South Africa and West Indies will kick off their five-match one-day series with only two points separating them in the LG ICC ODI Championship. This means that the winner of the series will almost certainly finish as the higher ranked side.South Africa are currently fifth in the rankings with a rating of 107 and will climb above Pakistan to fourth if they win the series 4-1 or 5-0. A 3-2 win for South Africa will ensure that they hold on to fifth spot.West Indies, currently sixth, need a whitewash if they harbour thoughts of moving higher than South Africa and Pakistan in the table. If they claim the series 4-1, they will overtake South Africa while a 3-2 win could also be enough for to move into the fifth spot if the order of the victories go their way.As far as individual rankings go, Ramnaresh Sarwan, currently second, gets a chance to close in on Ricky Ponting, the leader, while Jacques Kallis, Graeme Smith and Brian Lara will also be looking to consolidate their positions in the top 10. Shaun Pollock is the only player from the two teams currently in the top ten of the bowlers’ list but Makhaya Ntini, at 11th place, could well change that over the course of the series.

Kirsten Pike and Sarah Edwards have replaced the experienced duo of Melanie Jones and Louise Broadfoot in Australia’s World Cup-winning squad for the Women’s Ashes series in August. The axing of Jones, who has played five Tests and 61 ODIs, was the biggest surprise in the 14-woman outfit.Margaret Jennings, the chair of selectors, said it was necessary to consider “succession planning” with changes expected over the next 18 months. “That means injecting some new, untried players, and allowing them to learn from our experienced core group so that the changing in guard is smooth,” she said. “We had to make some tough decisions.”Jennings said Jones’s form had been mixed in the past two tours and they were seeking a player with more consistency. “The door is not closed for Melanie or Louise in terms of re-selection,” she said. Broadfoot, the legspinner who made her international debut in 2000, was considered surplus to the slow bowling requirements in England.Pike is a 20-year-old medium-pacer from Queensland while Edwards opens the batting for Victoria. “They have been given an opportunity to impress and we are keen to see what they are capable of at the next level,” Jennings said.The squad leaves for the two-Test series in July to defend the Ashes, a trophy they have not lost since 1963. Australia, who hold a 29-6 limited-overs advantage, will also play a one-day tournament against England and a Twenty20 match. Three games against Ireland are also scheduled.Australia squad Belinda Clark (Vic, capt), Karen Rolton (SA, vc), Alex Blackwell (NSW), Kate Blackwell (NSW), Sarah Edwards (Vic), Cathryn Fitzpatrick (Vic), Julie Hayes (NSW), Lisa Keightley (NSW), Emma Liddell (NSW), Shelley Nitschke (SA), Kirsten Pike (Qld), Julia Price (Qld), Clea Smith (Vic), Lisa Sthalekar (NSW).

Daren Ganga, the captain of the West Indies A team, said that it would bea great psychological boost for his senior side if the A team could perform well and beat Sri Lanka A in the upcoming ‘Test’ and one-day series.”I am sure it is going to give our senior side a lot of confidence if we can come out on top of the series against Sri Lanka A,” said Ganga at a press conference held at Sri Lanka Cricket headquarters yesterday soon after the West Indies A team arrived for a month long tour.”The fact that some of the players will be considered for selection to the senior team on their performances in the series is a motivation for us to do well as a team,” said Ganga. “Doing well here is going to do you a whole lot of good to your career. Every single player in this team is on the fringe of playing for West Indies, some have alreadydone so.”The senior West Indies team, led by Shivnarine Chanderpaul, is expected to arrive on July 1 to play two Tests and take part in a seven-match one-day triangular with Sri Lanka and India.”Five to seven guys have been here before with the senior team. Some like Jermaine Lawson have been here with the Under-19 World Cup side. We have spoken already of what we are going to encounter and we have worked out ways of dealing with the Sri Lankan opposition. We are quite aware that it is not going to be easy,” said Ganga. “The Sri Lanka A team is playing at home and they have got a nice blend of experience and youth. It is going to be a challenge for us to put our best foot forward. I am sure that when the series is over we’ll come out on top.”Ganga said the team was selected on performance in the Caribbean first-class competition and comprised ten Test players and three who had appeared in one-day internationals. “It is a very experienced and emerging team,” said Ganga, a 26-year-old right-handed opener who has played in 31 Tests and 28 one-day internationals for West Indies.”These young players have been given the opportunity to impress the West Indian selectors. Knowing that the West Indies senior side will be here for a full tour, all the members of our team are looking forward to do well,” said Ganga. “They want to impress the selectors and come July when the team is finalised they will want to be in the senior side. It is a very important tour for all of us.”Russel Arnold, the captain of the Sri Lanka A team, said that although their preparations had been hampered by bad weather his team was “really fit” and looking forward to taking on the West Indies in the contests ahead.”There are a few West Indies players who have played here before like Daren Ganga, Marlon Samuels. We do know some of the players. There are a few newcomers also as time goes by we will get to know them better,” said Arnold. “We have always wanted to represent the national team. That is the end result we want from A series. This is a very good opportunity for me to really impress the selectors. I am very happy with my form and the way things have been going in the past few months. I am looking forward to going out there and getting a few good scores behind me.”The first of three four-day unofficial Tests starts on Thursday at Dambulla. The second Test is scheduled to begin on June 28 at Colts grounds and the third starts on July 5 at the Saravanamuttu Stadium. Five one-day limited-over matches will follow this series from July 11-19.

