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A day after meeting Delhi & Districts Cricket Association (DDCA) president Arun Jaitley, Virender Sehwag has maintained that there are discrepancies in the selection process at the lower level but hopes that his suggestions to the Delhi administrators will be implemented soon.”If you look at the Indian team, I don’t think there is any need to give any suggestions because it’s the merit that matters,” Sehwag said. “Whoever performs, gets picked. There is never an instance where somebody has not performed and got picked.”It [unfair selections] happens at lower levels and I have given some suggestions to DDCA and I hope that my suggestions would be implemented soon and the results would be seen in near future.”Sehwag said Jaitley had assured him during the meeting that selectors with “ethics, integrity and spine” would be appointed. “I am happy to note that Jaitley has stressed on the need to have selectors with ethics, integrity and spine. Following this resolve, I am sure that those on the fringe and aspiring to play for the Delhi can now hope for a fair deal.”The Indian batsman had led a protest against the DDCA, accusing its sports committee of indulging in nepotism and corruption and his stand had been supported by Delhi team-mates like Gautam Gambhir, Ishant Sharma and Ashish Nehra.However, Sehwag said being a senior player he felt “morally bound” to set things in order as the malpractices were required to be addressed without delay. “I would like to reiterate that I would love to continue to serve Delhi cricket in the improved environment,” he said. “It has been a matter of great pride to be part of the cricketing legacy of the capital. That’s why, I felt most hurt unfair practices creep in the selection matters and the voices of deserving names were not heard.”Fair selection is what every sportsperson, whether promising or proven, hopes for. Having noticed an unacceptable trend that was setting in selection matters in Delhi, I thought it was time to raise the issue. I am glad it was taken in the spirit in which it was meant.”Sehwag also told selectors not to succumb to pressure and approach higher authorities in case somebody interfered in their job. “Serious cricketers have, for years, regretted the role played by the members of DDCA sports committee in selection matters. This continued interference or pressure in the sports committee on the selectors to influence the selection of some undeserving names at the expense of deserving ones must end at once. I request the selectors in all age groups to resist pressures. If they are subjected to any pressure, they should immediately bring it to the notice of the DDCA president.”Indian batsman Yuvraj Singh also supported Sehwag’s views on the selection process. “Sehwag has raised a voice and everybody is with him and we have the highest hope,” Yuvraj said. “There were instances where I performed but was not picked. Such unfair practices hurt the careers of young cricketers and shatter their dreams. So I think the selection should be done keeping every player’s performance in contention.”

All of the build-up to Sky Sports’ coverage of this summer’s Ashes has centred on the fact that they have landed the big one – Shane Warne is the face of their “Australian summer”, with a string of high-profile adverts promoting the fact that he will be offering up his pearls of wisdom as one of the lead commentators for the series, alongside the likes of Ian Botham and Nasser Hussain.However, the series is already into its third day, and while Warne’s parents, Keith and Bridget, have made it to Cardiff to witness the first ever Test at the venue (a prospect that Warne himself denounced as “a disgrace” back in May), their errant son is nowhere to be seen.Instead, he has spent the week blazing a trail at the prestigious World Series of Poker tournament in Las Vegas, where his renowned attributes of spin, showmanship, bluffing and opponent-reading have been standing him in impressive, and lucrative, stead. On July 8, just as Cardiff was becoming the 100th Test venue in the world, Warne was celebrating his progression to Friday’s day three of the WSOP, as one of 607 survivors from his half of the second-day draw, and one of 2044 overall.As many as 6,494 players stumped up the initial US$10,000 buy-in for the first round of the World Championship no-limit hold’em event, which was established back in 1970 and has gone on to become, much like the Ashes, the game’s indisputed blue-riband contest. Past winners have included Phil “The Poker Brat” Hellmuth and Chris “Jesus” Ferguson, and the accompanying WSOP Bracelet is the game’s most coveted badge of honour.The final table of this year’s tournament takes place on July 15 – which, coincidentally, is the eve of the second Test at Lord’s. Sky officials remain adamant that Warne will eventually arrive to fulfil his contractual obligations, but he is reported to have a sizeable stack of 173,700 chips to carry him into the sharp end of the competition, having just missed out on the prizemoney in the 2008 event. Given that the 2009 winner is expected to take home more than US$10 million, by the end of the week, there may be no easy way to persuade him to return to England.In between hands, Warne’s schedule has involved hanging out with the likes of the rap star Nelly and the Hollywood actor Matt Damon, and he has caused further “tittle-tattle” – in the words of one Sky insider – with rumours of his off-table reconciliation with his ex-wife Simone Callahan and their three children.On Sunday, ahead of the second round of the WSOP, Warne and Callahan were spotted at the Wimbledon Men’s Final in London, after the couple flew back to Britain for a Twenty20 fixture between Warne’s IPL side, Rajasthan Royals, and Middlesex. The match was billed as his final competitive fixture at Lord’s, and Warne claimed four-over figures of 1 for 24 in a 46-run victory, but the idea of getting back involved in cricket could hardly have been further from his mind, as he revealed in his blog last week.”On Wednesday night we had our 888 launch party at the Kingpin suite at The Palms,” he wrote. “The room had a two-lane bowling alley and pool table which was awesome. I’ll have to fly to London tomorrow for an exhibition cricket match and then will return on Tuesday morning for Day 2 – any offers of a private plane are welcome!”

