensive figures in international Twenty20, his four overs against Australia at Sydney costing 64.It had been expected that Dimitri Mascarenhas would slot into Bopara’s place, especially after hitting five sixes in five balls against India at The Oval. However, England may need another replacement with Andrew Flintoff’s position still uncertain as his ankle problem is assessed.The ICC later clarified that they had given permission for the call-up to go ahead.

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Scotland suffered an inauspicious start to their tour of Bangladesh, going down by 33 runs to a Bangladesh Cricket Board Academy XI in a warm-up match at Chittagong. Scotland’s lack of firepower with the ball cost them dear, with young opener Tamim Iqbal striking a century in the hosts’ formidable total of 252 for 6.Navdeep Poonia of Warwickshire scored 63 in Scotland’s reply, with Dougie Brown and Neil McCallum also contributing, but it was not enough and they fell well short of their target. Mosharraf Hossain took 4 for 32, and although McCallum’s late hitting had given Scotland hope, with his dismissal went their chances of victory.Iqbal had earlier reached his century off 133 balls before being dismissed for 105. He received valuable support from the captain Nadhif Chowdhury, who scored a rapid 76-ball 68 to help rebuild the innings after Scotland captain Craig Wright had struck twice in quick succession early on.Scotland used eight bowlers in a match where they used 13 players and the hosts 12, and while things did not go to plan they will see it as valuable acclimatisation to the conditions ahead of the first one-day international against Bangladesh tomorrow. However, the comments made by Chowdhury after the game are bound to be of some concern: “They [Scotland] lacked real strike bowlers and as a result failed to pose any threat for us”.

ScorecardPoor weather in Dunedin forced an early finish to Sri Lanka’s drawn warm-up game against Otago. Mahela Jayawardene and Tillekaratne Dilshan both scored half centuries as the Sri Lankans opted for batting practice, declaring at 404, setting Otago an improbable target of 542.Overall it was a good outing for all the Sri Lankan batsmen as nine out eleven players managed to spend quality time in the middle. Jayawardene, who missed his half century in the first innings, made a fluent 67 off 78 balls before he was bowled by Nathan McCullum. Dilshan – unbeaten on the same score – and Chamara Silva took the score past 400, before the declaration. Otago finished at 46 for 2 before bad light forced the players off the field at 2.30 PM, shortly before the tea interval.This is Sri Lanka’s only warm-up match before the first Test at Christchurch starting December 7.

The newly formed selection panel met today at Bangalore, home town of Chairman of Selectors Brijesh Patel and the venue of the ongoing three-day game between the Indian Board President’s XI and the West Indians, to select the Indian squad for the forthcoming Test series.Young Haryana leg-spinner Amit Mishra was the surprise inclusion in the squad, while stumper Ajay Ratra is a notable exclusion. Teenaged Parthiv Patel gets a chance to cement his place in the team in the absence of a second specialist wicket-keeper in the squad.The selection committee, joined by Indian coach John Wright, selected a squad of 14 for the first and second Tests against the West Indies, due to be played at Mumbai and Chennai.Senior cricketers Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman and Anil Kumble are fit to play, and they are joined by veteran medium-pacer Javagal Srinath who, after initially retiring from Test cricket, has reconsidered his decision.The other selections to be automatically pencilled in were Harbhajan Singh, Virender Sehwag and Zaheer Khan. The Baroda left-arm seamer had an impressive Champions Trophy in Sri Lanka recently and will be a major part of India’s plans for the series against West Indies.Opening batsman Shiv Sunder Das, who has struggled with form in the recent past, gets another chance to establish his credentials and re-affirm his opener’s slot in the Indian side in this home series.All-rounder Sanjay Bangar, who bowls useful medium-pace and can bat at the top of the order, will also be a key member of the side in the event that Ashish Nehra does not regain fitness in time for the first Test, which starts on October 9.Nehra sustained an injury in the Champions Trophy, splitting the webbing between two fingers of his bowling hand. He is said to be recovering quickly and will take a fitness test in the near future.Squad: Sourav Ganguly (captain), Parthiv Patel (wicket-keeper), Virender Sehwag, Sanjay Bangar, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman, Anil Kumble, Harbhajan Singh, Javagal Srinath, Ashish Nehra, Zaheer Khan, Shiv Sunder Das, Amit Mishra