Harbhajan Singh conceded that India had an uphill task to get back in the game, but expressed his happiness at taking a five-wicket haul. Here’s what he had to say after close of play on the second day of the Bangalore Test:

On the state of the game
Australia batted really well, and we have to do something special tomorrow to get back into the game.On Michael Clarke’s innings
Clarke played a sensible innings. He’s a good young player who uses his feet well, and even though he’s playing his first game, he’s very confident.On his passionate reaction after dismissing Adam Gilchrist
It was good to take that wicket. I was glad to break the partnership, because it had been great for Australia but not so good for us. I reacted with anger, because I like to be fired up. Sometimes you play best when you’re angry, but sometimes it doesn’t work.On the state of the pitch
The wicket was difficult to bowl on, because we were not getting much response from it. On the first day it was good for batting, but now it’s turning a bit but is still slow. We’ll have to see how it goes in the second innings. We have the kind of batsmen and the right bowling attack to put Australia under pressure.On the reminder his haul sends to Australia
To take five wickets was definitely a boost to my confidence. It was my first Test back after injury, and five wickets is always good, especially against Australia. It doesn’t matter how you play or how many runs you concede, it always lifts the confidence, and it will be fun to play in the next match and the next innings. I can’t predict what will happen next, but to get five wickets is always special.On whether India can turn it around
That all depends on how we bat in the second innings. We have done it before, and we’ll be doing our best to make a game of it. You never know, we could be capable of doing it again. The key is to stay positive, and play to our potential. If we can do that, then no matter how the wicket breaks up, we’ll hold on.On the impact of Glenn McGrath’s early wickets
McGrath is a great bowler, and his wickets came at a very good time for Australia. It was very good for him, but not for us.

Shabbir Ahmed, the Pakistan bowler, has been suspended from international cricket after an International Cricket Council (ICC) report sent to the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) which said that his bowling action exceeds the permissible limit for straightening of the arm. reported that Saleem Altaf, PCB director of cricket operations, announced that according to the ICC report, Shabbir straightens his elbow up to 27 degrees, while the ICC’s permissible limit is 15. “The tests Ahmed underwent prove that his bowling action is beyond the tolerance limits of 15 degrees allowed at international level,” Altaf told AFP. “Shabbir is an asset for us and we will fight his case. The two options available to us are that we can have a second opinion on his action or we can go to the bowling action review group to contest his case.”Unless his action is cleared, Shabbir will not be allowed to play in the England-Pakistan series this October. “I am very disappointed, but I will get my bowling action rectified and try my level best to be available for the home series against England,” said Shabbir, quoted in . He also said that he had no information about the report. “I will see him [Altaf] on Friday and will follow the guidelines of the board in this connection.”Shabbir has been reported for a faulty action three times in his career, the most recent occasion being the first Test of Pakistan’s tour of the West Indies in May 2005. He was reported by the umpires, David Shepherd, Darrell Hair, Basil Morgan – the TV umpire – and Ranjan Madugalle, the match referee. Shabbir, however, was allowed to bowl in the second Test of the series. He appeared before Dr Paul Hurrian, who is on the ICC panel, in England on June 11 on his way back to Pakistan from the West Indies.According to the new rules introduced by the ICC in March 2005, bowlers are allowed to straighten their arms up to 15 degrees. If a bowler is reported by match officials for a suspect action, an ICC-appointed expert analyses the action. After the analysis, if the action is still found to be faulty, the bowler is immediately suspended. ICC rules state that a bowler will be banned for a year if he is reported twice within two years.Inzamam-ul-Haq, the Pakistan captain, said that the PCB should be vigilant and solve this problem at the first-class level. He added that Shabbir had been bowling well and hoped that he would be available for the series against England. “We will make an effort to get him cleared as we did in the case of Shoaib Malik in the recent past,” Inzamam said. “I do hope that Shabbir will be available for selection for the home series against England.”

