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For some time, rumours have been circulating that all is not well within Team USA, and that the squad was not a happy place to be during the recent Champions Trophy in England.The man at the eye of the storm is Imran Awan, a fast bowler, who was replaced shortly after the USA arrived in the UK. The press release at the time cited “special circumstances” rather than injury as the reason for his early return home.Various reports have been circulating as to the circumstances which led to his replacement, most of them based on unsubstantiated rumour. But there does appear to have been a row of some kind when the squad were in Jamaica ahead of the tournament.A source close to the USA board said that a decision was made to deal with the matter after the side returned home. But Charlie Javed, a board member and part of the official tour party, insisted that the incident be addressed there and then. Awan returned home, but no mention was made on the official USACA website and details remain sketchy. Probably because of the vagueness of information, rumours have abounded ever since.The USACA are known to be concerned with the entire process and has said that it will look into all allegations, however spurious they might seem. But an unnamed official added that this was a complicated and sensitive issue, and would have to be handled with appropriate delicacy.At a time when the future of cricket in the USA is under the spotlight, this distraction is unwelcome and needs to be put to bed as soon, and as transparently, as possible.

Zimbabwe Under-23 have found competing in the provincial South African competitions very difficult and once again took a major pounding, this time at the hands of Western Province in the Provincial Cup. Batting first they could only total 162, being bowled out in 41 overs. The tail did wag to some degree, with forties for Bernard Mlambo and Gregory Strydom, to give them a glimmer of hope, but Province proved to be too strong. They reached the target with 11 overs to spare having lost only one wicket. Myles Williamson top scored with 68 not out.

Chris Schofield, the former England and Lancashire legspinner, began his claim for unfair dismissal against his former club today, at an industrial tribunal in Manchester. Schofield was released by Lancashire at the end of the 2004 season after seven years at Old Trafford, and believes his chances of finding a new county were harmed by not being informed of the club’s decision until the end of the season.Schofield, 29, who was among the first batch of ECB central contracts in 2000 and played two Tests against Zimbabwe that summer, was not told until September 23 that he was not going to be retained by Lancashire.Under the terms of new contracts draw up between the ECB and the Professional Cricketers Association (PCA) all counties are required to appraise their players at various stages throughout a season, discussing their progress and areas they may need to improve. This was brought in as a result of the Neil Burns and Carl Crowe case, when they took Leicestershire to court for unfair dismissal in 2002.Schofield’s tribunal heard that he was appraised during the first part of the 2004 season, but was not talked to again regarding Lancashire’s plans for him until the decision had been reached. reported that Mike Watkinson, the Lancashire cricket manager, said the decision not to retain Schofield had been “touch and go” and was not made until the first week of September, before being ratified by the club’s committee on September 6.Watkinson said that as Schofield was a player who relied on confidence he did not to tell him that he could be released at a stage when a series of good performances might have changed the decision, and because it was not in his or the team’s interest – who were battling to avoid relegation from Division One in the county championship.The claim from Schofield is that the late decision reduced his opportunities of finding another county, but Watkinson presented evidence that suggested other counties would not have signed him even if they known his availability. David Byas, Yorkshire’s director of cricket, who played with Schofield for one season at Lancashire, appeared as a witness and was one of those who claimed that earlier notification of Schofield’s situation would not have made a difference.During the 2004 season, Schofield only managed to take three championship wickets, although he had more success with the bat, making three half-centuries, including a career-best 99. But Jim Cumbes, the Lancashire chief executive, said Schofield would have been aware that his performances had not been good enough to warrant a new deal at the club long before the season ended.Schofield will give his evidence tomorrow morning when the hearing resumes.

