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Ravindra Nath Sawani, the former Indian police officer who was in charge of the enquiry that blew the lid off match-fixing in India in 2000, has been appointed the general manager and chief investigator of the ICC’s Anti-Corruption and Security Unit (ACSU).”I look upon my job as a great responsibility to protect the game of cricket through preventive vigilance,” Sawani said in a press conference called by the ICC in Mumbai on Thursday.Asked why an Indian was chosen for the role, and whether this was an indication of the prevalence of match-fixing in India, Malcolm Speed, the ICC chief executive said: “India has the biggest cricket-watching population and it’s the financial powerhouse. We are aware of how much money is bet on cricket matches in India. We understand it is to the tune of $500 million to one billion for every ODI.”In the history of match-fixing investigations, there has been involvement of bookies from India, and it will be good to have someone from India.”Sawani replaces Jeff Rees – who held the post since its inception until his retirement – and starts work in Dubai next week, reporting to Lord Condon, the chairman of the ACSU. Speed said he was happy with the partnership. “We have the best from England, which is the old power of cricket, and the best from India, the new power of cricket, and that’s a good synergy.”Having investigated match-fixing in 2000, we [the ICC] have come a long way in tackling these issues. It’s not merely match-fixing we look at; players’ behaviour, enforcing the code of conduct, the entire gamut of cricket runs under the ACSU.”Speed stressed the importance of the ACSU when asked about the investigation of the match-fixing allegations against Marlon Samuels, the West Indies batsman, which cropped up in January this year. “There has been a process in place since 2000 wherein when such an alleged offence comes up, it goes to goes to the ACSU”.The ACSU will then send a report to the ICC code of conduct commission, which is chaired by Michael Beloff QC. He will report to the ICC board, which will then advise the home board – in this case the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) – on what steps to take. Speed said “it’s a slow but rigorous process”, and WICB will then appoint a lawyer to conduct the hearing, if it is called for.Sawani, 57, has 30 years of experience with the Indian Police Service, including seven years with the Central Bureau of Investigation, where, as the joint director in charge of special crimes, he led the enquiry into match-fixing. He is also the recipient of the president of India’s Police Medal for Distinguished Services, the highest police medal in the country, in 2001.

Summer may not have arrived in New Zealand but the Christmas turkey did and, as New Zealanders pile into their cars and head for the holiday spots, television becomes all-important for cricket fans to keep in touch with the international season cricket. As Boxing Day dawned for the first ODI between New Zealand and Sri Lanka at Auckland, the featured a column outlining what Sky Television had to offer this season. The opinion piece was the work of New Zealand’s greatest ever batsman, Martin Crowe, who also happens to be the head of Sky’s cricket coverage.Of note was Crowe’s admonishing of Hawk-Eye, the visual technology commonly used to demonstrate whether or not a delivery will hit the stumps. In his column, Crowe said Sky would only use technology that could assist the umpire. In his view, Hawk-Eye was a hindrance that could never be used by umpires as it could only guess where the ball would have travelled. Not only is his logic flawed – umpires and commentators alike are themselves guessing – he failed to paint the full picture for readers on the merits of Hawk-Eye and instead promoted a new Sky-designed gimmick. As Cricinfo’s S Rajesh demonstrated earlier, this year Hawk-Eye is in fact correct 99% of the time, a figure umpires are unable to achieve.Also of interest on the opening day of the season was Crowe’s announcement of Sky’s commentary team. Along with the regulars, all of whom were ex-New Zealand players, Crowe recruited the recently-retired Mark Richardson as well as the injured duo of Shane Bond and Chris Harris. The decision to not include a Sri Lankan commentator was both curious and potentially dangerous. While Crowe is no doubt correct when he said entertainment was the overriding consideration for television, accuracy on player information can never be compromised. This is particularly so when Sri Lanka has not featured regularly on New Zealand television for over 18 months. When a commentary team lacks someone with intimate knowledge of a touring side,the risk of misinformation increases.And so it happened before a ball was bowled at Eden Park. As the Sri Lankan openers, Sanath Jayasuriya and Saman Jayantha, made their way out to the middle Crowe, opening up on Sky Television, said that Jayantha had been promoted ahead of Marvan Atapattu. The obvious surprise in Crowe’s voice was misplaced since Atapattu had not opened in an ODI since the tour of Zimbabwe in April while Jayantha had partnered Jayasuriya regularly since then.Having an expert on Sri Lankan cricket would not only have seen such errors rectified quickly but would help the New Zealand commentators to really get to know the Sri Lankan players. It would also add another perspective to the comments such as “Cairnsy” and “we’re looking good” – something we heard from Adam Parore today.

