Ricky Ponting has said that the engrossing Ashes series could be a precursor to an even more vibrant encounter when Australia take on the World XI in October’s ICC Super Series. Currently locked at one-all, the ongoing series between England and Australia has already swung both ways; England stand to win it for the first time since 1986, and Australia have expressed horror at the thought of relinquishing the trophy. It has made for a dynamic tussle.After the World XI teams were announced, Cricket Australia released a press statement by Ricky Ponting. “It will be an amazing experience to play against a side of this caliber and I think for those players in the World XI, it will be an equally exciting prospect to play in a team alongside the game’s greats,” AFP reported. “No doubt the Australian public is talking about the tight Ashes battle that we’re currently in, and hopefully, that can whet people’s appetites for even more great cricket in October. We’ve spent some time on the bus journeys around England, trying to predict the World XI. There’s no doubt that this is a highly impressive line-up.”The Test opposition includes Brian Lara, Andrew Flintoff, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, Muttiah Muralitharan, Steve Harmison and Virender Sehwag – all of whom have dazzled against Australia. The Test and one-day series have been given official status to add purpose to their dazzle, and are the prime draw in the cricketing calendar after the Ashes until India tour Pakistan in 2006.James Sutherland, the chief executive of Cricket Australia, said that this was the biggest cricket event Australia had held since the World Cup in 1992. “This is the ultimate sporting contest – the best team in the world against a team of the world’s best players. The ICC World XI is a star-studded line-up and we are looking forward to seeing how Australia’s challenge against the ICC World XI will unfold. We have seen over the past month or so the intense excitement and interest that surrounds a genuine contest between two evenly matched teams. England is challenging Australia and we are going to see the likes of Andrew Flintoff, Steve Harmison and Kevin Pietersen taking them on again in October at the Super Series.

With Australia needing a win to retain the Ashes there were some surprised people at The Oval when Justin Langer and Matthew Hayden trooped off straight after tea despite being 112 for 0. England were only to happy to retreat back to the dressing while, for once, the majority of the crowd will probably not have been to disappointed by the lack of action.But Langer defended the decision after the close, telling reporters: “We spoke about it briefly at tea-time. I asked Ricky [Ponting] and Gilly [Adam Gilchrist] what their thoughts were and they felt it was the same as any other Test match.”When we walked out to bat it was very dark. Andrew Flintoff was reverse-swinging the ball just before tea and we felt it was best to play him in the best conditions possible. Unfortunately it hung around for the whole session. But at this stage we’ve only lost half-an-hour, an hour. The way this series has gone most Tests have been decided in four days.”Take it from me, we were none for a hundred, we’d have loved to keep batting.” added Langer, “But, at the end of the day, the reality is when you weigh up the options every time it comes up the question is if you do lose a wicket early, the new batsman has to come in against a reverse swinging ball. It was very dark after tea. We’ve seen Flintoff bowl well in dark conditions against the new batsman.”For England the best part of the day came during the morning session when the tail wagged impressively after the early loss of Geriant Jones. Ashley Giles provided most of the frustration for Australia with one his typically gritty innings. He admitted he’d been taken aback by Australia’s move to come off for the light. “We were ready to start and we were a little bit surprised and shocked. Of course I hope they live to regret it but there’s three days left in this Test match, there’s a lot of time. We can’t, and Ricky Ponting can’t, afford to cloud watch.”

Tasmania 5 for 148 (Di Venuto 49) and 268 trail Queensland 459 (Maher 153, Hopes 77, Hartley 76, Bichel 56) by 43 runs
Scorecard

Queensland moved into a dominant position at the end of the third day of their Pura Cup match against Tasmania at Brisbane. Queensland compiled 459 and Tasmania finished the day trailing by 43 runs in their second innings with only five wickets remaining after Australia A quick Mitchell Johnson took 3 for 6 in 20 balls.Called up to the Australia A side that recently toured Pakistan on the back of just six first-class appearances for Queensland, Johnson was watched by Australia’s chief selector Trevor Hohns. A left-handed quick, Johnson, 23, seems to have recovered from the injuries that have blighted his career since Dennis Lillee described him as a “once-in-a-lifetime” quick at the age of 16 and is in frame for a call-up to the full Australian squad to face West Indies.Jamie Cox and Michael Di Venuto started Tasmania’s reply to Queensland’s total well, seeing off Andy Bichel, who picked up six wickets in the first innings, Joe Dawes and James Hopes with ease as they reached 80. An inswinger from Andrew Symonds accounted for Di Venuto and he and Johnson worked well in tandem.Johnson found some extra pace to bounce out David Dawson and then had Cox and Birt caught in the cordon. Symonds picked up the final wicket of the day, inducing an edge off Scott Kremerskothen’s bat that was brilliantly caught at slip by Martin Love. Tasmania had lost five wickets for 59.Asked if he had thought of his international prospects, Johnson said: “No not at all. I’m just worried about playing first-class cricket at the moment. That hasn’t even popped into my head. I got on a bit of a roll [today] but that happens in cricket and it was a good feeling.”Earlier, the morning session proved crucial. With Queensland holding a lead of just five runs overninght and five wickets remaining, Tasmania needed early breakthroughs, and one came when Lachlan Stevens was removed by Adam Griffith – via the hands of captain Di Venuto – without adding to his overnight score.Tasmania’s joy was short-lived however. Queensland captain Jimmy Maher, unbeaten on 108 overnight, put on 92 with Chris Hartley before he eventually fell for 153. Next man in Andy Bichel offered no respite, adding a further 70 with Hartley as both passed their fifties. Queensland were eventually dismissed for 459, a lead of 191.

