Allround Kallis inspires series win

After slugging it out for four games South Africa finally delivered the knock-out punch in the deciding, fifth one-day international to consign Pakistan to a 3-2 series loss in Dubai.

Twice South Africa have faltered and allowed Pakistan back into the series but this time Jacques Kallis's allround prowess - first making 83 to help set an imposing 317 and then taking three crucial wickets - helped seal a comprehensive 57-run win.

What looked like just another one-day series played out to anonymity in the desert after the opening match, developed into a classic tussle as two flawed, vastly contrasting sides could not be separated until the last.

Pakistan's preparation for the finale could not have been more chaotic as their wicketkeeper Zulqarnain Haider disappeared on the morning of the match, setting off to London in a cloud of mystery. Crisis is hardwired into Pakistan cricket but even by their standards this was bizarre.

Given the circumstances most other teams would have crumbled and though Pakistan managed to compete they were under pressure from the off as fifties from Hashim Amla, Kallis and AB de Villiers laid the foundations for a late surge from JP Duminy that carried South Africa to 317 and out of sight.

The Pakistan openers did their best to set up a contest before Kallis ripped through the top order, taking three wickets in as many overs, to leave Pakistan with a mountain to climb. Despite a characteristic flurry from Shahid Afridi and a well-crafted 60 from Umar Akmal, who also kept wicket in Haider's absence, Pakistan never quite threatened to pull off a mammoth chase.

Credit must go to Kallis but the tone was set, as per usual, by Amla. He continued his phenomenal run of form with a boundary-leaden half-century. All season he has shown one-day batting extends beyond barrel-chested power and he passed 1000 ODI runs for the calendar year as he punished Pakistan's new-ball pairing and raced to fifty from 33 balls.

If Amla's style is poetic, Kallis is altogether more prosaic. Happy to ease along in the slipstream he collected singles and doubles with ease and after Amla's dismissal, chipping tamely to long-off, he shared a 121-run stand with de Villiers.

Neither de Villiers nor Kallis were particularly expansive but they barely raised a sweat as the waltzed along close to a run a ball. Abdur Rehman did his best to check the rate with an impressive spell of brisk, accurate left-arm spin but at 219 for 2 in the 38th over, Pakistan were staring down the barrel.

They recovered, momentarily, with three wickets for nine runs in 14 deliveries as South Africa ignored the Batting Powerplay and lost both set batsmen, and Colin Ingram in a hurry. Yet, just as Pakistan's fortunes looked to have picked up JP Duminy found his best range to crown the innings with a flourish.

Sixty-four runs came off the last five overs as Duminy laid into the wheezing Shoaib Akhtar and Wahab Riaz. Duminy looks to have recovered his poise this season after a chastening experience last year and will be a key man in similar conditions at the World Cup.

The chase always looked out of reach but Pakistan were gifted an enterprising start by Shahzaib Hasan and Mohammad Hafeez, who added 81 in the opening 12 overs. It was Pakistan's best opening stand of the series and South Africa were visibly relieved when Kallis burst through.

After being taken for 11 in his opening over Kallis struck in each of his next three. First Shahzaib skewed a drive to find Morkel at mid-on, before Younis Khan gloved a short ball down the leg side.

If his wicket magnified the difficulty of Pakistan's task Mohammad Yousuf's tame fall two overs later rammed home South Africa's advantage. Yousuf only landed in Dubai yesterday but replaced Asad Shafiq at No. 4 and duly fell quickly, guiding a length ball off the face to de Villiers.

The slide continued when Fawad Alam feathered a rapid short ball from Steyn to fall for 1. In all four wickets had fallen for 19 runs in 33 balls to rip the stuffing out of Pakistan's reinforced middle order.

After Hafeez fell shortly after reaching his half-century Afridi and Akmal briefly threatened a recovery. The required rate had climbed but both found the boundary regularly enough to keep South Africa on edge until Afridi ran down the wicket, and straight past a flighted delivery from Robin Peterson to give de Villiers his first stumping in ODI cricket.

Peterson came into the side in place of the big-hitting David Miller and justified his selection with an impressive display of left-arm spin. Twice he beat Afridi early on before nailing his man for 24. Together with Abdul Razzak, Akmal tried to engineer a miracle but slapped a Steyn full toss straight to Smith at cover to all but end the resistance.

Fittingly it was Peterson who finished the job, castling Shoaib to leave Pakistan still in search of a ODI series win against South Africa.

Nothing beats playing at home

As kids we all grow up with dreams such as scoring a century or destroying the opposition with the ball. An essential part of these dreams is the venue.

My first experience of playing in an international ground was at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore. It was an Under-16 match but it was a phenomenal experience. To play in a ground which you see only on television, where Test matches are held, was plain exciting.

But nothing beats playing in the place where you grew up. You might ask, what is so special about playing at home? For me it is the familiarity.

Having said that, after having played at all the venues in India for more than a decade, many of them multiple times, the feeling is relative. Still, playing in a place where I was born and brought up, playing in front of my well-wishers, my mentor, my family, friends - to play in front of these people who encouraged me and were instrumental in me becoming what I am today is a very special feeling. I hadn't experienced that feeling all these years and so I was a little hurt, but now I can't complain.

The first time I watched a big match live in Hyderabad was in 1981, between South Zone and Keith Fletcher's England, Fateh Maidan (Lal Bahadur Shastri Stadium), which was just a five-minute walk from my house. I sat with my brother and the family of my neighbour, who was a member of the Fateh Maidan Club, in the stands. A few years later I watched an India-Pakistan one-dayer from the corporate box because my grandfather was the chairman of Andhra Pradesh Sports Council. Those were the two big matches I watched live before I made my international debut.

I was always a regular at Ranji and domestic matches, right from my Under-13 and Under-15 days. I remember, one time Bombay came to Hyderabad for a Ranji Trophy match played at the Gymkhana grounds. It was the first time I saw Sachin Tendulkar in person. He was the talk of the country, having made his international debut so young. We kids were practising in the adjacent nets and I managed to take a peek at him and other stars like Dilip Vengsarkar, Sanjay Manjrekar, Ravi Shastri, Mohammad Azharuddin and Arshad Ayub. They were players you normally only saw in newspaper pictures or on TV, and suddenly to see them in person was exciting. That excitement has always stayed inside me. It used to give me a thrill to be in the Fateh Maidan. Going there and soaking in the atmosphere contributed to my dreams of playing for the country one day.

Baba Krishan Mohan, my uncle and mentor, has always been an avid fan of cricket. He used to watch a lot of cricket and had seen West Indies and Tony Greig's England play in Hyderabad when he was a youngster. There were a lot of cricket pictures in his house and he had a lot of stories to narrate while I was growing up. He evoked a hunger in me and helped me achieve my goals.

For a visitor Hyderabad and Secunderabad might be twin cities, two different places. But there were no differences in the cricket in both cities. Like Mumbai has Shivaji Park, for us it is the Parade grounds, on which there are multiple matches happening simultaneously. During my days there were 14 wickets and it was chaos all around.

For me, the two most important grounds in addition to the Parade one were the Gymkhana ground and the St John's Academy. I was groomed here and realised my talent here, and it was here that I became the cricketer I am today.

