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The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has decided to send Shabbir Ahmed to Australia to evaluate his action before seeking a final clearance from the International Cricket Council (ICC).Shabbir was reported for the third time in his career in May against the West Indies and has not bowled in a representative match since then. After an initial delay when the PCB considered whether or not to send him abroad for remedial action, it was decided that Bob Woolmer, the Pakistan coach, would work with him in Lahore.Woolmer has since reported an improvement in Shabbir’s action, telling the PCB recently that it now falls within the specified ICC regulations. But the PCB is keen to test his action one final time, before going to the ICC.PCB official Abbas Zaidi told Reuters, “We have decided to send him to Australia to work with experts. We will decide on the dates soon.”Zaidi added, “Woolmer has worked on his action and there is improvement but before seeking final clearance for his action from the ICC he will go to Australia.”Shabbir has been an integral part of the Pakistan team since being recalled in 2003, more than three years after making his debut. He was reported for the first time after his debut against the West Indies and then reported again in New Zealand in January 2004.Pakistani officials are eager to get the 29-year-old’s bowling action cleared before the vital home series against England in November.

Zimbabwe will wait until the last minute before naming their starting line-up for their first four-day match against South Africa A in Harare which starts on Thursday after a flu virus struck most of the squad.Vusi Sibanda, Tino Mawoyo, Edward Rainsford, Tawanda Mupariwa and Graeme Cremer are all suffering. Sources have indicated that only Cremer and Rainsford are serious while the rest could play. It is thought the players were infected as the team travelled from Bulawayo to Harare last week.In the event that Cremer is not available, left-arm spinner Keith Dabengwa or legspinner Tymicen Maruma are likely to replace him. Mupariwa, who did not play against India A is most likely to take up Rainsford’s slot.A change in the batting order seems imminent with left-hander Terry Duffin sure to replace the out-of-form Mawoyo who failed to make an impression in the twomatches against India A. Duffin and Sibanda should open the batting with Hamilton Masakadza dropped to No. 3. Tatenda Taibu, Stuart Matsikenyeri and Elton Chigumbura are set to complete the batting order.Zimbabwe face an uphill task against South Africa A as their neighbours have sent a strong squad for the two first-class matches.

Nigel Llong has apparently been moved off third umpire duty for the second Test between New Zealand and Sri Lanka. Llong, who was at the centre of an umpiring controversy during New Zealand’s series in Australia, was initially listed by the ICC as third umpire in Hamilton but will now be one of the on-field officials in both matches.Llong was in the news last week for his controversial decision, as a third umpire, to rule Nathan Lyon not out on review during the Adelaide Test between Australia and New Zealand. On the second day of the Test, Lyon top-edged an attempted sweep to slip and New Zealand asked for a review after the on-field umpire turned down their appeal for a catch.After five minutes of replays, Llong upheld S Ravi’s decision even though there was a clear Hot Spot on the top edge of Lyon’s bat, and the batsman had walked halfway to the dressing room in anticipation of being given out.The decision was hotly debated and criticised by television commentators and the media at the time but the New Zealand players and team management were guarded in their response. After New Zealand Cricket questioned the decision, the ICC admitted that Llong had made “an incorrect judgement”. In a tweet, the ICC said: “ICC has reviewed the decision and acknowledged that it was incorrect. ICC confirms the umpire followed the correct protocol, but made an incorrect judgement.”Llong will officiate New Zealand’s two-Test series with Sri Lanka along with Richard Kettleborough and Paul Reiffel. Kettleborough will be the third umpire for the second Test, which begins on December 18, instead of Llong.Former Kent allrounder Llong joined the ECB’s international umpire’s panel in 2006 and replaced Billy Doctrove on the ICC’s Elite Panel of international umpires in June 2012. Llong has officiated in 33 Tests, 98 ODIs and 27 T20 internationals so far.