New Zealand face a hard weekend, taking on West Indies at Cardiff tomorrow, and England at Bristol on Sunday. Stephen Fleming, their captain, has already grumbled about the workload – but he won’t be too bothered if New Zealand manage to win both games, because that will clinch their place in the NatWest Series final, at Lord’s next Saturday. Actually, victory over England on Sunday will probably be enough.Saturday’s game at Sophia Gardens also offers West Indies an opportunity to get back on track after their miserable batting performance at Headingley on Thursday – 159 all out wasn’t quite a collapse of England proportions, but it wasn’t a happy day for Brian Lara and his men. One thing is certain: whatever the Cardiff pitch looks like, the captain winning the toss will be tempted to bat first, as the white ball has been wobbling about in a manner reminiscent of the 1999 World Cup, which was played much earlier in the English summer.Scott Styris, the New Zealand allrounder, is certainly no fan of the pitches served up to date. “They are rubbish wickets really, the ones we’ve played on so far,” he told the BBC. “Edgbaston wasn’t even a club wicket. And the day before the game they still had the covers on when it was sunny and warm. It’s all a bit strange given that two of the Test wickets were fantastic.”Lara, meanwhile, had eyes only for his own team’s performance: “We’ve got to be a bit more mature, show a bit more fight and technique, and get things going and get the runs on the board for our bowlers.”The weather, which has been capricious throughout the tournament – one of the problems in running it at the same time as Wimbledon fortnight – may yet lob another spanner in the works. It has been unsettled in south Wales for a couple of days, and although sun is forecast for tomorrow, clouds are prominent on the chart too. The same goes for Bristol on Sunday.New Zealand (probable): 1 Stephen Fleming (capt), 2 Nathan Astle, 3 Hamish Marshall, 4 Scott Styris, 5 Craig McMillan, 6 Jacob Oram, 7 Chris Harris, 8 Chris Cairns, 9 Daniel Vettori, 10 Gareth Hopkins (wk), 11 James Franklin.West Indies (probable): 1 Chris Gayle, 2 Shivnarine Chanderpaul, 3 Ramnaresh Sarwan, 4 Dwayne Smith, 5 Brian Lara (capt), 6 Dwayne Bravo, 7 Ricardo Powell, 8 Ridley Jacobs (wk), 9 Ian Bradshaw, 10 Jermaine Lawson, 11 Ravi Rampaul.

Confusion surrounds the sudden resignation of Clive Howard, the chairman of the Hong Kong Cricket Association (HKCA).Howard quit with immediate effect in the middle of the week, but the brief statement from the board cited “family and work commitments”. However, a report in the South China Morning Press stated that he owed the HKCA around HK$210,000 (US$27,000)”During his time as chairman, cricket developed significantly, with the introduction of the “Challenge League” for players not able to find places in teams competing in the regular Saturday and Sunday League competitions run by the HKCA and the setting up of a women’s league competition,” Terry Smith, the board president, said. “He also played a significant part in developing the International Cricket Sixes into an event of true international stature.”Given the scale of the activities now being undertaken by the Association, we are now considering the appointment of a CEO to support the chairman and executive committee and implement all aspects of association policy.”

