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Women’s cricket is again at the forefront of innovation with the announcement that the first trial match for the new pink balls will be a state game in January. Women’s cricket paved the way for overarm bowling; it introduced the World Cup, and held the first international Twenty20 and now it is to help in important test situations.The first match will be Queensland and Western Australia on January 10, a curtain-raiser for the men’s Twenty20 between Queensland and Tasmania at the Gabba.The MCC is considering introducing fluorescent pink balls to county one-day cricket if trials are successful, according to a report in . The logic is that a pink ball may be seen more easily, and a fraction earlier, by a batsman than a white one.The new balls, made by Kookaburra, will also be tested at Lord’s indoor school this winter and will be used in university and 2nd XI matches next year. If scientists at Imperial College, London, can get the balls to keep their colour, they could be used in one-day county cricket next year and even eventually in one-day internationals.The MCC, which is responsible for the laws of cricket, has been testing different colours for the last year. Its head of cricket, John Stephenson, is responsible for the innovation and he told : “Paint tends to flake off white balls and we have asked Kookaburra to produce a batch of pink ones because these show up so much better.”The challenge is to produce a ball which retains its colour – I doubt it will be any more expensive to produce or buy. I have asked Mike Gatting, the ECB’s managing director of cricket partnerships, to use them in county second XI one-day matches, but we shall start by trying them in fixtures such as MCC v Europe and in the university matches we sponsor.”My aim would be to use the pink ball in Twenty20 cricket in 2009 and thereafter in one-day international cricket, but this will be dependent on trials and what the ECB thinks.”

The revised itinerary for Zimbabwe’s tour of Bangladesh has been revealed by the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB).Zimbabwe will fly to Dhaka on December 28, two days earlier than planned, and they will then go on to Chittagong the same day for the start of a 33-day tour. This will be Zimbabwe’s first full tour since the International Cricket Council temporarily suspended them in April this year.Two Tests and five one-day internationals are scheduled against the hosts Bangladesh. Zimbabwe will open their tour with a three-day warm-up game against a BCB XI at the newly built Chittagong Divisional Stadiumon January 1 ahead of the first Test at the MA Aziz Stadium which starts on January 6.The first Test was originally scheduled to be held at the Chittagong Divisional Stadium, but the venue was switched as there were insufficient broadcast and media facilities.Zimbabwe’s 16-man squad includes Hamilton Masakadza, who hasn’t played Test cricket for more than two years. The rest of the squad is fairly predictable, with only Terrence Duffin and Graeme Cremer new to a set-up which is beginning to look more settled after the shake-up earlier in the year.The Test series in Bangladesh is a real watershed for both sides. For Bangladesh, it represents a chance for them to prove that they have what it takes and end their dismal record of 29 defeats and no wins in 32 Tests. Zimbabwe need success to prove that the new-look side is not a threat to the integrity of Test cricket, as critics have claimed. Zimbabwe’s squad will be whittled down to 13, and will be announced on January 2.Zimbabwe squad Dion Ebrahim, Hamilton Masakadza, Brendan Taylor, Barney Rogers, Stuart Matsikenyeri, Mark Vermeulen, Tatenda Taibu (capt/wk), Elton Chigumbura, Tinashe Panyangara, Edward Rainsford, Douglas Hondo, Christopher Mpofu, Mluleki Nkala, Graeme Cremer, Prosper Utseya, Terrence Duffin.