England’s prospects of staging a surprise turnaround from CB Series passengers to finalists have improved with Michael Vaughan expected to open against New Zealand at the Gabba on Tuesday.Vaughan has missed five matches since tearing a hamstring in Hobart, but he batted twice in the nets in the team’s final training session for the knock-out contest in Brisbane. “He seemed fine in practice and I’m sure he will be fine,” Andrew Strauss, the No. 4, said.England were due to finalise their team at a meeting on Monday night with Vaughan due to come in for Mal Loye and Paul Collingwood to return after missing the 92-run win over Australia on Friday with an illness.While New Zealand have concerns over Kyle Mills, John Bracewell, the coach, was “delighted” Shane Bond would be fit to face England after taking part in the five-wicket loss to Australia in Melbourne on Sunday. New Zealand had been avoiding using Bond in consecutive games due to his recovery from a back injury, but Bracewell felt it was time to “up the ante”. “He wanted to push it a bit by playing back-to-back,” Bracewell said, “and he’s really pleased with the way he’s come through.”England were so bad over the first three-quarters of the tournament that they were planning to fly out on Wednesday – they still might – but their success on Friday ended New Zealand’s easy run into the best-of-three finals, which start in Melbourne on Friday. “The times we got 120 and 110 were depressing for us, but that win was much overdue and made a massive difference,” Strauss said. “There’s a buoyancy about the guys and we’re all really excited about the prospect of winning this game.”While England do not have a workout after this tournament until the warm-up stage of the World Cup, New Zealand have the fallback of the Chappell-Hadlee Series against Australia if they are knocked out on Tuesday. “[A loss] would hurt in the short term, but in the big-picture context, with three games to go against Australia regardless of the outcome of this, we are going to get sufficient cricket leading up to the World Cup,” Bracewell said. “In terms of continued momentum, riding that wave, those little edges are important. We’d be disappointed to lose.”

The last time South Africa played a Test in Ahmedabad it was their first in India. India’s current coach was one of their opening batsmen, Hansie Cronje and Mohammad Azharuddin were the captains and Graeme Smith was just a school cricketer in Johannesburg’s King Edward School.Twelve years on and South Africa don’t have a single player from that match – the hosts have four – but they look a side rather accustomed to India, and that’s because they have put in the hard yards in the subcontinent.South Africa have had some extremely tough visits – namely Sri Lanka in 2004 and 2006, Pakistan in 2003 and India in 2004 – but under Smith over the last four years they have toured enough to understand what it takes to win.The visitors appear a much more confident and relaxed team than some touring sides of the past, who came with limited mindsets, and with personnel not always pushing for victory. Their batting has clicked in the subcontinent recently, their bowling attack is balanced and they are led by a man who doesn’t care too much for the past. On the eve of the second Test, Smith was markedly laidback compared to his opposite number, Anil Kumble, who briefly addressed the media while looking sterner than when a leg-before appeal has been turned down. Virender Sehwag took South Africa’s attack to the cleaners during a manic 319 last week but Smith said his side had worked out a few things to contain him. Nor was he too concerned about the Motera pitch, which he described as “good, with some grass covering on it.”Smith’s attitude reflects the state South Africa are in: confident after gaining a psychological advantage from the draw in Chennai and free of injury hassles. They know all too well that in Dale Steyn, Makhaya Nitini and Morne Morkel they have the bowling firepower to trouble India, who will be without the injured Sachin Tendulkar. And, crucially, they have a spinner who inspires faith in his captain. It makes for a hungry side.While the Motera track historically breaks up to interest the spinners there’s also evidence to suggest those cracks could aid the fast men. In 1996 Javagal Srinath exploited the craters on a poor surface to take 6 for 21 and skittle the South Africans, chasing 170, for 105. If Steyn were to stumble upon a breaking pitch there’s no reason why he couldn’t – with his tearaway pace – have India in trouble. Smith strongly felt this could happen.India have struggled against reverse-swing, even as recently as the home Test series against Pakistan where, Shoaib Akhtar, when fit, hustled them in a couple of hostile spells. As the ball gets older around the 30-over mark, Steyn remains the biggest threat but Morkel, who bowled some top spells in Chennai, can summon up mean pace too.