Scorecard andball-by-ball details
How they were out

India entered the final of the IndianOil Cup after scoring a tense seven-run victoryover West Indies in Colombo. A century by Yuvraj Singh and a well-paced knockby Mohammad Kaif helped India reach 262 for 4, the tournament¹s highestscore, following which a fatal mixture of mounting run-rate and inexperiencesaw the West Indians stumble out of the competition.Denesh Ramdin, let off luckily when he was caughtplumb in front by Anil Kumble off his first ball, fought until the end, striking boundaries andinventing strokes to throw the bowlers off. Ashish Nehra went at seven anover, Zaheer Khan narrowly evaded being called off for bowling beamers.Ramdin ended unbeaten on 74, an admirable knock from a man who had keptflawlessly in the sweltering heat all afternoon. He followed Runako Morton,whose controlled 84 kept West Indies in the running until the final stretch,even while wickets fell all around him. In between there was Dwayne Smith, whocrashed 26 off 12 before Kumble did him in.Ramdin¹s wonderful innings was a fluent one, full of fight, and while hestruggled to comprehend Kumble’s variations, he persisted and dealtwith the more straightforward bowlers with ease. Most batsmen before himfailed to do even this, though their troubles against Kumble wereanticipated. Kumble has a way with newcomers unused to this brand oflegspin; they remain motionless in their crease, trapped by indecision, andare easily undone by a man who preys on uncertain minds. He dismissed threeof them in a flash, and would have had three more if Daryl Harper saw what he, the fielders, the television, and Hawk-Eye all saw; straightforward decisions were turned down, and this assisted West Indies’ survival. It is debatable whether the match would have run this close otherwise. Against a team more capable of grabbing chances, India could have suffered dearly. In any case, Rahul Dravid bowled Kumble through his quota in one go, and then watched Nehra and Yuvraj leak runs to the tune of 82 in 12 overs.But Yuvraj was India¹s man of the hour earlier, and Kaif his support, whenthe team had effectively lost four batsmen and were in trouble. At 51 for 3,with Dravid, Virender Sehwag and VVS Laxman out, and Sourav Ganguly inhospital after a short delivery thudded into an unprotected arm, Yuvraj andKaif had quite a task ahead. Neither the flow of the game nor their formfavoured them. But bit by bit, they pulled it India’s way with pinched runsand angled bats that frustrated and deflated West Indies. The slower bowlerswere nudged and pushed for singles and once the time for acceleration came,the two managed it seemingly without effort. The India of the 1990s had AjayJadeja and Robin Singh to fight fires and twist thrust swords. This team hasthese two. They were followed by Mahendra Singh Dhoni, whose daring againstTino Best’s 140kph deliveries – a sweep, for example – added a touch ofbravado to the Indian innings. The last ten overs yielded 89 runs. But thefirst ten had seemed a repeat of India’s most recent experiences in SriLanka: India managed only 24 for 2.But it was the bowlers’ accuracy and persistence that forced Ganguly’s injury andthe general unease early in the innings. They weren’t exactly the fearsome four, theterrible three or even an ominous one, but Daren Powell, Deighton Butler andBest put on a fine show to have India hopping and falling about theircrease.Sylvester Joseph, the West Indies stand-in captain after ShivarineChanderpaul pulled out due to illness, began with an attack of Powell’s paceand Butler’s swing. Sehwag and Ganguly both lost control of their feet asballs swung late and rose awkwardly. Powell, in particular, alternatedbetween aiming for the stumps and Ganguly’s ribcage. Butler rapped Sehwag’spads twice and even bowled him off a no-ball, but was finally lucky with histhird appeal. After a brief stay Laxman nick one, and Dravid played aloose stroke on to his stumps.India became the second international team to walk off a cricketfield relieved today, but West Indies ran them far closer than they would have liked. The final, two days away, is an opportunity to start afresh.