The Uppal Stadium is new even to me, a local, but I'm more than eager to perform here. It is a brilliant stadium, and having played around the globe I have no doubt it is one of the best. Shiv bhai [Shivlal Yadav] has done a lot to set up this world-class venue, which has all the amenities. During the IPL games here, overseas players asked why the stadium was not a Test venue yet.

This match will be a test for both the venue and myself. I hope the crowds will come in in big numbers to watch. On the personal front, I have some unfinished business. Last time I played an international match in Hyderabad, it was against the same opponent, New Zealand. It was November 15. I had walked in to bat towards the end of the innings after Sachin and [Virender] Sehwag had scored a big opening partnership. I got out in single digits. But I have got a double-century at Uppal [224 against Rajasthan in the 2008-09 season] and I hope I can bring the same form to this Test. After the exciting draw in Ahmedabad it is an important Test match in the context of the series. If I can contribute in a win, it would be really special.

Raina replaces Yuvraj in BCCI's top contracts list

Suresh Raina has replaced Yuvraj Singh in the Grade A level - the highest - of the BCCI's list of central contracts for 2010-11. Virat Kohli, M Vijay and Pragyan Ojha have moved up to Grade B, while Rohit Sharma has been demoted to C. RP Singh and Munaf Patel, who were previously in Grade B, have not been offered contracts.

The board has made several changes to the structure, reducing the total number of contracted players from 41 to 24, and doing away with Grade D. The annual retainers have been increased from Rs. 60 lakh to Rs. 1 crore ($135,594 to $225,990) for Grade A and from Rs 40 lakh to Rs. 50 lakh ($90,396 to $112,995) for Grade B. The fees for category C remain at Rs. 25 lakhs ($56,498).

Yuvraj has had a forgettable 2010, with indifferent form and fitness dogging him through one of the toughest phases of the career. He was disappointing at the World Twenty20 in the West Indies and was subsequently dropped for the Asia Cup but returned for the Tests in Sri Lanka. In the first Test, he scored 52 and 5 in Galle, before missing the second with fever. He was declared fit to play in the third but was passed over from the final XI in favour of Raina, who had replaced him for the second Test and scored a century on debut.

Gautam Gambhir has, on the other hand, been more fortunate and has retained his Grade A classification despite an indifferent year - he has missed three of India's last six Tests with injuries, and has bagged ducks in the second innings in each of other three. Rahul Dravid, who has been out of India's limited-overs plans since the 2009 Champions Trophy, also features in the A category, despite his recent dip in Test form.

Karnataka seamers Abhimanyu Mithun and Vinay Kumar, who forced their way into the national side through impressive shows in the 2009-10 first-class season, have been added to Grade C, along with Cheteshwar Pujara, who scored a fluent half-century against Australia on Test debut.

Dinesh Karthik, who has been in and out of the one-day side as a back-up wicketkeeper and a make-shift opener, has been axed from the contracts list, along with Ajinkya Rahane, Manoj Tiwary and Dhawal Kulkarni. Shikhar Dhawan, Abhishek Nayar and Sudeep Tyagi also find themselves out of contracts.

Grade A: Sachin Tendulkar, MS Dhoni, Gautam Gambhir, Virender Sehwag, Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman, Suresh Raina, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan

Grade B: Yuvraj Singh, Ishant Sharma, Ashish Nehra, Praveen Kumar, Virat Kohli, M Vijay, Pragyan Ojha

Grade C: Sreesanth, Amit Mishra, R Ashwin, Rohit Sharma, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ravindra Jadeja, Abhimanyu Mithun, Vinay Kumar

Hyderabad awaits Test action

New Zealand started the first Test at Ahmedabad short of confidence and a touch unsure about a few of their players. They ended it on a high, but a couple of concerns remain: Can the opener Tim McIntosh, if he is picked, prove to the world that he is not a walking wicket? Will BJ Watling get some runs at No.3? How will the batsmen handle a track that supposedly has more bounce? The Ahmedabad pitch was flat and the middle order cashed in. Ross Taylor expects the track at Uppal, hosting its first Test match, will have a bit more for the spinners. Hyderabad has hosted three Tests before this, all against New Zealand, at the multi-purpose Lal Bahadur stadium.

India went to Ahmedabad with a couple of worries - the batting form of Gautam Gambhir and Rahul Dravid, and the bowling form of the spin twins Harbhajan Singh and Pragyan Ojha. Dravid scored a hundred in the first innings, but Gambhir and the spinners didn't have much to smile about on a batsmen-friendly track. All of them practised hard in the nets in Uppal. As ever, Dravid had a long net session. Gary Kirsten fired down short balls from a tennis racquet and Dravid spent his time swaying away or riding the bounce.

The conditions are slightly damp as there was some rain earlier in the week and It will be interesting to see whether the strip will provide some seam movement on the first day. Some have said that there might be bit more spin on this new pitch but Uppal has traditionally produced batsmen-friendly surfaces. We will have to wait and see how this particular track turns out.

Various Moments Of Ind VS NZ Serize

A second wind for Dravid?

By playing with a bat Michael Hussey called "three metres wide", and doing so in his 38th year, Sachin Tendulkar doesn't only continue to give people a hard time, he gives hope to many others that if you stay around long enough, a second wind is possible. Of course it assumes that you will be picked in that period - some teams cull ruthlessly while others enforce temporary bans - and be fit enough to scour the horizon for that second coming.

I thought of that as I watched Rahul Dravid struggle his way through his first hundred balls in Ahmedabad. My mind, so full of admiration for a great cricketer, was willing him on, but younger, more irreverent, observers on my Twitter feed were calling for his head. Apart from a little purple patch in 2009, Dravid has been averaging in the thirties over three years (interestingly these numbers are very similar to those Tendulkar generated during his lean phase in the middle of this decade) and didn't always look like the great player he is.

Surely on a cruelly flat deck and against an attack that wasn't likely to scare a top team, he could have batted like the player we knew, or indeed like the player we saw after the shackles he had imposed on himself were broken and a century appeared. Or was it that Dravid was building bunkers around him, creating defences against every possible dismissal? Was he getting so caught up with survival that not getting out would seem a success?

A couple of days earlier I heard Sourav Ganguly say, on a news channel, that as a player moves past the mid-thirties he loses his confidence far more than he does his ability. And I wondered if that was the case with Dravid, surrounded as he is by young batsmen, who admire him but challenge him nonetheless. Was he so increasingly aware of his mortality, I wondered, that he was guarding himself against every possibility?

Sometimes players, like managers, can analyse in such detail that they end up thinking of weaknesses that may or may not exist. Batsmen can start preparing for every possible way in which they can get out. As patients get older, they worry about infections cropping up from just about anywhere, where in younger days they might have drunk water out of a tap at a railway station, or jumped out of a tree oblivious to injury. Batsmen can therefore start focusing too much on not getting out rather than on scoring runs.

