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There have been far worse characters in international cricket compared to Sreesanth, who needs his much-criticised aggression to perform as a fast bowler, according to Mahela Jayawardene, captain of Kochi Tuskers Kerala in the IPL. Jayawardene said the franchise did not want to curb his aggression as that could affect his performance.”We want him to be aggressive. I think that’s what he is all about. You need characters like him. You had much worse characters in international cricket in the last 20 years and I don’t think Sree is that harmful to the game,” Jayawardene said. “But I think if we can control him, we can have ourselves a very successful bowler for Kochi as well as for India.”Sreesanth has had repeated run-ins with match officials for his inability to control his behaviour on the field, but Jayawardene said the fast bowler was at his best when he could channelise his hostility. “I think you need to identify the individuals. Sree performs well in that manner. You take that from him and he might not do well. He’s a very aggressive bowler but I have noticed he has toned down in the last one year. That’s why he got to be a part of India’s World Cup squad.”It is nice to have characters like Sreesanth in the dressing room, Jayawardene said. “Brilliant to have him; he just needs to reduce the volume on his i-Pod as well as the speakers. With him and Murali around, nothing can go wrong for us.”Kochi lost their opening IPL game to Royal Challengers Bangalore but the match was close until AB de Villiers’ assault in the 18th over of Bangalore’s chase, which went for 20 runs. Jayawardene said that he had thought the first game for the new franchise would prove to be much tougher than it turned out to be. “We have been bonding very well. We had a great last outing. I thought there would be many hiccups in our first game, that didn’t happen. Everyone is identifying their roles and that is great.”

The ICC has come up with a revised set of guidelines for the way the 2.5m rule in the UDRS will be interpreted that says umpires must also consider the distance between the ball pitching and point of impact. On Sunday, they announced a tweak in the guidelines, allowing on-field umpires to reverse not-out decisions if the replays showed part of the ball to be hitting middle stump, even if the batsman was hit more than 2.5m away. They have now issued a full release about the guidelines umpires will use in the World Cup.When a not-out lbw decision is reviewed, and the replay shows the ball has made impact more than 2.5m away from the wickets, the umpires also have to consider another factor: the distance the ball has travelled between pitching and hitting the pad. If that distance is less than 40cm, and the ball still has to travel more than 2.5m to reach the stumps, then, it has been decided, any not-out decision given by the on-field umpire will remain not out.It has also been decided that if the batsman is more than 3.5m down the wicket, then again not-out decisions will not be overturned. The only scenario in which an lbw decision will be reversed in favour of the bowler if the batsman is more than 2.5m away from the wicket is if the distance is less than 3.5m and the distance between pitching and point of impact is more than 40cm. In that case, some part of the ball must be hitting middle stump, and the whole ball must be hitting the stumps below the bails.That was the case when Yuvraj Singh reviewed a decision against Alex Cusack in Sunday’s tie between India and Ireland, which is why umpire Rod Tucker reversed his decision. The 2.5m rule was not being used in the same way at the start of the tournament, which is why Billy Bowden refused to change his not-out call when Ian Bell had been hit more than 2.5m down the pitch against India, even though Hawk Eye was showing the ball to be hitting middle and leg.In essence, the new guidelines will allow umpires to reverse decisions where the batsman is plumb and there is no doubt the ball would have hit the stumps, even if the impact is far down the wicket. The reason the 40cm distance is important is because Hawk Eye needs to monitor the ball’s movement for some distance after it has pitched in order to determine where it would have gone after hitting the pad. If a batsman is struck very soon after the ball has bounced, then the accuracy of the prediction as to where the ball would have moved afterwards is not as high.In cases where the original decision is out, the 2.5m or 40cm distances do not come into play, as in that situation Hawk Eye must show the ball to be completely missing the stumps in order for the umpire to reverse his decision.The 2.5m rule has been under scrutiny in the tournament so far, but the ICC hopes these guidelines will clear up any confusion and will allow for the rule to be interpreted uniformly by all the umpires during the World Cup. ICC general manager Dave Richardson said the UDRS had allowed for a very high percentage of correct decisions in the World Cup so far, and clarified that the 2.5m rule had not been changed, but they had just put together some guidelines so it could be used consistently. “This is not a change in rules as some people have suggested but a broad guideline which we hope will bring a consistency to the decision making,” he said.

