ICC contract

The head of Indian cricket has hit out at the country's leading players over the row concerning contracts for the forthcoming ICC Champions Trophy tournament. Jagmohan Dalmiya, president of the Board of Control, has accused the team of "lacking intelligence" by refusing to sign the contracts, which insist they must give up personal endorsements for the duration of the 17-day competition. The matter is due to be discussed at next week's International Cricket Council executive committee meeting in Dubai and Dalmiya is expecting to be given a rough ride. He claims the ICC had agreed to his proposal to review the contracts, but the stance of the Indian players has made his job more difficult. "I am stunned by the lack of intelligence on some of our senior players. "By refusing to sign, they have given ICC much time to negate all our efforts," The Times of India quoted Dalmiya as saying.

ICC Champions Trophy

Makhaya Ntini is being put through a crash course in the art of the slower delivery to get him back into the firing line for the International Cricket Commission (ICC) Champions' Trophy tournament in Sri Lanka next month. Ntini, the best bowler for South Africa last summer when he revelled on faster and bouncier pitches in Australia and at home, is a key member of the potential World Cup attack. But, under Asian conditions, such as South Africa encountered in Morocco last week, a slower ball is a vital part of any bowler's armoury and, without it, Ntini came badly unstuck. "Makhaya does have a slower ball," said national coach Eric Simons. "But at the moment it is not much slower than his normal delivery. In Morocco we found that his slowest delivery was timed at 134 and his fastest one at 145. He needs to develop a greater variety in pace. "We already started working on the problem in Morocco the day after the final finished and he is working hard on the problem on his own this week with bowl-downs. "We will be having a three-day camp at Centurion this weekend, starting with the 25 overs-a-side charity match at the Supersport Show, which will give us the chance to see how Makhaya is progressing.

India in England

Third Test, Headingley, day five: England 273 and 303 lose to India 628-8 dec by an innings and 46 runs India have squared the Test series against England after an impressive innings win at Headingley. They comprehensively won on a pitch that was never expected to suit their bowling attack. Spinner Anil Kumble, in superb form with the ball throughout England's second innings, took two of the first three wickets of the day. And fittingly he took the last one too, just before lunch, to prompt wild celebrations from the Indian team. It sets up an exciting climax to the series with the final Test beginning at The Oval on 5 September. Scorecard | Images | Match report Sourav Ganguly hailed man-of-the-match Rahul Dravid as "one of the best batsmen in the world". His words came after India consolidated their dominant showing at Headingley to claim an innings win against England before lunch on the final day. Ganguly admitted that electing to bat first on day one was a "big decision" - one which many observers had initially questioned. But Dravid dug deep on a pitch that should have aided England's seamers to hit 148. It was an innings that set up centuries from Sachin Tendulkar and Ganguly, and which created the foundation for India's win. Ganguly said: "The way we batted on the first day really set up the game for us. "I knew it would nip around first thing in the morning but we were playing two spinners so we had to bat first. "I had confidence in Rahul who is one of the best batsmen in the world and he and Sanjay Bangar played brilliantly. "When we reached 630 we knew we had a good chance in the Test but we knew we had to get them out twice and we knew in the back of our mind that it rains quite a lot in Yorkshire." Ganguly had time too to praise his opposite number Nasser Hussain, whose defiant century after England were forced to follow on really frustrated the visitors. Sachin Tendulkar, who hit 193 to help India crush England by an innings and 46 runs in the third Test in Leeds which ended on Monday, has climbed three places to second in the latest world Test batting rankings. Tendulkar's team mate Anil Kumble has risen to sixth in the bowling rankings, his highest placing for nearly three years, after the leg-spinner picked up seven wickets in the Leeds victory. England paceman Matthew Hoggard has dropped two places to eighth. England all-rounder Andrew Flintoff is set to miss the series decider against India at The Oval. Following England's defeat by an innings and 46 runs in the third Test at Headingley, skipper Nasser Hussain confirmed Flintoff was unlikely to be considered for selection for the final match. Flintoff needs surgery to repair a hernia and the gamble on his fitness backfired as he managed only a single wicket as India piled up 628-8 declared and then registered a pair with the bat. "It's unlikely Andrew will be fit for The Oval. He's got to have an operation before the Ashes series, so there's a position up for grabs," Hussain commented. The England and Wales Cricket Board later confirmed that Flintoff could undergo surgery on Friday and he would then be out of action for four to six weeks. The make-up of England's team for the decider will be crucial and Yorkshire's Craig White would be an obvious candidate to replace Flintoff, providing he recovers from a side strain in time.