Indeed, watching cricket in that phase you couldn't help thinking that one player, Virender Sehwag, was looking for an opportunity to score, while another, Dravid, was searching for safety. One seemed to enjoy being out in the middle, like a kid might on a rollercoaster, while the other was gritting his teeth like he was preparing for an assignment on the implications of Bernoulli's Principle. (And given that the passage of a ball through air tends to be governed by the work of the aforementioned gentleman, he probably wasn't too far away anyway!)

Having said that, Dravid could well counter the point saying that he has addressed every match the same way in the last 14 years, and has an extraordinary body of work to support his thesis; that on another day Sehwag might look flippant and the gravitas that Dravid exudes might be more reassuring; that being a man of erudition, a deep thinker and an analyst, has always worked for him.

As it turned out, a century duly arrived, one that took him past Bradman's 29 - once considered as unattainable as a four-minute mile was - at a strike rate better than that achieved over his career. The second half of his innings, in terms of balls faced, produced 80% of his runs. The certainty that Dravid exuded through a glittering career was back, the feet had started to glide, and the bat was searching for runs where it had been intent on guarding the wicket.

Did the confidence that Ganguly was talking about return? Did a voice tell him that putting money in a locker was not much good in a bull market? And will this century, and the accompanying confidence, lead to the second wind, the kind Tendulkar has shown?

I do not know. But what I do know is that beyond a point, the more you analyse, the more you budget for failure. Now that may be good for Obama's security entourage but not necessarily so for quality cricketers.

I will speak in detail later' - Zulqarnain Haider

Pakistan wicketkeeper Zulqarnain Haider, who went missing in Dubai on Monday, has resurfaced in London and said he will explain the reasons for his mysterious flight from the UAE later. Haider was scheduled to play the fifth ODI against South Africa but had disappeared from the Pakistan team's hotel on the morning of the game without informing the team management.

"I have come here [London] on my own expenses on a one month visa. I will be staying at a hotel on my own expenses," Haider told Geo, a leading Pakistani news channel, after reportedly spending nearly four hours with immigration authorities at Heathrow. "I will speak in detail on the reasons for my decision to leave Dubai and come to London later on."

The PCB's legal adviser Tafazzul Rizvi said Haider was in breach of his contract but the board was "concerned about this whole situation." "He will definitely face an inquiry and disciplinary action whenever he contacts us," Rizvi said.

Rizvi was also quoted by the Guardian as saying that it was too early to involve all of Pakistani cricket. "This is just the act of one individual, and it's not a sensible act," he said. "Even he had threats against him, he should have informed the team security officer."

The drama began shortly before Pakistan were due to play South Africa in the deciding match of their ODI series, when it transpired that Haider had not travelled with the squad to the ground. The first indication that something was wrong came from a cryptic message left as a status update on the player's Facebook page. "Leaving Pakistan cricket because get bad msg fr 1 man fr lose the match in last game." The "last match" reference is possibly to the fourth ODI of the series, a closely-fought thriller in which Haider's unbeaten 19 took Pakistan to victory with one wicket and one ball to spare.

As the day wore on, the situation became more confusing. A TV reporter for Geo said that he had received a text message from Haider earlier on Monday in which the player asked for security for his family and indicated that he might fly to the UK. Television footage showed him arriving at Heathrow later in the day, confirming an earlier PCB statement that they had information he was on his way to the UK.

The PCB, which has set up an inquiry into the issue, said it was working with the ICC's anti-corruption unit following indications that his disappearance could be linked to his performance during the current ODI series against South Africa.

Harbhajan makes maiden century in draw

Harbhajan Singh realised every bowler's dream of making a Test hundred and VVS Laxman burnished his already lustrous second-innings record to steer India to safety on the final day of the first Test. Chris Martin and New Zealand couldn't replicate the venom with which they had bowled on Sunday and their chances of victory vanished with the 163-run association between Harbhajan and Laxman.

The injuries to Hamish Bennett and Jesse Ryder didn't help New Zealand either. A serious push for victory against the world's No. 1 side appeared difficult to sustain once Ross Taylor and Brendon McCullum, with 12 overs of international experience between them, were given the ball in the morning.

In his previous two Tests, Laxman had turned in contrasting match-winning efforts on the final day. In Ahmedabad, he showed his match-saving skills. It was hard to guess from his unperturbed demeanour and batting that India were battling for survival, and he repeatedly worked the spinners towards sweeper cover and deep point to make his runs. His first violent shot was a sweep that nearly carried to the midwicket boundary to bring up his half-century.

Harbhajan was less secure than the cool and collected Laxman. He nearly committed hara-kiri in the third over of the day with an ill-judged call for a single after punching the ball to mid-off. Daniel Vettori's throw missed the stumps with Harbhajan yards out. Harbhajan also offered half-chances to slip and forward short leg but, despite the shakiness, he never put away his natural attacking strokes. He outscored Laxman with his maverick batting: a powerful sweep against the turn in the air of Vettori , a ferocious down-the-line forehand off Martin, and - riskiest of all - a reverse-paddle off Jeetan Patel.

By lunch, India's lead had ballooned to 192, and much of the interest in the second session centred on whether the two batsmen could make their hundreds. Both carried on as they had in the morning: Laxman made unflustered progress with Harbhajan pulling off some enterprising strokes. New Zealand seemed resigned to a draw, with Vettori at one stage imitating Harbhajan's bird-like flourish during his run-up.

With the match meandering and Laxman in his 90s, two umpiring mistakes brought the UDRS, and its absence in this series, back into focus. Steve Davis missed a huge inside-edge from Laxman to give him lbw. Laxman was horrified, a reaction that was repeated next ball by Zaheer Khan, when Davis missed another nick to leave Vettori on a hat-trick. Davis' concentration had clearly slipped and he called 'over' when only five deliveries had been bowled.

There was still the matter of Harbhajan's hundred. He had reached his half-century with a Laxman-like flick and he brought up three figures with a Sehwag-like six, carving the ball over extra cover to move from 95 to 101. Cue generous applause from the dressing-room, and Harbhajan celebrated with a message to his close friend Sachin Tendulkar - imitating the master's signature crouch.

With MS Dhoni having no intention of declaration, Harbhajan continued to make merry, smashing Patel over long-off for six. He was finally dismissed mis-hitting a high full toss from Taylor, and India ended on 266 when Sreesanth feathered a Taylor delivery to the keeper.

There was little at stake in the match when New Zealand came out to bat, but questions over Tim McIntosh's suitability will return after he missed a Zaheer incutter to complete a pair. After a desultory bunch of overs that included Dhoni bowling, the match was called off with New Zealand having reached 22 for 1.

New Zealand started the day dreaming of a win, but though they couldn't break Motera's jinx of no team chasing down a target, they have proved to India that they are no pushovers. How New Zealand would take 20 wickets against the mighty Indians was the big question before the series; they have shown they can, even when they are one frontline bowler short, and their batting has shown the backbone that was sorely missing during the drubbing in Bangladesh last month. The match may be a draw, but there's no doubt which team will be happier with their performance in the game.

ICC '"impressed" with PCB's anti-corruption measures

The ICC has praised the PCB for the measures the board has implemented to curb corruption in the aftermath of the spot-fixing controversy. In what is the second update on the progress made by the PCB since it was issued an ultimatum by the ICC to take initiatives to sort out the game's administration in the country, the ICC said it was "impressed" with the developments.