IndiaVVS Laxman c Ramdin b Powell 7 (21 for 1)
Virender Sehwag lbw Butler 6 (21 for 2)
Rahul Dravid b Banks 10 (51 for 3)
Yuvraj Singh c Best b Deonarine 110 (216 for 4)
West IndiesXavier Marshall lbw Pathan 19 (37 for 1)
Sylvester Joseph c Harbhajan b Pathan 4 (44 for 2)
Narsingh Deonarine c Kumble b Nehra 6 (59 for 3)
Omari Banks lbw Kumble 6 (70 for 4)
Dwayne Smith lbw Kumble 26 (98 for 5)
Ricardo Powell c (sub) Rao b Kumble 4 (112 for 6)
Runako Morton c Dravid b Nehra 84 (195 for 7)
Tino Best b Sehwag 3 (208 for 8)
Deighton Butler run out (Kaif) 9 (240 for 9)
Deighton Butler run out (Kaif) 9 (240 for 9)

Shane Watson, the Australia allrounder, will finally make his debut for Queensland in the ING Cup match against South Australia at Adelaide on Sunday. Returning from the India tour last week after playing in the one lead-up game, Watson will represent his home state after spending three seasons in Tasmania boosting his international prospects.Watson, 23, is the only change to the Bulls team that defeated the Redbacks two weeks ago and he will replace the fast bowler Shane Jurgensen. The left-handed batsman Brendan Nash, a replacement for the injured Martin Love against South Australia, has retained his spot.A Greg Blewett back problem has forced South Australia to name a 13-man squad and he faces a fitness test later this week. Following the retirement of Mick Miller and the omission of Mark Higgs, the Redbacks have named two uncapped players in Chris Duval, the 21-year-old Northern Districts fast bowler, and the batsman Jack Smith.Queensland Jimmy Maher (c), Andy Bichel, James Hopes, Brendan Nash, Ashley Noffke, Aaron Nye, Clinton Perren, Craig Philipson, Wade Seccombe, Chris Simpson, Andrew Symonds, Shane Watson.South Australia Graham Manou (c), John Davison, Nathan Adcock, Greg Blewett, Ben Cameron, Mark Cleary, Matthew Weeks, Mark Cosgrove, Chris Duval, Callum Ferguson, Ryan Harris, Jack Smith, Shaun Tait.South Australia have made one addition to the Pura Cup side that beat Victoria, with Nathan Adcock coming in for Matthew Weeks for the match against Queensland, which starts in Adelaide on November 9.South Australia Pura Cup squad Graham Manou (c), Paul Rofe, Dan Cullen, Nathan Adcock, Callum Ferguson, Greg Blewett, Ben Cameron, Mark Cleary, Mark Cosgrove, Tom Plant, Jack Smith, Shaun Tait.

Ross Emerson, whose no-balling of Muttiah Muralitharan at Adelaide in 1999 caused a near melt-down, has turned his back on cricket, blaming the lack of support from the game as the reason for his disenchantment.”Cricket gave me the arse, didn’t they? I didn’t have a future in cricket, so I retired a year after Adelaide,” Emerson said to . “They sacked me from the next two games and then just didn’t reappoint me.” It wasn’t the first time Emerson had called Muralitharan. It had happened earlier, during the infamous tour in 1995-96, when Darrell Hair no-balled him seven times. Ten days after the incident, Emerson called him in a one-dayer. The tour initiated an acrimonious relationship between Muralitharan and Australian crowds, and matters came to a head when Muralitharan reacted to comments ascribed to the Australian Prime Minister.Emerson refused to comment on the new bowling recommendation, and said he enjoyed his new role as the president of Swimming Western Australia. “Swimming has helped fill the void cricket left,” said Emerson. “I love the swimming job and it means I’m present when my daughters are swimming. I’m actually able to be a father again, rather than travelling around.”

