Inzamam-ul-Haq, the former Pakistan captain, struck out at the findings of an official board report that found him to be a “dictator” and blamed him almost entirely for the World Cup debacle.Responding to claims in a PCB committee report that his attitude was “haughty and that of a dictator,” Inzamam responded by arguing that this was the way of Pakistan cricket. Speaking to the Urdu daily , Inzamam said, “I was blamed for being very lenient during my whole captaincy career and now I am turned into a dictator. That could only be accepted if players had complained that I acted like one.”This is nothing new in Pakistan cricket. When the team loses, all the blame is put on others, and I was ready for that because it happened in the past,” he said, referring to Pakistan’s equally dismal 2003 World Cup.”Inzamam defended himself from charges that he took all selection matters into his own hands, marginalising on-tour selectors and calling up his own preferred players without consultation. “If I had power as captain it was simply because I was a successful captain and whenever I wanted certain player I convinced selectors to get that player and not through dictatorship.”The committee included two paid employees of the board, Salahuddin Ahmed, chief selector and Salim Altaf, director special projects, leading Inzamam to question the neutrality of their findings.”I know it will sound bitter to them but the presence of two paid members in the probe committee raises doubts over the impartiality of the report,” Inzamam told the BBC’s Urdu service.”How can a member, who was the director of operations, say this now and didn’t realise it before the World Cup?” asked Inzamam of Altaf.Inzamam, who resigned as captain and retired from ODIs after the tournament, maintained the report would have no bearing on his future. “It will be up to the selectors to select me. I will feature in domestic cricket and have been training to play Tests. This committee cannot decide my future,” he said. Given that the current chief selector was party to the committee’s findings, it seems improbable that Inzamam will be selected again for Pakistan.

Bangladesh know they can hold their own, they also know they can beat India; now it’s a matter of believing they can win again. They began leaning on hope once the first match started slipping, despite having outplayed India for 80 overs of the contest. How well they recover will determine how close the second one-dayer will be.India are bound to feel relieved after Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Dinesh Karthik masterminded a rescue act. Realising that the weather here will take a lot out of them, they chose to not practise today, conserving their energy instead.They may also ease Dhoni’s workload tomorrow, as India’s manager Ravi Shastri had mentioned after the first game, by having Karthik share the wicketkeeping duties with him. They will also hope to win the toss tomorrow, bat first, and post a big total. Rahul Dravid has expressed his dislike for fielding first here – it’s not easy to bat on a sluggish pitch after fielding in the sweltering heat.Dravid and Shastri had said that a few other teams would have failed in Thursday’s chase, given the climatic and match conditions. They will also need to tell themselves that those few other teams would have been much more alert in the field, giving themselves 25 to 30 runs less to chase.For Bangladesh, batting in the slog overs remains a worry, as does any form of bowling that isn’t left-arm spin. They would have ideally looked at 20 more runs in the last 10 overs but their batsmen, slight of build, couldn’t generate enough power against India’s slower bowlers; nor did they get enough pace to execute the cute little paddle shots they played so effectively against South Africa in the World Cup clash at Guyana.

Bangladesh missed Mashrafe Mortaza yesterday and will need him back, as India may again try to go after their opening bowlers. As of now, the word on Mortaza is “so far so good”. Habibul Bashar, the captain, said that the physio had given him a test, was satisfied, and will give him another tomorrow. “He is 70% fit and the physio is confident.”Bashar’s batting form has been another cause for concern. In the 10 games he’s played since the start of the World Cup, he has scored 105 runs at 11.66 and is under fire. He’s perhaps playing only because this is a very young team and no one else seems to be in a state to captain. His job, he knows, is quite simple. “If you don’t score, the pressure will be there. The best thing is to come back and score runs, the pressure won’t be there.” Bashar is likely to announce his retirement at the end of the series; regaining his touch in a must-win game wouldn’t be a bad idea.The conditions are not expected to change, except there’s a chance of a washout. Thunderstorms are expected and the forecasts predict a 90% chance of rain. They will play on a different pitch, but it is not expected to be too different in character.Two spent teams went off the field yesterday – India physically and Bangladesh mentally. Bashar put it the best: “Plenty of people come in this hot weather to watch us the whole day. We feel bad for them. It’s not only not easy to play, it’s not easy to watch either. We would love to win this game for them; they will feel less heat.”Teams (likely)Bangladesh1 Tamim Iqbal, 2 Javed Omar, 3 Habibul Bashar (capt), 4 Saqibul Hasan, 5 Mohammad Ashraful, 6 Aftab Ahmed, 7 Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), 8 Mohammad Rafique, 9 Abdur Razzak, 10 Shahadat Hossain, 11 Syed Rasel.India 1 Virender Sehwag, 2 Gautam Gambhir, 3 MS Dhoni (wk), 4 Yuvraj Singh, 5 Rahul Dravid (capt), 6 Dinesh Mongia, 7 Dinesh Karthik, 8 Ramesh Powar, 9 Zaheer Khan, 10 Sreesanth, 11 Munaf Patel.