The ultimatum - which included a set of recommendations - was issued on October 13 and the PCB was told to clean up its act or face the consequences, possibly in the form of sanctions. Since then, the board, which was given a 30-day period to conduct a thorough and far-reaching review of "player integrity issues", has revised its code of conduct for players with a special emphasis on anti-corruption, made it mandatory for players to have their agents approved by the PCB, implemented education programmers for cricketers to create awareness about match-fixing and set up an Integrity Committee to look into issues of corruption and doping.

The update was provided at a meeting, by teleconference, of the Pakistan task force, a group headed by ECB chairman Giles Clarke that is aiming to bring back international cricket to Pakistan. "PCB has clearly recognized that it is imperative to protect the integrity of cricket and we are indeed impressed by the progress reported," Haroon Lorgat, the ICC CEO and a member of the Pakistan task force, said. "Their willingness to play such an active role on the integrity issue is vital to the future of international cricket. They have shown a clear determination to tackle their challenges.

"The ICC Task Team is mindful of those challenges and is committed to supporting the PCB."

Clarke said: "The PCB chairman and his team must be congratulated for the speed with which they have adopted the recommendations of the ICC Board. Everyone is encouraged by the statements and actions of the PCB and we must hope that they continue."

Ijaz Butt, the PCB chairman who has faced much criticism for his handling of the administration during his tenure, said his board adopted a zero-tolerance policy towards corruption. "The PCB is determined to implement the recommendations provided by the ICC. We at the PCB, like the ICC, are committed to a zero-tolerance approach to any form of corruption."

Most recently, the PCB revoked the central contracts of Salman Butt, Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif - the three players provisionally suspended by the ICC for their alleged involvement in the spot-fixing controversy. And in the ongoing tour of the UAE where Pakistan are taking on South Africa in an ODI series, the PCB fined three players for breaking curfew as per the revised code of conduct.

Orissa take control against Baroda

Orissa's batsmen consolidated the advantage over Baroda provided by the bowlers on the first day at the Barabati Stadium in Cuttack. Half-centuries from opener Natraj Behera and 19-year-old debutant Govind Podder pushed Orissa to 182 for 3 by stumps. Orissa sauntered along at less than three an over but still finished the day 34 runs ahead of Baroda's first-innings effort. Their only moments of concern when 22-year-old medium-pacer Ajitesh Argal, a member of the Under-19 side that won the World Cup in 2008, nipped out two early wickets. A 104-run second-wicket stand between Behera and Podder then put Orissa within touching distance of a lead. In the morning, Baroda's Rakesh Solanki continued a remarkable solo effort, moving from his overnight 44 to end up unbeaten on 87, dragging Baroda from 99 for 9 to 148. He put on 53 for the final wicket with Bhargav Bhatt, who made 6. The second highest contributor in the Baroda innings was Argal, who made 12, coming in at No. 10.

At the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai, Tamil Nadu's strong batting helped tighten their grip over Assam. Opener S Anirudha, son of former Indian captain Kris Srikkanth, compiled an unbeaten 87 and Ranji run-machine S Badrinath made 83 as Tamil Nadu ended the day at 300 for 4, ahead by 116 runs. Anirudha was forced to retire hurt when on 71, with the total at 133 for 2, but he returned at Badrinath's exit which left Tamil Nadu at 281 for 4. He has a poor conversion rate in first-class cricket, having seven half-centuries and only one hundred, a statistic he will hope to improve when he resumes on Wednesday. The other main contributor was former ICL player R Sathish, who remained unbeaten on 74.

Iqbal Abdulla's career-best score combined with two crucial wickets late in the day from Ramesh Powar put Mumbai in total command at the halfway mark against Saurashtra, who trail by a massive 486 runs at the Bandra-Kurla Complex. Taking advantage of an inexperienced bowling attack along with some overly defensive strategies employed by Saurashtra captain Jaydev Shah, Abdulla helped himself to his maiden century, and, if not for the declaration, was comfortably marching towards a double-century.

Delhi seized control over its territory on Tuesday, playing the second day of their Ranji Trophy-opener as if it were the first. Clouds gathered around the Feroz Shah Kotla, their bowlers ran in and made the ball seam, swing and cut. They scythed through the Bengal middle order, and the visitors ended up on with a shrunken 473 all out after starting the day on 313-2. A flashy show of intent from Virat Kohli (51* off 78, 9x4) ensured that Delhi go in at 89-1. After a tepid first day, the game is finally afoot.

For more on this match, click here.

Uttar Pradesh trailed Punjab by 67 runs with five wickets in hand at the close of play on the second day at the Bhamashah Stadium in Meerut. Punjab were only able to add nine to their overnight score, as Praveen Kumar and RP Singh snapped up the remaining four wickets to keep limit them to 288. Praveen finished with 5 for 72, his 13th first-class five-for. Mohammad Kaif's painstaking 58 from 176 led UP's reply, but it was case of missed opportunities for the visitors, as four of their top five batsman got starts, but failed to convert them into big scores.

Gujarat piled up 379 against Railways, aided by Siddharth Trivedi's career best 65, before reducing the home side to 64 for 3 at the Karnail Singh Stadium in Delhi. Trivedi came to the crease with the score 298 for 8, and promptly set about the Railways bowling. His 65 came from just 57 deliveries, and included 11 fours. He added 78 with Sahil Yadav for the ninth-wicket to give Gujarat the momentum in the match. Trivdei followed up his heroics with the bat by snaring Faiz Fazal and Sanjay Bangar as Railways stumbled to 20 for 3. TP Sing and Yere Goud then prevented any further damage with a 44-run stand.

Haryana crawled to 316 against Himachal Pradesh at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium in Dharamsala. Hemang Badani led the way with 65, an innings that contained nine fours and a six, but it was slow going for the batsman, who faced 183 balls. Six bowlers shared the wickets, with part-time left-arm spinner Mukesh Sharma's 2 for 8 from six overs the best of the bunch. Sanjay Budhwar reduced HP to 36 for 2, but opener Bhavin Thakkar (58) and captain Paras Dogra (12) made sure there would be no more hiccups.

The Pujara and Johnson conundrums

India have a dilemma about their No. 3 spot and Australia on how best to use their strike bowler

With important series looming, imaginative and thoughtful selection could very well be decisive for both India and Australia in the next few months.

Consequently, preferring Rahul Dravid over the highly impressive Cheteshwar Pujara for the first Test against New Zealand was a surprisingly timid move by the Indian panel.

Pujara deservedly received rave reviews for both his technique and temperament in his match-clinching innings against Australia last month. While this isn't the Australian attack of the Shane Warne-Glenn McGrath era, they still don't go down without a fight. Pujara matched the Australians for aggression and outwitted Ricky Ponting's bowlers in what was an enterprising and influential knock. His confidence was high after that innings, and if ever there was a right time to reward a young player, it was in the first Test against New Zealand.

However, the Indian selectors opted for a safety-first move when the situation cried out for a bit of imagination. Especially considering MS Dhoni promoted Pujara to No. 3 against Australia with such stunning results.

