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Abdul Razzaq’s participation for the Tests is uncertain © Getty Images

Abdul Razzaq, the Pakistan allrounder, has torn a calf muscle which could result in him missing the start of the South Africa series.Razzaq picked up the injury during the last ODI against the West Indies in Karachi and though the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is presently unwilling to say how serious it might be, a source close to the board suggested he might not return to full fitness for another three weeks. That would place his position for the first Test in South Africa, due to begin from January 11.Razzaq confirmed to AFP that he may be out for three weeks and that he is seriously doubtful for the first Test. “It is a calf injury and I will be out for at least three weeks after which I will have an MRI scan. It is very disappointing as a tour to South Africa is always a good one for a player. But I will try and get fit before the third Test.”A source close to the player told Cricinfo the injury was a fairly serious one though he could be back in training soon. “It is difficult to say right now how long it will be but I think it might be three weeks before he returns to full match fitness. He can train but it will take him that much time to recover full fitness.”Razzaq missed the winter series against England last year with an elbow injury and has suffered from a number of problems since he began his career in 1996-97.The injury continues a trying period for Razzaq, coming as it does soon after a mediocre Test series against the West Indies during which his place in the Test side was questioned on a number of occasions, including by members of the management.

Zimbabwe’s selectors met in Harare last Wednesday to pick two squads, the first to represent the country at the Afro-Asia A-team tournament in Bangladesh next month, and a second squad to take part in the last round of the South African Airways Challenge Cup in February.Alester Maregwede, who captained the Under-23 side which returned home empty handed from the first round of the competition, was dropped from both squads, as were former Under-19 skipper Tinotenda Mawoyo, Matabeleland top-order batsman Tinashe Hove and pace bowler Christopher Mpofu. The first three were omitted after poor performances, but Mpofu was rested.A provisional squad of 24 has been named for the Under-23s, which will be trimmed down to 16 a week before the team departs for South Africa, where they will take on KwaZulu Natal, Eastern Province, Border, Bolland and Western Province in both three-day and limited overs matches.Andy Pycroft, who led Zimbabwe to the NatWest Series final in 2000, will take charge be in charge with Stephen Mangongo as his assistant. Rather confusingly, Phil Simmons, who was sacked as Zimbabwe coach in August and took the board to court claiming unfair dismissal, has been named as the A-team coach in Bangladesh.No captain has been named for the A-team, and it is not even certain that those selected will agree to take part. Almost all of the players have said that they will refuse to play for Zimbabwe while Peter Chingoka and Ozias Bvute remain in charge of the board.They are likely to train normally so that they are fit and ready should the dispute be resolved by January. If it has not, then a meeting is expected shortly before the A-team is scheduled to leave at which a final decision is expected.Zimbabwe A Brendan Taylor, Dion Ebrahim, HamiltonMasakadza, Colin De Grandhomme, Charles Coventry, Blessing Mahwire, Keith Dabengwa, Prosper Utseya, Antony Ireland, Waddington Mwayenga, Edward Rainsford, Bernard Mlambo, Phil Simmons (coach), Babu Meman (manager).Zimbabwe Under-23 Brendan Taylor, Stuart Matsikenyeri (captain), Gregory Strydom, Vusumuzi Sibanda, Hillary Matanga, Colin De Grandhomme, Allan Mwayenga, Benard Mlambo, Tawanda Mupariwa, Prosper Utseya, Antony Ireland, Waddington Mwayenga, Edward Rainsford, Charles Coventry, Terrence Duffin, John Nyumbu, Ryan Bennett, Elton Chigumbura, Matthew Waller, Zubair Patel, Thomas Dangarembizi, Johnson Marumisa, Ben Hundermark, Andy Pycroft (coach), Stephen Mangongo (assistant coach), Christian Chiketa(manager).

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The first full-colour pictorial cover in Wisden’s 141-year history© Wisden