Nathan Reardon, the 20-year-old allrounder, has been catapulted into Queensland’s ING Cup season opener against New South Wales on Friday following an injury to Chris Simpson. Simpson was named in both the one-day and four-day squads yesterday, but was ruled out this morning with a side strain that prevented him from batting at the weekend.”We were confident that Chris was going to be right but following discussions with the medical staff it was felt it would be an unnecessary risk this early in the season,” Ray Phillips, the chairman of selectors, said. Reardon, a rookie-contracted player, is expected to make his debut as the side’s super sub as the competition adopts the ICC’s one-day rules for the first time.A left-handed batsman and right-arm medium-pace bowler, Reardon has enjoyed a successful off-season that has included impressive performances on tour for the Commonwealth Bank Centre of Excellence in India and Sri Lanka.Queensland ING Cup squad
1 Jimmy Maher (capt), 2 James Hopes, 3 Andrew Symonds, 4 Clinton Perren, 5 Brendan Nash, 6 Chris Simpson, 7 Chris Hartley (wk), 8 Andy Bichel, 9 Nathan Hauritz, 10 Mitchell Johnson, 11 Michael Kasprowicz, 12 Nathan Reardon.New South Wales
1 Phil Jaques, 2 Matthew Phelps, 3 Dominic Thornely, 4 Corey Richards, 5 Ed Cowan, 6 James Packman, 7 Brad Haddin (capt, wk), 8 Aaron O’Brien, 9 Matthew Nicholson, 10 Nathan Bracken, 11 Doug Bollinger, 12 Stuart Clark.

Rahul DravidOn South Africa and their match-winners
They have a good team and it will be interesting to see how they fare in these conditions. Rather than focusing on individual players, we have to look at their whole team. And more importantly, focus on things which we want to do – focus on our processes, our strategies to counter what they throw at us.On the No.3 slot which has seen a lot of experimentation
To be honest everyone’s got this No.3 fancy. Dhoni played at four in the last game so it’s not only at No.3 that we have changed things. In the first game, Yuvraj Singh batted ahead of me when I thought the situation demanded it. Yuvraj played at four in Pune and other places and everyone’s got excited over this No.3. The whole thing about us is we are trying to be a bit flexible, trying to provide guys with new challenges irrespective of the numbers they are batting at. So we will just see what is best combination for the side tomorrow. We did not look to be flexible in the number three area; we are trying to be flexible all round, all through our batting order and even in the bowling department.On whether rankings count in one-day cricket
They don’t necessarily mean that, like we showed, number seven is inferior to number two. It is important what your performances are on that particular day irrespective what your number is. Yes, the rankings are a reflection of your performances in the last year, year and a half or two years. What the rankings reflect is that just because you are number two, you don’t have a right to beat number three tomorrow. You have to play well to beat anyone. We have not done well for a while so that is why we are at the bottom of the table but if we keep doing well, we’ll push our way up.On what will he tell his team
More of the same actually. I would like them to look to grow as a team, grow as players and not worry about the results – only try and get better as a team and that is going to be one of our goals.On the fact that the fifth bowler has not been tested in the series against Sri Lanka
They were tested in Jaipur. Then, they (Lanka) chased 280- odd to win at Ahmedabad. We just try and make the best use of the Supersub. It might not always work. The Supersub tends to get loaded in favour of the team winning the toss. We need to have a bit of luck with the Supersub to be honest.Graeme SmithOn the new boy, Johan Botha
He’s more attacking than most we’re used to. He gets good turn and has variations. But there’s no pressure on him. It’s not make-or-break for him. By 2007, he’ll be ready to win matches for us. Who knows, he might win us the game tomorrow, he’s that sort of guy.On how they will counter India’s top-order batting
I think India are looking at a group of 20 or so. They have some explosive batsmen, but with the ball hard and new, we’ll look to get at them early. We have some plans of our own.On meeting another in-form side
India’s always a challenge but the boys are mentally ready. In these conditions, you need a bit of luck. I think the toss will be very important. But we have to concentrate on our gameplan.On the minimal preparation
These days, the schedules are that way. We go to Australia two days after we return from here. But we’ve made the best use of the three days we got here to prepare.