The complexion of this edition of the Champions Trophy changeddramatically when West Indies pulled off a sensational 10-run win overAustralia at the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai yesterday. That game was played on athird pitch but no-one gave it a chance. Fair enough; how different canone 22-yard patch be from another on the same square? But when Sri Lankatake on New Zealand, there will still be a bit of wariness as no one isclear how the pitch will play when the first ball is bowled.When West Indies began their game against Australia they were playing thepitch more than they were the bowlers. Brian Lara’s master stroke – and itseemed like a terrible mistake at the time – of coming in at No. 6 ensuredthat West Indies could still go on to post a competitive total despitetheir early losses. But it may not be a blueprint for games of the future.Andy Atkinson, the ICC’s expert on pitches, arrived in Mumbai and did what he could to help the pitches at the Brabourne Stadium along. Word is that they’re using industrial adhesives – the stuff builders use – to help bind the pitch, giving it a chance tolast the full hundred overs with minimum wear and tear.But the two teams really didn’t have the pitch on mind when they preparedthemselves for the latest mini battle of the tournament. Sri Lanka havebeen the team in form coming into this event, and their early performancesindicated that they were hot favourites. But a loss against Pakistan, whohave been in utter disarray after losing most of their bowling, hasensured that nothing can be taken for granted in this tournament.For Stephen Fleming and his crew the opposite has been true. They beganthe tournament as unfancied contenders. New Zealand have never been athome on dry, crumbling pitches, and there was no reason to believe theywould be any different this time around. Fleming spoke of how his team wasnot rated outside New Zealand – and unfairly so – and backed that up witha solid performance in the first game, against South Africa. He battedwith such care and streetwiseness on a tough pitch that he virtually wonthe game for his side.

The only real concern for New Zealand was with injuries, and Shane Bondwas top on the list. With Scott Styris still not at his best, with ahamstring twinge bothering him, New Zealand have to make the most of theresources they have at hand. Understandably they’re taking a long-termview with Bond and believe they can still push the best in the world withthe squad they have. The contest promises to be a tough one, and if someof Sri Lanka’s flair comes to the fore, things could get reallyinteresting.New Zealand, who have won the tournament before, come to the party withthat confidence. “In 2000 we hoped we could win it,” said Fleming at apre-match press conference. “Now we have come here with a genuineexpectation as a contender. That’s the major difference. In the lastcouple of years we’ve been blooding new players and developing experience. Now we play in tournaments to win, that’s a big change from what it wasin 2000 in the ICC Knock Out.”Mahela Jayawardene, meanwhile, was quite relaxed about the position histeam was in. “For Sri Lanka basically it’s two semi-finals. We have beenpushed to the wall and we have to win,” he said. “It’s a very healthysituation though to be in. If destiny is in our hand we should be able tosteer it, rather than hoping for somebody else to do it for us. It’simportant not to think too far ahead, but think about tomorrow’s game.”Two teams that are more than competent at one-day cricket promise to putup a show worthy of the occasion.

Greg Chappell, the Indian coach, believes that his Pakistani counterpart Bob Woolmer has helped turn the Pakistan team into an organised unit.Talking to reporters on Sunday at the Bagh-e-Jinnah here, Chappell also made it clear that the coming series between Pakistan and India was not a contest between him and Woolmer.He said, “It is all about the captain and the team. The captains are the ones who extract the best performances from their players. Our job is to guide them as best as we can and ensure every player plays to his potential.”Pakistan would be confident after their series win over England and their recent performances. And they have some very good bowlers but we also have the players to play them well. The series will be a very close and good contest and if all the players play to their potential we are in for some wonderful cricket.”Chappell said on a personal level he was excited to be directly involved in such a high-profile series and see up close how the players reacted to the pressures.He stated, “The way I see it this series is all about performing under pressure and expectations of the people.”Woolmer, talking to reporters at the Gaddafi Stadium where the Pakistani players trained, said he was upbeat about the coming series but refused to name any one player who he believed could play a vital role in the series.Asked about Shoaib Akhtar, Woolmer said that while Shoaib had performed extremely well against England and was bowling well he would still not single him out as the main performer. “All our bowlers have to perform with discipline if we are to do well against India, it is not about any individual it is about a team performance.”Woolmer said that Inzamam-ul-Haq, the Pakistan captain, would have a lot on his hands in the series but expressed confidence that he had the experience and skills now to lead the side well.