Duncan Fletcher has warned Kevin Pietersen to keep concentrating on his batting and not get carried away by his stunning first year in international cricket.Pietersen, who burst onto the international scene with three hundreds in seven one-day internationals against South Africa last year, became one of the biggest stars in the game after sealing England’s first Ashes victory in 18 years with a brilliant 158 at The Oval. Last month he capped his season by scooping two awards at the ICC Awards in Australia: Emerging Player of the Year, and One-Day Player of the Year.But, following reports that Pietersen was hoping to re-develop his offspin – an aspect of his game that was once his strongest suit – and become a genuine allrounder, Fletcher issued a wary response. “Obviously it would be useful for anyone to have an extra string to his bow, but Kevin’s got to be careful. He’s a top-four batter now, and when you’re up there in the front line, it’s very difficult to do two things at once.””That’s why we want to keep Andrew Flintoff at No. 6,” Fletcher added. “I’ve spoken to Jacques Kallis about this on numerous occasions, and you just can’t keep on doing both while still being the top batter in the side. Kevin is going to have to make a decision about what he wants to focus on.”Fletcher claimed that his earlier comments about Pietersen being “in for a shock” had been taken out of context, but he nonetheless re-iterated the pitfalls of international cricket. “He has come onto the scene quickly, and he just has to be careful that, when certain situations arise, he is ready to handle them. We are talking about basic cricket situations on the field. When your form drops off a bit, which can happen, and when luck runs against you a little bit, that can be a shock.”Ian Bell, added Fletcher, was one such player suffering from that situation. “Bell did very very well at the start, but now his form’s dropped off. There isn’t a cricketer that it hasn’t happened to, so it’s all about how you handle that situation. Good cricketers who come out of those slumps are the ones who go on to greater things.”

Marvan AtapattuOn the reasons for the debacleLooking back at it, I would put it down to not capitalising on the chances that we had been given. Even here, we had them in a spot of bother in the first innings. The other thing is that we can’t take anything away from their lower-order batsmen, and the manner in which they played Muttiah Muralitharan.On why the Indian lower order had done so wellIt’s a difficult question to answer. It’s not like you can’t bat well just because you’re a lower-order batsman. But they played very well. And I think [Irfan] Pathan handled Murali best.On the difference between his spinners and the Indians, and whether the SG ball played a partI think they got more bounce than our two spinners. Talking to Harbhajan Singh, he reckoned that too. They exploited the wickets better, and were also fortunate to win both tosses.On Lasith Malinga and his short-ball barrageThat’s the only thing he knows best. He’s not a McGrath type of bowler to pitch the ball on a spot. We’ve given him license to be himself, and not someone else.Tom MoodyOn the batting collapses, and whether they were related to poor techniqueNot at all. As Marvan has said, I think it was down to lack of concentration. It’s never easy to bat against two quality spinners, and we failed to adjust.On where the series was lostWe were in very strong positions in both Tests [Delhi and Ahmedabad], but failed to drive home the advantage. We only turned up for half the game, and that’s not good enough. We need to learn from that, and compete over five days, not just for two and a half.On whether they were a bowler shortNot at all. The bowling attack was well-balanced. And Murali tends to bowl a high percentage of the overs, particularly in conditions like those over here. Putting an extra bowler out to pasture at fine leg or third man wouldn’t have made a difference. We just didn’t have the killer instinct. India had the patience and the persistence and it was a good team effort from them.On what he would take from the seriesThe experience of playing two fine spin bowlers in their conditions. We could’ve bowled better, no doubt about that. But the fielding was a considerable improvement on what we saw in the one-day series. The middle order also needs to capitalise on starts and get the team total to 400 and beyond.On the absence of JayasuriyaSanath’s a wonderful player. But he wasn’t selected, and I don’t think the outcome of the series had much to do with that. On the other hand, we might have seen the birth of another opening batsman here. Upul Tharanga played a high-quality innings, and showed very good temperament and technique against two very good spinners, and a fine new-ball bowler in Pathan. He was one of the bright spots to come out of this match.On how he rated the Indian teamObviously, India are a different side away from home. They’re a real force in home conditions, with some real momentum coming from the media and the crowds. I think they will remain very difficult to play on home soil. They played some solid cricket, and looked like they were enjoying it. Only time will tell where they go from here.On the morale within his own squadIt’s very high. We faced difficult times during the one-day series, and have been beaten 2-0 now, but there have been several positives. We just haven’t competed over the full five days. But we had India on the ropes in all the three Tests, and it’s not like we’ve been thrashed. We were caught napping on two or three days and that allowed India to come back.On who would have the edge when India played PakistanIndia have done very well of late, but Pakistan have done just as well, if not better. They’re an emerging side with a lot of talent, and if they’re all fit, I think they’ll start slight favourites.