Darren Lehmann, who selflessly offered his Test place to Michael Clarke, is Cricketer of the Year. The award is recognition of Lehmann’s belated, unlikely and romantic international purple patch, which is currently on hold after he injured his hamstring in the third Test at Nagpur.The 2004-05 edition of , published today, is a history-making edition: the front image of a roaring Shane Warne is the first full-colour pictorial cover in 141-year history. mourns the modern trend towards “McCricket”, calling for a stop to “back-to-back Tests, whistlestop tours, twoand four-Test series and all other dunderheaded attempts to jam Test cricket into a polystyrene carton and shove it down our throats as quickly as possible”. For its first 125 years, the five-Test series was cricket’s prestige forum. But Australia have played only one in the past three years and India one in the past seven. New Zealand last played a five-Test series 33 years ago, Pakistan 12 years ago and Sri Lanka have never played one. new editor Christian Ryan writes in his Editor’s Notes: “Only when Australia play England are we now assured the unique thrill of a five-Test series. And beware the hardheads: with their calculators for brains and cash registers for hearts, they are plotting to take even that away from us. Cricket tampers with its own crazy, bewitching rhythms at its peril.”The disappearance of the five-Test series is one of several troublesome issues confronted by a feistier, revamped edition. Cricket Australia (CA) comes in for the fiercest criticism. Of the board’s eagerness to play against a race-based Zimbabwean side, and its description of this year’s tour to Zimbabwe as “a tick in a box”, wonders: “Have Australian cricket administrators no heart, no moral existence at all?”Of the Sri Lankan offspinner Muttiah Muralitharan’s refusal to come to Australia last July, it says CA did not try hard enough to change his mind. “Anything, everything should have been done to make sure he felt comfortable … Australia is the only cricketing nation Murali has felt compelled to stay away from. History will judge us accordingly.”The 2004-05 edition of Wisden Australia is at 976 pages the biggest ever and the first – in Australia or England – to incorporate balls faced and boundaries hit in Test scorecards. Among several innovations is a new section called “Farewells”, women’s player profiles, a beefed-up back half and two new tables listing the full career records of every Australian Test and one-day player in order of appearance.Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack Australia 2004-05 is edited by Christian Ryan and published by Hardie Grant Books.

Shane Warne might have plenty of things to worry about at the moment, but his cricketing future need not be one of them. Bob Merriman, the chairman of Cricket Australia, has said that the many controversies emanating from Warne’s personal life will not affect his standing with the board.Speaking to the Herald Sun newspaper, Merriman said: “We are certainly looking forward to February 10 next year [when Warne’s ban expires] and Shane Warne coming back as a strong player. He has co-operated in respect to the issues the board has control on. We don’t have control of any player’s private life. He has certainly reacted in all the areas we have asked him to. It is [now] really a matter for the selection committee.”Merriman indicated that the Australian board does not intend to concern itself with a player’s personal life. “The board has not taken a view on that,” he said. “We have not discussed player X or player Y, but certainly a hell of a lot of work has been generated in the board office because of the issues of the last four months.”Obviously we are hopeful that issues in his private life remain private, like any person. That’s probably a pious hope given the high-profile sports person he is.”

Northern Districts’ convener of selectors Rick Pickard resigned his position today.A long-time ND selector, Pickard has accepted an education related career opportunity in the Cook Islands.A former national selector who was replaced on the national selection panel when Sir Richard Hadlee came onto the panel, Pickard returned to Northern Districts and resumed his selection duties there.His selection experiences dates back to his first involvement with Counties Manukau in 1984.ND chief executive John Turkington said today: “Rick had an immense passion for the game and achieved excellent results andwhile he will be missed, we wish him all the best in his new position.”Northern Districts Cricket is looking at options as a replacement for Pickard. In the meantime Operations Manager Pat Malcon will assume Pickard’s role.

The former Australia captain, Ricky Ponting, current New Zealand skipper Brendon McCullum and the former New Zealand spinner and captain Daniel Vettori are among a cast of high-profile witnesses set to take the stand in the perjury trial involving former New Zealand allrounder, Chris Cairns.Cairns has been accused by the Crown Prosecution Service of lying under oath during a 2012 libel case and could face a prison sentence of a maximum of seven years if found guilty.Also standing trial is Cairns’ former legal counsel Andrew Fitch-Holland, who has been charged for perverting the course of justice in the 2012 case against former IPL chairman Lalit Modi, who had accused the one-time New Zealand captain of match-fixing.Former New Zealand captain Stephen Fleming and opener Mark Greatbatch have been named as potential witnesses as the trial got underway at Southwark Crown Court in London on Monday morning. Also featuring on the 50-plus witnesses list, named by the prosecution and defence teams, are Cairns’ former New Zealand team-mates Shane Bond, Kyle Mills, Chris Harris and Andre Adams.There will also be some former and current ICC officials providing evidence: Ronnie Flanagan, the current head of the anti-corruption and security unit (ACSU) and Ravi Sawani, former ACSU general manager. Other witnesses are expected to include Cairns’ wife, Mel, and Mal Loye, the former England one-day batsman.Chris Cairns arrives at Southwark Crown Court on the first morning of his perjury trial•PA Photos