Abhijit Kale, the Maharashtra cricketer accused of trying to bribe his way into the Indian team, might learn about his fate in the next couple of days. Jagmohan Dalmiya, the president of the Indian board, said in Kolkata that a final verdict on the Kale controversy was likely over the next few days. The decision has been pending the arrival of Kamal Morarka, one of the disciplinary committee members, from a personal trip abroad.Morarka missed the final hearing, which was held on May 15, but has now returned to India. “I’ll have to see if he is free,” Dalmiya told Press Trust of India. “If he has the time, then all three of us (including the third member Ranbir Singh Mahendra) will discuss the matter and try to arrive at a final decision in the next couple of days.”Dalmiya was unsure if another meeting of the three members was required, and suggested that a teleconference might suffice. The final hearing on May 15 went on for over eight hours and gave both sides had a chance to present evidence.The controversy surrounding Kale emerged earlier this year when two national selectors, Kiran More and Pranab Roy, alleged that Kale had repeatedly telephoned them and later met them in person in an attempt to pay them each Rs. 1,000,000 (approx US$ 21,750) in exchange for a place in the Indian team.

Somerset 282 for 6 (Hildreth 98*, Gazzard 58, Phillips 4-43) beat Essex 278 (Bopara 91) by four wickets
ScorecardRavi Bopara sent the England selectors a timely reminder of his talents with a fine innings of 91 but Essex still fell to a four-wicket defeat to Somerset in the Pro-ARCH Trophy in Abu Dhabi.Bopara hit ten fours and a six during his 104-ball stay at the crease that was ended by a terrific stumping down the leg side by Craig Kieswetter off the bowling of Peter Trego. Essex were 93 for 4 at one stage before James Foster (40), Tim Phillips (41) and James Middlebrook (30) hauled them up to the respectability of 278 on a benign pitch at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium.It was Somerset’s debut in the competition, having arrived in the Middle East without Marcus Trescothick on Saturday. But they hit the ground running with the bat and didn’t hesitate during the chase, even after falling to 151 for 5 with the required rate loitering around six per over.Trego (22) and Carl Gazzard (58) opened the innings superbly with an first-wicket partnership of 48 but after Phillips (4 for 43) had smashed through the middle order, Somerset’s aspirations of becoming the first team in the tournament to win a match batting second were only rescued by James Hildreth, whose unbeaten 98 not only clinched the match but will no doubt interest the England selectors as a sign of his growing maturity.Hildreth switched comfortably between nudger and blaster to steer Somerset home, enjoying the strong support of Omari Banks (27) and Steffan Jones (30*) but he was denied the century he so richly deserved when Jones thumped successive boundaries through extra cover off the bowling of Ryan ten Doeschate to seal victory with eight balls to spare.Defeat for Essex was their second in three nights, having also fallen to Lancashire, and they return to Sharjah for their final match in the PRO-Arch Trophy on Thursday, against Sussex.

Andy Blignaut, the Zimbabwean bowling allrounder, has joined Durham on a short-term deal. He will replace Shoaib Akhtar in the fast-bowling department, but does not count as an overseas player because Zimbabwe has an associate agreement with the European Union.Blignaut, 25, had played 15 Tests and 47 one-dayers for Zimbabwe before he, along with 14 other players, were sacked by the national board after internal disputes. He has since agreed a three-year deal with Tasmania, the Australian state side.Shoaib was forced to return home early from his stint with Durham for the Asia Cup, and hence Martyn Moxon, Durham’s coach, was looking to bolster the bowling. Blignaut has taken 51 Test wickets with a best of 5 for 73 against Bangladesh at Bulawayo.

Kenny Benjamin, the former West Indian fast bowler, has joined the USA coaching staff ahead of next week’s ICC Champions Trophy in England. Benjamin, 36, is an accredited Level II Coach, and will serve as a technical consultant and bowling coach to help boost USA’s prospects in their maiden senior tournament.Benjamin appeared in 26 Tests for West Indies between 1992 and 1998, picking up 92 wickets at 30.27. In his entire first-class career, he grabbed 403 wickets in 108 matches. He was recently a part of the West Indies coaching set-up, on their tour of Zimbabwe and South Africa at the turn of the year.The USA team is benefiting from a considerable West Indian presence. Their head coach is the former opener, Faoud Bacchus, while their captain is Richard Staple, a 34-year-old immigrant from Jamaica. Their star batsman is Clayton Lambert, the scourge of England’s bowlers on their tour of the Caribbean in 1997-98.USA launch their campaign against New Zealand on September 10.