Santosh Kumar’s six wicket haul on the final day propelled theKarnataka Under-19 team to enter the knock out stage of the CoochBehar Trophy with a 173-run victory on the third and final day overKerala in the South Zone league match at the KRL Ground in Ambalamugalon Monday. The other team to enter the knock out stage from the zoneis Andhra who scored an innings and 67 run win over Goa on Sunday.Resuming their second innings at 217 for 8, Karnataka were all out for246, leaving Kerala a stiff victory target of 300.Kerala folded up for 126 off 35.3 overs. The openers R Kapil (9) andMM Nathani (18) made a sedate start adding 24 runs in 9.4 overs. Offspinner Santosh Kumar who was introduced early into the attack thenbowled Kapil. Rejas joined Nathani and the two took the score to 38when Rejas was bowled by Santosh Kumar. The last ball of Santosh’snext over saw the exit of Nathani in similar fashion. Skipper VipinLal (19) and RP Sujith (39) took the score to 58. But at this junctureVipin was caught by Krishna off Kumar. Three balls later NJ John (0)returned to the pavilion after being bowled by Kumar.In the next over Dharmichand had AC Antony caught by KV Bhatt beforethe batsman had opened his account. At 59 for 6 in the 21st over,Kerala were staring at certain defeat. But Sujith found some goodcompany in the later order batsmen to take Kerala past the 100 runmark. Sujith after a 46-run seventh wicket stand with Aneesh (10) in7.5 overs, was caught by HTS Rao off Dharmichand. For his brightknock, Sujith faced 23 balls while hitting 6 boundaries and 2 sixes.Kumar now came back to claim the wicket of Aneesh by shattering hisdefences. Dharmichand then dismissed S Santh (12) and S Sooraj (7) offsuccessive deliveries. Santosh Kumar finished with six for 35 whileDharmichand had four for 64.

Sourav Ganguly admitted to being disappointed after he was overlooked for the Champions Trophy but reiterated his commitment to find his way back into the national squad.Asked whether he was hurt by the non-selection Ganguly, currently playing in the Moin-ud-Dowla tournament in Hyderabad, told , the Mumbai-based tabloid, “Well, it’s more of a disappointment rather than being upset. But I know there is no use of thinking about it now. The Indian team is travelling to Malaysia while I am playing at Hyderabad. Yes, I have adjusted myself with these things now. But the hunger is still there and that is why I am continuing my cricket.”On whether he was expecting a call-up, he said: “There was news in the air that the team that went to Sri Lanka would be retained. And that’s what happened. So there was no hope this time.”Ganguly re-emphasised his intent to find a place in the national squad on the back of strong performances in domestic cricket. “When I was dropped from the team, I did not get many opportunities to prove myself in domestic cricket and make a comeback. It was the fag end of the season. If you go through the last year’s domestic cricket scorecards, you will see that I am the second highest scorer after Wasim Jaffer. The season is beginning again with Moin-ud-Dowla and my aim there would be to score runs and take wickets. I am only concerned about scoring runs and nothing else at this juncture.”Ganguly last played in the Moin-ud-Dowla tournament eight years ago and spoke about the similarities then and now. “When I went to play in the Moin-ud-Dowla 13 years ago, my target was the same as it is now – to get back to the national team. The difference is I was trying to be back for the second time. It is a coincidence, this time, I am trying to make a come back for the third time.”Playing for Bengal XI against Mumbai Colts, Ganguly put in a miserly spell on the first day, ending up with figures of 13 – 3 -13 – 2.