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A week after Australia called off their tour to Bangladesh citing “security fears”, former Australia captain Ian Chappell has said the ICC needs to step in and coordinate security efforts. He also said he believed the decision might have been a “little different” had a similar situation arisen ahead of a tour to India.”The ICC and the cricket boards need to set up a committee, which has a security background,” he said on his bi-weekly show Chappelli Calls It on ESPNcricinfo. “It’s got to get information from all the countries and relevant parties but by doing that you are taking it out of the hands of the individual boards, who look at different situations differently.”Chappell said while it was easy to “say no” to a tour to Bangladesh, the prospect of “far greater ramifications” of a pull-out from India would make it “not so easy” to make a similar decision. “The obvious one is about India, they will be very reluctant not to tour India. If it was the IPL, for instance, and the decision was on the heads of the individual players, it would be interesting to see what decision was taken then.”I guess it’s very hard to ignore government advice on matters of security,” Chappell said. “The question I would ask is if the same situation was occurring on a tour to India, what would happen then? That makes me wonder if the decision might have been a little different. As long as you have the individual countries making that decision, whether we will or we won’t, you’re always going to have a situation where you are going to say for a tour to Bangladesh, it’s pretty easy to say no. For a tour to India, not so easy to say no, because the ramifications are far greater.”As the fate of the tour hung in the balance after Cricket Australia received specific information from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade about a possible security risk to Australian interests in the country, the Bangladesh Cricket Board president Nazmul Hassan assured that Australia would receive “unprecedented levels of security” if they made the trip.Hassan went on to say: “Risks of untoward occurrences and threats are an unfortunate reality in today’s world and can happen anywhere. That is why we have placed utmost importance on preventive methods and action.” Chappell said he has sympathy for Hassan’s position and believes the episode should prompt the formation of a body that can make an independent assessment of a country’s security situation.”Whoever is saying that is quite right, we have had some terrorist incidents in Australia in recent times, that is the way of the world at the moment,” he said. “At the 1996 World Cup, Australia were reluctant to go to Sri Lanka. They were guaranteed head-of-state type security, it even got to the point where they talked about flying them in in the morning and flying them out in the evening, and still Australia refused to partake in that game.”

Almost everyone, either openly or secretly, had a good laugh when Kapil Dev called those who joined the Indian Cricket League (ICL) “the cream of the country”. That was because the players picked by the ICL did not promise a competitive league. But now, at the start of the first-class season, looking at the situation in terms of the loss to the Ranji Trophy rather than the ICL’s gain, the impact of the exodus seems huge; and it is only natural that it dominates pre-season thoughts.Moving from one Indian domestic season to another has long been a seamless transition, with not many changes, or changes that place too slowly to be noticed. It is usually difficult to identify the start of one season from another, but the huge exodus to ICL – about 15% of the total workforce – means this time will be different. When in two days’ time Bengal play Hyderabad at the Eden Gardens, more than 10 regular players from both sides will be missing. Punjab, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, Baroda, Maharashtra, almost every team has been affected by the migration. The teams hit by ICL have never been too far from the semi-finals, which makes this one of the most unpredictable seasons in recent memory.It will be interesting to see how they cope with the predicament they find themselves in. “Cricket doesn’t stop with a few players”, has been the general, outwardly brave attitude of the teams severely hit. But only on the first morning will we know if Railways can do without JP Yadav, if Bengal without Deep Dasgupta, Baroda without Rakesh Patel, Punjab without Dinesh Mongia and UP without Shalabh Srivastava. This season will test the resilience of Indian domestic cricket and the supply of talent from junior cricket.Not a pointless exercise
From this season, holding on to a draw will get teams a point. What used to happen earlier was once a side had conceded the lead, it would play devil-may-care cricket in the second innings and get bowled out, in turn handing four easy points to the leading team. That usually hurt other teams in the group competing to make it to the semi-finals.Another aspect the BCCI might want to look into is that the team is awarded no points for gaining a first-innings lead if it eventually loses the match. This keeps the teams from going for outright wins, once a lead is attained.Getting the order right
The decision to schedule the Ranji Trophy before the Duleep Trophy this season, has meant that Ranji will have an early start on November 3. It also means the best performers can be picked for the Duleep Trophy for playing in an inter-zone tournament should be an apt incentive for performing well in the inter-state tournament.