Sri Lanka’s champion allrounder Sanath Jayasuriya said that whoever tries to emulate his feat of scoring 12,000 runs and 300 wickets in ODIs will have to work really hard for it and also have luck on his side.”It’s tough to get 300 wickets and score over 12,000 runs. Its hard work and a lot of sacrifice in your career. It’s not easy. Somebody who wants achieve that feat willhave to work really hard and be lucky,” Jayasuriya said after taking four wicketsfor 31 runs as well as the Man-of-the-Match award in the second one-day internationalagainst Bangladesh.Jayasuriya who started the match with 296 wickets from 396 matches said: “I neverthought of getting the four wickets today. But I am extremely happy with myachievement.”His great moment came when he snapped up the final Bangladesh wicket by having lastman Syed Rasel caught by Jehan Mubarak at mid-off. “I am not a big wicket-taking bowler. When I bowl I am not looking at taking wickets but I try to bowl my ten overs for less runs and try to keep it as tight as possible. I just want to do the basic things for the team. If I am lucky I will getwickets,” the 38-year-old allrounder said.”Some of my best bowling had been in the 1996 World Cup against England and against India in the semi-finals. I also took crucial wickets in the 2007 World Cup. Sometimes if you fail to score runs but can contribute with the ball it is good for the team and it also gives me a lot of confidence.”I went through a rather lean patch in my bowling and when I was in India the lasttime I got some help from Bruce Yardley [the former Australian offspinner andformer Sri Lanka coach]. That worked really well for me.”Sri Lanka captain Mahela Jayawardene recognising Jayasuriya’s achievement said:”It’s a great achievement when you look back and see that no one has done it. Sanathhas done it in a very quite manner. He hasn’t taken a lot of credit for the work hehas done for Sri Lanka cricket.”Batting-wise a lot of people have recognised him, not many have recognised hiscapabilities with the ball. He’s made a huge difference to our team over the last10-12 years with his bowling. That’s why we’ve got a very good balance in our team. We have three guys with over 300 wickets in our line-up. We got another two young guys who are doing well. It’s a very good combination to have.”Jayawardene stated that his team made some mistakes in this match which they won byfive wickets to take a winning 2-0 lead in the 3-match series.”We made a few mistakes today. We dropped a few catches and batting wise we lost afew wickets. We need to iron out all those mistakes and be very professional in ourgame. When we have a target like this the tendency is to finish it off quickly. Wewere not sure about the weather also. It was drizzling a bit and we didn’t want totake it to another day. The wicket was not coming that well in the latter part andit was a bit difficult to play shots. We probably should have been a bit morepatient with our approach,” Jayawardene said.Bangladesh coach Shaun Williams expressed disappointment in their batting and saidthe main problem was that the batsmen were unable to cope with the bounce.”It was disappointing again we need to find a way to bat better. You need to givecredit to their bowlers. They are doing exceptionally well. We are not playing aswell as we need to. We are struggling to cope with bounce and the Sri Lankan fastbowlers are really exposing that,” Williams said.”If we are to move forward as a batting side we need to come out with a way to overcome it. The only way to do that is when you go back home you need to have pitchesprepared in a way that prepares us better to face the bouncing ball. Even in theTest matches the extra bounce was the major problem.”Having lost the Test series 3-0, the Bangladesh team is trying hard to avoid anotherwhitewash in the one-day series.”We are putting every effort into and making sure we post a score. If we do that wegot a good chance. We can be confident we can bowl well. We bowled quite well in thefirst two matches,” Williams said.The third and final match is scheduled for July 25 at the same venue, the RPremadasa Stadium.

