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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.”

India have retained a winning combination © Getty Images

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

Shane Warne played the perfect supporting act to the fast bowlers© AFP

Thirty-five years of struggle was not meant to end so easily. Conquering the final frontier was supposed to finish with a duel similar to the one Australia fought in India in 2001, except that it was meant to finish with Ricky Ponting’s sweaty hands raising the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Instead, the conquest was over in three Tests as India let down the drawbridge before Ponting could try his first sweep.Moses led his people through the desert wilderness for 40 years before arriving in Canaan. Adam Gilchrist, the stand-in captain, has achieved what Hughes, Border, Taylor and Waugh – four times – could not, by leading Australia to the promised land. The journey began when Bill Lawry departed Madras with a 3-1 victory on December 28, 1969. Of the current Australian side only Shane Warne was alive, but he was a baby months away from his first mouthful of baked beans.While Moses had his Ten Commandments, Australia’s definitive plan didn’t come until the heartbreak of 2001, when Steve Waugh turned up to celebrate with his Southern Comfort and instead drank in unfulfilled destiny. Desperate to avoid further heartbreak, the players and the support staff filled laptops with tactical and trivial plans over months and years. No team has ever been better prepared.There’s been an executive summary for everything and everyone. They’ve had a yoga instructor, detailed instructions for the hotel chefs, and have sipped drinks during games instead of gulping them like their predecessors. In mid-tour everybody went on holiday. These were small moves, but they yielded big results.On the field they would be more patient. Under Gilchrist Australia have been willing to go on the defensive in a way Waugh never allowed. Shane Warne, now the world’s highest wicket-taker, would be a stock bowler. The pace attack would be the hit-men, bowling straight, sharing their reverse-swing secrets and having more protection on the leg side. Only singles would be on offer to batsmen addicted to boundaries.Importantly, they’ve been flexible enough to adapt. Michael Clarke wasn’t supposed to bat, but performed better than everyone except Damien Martyn by playing with a joie de vivre not seen since the young Michael Slater. Gilchrist took charge so seamlessly that Ponting, recovering from a broken thumb, was not missed. And after avoiding the sweep in the first innings at Bangalore, the batsmen began to play that shot in an effort to rotate the strike. The outcomes have been spectacular.India have four of the world’s most intimidating batsmen, and two of the most feared spinners. Yet they have been humiliated. Gilchrist continued the torture today by extending the lead well beyond 500. He had declared early at Headingley when filling in for Waugh in 2001, and was Butchered. There was no way he was risking such a prize on anything remotely close to a sporting declaration.What followed was the Indian top order’s softest collapse of the series. Aakash Chopra and Rahul Dravid were bowled in ways that would upset club batsmen, and Jason Gillespie finished with four wickets. Sachin Tendulkar became Glenn McGrath’s 450th victim with a timid shot from a great man, and the game was up. The fielders’ smiles widened and they waited for the winning moment. John Buchanan held his camcorder, Ponting chewed his fingers like Mark Taylor, and the final pair’s boundaries were laughed off.But this was serious. When Martyn caught Zaheer Khan in the deep off Warne the team exploded. Gilchrist, flapping like a swan chased by a fox, was overwhelmed, but managed to call the moment “the most fulfilling of my cricketing life”. Allan Border, now a selector, was in the stands to cheer, and greetings were quickly sent back to Steve Waugh.This was the Australian equivalent of England winning the rugby World Cup, and the trophy they had won only at home in 1999 will be returned next week in Mumbai. This result means that the team, the extended family reborn under Border, built into world champions by Taylor, and turned into record-breakers by Waugh, can enjoy the view as cricket’s greatest travellers. It has taken them 35 years, but they have finally won in India.

India A 181 and 70 for 0 (Das 22*, Jaffer 32*) trail Warwickshire 537 by 286 runs
ScorecardIndia A’s impressive tour was in danger of coming to an ignominious end, as Ian Bell swung his way through their batting with career-best figures of 4 for 12 from nine overs. India, whose batsmen have been the star performers of an unbeaten tour, were forced to follow on and salvaging a draw is now the best they can hope for.India had resumed at 5 for 0 in reply to Warwickshire’s formidable 537, and had reached 117 for 1 when Bell began his wicket-spree. With Graeme Wagg chipping away at the other end, India folded for 181, with four batsmen recording ducks. Only Parthiv Patel, with a composed unbeaten 46, was able to keep his head.They faced a tricky 20 overs in their second innings, but Shiv Sunder Das and Wasim Jaffer prevented any further mishaps by reaching 70 for 0 at the close. But Bell, who made a fine 75 in Warwickshire’s innings, has yet to be unleashed for a second time.

The famous Green Park ground at Kanpur saw Vidarbha claim theimportant first-innings lead against Uttar Pradesh on the second dayof their match on Friday.It was a coup of sorts for a visiting side up against a home side thathad stars like Mohammad Kaif, his elder brother Mohammad Saif andJyoti Yadav. The man who made a major contribution towards helpingVidarbha reach 227 for six at stumps, a lead of 17, was 26-year-oldParesh Sutan who made a patient 71. Shailesh Harbade who made 44 andSamir Khare who made 31 were the other men among the runs. For UP,fast bowler, Ashish Winston Zaidi, a former India prospect, and leftarm spinner Gyanendra Pandey claimed two wickets each.