Match facts

Sunday, June 28, 2009
Start time 09.30 (14.30 GMT)

The Big Picture

Shivnarine Chanderpaul was one of several West Indian batsmen who didn’t bat long enough to take his team to victory•AFP

India gained a 1-0 lead in the four-ODI series against West Indies but there was plenty of scope for improvement in the performance which resulted in a 20-run win at Sabina Park on Friday. MS Dhoni did not appear to be a happy man as he shook hands with the West Indian batsmen after the game. The victory was largely due to Yuvraj Singh’s brilliance, his 131 off 102 balls making up for the loss of early wickets and ensuring that a wayward bowling attack had enough to defend.The Indian top-order remained suspect against the short ball with Gautam Gambhir and Rohit Sharma falling to miscued pulls. Even Yuvraj and Dinesh Karthik succeeded only after surviving nervous moments against the rising delivery. It was only after the ball grew older on a slow pitch, and Jerome Taylor gave way to less threatening bowlers, that India began to dominate. The Indian bowling was also far from satisfactory; the problems caused by the inability to contain the West Indian batsmen were compounded by an unacceptable number of extras. India’s bowlers conceded 19 of the 29 extras through wides and bowled two front-foot no-balls.West Indies did well to get so close to a monstrous target but they could have done better and pulled off a stunning chase if one of their top-order batsmen played a long innings. Chris Gayle, Runako Morton, Ramnaresh Sarwan and Shivnarine Chanderpaul all made valuable contributions to keep West Indies in the game but got out just as they were beginning to dominate India. The pressure on the Indian bowlers, therefore, dissipated and left the lower-order batsmen with too much to do.That West Indies were chasing a total of 340 was down to their bowlers indiscipline in line and length and their inability to fight back once the Indian batsmen raised the tempo. They will have to reduce the number of loose deliveries drastically to avoid another hiding on Sunday.

ODI form guide

(last five matches, most recent first)
India – WLWWN
West Indies – LLLNL

Watch out for …

Yuvraj Singh came into the series bearing the responsibility of India’s most experienced batsman in the absence of Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag, and he delivered spectacularly. He began his innings with India on 32 for 2, battled through a tentative period, and then successfully attacked anyone who bowled at him. Yuvraj paced himself superbly, playing cautiously when Karthik fell, before going berserk during the batting Powerplay.Jerome Taylor bowled an outstanding first spell, bouncing the top-order batsmen, and beating them repeatedly by seaming the ball from short of a length. He took 1 for 16 off his first five overs but was unable to sustain his intensity during later spells. He hemorrhaged 37 runs in two overs during the batting Powerplay and never recovered from that onslaught. In the absence of Fidel Edwards, West Indies need Taylor to step up and deliver consistently.

