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David Morgan, the ICC president, has urged Indian fans to come out in large numbers for the home Test series against England to show they are not intimidated by the recent terror strikes in Mumbai. Morgan said he and Haroon Lorgat, the ICC chief executive, will be present during the Test series starting December 11.”I would urge as many supporters as possible to join us during the series, not only because they will see two excellent sides playing Test cricket, but also because by doing so we will demonstrate that we will not be dictated to by terrorists,” said Morgan. “I believe the Test series will be a clear demonstration of the resilience of the Indian people and the game of cricket and an illustration that the game has the ability to bring people together.”England flew back from India after the terrorists struck several high-profile establishments in Mumbai. Ever since, the tour’s future has been in doubt. England are currently in Abu Dhabi until they receive word from security consultant Reg Dickason as to the safety in Chennai and Mohali, venues for the series.”Safety and security of the players, officials and spectators must be the key consideration at all times,” said Morgan. “But if security assessments indicate that the measures put in place are appropriate then we – players, officials and all stakeholders – have a duty to ensure cricket takes place.”The players have also demonstrated an acceptance of their role in trying to put a smile back on the face of a country that has undergone a horrendous experience.”Lorgat will be in Chennai and Morgan will be in Mohali.

Scorecard

Brad Hodge’s second century of the FR Cup campaign was not enough for Victoria, who lost for the first time this season as Tasmania jumped to the top of the table with a 23-run win. Michael Dighton made 95 to set up an imposing total of 290 and Brett Geeves and Mark Divin kept enough wickets coming to stave off Victoria’s charge.A 77-run stand between Hodge and Adam Crosthwaite (52) gave the Bushrangers hope but Divin and Geeves stayed on task. Divin finished with 4 for 56 and collected the important wicket of Crosthwaite, who was stumped advancing to the medium-pacer with Tim Paine up to the stumps.Geeves was sporting a Movember moustache so delicate that he more resembled his fellow Tasmanian Errol Flynn than his fast-bowling predecessor Merv Hughes. Fortunately for the Tigers, he bowled more like Hughes than Flynn. He ended up with three wickets and the key was when he had Hodge caught at cover for 103.The Tigers were desperately happy to see the back of Hodge after he rode his luck throughout the innings. Before he had reached 20 Hodge had survived two perilously tight lbw shouts from Xavier Doherty and was dropped by a leaping Daniel Marsh at cover. He was also put down on 94 but fortune was only part of the innings. Hodge played superbly and found the gaps with ease and he struck two magnificent sixes over long-on off Drew and Doherty.He was forced to attack after Tasmania did well to build such a healthy total after Shane Harwood’s third five-wicket haul in one-day games threatened to slow their progress. Harwood picked up three victims in the 46th over and was unlucky not to have another in the same over when he bowled Travis Birt off a questionable no-ball.The Tigers quickly went from 4 for 234 to 7 for 236 and it was such a severe stumble that it could have derailed the strong start set up by Dighton and Marsh. However, Tasmania added 56 in the final five overs as Travis Birt and Brendan Drew struck some powerful sixes.It was a good effort on a pitch that had definite green tinges and looked unlike the slow surfaces the MCG has provided over the past few years. Dighton was the key for the top order and he struck boundaries all around the ground in his 95 from 108 balls.He pounced on anything short and slammed Jon Holland ten rows back over long-on. But he became the first of Harwood’s victims when he walked across to off and tried to work the ball to leg but lost his middle stump to a clever yorker.Harwood’s success made the Victorian crowd – it was vocal but nearly as sparse as the audience in last week’s Nagpur Test – think it might be their day. But 291 was too much to chase and Victoria could not extract revenge for last season’s FR Cup final loss to the Tigers.