At this stage of his career, Dravid is not the ideal player to bat at No. 3 in South Africa. He's been hanging on by his fingernails for a while now and although he's never been a dominant player, he has been even more prone to periods of stagnation in his declining years. South Africa's strategy is based on tying batsmen down and reducing the flow of runs to a trickle. If Dravid struggles and scores slowly, he'll play right into their hands.

It seems pointless to have Virender Sehwag rattle the opposition with mercurial strokeplay at the top of the order and then risk allowing the bowling side back into the contest while Dravid fights for survival.

The impressive way Pujara played the horizontal bat shots was another reason to give him every opportunity to succeed before touring South Africa. If India are to win that tough tour, someone at the top of the order will need to defuse the South African pace attack.

If Pujara had failed to grasp the opportunity against New Zealand then the selectors always had the option of returning Dravid to the middle order and using the more aggressive Laxman at No. 3 in South Africa.

Dravid's hundred against the lamentable New Zealanders was predictable, but it proved nothing - apart from boosting his statistics. His selection was an opportunity wasted.

Australia's plight is an entirely different case.

Where India are winning and finding it difficult to change a successful combination, Australia are losing, and the selectors are desperate to unearth a couple of young players who can help arrest the slide.

However, the selectors face a dilemma. A loss at home to England will be viewed by the public as a calamity on the order of the global financial crisis. The selectors are walking a high wire without a safety net as they totter between gambling on youth from the outset and hoping the experienced players rediscover the art of winning in the nick of time. A move to the former policy after the latter fails would be completing the act only after the safety net had been discovered.

The other problem for the Australian selectors is that, while most of the controversy has surrounded the middle-order batting, the clue to solving the puzzle may well be the bowling attack. The lack of form from Mitchell Johnson is a big concern. He has been the strike bowler since Brett Lee's departure, but his ambushes have been far less frequent of late. Do the selectors gamble on the hope that the extra pace and bounce of Australian pitches will help Johnson rediscover his wicket-taking form or do they take the radical step of omitting their most successful bowler?

They might compromise with a moderate gamble. Omit Marcus North, play Steven Smith and retain Johnson. This way you don't weaken the batting too much, with Brad Haddin in the No. 6 spot, and you give the bowling more variety. It would also allow Ponting to use Johnson purely as a strike bowler, in short sharp bursts.

The really good selectors have a knack for seeing the current requirements while also visualising what's needed in the future. Another reason why it's more important to spend lavishly to get the right selectors rather than reward a coach with a big contract.

Australia hope to avoid losing record

In the blue corner is Sri Lanka, the happiest team in the world, the one deservedly still celebrating their first series victory Down Under. Slumped in the really blue corner is Australia, the side trying to avoid setting their worst losing streak in history. It is usually the touring teams that feel this low here, but the faded green and golds have lost their sheen. And the Ashes starts in 19 days.

Sri Lanka's breakthrough tour began with a Twenty20 victory and was followed by a great escape in Melbourne. They then ensured Sunday's third ODI would be a dead rubbed with a controlled victory in Sydney. Sri Lanka are a highly professional outfit with men for any conditions, so not much will bother them at the Gabba.

Australia are currently on a seven-match losing streak in all forms of the game. The last time they won was the first Test against Pakistan in July. Not since 1996 have they lost seven in a row - England also beat them in seven consecutive Tests between 1885 and 1888 - and they have never been defeated in eight straight. Michael Clarke is in charge of making sure that doesn't happen following Ricky Ponting's decision to miss the match to prepare for Tasmania's Sheffield Shield game on Wednesday.

Boucher working towards limited-overs return

Mark Boucher, the South Africa wicketkeeper, has recovered from a shoulder injury and is set to continue his bid to return to the national limited-overs sides. Boucher is presently part of only the Test team, while AB de Villiers is keeping wicket in the one-day and Twenty20 formats.

Boucher recently returned from a six-week injury layoff and took four catches and effected a stumping for the Warriors during their 128-run defeat to the Knights in Port Elizabeth. He is desperate to regain his place in the ODI squad after he was dropped for the five-match series in the West Indies in May. He was not selected for the ongoing series against Pakistan in the UAE either.

"For as long as I can go, and as long as I can keep learning and keep becoming a better cricketer, I will keep going," Boucher said.

South Africa's coach Corrie van Zyl had said Boucher needed to work on his limited-overs game and, although he did not mention anything specific, it was widely believed that Boucher was dropped because of his batting. He averaged 21.00 in his last 10 ODIs and his lower-order match-winning skills were thought to have waned.

The door is still open for Boucher, though, as South Africa build towards the 2011 World Cup. "We have not finalised the World Cup squad yet, therefore all South African first-class cricketers are eligible and will be considered, taking into account form and results of domestic cricket," Andrew Hudson, the convenor of selectors, told ESPNcricinfo.

Boucher will join the Test team in the UAE for the first Test against Pakistan, which begins on November 12 at the Dubai International Stadium. Before that, he will have one more MTN40 match for the Warriors against the Dolphins in Pietermaritzburg. The Warriors have played two matches in the competition so far, winning their first game against the Titans by two wickets before their loss to the Knights.

Ryder and Williamson defy India

Jesse Ryder, playing his first Test in 14 months, and Kane Williamson, playing his first Test, batted with the assurance of gnarled pros to help New Zealand clamber out of trouble to a position where they have an outside chance of a first-innings lead. The prospect of New Zealand being asked to bat again had loomed large at lunch, after they lost both Brendon McCullum and Ross Taylor in the space of six runs when they were less than halfway to the follow-on mark.

Ryder and Williamson put on 194 - New Zealand's second-highest stand for the fifth wicket - as India's bowlers toiled for more than two sessions without success. It was only in the final over of the day that India broke the partnership. Two deliveries after Ryder brought up his third Test century - all of which have been against India - with a carve through cover, Sreesanth got one to nip past Ryder's bat and into the pad. By then, New Zealand had belied expectations that they would be rolled over by the world's No. 1 side.

The pair had just about survived a nervy six-over spell before lunch, but were more confident after the break - Williamson began the session with a wonderful back-foot drive through cover. Both batsman were circumspect early on, with few attacking strokes against India's senior bowlers Zaheer Khan and Harbhajan. They started to be more enterprising once Sreesanth and the part-time spinners - Virender Sehwag and Suresh Raina - were brought on. Sreesanth nearly got the breakthrough when Ryder wafted at a wide delivery on 11, only for Rahul Dravid to fluff a shoulder-high chance at a wide first slip.

After that, Ryder dished out plenty of boundaries, using his feet and punching Raina past mid-on, and pulling Sreesanth to midwicket. Williamson was also secure at the other end, using the sweep and cut whenever the spinners dropped short and made unfussy progress towards a half-century. India were out of ideas on a pitch with nothing it in to alarm the batsmen, and even called on Sachin Tendulkar for a rare bowling spell.

Even with the second new ball, India couldn't hassle batsmen much. Ojha got the odd one to turn and beat the outside edge, and India's one big chance after tea was when Williamson nicked Zaheer to the keeper when on 56, but the umpire Kumar Dharmasena didn't pick it up, to the disbelief of the Indians.