Team news

India are unlikely to change their XI from the first ODI unless there are injury or fatigue concerns with some players.India (likely): 1 Gautam Gambhir, 2 Dinesh Karthik, 3 Rohit Sharma, 4 Yuvraj Singh, 5 MS Dhoni (capt & wk), 6 Yusuf Pathan, 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 Harbhajan Singh, 9 Ishant Sharma, 10 RP Singh, 11 Ashish Nehra.West Indies only have a squad of 13 to pick from for the first two ODIs and the players who missed out on Friday were Ravi Rampaul and Narsingh Deonarine. The one possible change they could make is to replace Lionel Baker with Rampaul.West Indies (likely): 1 Chris Gayle (capt), 2 Runako Morton, 3 Ramnaresh Sarwan, 4 Shivnarine Chanderpaul, 5 Dwayne Bravo, 6 Darren Bravo, 7 Denesh Ramdin (wk), 8 Jerome Taylor, 9 David Bernard, 10 Suleiman Benn, 11 Lionel Baker/ Ravi Rampaul.

Stats and trivia

• Yuvraj Singh’s 131 was the second-highest individual score at Sabina Park, after Imran Nazir’s 160 against Zimbabwe in 2007.
• Taylor’s analysis of 1 for 74 in 10 overs was his most expensive completed spell in ODIs. His second most expensive, 0 for 71, was also against India in Nagpur in 2007.
• The total of 23 sixes hit by India and West Indies combined in the first match was the fourth-highest number of sixes in an ODI, and the highest for an ODI in the Caribbean.

Quotes

“Once Yuvraj (Singh) gets in he always gives us a good score with a very good strike rate and we depend a lot on him because he bats at a very crucial position for us – at number four.”
“He did not show any signs of nerves because he also did well in the outfield and I hope he can go on to make a bigger score whenever he gets the opportunity again.”

Dilip Vengsarkar, the former India captain, has warned of a possible “cricket overkill” in India because of the long IPL schedule and fears that many players in the Indian team may be mentally tired as they leave on Friday for the ICC World Twenty20 in England just four days after the Indian league ended in South Africa.Vengsarkar, who headed the selection panel that picked the World Twenty20-winning team in 2007, also said Gary Kirsten, the India coach, and his support staff now face a huge challenge in re-energising the team in the short period of time available. The only way to avoid such situations in the future, he said, was for India’s cricket administrators to rework the IPL format and reduce its length – all the 15 members of India’s World Twenty20 squad play for the eight IPL teams and Zaheer Khan, their strike bowler, is still recovering from a shoulder injury that he suffered during the IPL.Vengsarkar’s comments on mental fatigue are similar to those made by Kirsten and Sachin Tendulkar on the subject over this month. While Kirsten pointed that his players have been on the road from the New Zealand tour that started on February 20, Tendulkar, who is not part of this Twenty20 team, warned that the fatigue factor could affect the team’s opening pair of Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir.”The Indian players are now in a situation where they play two high-pressure Twenty20 tournaments, back-to-back and that’s never ideal,” Vengsarkar told Cricinfo. “It’s the job of administrators to ensure that the players are fresh and ready. Otherwise, there is the possibility of a cricket overkill in India.”The IPL’s schedule and format, he said, will have to be revised first to correct the situation. “The IPL schedule [37 days this year and 44 days last year] is simply too long and I feel very strongly about it,” Vengsarkar said. “It affects the fitness and form of players for major international events. And there are always chances of mental fatigue creeping in. One possible solution is have 10 teams in the IPL playing nine matches each for a maximum of around 25-30 days. I think that’s the way to go about it, from the players’ perspective.”Vengsarkar added that Kirsten has a tough job on his hands to lift the Indian team mentally in time for their first warm-up game at Lord’s against New Zealand on June 1. “It’s a big challenge for Kirsten and his support staff to manage this task,” Vengsarkar said. “I hope they can pull it off because resting the players completely can’t also be done at this point of time. There are just a few days to go and the players have to practice to maintain their form, fitness and match rhythm, which is so important in Twenty20 cricket.”India play Pakistan in their second warm-up game at the Oval on June 3 before moving to Trent Bridge to play their preliminary matches against Bangladesh on June 6 and Ireland on June 10.

