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Shoaib Malik, Pakistan’s young allrounder, has had surgery on his heels in order to be fit and available for next month’s home series against India. Malik, a regular member of Pakistan’s Test and one-day teams against England in the recent home series, underwent the operation after complaining of acute pain due to corns.”Doctors advised him to go for the surgery as he would not have been able to carry on against India in the same condition,” said a Pakistan Cricket Board official, speaking to Reuters. “He will now be fit before the first Test against India from January 13.”Malik said: “I was facing a lot of pain batting and bowling because I had to put weight on my heels. Doctors say I can now resume playing after a week’s rest. The series against India is very important for me and after a satisfactory series win against England I am looking forward to cementing my place in the side.”The 23-year-old was cleared earlier this month of a suspect bowling action after undergoing tests at the University of Western Australia in Perth. Malik, who opened the batting in the 2-0 Test series win over England, has played in 12 Tests and 107 one-day internationals. Pakistan won the one-day series 3-2. The Indian team is scheduled to reach Pakistan on January 6 to play three Tests and five one-dayers.

Bhargav Bhatt and Aditya Waghmode continued their good form with ball and bat, respectively, to guide Baroda to a comfortable eight-wicket win over Maharashtra.Bhatt, who was coming off a stellar performance of 2 for 16 against Odisha on Monday, picked up three wickets in the 35th over and one in the 37th, as Maharashtra slid from 135 for 4 to 145 for 9 within five overs. Nikit Dhumal then paired with Domnic Muthuswami to add an unbeaten 31 for the last wicket, taking Maharashtra to 176 for 9 in their fifty overs. Irfan Pathan and Munaf Patel picked up one wicket each, while pacer Rishi Arothe picked up two.Waghmode followed up his maiden List A century against Odisha with an unbeaten 77 to steer Baroda’s 177-run chase. He found an able partner in Deepak Hooda, who scored 58 not out off 78 deliveries, and contributed to the 132-run, third-wicket partnership that sealed Baroda’s win in the 40th over.Odisha suffered their fourth consecutive defeat, losing by 55 runs to an Andhra side that was guided by AG Pradeep’s 102* and D Siva Kumar’s 4 for 37.Opting to bat, Andhra’s innings was anchored by Pradeep’s second List A hundred, after Alok Chandra Sahoo sent back the openers within the first ten overs. Pradeep shared a 79-run stand for the third wicket with captain Prashanth Kumar (46), and then posted a partnership of 138 runs for the fourth wicket with Jyothi Sai Krishna, lifting the team score to 261 for 4 in 50 overs.Odisha were off to a poor start, losing two wickets to Siva Kumar in the first over. Anurag Sarangi (52) then combined with captain Natraj Behera(42) and Biplab Samantray (44) to post partnerships worth 71 and 56 respectively, but Andhra’s bowlers kept chipping away at the wickets. Odisha lost their last six wickets for 60 runs and were eventually bowled out for 206 in 48 overs.Centuries from Ganesh Satish and Jitesh Sharma drove Vidarbha‘s colossal 158-run win over Tripura. Satish’s unbeaten 140 off 134 included 12 fours and four sixes, while Jitesh stroked ten fours and one six in his 108-ball 105. The pair added 172 for the second wicket, after opener Faiz Fazal fell for 12 and the partnership took Vidarbha to a commanding 324 for 5 in their 50 overs, after they were put in. None of Tripura’s bowlers conceded less than 50 runs, with Manisankar Murasingh (79 for 1) the most expensive bowler.In reply, no Tripura batsman scored more than 40 as the side was dismissed for 166 in the 48th over. Offspinner Akshay Wakhare picked up 3 for 29, while Ravikumar Thakur and Akshay Karnewar picked up two each.

Ere Sheshiah, the pathologist who conducted the autopsy of the Pakistan coach Bob Woolmer, claimed that cell-phone pictures showed that a third party was behind Woolmer’s death. On the first day of his testimony to an inquest in Jamaica, Sheshiah had maintained that Woolmer had died because of poisoning and strangulation.”After viewing the cellular phone pictures taken by Dr [Asher] Cooper [the first doctor to attend to Woolmer], I think definitely that there was a third party [involved],” Sheshiah said.He criticised the three pathologists – Nathaniel Cary of England, Michael Pollanen of Canada and Lorna Martin of South Africa – who had pointed out flaws in his post-mortem procedure and testified that Woolmer died due to natural causes. Sheshiah said that the review procedure was “unusual and unacceptable”, Cary’s opinion was not final, and that Martin gave her findings without seeing the histology and toxicology reports.Sheshiah also said that Woolmer was found with his head under the toilet bowl. “In my opinion, it is not possible for the disease to put him in such a position. This definitely speaks of a third party.”The fact that other pathologists had disagreed with his conclusion that the hyoid bone in Woolmer’s neck was broken, was also addressed by Sheshiah, who stood by his findings despite admitting that an x-ray showed it might not have been broken.Woolmer was found unconscious in his room at the Pegasus Hotel on March 18, a day after Pakistan’s shock defeat to Ireland in the World Cup. The police had initially backed Sheshaiah’s finding that Woolmer was murdered and released a statement in that effect, but after a review by Cary, Pollanen, and Martin, confirmed that Woolmer died of natural causes.The inquest, presided over by coroner Patrick Murphy and 11 jurors, is expected to end on November 9.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details