New Zealand will be particularly pleased with the fightback since they had to battle spin for much of the innings. This is their first international match since the drubbing in the one-dayers in Bangladesh last month, a series in which their batting was clueless against Bangladesh's army of slow bowlers.

Ryder called for a runner before tea, as he was struggling with cramps, but even that didn't hamper his footwork against spin. One of the highlights of his innings was when he sashayed down the track to loft Harbhajan over long-on for six.

His partner Williamson had started his one-day career with a couple of ducks, but there was no such stuttering start to his Test career. Plenty of times he showed why people in New Zealand rave about his backfoot technique, rocking back to crash the ball through covers. It was a dead track, and it's still early days, but New Zealand seem to have unearthed a solid batsman their traditionally fragile batting could do with.

Even before Ryder and Williamson came together, the New Zealand batsmen were comfortable against everything thrown at them by India. McCullum, needing to justify his place as a specialist batsman after giving up wicketkeeping gloves earlier this year, continued the form that has resulted in his most productive phase in Tests - two hundreds and three half-centuries in his previous six Tests.

Taylor barely scored in the V and used the cut to make much of his runs. It was only after McCullum began to open up with a lovely on-drive against the turn off Ojha and a powerful uppish cut off Zaheer more than half an hour after the start, that Taylor switched gears - a bunch of boundaries against Harbhajan bringing up his half-century. Soon after, he gifted his wicket, gently clipping Harbhajan to midwicket, and trudged off with his hand on his forehead.

Worse followed as McCullum, hoping to become the first New Zealand opener since Stephen Fleming in 2004 to make a Test century on tour, fell to a classical spinner's dismissal: a loopy delivery dipped in and spun sharply away, dragging him out of the crease and beating his bat, and MS Dhoni did the rest. New Zealand were in deep trouble at 137 for 4 before another big partnership made it their day.

Australia run out of focus

No moment highlighted Australia's fall from world beaters to stragglers more than when Shane Watson's right knee stopped a certain run-out on Friday night. Watson's leg wasn't the only thing being blamed and the slapstick incident had its owner smiling, in frustration and humour, after arriving in Brisbane today.

For the past two decades Australia have been so well drilled in the field, but when Upul Tharanga ended up at Kumar Sangakkara's end the locals fell apart. And it was not the fresh faces who lapsed, but three seriously senior men.

When Brad Haddin collected the ball all he needed was a vaguely accurate lob to the bowler's end, but he overshot wildly. Michael Clarke backed up well and then made the mistake of aiming at the stumps instead of sending the ball to Watson, or running up to remove the bails himself. While the throw was on target, Watson was too slow to move and was struck an embarrassing, but not painful, blow on the leg. As the ball rolled away from the stumps, Tharanga finally regained his ground and went on to an unbeaten 86.

"I thought I was involved in a game of brandy with a cricket ball," Watson said. "Next time I need to get out of the way." Clarke hasn't offered Watson a free shot as payback, but the blow hasn't changed Watson's belief that Clarke is the best man to lead the team in Ricky Ponting's absence on Sunday.

Australia have lost seven games in a row in the game's three forms but the missed-run-out episode, played over only a couple of seconds, was a snapshot of how deep the problems have become. In the past the team's batting has stumbled and the bowling has been loose, which are often forgivable offences. Results in the field have always been non-negotiable.

Even before Mike Young, the former baseball coach, joined the squad to refine techniques, the work of the fielders was expected to be perfect. The area was used as the team's performance barometer, but as the side's Test ranking has slipped and its one-day reputation has eroded, the pressure they now place on the opposition is seriously low.

Watson insists Australia aren't far off clicking and, like most of the players in the squad, believes their efforts have been close to the standard required. But if they can't win on Sunday it will be the first time the national outfit has been defeated in eight matches in a row.

"It's not an ideal situation for the games we've lost over the last little while, but it is a new era of Australian cricket," he said. "Let's hope we can come together and make sure it is a successful period. It hasn't been for the last little while, but we know we're not far away from getting it right. So we hope people stick by us."

Watson will open at the Gabba - he still calls it his home ground despite moving to New South Wales last year - and will be particularly wary of the Sri Lanka seamers in the bowler-friendly conditions. The visiting fast men have gained significant movement in the opening two matches to hold Australia to 210 on Friday and 8 for 239 on Wednesday.

"The Sri Lankans have bowled very well, especially Nuwan Kulasekara and Lasith Malinga with the new ball," he said. "It's been hard to get them away. Let's hope they get carried away tomorrow night [in the conditions]." Only recently have Australian teams had to start hoping for opposition mistakes.

Tasmania sweep past Queensland

Tasmania jumped to a 10-point lead on the one-day table with a convincing five-wicket win over Queensland in Hobart. The Bulls were dismissed for 75 and 96 in the Sheffield Shield last week and continued to have trouble with the bat, struggling to 9 for 167 in 45 overs.

Only having the best Nos 10 and 11 in the game helped the Bulls get to the end of the innings, with Chris Hartley (27) and Ryan Harris (13) putting on an unbeaten 40 for the final wicket. The visitors had packed their batting line-up but were undone by Brendan Drew (4 for 38) and Gerard Denton (3 for 47).

Tim Paine, who did so well for Australia in the off-season, set up Tasmania's chase with a brisk 71 and George Bailey added 51. James Hopes and Luke Feldman picked up two wickets each but the hosts reached the target in the 32nd over. The Tigers moved to 21 points after five games, 10 ahead of Victoria and New South Wales.

Pakistan A tour of West Indies

Denesh Ramdin, the Trinidad and Tobago wicketkeeper who was cut from the West Indies contract list earlier this year, has been named to the West Indies A one-day squad that will play three games against Pakistan A starting on November 9.

"This is an opportunity for Denesh to regain some confidence and form even as he helps to develop younger players by imparting knowledge gained while playing for the West Indies senior team," Clyde Butts, the chairman of the WICB selection committee, said.

Ramdin lost his central contract following "less than favourable" performances over the past year, prompting the T&T board to arrange for him to work under the supervision of former West Indies opening batsman Gordon Greenidge. Ramdin has averaged 15.75 in Tests during 2010, a tick over seven runs below his career average.

In addition to Ramdin, 20-year old Nevis opener Kieran Powell, who has played two ODIs, finds a place, as does Antigua fast bowler Gavin Tonge, who has played one Test and five ODIs. However, Jonathan Foo who was named in the T20 squad, misses out.

"In selecting the team it was to ensure that players who can go on to play immediately for the West Indies team in case of injury to any player on the West Indies squad have cricket under their belt," Butts said. "It was also with a view to the development of young players who show potential for the future, and finally ensuring that players who have done well in regional competitions are exposed to higher level competition."

Pakistan A's tour of the West Indies began on November 3, and consists of two Twenty20s, three one-day matches and two four-day games.

Pakistan v South Africa, 4th ODI, Dubai

A classic one-day series will have a deciding encounter after Pakistan produced another nerve-jangling run chase in Dubai to clinch a second one-wicket victory in the space of two matches with one ball to spare. Zulqarnain Haider struck the winning run after just about managing to keep his head as everyone else lost theirs, and South Africa will be left to wonder how they let another match slip away.