Dwayne Bravo returns to West Indies’ squad for the three-match one-day series against England, while Sulieman Benn has been preferred to Nikita Miller for the main spin role.Bravo was left out of the Test party because medical advice said he hadn’t recovered sufficiently from ankle surgery for the rigours of five-day cricket although he is fit enough for an extended spell at the IPL.Benn was overlooked for the first four matches of the recent one-day series in the Caribbean, largely because Miller was considered a better fielder but when he was called up for the final game he bowled impressively.Opening batsman Dale Richards and fast bowler Ravi Rampaul, who were both called up late during the home series, retain their places.Squad Chris Gayle, Denesh Ramdin, Lionel Baker, Sulieman Benn, Dwayne Bravo, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Fidel Edwards, Keiron Pollard, Ravi Rampaul, Dale Richards, Darren Sammy, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Lendl Simmons, Jerome Taylor

Middlesex 174 for 1 (Hughes 100*) trail Glamorgan 505 (Wallace 128, Cosgrove 120, Powell 51, Harrison 51) by 331 runs
ScorecardPhillip Hughes survives a run-out attempt on his way to a hundred on his Middlesex debut•PA Photos

The county season has barely begun at Lord’s but it’s already hard to imagine how any side is going to be bowled out twice here this summer. On another warm and sunny spring day, Glamorgan extended their first innings to 505 before Middlesex cruised to 174 for 1 by the close as Phillip Hughes laid down a marker with a century on his county debut.Yesterday was dominated by another Australian, Mark Cosgrove, but nationality is about the only thing he and Hughes have in common. Much has been written and said about Middlesex’s decision to sign him on a short-term contract ahead of the Ashes, with moans that all it was doing was help him adjust to the conditions. Batting on a surface like this is unlikely to offer him much new, and it’s hard to imagine he will face less threatening bowling during the rest of the summer.He made a slightly nervous start, surviving a rasping appeal for leg-before from Garnett Kruger and then an attempt by his fellow opener Billy Godelman to run him out before he had reached double figures.But once settled, he showed little inclination to do anything other than attack. Repeatedly given width by some far from probing bowling, he drove and glanced sweetly, but by far his most productive shot was the late cut, his rate of scoring was aided by Jamie Dalrymple’s reluctance to reinforce that area until Hughes was close to his hundred.Defence does not seem to be part of Hughes’ gameplan. Anything that even hinted at being outside off stump was treated dismissively, and while there were a few slashes and misses, he didn’t offer any chances. He was equally dismissive of anything on his pads, and there was plenty.He slowed as he closed on his eight first-class hundred in 39 innings, almost reaching it with a slog-swept six, as he had done to bring up his maiden Test hundred against South Africa, but the shot didn’t quite have the legs. He had to be content to bring it up with a dab-and-run to backward point in the final over of the day.At the other end Neil Dexter, also playing his first Championship innings for Middlesex, unobtrusively contributed 43 to the second-wicket stand of 106. So far, he has impressed the locals with both bat and ball. Run-scoring continued to be easy and Glamorgan’s only breakthrough came as a result of batsman error when Godleman got a leading edge and spooned a return catch to David Harrison.Hughes’ hundred grabbed the headlines and rather overshadowed the one by Mark Wallace earlier in the day, his first since the end of the 2007 season.Wallace started more cautiously than he had played last evening, although there was one slashed six over the short Tavern-side boundary. With Robert Croft he added exactly 100 for the seventh wicket before Tim Murtagh brought one back through a gaping hole in Croft’s defensive push.Rather than signal the end, Middlesex’s bowlers had to endure more punishment as Wallace and Harrison added 118 for the eighth wicket. Shaun Udal continued to ring the changes – Gareth Berg showed some hostile intent – but overall the attack lacked teeth.As 500 approached, both batsmen started chancing their arms more. Harrison was caught after a juggle by Udal straight after reaching his fifty, and two runs later Wallace, needing one more to beat his career-best score of 128, edged an extravagant drive to slip. Dalrymple showed no mercy on his old county, leaving them out in the field for a few more minutes until Adam Shantry was athletically caught diving backwards at long-off by Alan Richardson.