India look likely to play three spinners but Smith wasn’t worried about young legspinner Piyush Chawla, who could play his second Test. “We’ve had a look at him in the one-dayers in Ireland so we have an idea of what he bowls,” he said. “There’s video footage as well so it’s not a major area of concern.”South Africa are pretty certain to go in with the same team, with Paul Harris playing as the specialist spinner. “We have prepared well and are confident. It’s all about executing our plans right,” said Smith. “After the last game, India have a few more things to think about than us in terms of combination, in terms of the selections of bowlers. So they have to answer our challenges, to make sure we come back down to neutral.”Ultimately the ground, the country or the continent doesn’t matter: A team with skilled players that is looking to dominate can hold down any side, and it’s with that belief South Africa are going into the second Test.

As the prelude to the domestic season gathers momentum the talk around the circuit is not merely of players moving states and of when foreign cricketers will play in the Ranji Trophy but also of coaching positions up for grabs. Prime among them is the race to be Mumbai coach – currently being contested by Balwinder Sandhu, Jayantilal Kenia and Ashok Mankad. Pravin Amre has been already been appointed as batting coach.The Mumbai Cricket Association confirmed that they had received letters of interest from these three, but equally denied that they had approached any of the candidates – either officially or otherwise.Of the three candidates in the race Sandhu, the former Indian medium-pacer, and Mankad, who had opened the batting for India, have coached Mumbai in the past. Sandhu was coach of the Mumbai team from 1996 to 1998-99. With his specialisation in the bowling side of things, and Amre already in the saddle as batting coach, Sandhu’s case is a strong one. In the period when he oversaw the side, Mumbai won the Ranji trophy once, in 1996-97.Mankad’s tenure began with the 1999-2000 season and lasted till 2001, and he too tasted victory once, in his first year when Sachin Tendulkar scored an epic double-century to brush aside Tamil Nadu in a hotly contested semi-final.Jayantilal, who played one Test for India when he stood in for the injured Sunil Gavaskar in the West Indies in 1971, and eventually ended as a stalwart for Hyderabad, is an outside candidate to win the job. He has coached Vidarbha in the Ranji Trophy, but came to prominence through his involvement in the BCA Mafatlal Scheme that was in place in Mumbai some years ago.If the whispers are to be believed there is also a possibility that the MCA may decide to expand Amre’s role and make him in charge of the team, instead of restricting his expertise to working with the batting side of things. Amre made his debut for Mumbai back in 1986-87, a time when the likes of Sunil Gavaskar were still on the circuit and when Mumbai dominated the Ranji trophy. It is believed that while Amre has enough of the old Mumbai attitude and pedigree he is also in touch with modern coaching methods, and this holds him in good stead.The final decision will be made on August 21 by the Cricket Improvement Committee of the MCA. The committee comprises Sanjay Manjrekar, Raju Kulkarni, Milind Rege, Madhavrao Apte, Sanjay Patil, Shishir Hattangadi. All members of the committee – barring Manjrekar who is out of the country on a commentary assignment – are expected to attend the meeting that will decide who gets the job.