Scorecard and ball-by-details

It was the day of the openers in Game 19 of the ICL 20-20 Indian Championship. Jimmy Maher and Abdur Razzaq ensured it was a canter at the end for the Hyderabad Heroes as they thrashed the Chandigarh Lions by nine wickets after Lou Vincent and Sarabjit Singh had given them a promising start. But in the end, it was all about converting those starts, as Maher and Razzaq completely dominated the Chandigarh attack.Maher set the tone, scoring two fours in the second over of the innings from Darrell Tuffey. And once Razzaq dispatched Amit Uniyal thrice to the boundary the very next over, Chandigarh were in for a tough time. Sedate in one over, and on the rampage the very next – this was the policy followed by the openers.Three consecutive boundaries off Tuffey in the sixth over prompted Chris Cairns to bring on the spinners early. But any hopes of Dinesh Mongia and Rakesh Sharma stemming the run flow quickly evaporated as both batsmen looked to be like men possessed. Razzaq took two sixes and a four off Mongia in the 11th over and Hyderabad reached 100 in the 14th over. And even though Razzaq departed with the score on 123, Maher and Ambati Rayudu safely guided Hyderabad home with ten balls to spare.This was always going to be a crucial match with both teams requiring much-needed breathing space at the top of the table, with four teams locked on four points. Two points from this match would mean the secure No. 3 spot in the points table.Sarabjit looked to have given Chandigarh the perfect start after they elected to bat, with a straight drive for four off the first ball of the match by Razzaq. Vincent also came down heavily on Syed Sahabuddin, dispatching him for two boundaries in the fourth over off identical shots – down on one knee and smashing it to fine leg.They raced to 39 at the end of the fourth over, which forced Chris Harris into an early change which paid off immediately. Inder Shekar Reddy’s second ball trapped Vincent plumb in front of middle stump while trying to paddle it towards the leg side.Hyderabad turned on the pressure as Chandigarh clearly looked to be struggling, with the run rate dipping with the fall of quick wickets. Cairns didn’t last long, caught superbly by Stuart Binny off Razzaq after having hit a boundary to long leg the previous ball. A double blow followed in Nicky Boje’s next over as Sarabjit held out to Justin Kemp while looking to up the scoring rate.The run rate fell from 8 to 6 by the 11th over as Chandigarh looked in damage control mode. TP Singh was a handed a lifeline by Reddy, who tipped over a catch at the deep square leg. But Reddy redeemed himself tin the very next over when Binny showed him how it’s done at deep midwicket.Mongia, the hero for Chandigarh many a time, was fast running out of partners. Harris and Boje tightened the noose. But even his 32-ball 38 wasn’t enough for Chandigarh to post a competitive score, ending on a disappointing.Chandigarh’s next game is against the in-form Royal Bengal Tigers and will need to step up their game if they harbour any hopes of making the semis. Hyderabad, on the other hand, can afford to relax for the time being.

Mike Procter has stood down as an ICC match referee to take up his new role as Cricket South Africa’s (CSA) convener of selectors.Procter, who officiated in 47 Tests, 154 ODIs and 15 Twenty20 internationals since becoming a match referee in 2002, will take up his new job on December 1 after completing his obligations with the ICC. His last two series will be between Pakistan and West Indies in Abu Dhabi, followed by Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka.”Speaking from personal experience I know that his new role as CSA’s convenor of selectors will be a challenging and rewarding one,” said ICC’s chief executive, Haroon Lorgat. “However, I also know that Mike will bring to it all the cricket wisdom he has acquired over more than 40 years of top-level involvement.”His starting date with CSA, arrived at after negotiations between us at the ICC and CSA chief executive Gerald Majola ahead of CSA’s announcement, allows Mike to complete his obligations as a match referee before assuming his new role.”This is important because it sets a definitive mark between the end of one job and the start of another and, in terms of Mike’s position as a match referee, it ensures the continued integrity and independence of that role.”

The second season of the ICL, comprising 41 matches across four venues, will start with an opening ceremony in Hyderabad on October 10. The nine teams will play each other once across the Indian venues of Hyderabad, Panchkula, Gurgaon and Ahmedabad, a new edition this year.”ICL’s first season produced some high quality cricket all-round, very impressive domestic young players have showcased some outstanding cricket,” said Kapil Dev, the ICL chairman. “With the new challenge emerging in the form of the Dhaka Warriors team, I am sure ICL’s season two will produce some nail-biting and heart-stopping moments.”During the opening weekend of matches, defending champions Hyderabad Heroes will take on runners-up Lahore Badshahs. The best-of-three finals will be played between November 13-16.