Although the court will reassemble on Wednesday afternoon, when a 12-person jury would be sworn in, the trial proper is likely to begin from next Monday when the prosecution begins calling on the witnesses. The first witness is likely to be former New Zealand opener Lou Vincent, who was banned for life last July by the ECB and the ICC following his confession that he had accepted money to underperform.On Monday the court was read the two charges against Cairns, the second of which is a joint action against Fitch-Holland, namely that the pair induced Vincent to provide a false witness statement during his successful libel action against Modi.Count one, which has been made against Cairns alone, was that, in the course of the same trial, Cairns “wilfully made a statement … which he knew to be false, namely that he has ‘never, ever cheated at cricket and nor would he ever contemplate such a thing'”.The trial is likely to stretch over a month with Justice Nigel Sweeney, the judge hearing the case, making it clear to the shortlisted jury that it was his “pessimistic view” that the trial would go until November 20.Cairns was first to arrive to the court as early as 8.45 am. In the morning session that lasted two hours, Cairns confirmed his identity to the court registrar, and exchanged a few words with Fitch-Holland, who sat next to him in the glass-panelled dock.The court shortlisted a jury of 16 members, out of which on Wednesday 12 would be sworn in with two spare members who would be present till the prosecution completes its arguments. The potential jury was also made aware of the fact that some of the witnesses would be facing the court through video conferencing from overseas with the time difference being sometimes as long as 11 hours for witnesses from New Zealand.The prosecution team is lead by Queen’s Counsellor Sasha Wass along with her colleague Esther Schwatzer-Weismann. Cairns’ defence team comprises Orlando Pownell and Simon Ray while Fitch-Holland is being represented by Jonathan Ladlow and Jonathan Polnay.

It’s safe to say that loyalty in football is at it’s lowest ebb in the modern day with the division between players and fans continuing to widen at an alarming rate. One major problem is that footballers are opting to live away from the city in which their club is situated residing in secluded mansions in gated communities. Whilst it’s not the most pressing issue in football at the current time it certainly is something that needs to be addressed with footballers now taking on the persona of colourless drones only interested in topping up their vast fortune every week. I remember when Michael Owen signed for Newcastle but refused to move away from Cheshire instead choosing to take a helicopter trip to training every day. How is a player supposed to get a feeling for the club they are playing for or get an idea of it’s history without sampling the town’s atmosphere and mixing it up with the fans? Sadly the connection that once existed between fans and players 20 years ago has long since broken. Thankfully one club is trying to bridge that connection by asking it’s playing staff to move closer to the football club. Aston Villa have introduced ‘the 30-mile rule’ which means all players who have signed a new or extended contract must live within 30-miles of the clubs Bodymoor Health training ground.

I for one think Villa should be widely applauded for taking this step and making it a requirement for their players to move to an area that is full to the brim of fans sporting the famous claret and blue. Last season players like Stephen Ireland and Stephen Warnock were both based in the north-west whilst Robert Pires use to endure a chauffeur driven trip from London every day. Whilst the Frenchman has departed Villa Park both Ireland and Warnock have agreed to move with the constant travelling and lack of community spirit blamed for the bad feeling that existed in the club last season. The motivation for Villa to implement such an ambitious scheme is based upon community building. They want to encourage their players to become part of the local populace, mingle with supporters and generally instigate a broader affiliation not just with the club but the city and beyond. In my opinion there are very few footballers out there who hold a appreciable affinity with a club and it’s fans and go out of their way to embrace the culture and traditions that exist in the city. The financial aspects of the game have certainly caused this partition between the two collective groups with players now able to afford luxury mansions and expensive cars from a very young age whilst fans are struggling to make ends meat in a steadily worsening economy. Whatever happened to young apprentices being sent to live with a local family whilst learning his trade? It offered them an additional education besides the one they were receiving on the training field. Thats something I really miss.

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Fortunately Villa seem to have identified that footballers these days are regarded as a separate entity from society and could be declared as being detached from the social circle. One club that has never had difficulty in getting it’s players to mix with it’s fans is Newcastle United. Being a Magpies fan you may think i’m being rather biased but I assure you it’s a common occurrence to see players roaming the city streets and having a brief tête-à-tête with fans. A few years ago I was dining in Nando’s when Charles N’Zogbia and Tim Krul were given the table next to ours. Almost immediately my friend was interrogating the Frenchman over rumours of a move to Fulham which he took in very good spirits and after a few minutes of chatting, interceded with a few laughs, we departed awestruck by the fact these players actually agreed to spark up a conversation with us. A few months later we saw N’Zogbia in Tesco and again he was happy to engage in cordial chat whilst we waited at the checkout. He was really nice guy and a shadow of the stroppy teenager he resembles on the field and in the press. Even Alan Smith and Sol Campbell were happy enough to exchange a few words with fan after fan whilst they sat drinking their coffee outside a cafe in Jesmond. You might think it’s nothing but it allows fans to see that these players are, like them, just human beings and it goes along way to building a rapport that is scarce in todays game.