Ump, you are being watched
Lack of feedback and proper appraisal has long been the umpires’ grudge in domestic cricket. Starting this season, every decision made by them will be logged and there will be an appraisal for umpires based on reports from the umpiring officer, the match referee and the captains. The umpiring officer will be assisted by the video-feedback system.But that is not where the umpiring officers’ work ends. Off the field they will have to guide the umpires on the match management; communication and team work; professionalism; preparation; and fitness, diet and appearance.Welcome to the big league
Orissa and Himachal Pradesh (HP) are the teams promoted to the Super League this season. HP, the Plate League champions, and Orissa, the runners-up, have made it on the back of dominating performances last year. While HP conceded a first-innings lead once last season – trailed Orissa by 51 runs – Orissa’s record was unblemished. But they will know this is a different league and to stay here for more than one season they will have to considerably up their performance.**First-round matches
Himachal Pradesh v Saurashtra in DharamsalaMumbai v Karnataka in MumbaiTamil Nadu v Maharashtra in ChennaiOrissa v Uttar Pradesh in CuttackPunjab v Andhra in AmritsarBengal v Hyderababad in Kolkata*Delhi v Rajasthan in Delhi**The two matches will start on November 4.

The Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) have announced a 20-member squad for three practice matches against international sides in the build-up to the group stages of the Champions Trophy. Nilesh Kulkarni, the left-arm spinner, will lead the side against New Zealand and South Africa on October 11 and 13 respectively while Wasim Jaffer, the Indian opening batsman, will be in charge against Australia on October 15.The squad includes promising middle-order batsman Rohit Sharma, who played in the Challenger Series in Chennai as well as Zaheer Khan, the Indian fast bowler, who has signed up for Mumbai this season. Fast bowler Kshemal Waingankar, who enjoyed a good stint with the Australian Centre of Excellence in the Emerging Players tournament earlier this year has also been included.The selection committee informed that the Mumbai probables for the Ranji Trophy would be named after the practice games. Mumbai’s opening Ranji Trophy game starts on December 1, against Hyderabad.Squad Wasim Jaffer, Vinayak Mane, Nilesh Kulkarni, Rohit Sharma, Nishit Shetty, Bhavin Thakkar, Vinit Indulkar, Amol Muzumdar, Avishkar Salvi, Vinayak Samant, Zaheer Khan, Wilkin Mota, Abhishek Nair, Rajesh Verma, Omkar Gaurav, Praful Waghela, Kshemal Waingankar, Moondeep Mungela, Iqbal Abdullah, Aniket Redkar

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.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India has announced the schedule for Australia’s tour, which takes place at the end of the year. Australia will only have one warm-up match in India after the Champions Trophy – a three-day match against a Board President’s XI.A BCCI committee will meet tomorrow and Monday (July 18 and 19) to finalise the venues of the matches, as well as those of the Test series against South Africa which follows the Australia tour. Delhi, which was slated to host one of the Tests against Australia, has now officially pulled out of the race after indicating their inability to finish the renovation of the Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium in time for the match. The Test is now likely to be shifted to Eden Gardens in Kolkata.Australia’s last tour of India, in 2001, was an epic confrontation between the world’s two leading teams, with India eventually winning 2-1.Australia in India, series schedule:
September 30 – October 2 v Board President’s XI
October 6-10 v India, 1st Test
October 14-18 v India 2nd Test
October 26-30 v India 3rd Test
November 3-7 v India 4th Test

On the eve of Pakistan’s departure for their short tour of England, Rashid Latif, the captain, has said that the trip will have major implications for the process of rebuilding which has started following their World Cup humiliation.Several senior players were left out in the aftermath of the World Cup and the policy of picking youngsters paid off when Pakistan acquitted themselves well in the Bank Alfalah Cup in Sri Lanka last month. “I am more than satisfied with the team’s performance since I took over," Latif told reporters, "but the England tour will test the skills of these youngsters because of changed conditions.”Despite being a short tour of three one-day matches, this tour will have long-term implications and results will guide us how the rebuilding process is shaping,” Latif continued. "We are the underdogs and a lot will depend on how our batting performs because our bowling is as good as England’s."Javed Miandad, Pakistan’s coach, said that he had been satisfied with the progress since he took over ten weeks ago, but the real test was about to come. “All the youngsters are hungry for success and want to take permanent positions in the team and I think with this kind of attitude the day is not far off that we would succeed against tough opponents."