What’s in a name?
It was almost certain that Virender Sehwag would not play the series opener after injuring his left ankle during training yesterday. But come toss time, a local scorer included Sehwag’s name when he read out the respective XIs. Confusion broke out, as Mahendra Singh Dhoni, on television, said Sehwag was not playing. After a few moments, the issue was resolved in the press box. The manual scoreboard then listed medium-pacer Munaf Patel as P Patel, clearly another case of mistaken identity. Given India’s capitulation, Munaf probably wished it was his Gujarat state-mate Parthiv who was inked in for this game.Hip, hip, chest, chest
It was a while coming. Cricket in the subcontinent took a real fancy to cheerleaders with the advent of the Indian Premier League, where foreign dancers gyrated to the tunes of Bollywood hits to send testosterone levels into uncharted territory. And so, after a lukewarm Test series, the men who matter ushered a bevy of blonde and brunette beauties down to the Emerald Isle for the one-day leg of the tour. Glittering in bright yellow outfits, the cheerleaders flocked to various parts of the stadium and broke into a tizzy every time a boundary was hit or a wicket fell. Hips swayed, fists pumped, and the male fans lapped it up. Dambulla will never be the same again.Positively deceived
After warming up to Sri Lankan conditions with 171 from 121 balls in a practice game, Yuvraj Singh spoke about the need to be positive against Ajantha Mendis. With his trio of medium-pacers bowling accurately to keep India quiet, Mahela Jayawardene waited until the last over of the Powerplays to bring on Mendis. He beat Yuvraj with his first ball, before letting out a boisterous lbw appeal off the next. Yuvraj danced down and sent the third ball over long-on for six. Mendis kept his cool, went back to his mark, and let rip a quick slider. Yuvraj stretched well forward but left a gaping space between bat and pad for the ball to sneak through and disturb his stumps. Mendis raised his hand in celebration while a dumbfounded Yuvraj held his pose for an eternity. When reality set in, he gathered himself and moped off, eyes lingering on the giant screen. Mendis had made a complete fool of him in his first over in ODIs on home soil.Sway of the music
It took a while for a crowd to gather, but when they did, it was pure carnival time. A sea of yellow and blue flooded across the stadium, and frenzy was reached when a band piped near the press box. In no time, trumpets, bugles and drums meshed brilliantly with claps and cheers. The high point was when some Indian fans, the tri-colour draped around their shoulders, joined in with the Sri Lanka posse, led by the fanatic Percy Abeysekara – and the brass band started playing the evergreen Hindi hit tune, [‘This friendship, we will never break’]. Camaraderie doesn’t get better than that, never mind that Sri Lanka were thumping India on the field.Carry on Munaf
Munaf Patel, a bona fide No. 11, came to the middle in the 43rd over, with India at 117 for 9. Jayawardene set a slip and two catching fielders. Munaf had a poke at his first delivery, attempting to dab Muttiah Muralitharan to third man. It didn’t work, so he moved onto what he believed would be more productive than cheeky shots. Taking a hand off the bat handle, Munaf swept Murali for four. The crowd cheered, like the way Pakistani fans did for L Balaji in 2004, and Munaf obliged them with a monstrous six, struck off the sweet part of the bat. That shot wouldn’t have been out of place in a Major League Baseball game.

