Matthew Hayden is in danger of missing the third one-day match against New Zealand with a shoulder injury after re-sealing his spot with a satisfying hundred at Christchurch last night. Hayden, who was unable to collect the Man-of-the-Match award, ended the game with his right arm in a sling having left the field following a diving catch to remove Chris Cairns.The injury, a grade-one strain to the AC joint, is an untimely blow for Hayden in his successful comeback from being dropped for the two VB Series finals against Pakistan. Hayden collected 71 in the first match against New Zealand and 114 in the second to set up Australia’s 106-run win, which gave them a 2-0 lead in the five-match series.”It’s pretty sore, as you expect ten hours out from the injury,” Hayden told . “But as a gut feeling it’s probably a little bit better than I first anticipated.”Alex Kountouri, the team physiotherapist, will monitor Hayden’s improvement over the next two days before a decision is made on his fitness for Saturday’s game at Auckland. “There is a fair amount of swelling around the joint, so we will have a clearer picture as to how Matthew is progressing once that swelling subsides,” Kountouri said. “While there is some doubt over his chances to play in the third game, he certainly hasn’t been ruled out.”Cairns hit Andrew Symonds towards deep square leg and Hayden rubbed his shoulder as he stood up from the spectacular rolling catch. Hayden went quickly from the team huddle to the dressing room and his arm was put in a sling to ease pressure on the joint.

Scorecard

Tasmania collapsed from 4 for 284 to 319 all out, and surrendered the initiative to South Australia, who reached 3 for 242 at the end of the second day of their Pura Cup match at Adelaide Oval. Dan Cullen cleaned up the tail, and ended with 4 for 96, the best figures for South Australia.South Australia began their response shakily, losing Daniel Harris with just 13 runs on the board. But Shane Deitz was up to the task, and racked up an unbeaten 107 in 200 balls that set the stage for South Australia. Greg Blewett chipped in with 62, and Tasmania’s lead was whittled down to 77 as South Australia ended the day on 3 for 242.

The legal battle for control of Sri Lankan cricket has officially started after Thilanga Sumathipala’s executive committee – all appointed at Sunday’s AGM in defiance of the government’s suspension of the board – filed an application in a Court of Appeal. Sumathipala’s legal team requested an interim order to prevent the suspension of the board.The suspended executive committee has confronted Jeevan Kumaratunga’s surprise decision last week, claiming that the minister has been mislead by vested interests within the government, effectively pointing the finger of blame at Arjuna Ranatunga, now the deputy tourism minister, who has been a fierce critic of Sumathipala over the years.They have also challenged the right of the appointed six-man interim committee, headed by Jayantha Dharmadasa, to enter the board premises. The Colombo headquarters has been locked up and protected with extra security guards to prevent access to the board’s "immovable property". All employees have been sent home on leave.Meanwhile, Sri Lanka’s president Chandikra Kumaratunga has demanded an immediate report on the cricket board crisis, according to The Island newspaper. A ministry official was quoted as saying that a full report was being compiled outlining the chief reasons for the decision to suspend the board.The central reasons justifying the suspension in the official Gazette Order issued last Thursday include Sumathipala’s participation in ICC Executive Board meetings without ministerial permission in November and March and for "ineffective and improper financial management" leading to a massive $3.3 million loss last year.Sumathipala’s team has explained the heavy losses as the result of the cyclical nature of tour revenue and insisted that the financial future of the board is secure after their signing of a record $50 million broadcasting deal with Taj Television. They have also rubbished claims in the media by the sports minister of running an inflated salary bill.But potentially more serious to the suspended executive committee will be the alleged reimbursement to Sumathipala of $300,000 of Sri Lanka Cricket funds for personal legal and professional fees during the course of the year. Claims of excessive travelling by officials will also be investigated.In addition, the sports minister has accused Sumathipala of having links with the gambling industry, revealing to the BBC that he has been sent a detailed report from the ICC, which has set up a Code of Ethics inquiry to investigate his relationship to Sporting Star, a betting shop owned by his family.The board’s tsunami disaster fund Cricket-Aid, the brainchild of Sumathipala, has come under the spotlight too after newspaper allegations that the fund is not properly registered as an NGO. Critics have claimed that the setting up of a separate charity was unconstitutional under the present sports law.