As Australia’s most accomplished player of spin, Michael Clarke has an enormous responsibility in this World Cup. Zimbabwe sent down 39 overs of slow bowling on Monday, a key factor in Australia posting fewer runs than they wanted, and it was Clarke’s unbeaten 58 at better than a run a ball helped them open their tournament with a solid victory.The efforts of the eleventh-ranked ODI team in the world would have piqued the interest of the other sides, all of whom are aiming to end Australia’s World Cup winning streak that now stands at 24 matches. Things won’t get any easier against New Zealand on Friday in Nagpur, where there is every chance Nathan McCullum will open the bowling, as Ray Price did for Zimbabwe.Then there is Daniel Vettori, the highest-ranked one-day bowler in the world, while New Zealand could also look for a few overs from the part-timer Kane Williamson, if he plays. After the Australians also struggled to force the pace against the slow bowlers during the warm-up games against India and South Africa, they know they should expect plenty of spin from all their opponents.”I would be very surprised if we don’t get 20 to 30 overs of spin from any team,” Clarke said. “I guess it’s an area of our game where we continue to try and improve [because it] probably slows our scoring the most. It’s an area we’re individually all working on. In these conditions, how you play spin and how you bowl spin is going to play a huge part in this tournament.”I think they’re going to take the pace off the ball again through the middle. They might open the bowling with spin so we’ll have to look at that. Daniel Vettori, the captain, is a very good bowler and has had a lot of success around the world. I’d imagine he’d be one of the best bowlers in these conditions throughout this tournament.”But despite Vettori’s fine one-day record, he has an average of 39.83 against the Australians, who tend to play him with respect and attack the other bowlers. One of the keys in the middle overs against Vettori and McCullum will be Clarke, who has regained his limited-overs confidence in his past few outings.He has now made three consecutive half-centuries, having finished the England series with 54 and 82, and he also made 73 in the warm-up game against South Africa. It has been a solid turnaround after a tough Australian summer, during which he struggled throughout the Ashes, quit Twenty20 and began the ODI series with questions over how quickly he could score.But Clarke seems to have found his role as a middle-order anchor, keeping the scoreboard ticking over so the bigger strikers can go hard later in the innings. Against Zimbabwe he hit 30 singles and at no point did he face more than two dot balls in succession, ensuring that even if the boundaries weren’t flowing, the innings did not stagnate.”My role, batting at No.4 in these conditions, is about consolidating through the middle,” Clarke said. “But I get the occasional opportunity [to bat for longer] when we lose a couple of wickets early. It’s just about doing whatever the team needs. With our hitters at the end, if we’ve got wickets in hand we know we can score really freely in the last ten overs.”Everybody plays differently. We’ve got guys in our team who can hit a lot of boundaries. For me, my strength throughout my whole career has been running between the wickets, so if I can’t hit fours I try and hit ones and twos. As the innings goes on and you spend more time out there you can hit a few more fours.”It also depends who you’re batting with. If you’re batting with a big hitter – a Cameron White or a David Hussey – my role might be to get off strike and get up the other end. But when I get in early with a bit of pace on the ball when the ball’s quite new I can hit boundaries as well.”Whatever role he takes for the rest of the World Cup, helping the side handle spin will be a major part of it.

Australia are hoping that the World Cup schedule will give Michael Hussey enough time to recover from the serious hamstring injury that has ruled him out of the remaining one-day matches against England and put him in major doubt for the global tournament. Hussey underwent surgery on Tuesday after tearing the muscle off a bone during the first one-dayer at the MCG and faces a lengthy rehabilitation program.Adding to the problem of risking Hussey at the World Cup is that the captain Ricky Ponting is still recovering from the broken finger he sustained during the Perth Test and which subsequently required an operation. Although Ponting is much less of a concern for the tournament proper, there remains the chance that Australia could travel with two unfit frontline batsmen in their squad.”What gives us the leeway is the gap between games,” Michael Clarke, Australia’s stand-in captain, said. “We’ve got two practice games and then I think our first actual game is February 21. I think there’s a bit of a gap there as well. There’s a bit of time which is on our side. I’m hearing good reports that they’re confident if all goes well they can get him [Hussey] fit to take part in the World Cup. It’s just a matter of when he’ll be fit and if selectors are willing to take that risk to take him not being 100%.”I guess the concern is we’re trying to get the skipper as fit as possible so hopefully he can take part in those two practice games. The selectors have to weigh up if we can we take Hussey as well, knowing he mightn’t be fit for those first couple of games. We’ll know more in time. I think the main thing right now is that Huss does everything in his power to make it heal. We just sit, watch closely and keep our fingers crossed in the hope that he pulls up well.”The odd nature of the injury has made it difficult for Cricket Australia to accurately predict when Hussey might return and they won’t have a clearer picture for a number of weeks, which pushes them even closer to the World Cup. “As this is an unusual injury in cricket we will be closely monitoring his progress and making appropriate progressions,” Alex Kountouris, the CA physiotherapist, said. “As yet we have not determined a fixed time for his return to cricket training and playing. This will become clearer in the next two or three weeks.”However, a leading sports doctor has said Hussey faces a long period on the sidelines and that the World Cup will be out of reach. “Our experience with that particular injury, it’s a three-month plus [recovery time] in most sports,” Peter Larkins told the . “The fact he had surgery ensures he won’t be going to the World Cup.”Shaun Marsh, the Western Australia batsman, has been drafted into the squad for the next three matches against England and would be the player to step up if Hussey was ruled out of the World Cup squad but Clarke knows they are massive shoes to fill.”He’s been a huge player, not only this summer in the Test format but over a long period of time in one-day cricket,” he said. “I think in the subcontinent conditions are going to be quite tough for the middle-order players and I think his experience and knowledge in those conditions would be really helpful.”Ponting, meanwhile, is around the squad in Hobart and will spend other periods with them during the remainder of this series. It isn’t impossible that he could squeeze in a match before the summer is finished.”I think it’s more day-by-day, keep seeing Alex, keep seeing how it’s healing then they make a plan as soon as they can,” Clarke said. “I’m confident Ricky will be right to play the World Cup, it’s just about how much batting he gets under his belt leading up to that first game. The sooner the better I think for our team.”