Shoaib Akhtar, who has recovered from his knee injury, has been included in the 15-man Pakistan squad for the five-match ODI series and a Twenty20 against Australia in the UAE, scheduled to begin on April 22. Shoaib was left out of Pakistan’s tour of Bangladesh – which was suspended following unrest in the country – as he was declared unfit despite not requiring surgery.Shoaib would be returning to the side after three months; he last played against Sri Lanka in the three-match ODI series at home, and was dropped for the decider following failures in the first two games. Shoaib, after learning of his inclusion, said he was looking forward to the Australian series.”I can’t wait to take the field against Australia,” Shoaib told . “I am fit and am gaining rhythm, and once I play the first match I will be at my best rhythm. I know this will be an important series for me, both form and fitness wise, so I will do my best to play all the matches and keep fitness.”Abdul Qadir, the PCB’s chief selector, said the decision to select Shoaib was made after the board’s medical panel, including the team trainer David Dwyer, approved of his fitness. “He did well in the fitness tests conducted by the board and appears match fit. He is an experienced bowler and he is a big boost for the team,” Qadir said. “Now it’s up to [Shoaib] Akhtar to not only remain fit but also perform. I have been saying this and I repeat that a fit Akhtar is an asset for Pakistan’s team.”The squad also features batsmen Nasir Jamshed – he’ll be making a return to international cricket after ten months – and Ahmed Shehzad, who averages an impressive 45.18 in 12 List A matches.Australia were expected to tour Pakistan for a Test and ODI tour this year after their scheduled visit in 2008 failed to materialise over security fears. The PCB has sent a two-man security team to the UAE to assess the arrangements for the tour, in the wake of the Lahore attacks last month.Dubai Sports City – which has never hosted an international match before – will be the venue for the first two one-dayers, starting April 22, and the Twenty20 on May 7. The remaining three ODIs will be played in Abu Dhabi between those dates.Pakistan squad: Younis Khan (capt), Salman Butt, Nasir Jamshed, Ahmed Shehzad, Shoaib Malik, Misbah-ul-Haq, Shahid Afridi, Kamran Akmal (wk), Fawad Alam, Shoaib Akhtar, Sohail Tanvir, Umar Gul, Rao Iftikhar, Yasir Arafat, Saeed Ajmal.

South Australia 9 for 457 dec and 1 for 17 beat Western Australia 243 and 228 (Pomersbach 57, Christian 4-52) by 9 wickets
Scorecard
Points table

South Australia moved to fourth with a comprehensive nine-wicket victory over Western Australia, but their quest for a sneaky run into the Pura Cup final is over. The Redbacks were squeezed out of contention by Queensland’s victory over New South Wales in Brisbane and the best they can hope for is third when they face Tasmania in the final round on Thursday.Western Australia started the fourth day at 5 for 149, needing 65 runs to make the visitors bat again, and they achieved the initial goal by setting the Redbacks 15 to win. However, their hopes of saving the game dived quickly when Luke Pomersbach, the key man, was dismissed for 57 early in the opening session.Daniel Christian followed up that breakthrough by removing Michael Johnson second ball and Drew Porter soon went for 18. Steve Magoffin and Brett Dorey (21) delayed the defeat during a 49-run stand before Dorey was removed by Aaron O’Brien. Magoffin, who has become a handy lower-order contributor, was left unbeaten on 42 when Ben Edmondson was caught behind off Mark Cleary. Christian collected 4 for 52 while Cleary finished with 3 for 61.South Australia lost Daniel Harris in the short chase that was completed before lunch. The Redbacks’ strong first innings of 457 was set up by Harris’ 124 and 85 from the in-form Graham Manou.

