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Wellington 222 for 8 (Parlane 70*, Adams 4-37) v Auckland
ScorecardAn unbeaten 70 by Neal Parlane saved Wellington the blushes and carried them to a somewhat respectable 222 for 8 on the first day of the State Championship final at Eden Park in Auckland.Wellington won the toss and chose to bat, but were soon regretting that decision as Kerry Walmsley and Andre Adams, Auckland’s new-ball bowlers, reduced them to 15 for 3. One of those dismissed was Matthew Bell, Wellington’s captain, for just 10. Parlane steadied the innings, adding 65 for the fourth wicket with Jesse Ryder (30), and then putting together 54 with Chris Nevin, who contributed a quickfire 35. Wickets continued to fall at the other end, but Parlane kept going, consuming 158 balls for his knock, which included 11 fours.Adams was the most successful bowler for Auckland, taking 4 for 37, while Walmsley took 3 for 75.

India have retained the same squad for the first three ODIs against South Africa after giving Sri Lanka a 6-1 hiding in the one-day series. VRV Singh, the Punjab fast bowler, has been sidelined for two-and-a-half weeks because of an ankle injury.VRV Singh was originally picked as Jai Prakash Yadav’s replacement for the last two matches against Sri Lanka but it was later discovered that he was suffering from an inversion injury to his left ankle with associated bruising. Yadav, who was then recalled as VRV Singh’s replacement, has another chance against South Africa to stake his claim to a one-day spot.Sourav Ganguly, who was initially injured for the first two ODIs against Sri Lanka and was subsequently dropped for the rest of the series, did not find a place in the squad. Ganguly was overlooked in spite of making 117 against North Zone in a Duleep Trophy match at Rajkot. However, in his next innings, he made just 14 against Zimbabwe Board President’s XI.Ganguly did his cause no favours today after Zaheer Khan bowled him for a duck in the first innings of the Duleep Trophy final against West Zone at Ahmedabad. Zaheer also did not earn a recall even after tallying 19 wickets to date in the Duleep Trophy .Squad for the first three ODIs against South Africa
Virender Sehwag, Sachin Tendulkar, Gautam Gambhir, Rahul Dravid (capt), Yuvraj Singh, Mohammad Kaif, Suresh Raina, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Harbhajan Singh, Murali Kartik, Irfan Pathan, Ajit Agarkar, S Sreesanth, RP Singh, JP Yadav

Brett Lee has objected to claims made by Bob Woolmer, the Pakistan coach, that the Australian team intimidated the umpires during the recent Pakistan series. Lee said that while forceful appealing was intended to influence the umpires’ decision, he felt that he and his team-mates had been well within the limits. Woolmer had claimed that the umpires were subconsciously pressurised by Australian appeals and the crowds, which resulted into close calls going 29-6 against Pakistan.”Hopefully being a bowler you can sway the umpire to give him out. I have not seen a problem with the way the Australian cricket team has been appealing and we only appeal when we think it should be out,” Lee told AAP. “There has been a lot written about it and sure umpires make mistakes, they’re only human.”Lee said that it was difficult for the umpires to make a judgment in a split second and that those that criticise them have the advantage of watching the slow-motion replays several times. “I think we should give them a pat on the back because they have done a pretty good job,” he said, before suggesting the selection of neutral umpires in one-day internationals to prevent allegations of home side favouritism.”Umpires don’t cheat, that is common knowledge,” he said. “It would be nice to put those rumours to bed and have neutral umpires in a 50 over match.”Lee also spoke about Billy Bowden, the New Zealand umpire, whose often comical manner of umpiring has grabbed much attention. “Sometimes when you do look around and you’ve bowled a wide and you see him stretch his arms out like a pelican it is not the most flattering thing,” he said. “You want to just go up to him and push his arms back down.”

Nasser Hussain announced his retirement from all cricket at Lord’s at lunchtime today. In an emotional press conference, Hussain confirmed what all were expecting, that he is to call it a day. He revealed that he decided the time had come on Sunday, during the Lord’s Test, and that he wanted to go out on a high and not stand in the way of younger players coming through.Hussain opened up by thanking the assembled media for coming, and followed that by confirming his retirement from all forms of the game. “It’s a decision I’ve not taken lightly, I’ve been thinking about it for a number of months.” He added, “I had made my mind up on Sunday night, it was the right time to go.”He continued, “Age was catching up with me in my body and my mind, and the fire in my stomach was deteriorating. I was willing to fight that and the opposition, but not to fight against youth, in the form of Andrew Strauss and others like [Robert] Key, [Ian] Bell, [Ian] Ward and [Scott] Newman. They warrant consideration for selection.”On his last emotional and memorable day as a Test player, he said: “Monday was an incredible day, and it made my thoughts clearer. I’m proud to have come to my decision and be appreciated for all my efforts from when I was a young boy – a lot of good things have happened to me. To hit the winning runs through the covers with my favourite shot, to be batting with my close friend Graham Thorpe at the end, and to walk through the Long Room were great memories.”He also said that his decision could be called a selfish one. “Some of the criticism was close to the truth. Younger players should be pushing for a place. In some ways you could call it a selfish decision. I don’t like to go in the middle of a series, but I fear things will get messy in the future. At the moment, I feel clear and clean cut – I’m a happy person, and those around me are happy.”Hussain revealed he had spent the last couple of days talking to people close to him before finally making the decision to call it a day. “They said I deserved to go out on a high, and that I deserved to be happy. My decision was a gut feeling. I wanted to go on my terms, and I don’t want to hold up any young player, just because I’m a former England captain.