If at the start of the season you told the members of the Piton Doverthey would make the Fire Shield cricket final they would have replied:Sure!If you told them their opponents would be MTW, they probably wouldhave replied: MT-Who?Well, that’s the case today at the Police Sports Club, Weymouth, inthe grand final of the Barbados Fire & Commercial Shield Cricket finalthe marquee tournament for lower division sides in the BarbadosCricket Association’s (BCA) competitions.Dover, with their many former Division 1 stalwarts, start asfavourites, but don’t tell MTW that. At stake is a bounty of $5 000,while the losers will pocket $3 500 not bad for a day’s work.The team that plays better on the day will win. We have beenpractising very hard both batting and fielding and we have beengetting some physiological advice to be better prepared for the game,said MTW skipper and leading batsman Geoffrey Padmore.This is MTW’s first Shield final after 11 years in the BCA competitionand allrounder Padmore is the reason why they are there.He blasted an aggressive 73 against Central in the semifinal after histeam was struggling on 70 for six. He promises a well-balanced team inwhat should be a very competitive game.Dover warmed up yesterday in style taking the last four Fustic wicketsin 15 minutes in their Premier League match to record an inningsvictory and the afternoon off.Dover, the 1992 champions, are confident of victory according to theircaptain Vibert Greene, the former Barbados and West Indies Ballrounder.We are confident of victory, he said. We met last year and we wonquite easily, but MTW, with some new faces, will be on a high and itwill not be an easy task. I think we have the best team in the lowerdivision, but cricket is still played on the day.The Dovermen showed their mettle in the semifinal with a four-wicketvictory over the Combermere School team. It was the depth ofexperience which pulled them through.Man for man, Dover have a big advantage.The batting is centred around Peter Clarke, Silverton Weekes, BernardKinch, Wilbur Bruce and Stephen Blackett. Allrounders Greene, JerryKirton and Richard Thornton were all household names of the past.The bowling department is based on mainly fast-medium. The Kirtonbrothers, Jerry and Levere, along with Greene and Thornton, will besupported by Litchfield Kirton, who completes a trio of brothers inthe team.MTW have Padmore and other batsmen include veteran Glendon Johnson,Anthony Burrowes, Testa Baker and Philbert Brathwaite. WicketkeeperPeter Blackman completes a reasonable batting line-up.Fast bowlers Peter Francis and Charles Ramsay will share the new ball,with support coming from Winston Gittens, Mark Bailey and left-armspinner Denis Payne can also do the job.It promises to be a big job, but as we have seen in the past Oh howthe mighty have fallen.

Match facts

September 13, 2015
Start time 10.30am (0930GMT)1:54

‘Having to fake experience’ – Maxwell

Big Picture

If there were fears the English international season would limp to a conclusion – first of all in the wake of Ashes victory and then with Australia taking a 2-0 lead in this series – they have been emphatically put to bed by England’s back-to-back victories, which mean there is a winner-takes-all match at Old Trafford.The weather has played ball and the pitches have been terrific for one-day cricket: pace to encourage the likes of Pat Cummins, but which also allows attacking batsmen to prosper, enough turn to not make the spinners redundant coupled with fast outfields that have provided value for shot. Three-hundred has proved the benchmark, but England’s chase at Headingley to level the series showed that it can be overhauled.For both the teams, it is the beginning of a rebuilding process in one-day cricket. It will be interesting to see how closely the sides at the 2017 Champions Trophy – to be played in England – compare to what is currently taking the field.But the here and now is about winning on Sunday. If England pull off the comeback job to take the series, it will give Eoin Morgan a complete set of limited-overs success this season. For Australia, it is their last chance to take something from a tour which began with such high expectations, but that will largely be remembered for batting collapses and retirements.