When Morne Morkel removed Abdul Razzaq in the 47th over, having also bagged Younis Khan for a measured 73, the game, and the series, was in South Africa's grasp with Pakistan needing 31 off 23 balls, but again their bowling and fielding couldn't cope under pressure. Graeme Smith, back leading the side after missing two matches with a hand injury, spilled a tough chance from Wahab Riaz and then Dale Steyn, who was playing his first international of the season, conceded 12 off the 48th over as two short balls were pulled past short fine-leg.

South Africa messed up a chance to run out Wahab when Johan Botha produced a wild throw from the outfield as he came back for a third, then in the penultimate over another chance was missed when Morkel hurled the ball past the stumps from his follow through and two overthrows ensued. Amid all the drama, it left Pakistan needing four off the last over but a final twist seemed almost inevitable, and duly arrived when Wahab was finally run out.

It meant Haider was on strike with three needed from three balls and he levelled the scores with a chip over midwicket as Parnell missed the chance to win the game for South Africa by failing to flick the ball into the stumps. The next delivery was short on leg and, after the manic scenes, it was a relatively calm nudge to square leg which sealed the result.

It was breathless cricket, the third game in a row that had shown how much the 50-over game still has to offer. There was proper, conventional batsmanship from Younis and Smith, innovative striking from Botha, quality fast bowling from Morkel and Shoaib Akhtar and impressive spin played out in front of a crowd that grew after the sun had gone down.

Chasing 275 was always going to be tough but this was a better surface than for the third game, which had been too slow to enable clean strokeplay. Younis, who only hit one boundary, was carrying his team into a winning position alongside Razzaq as the pair added 49 for the sixth wicket with the batting Powerplay still up their sleeve. It was the ideal combination to complete the chase - Younis' calmness alongside the brute force of Razzaq - but Morkel removed Younis via an inside edge and two balls later Abdur Rehman was run out in a hopeless mix-up.

Pakistan had been ahead, or within touching distance, of the asking rate throughout the chase but South Africa had kept chipping away. What made the final disintegration of their fielding so surprising was that it was shaping as the difference between the teams. Younis and Asad Shafiq added 56 for the third wicket before Shafiq was run out by a direct hit from mid-on by Wayne Parnell, then Shahid Afridi - who took three boundaries in an over off Steyn to kick-start the innings - was brilliantly caught at long-off by Parnell as he tried to launch Botha into the stands.

Imran Farhat had fallen in the first over, trapped lbw from around the wicket by Morkel, but Mohammad Hafeez set a positive tone and latched onto the extra pace of Steyn, who returned after a lengthy absence. It was fascinating viewing as Steyn worked through the gears and Hafeez was winning the early battles with a string of boundaries.

Steyn had his revenge when Hafeez tried to whip a straight delivery through the leg side and was comfortably leg before. Ultimately, though, his 10 overs cost 79 runs, the second most expensive analysis of his career, and questions will again be asked about how South Africa bowled in the closing overs, especially as Rusty Theron, who kept his nerve in the previous match, was left out.

Smith had a far more productive return to action although his lay-off had only been two games after taking a blow on his hand in the opening encounter in Abu Dhabi. He was soon back in the grove and eased to a 57-ball half-century, adding 94 for the third wicket with de Villiers, who laboured against Pakistan's spinners in a boundary-less 70-ball innings.

Smith missed out on a hundred when he tried to work Hafeez through the leg side, and for a while South Africa lost momentum as Wahab put himself on a hat trick by yorking JP Duminy and David Miller. Botha responded with a string of clever boundaries, including two reverse sweeps off Hafeez and a brace of scoops over short fine-leg against Wahab. The impetus was back in South Africa's camp, but it's been impossible to predict the outcome in this series and this was to be another thriller to the end.

Warmed up for the World Twenty20

Less than a year on and we are about to begin the defence of our ICC Women's World Twenty20 title . This time in the West Indies. We had quite a smooth journey to get here. We flew direct from Gatwick to Antigua, and then just had a short stop while they changed the crew and some passengers got off, then flew onto St Kitts. Much easier than the Aussies, who, I think, have taken four days to get here!

After returning from India, I went back to my day job - coaching cricket at Loughborough University and in schools with Chance to Shine. I ' ve obviously been training in the gym and the nets as well. The team met up for a few training session at various grounds after and then four days before we flew out, we all met up at the National Cricket Performance Centre and got in some final preparation and a practice match against the England Womens Academy team.

Its been good to arrive in St Kitts a few days early as we had three good days of middle practice, a day in the nets and the chance for a gym session and plenty of recovery. We won both our warm-up matches against India and Sri Lanka which has been a good boost for the team , as we head into the tournament with our first game on Wednesday against the Aussies.

There is some strong competition out here. New Zealand have given us a close run in the past and Australia are always tough. We can't dismiss any team really. India proved a tough opposition recently when we were over there and the West Indies beat us when we were out here before Christmas. With Twenty20 you can't write any team off , as it just takes one player to fire or someone to have a shocker to turn a game around very quickly.

The weather is hot and humid, we're all sweating quite a lot! I think most people have got over the jet lag, although we are still going to bed fairly early and getting up early, so maybe not over it as much as I thought. Since we were here a few months ago, things are not unfamiliar. But we've not been out that much, as we have been training hard and focusing on our cricket. We have had a few laughs with some of the locals though, and we have an amusing bus driver who gave us running commentary on the way to the ground yesterday.

Some of the girls have been keeping tabs on the election back in the UK. A couple of the girls are following things, I think, and some managed to vote by post before we came away. There are updates on the TV so no doubt we will keep up with what happens, although Election Day comes in the middle of the tournament, so we will be focusing on the cricket first and foremost.

We are staying at a really nice hotel, its massive and is housing all eight of the womens teams in the tournament. It is set up well with three swimming pools and is right on the beach, so great for the girls who like the sea, I'm more of a pool person myself though.

Why umpiring reviews are flawed

The current review system makes umpires doubt themselves, and in the long term undermines their skills

As a first-class umpire, thanks to technology I do find myself thinking differently about decisions, especially lbws. And I shouldn't think like that. I have been umpiring for 15 years, and for the last 13, certain decisions were definitely not out - now due to television I think they are close. Reassessing my decision-making means I am giving decisions based on Hawk-Eye graphics on the television. When someone gets hit on the pad, I decide based on my eye, instinct and experience. Over the last two or three years bowlers like Monty Panesar have won a lot of lbws that Hawk-Eye said would have hit but as a cricketer and umpire I wouldn't give out.

So when the technology is used fully, a lot more people are being given out. Are we going to give it out when it just nicks the leg stump or has a certain amount of the ball got to be hitting the stumps? If this is the case, then there is a danger of the stumps effectively becoming three inches wide. But then there is also a danger of teams being bowled out very cheaply.

Everybody wants perfection. If we are going to use technology in umpiring, use everything: Hawk-Eye's predictive elements, Hotspot - let's use the lot. And there should be no grey areas with the technology - it has to be black and white - out or not out.