It will be another 24 hours before a conclusive appraisal can be made on the injuries that Stuart MacGill and Jason Gillespie have picked up during the first Test at Perth. Both will be monitored closely to assess their availability for the second Test, which starts in Sydney on Friday.Errol Alcott, the Australian team physiotherapist, said, “Given the nature of the injuries and the short amount of time between matches, it is concerning, and I guess that puts a cloud over their availability for Sydney. With Jason Gillespie, he felt a degree of discomfort early in yesterday’s second innings. He wanted to keep bowling, he wants to bowl today, but scans have revealed that his grunt [sic] muscle is strained, so in the interests of his longer-term future, we need to hold him back.”Gillespie said it was another injury at a time when he felt the ball was coming out nicely. “I understand the need to take a cautious approach to this injury because it has set me back in the past,” he said. “I will do whatever it takes to get things right prior to the second Test, and I guess we will have a better idea as to how the injury is going over the day or so.”Alcott said MacGill had experienced sharp pain while he was bowling. “The calf is torn, which is a genuine concern considering it is his set-up and landing leg. We will treat him and assess his progress over the course of the next 24 hours.”Australia’s squad for the second Test is expected to be announced at 11am tomorrow (Sydney time).

Muttiah Muralitharan, Sri Lanka’s controversial offspinner, has eased fearsthat he will withdraw from Sri Lanka’s two-Test tour of Australia inJune-July this year after Australian newspapers claimed he had threatened topull out because of constant verbal abuse from Australian crowds.”I did not threaten to pull out of the tour,” Muralitharan told Wisden Cricinfo. “I just said I was not sure about the tour yet.” Muralitharantoured Australia in 2003 and a tour pullout is extremely unlikely, especially with the two matches expected to be played in Darwin and Cairns.Muralitharan was quoted as saying: “I will think very carefully when it [thenew contract] comes because we have an Australian and a Zimbabwe tour. Lasttime, I had a lot of bad feelings [playing in Australia] but I don’t know what will happen in the future and how the public will react.”The crowd is the main problem, not officials or players,” he said. “You can’t keep bringing up the past and accusing someone. The evidence is there. I have a deformity on the elbow. I can’t straighten it. Before I bowl, they are calling ‘no-ball’. It’s ok once or twice, but not if you are going on and on about it,” he added.Meanwhile, Muralitharan has urged Australia’s selectors to name Shane Warnein their Test squad on Friday. With both spinners now within striking distance of 500 Test wickets, Muralitharan would like the challenge of racing Warne to Courtney Walsh’s 519-wicket world record.”I am looking forward to the challenge and I definitely want him to come toSri Lanka,” said Muralitharan. “He has been a great bowler and someone who Ihave always greatly admired. I have learnt from his patience and character.”Muralitharan [485 wickets] expects Warne [491 wickets] to reach the world record first: “He his a great bowler and is six wickets ahead and should getthere first. He has done cricket proud in the last decade so if he does reach it first, good on him. But I do have time on my side with three or four years left to play.”