Bob Woolmer, Pakistan’s coach, believes they do not take any psychological advantage from the Test series win over England into the one-day series. Speaking to reporters at Gaddafi Stadium after a strenuous practice session, Woolmer said: “I don’t believe in psychological advantages. This is a new series, a new situation and one-day cricket is very different from Test cricket.”But Woolmer admitted that the team was in buoyant mood after the Test series and looking forward to extending an impressive ODI winning streak of seven matches. “The confidence is there because the team is winning and winning breeds confidence. This is a new tournament and we have to put the Test matches to bed briefly before India come. Although we have won our last seven matches, we haven’t played for three and a half months. This is the first ODI, it’s a new cricket game. In sport if you leave something and then come back to it you have to relearn it a bit. We start the series knowing it is 50-50 between us and England.”Over the last year, with the absence at various times of key players, Pakistan have developed a large ODI squad and further enhanced their strength in depth. Their problem, therefore, during the ODI series is likely to be one of too many options and finding the right balance. As Woolmer admitted, it is a pleasant dilemma.”Too many players is a good problem to have. There are players not in the squad at the moment like Bazid Khan who did really well against England in the last match. There are people on the periphery who are fighting to get in and we have to recognise that those players are there. The most important thing though is to keep the team spirit, keep everyone fit and firing. The longer we can keep a team together the more you can get them into form, the more experience you have on the field the better that team will do.”The final playing XI is likely to be a fluid one during this series; Woolmer said after the Test series that he was planning to experiment with players’ roles in the ODIs. Shoaib Malik is unlikely to play the first match as he only arrives back from Australia on Friday after undergoing biomechanical analysis of his action. This increases the possibility that Kamran Akmal will be given a chance as opener again, with Younis Khan batting higher up the order than he generally does in ODIs. Akmal scored a century as opener against the West Indies in Australia in January this year.The experimentation is part of a long-term strategy for the World Cup in the West Indies in 2007. With the improvement they have shown in the shortened game since Woolmer took over, Pakistan are likely to be one of the contenders in 15 months’ time. Woolmer said: “I definitely think we are on the right track for the World Cup. It’s a long way to go, it’s a long railroad. We have to make sure we keep the team on the track. We have to make sure we have plenty of people in reserve, we have to make sure we keep people as fit as we can. There will be injuries along the way and we have to look after them. We have to be on the ball all the time.”Inzamam-ul-Haq, the Pakistan captain, meanwhile, has asked for as many people as possible to come to the first ODI at Gaddafi Stadium on Saturday. The gate receipts from the match are to be donated to relief efforts for survivors of the devastating earthquake that struck northern Pakistan on October 8 and has so far claimed an estimated 80,000 lives. “My request is that people come and watch the match. The winter has set in there and conditions will get worse so we need to help our people as much as possible. We should help them in any way possible and one way is to come to watch the match.” The official capacity of the ground is 25,000 and tickets have been sold out.Inzamam also said that although Pakistan will be confident going into the first game, they will not underestimate England. “The boys are very confident after the Test series, but this is a different ball game altogether and we will have to plan differently for it. England is a strong team who can fight back at any given stage. We will not be taking them lightly at all and there will be no overconfidence on our part.”

Scorecard
Pura Cup points tableLismore’s Matthew Phelps made a century in front of his home crowd but he could not prevent Victoria from claiming first-innings points on the third day of a high-scoring match. Cameron White stormed through the lower-order with 4 for 73 as New South Wales, who are hosting the game in the north of the state, lost 5 for 35 and were dismissed for 437.Phil Jaques failed to add to his overnight 109 before being trapped by Mick Lewis for 109, but Phelps, who was born in Lismore, took over the heavy-scoring role with 19 fours in his 133, which was scored in front of his mother Beverley and father Warren. However, the Blues started to stall in their chase of Victoria’s 5 for 519 declared when Phelps departed and their hopes of extending their lead at the top of the table were extinguished by White.Daniel Smith, the wicketkeeper who replaced Brad Haddin after he was called up for the Australia one-day team, was White’s first victim and he was followed by Aaron O’Brien, who collected a steady 61, Matthew Nicholson, the stand-in captain, and Grant Lambert. Victoria, who are two points behind New South Wales, finished the day with a 92-run advantage when bad light intervened with eight overs to bowl.