The USA Cricket Association has named a 30-man squad for the forthcoming ICC Trophy but, as with most things connected with US cricket at the moment, the announcement immediately started a battle over who exactly had the right to pick the side.The old USACA board, led by the president Gladstone Dainty, chose the squad – and at the same time named the same management team which had overseen the USA’s participation in the Champions Trophy in England last September – but the alternative new board, backed by the Council of League Presidents, is believed to be about to tell the ICC that the side is not representative of the best players in the country. It is expected that a request will be made that the ICC does not recognise the selections until the ongoing disputes over who actually runs US cricket are resolved.Critics were quick to point out that the side contains many of the players who were condemned for their performances in the Champions Trophy. That team was also labelled as a virtual Dad’s Army, given the average age of the players. Another surprise is the inclusion of Imran Awan, the player who returned home early from the tournament in circumstances which have never been fully explained.

The residence of Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi, in a posh south Delhi locality, was raided by police on Tuesday and one of the two vehicles – a blue Maruti Gypsy – employed in the alleged poaching of an endangered black buck last week was seized.A First Information Report was registered against Pataudi and seven others on Monday, and the authorities had asked them to report to Jhajjar police for investigation. The deadline has been extended to 5pm on June 10, failing which they could be arrested.Pataudi, the former Indian cricket captain, finds himself facing arrest after the carcass of the endangered species of antelope was found in the boot of his car. Pataudi, who captained India in 40 of his 46 Tests, was one of eight people held by police in the north Indian state of Haryana.According to the Press Trust of India, he had been charged under sections 9, 39 and 51 of the Wildlife Protection Act 1972, after a rare black buck, and two rabbits, were found during a routine police check in Jhajjar on Friday night.Police sources added that two guns, 50 cartridges and two search lights had also been recovered. If found guilty of the offence, Pataudi, 64, could face up to seven years in prison.Nicknamed “Tiger”, Pataudi was born into a Muslim royal family in Madhya Pradesh in 1941, and was appointed as India’s captain at the age of 21. He scored 2793 runs in a 13-year Test career, although that tally might have been significantly greater had he not suffered near-blindness in his right eye, after a car accident while at Oxford University.

2nd day
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsAfter declaring at 458 for 8, led by Zander de Bruyn’s 134, the Titans and a few diehard SuperSport Park supporters were given a lesson in aggressive batting with Davey Jacobs’s excellent 149 off 134 balls, sending the ball to the boundary on 21 occasions and clearing it a further five times. His dominance with the bat was evident when Gerhardus Liebenberg contributed only 22 to their century partnership, while Boeta Dippenaar contributed 31 to the second-wicket hundred stand. Dippenaar will continue on day three with 34 on the board.2nd day
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsAt Kingsmead, after dismissing JP Duminy for 112, the Dolphins made quick work of the tail to restrict WPBOL to 346. Mfuneko Ngam, having spent most of the day on the physiotherapist’s table, returned to take two wickets with the 16 balls he bowled on day two. Shaun Pollock finished with four while Lance Klusener, Johann Louw and Ngam took two each. Dolphins struggled to 133 for five before Pollock (52*) and Hashim Amla (106) recovered the innings to 236 for six. A lot of hard work remains for the Dolphins to save the game.2nd day
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsA concerted batting effort from the Lions, scoring 375 with Werner Coetsee undefeated on 70, made way for their bowlers who also got in on the act as the Warriors faltered with very little fight to be struggling at 134 for seven when bad light brought an end to their misery. In trouble at 46 for four, Mark Boucher and Pieter Strydom put up some token resistance but wickets fell at constant intervals to leave them floundering at the end of the day. With very little batting to come Strydom will have to dig deep to get his team back into the game.

The graded-payment system for India’s international cricketers could be implemented soon. Jagmohan Dalmiya, president of the Indian board, has announced that the BCCI and the players have agreed on the details of the new system.Speaking to the media after meeting the players in New Delhi, Dalmiya said: “We’ve agreed on all the points and nothing more is left to discuss. It’ll now be sent to the board’s lawyers who’ll give it legal shape. The details are confidential. Nobody is in a hurry to implement it.” According to a report in the Times of India, sources in the board indicated that the new contracts will be implemented before India’s tour of Australia later this year.The players were represented by Sourav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, Anil Kumble, Virender Sehwag, Zaheer Khan and Harbhajan Singh, while Dalmiya, Amrit Mathur, the media manager, and Ratnakar Shetty, joint secretary of the BCCI, represented the board.Under the new system, the players would be slotted into one of three grades, and would receive an annual retainer fee. For players in the top grade, the sum is expected to be Rs 60 lakhs (US$130,000 approx), while those in the second and third tiers would receive Rs 30 lakhs and Rs 15 lakhs. The team would also receive bonuses for wins – with the amount varying according to the rank of the opposition – while every defeat would result in a penalty which would be deducted from the match fee.