The hearing for the disciplinary proceedings against Mark Vermeulen, who was banned from all first-class and league cricket in England for 10 years on Wednesday, will take place at Old Trafford on Monday September 18 at 19.30BST. Andrew Fitch-Holland, a barrister and principal with Line & Length Sports Consultants, confirmed Vermeulen will hold a press conference at the conclusion of the hearing.Following a chain of incidents at a Central Lancashire League match between Werneth and Ashton the league imposed the decade-long ban. Yesterday, Fitch-Holland claimed the league thought the batsman had left the country.”Mark Vermeulen learnt of the imposition of this ban from a news story appearing on Cricinfo’s website on September 14th,” the statement read. “Mr. Vermeulen had received no communication from any official of the Central Lancashire League that disciplinary proceedings were being taken against him and therefore was not present when this matter was considered.”We understand that this action was taken in circumstances where the League believed that Mark was no longer in the country, which is not the case. Mark is devastated to find himself in this position and understands that his behaviour at the match in question was far from acceptable. Naturally he wishes to offer his heartfelt apologies not just to those who witnessed the incident, but to the League and his team-mates.”We have been in contact with the League and have made it clear that Mark wishes to have the opportunity to have a personal hearing as a matter of urgency. At the present time we anticipate that such a hearing will now be held within the next few days.”At such a hearing mitigation will be offered in the hope that the League would then be fully aware of all the circumstances surrounding this incident,” the statement continued.”We would expect that any punishment that might be imposed would then be made with all the relevant factors having been properly considered. In that regard we are actively working with the CLL in a spirit of contrite co-operation to resolve this situation as soon as possible.”Click here to see the video of the incident at bbc.co.uk

ScorecardMatch packageBulletin – Yuvraj and Dhoni clinch the win
Ind view – Chasing perfection
Pak view – The thin red line
On the Ball – Conquering the conditions
Stats – Razzaq’s double and Yousuf’s struggle
Quotes – ‘Special’ Tendulkar a treat to watch, says Dravid
Quotes – ‘Dhoni’s innings was the turning point’ – Inzamam
News – Sami to join Pakistan squad
Gallery – India canter to five-wicket win
Match previewPreview – Pakistan dented by Shoaib’s absence
News – Sehwag and Harbhajan to return home
Javagal Srinath – Sreesanth passes with flying colours
News – Three injured in crowd stampede

Today was one of Chennai’s less cruel summer days. Although the humidity levels remained high enough to drain the moisture out of you, the sun played hide and seek behind cloudy skies. That said, playing cricket in such weather is tough. Fast bowling in such conditions is tougher and if you’re a big and burly quick with a long run-up and heavy landing, you’re really in for a tough time. But Dilhara Fernando shrugged it all off saying: “It was really hot and was sweaty but we are used to such conditions back home in Sri Lanka.”Fernando hadn’t played the first game at Bangalore because Mashrafe Mortaza was preferred as the third seamer. Brought in for that role today, his responsibility was magnified when Zaheer Khan picked up a niggle after bowling just 2.4 overs. At the 2007 World Cup, Fernando wasn’t picked for Sri Lanka’s first two games against Bermuda and Bangladesh but when he got his chance against India, he delivered a knock-out punch by bowling Sachin Tendulkar for a duck. Today, he used the bouncer, the slower ball that he disguises so cleverly, and the yorker to lethal effect while bagging 4 for 36.Fernando has had trouble controlling the white new ball and perhaps that was why Mahela Jayawardene bowled a couple of overs when Zaheer went off the field, bringing Fernando on only as second change. Fernando kept the ball full in his first over, and tested Vusi Sibanda with a yorker. He produced another boot-crusher to Boeta Dippenaar early in the 13th over, which was dug out for a single. When Sibanda took strike for the next ball, he probably expected another one aimed at the toe, only to be caught unawares by a deadly bouncer.Pitched short on leg stump, it wasn’t short enough to allow the batsman to evade it calmly. Sibanda had backed away towards leg stump but saw the ball rise sharply towards his helmet. With a sharp jolt, he arched out of the way and as he did so, lost balance and fell to the ground. Visibly shaken, he prepared to face Fernando again.Instead of being predictable and following up with a yorker, Fernando bowled another short ball. Sibanda was late on the pull and top-edged it to Mahendra Singh Dhoni. Two balls later, a 140 km/hr in-cutter burst through Justin Kemp’s defence and pegged back the off stump.Throughout his spell, Fernando used the heavy ball to gain the extra bit of bounce that unsettled batsmen on a placid pitch. To ensure that he didn’t get too predictable, he varied pace and length regularly. He disguises his slower ball cleverly by spreading his fingers wide on either side of a vertical seam, while delivering it with no perceptible change in action. He set up Mark Boucher with a slow yorker, and followed it up with another slower ball that wasn’t as full. Boucher gotunder it, was too early on the lofted drive and hit it straight to long-on.Fernando then bowled Johan Botha to finish with 4 for 36 off ten overs. Given the heat, an unhelpful pitch and the fact that both teams scored over 300, it was an exemplary performance.