As if the prospect of taking on one of the finest batting line-ups in the world was not incentive enough, a lucky United Arab Emirates bowler is on course for a $US1000 cash bonus, if one of them can dismiss Sachin Tendulkar in Friday’s Asia Cup opener against India at Dambulla.The UAE are one of the leading non-Test nations. In 1996, they took part in their first – and to date, only – World Cup, but have since won the Asian Cricket Council Trophy for three years in a row. Even so, they and their fellow qualifiers, Hong Kong, are hardly expected to put up much of a fight over the next fortnight, when they take on the Test nations of India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.”Of course I am overawed at the prospect of playing against the likes of Tendulkar,” UAE’s captain, Khurram Khan, told AFP. “But I don’t think anyone would want to take that wicket for money considerations alone. It would be a prize wicket like no other.”The cash offer was made by a UAE official prior to the team’s departure from Dubai, who added that the team should take heart from Greece’s unexpected success at the Euro 2004 football championships earlier this month.”I don’t know how the match will go,” added Khurram. “I just hope I can enjoy the moment.”

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out

An extraordinary day, which began with Glenn McGrath being stretchered off the field during the pre-match warm-up, ended with England bowled out for 407, scored at over five an over amid a blaze of boundaries. To add to the frenzied atmosphere, each time England threatened to run (or sprint) away with the match Australia surged back in typical fashion.Marcus Trescothick and Andrew Strauss set the tone by adding 112 before lunch but it was Andrew Flintoff and Kevin Pietersen who combined for the most electric passage of play, adding 103 in thrilling fashion as counterattack was followed by counterattack. All summer the thought of these two powerhouse strokemakers combining had whetted the appetite of the public and finally they had a chance to revel in it as Australia missed the controlling and calming effect of McGrath.Pietersen was more assured at the outset of the partnership, showing all the good judgment and technique that he had displayed at Lord’s. One shot, a whip past mid-on from a ball a foot wide of off-stump would have left Sachin Tendulkar drooling. Flintoff has been overshadowed by Pietersen so far this summer but stepped back into the limelight with a stunning array of shots – some well-executed, others full of luck. He hit two sixes over cow corner off Shane Warne but the contest to savour was with Brett Lee.Lee steamed in and sent down a barrage of bouncers to Flintoff, who opted to play them rather than duck. He cleared deep square-leg three times – once without even looking at the ball – and when Lee decided to pitch the ball up he punched them through the covers with superb timing.The fireworks were ended in the first over after tea as Jason Gillespie, who showed his best rhythm of the tour, enticed Flintoff to play a flat-footed waft at a wide ball and edge a catch through to Adam Gilchrist for his 250th Test wicket. Geraint Jones couldn’t produce any fireworks of his own has he received one of the few balls that rose sharply off the surface and Gilchrist snaffled another of his four catches for the innings.At 293 for 6, Australia would have fancied their chances of rolling England over for less than 350 given the way the tail folded in the second innings at Lord’s – when none of the last four batsmen managed a run. Here, admittedly on an easier surface, they exhibited much more backbone. Ashley Giles took on Lee’s short ball – adding 49 with Pietersen – before he swept once too often at Warne.Once Giles fell, Pietersen opted to open his shoulders but perhaps too early given that England had two batsmen still to come. After another six over midwicket off Lee that defied the laws of physics he picked out Simon Katich attempting a repeat but, as at Lord’s, his innings had oozed class.