Titans 353 (de Villiers 124, Cullinan 99, Peterson 5-118, Kops 4-74) lead Warriors 165 (Steyn 5-30, Mbhalati 3-37) and 0 for 0 by 188 runs
ScorecardWicketkeeper-batsman AB de Villiers scored his second hundred of the season as the Titans pushed towards a lead over the Warriors at Buffalo Park. With his name already being bandied about for higher honours, this innings will do him no harm at all.After an early start to the second day, the Titans needed only four overs to take the final Warrior wickets, with Dale Steyn taking the first five-wicket haul of his career to reduce Warriors to 165.De Villiers opened the Titans innings, and showed scant regard for the likes of Makhaya Ntini and Mornantau Hayward, scoring a chanceless 124 as wickets fell around him. At 91 for 3, Daryll Cullinan came to the crease and together the pair added 123 before de Villiers gave Brent Kops his third wicket. Cullinan showed that he is still the fluent strokemaker of old, while Albie Morkel once again slapped the ball to all parts of the ground.Morkel tried once too often to clear the field, holing out for64, and Cullinan chipped a catch to midwicket for an excellent 99. Robin Peterson cashed in with 5 for 118 as the Titans looked for extra bonus points, while Brent Kops walked off with a tidy 4 for 74 as the Titans ended on 353, a lead of 188.The Warriors managed to face one over, without scoring, when lightintervened.Western Province Boland 206 (Kruis 5-57) v Eagles 202 for 5 (Willoughby3-50)
ScorecardCon de Lange top scored for Western Province Boland with 43, asthey nursed their score along to 206 at Newlands. DeonKruis, the Eagles seamer, took his second five-wicket haul of theseason as he picked up three of the last five wickets to fall.On a difficult pitch, the Eagles made a good start through a stand of 52 between Davey Jacobs and Gerhardus Liebenberg, but they then collapsed to 102 for 5 before Boeta Dippenaar and Nicky Boje got things back on track. They took the score to 202 for 5 with Dippenaar on 66 and Boje on 48 when stumps was called.Lions 361 for 8 (McKenzie 100, Hall 51*, Benkenstein 3-27) v Dolphins
ScorecardAndrew Hall put some spark into a rain-dampened match between the Dolphins and the Lions at Durban. After a morning where runs had been at a premium, Hall came out and showed that the pitch was conducive to scoring runs, stroking his way to 64 off 100 balls. HD Ackerman had scored a painfully slow 48 in 287 minutes while Neil McKenzie laboured his way to 100 in 387 minutes. Together they added 144 in 63.2 overs.It was Dale Benkenstein who engineered the breakthrough as he took three wickets before rain mercifully forced the players off the field for 65 minutes. On resumption Hall and David Terbrugge put on 113 for the ninth wicket with Terbrugge passing his previous best of 35 before bad light ended play with the Lions on a tedious 361 for 8.

Sourav Ganguly is expected to rest himself for India’s next league match against Bangladesh, on April 16, so as not to aggravate his back injury. Zaheer Khan, who suffered a hamstring strain in the last match against South Africa, is expected to be rested until the finals.Virender Sehwag will lead the Indian team in Ganguly’s absence. Sehwag has never been in the captaincy stakes before this, but has got his chance now due to a number of senior players missing this series – including Rahul Dravid, the vice-captain.The Indian team management are considering promoting Parthiv Patel to the opener’s slot, with Sehwag coming in at No. 3. Ganguly’s absence will also give an opportunity to either Sanjay Bangar or Abhijit Kale.Ganguly had said before the series started that he wanted to give all the newcomers in the team a chance to play. But his willingness to rest surely also comes from India’s secure position in this series, with a place in the final virtually assured.Zaheer’s absence will not be felt either. In conditions ideal for spin, India is likely to continue playing two spinners, and both Ajit Agarkar and Avishkar Salvi have been impressive with the new ball in this series so far.

The West Indies Cricket Board has accepted a recommendation for their members to integrate women’s cricket into their operations by June 30 next year. The recommendations were made by the board’s Integration Steering Committee (ISC) which met for the first time on June 22 and presented their report to the board at the Directors meeting in St Maarten earlier this month.As a result of the WICB’s move, all future women’s tournaments will be held under the auspices of the WICB. The ISC was established by the Board and the West Indies Women’s Cricket Federation to guide the integration of the two organisations, in keeping with a decision taken two years ago by the International Cricket Council (ICC) and the International Women’s Cricket Council (IWCC) for merging the cricket organisations.Women’s international cricket became officially integrated with the men’s game under the auspices of the ICC after the Women’s World Cup in South Africa earlier this year. The board has accepted another recommendation that will see the establishment of a Cricket Committee for women’s cricket to oversee women’s cricket under the auspices of the WICB.This committee will make recommendations to the WICB Development Committee for future women’s cricket initiatives.