“I was looking for some reward for my hard work, and Monday gave me that. I’m emotional because it’s a big day in my life to give up the game of cricket, but it’s not because I am sad.”He added, “I spoke to Duncan Fletcher. He was adamant that I should go out in the way I deserved. He did not say ‘No Nasser I want you to stay,’ none of the selectors did that, nor did the captain.” He ended by calling Fletcher “an absolutely great man”, and by thanking his father, Joe. He said, “I hope he’s proud of me.”Regarding his future, it was later revealed that Hussain has joined Sky Sports as a commentator, but he insisted he would be taking a few weeks off and go away for a few rounds of golf before he starts his new life in the media.Hussain, 36, played 96 Tests for England, scoring 5764 runs at an average of 37.18. He also appeared in 88 one-day internationals. He was captain in 45 Tests between 1999 and 2003.

Greg Chappell, India’s under-fire coach, has been given a vote of confidence by Sharad Pawar, the board president.Chappell, whose two-year contract expires next April, has been subjected to widespread criticism in the Indian media after recent one-day reverses, but Pawar said that there “was no question of sacking him”.Pawar continued: “It’s true that the performance [against South Africa] was not up to the mark and there is tremendous scope to improve. But one should not forget it is the same team, the same captain and the same coach which had extremely good results in Pakistan, Sri Lanka and the West Indies.”The contract is there and there is no reason to interfere in it.”Chappell remained philosophical about the media attention. “Nobody likes being criticised and we are no different, and the boys are keen to perform to a level which would make the press and the fans back home happy,” he said. “The last few months have been frustrating because of interruptions by rain and only six of the last 13 games have been free from hold-ups.”Hopefully, from now until the next World Cup, the boys would be able to acquire as much momentum and confidence as possible.”

Daryll Cullinan, the Easterns captain, and Alfonso Thomas, the Northern Titans allrounder, have been found guilty of dissent during SuperSport Shield series match at SuperSport Park on Sunday.Cullinan was found guilty after questioning a number of umpires’ decisions on the first two days of the game. Thomas was similarly charged.The match has not been short of incident – it emerged that Pierre de Bruyn, the Eastern allrounder, had his bowling action reported by both umpires to the South African board as being suspect. de Bruyn has already been cleared twice by the board’s technical committee – most recently at the start of the 2003-04 season.

Shane Warne might be serving out a 12-month ban for using a banned diuretic, but his presence in the Australian team for the 2005 Ashes series is being keenly awaited in England. That’s the conclusion from a survey conducted by magazine.Seventy percent of respondents to the survey said Warne should be picked for Australia when he’s completed his 12-month ban. He might be the bane of English batsmen, but fans can’t wait to see the great leg-spinner back in action.John Stern, the editor of The Wisden Cricketer said, “People who love cricket want to see the big names and Warne is one of the greats. People will say [when] he’s served his ban, bring it on. Most English fans would love to see Warne play here again.”Not quite as many – 50 percent – believe England can win the series, with or without Warne, and slightly more than half would be happy if some on-field verbal conflicts were part of the entertainment.

Junaid Zia has pulled out of the Pakistan one-day squad to play New Zealand, citing the need to attend exams as the reason.Zia, the son of the board’s chairman, was a controversial selection in the first place, having taken only three wickets at an average of 42.33 in his four previous ODIs.However, he requested to be left out of the squad and his place was awarded to Umar Gul, who had been initially selected in the Pakistan A team for the one-day series in India, also involving Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.The first ODI is on November 29 at Lahore.

Apathy among the public is the single greatest threat to cricket’s future in England, according to a survey conducted by a new sports lobbying group, The Sports Nexus. More than 2500 people were plucked at random from the streets of England and asked a variety of questions, many of which provided worrying responses.Of the respondants, 55% answered “Don’t know” when asked whether the structure of county cricket helped to create a competitive national side. Meanwhile 43% "didn’t care at all" about the fortunes of England’s Test team over the past decade. On a slightly more positive note, only 22% argued that cricket was no longer a major national sport in England and “will continue to decline”.The findings were revealed by The Sport Nexus at a breakfast seminar on cricket at London’s Savoy Hotel earlier this week, and among the more outspoken attendants was Michael Atherton, who is at the vanguard of cricket’s modernisation drive, in his dealings with the Cricket Reform Group.”The England & Wales Cricket Board realise the need for serious change," said Atherton, "and I think there’s a widespread belief that English cricket is at a crossroads. We can either meander along as things are or do something about it. Change must happen to get English cricket back to where it belongs.”Des Wilson, the ECB’s marketing chief – the man whose 17-page document recently outlined England’s stance on Zimbabwe – was quick to defend his organisation. “Things are not quite as bad as painted," he insisted, "and the ECB is at the forefront of change. I think people accept that we are not quite the bunch of old fuddy-duddies that we are sometimes made out to be.””It’s a myth to say cricket cannot change," added Wilson. “In fact it has changed more than any other sport.” He cited the example of the Twenty20 Cup, which was launched last year by the ECB despite serious reservations among several pundits and players alike. But it proved to be a resounding success, and has the ability to create a fresh interest in the game.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has given John Wright a contract extension to coach the Indian team until at least September 2004.Wright, former New Zealand captain and opening batsman, has coached India since November 2000, and saw his side recover from a disastrous tour of New Zealand last summer to be the beaten finalist at the 2003 World Cup. That effort has earned him a three-month bonus, as well as a contract extension.Jagmohan Dalmiya, the BCCI’s president, said Wright’s contract would see the side through to the International Cricket Council’s Champions Trophy, being played in England in August-September next year.Andrew Leipus, India’s physiotherapist, has also had his contract extended, while South African Gregory King has been appointed as the team’s new trainer.India face a tough programme in the upcoming season, which opens with a home series against New Zealand. That will be followed by a tour of Australia, and a home series with Pakistan – subject to government approval. Bangladesh are due to host India in April next year before the Champions Trophy.