England’s lower order held their nerve to edge a thrilling two-wicket win at Dambulla to take a 2-1 lead in the series. They made hard work of chasing 164, but Stuart Broad again showed his calmness under pressure with an unbeaten 20 as the win came with seven balls to spare. Graeme Swann’s outstanding series continued with a Man of the Match display as he followed 4 for 34 with a vital 25, but when he was bowled with 17 still needed it was left to Ryan Sidebottom to accompany Broad.It is the second time in six one-day internationals that Broad has helped England across the line in a tense scenario after he and Ravi Bopara completed a thrilling chase against India, at Old Trafford, in August. As in that match the run rate was never a major issue for England even when they slumped to 107 for 7. It meant Swann, who earlier secured the best figures by an England spinner in ODIs since Michael Vaughan’s 4 for 22 against the same opposition in 2002, and Broad were able to bat time. Swann gained two crucial boundaries off the extra pace of Lasith Malinga, who was also driven for a four by Broad to take England within two runs of their target.A low, slow pitch became even tougher for batting as the day wore on and Sri Lanka fought hard to defend 164. Farveez Maharoof removed key figures in the top order – taking his series tally to 10 wickets at 9.5 apiece – and Sanath Jayasuriya claimed Owais Shah and Paul Collingwood to keep his team in with a shout.Needing early wickets to stay in the contest after stuttering to 164, mainly due to a ninth-wicket stand of 46 between Tillakaratne Dilshan and Dilhara Fernando, Chaminda Vaas found the first breakthrough when Alastair Cook prodded forward to an outswinger and provided a thin edge. Phil Mustard tried to take the game away from Sri Lanka with an aggressive approach, but after three handsome boundaries was unlucky to drag Maharoof into his leg stump with the aid of the thigh pad.Kevin Pietersen’s poor run continued when he played across the line after ticking the scoreboard over with Ian Bell. Pietersen clearly wasn’t happy with the decision, but he hasn’t found anywhere near his best form in the series and is again talking about the overload of fixtures that England face. When a player hits a slump on tour it can be hard to find a way out.Bell, on the other hand, has continued to middle the ball with the same confidence that he did against India, but hasn’t managed to build an innings. He used his feet against the quick bowlers to try and combat the movement and played a delightful back-foot drive off Fernando. However, trying to repeat the shot off Maharoof he couldn’t keep the ball along the ground and it was intercepted by a flying Dilshan from backward point.All the quick bowlers used a liberal supply of slower balls, especially Fernando, but it was the wise old head of Jayasuriya who conjured the breakthroughs when they were needed. Shah had a rush of blood, charging down the pitch and missing, then Collingwood prodded forward and was taken on the pad in front of middle. When Bopara was trapped lbw by Malinga, the momentum was with Sri Lanka.But Swann continued to make up for lost time in his international career, playing pace and spin with ease. Two balls after giving away a no-ball – and with it a free hit – Fernando slipped a quick yorker through Swann, but England had just enough left in the tank with Broad and Sidebottom.

The same combination had set Sri Lanka onto the back foot after the home side had seemingly gained the advantage of batting first, only to be interrupted by early showers. Broad and Sidebottom again took out the big names – Broad removing Jayawardene with his first ball – Sri Lanka fell to 42 for 4.Kumar Sangakkara’s wicket provided the major talking point when he slashed at Broad, but neither the bowler nor Mustard hinted at an appeal only to watch Sangakkara turn on his heels and head for the dressing room. A wide-eyed Broad began a surprised series of high-fives with his team-mates, while Mustard again showed an unusually quiet side for a wicketkeeper after also not appealing for a thin edge during the second match.With Dilshan and Chamara Silva stabilising the innings, Swann was quick to make his impact after being handed the ball. His fourth delivery accounted for Silva, via a bottom edge onto the boot which was well grabbed by Mustard. Swann’s next two scalps were down to superb use of flight as he accepted return catches off Jehan Mubarak and Maharoof. Mubarak had gone inside out over long-off for the first six of the innings, but Swann responded with a slower, loopier delivery which had the batsman in two minds and resulted in a tame leading edge.As his team-mates disintegrated, Dilshan held firm with a fine response to his omission from the Test tour of Australia. When he reached fifty off 65 balls he pumped his fist towards the dressing room and kissed the badge of his helmet. He’d given his side a chance, but ultimately they couldn’t quite pull it off in the field and travel to Colombo needing to win two matches to take a series they’d been expected to dominate.