Ridley Jacobs has been left out of the West Indies squad for the ICC Champions Trophy in September. He was replaced by Courtney Browne, who won a place as a result of consistent performances in the regional competitions.Though a 14-member squad was announced, the captain was only named following a meeting of the West Indies Cricket Board. The Board met on August 11 to ratify the selectors’ recommendation, and gave another chance to Brian Lara to turn things round after a dismal spell in charge of the team. Ramnaresh Sarwan was reappointed as his deputy.Mervyn Dillon was also recalled, as the selectors felt that his presence would add experience to the bowling attack. Wavell Hinds was included after passing a fitness test conducted by a medical panel.Six players were left out from the 15-member squad that played in the recent NatWest tournament. Carlton Baugh, Tino Best, Ridley Jacobs, Ravi Rampaul, Darren Sammy and Devon Smith were those to miss out. While Best and Rampaul were forced out by injury, the rest were axed for their lack of performance.Squad
1 Chris Gayle, 2 Wavell Hinds, 3 Brian Lara, 4 Ramnaresh Sarwan, 5 Shivnarine Chanderpaul, 6 Dwayne Smith, 7 Dwayne Bravo, 8 Ricardo Powell, 9 Courtney Browne (wk), 10 Sylvester Joseph, 11 Mervyn Dillon, 12 Corey Collymore, 13 Ian Bradshaw, 14 Jermaine Lawson.

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Leading the Punjab attack in just his fifth first-class game, Love Ablish, the medium-pacer, ran through the Gujarat batting line-up on the first day at Mohali. Vindicating his captain’s decision to field first, Ablash removed both the openers inside the first 12 overs and had Andhra struggling at 18 for 2. He returned to break the promising partnership between Niraj Patel and Bhavik Thaker before cleaning up the tail with two more scalps. Thaker was the only Gujarat batsman to pass 30, striking 13 fours on his way to a battling 85. The Punjab openers ended the day on a confident 24 for no loss.
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For the second match in a row, Anirudh Singh, the left-handed batsman, led Hyderabad’s charge, steering them to 246 for 5 at the end of the opening day at Jaipur. Anirudh shared vital stands with Ambati Rayudu, who smashed eight fours during his 85-ball 62, and Arjun Yadav, who gritted out 35. Anirudh fell minutes before stumps, 13 short of his hundred, as Rajasthan clawed their way back into the contest. Mohammad Aslam, the left-arm spinner, snapped up three wickets after a marathon 26 overs and helped Rajasthan stay in the contest.
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Connor Williams’s battling unbeaten 146 – the 12th century of his first-class career- steered Baroda to a comfortable 267 for 5 at the end of the first day’s play at Rajkot. Saurashtra’s decision to field first, on their homeground, backfired as Williams and Jacob Martin, the Baroda captain, put on 143 for the fourth-wicket stand. Williams’s knock took 289 deliveries as the Saurashtra bowlers, led by the medium-pacer Sandeep Jobanputra, kept a tight leash on the run rate. Martin too couldn’t break away, taking 131 balls for his 64, managing 11 fours in the process.
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Half-centuries by Abhishek Jhunjhunwala and Amitava Chakraborty rounded off a good opening day for Bengal, ending at 226 for 2 in their second-round match against Mumbai at Kolkata. Opener Chakraborty made a patient 81 off 232 balls, almost batting through the day, while Jhunjhunwala’s 87 was equally sedate, coming off 213 balls. After Bengal chose to bat first, Chakraborty and Arindam Das laid the foundation with a 71-run opening stand before Das was trapped in front by Swapnil Hazare. Chakraborty and Jhunjhunwala then added 130, frustrating the bowlers for another 56 overs, before Nilesh Kulkarni managed the breakthrough, taking a return catch to dismiss Chakraborty.
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Continuing his good form this season, Aakash Chopra, the former India opener, eased to an unbeaten 128 as Delhi ended at 257 for 6 against Uttar Pradesh at the Feroz Shah Kotla. Chopra, who missed out on selection for the Indian Test squad for South Africa, shared useful stands with Virat Kohli and Rajat Bhatia for the fourth and fifth wicket respectively, after seamer Praveen Kumar snared two wickets in quick succession. Kumar gave little away in his 25 overs, conceding just 53 runs and picking up four wickets. He struck a vital blow towards the end, trapping Vijay Dahiya – the centurion from the previous match – leg before.
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M Vijay, playing only his second first-class match, scored an undefeated 97 as Tamil Nadu ended on a strong position at 260 for 4 against Andhra at Chennai. Vijay, in his maiden appearance in his home ground, mixed caution with aggression in his 262-ball knock, scoring nine fours and a six. Captain S Badrinath, fresh from his 136 against Delhi, added 146 with Vijay before being done in by the Prasad duo – caught wicketkeeper MSK Prasad off Chandramouli Prasad – for 69.