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

Rahul Dravid’s decision to test out his one-day bowling options was justified as all three fast bowlers got among the wickets. A good day was then capped with half-centuries by both the openers as India eased to a seven-wicket win over Scotland at a sold-out Clydesdale Cricket Ground.Guided by an 82-run partnership between veteran Gavin Hamilton (44) and Neil McCallum (41), Scotland recovered from four early blows to reach 203, but a rain-revised target of 209 proved far too easy for India, who improved their one-day record to 6-1 after that horrible run at the World Cup. This was not one of the more convincing wins of the season for India, but with runs and wickets from their fringe players, such as Gautam Gambhir who made an unbeaten 85, it is a gentle feeler for a year that still holds 20 ODIs.With Paul Hoffmann, in his last game, and John Blain giving no room to free the arms, Robin Uthappa and Gambhir had to rein in their naturally flamboyant ways. Uthappa, who has not played an ODI since the World Cup, was away with a four to fine leg but struggled to work the ball into the gaps despite taking guard over a foot outside his crease. There were more than seven overs between India’s first and second boundaries but Uthappa finally found his footwork, and his confidence showed in bludgeoned drives and one spanking six in an opening stand of 104.An inswinger from Craig Wright beat Uthappa’s defence on 55 and Dinesh Karthik came and went for 14 but Gambhir, whose only opportunities in England have come in the tour games, pressed on. It was not pretty; he felt his way through the early overs before driving his first four through the covers in the tenth. There were repeated wafts outside off stump in between firm drives through midwicket and mid-off as Gambhir did his part to whittle away at the target.His half-century was raised from 76 balls and he continued in the same grafting manner, though there was a pleasing straight six to raise the 50 stand with Yuvraj Singh, who injected some oomph into the chase with a 28-ball 38. Dravid, no stranger to these parts having represented Scotland in the county circuit, drew cheers from the crowd in an unbeaten ten-run knock as India crossed the finish line in the 40th over.

India’s pace bowlers were far from threatening but they did not need to be against a shaky top order. Ajit Agarkar managed gentle swing to get rid of Navdeep Poonia, while RP Singh – who ambled in to bowl but still put in enough in his delivery stride to produce good lift and carry – nipped out Fraser Watts and Majid Haq. Munaf Patel, returning after a back muscle problem sent him home from Bangladesh in May, mixed wides with accurate, lifting deliveries and succeeded in getting the crucial wicket of Ryan Watson, the free-stroking Scotland captain.There were erratic moments, however, as 15 wides in the first 21 overs indicate, and though Munaf might be well enough to return to the line-up, his fielding efforts were by no means adequate. These lapses, and one tough drop by Yuvraj off McCallum after the first rain interval, allowed McCallum and Hamilton to launch a period of Scottish dominance against the spinners.The sweep, mostly to deliveries on and outside off stump, fetched easy singles and doubles and forced the spinners to change their line. Hamilton was confident driving down the ground, while McCallum was at ease working the ball to leg. McCallum celebrated his reprieve by thumping Ramesh Powar out of the ground and later raised the 50 partnership off 74 balls with a streaky four past gully.Piyush Chawla tossed it up and was twice swept to the fine-leg boundary but at 131 for 5, Mahendra Singh Dhoni snapped up a thick under-edge to get rid of a leaden-footed McCallum. Chawla caught Colin Smith shuffling across the stumps (146 for 6) but Hamilton and former captain Wright, with a career-best 38, helped Scotland get close to 200.

The anti-monopoly watchdog in India, the Monopolies and Restrictive Trade Practices Commission (MRTPC), has initiated an investigation against the Indian board over its reported threat of a life ban to players joining the Indian Cricket League (ICL).The MRTPC took suo motu cognizance of press reports and directed its investigative arm, the Director-General of Investigation and Registration (DGIR), to look into the threats, if any, made by the board to players joining the ICL. The DGIR was also asked to investigate the sacking of former cricketers holding positions with the board who had joined ICL.”Every individual has a right to choose whether he wishes to associate himself with the BCCI or any other organisation”, a statement issued by the Indian board had said on August 8. “However, if he associates himself with any other organisation, he will not derive any benefit or be connected to any of our activities in any way.””Such players should not have any expectations from us,” Rajiv Shukla, the board vice-president, had said after a meeting in New Delhi of the board’s top officials.The DGIR, it is understood, will also inquire into the board’s refusal to share infrastructure with the ICL. It has been asked to submit its preliminary investigation report within 60 days.If the investigation reveals that the board is adopting restrictive trade practices contrary to the interest of players, the MRTPC may pass a cease and desist order against it.The MRTPC’s directions come days after the Delhi high court asked public sector companies like Air India and Indian Oil Corporation to refrain from sacking its employees who join the ICL. The court had passed the interim order on August 27, after it was brought to its notice that Indian Oil Corporation and Air India had threatened employees – who are also cricketers – with immediate dismissal if they joined the ICL.This is not the first time the DGIR would be investigating the BCCI for restrictive trade practices. In 1994, it was asked by the MRTPC to look into agreements between the BCCI had entered into with the players that restrained them from writing in newspapers, magazines and journals. Players were also not entitled to take part in activity related to TV or broadcasting, and they could not publish columns after the completion of any tour. Moreover, the players were not entitled to wear the logo and any form of advertisements on clothes or equipments. They were not entitled to participate in a game other than cricket, or even to play in matches not ‘recognized’ by the board.That case saw the board being found guilty and fined.