Graham Ford was appointed India’s coach on Saturday, filling a two-month-old vacancy and ending a search that seemed to have come to life in only the past week. Ford, the players’ choice for the job, has been offered a one-year contract and is expected to start work during India’s tour of Ireland later this month.After hearing the presentations of both Ford and John Emburey, the former England offspinner, the BCCI decided to go with Ford. The decision has to be ratified by the working committee of the Board of Control of Cricket in India, which meets in Delhi on June 12, but that is expected to be a mere formality.Addressing a haphazard and chaotic press conference soon after hearing presentations from both candidates, and then further deliberating among themselves, N Srinivasan, the BCCI treasurer, said, “The committee constituted to select the next Indian coach met and it was decided that the name of Mr Graham Ford would be put forward for the job of Indian coach.””It is now for the working committee of the BCCI, which meets in Delhi on June 12, to make the appointment final,” Srinivasan said. It is now up to Ford to indicate when he can seek a release from Kent, the English county where he is currently contracted till 2008.Just as there seems to be no defined season as far as the organising of matches is concerned, it appears that there’s no real system when it comes to the holding of meetings. The action began to heat up at the Park Sheraton well before 5pm, as Sharad Pawar was present in the hotel and a massive posse of policemen, in uniform and plainclothes, “secured” the area. From the portico outside the hotel to the main lobby, to the elevators, all passages were dotted withcops.The first real signs of activity began at about 7.20pm when both Emburey and Ford walked into the hotel. They’d both arrived in Chennai on a British Airways flight in the wee hours of Saturday. Once they’d posed for the gathered television cameras and still photographers, they were ushered up to the room where they would make their presentations.After the arrival of the candidates came the committee. The trio of board officials – Niranjan Shah, the secretary, Ratnakar Shetty, the chief administrative officer, and Mohinder Pandove, the joint secretary – made their way to the meeting room well before the appointed hour. Next to arrivewere two former captains, Ravi Shastri and Srinivas Venkataraghavan. The last man to arrive – and he was pulled away from his holiday in Goa – was Sunil Gavaskar, who clocked in at 8.20pm.Just over two hours later, Ford had the job. Kent will doubtless be reluctant to see him leave mid-season, but if that issue is resolved quickly, Ford’s first assignment might be a three-match series against the team that he coached with distinction for three years at the turn of the millennium.

Wisden CricInfo Polly Umrigar
Unfortunately when he passed away, I was at his bedside, around 10pm late last evening. I had gone to visit him in the evening, and around 8pm he just opened his eyes, but I don’t think he recognised me. He was in a bad state and was on the oxygen mask, and I felt really bad for him going through this suffering. We played cricket together for so long, and for the last 15 years, we were neighbours, so we were very close to each other and I have lost a dear friend.An asset to any side, Ramchand was an allrounder and a gutsy and tough cricketer. He was a brilliant close-in fielder and he had no gear to protect him, which just goes to show how brave he was. The 109 against Australia in Bombay in 1956-57 stands out in my eyes as one of his best knocks. As a captain, he was an average skipper, but he always led by example. A jovial character off the field, his tough character on it used to motivate his fellow players.Chandu Borde
I am shocked to hear this news, as I didn’t know it till now. I have lost a family member. What a fine gentleman he was – always well-dressed, cordial and level-headed. Though he had limited resources as a bowler, he was quite deceptive. A decent leader of men, he was very tolerant; even if a player was not scoring runs, he never used to get irritated and used to take things in the stride. He led us brilliantly to victory against Richie Benaud’s Australians in the Kanpur Test [in 1959-60], always giving us the self-belief that we could beat them. As a batsman he possessed a tremendous punch along with a good sense of timing. I remember on our train journeys we – Tat (Vijay Manjrekar), Bapu Nadkarni and myself – used to pull his leg by speaking in Marathi, and although he couldn’t speak it, he used to understand. At the same time he never was silent and used to give it back.Nari Contractor
He was a very good man and it is very sad that he had to struggle for a long time when the end came. I was lucky that I got to see him a few days back when I visited him in the hospital. As a captain he was never arrogant and always had that we-can-do-it kind of attitude and that was on display when he was the skipper when we won against the Australians at Kanpur. Although this moment came late in his life, he deserved it. He should have taken over the captaincy in the immediate aftermath of Polly’s [Umrigar] resignation. One of the hardest-hitting batsmen of his era, his finest innings came at Brabourne in Bombay against the Australians and came against the odds. He was also a genuine allrounder – not very fast, but he could get the job done.