Close of 2nd dayOtago 78 for 1 (Cumming 34*, Wasim 33) trail Auckland 198 by 120 runs
ScorecardOtago gave themselves a chance of making a sizeable impact on the shape of the State Championship points table in their match against Auckland. Their upgraded venue at the University Oval proved an oasis of sunshine during stormy summer weather in New Zealand as both other matches in the competition, between Wellington and Northern Districts and Canterbury and Central Districts, were abandoned for the day without a ball being bowled.The Dunedin game did not get a full day’s play, but by bowling out Auckland for 198, and scoring 78 for 1 in response, Otago laid the foundation for the sort of innings that could see Auckland face a sizeable first-innings deficit. But that is in the perfect world, which is not somewhere Otago have operated from in recent seasons.Craig Cumming, not wanted by the New Zealand selectors for the one-day campaign against South Africa, was unbeaten on 34 at stumps, after putting on 73 for the first wicket with Mohammad Wasim (33). Much will depend on at least one member of the Otago top order putting together the sort of big score that will allow Otago to dictate terms on the last two days of the match.They created their position as the result of Warren McSkimming getting an early breakthrough on the second day, dismissing Sam Whiteman, the overnight batsman, and Tama Canning on 129. Aaron Barnes, the top scorer of the innings, was bowled by Jeff Wilson, who also picked up the wicket of Andre Adams.Wilson, back after a frustrating injury break, ended with 3 for 34 from 19 overs, while McSkimming, who is enjoying one of the longer periods of his career without injury took his second five-wicket bag of the summer at a cost of 60 runs from his 24 overs.Once again the depth of the Auckland batting was apparent when 49 runs were scored by their three lower-order batsmen.Correction to first day report: Northern Districts ended the first day of their match, after a late resumption in play, on 155 for 4 at the Basin Reserve against Wellington. Grant Robinson was lbw to Jeetan Patel for 61 runs while Matthew Hart was 27 not out and Jaden Hatwell, five not out.