Elite Group

Gautam Gambhir shrugged off his recent indifferent start to Test cricket with his 17th first-class century, a 181-ball 151, and added 199 runs for the second wicket with Abhishek Sharma (73) at the Sardar Patel stadium in Ahmedabad. Delhi ended the day on 347 for 4, 133 runs ahead of Gujarat. Gambhir smacked the bowling for 20 fours during his four-hour stay – more boundaries than the entire Gujarat team. After he and Sharma departed, Mithun Manhas and Vijay Dahiya took over the reins and frustrated the bowlers further with a stand worth 99 runs. Dahiya fell for 43 right before stumps, but Manhas remained unbeaten on 66. Parthiv Patel, playing his first Ranji game, took two catches.Murtaza Lodhgar destroyed Karnataka with a six-wicket haul, restricting them to 179 after Bengal had scored 315 in their first innings at Jadavpur University Campus in Kolkata. In the morning, Sourav Ganguly fell for 27 off 76 balls – not quite the big score he needed after a lean run at international level. Bengal folded up after he left, but Karnataka’s capitulation later, when seven wickets fell for 64 runs, was more damaging. Bengal had a ball left to play before the day ended. They were 0 for 0 at stumps.At the Karnail Singh Stadium in Delhi, Mumbai could add only 100 runs to their overnight total as Harvinder Singh struck early, removing Vinod Kambli and Romesh Powar cheaply, and added two more to his tally to end with figures of 6 for 75. Due to a solid batting effort by the lower order, Mumbai rallied to 361, and then had Railways in immediate trouble. Ajit Agarkar removed both openers with 53 on the board, and Nilesh Kulkarni dismissed Siddharth Verma a little later. Railways ended the day at 111 for 3, still 250 runs behind.At the Chidambaram Stadium, Hyderabad recovered to 163 all out from their overnight precarious position of 83 for 5, only to see Tamil Nadu go to 183 by the end of the day at. Sadagoppan Ramesh, who had hoped for a Test recall, was dismissed for 29, But Sivaramakrishnan Vidyut (97 not out) and Subramaniam Badrinath, on 56, were still at the crease. It rounded up a good day for Tamil Nadu, after Ramakrishnan Ramkumar eked out three more batsmen with his left-arm spin to end with 6 for 57 in 31 overs.Venugopal Rao (140) added to his overnight hundred and, along with Khatib Sahabuddin (86), took Andhra Pradesh to 361 in Indore. Narendra Hirwani claimed 4 for 89 before his team responded with 155 for 4, built on the back of fifties from Naman Ojha (61) and Amay Khurasiya (50).At Mohali, Punjab fought back from a precarious position at 43 for 3, and recovered to score 221 for 7 when stumps were called on the second day. They trailed Uttar Pradesh by 48 runs, and had a good chance of taking the first-innings lead while Pankaj Dharmani (83 not out) was at the crease. Yuvraj Singh scored a quick 52, laced with eight fours, and fell when Punjab had 114 runs on the board. Earlier, Gagandeep Singh dismissed the last two Uttar Pradesh batsmen to claim 5 for 68, his ninth five-wicket haul.Assam, in Guwahati, scored 273 as Sukhvinder Singh scored 48 while his lower-order mates played out deliveries. He then took a wicket, Kiran Powar’s (43), as Baroda made their way to 162 for 4. Jacob Martin was unbeaten on 58.