Moises Henriques, the New South Wales allrounder, has won a surprise call-up into Australia’s Twenty20 squad for the match against New Zealand in Sydney on Sunday. David Warner has also been recalled to a side that will be led by Michael Clarke with Ricky Ponting to take a rest after he talked the selectors out of an extended break during the Chappell-Hadlee Series.The wicketkeeper Brad Haddin has been rewarded after less than a year as a full-time member of the team and has been handed the vice-captaincy in the absence of Michael Hussey, who will also be rested. It ends a remarkable run for Hussey, who has not missed an international match in any format since September 2006.”Given the high workload of Ricky Ponting and Mike Hussey since the Indian Test series in October we have decided, in consultation with these players, it is appropriate they miss this game,” Andrew Hilditch, the chairman of selectors, said. “With a hectic and competitive South African campaign departing the day after this match, we felt this option was best in the interest of the players’ workload management.”As well as resting two senior batsmen a break the selectors were also keen to push for the development of several young players in the lead-up to this year’s ICC World Twenty20. Henriques, 22, has already been signed up by the Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL, spent time with the ODI squad in Darwin in September and played against the New Zealanders recently as part of the Prime Minister’s XI. He conceded 70 runs from ten overs and hit two sixes in his 13-ball 20 as the visitors were beaten by six wickets.”The national selection panel regards Moises as an exciting young player with the all-round ability to play a role in the World Twenty20,” Hilditch said. “We recently included him in the PM’s XI match against New Zealand where he played exceptionally well and we are hoping this opportunity will help him to continue his development.”But Henriques has clearly been chosen on potential having not had the breakthrough state season he was hoping for. He learnt of his selection while playing for the New South Wales Second XI at Melbourne’s Junction Oval after being relegated following five Sheffield Shield appearances this summer in which he has a highest score of 45 and picked up three wickets, and his limited-overs form hasn’t been much better.”I was extremely surprised and shocked,” Henriques told the . “I was speechless for 15 minutes. Playing in a state second XI game there is a massive contrast, but I’m really looking forward to the opportunity. I haven’t had the year I wanted to have. It’s been inconsistent and disappointing, but with every day comes an opportunity.”Callum Ferguson, the South Australia batsman who has played Australia’s past three ODIs, is also in line for his Twenty20 international debut. The inclusion of Warner means he will have to wait for a potential first-class debut; he was hoping to be named in the New South Wales side for their Sheffield Shield match starting on the weekend.Sunday will feature a Twenty20 double-header at the SCG, with the Australian women’s side taking on their New Zealand counterparts before the men’s game. It will be Australia’s last official game till they begin their defence of the Women’s World Cup, which kicks off in Australia on March 7.Australia Twenty20 squad Michael Clarke (capt), David Warner, Brad Haddin (wk), David Hussey, Cameron White, Callum Ferguson, Adam Voges, Moises Henriques, James Hopes, Mitchell Johnson, Peter Siddle, Nathan Bracken, Ben Hilfenhaus.

India are scheduled to arrive in Colombo on January 26, playing five one-day internationals and a Twenty20 international, before Sri Lanka return to Pakistan for the Test leg of their tour. Sri Lanka Cricket has announced the itinerary for the short home series against India, of which five games will be day-night matches.India begin their tour on January 28 with the first of two ODIs in Dambulla – the second will be held on January 30 – before the series returns to Colombo. The third and fourth ODIs will be at the Premadasa Stadium on February 2 and 5, followed by the final game at the SSC on February 8. India wrap up their tour with a Twenty20 international at the Premadasa on February 10, leaving them just over a week to prepare for their departure to New Zealand for a hectic series.Apart from the fifth ODI, all games will be played under lights.India toured Sri Lanka in July-August of 2008, losing the Tests 2-1 and winning the ODIs 3-2.India’s itinerary
January 28 – 1st ODI at Dambulla (d/n)
January 30 – 2nd ODI at Dambulla (d/n)
February 2 – 3rd ODI at R Premadasa Stadium (d/n)
February 5 – 4th ODI at R Premadasa Stadium (d/n)
February 8 – 5th ODI at SSC
February 10 – Twenty20 at R Premadasa Stadium (d/n)