India A 354 for 4 (Chopra 137*, Patel 110, Badrinath 77*) v South Africa A
Scorecard

Contrasting hundreds from Parthiv Patel and Aakash Chopra rounded off a dominant first day for India A against their South African counterparts at the Feroz Shah Kotla in Delhi. South Africa’s pace attack was lively and made early inroads, but as Patel, in the course of a 118-ball 110, grew in confidence and took on the spinners the initiative swung back India’s way. Chopra, another batsman eyeing a recall, shrugged off some early nerves to remain unbeaten on 137 from 286 deliveries as India finished the day firmly placed on 354 for 4.Mohammad Kaif’s decision to bat first on a very green surface took an initial hiccup as South Africa grabbed two quick wickets, the captain himself falling for a second-ball duck. The two openers, Cheteshwar Pujara and Chopra, looked defensive from the word go. There were no positive shots and the feet just weren’t moving. Friedel de Wet, a bustling right-arm fast-medium bowler who plays for Lions in South Africa, drew a nick from Pujara to the wicketkeeper in the eighth over. Two balls later, he trapped Kaif plumb in front with a lovely inswinger. This series is a major opportunity for Kaif to try and get back into the national side, and it got off to the worst possible start.India were 13 for 2 when the diminutive Patel strode in to bat. His talent with the bat has never been in doubt – it remains to be seen how keeps in this match, and series – and from the moment he walked to the crease he was innovative. He moved his feet exceptionally well against the spinner. When Justin Ontong, an orthodox bowler if ever there was, came on with the mid-off and mid-on in and a deep-cover point waiting, Patel danced down and converted fullish deliveries into full tosses.And when Werner Coetsee, an offspinning allrounder, gave him even the faintest bit of room Patel was right over the ball, cutting late and through the arc backward of square. There was also a firm straight drive for four off Rory Kleinveldt before Patel raised his half-century from 51 deliveries. Kleinveldt, a Cape Cobras allrounder who bowls with a classical round-arm action, was also impressive with his ability to hit the deck but as Patel opened up, even his threat was negated. Patel’s cutting remained his strongest asset.He continued in the same vein after the lunch break – his back-foot play being a treat to watch – reaching his fourth first-class hundred in as many matches. Soon after, he cut Coetsee to backward point but a fumble from the fielder led to a mix-up with Chopra, and Patel was run out.Chopra, who last played for India in October 2004, survived a close shout for caught behind early in his innings, the ball brushing his forearm, and ten minutes before lunch he was let off twice. First Thami Tsolekile, the wicketkeeper, let Chopra off against Ontong as he tried to dab him down to third man and the next ball he was dropped by Hashim Amla at long-on as he miscued a slog. By lunch, Chopra had plodded along to 27 from 94 balls but with Patel for inspiration he opened up as the day progressed.His driving and flicking were impressive as Chopra moved to an 18th first-class hundred. With the in-form Subramanian Badrinath for company, Chopra added 176 in 42 overs after another comeback kid, Manoj Tiwary, came and went for 2. Badrinath was unbeaten on 77 from 107 balls at the close.

Australia’s decision to travel with a team doctor for the first time in 20 years paid off immediately as a stomach bug floored Michael Clarke in the hours leading up to his century on Saturday. Clarke reportedly woke at 1am on the morning of the match severely ill and only an intense course of medication allowed him to play.Clarke showed few signs of the illness as he compiled 130 at nearly a run a ball at Bangalore, although his good work was partly wasted as rain washed away Australia’s hopes of victory. Without help from the doctor John Orchard, the Australians believed Clarke would not only have missed the Bangalore game but potentially Tuesday’s match at Kochi as well.”I was certainly giving him [Orchard] a high five when Pup got his hundred,” Adam Gilchrist, the stand-in captain, told the . “Pup was up all night with gastro and without a medical professional there is no way he would have played.”The reported Clarke had 12 hours of intense antibiotic and rehydration treatment before his lengthy innings and had eaten just four pieces of plain toast prior to the match. He made it through with the help of constant deliveries of tablets and drinks from the dressing-room and his batting partner for much of the day, Brad Haddin, saw no indication the illness had lingered.”He was in a better state than me at the end, I don’t know what happened but he was going all right out there,” Haddin told the . “I heard he had a rough night [but] he came through well and there’s no signs of it.”