The chief of the Trinidad and Tobago Cricket Association has expressed disappointment at the Queen’s Park Oval in Port of Spain not being allotted any Test matches for 2011. West Indies host India and Pakistan in back-to-back home series between April and July 2011 but the Queen’s Park Oval, a regular five-day venue, will not be staging any of the five Tests during that period.”We will have three matches between West Indies and India and these matches are sure to be sold out come June next year,” Azim Bassarath said. “However, I have noticed that there are no Test matches for us in 2011 and this leaves us concerned. I understand that one of the legacies of the 2007 Cricket World Cup in the Caribbean is that more venues cropped up and the board would like to please everybody.”However, we in T&T need to have Test matches here so that our young and developing players can get a taste of the best form of the game.”Instead, the island of Dominica will be hosting its first Test match during the India series, while Sabina Park in Jamaica and the Kensington Oval in Barbados are the two other venues. Bassarath hoped the completion of the Brian Lara Cricket Stadium in Trinidad and Tobago would enhance the chances of the country hosting more Tests. “I am not bashing the WICB for the situation but what I am saying is that we have to come up with strategies to get more cricket in T&T,” he said.”The Queen’s Park Oval is a great venue and would continue to host matches but if we can add the Brian Lara Stadium to that, and of course the stadium is owned by government so the rental will be less, we can be in a better position to bargain for matches.”

Group A

It was a memorable day for Sunil Joshi•Getty Images

Unmukt Chand, the 17-year-old opener playing his fourth first-class game, stood between Railways and the first-innings advantage as wickets tumbled at the other end, and his maiden hundred eventually earned Delhi a 31-run lead at the Roshanara Club. JP Yadav and Sanjay Bangar had ripped the Delhi batting apart on a helpful surface, but they could not find a way past Chand. In a seven-hour effort that included 19 fours and two sixes, he surged to 151, while the next highest score was 39. Six batsmen were out under 10 as Yadav and Bangar took nine wickets between them. But Chand kept hitting boundaries, and was understandably pleased with his effort that took Delhi to 290. “The match is still open. I would term this pitch as a sporting one where both batsmen and bowlers are getting a lot of help.” Chand told .Saurashtra, looking to avoid relegation, were boosted by offspinner Kamlesh Makvana’s maiden first-class century which lifted them 423 against Bengal in Rajkot. Makvana batted for almost eight hours and faced 290 deliveries at No. 8 before he was hit on the head by a Ranadeb Bose delivery and had to retire hurt on 108. Makvana was supported by the rest of the lower order after Saurashtra had resumed at 254 for 6. Saurya Sanandiya, Jayesh Odedra and Balkrishna Jadeja faced 234 deliveries and scored 73 runs between them. Odedra ensured Saurashtra finished on a high, bowling opener Arindam Das as Bengal reached 33 for 1 by stumps.Third-placed Tamil Nadu took four Mumbai wickets in rainy Chennai as the defending champions reached 180 in the 57 overs bowled. Mumbai lost openers Omkar Gurav and Sahil Kukreja early. Gurav fell in the third over bowled by L Balaji without scoring while Kukreja was dismissed by left-arm spinner Aushik Srinivas for 17. Ajinkya Rahane and Wasim Jaffer steadied Mumbai with a 95-run partnership before Balaji returned to bowl Rahane for 49. Abhishek Nayar hit two sixes in his brief innings while Jaffer was unbeaten on yet another half-century.Gujarat added 61 runs in the 25 overs possible in Guwahati against Assam, and lost two wickets to move to 294 for 5. Medium-pacer Ranjitkumar Mali picked up both the wickets, having Bhavik Thaker caught for 65, and then removing Rajdeep Darbar in what was the last over of the day. Sunny Patel remained unbeaten on 78. With only two days left, it is upto Gujarat to time the declaration and then push for first-innings points, weather permitting.