Even Matthew Hoggard, Steve Harmison and Simon Jones unfurled their shots as the sky-high boundary count rocketed to 55 fours and 10 sixes. Warne ended with 4 for 116, as all the Australian bowlers received fierce punishment, especially Lee who conceded his runs at six-and-a-half an over.The bat-wielding was not just left in the hands of England’s middle-order though and they were grateful to at last have had some sort of platform to build from. Lee and Gillespie struggled to maintain the ‘McGrath line’ and Trescothick located his cover-drive from the outset. Strauss was less convincing but slowly began to find his feet – and his footwork – and the introduction of Warne into the attack freed him up.Strauss biffed him back over his head, then slog-swept to the midwicket boundary. Trescothick joined the fray and straight-drove a maximum. But as is so often the case Warne produced a bit of magic as a ripping leg-break beat Strauss’s attempted cut shot just before lunch.However, that didn’t slow the scoring as Trescothick and Vaughan brought up their fifty partnership in only 5.3 overs. But then wickets began to fall at a pace to match the runs with Australia grabbing three in 27 balls.Kasprowicz, the pick of the pacemen on his last-minute return to the Test team, induced Trescothick to fish outside the off stump, 10 short of his first century against Australia and then, three balls later, removed Bell with a perfect outswinger. Bell cut a forlorn figure as he trudged back to the dressing-room on his home ground, after completing his third single-figure score of the series.Vaughan joined the post-lunch procession as, with consolidation required, he sent a spiralling top-edge to Brett Lee at fine leg, giving Gillespie his first wicket of the series. England were 193 for 4 and the half-way point of the opening day had not been reached but that was nothing compared to the spine-tingling assault by Flintoff and Pietersen – in an afternoon session that brought 157 runs in 27 overs. England couldn’t bat that well in the one-day series.Ricky Ponting will be scratching his head in the pavilion – as most of his bowlers were on the pitch – as to what to make of bowling England out in under a day for 407, but the pitch does not contain any demons and Australia will be aiming to pile on the runs. As first days go this will take some beating, but that was said about the last Test. It’s certainly been a case of anything Lord’s can do, Edgbaston can do better.

EnglandAndrew Strauss b Warne 48 (112 for 1)
Marcus Trescothick c Gilchrist b Kasprowicz 90 (164 for 2)
Ian Bell c Gilchrist b Kasprowicz 6 (170 for 3)
Michael Vaughan c Lee b Gillespie 24 (187 for 4)
Andrew Flintoff c Gilchrist b Gillespie 68 (290 for 5)
Geraint Jones c Gilchrist b Kasprowicz 1 (293 for 6)
Edged one that lifted and seamed awayAshley Giles lbw b Warne 23 (342 for 7)
Missed a sweep, hit on the bootKevin Pietersen c Katich b Lee 71 (348 for 8)
Hoisted to cow corner, looking for another maximumSteve Harmison b Warne 17 (375 for 9)
Bamboozled by sliderMatthew Hoggard lbw b Warne 16 (407 all out)
Missed an attempted sweep

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details

India concluded a dour series with a victory by eight wickets at Eden Gardens. Though the required 117 runs were achieved comfortably in the end, the favourable series result was largely due to three sessions of guileful bowling on a helpful track by Harbhajan Singh and Anil Kumble, who persevered tirelessly through both matches before finally hitting pay-dirt yesterday and today. Harbhajan picked up 7 for 87, while Kumble equalled Kapil Dev’s Indian record of 434 Test wickets, in 41 fewer matches.Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar then guided India to their second Test win of the season with a stand that made heavy work of the inevitable. Pads were stuck out dangerously to South Africa’s part-time spinners – who turned the ball sharply – but both batsmen were loth to risk an attacking approach. However, Dravid was quick to dismiss loose offerings while Tendulkar protected his wicket steadfastly. But at the end, when the target was down to single figures, it was Tendulkar who cut free with a couple of fours off Justin Ontong. Dravid remained unbeaten on 47.Virender Sehwag’s early dismissal did not rock the boat. After he guided Makhaya Ntini to Graeme Smith at slip, Gautam Gambhir and Dravid squirted balls between the infielders for runs. Both batsmen were relaxed during their stay, and Gambhir, in particular, appeared at ease when Shaun Pollock, who had previously troubled him, came on, striking him gloriously through cover. He was dismissed padding at a legbreak from Jacques Rudolph that struck him in front of the stumps (60 for 2). But by then South Africa’s cause was lost, even though the spinners extracted appreciable bounce and turn from the pitch.