Form guide

(last five completed matches, most recent first)
England WWLLW
Australia LLWWW

In the spotlight

Jason Roy has looked a million dollars in this series. He was the only one of the top six not to pass fifty against New Zealand, but has made two stylish half-centuries and not fallen for less than 31 in the four matches. He was named, alongside Morgan, as the key England batsman by Pat Cummins. The ease with which Roy drives through cover and clips off his legs – the latter with more than a hint of Kevin Pietersen – means it looks like a waste when a soft dismissal crops up. England clearly like what they see, but a match-defining contribution would cap his summer.With Mitchell Starc having earned a rest at Headingley, it means Steven Smith will be the only Australian to play every international of the tour and there is precious little time before his next task, in Bangladesh. He has made runs in all three formats and will leave these shores knowing it is on his shoulders to help shape the future of the team. Does he have one major innings left in him for this trip?

Teams news

England’s one decision is whether to recall Steven Finn, who was rested for the fourth match, in place of Mark Wood who, while bowling quickly, has struggled to take wickets (four in six ODIs now) and has a high economy rate. Although David Willey proved expensive at the death, his new-ball burst of three wickets was valuable.England (possible) 1 Alex Hales, 2 Jason Roy, 3 James Taylor, 4 Eoin Morgan (capt), 5 Ben Stokes, 6 Jonny Bairstow (wk), 7 Moeen Ali, 8 Liam Plunkett, 9 Adil Rashid, 10 David Willey, 11 Steven FinnAustralia must decide whether to push out Starc for one more match on this tour, while they will most likely have to find room for Ashton Agar – probably at the expense of Marcus Stoinis. James Pattinson and John Hastings were both expensive at Headingley and one probably has to make way. Hastings offers more batting, while Pattinson has more of a future ahead of him.Australia (possible) 1 Aaron Finch, 2 Joe Burns, 3 Steven Smith (capt), 4 George Bailey, 5 Glenn Maxwell, 6 Mitchell Marsh, 7 Matthew Wade (wk), 8 Ashton Agar, 9 John Hastings, 10 Mitchell Starc, 11 Pat Cummins

Pitch and conditions

A day game this time, so some different considerations to the previous match on the ground which was under lights. It is also being played on a new surface. England exploited some early swing in Leeds with a 10.30am start, but the spinners will again expect some help. The forecast has improved with a dry day in the offing.

Stats and trivia

• If England win the deciding match, it will be their first bilateral one-day series win against Australia during an Ashes tour – as opposed to a tri-series or standalone series as in 2010 and 2012 – since 1997.
• Eoin Morgan needs one run to become just the second England batsman to score 600 runs in a home summer – Andrew Strauss made 745 in 210.
• If Pat Cummins takes two wickets he will equal the most scalps taken by an Australia bowler in a five-match one-day series. Clint McKay took 14 against Pakistan in 2009-10.

Quotes

“If momentum does exist then it is with us. We managed to steal a bit of it while we were in Manchester. I think confidence is a contributor to that. Going into Sunday the guys are full of confidence and we are really looking forward to it.”
“We really wanted to come here and finish off the series and give us some breathing space for Manchester.. We played it like a final, but the good thing is Sunday will be a final and we’ve played a lot of them and been quite successful.”

The Nairobi Provincial Cricket Association has again delayed its reconvened AGM after some member clubs complained that they had not received the necessary notification.The original AGM in July – the first for three years – was a stormy affair at which clubs refused to pass the accounts or the chairman’s report. A follow-up meeting was due to be held in mid September but was cancelled by the executive.That was rescheduled for October 8 but last week Cricinfo was told by some Nairobi clubs that they had either not received formal notification or that they had but not in time for them to submit agenda items.It is not clear whether the elections will be held in accordance with the old constitution. The NPCA agreed in May 2005 to amend its constitution in accordance with the new one adopted by Cricket Kenya and the two other functioning provinces – Coast and Rift. However, this has not been done and a promised review of the constitution appears to be delayed by lawyers.

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.