Venkatesh Prasad, the India Under-19 coach, has said that India are hungry for success and have not been complacent in their preparation for the U-19 World Cup following successes at the Afro-Asian U-19 Cup and against Australia U-19.”They [India] have been very committed and I am extremely happy to work with this bunch of players,”said Prasad. “They have been fantastic and they know exactly what is required by the team, which is something we have focused on ahead of any individual goals. They have come up with their own mission statements and have set their own training and playing standards on their own without me. Those standards are keeping their feet on the ground. They know their jobs and it makes my job a bit easier because of it.”Prasad was happy with the training camp the team had in Chennai prior to their departure for Colombo. “We had the camp there because we felt the weather and pitch conditions were similar to Sri Lanka.” India will play all their group matches at the R Premadasa Stadium. “They tell me the wickets [at the R Premadasa] have been relaid,” said Prasad. “I still remember Sri Lanka scored almost 1000 runs against us there in a Test [it was 952-6 declared in 1997, with Prasad taking 0 for 88 in 24 overs] but that was a long time back.”In the round-robin stage, India have been grouped with Sri Lanka and Associate teams Scotland and Namibia. “A few have said to us we have got an easy draw but we do not think it is easy,” said Prasad. “The players know each and every game is important, no matter whom we play. We respect opponents for who they are and it is a learning curve for us too, even if we are playing against the so-called weaker teams. The draw does not matter as, even if we had been drawn against those stronger sides, we would have gone about our business just the same.”But he admitted that India were looking beyond the group stage to matches against the top sides of Group B that include Australia, West Indies and South Africa.”We have looked at the permutations and combinations if we make it to the quarter-finals. But that quarter-final is not until February 11 and we have got three matches before that on [February] 6th, 8th and 10th. To start with we will cross out the game on the 6th, then move onto the 8th and so on.”

Brett Lee is enjoying the extra responsibility of being Australia’s main bowling man following the unfortunate absence of Glenn McGrath. While McGrath is missing the one-day tour to look after his sick wife Jane, Lee is stepping up to guide an inexperienced attack in the Twenty20 International on Friday and the five-match one-day series.”[Lee] has been vital to us in both forms of the game – to be able to take wickets with the new ball – and we will be looking for him to do that again for us,” Ricky Ponting told . “When he is bowling the way he is, bowling fast and swinging the ball, he’s very difficult for any batsman to play.”Only Muttiah Muralitharan and Nathan Bracken took more wickets than Lee’s 15 at 29.26 in the VB Series, and Ponting said he was looking forward to unleashing him in South Africa. “Because he has got his own game in such good shape at the moment, he’s really enjoying that extra responsibility,” Ponting said. “We’ll have other guys around him in the one-day side, and even when the Test matches come around, who can do the other jobs. Brett’s strengths are his pace and being able to use that in short bursts, so that’s the way we’re planning to use him.”Bracken and Stuart Clark, the New South Wales team-mates, are likely to be the first-choice back-up for Ponting, who also has Mick Lewis and Mitchell Johnson in the squad. “I couldn’t really have been much happier with the way Stuart and Nathan have performed over the summer and really matured into good international bowlers,” Ponting said. “We’re not exactly sure if we are going to have Glenn for the Test part of the tour. We’ll have to wait and see how that pans out.”McGrath must play for New South Wales if he is to be considered for the tour and Michael Kasprowicz and Jason Gillespie, who both performed strongly in the Pura Cup match at the Gabba this week, are the leading contenders to fill any vacancy. The first Test starts at Cape Town on March 16.

Following the signing of Chris Silverwood today, John Emburey has been promoted to the position of Director of Cricket for Middlesex.”We are delighted that John has accepted the position of Director of Cricket, responsible not only for first team performance as Head Coach, but also overseeing all cricket in the county from grass roots to the first XI,” Vinny Codrington, the chief executive, told the club’s website.”He will continue in his role as head coach and will continue to work closely with Jason Pooley the assistant coach, and Toby Radford the Academy director.””We have an exciting future here at Middlesex.” Emburey commented. “Thanks to Jason and Toby we have an excellent youth system and there are some very exciting cricketers in our Academy.”This season should see the emergence of some exciting new talent with Eoin Morgan and Billy Godleman, who is the first to come through the Academy system. The county is in good shape for its long-term future.”Middlesex’s opening match of the season is against Oxford on April 20.