World cup

South African president Thabo Mbeki will officially open next year's Cricket World Cup. Mr Mbeki has accepted an invitation from tournament director Dr Ali Bacher to attend the opening ceremony in Cape Town on 8 February. It is expected to attract a worldwide TV audience of around 1.25bn. The two-hour ceremony, which will be staged at a cost of 23m rand (£1.4m) will also feature a theatrical extravanganza, featuring a 4,000-strong cast of performers. It is being co-ordinated by executive producer Penny Jones, who worked on the opening and closing ceremonies at the 2000 Sydney Olympics. The entire playing area will be covered to prevent any damage ahead of the first match of the tournament between South Africa and West Indies, which takes place the following day. "I think the country's attitude is that we are using this as an opportunity to host a stand-alone gala to advertise the country as a whole. "Dr Bacher could have decided just to have a few singers but he went to Sydney for the opening ceremony of the Olympics and he was flabbergasted by what he saw, and by the impact of tourism to Australia," Jones told earlier this year.

Miscellaneous

South Africa's leading cricketers and squash players will be among the stars that will be looking to shine when the spectacular 2002 SuperSport Show, presented by Discovery, takes place at the Tuks Sports Centre in Pretoria, from August 30 to September 1. The national cricket stars will be looking to strike early season form in a 25-overs-a-side match in the Sports Trust Cricket Challenge at the Cricket Oval on Saturday (10.30am start), with proceeds going towards the Sports Trust for schools cricket development. And the $45 000 (about R500 000) Milo Squash Open will see top international players putting South Africa's best players to the Test on all three days of the show, with the winner not only set to pick up a R90 000 first prize, but important international ranking points as well. "With a record crowd expected to pass through the gates during this year's show, the event has firmly entrenched itself as a much-looked forward to date on the local and continental sports calendar," said Supersport Marketing head, Vaughn Bishop. The Gillette World Soccer Challenge has already captured the hearts and minds of the public, with six-a-side soccer of the highest calibre expected in the boys' under-12, men's over-18 and women's section matches take place at the Supersport Show. Teams will play out in true World Cup soccer style through pool matches, before the tournament enters into the knockout quarterfinal and semifinal stages, with the finals set to be played on Sunday. Ex-Australia captain Allan Border has answered an SOS call to coach his country's one-day side against Kenya and Pakistan this week. The 1987 World Cup winner was asked to take charge for the triangular series in Nairobi after John Buchanan withdrew with a back injury. Border is an Australia selector and had been preparing to coach the A team in their one-day series in South Africa, which begins next week. Instead, he joined captain Ricky Ponting's 14-man squad as they flew out of Sydney for Kenya on Monday. Buchanan was appointed coach in October 1999 and was in charge for 15 of Australia's world record 16 successive Test match wins. And the 49-year-old also helped guide Steve Waugh's team to a world record of 14 consecutive one-day international matches without defeat.

County news

Warwickshire v Surrey South African captain Shaun Pollock returns to Championship action as Warwickshire try to close the gap on the table-topping visitors. Pollock replaces New Zealander Shane Bond and they also welcome back England's Ashley Giles, but Dominic Ostler and Neil Carter (shoulder injuries) are doubtful. Surrey recall Mark Butcher and Alex Tudor and victory for them would make a third title in four seasons all but certain. "We need to play the same sort of cricket as Surrey and make it a war of attrition," said Warwickshire coach Bob Woolmer.

Archive August 26, 2002 August 25, 2002 August 24, 2002 August 23, 2002 August 22, 2002 August 21, 2002 August 20, 2002 August 19, 2002 August 18, 2002 August 17, 2002 August 16, 2002 August 15, 2002 August 14, 2002 August 13, 2002 August 12, 2002 August 11, 2002 August 10, 2002 August 9, 2002 August 8, 2002 August 7, 2002 August 6, 2002 August 5, 2002 August 4, 2002 August 3, 2002 August 2, 2002 August 1, 2002

Design: Imran Shaikh