The England selectors today announced their one-day squads to tour Zimbabwe and South Africa this winter. Andrew Flintoff and Marcus Trescothick were both rested for the Zimbabwe leg of the trip, and while Ashley Giles was given the option to rest too, he chose to make himself available.The squad includes four players new to one-day internationals: Ian Bell, Simon Jones, Kevin Pietersen and Matt Prior. Flintoff, Giles, Trescothick and Steve Harmison (who opted out of the Zimbabwe trip on moral grounds last week) have all been included in the 15-man squad for the one-dayers in South Africa in the New Year, along with Worcestershire’s Kabir Ali.Darren Gough, written off by many after some lacklustre performances in the recent Champions Trophy, gets another chance to prolong his dream of playing in the 2007 World Cup. David Graveney, England’s chairman of selectors, explained that Gough had a lot to offer the younger bowlers, and would be keen to show that his recent dip in form wasn’t terminal.The South African-born Pietersen, 24, only becomes eligible for full England selection at the end of October, so has been rushed into the side at the first opportunity following several productive seasons with Nottinghamshire. Prior, 22, who was also born in South Africa, impressed on tour with England A last winter, and has had another good season with the bat for Sussex, for whom he also keeps wicket.The concessions made by the ECB management regarding Flintoff and Trescothick had a trade-off, and that was that Michael Vaughan led the side. “As the ECB is a member of the global cricket family, we have a duty to protect the integrity of the international game and ensure that the level of competition on any England tour is not diluted by the wholesale resting of players without good reason,” said David Morgan, the ECB’s chairman. “After carefully considering the matter, Michael has chosen to lead the team in Zimbabwe mindful of his responsibilities both to his fellow players and to the long-term future of cricket in this country. He deserves great credit for doing so.”Neither the ECB nor the captain condones the situation in Zimbabwe and I would like to re-emphasise that the team will not be involved in state functions during this tour.””Under normal circumstances, I would have welcomed an extended break after a long international season,” Vaughan explained. “But the England team and the game as a whole are faced with an extraordinary situation in undertaking this tour to Zimbabwe. I am proud to be captain of my country and I feel that I have a duty to my team-mates to lead the team on this tour. It has taken me considerable time and effort to come to this decision, but ultimately it was my choice and one that I stand by.”While I certainly do not condone what is happening in Zimbabwe, I do not want to shirk my responsibilities as England captain and would not want to let the burden of captaincy fall onto another player’s shoulders.”England will play two warm-up matches in Namibia ahead of the Zimbabwe series.England squad to tour Zimbabwe
Michael Vaughan (capt), Vikram Solanki, Andrew Strauss, Ian Bell, Paul Collingwood, Kevin Pietersen, Matthew Prior, Geraint Jones (wk), Gareth Batty, Ashley Giles, Simon Jones, Alex Wharf, Darren Gough, James Anderson.England one-day squad for South Africa
Michael Vaughan (capt), Marcus Trescothick, Vikram Solanki, Andrew Strauss, Ian Bell, Paul Collingwood, Andrew Flintoff, Geraint Jones (wk), Gareth Batty, Kabir Ali, Ashley Giles, Alex Wharf, Darren Gough, Steve Harmison, James Anderson.

Tom Moody, the Sri Lanka coach, believes that a target of over 130 to 140 could pose a challenge for England in the second Test at Edgbaston, especially with Muttiah Muralitharan to contend with. Muralitharan rattled all England batsmen except Kevin Pietersen in the first innings with figures of 6 for 86.Trailing by 154 in the first innings, Michael Vandort and Tillakaratne Dilshan struck half-centuries and rescued Sri Lanka from a precarious 56 for 4 with a fifth-wicket stand of 125 in the rain-hit third day. Dilshan was dismissed for 59 in the closing stages of the day, but Vandort remained undefeated on 89, lifting the lead to 40 with five wickets remaining.”Chasing runs in Test cricket when a wicket is deteriorating slightly is a very tough task and even tougher when you’ve got someone like Murali to face on a wicket showing obvious turn,” Moody told reporters. “I would think a lead of anything above 130 or 140 would be challenging [for England] and we would feel very much in the game.”Moody for full of praise for Vandort, approaching his second Test century, given the team’s recent travails in finding suitable openers. “He showed a lot of character,” said Moody. “It was a big innings for him and as far as the team went. He played straight and showed a lot of patience.”Duncan Fletcher, the England coach, gave due credit to the Sri Lankans, after witnessing a similar fightback to that of the Lord’s Test. “We just have to give credit to how the Sri Lankans batted. The wicket seemed to improve and it played quite well as far as the seamers were concerned.”A target around about 200 in a fourth innings of a Test is always a challenge. Somewhere around there.”