The eight-man ICC task force, set up to assess and monitor the security situation in the three venues hosting the Champions Trophy, will visit Pakistan between August 10 and 12, and not on August 15 as initially expected.Shafqat Naghmi, the PCB’s chief operating officer, told Cricinfo the change was the result of issues over timing and availability of those meant to visit. “There was some issue over timings and who could make it from the delegation and who would be present here in Pakistan.”They are expected anytime between 10-12 August now,” he said. “They will be here for a two-day visit and will go through the three venues.”There are some concerns, however, surrounding the timing of the visit, which takes place just before August 14th, Pakistan’s Independence Day. Security officials the task force is likely to meet are expected to be busy with preparations.The task force was constituted after a teleconference among top ICC officials on July 24, when it was decided that the Champions Trophy would go ahead in Pakistan as scheduled despite security concerns. The decision was met with reservations from the players’ associations from Australia, England, South Africa and New Zealand, who warned of player boycotts.The delegation will be led by David Morgan, the ICC president, and will include Sharad Pawar (vice-president), Haroon Lorgat (CEO), IS Bindra (principal advisor), Tim May, the chief executive of the Federation of International Cricketers’ Associations, representatives of ESPN-Star (the broadcasters of the event) and the board’s security consultants.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out

Mohammad Ashraful was left to rue his decision at the toss – on the sort of pitch where they had piled 300-plus the previous day, Bangladesh decided to field first and paid a heavy price as Sri Lanka, fired by some superb top-order batting by Kumar Sangakkara and Sanath Jayasuriya, piled a massive target before inflicting a heavy defeat.Chasing an insurmountable target, Bangladesh never seemed like waging a battle although a fourth-wicket stand of 78 between Mushfiqur Rahim and Raqibul Hasan played a major hand in delaying the inevitable. For a while the duo played with patience, character even tackled smartly the spin of Ajantha Mendis and Muttiah Muralitharan. But eventually, Muralitharan got the better of their grit, effectively ending the Bangladesh fight.Earlier the responsibility, once again, fell on Ashraful to play the multiple role of anchor, hustler and finisher. Yesterday, Ashraful had scored a composed century. Today, after his top edge was spilled by Jayasuriya, Ashraful went for a brash pull against a short ball from Dilhara Fernando. The umpire Simon Taufel thought the ball had brushed his gloves but the batsman started his walk with disbelief.If Bangladesh meandered towards defeat, Sri Lanka always seemed formidable with the bat. Such was the dominance of the Sri Lankans that rarely did their run rate drop below seven. Much of the credit went to the opening pair of Jayasuriya and Sangakkara, who quickly got into the groove once they had gauged that they had nothing to fear from the bowling or the pitch. What unfolded over the next hour was a spectacular batting display that resulted in a 116-run opening partnership, which was the perfect platform for the other batsmen to build on.It didn’t matter that this was the first time in two years the pair went out to open. After the World Cup, this was the seventh pair Sri Lanka had tried out and it proved decisive as it was the first century opening partnership since the 2006-07 New Zealand tour where Jayasuriya had successfully paired with Upul Tharanga.As Sangakkara caressed the ball to the boundary from close to his body, Jayasuriya cut hard, charged, pulled and hit at everything. Dolar Mahumud suffered the worst carnage as his second over was taken for 25 runs by Jayasuriya, which included two spectacular cuts on his toes past the point boundary.Bangladesh’s bowling was erratic to say the least. Apart from the dependable Mashrafe Mortaza and the left-arm spin of Abdur Razzak, the rest of the bowlers never stuck to the thumb rule of bowling to the fields. Time and again, Ashraful rushed to his bowlers, but as Sri Lanka’s final total indicated, that didn’t do much good.Sangakkara took command after Jayasuriya departed, bowled trying to cut Razzak’s spin. One of the highlights of the innings came in the 20th over, as Sangakkara clobbered five fours off Mahmud. The first ball was a wide, while the next one was smacked low by Sangakkara past mid-off. The next, a slower one, was swept to long leg for another boundary, after which he smacked one over the bowler’s head for the third four. Mahmud had a chance to make amends, but made a mess of a caught-and-bowled chance the next ball. Sangakkara celebrated by sending the last two balls – both of which drifted down the leg side – for fours as well to speed towards his eighth ODI hundred and the second this year.He accomplished that feat by pushing a single off legspinner Alok Kapali, whose first two balls were pulled for consecutive fours. He fell soon after, though – increasingly tired in the energy sapping heat, he miscued a pull to give Mahmudullah his only wicket.But Chamara Kapugedera made sure the momentum was never lost, as he piled an intelligent 74, stitching important partnerships with Chamara Silva and Tillakaratne Dilshan. He was especially severe on Kapali, regularly stepping down the pitch to loft.Sri Lanka now have the leisure of rotating the line-up in tomorrow’s final group-stage clash against UAE, while Bangladesh will enter the second round with mixed feelings.