The day belonged to the two men India rely on most at home. Harbhajan and Kumble continued their work from yesterday and struck down South Africa for the addition of 50 runs. In tandem, they bowled out the entire side, contributing 64.4 of the 74.4 overs sent down by India.Harbhajan continued his feverish affair with Eden Gardens. He first removed Jacques Kallis for 55 and then struck twice more. It was his fourth five-wicket haul in five innings here. Kallis had battled to 52 yesterday, but in Harbhajan’s second over of the day, he patted one back to the bowler, who accepted the simple catch and disbelievingly turned to the umpire and appealed. A few overs later, Pollock stuck his pad out at one that missed his bat and glove, and carried to a sprawling Gambhir at short leg. The appeal for the catch was upheld. Daryl Harper, the umpire, struck again two deliveries later when Justin Ontong swept, and the ball popped off his forearm to Dinesh Karthik. Then Thami Tsolekile played around a Kumble delivery and was bowled (194 for 9). After 28 valuable runs were added, Makhaya Ntini edged to Dravid, presenting Kumble with his record-equalling wicket.India were expected to win the series, albeit a tad earlier than the second-last session of the tour. On this pitch, against bowlers of the calibre of Harbhajan and Kumble, South Africa’s batting line-up stood little chance. For a team beleaguered by poor form, this victory will bring India temporary respite from scrutiny.

On behalf of the CCA and the entire Cricketing community, we wish to extend our condolences to Dr. and Mrs. Barry Mills of Winnipeg, Manitoba on the sudden loss of their beloved son, Damian At 24, he passed away in his sleep last evening.We are shocked to learn of the untimely death of Damian Mills, one of the members of the Canadian HP players, who was actively training for CCA High Performance Events in 2004.Karran Bayney, CCA 2nd Vice President, knew Damian well and expresses the horror felt by all who have known Damian. Damian was the Captain and opening batsman of the Winnipeg Juniors cricket team of Manitoba.He was a pleasant outgoing chap who loved the game of cricket more than life. He was often seen at the park earlier than most and stayed longer than the rest. He was the most exciting player that Manitoba has seen for a long time. He was their best player in 2003, scoring over 1100 runs and winning batting honours in several provinces this year. He even travelled to Ontario to play with the CCA U23 and Overseas teams when he could find time in his busy schedule.He always encouraged less gifted players and always generous with his advice. He was an ardent student of the game. He was always modest despite huge accomplishments and positive about any perceived shortcomings. He trained constantly and was a willing student of the gamein fact a coach’s dream.Damian, Canadian born, learned the game of Cricket in Manitoba. He has represented Canada both at the junior and senior team levels. As a junior, he shares a record opening pair stand.Damian worked for the Manitoba Telecomm System when he was not attending university. He was scheduled to graduate from the University of Manitoba Faculty of Management with a Major in Marketing in the spring of 2004.The Manitoba and Canadian Cricket Associations and the entire cricketing community will miss this very talented and generous young man. He offered so much and asked for so little. Cricket in Manitoba and in Canada will search long and hard to find another Damien.”In the midst of life, we are in death.””Those whom the Gods love, die young.”Rest in peace Damian!

Armed robbers broke into the Nottinghamshire home of Chris Read and stole his car on Sunday. Read, the England and Nottinghamshire wicketkeeper, was staying with his fiancée and family at his home in the Mapperley area of Nottingham when the robbers burst in.The victims were shaken but unharmed in the robbery, and Read was able to play for Notts as they gained promotion against Somerset on Wednesday.In a statement, 26-year-old Read said: “This was a very harrowing incident for all of us and I’m just thankful we came through it unscathed. We now want to put this behind us as soon as possible and get on with our lives.”Police would like to speak to anyone who saw a blue Ford Focus – which might have been Read’s stolen vehicle – travelling on the Mapperley Plains Road on Sunday after 0330 BST.

ScorecardGraeme Skennar and Tom Cooper put on a blistering 118-run opening partnership for the first wicket as Australia coasted to 231 for 4 in just 34.3 overs in pursuit of India’s 230 at Mohali.Skennar blasted seven fours and four sixes in his 64 of just 45 balls, while Cooper’s 62 was a relatively patient effort but still included eight fours and two sixes. India hit back with three quick wickets to reduce Asutralia to 139 for 3 but David Warner (34 not out) and Moises Henriques (42) did not panic and took Australia home.India failed to make use of an excellent pitch at Mohali as none of their batsmen, except Piyush Shukla who made 55, played an innings of any significance. As many as nine bowlers were used by Australia as India were dismissed within their 50 overs.The five-match series is now tied at one a piece as the teams travel to Dharamsala in Himachal Pradesh for the next two matches.