Once cricketers work out the system, they'll play it; you will start with a rule-book 150 pages long as guidance for umpire reviews. Next season you will have 200 pages. Players will find ways around everything. Hopefully the umpires involved have been fully trained. During the trial period there was a lot of confusion about what was supposed to happen.

If you do use technology, do you have neutral people working the cameras and the systems? I am not suggesting that anybody would be corrupted but if a country's top batsman has a decision pending and there is a "technical problem" ("Sorry we've lost the pictures... ") you will have to have neutral technicians. People think this is rubbish, but at one stage nobody believed in match-fixing in cricket. How far do you go?

I have been in cricket since 1966 and it is a great shame we have come down to this. I think if an umpire makes a huge, obvious mistake - a big inside edge on an lbw for instance - the third umpire should be able to get in touch and tell him to change the decision as the batsman is walking off.

But to seriously take the pressure off umpires, I would increase the amount of Test officials and let them only stand in one Test of a series; if an umpire has a poor first Test he is under pressure in the next game. I don't care how strong you are you'll be thinking about having a bad Test. Change the umpires for every Test match so they are fresh, with no baggage from Test to Test. When I umpired in Tests, I'd do one Test abroad; might make a few bad decisions, come home and it is forgotten. You have five or six weeks off, then you go somewhere else.

There is a further problem that has arisen from the increased use of technology that international umpires have told me about. Umpires who have done Tests for five or six years have lost the art of giving out run-outs and stumpings - they just refer everything. If you have all the technology for a number of years you are going to lose the art of giving out caught-behinds, lbws and everything else because the third umpire is doing everything for you. The umpire will end up hardly having to make a decision. Then he stops doing Tests and goes back into first-class cricket and he has to start learning again. It could be dangerous for an umpire's career.

Technology does undermine the umpire - when I did Test matches and you had the big screen, you'd give a decision, they'd show a replay and you'd get the reaction from the crowd and you think you've made a mistake. Then the next ball will be exactly the same and you are under pressure and your thinking is not clear.

As a player I wouldn't have liked to have technology. I was brought up in the old-fashioned way. If you nicked it and didn't walk, you got off the field and got told off. And you only appealed if you thought it was out. Even the bus driver appeals now if you get hit on the pad. It changed because of television. It started first with the live games, then the increased technology.

Life has changed since the 1960s. They say the game is more professional now, I am not sure it is. I would like to go back to those days.

A neutral home from home

England will host Tests for Pakistan against Australia next summer because of the dangerous security situation. But will it work?

If history is any guide, next summer will be one for sellers of umbrellas and mackintoshes. That is the lesson from the extremely brief record of Test matches played in England between teams who do not wear the three lions.

Australia and Pakistan will play two Tests (and two Twenty20s) here in July, England stepping in as surrogate home for terror-torn Pakistan as South Africa did for the Indian Premier League this year. It will be the first time in 98 years that England is used as a neutral venue for Test cricket, although 105 one-day internationals have been played in this country by teams not called England since the 1975 World Cup.

The ECB is confident the matches, which count as a home series for Pakistan, will pull in the crowds. Yet the last neutral Tests tried in England were a damp squib in more ways than one.

In 1912, Australia played three Tests against South Africa at Old Trafford, Lord's and Trent Bridge as part of a triangular Test championship with England that emerged from the first meeting of what was then the Imperial Cricket Conference in 1909. The body has had worse ideas over the past century but the 1912 tournament slips into the file marked "lesser successes" at ICC Towers in Dubai. That year had one of the wettest summers since records began 150 years earlier. The crowds stayed away, the series was a financial flop. "Contests between Australia and South Africa are not a great attraction to the British public," reported the Daily Telegraph.

But Britain is a different country now. The effect of immigration, particularly since Indian partition in 1947, means that any Asian side that tours England will get an enthusiastic audience even if they are not playing the home side.

Only six more Tests have been at neutral venues. The 1999 final of the Asian Test Championship was played between Pakistan and Sri Lanka in Bangladesh, then Pakistan played two Tests against West Indies and three against Australia in Sharjah and Colombo in 2002 because it was felt unsafe to tour Pakistan during the early stages of the war in Afghanistan.

It is security fears again that have forced Pakistan to seek home Tests outside their country. The Lahore attacks on the Sri Lanka team in March made nations jittery about touring there, and with the 2011 World Cup fixtures and the 2008 Champions Trophy stripped from Pakistan it was inevitable that Test cricket would follow.

Australia were to tour Pakistan in March 2008 -- they last visited in 1998 -- but the series was postponed after Australia's players complained about security following a string of bombings. New Zealand have cancelled their December tour, instead inviting Pakistan to come to them. But it will still be classed as a home series for Pakistan, who will own the broadcasting rights. Indeed New Zealand has said it will lose money by staging the matches.

The ECB has no such worries. Pakistan v Australia is a big draw, as seen by the enthusiasm for both sides this summer in the World Twenty20, won by Pakistan in June, and the Ashes.

"Pakistan performed outstandingly in the World Twenty20," Giles Clarke, the ECB chairman, says. "The passion of the support for their team in England demonstrated why this country is an ideal venue for these matches." Clarke has also been asked by the ICC to head a taskforce to look into rehabilitating Pakistan in the international calendar. The ICC sees the move as a short-term solution but hopes the Pakistani government will improve security so they can play Tests at home again. "The problem is that nobody wants to come to Pakistan," says Haroon Lorgat, the ICC chief executive, adding rather delphically: "Pakistan must admit that the leg of a chair is broken. Then they would be able to fix it and find a place to be seated."

But IS Bindra, the ICC's principal adviser, warned that countries used to playing Pakistan at neutral venues will not want to return. "This is a very dangerous precedent," he said. Details about the series are sketchy. The TEN Sports network, with whom the PCB negotiated a US$140m five-year deal last year, holds the broadcast rights for Pakistan home games even if held at neutral venues. But do not be surprised if the matches appear on Sky Sports as well.

The ECB's Major Match Group met in early July to consider future series but no details were agreed for Pakistan v Australia except that it will be played next July between England's two Tests against Bangladesh and four against Pakistan. The latter replaces the scheduled series against West Indies, brought forward to this year.

It is believed one reason for the delay on a decision is because the ECB is still resolving the structure of the domestic calendar.

David Collier, the ECB chief executive, says England has a "responsibility to the global game. We are one of the few countries that has a number of international grounds and [the venues] are desperate for content." No doubt more desperate for this series than the financially unattractive one between England and Bangladesh.

MCC is keen on having one of the Tests at Lord's but Yorkshire and Lancashire have made strong cases based on their local Asian populations and such popular overseas players as Mohammad Yousuf and Younis Khan. "Of all of the venues, given our demographic, we'd be very well placed and would make Pakistan feel at home," Stewart Regan, the Yorkshire chief executive, says.

"When India played Pakistan at Old Trafford in the 1999 World Cup the crowd went nuts," a spokeswoman for Lancashire adds. "There is a large Asian community in the Bolton-Burnley-Blackburn triangle and the place would be full, mostly with people supporting Pakistan rather than Australia. It would feel like a home series for Pakistan."

Just have to hope that the fabled Lancashire climate does not turn the match into a repeat of 1912.