Ricky Ponting has condemned the crowd behaviour in St Vincent that delayed the end of the opening one-day international by ten minutes. West Indies were nine down when Darren Sammy was correctly given out bowled, but the trouble began after Sammy waited near the boundary while the television umpire reviewed the decision.There was no big screen at the stadium and when Sammy, who had 33, left the field the crowd threw bottles and rubbish on to the arena. The dismissal was initially unclear but the replays showed the ball had brushed off stump before bouncing off the wicketkeeper Brad Haddin’s pads.During the crowd disturbance the Australians congregated on the pitch and were joined by James Hopes, who had been fielding on the boundary. “There’s no room for that in the international game,” Ricky Ponting told AAP of the incident. “Luckily today they did miss James, otherwise it could have been a bit nasty.”The rubbish was cleared by the local workers and the match finished with Australia recording an 84-run victory. Julian Jack, the St Vincent and the Grenadines Cricket Association president, said he was disappointed by the incident, but felt it was handled well.”We had more than 135 police at the ground,” he said. “When the trouble started, I thought they responded very quickly. This is the first time anything like this has happened in the 20 or so years that we have hosted international cricket.”It would seem the umpires may have made some decisions that were not in favour of the crowd, and the crowd then incorrectly took things into their own hands. It is disappointing that this happened, but at least no one was hurt and the outcome of the game wasn’t affected.”John Dyson, West Indies’ coach, told : “I don’t like to see bottle-throwing or anything thrown on the field at all. I like to see enthusiasm from the crowd and I like to see the crowd support both teams, but I don’t like to see anything thrown onto the field anywhere in the world.”I can’t tell what the crowd could see from where they are. The reaction was ‘wait, hang on’. At the instance of the decision being made, there was some doubt, and it was not instantaneous. There was consultation between the umpires, and it was just reaction what people saw. Once the umpire said Sammy was out, he left.”

Simon Katich has won the backing of the captain Ricky Ponting and one of the selectors, David Boon, as he aims to settle into the Test opening role after Matthew Hayden was forced home from the Caribbean due to injury. When Hayden missed the first Test in Kingston because of his achilles tendon problem, Katich opened but he failed to have much impact, scoring 12 and 1.The Sabina Park match was Katich’s first Test following two and a half years out of the team and an extended run in Hayden’s spot might allow him to calm his nerves. Ponting said Katich deserved another opportunity after he started well in the first innings against West Indies only to flash at a wide one outside off stump and drive a catch to gully.”He seemed to get a bit carried away in the first innings of the first Test,” Ponting wrote in the . “He was back in the Test team, sighting the ball well and he struck a few boundaries early and he just went for one that he should have left alone.”I had a good chat with him yesterday and he said he felt as good as ever at the crease in the second innings but he got one that surprised him a little with a bit of pace and a bit of inswing. He’s riding an incredible wave of confidence. He’s seeing the ball well and hitting it well and I am sure we will see him make some runs in the next game.”Katich’s recall came after a stunning 2007-08 domestic campaign in which he broke the record for most runs in a Pura Cup season. Although he generally bats at No. 3 for New South Wales he has opened for them on occasions. Justin Langer became a successful Test opener after jumping from No. 3 and Boon, who did the same, believes Katich can do a good job replacing Hayden.”I wouldn’t say it’s like versus like, but if you bat in the top three you should be able to open if required,” Boon told the paper. “It’s easier for an opener to go back down the order than it is for someone to go up and open, but if you bat in the top three, as long as you get it in your brain that you want to do it, it’s fine.”Katich also knows that he could be auditioning for an eventual full-time opening role after Chris Rogers, who made a one-off appearance against India at the WACA in January, lost his Cricket Australia contract. Hayden, 36, wants to play until at least next year’s Ashes tour, providing his fitness holds out.