After last weekend’s successful staging of the US Western and Eastern Conferences at Plano (Texas), the launch of American ProCricket’s official season at Richmond Bank Ballpark on July 2 was an eagerly anticipated. The overall verdict: pretty good for an inaugural event, with a glitch that will hopefully be resolved with time and experience.The glitch, curiously enough, had little to do with cricket, and more with the technology being improvised for the inauguration. It appears that the camera-bearing stumps, ubiquitous in international Tests and ODIs, were somehow left behind, and had to be installed before the match could start — an understandable oversight, given the fact that this was the first time they were to be deployed in the USA. However, this caused a one-hour delay, and there was some grumbling from the spectators who had to cool their heels, with beer providing the appropriate antidote.Once the match started, there were few problems — the contest between New York and Florida was entertaining if one sided, as Florida coasted to an easy win.NY, with Tusar Arothe, Merv Dillon and Larry Gomes (the latter hastily drafted in when he was found to be in New York) as their international players, batted first and scored 88 in 19.2 overs. Florida had been considered the strongest team in the League, with Wavell Hinds and Darren Ganga (West Indies), Colin Miller (Australia) and Brighton Mutumbwa (Zimbabwe) as the Florida international players. They lived up to that reputation by scoring the needed runs in 12 overs, with Hinds peppering the boundaries with fours and sixes.The American Pro Cricket games are being played in professional minor league stadiums under floodlights, and the Richmond Bank Ball Park was no exception. The official paid attendance, as reported by the independent stadium management, was over a thousand spectators. There was music, lights and 16 TV cameras (including the stump cameras), which captured every move on the field, with replays on the stadium widescreen. While familiar to spectators overseas, this was the first time they had all been used in North American cricket, and constituted an eventful launch for ProCricket.So, how did this game appear to that all-important person, the American spectator with no prior experience of the game? Here is an edited first-person account, from an admitted cricket rookie:”So I ventured out to watch the first ever pro cricket game in the USA. As a rookie to cricket, I was full of excitement.Fast’n’Furious is the motto of the league. Well, they had the furious part right away, the game started 57 minutes late because someone forgot to bring the wickets… no joke. Now the Fast part, that would be Florida’s batting and how fast it took them to get beat NY, 12 overs only.Back to the game, NY [were] really really bad. Their batting was mediocre, and their running seemed to be coached by a blind man. Countless times they were run out for miscommunications.The crowd? Not bad, louder than last game and …more as well… They also seemed a bit drunker (what else was everyone supposed to do besides drink for a 55-minute game delay?)Will I go to more games to watch my local NY Storm? Sure, I will probably go again, but after watching NY play twice, it seems like they will be the Gold Coast Seagulls [a defunct team from NY] of the ProCricket League – people will show up to watch the other teams do good.Final thought– not a bad time, got to see some cricket in a stadium in NYC, which could never be a bad thing. A good experience overall, I hope people will give this league a chance. “An interesting footnote: ProCricket is said to be offering the local leagues and the local teams 50% of their gate revenues in exchange for allowing their best players to play in the Pro Cricket tournament. It is an indication that ProCricket is serious about establishing itself among US cricketers as a bona fide alternative to ICC – and USACA – sponsored international cricket, and time will show if their strategy will be successful.

Fears that Stephen Fleming, the New Zealand captain, could be out of contention for the forthcoming series against Pakistan eased a little today.Fleming, who returned home from India suffering an abdominal strain, did not lead New Zealand on their tour of Pakistan. He had been described as being doubtful for Wellington’s State Championship match against Canterbury, which starts tomorrow at the Basin Reserve.However, he saw a specialist today and was given the all-clear to play. His reaction to his complaint will then be assessed, to determine his availability for the New Zealand team for the first Test, which starts in Hamilton on Friday next week.John Bracewell, the New Zealand coach, said: “The specialist has advised that Stephen should play for Wellington tomorrow in order for us to determine how the injury responds. How he copes in that match will give us a clear indication of whether or not he is fit enough to be considered for Test selection.”

The Pakistan Cricket Board has acted swiftly to ease concerns over safety reported among the Indian players, announcing that “presidential-level security” will be provided throughout the forthcoming series between the two old rivals.”We are aware of the concerns expressed by some of the Indian players. We are determined to provide presidential kind of security to the team once they land in Pakistan,” said a PCB spokesman. “We are in regular contact with Jagmohan Dalmiya [the Indian board president] over this delicate issue and other related matters.”The spokesman also looked to play down last week’s terrorist bomb attack in Karachi, which left 11 people injured. “It is unfortunate that it happened at a time when we are in the process of finalising details of the tour … but I am sure everything will be okay and trouble-free, and Karachi will host matches against India as planned.”The importance of adequate security was underlined by Rameez Raja, the PCB’s chief executive. “We are committed to provide the Indian team the best security,” he said, “and for that got the needed clearance and the advice from the interior ministry.”The Indian board has taken measures of its own, announcing that a special three-man team will travel to Pakistan in the coming weeks to oversee arrangements.