I’m glad to see Villa are trying to build bridges between their players and fans and making the latter buy into the city and the club. Just a small chat or a photo with a fan can help players build that connection withclub, the city and the people that turn up week in week out and scream their throats raw in support. Interacting with the fans gives players a gauge on how fond the former is of them. Establishing that relationship can be an important factor in players developing ties with supporters and club which could lead an increased feeling of loyalty. Could Villa’s scheme of requiring their players to develop greater links in the community make it harder for them to disappoint fans and lead to them becoming devoted to honouring their contract and giving fans the success they deserve? I’m starting to sound like a stark raving football romanticist. There is no guarantee’s that Villa’s idea will bear fruit and cause a players level of loyalty to shoot through the roof. It’s a wonderful albeit convoluted concept and I hope it works and leads to more clubs adopting the same rule. Whilst the consequences could be dire i’d rather focus on the positives rather than the negatives right now. God knows football certainly needs a whole lot of them these days.

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There was a hat-trick from Faheem Ashraf, and a Sri Lankan collapse that saw them lose eight wickets for 14 runs. That might suggest another rout of the hapless visitors, but nothing could be further from reality. In the game of the entire tour, Pakistan edged home with one ball to spare, with only two wickets in hand when the winning runs were struck. They were struck by none other than golden boy Shadab Khan, who smashed a six off the game’s penultimate ball to wrench victory from Sri Lanka’s desperate, clawing hands.This was a complete T20 game, beginning with intelligent batting by Sri Lanka, put in after Pakistan won the toss. That was followed by a remarkable collapse from 106 for 1 to 120 for 9. Pakistan looked like they were cruising early on, before an excellent spell by captain Thisara Perera dragged Sri Lanka back. From there, they held the ascendancy right until the last three balls. Pakistan needed eight off them. Shadab hit a straight six and a couple off the next delivery denied Sri Lanka’s valiant young side victory in an astonishing contest.It was Sri Lanka’s best game of the limited-overs tour. The batsmen early on deprived Pakistan of wickets while keeping the score ticking. A 63-run second-wicket partnership between Gunathilaka and Sadeera Samarawickrama set Thisara’s men up for a score above par, with fast bowlers Hasan Ali and Usman Khan expensive in the early overs.Shadab was the only bowler in the middle overs able to rein in Sri Lanka. At one point, they might have been eyeing 150, but a superb spell from the teenager prevented them from cutting loose. He has added another variation, a quicker one that can reach 120kph, and it removed Sri Lanka’s top scorer Gunathilaka amidst their late collapse. Shadab might not have taken heaps of wickets, but his figures of 4-0-14-1 were to prove crucial.In the madness of Sri Lanka’s final overs, Faheem Ashraf emerged as the hero with a sensational hat-trick, removing Dasun Shanaka, Isuru Udana and Mahela Udawatte off the last three balls of the 19th over. It was Pakistan’s first T20I hat-trick and, in truth, couldn’t have come from an unlikelier source.Poor running and brilliant fielding hurt Sri Lanka’s innings: there were three run outs, The wickets that crumpled in a heap towards the end crushed their hopes of a late charge, and while it was still an improvement on yesterday, they still finished with a below-par 124.Pakistan were tentative in their approach to the chase, almost as if they had forgotten what to do when a match become mildly competitive. Fakhar Zaman was run out after miscommunication with Ahmed Shehzad, before Babar Azam fell victim to an incorrect lbw decision. But skipper Perera rose to the occasion, giving his side a real chance of victory, accounting for both Shehzad and Shoaib Malik in his first two overs.For a while, Mohammad Hafeez and Sarfraz Ahmed looked in control, never letting the asking rate get out of sight. But once Hafeez holed out to long on with Pakistan still requiring 31, panic set in. Perera returned for his final over and got rid of Imad Wasim, and terrific fielding in the deep saw Pakistan’s captain run out three balls later. Twenty-one were still required off 14, and with three wickets remaining, Sri Lanka were firm favourites.Udana conceded only four in a brilliant penultimate over, but the drama all lay in the last over. Faheem was caught at long-on off the first ball of Vikum Sanjaya’s over, and with 11 needed off four, Pakistan were up against it. It looked even graver for them when Hasan sliced one straight to long-off, but was reprieved by a crucial dropped catch, allowing Pakistan to scramble three. That brought on strike Shadab, a young man whose honeymoon with cricket simply refuses to end. Two balls and eight runs later, the contest was suddenly over, and Shadab’s joy, as well as Abu Dhabi’s, was unconfined.

Drawn – ScorecardThere was virtually no play on the first day owing to rain, Tasmania making 13 for two wickets. On the Saturday the pitch was in such a had condition that serious cricket was out of the question. Lumps of mud flew off the pitch whenever a ball was bowled, and a towel was eventually used to wipe the ball after every delivery.

After the game Jardine was reported to the Australian board for his reluctance to play on the second day.

Business as usual: Greg Chappell oversees a net session at Newlands © AFP

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.”