Group B

Karnataka‘s bowlers, led by Sunil Joshi who reached 600 first-class wickets, demolished Baroda for 169 in Mysore, giving their side a lead of 88 runs. Vinay Kumar had struck an early blow, sending back opener Connor Williams for 11. Kedar Devdhar and Jaykishan Kolsawala made contrasting thirties before both were removed by medium-pacer S Aravind. Rakesh Solanki and Ambati Rayudu had taken the score to 121 for 3 when solanki was trapped leg before by the part-time leg spin of Amit Verma. Vinay, who conceded only 16 runs in as many overs, got the big wicket of Rayudu soon after. Joshi spun out four batsmen in three overs as Baroda’s misery was complete. Devdhar’s 36 remained the highest score. Karnataka ended on 41 for 1 after losing Robin Uthappa cheaply.MS Gony ran through Haryana with a four-wicket haul to leave them struggling at 153 for 7 in response to Punjab‘s 415 in Rohtak. Gony and fellow seamer Jaskaran Singh reduced Haryana to 27 for 3 before Ankit Rawat and Hemang Badani tried to revive the innings with an aggressive 48-run stand. But both batsmen departed after getting starts to plunge Haryana into trouble again. Gony continued to strike, and Haryana were tottering at 104 for 7 at one stage. But allrounder Sachin Rana hit eight boundaries in an unbeaten 38 to ensure no further damage. Haryana, however, were still way behind the follow-on target of 266.Punjab had earlier collapsed from 353 for 2 to be bowled out for 415. Mandeep Singh made his maiden first-class hundred but Uday Kaul fell short of his eighth by three runs. Left-arm seamer Sanjay Budhwar bowled Kaul and Punjab captain Pankaj Dharmani, and Rana took 4 for 51 with his seamers to finish off the innings.Only 37 overs were bowled at the Barabati Stadium in Cuttack, but that was enough for Orissa to take six wickets as Himachal Pradesh limped to 85. The Orissa seam trio of Debasis Mohanty, Basanth Mohanty and Alok Chandra Sahoo struck regularly after the home side opted to field. Hemant Dogra and Vinit Indulkar got starts but both fell to Sahoo. Himachal captain Paras Dogra was the lone batsmen to resist, remaining unbeaten on 24.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsJames Anderson led England superbly on the opening day with four wickets•PA Photos

James Anderson reduced Australia to their worst start to a Test innings in 60 years and despite a stirring fightback from Michael Hussey, England remained well on top after the opening day in Adelaide. Few venues in the world are kinder to batsmen than Adelaide Oval, and after winning the toss on a 34-degree day, for Australia to be dismissed for 245 before stumps was not only sub-par, it was potentially ruinous.Anderson and Graeme Swann bowled superbly on the flat surface at a ground that holds four-year-old nightmares for some of the England players. It was the Australians who were suffering from frightening visions early on this occasion, although it could have been even worse for Ricky Ponting’s men after they were 3 for 2 in the third over.Hussey’s second counterattacking innings of the series dragged the hosts back to a vague level of respectability, but they wanted his 93 to be another big century. There was also a late half-century from Brad Haddin but an England attack led by Anderson, who thoroughly deserved his 4 for 51, ensured Australia’s worst first-innings total at Adelaide Oval since 1992-93. England faced an over before stumps, and the openers enjoyed a more sedate start than had Australia.The chaos began with the fourth delivery of the Test, which ran away to square leg off Shane Watson’s pad. There was a leg bye on offer but Watson later admitted his call was too quiet for his partner Simon Katich, who hesitated, then took off and was denied the chance to face even one delivery when he was caught short by Jonathan Trott’s brilliant throw.If a diamond duck in the first over was an embarrassing start for Australia, it was only to get worse. Ponting, who looked so fluent in his second-innings half-century at the Gabba, was greeted first ball by a great ball from Anderson, who angled it in and then moved it away from Ponting, whose thick edge was snapped up by Swann low to his left at second slip.The match was five balls old, Australia were 2 for 0, and the spectators who hadn’t yet made it through security at the Adelaide Oval had missed one of the most memorable starts to an Ashes Test. It quickly got even better for England in Anderson’s next over, when he sent down a ripsnorter to get rid of Michael Clarke for 2.Clarke looked horribly out of sorts in Brisbane, and in truth he was unlucky to even get an edge to Anderson on this occasion, as the ball hooped in towards him and then jagged away. Clarke reached forward, trying to smother the movement with a positive drive, and his thick edge was taken at second slip by Swann. Clarke has been working with Ponting in the nets during the week, but emulating his dismissal was not the idea.It was a wonderful start from Anderson, who bowled well in at the Gabba without luck, and not since an Ashes Test in Brisbane in 1950 had Australia scored so few runs for the loss of their first three wickets. Marcus North and Haddin, who had been settling in for a quiet morning, were frantically searching for bats and pads to prepare for a potentially early entry.