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Two wickets late in the day from Andrew Flintoff and Steve Harmison put England on top for the second day running in the third npower Test against South Africa at Trent Bridge. After building a large total of 445 in which Alec Stewart rolled back the years with a combative 72, England reduced South Africa to 84 for 2 on a misbehaving pitch. And to make Michael Vaughan even happier, they dismissed Graeme Smith for less than 200.Stewart now has a maximum of five more innings to overhaul Viv Richards’s total of 8540 Test runs (he currently has 8398) and he gave the initiative back to England after a sticky morning in which they lost three wickets. He shepherded the tail with some intelligent singles and booming boundaries and belted 11 fours in all, latching on to anything short or wide. He whipped Andrew Hall through midwicket for four and signalled the 400 next ball with a square cut for two. But he saved the best shot of the lot to bring up his fifty with a thumping back-foot drive off Hall.With the exception of Makhaya Ntini, the bowling was a much more demanding prospect for England than yesterday. Pollock again led the way on a two-paced pitch, and it was he who struck early. After his stirring century yesterday afternoon, Nasser Hussain slipped straight back to his intense self, but he was unable to find the same fluency as he was trapped lbw in front of off-and-middle (322 for 4). That ended an enterprising partnership of 104 between Hussain and Ed Smith.Smith showed none of his first-day nerves as he brought up his debut Test fifty, but any thoughts of a century were dashed when Jacques Kallis came up with the perfect awayswinger, which Smith nibbled through to Mark Boucher (334 for 5).

Smith was caught flat-footed as the ball wobbled away from him, but it was an impressive start from England’s bright new spark. He walked off to hearty applause in the knowledge of that, but whether he knows he is the 15th Smith to play for England, and that his 64 is the highest score on debut by any of them, is doubtful – even if he does have a double-first from Cambridge.Andrew Flintoff also unusually took his time, but never got going. He paid for his caution, and lack of footwork, when he edged Hall to Pollock at first slip for a 20-ball duck (347 for 6). Hall, like Kallis, was moving the ball away to good effect and Flintoff, like Smith, played away from the body to his peril. Ashley Giles (22), Kirtley (1) and Harmison (14) all hung around to give Stewart some valuable support, as he used all his nous to guide England towards 450.James Anderson opened with James Kirtley, the debutant, whose first ball in Test cricket went for four when Gibbs clipped him through midwicket. But Kirtley settled down to a tidy spell, finding the odd hint of away movement, although Anderson continued to struggle. He was determined not to feed Smith’s leg-side craving, but instead gifted two half-volleys outside off stump in the same over, which were both crashed to the boundary boards as Smith and Gibbs made a solid start.While Smith was subdued by his Bradmanesque standards, Gibbs was starting to fire. He clipped Flintoff past square leg and caressed a breathtaking cover drive in the next over. But, as in the second Test, his downfall was an inside-edge off Steve Harmison. It was a better ball than at Lord’s, full and straight with a hint of movement in to Gibbs, and it cannoned into middle stump off the bat (56 for 1).Harmison wasn’t brought on till the 16th over, and that wicket gave him the gee-up he and England needed. Bowling in tandem with Flintoff, they cranked up the pace and put the pressure on with aggressive and hostile deliveries. Bowling around the wicket to Smith, Flintoff forced him to play and miss a few times, and after he edged one just short of Marcus Trescothick at first slip, Flintoff wondered what he had to do to get shot of him.Well, the answer came in his next over as Smith’s charmed life came to an end in the most bizarre of circumstances. Leaping back to defend another quick Flintoff short ball, his left foot slipped back too far and trod firmly on his own stumps (66 for 2). Smith sauntered off shaking his head while Flintoff celebrated a deserved change of fortune.The two Jacques, Rudolph and Kallis, dug in till the end and Rudolph was lucky to survive an lbw shout from Anderson with four overs to go. They’re still 361 behind and with the wicket playing some tricks, they’re up against it.Click here for the Wisden Verdict