Bermuda have left for the World Cricket League in Nairobi without allrounder OJ Pitcher who is suffering from a groin strain. His place in the squad was taken by Kwame Tucker.”Unfortunately this is not a perfect world, and so we have to make allowances for things like this to occur,” Gus Logie, the coach, told the Royal Gazette. “We had plans for OJ, but unfortunately he didn’t come through and so he will be out of the team.”Pitcher will now need to ensure he is fit by the time the selectors name their squad for the World Cup shortly after the side returns from Africa. “From what we saw of him in Trinidad, we are quite happy,” Logie said. “So at the end of the day it is his injury which has kept him out and nothing else.”Bermuda only arrive in Kenya on Friday, and their opening match, against the hosts, has been brought forward by 24 hours, leaving them with one warm-up match (against Uganda) on Saturday. Although they were in Mombasa last November, conditions there are quite different from Nairobi and they will struggle to acclimatize in time.”We have played against some of these teams before and so there’s no reason why we can’t win this tournament,” Logie admitted. “We just have to go in there with the attitude that we can win and make sure that our planning and thought processes are spot on. And I believe we have completed the preparations such as other teams have done, and so there’s no reason why we can’t be successful like other teams. We have to win a few games and get used to the idea of winning.”

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Streaming Audio: Real :: WMAIndia need to make changes to their side for the St Lucia Test, says Sambit Bal, Cricinfo’s editor, and Ramesh Powar would be a better inclusion than Harbhajan Singh. Listen to him explaining why to Amit Varma.Bal also says that both teams are not just equally matched, but they’re equally mediocre. Barring Anil Kumble, their bowling attacks are equivalent to those of first-class sides, and their batting is equally good, though Mahendra Singh Dhoni at No. 7 gives India the edge. Bal also explains why Irfan Pathan will never be another Wasim Akram, and should be groomed as a No. 6 batsman and a fifth bowler.<bDownload MP3 (right click and select “save target as”)
Streaming Audio: Real :: WMA

Brendon McCullum has agreed to be a backup opener in the Test series in England as long as he can hand over his wicketkeeping duties to newcomer Gareth Hopkins. Though the squad includes other part-time openers, Peter Fulton and James Marshall, New Zealand coach John Bracewell said youngster Aaron Redmond will be given a chance and if he gets injured, McCullum will take over.”Brendon would play as a batter only and Hoppy [Hopkins] would come into the side as a keeper-batsman,” Bracewell told the New Zealand daily . “It would be unfair to ask Brendon to do both roles. I’ve spoken to him about that and said only injury will force a change. Brendon’s response was: if that’s the case he would prefer to do the one job.”Bracewell said the team management wanted Redmond to simply play off the back foot and defend, like former opener Mark Richardson did. “Aaron’s accomplished off the back foot and can rotate the strike and that was all Richardson could do. He [Aaron] is a guy who has taken on the opening position to become a Black Cap.”With no third specialist opener in the squad, Redmond is certain to make his Test debut this May. “The bottom line is, if you are looking for security, you can’t offer more to a new player than a year’s full wage [New Zealand contract],” Bracewell said. In preparation for the tour, Bracewell is getting the squad members to play with Duke balls used in England. “We ordered some in and the guys have been bowling with the Duke balls for the last month to make sure we are used to them and we’ve found out a couple of things about them.”

ScorecardMatthew Nicholson made a quick recovery from his horror last over against South Australia on Sunday by picking up three wickets to blunt the Redbacks’ progress on the first day of the Pura Cup match at the SCG. On a day cut by 23.1 overs due to bad light, the visitors moved to 6 for 263 at stumps, with Daniel Harris and Callum Ferguson both registering half-centuries.Nicholson leaked 20 runs in four balls when New South Wales lost the one-day match at the weekend, but he was back on line during an overcast day and was rewarded with the dismissals of Harris, Darren Lehmann and Cameron Borgas in a return of 3 for 55. Borgas, the South Australia hero on Sunday with three sixes in the final over, fell to a lifting ball that provided Brad Haddin with one of four catches while Nicholson also prevented Harris (53) and Lehmann from converting useful starts.After opening with a 79-run stand between Harris and Nathan Adcock, South Australia slipped to 4 for 130 when a slashing Mark Cosgrove became Moises Henriques’ maiden wicket on his first-class debut. However, Lehmann breezed to 41 from 48 balls and Ferguson collected five fours and two sixes in his 63 to steady the side. Shane Deitz finished unbeaten on 38 while Doug Bollinger and Stuart MacGill each picked up a wicket.