The 50th edition of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, Pakistan’s premier domestic competition gets underway today, with 22 teams, comprising nine departments and 13 regions, in the fray.Eight matches will be played today, with the key clashes being the Group A match between Habib Bank Limited (HBL) and Pakistan Customs, and the Group B match between Karachi Blues and Rawalpindi.The two matches in Karachi have been postponed to tomorrow in light of the bomb blasts on Thursday (October 18) which killed approximately 140 people and injured hundreds.Two teams from the Gas departments, Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Ltd (SNGPL), and Sui Southern Gas Company Ltd (SSGC), will be making their debuts at the top-grade. SSGC qualified for the first-class circuit after winning the Patron’s Trophy Grade-II Championship title last season.Meanwhile, Pakistan Customs has included three overseas players in its squad- Rawait Khan, Bilal Shafayat, and Mohammad Nabi Khan, who plays for Derbyshire, has represented Customs in three consecutive seasons from 2002-03. Shayafat, an allrounder with Northamptonshire, had played for National Bank in the 2002-03 season. Nabi is a 22-year-old middle-order batsman and offspinner, who made his first-class debut for MCC against Sri Lanka A earlier this year. However, he has played in Pakistan before, representing Afghanistan in the National Inter-District Senior Championship.A total of 55 matches will be contested prior to the final, which will be played between January 1 to 5, though the venue hasn’t yet been confirmed.Group A
HBL, Pakistan Customs, Lahore Ravi, The Water and Power Development Authority , Sialkot, NBP, Faisalabad, Multan, Karachi Whites, Hyderabad and SSGC.
Group B
Khan Research Laboratories, Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited, Pakistan International Airlines, SNGPL, Karachi Blues, Rawalpindi, Lahore Shalimar, Peshawar, Islamabad, Abbottabad and Quetta.

Several of Stuart MacGill’s team-mates have backed him to keep his Test spot – provided he is fit and wants to play – for the Boxing Day match against India. MacGill is trying to get his ailing body in shape after a persistent knee problem and numbness in his hand affected his output in the second Test against Sri Lanka in Hobart.Michael Clarke believes that if MacGill works hard on his fitness in the lead-up he should remain Australia’s first-choice spinner. “If he can come through and say, ‘I’m ready to go boys’, I’m backing him all the way,” Clarke told the .”He was a bit stiff and sore in the second dig the other day but we had a four-day game and then two Tests back-to-back and that’s a lot of cricket. Now he has time to take a bit of a rest.”Hopefully that will set him up to get whatever he needs right and to make sure he’s ready to go for the Boxing Day Test. If his mind is right and he feels ready to go, then no doubt he will be an unbelievable bowler as he has been in the Test matches he’s played for Australia and the games he’s played for New South Wales over a long time.”MacGill faces a race against time to prepare his body for the India series and has hinted at possible retirement if he determines that his injuries cannot be adequately treated. He is seeking the advice of John Orchard, a rugby league doctor, as he spends the next few weeks working on his fitness.Brett Lee said MacGill should remain at the head of Australia’s slow-bowling list even after his Hobart struggles. “The bloke’s a class act and still has so much to offer Australian cricket,” Lee told the . “I’m very, very confident he has what it takes to lead our attack after Christmas. Nothing against the other spinners in Australia, but going on his record Stuey is still the best.”If Australia decided not to choose MacGill, Hogg would almost certainly be next in line. MacGill said in the it had been awkward for Hogg to be chosen in the 13-man squad for the first Test in Brisbane as the pair was subjected to “a dead-set bowl-off”. “If I don’t play in Melbourne Hoggy will do a great job,” MacGill said. “He’s been the best bowler in the Australian one-day team for two years.”However, Andrew Symonds said MacGill deserved to keep his place after he fought through his knee and hand problems in Hobart. “The easy way out would have been to say to Ricky Ponting, ‘Mate, I can’t bowl’,” Symonds wrote in his column in newspapers. “The fact he was willing to have a go and help knock over the Sri Lankans is testament to the character and spirit we want in the side.”

Giles Clarke, the new ECB chairman, says that England are heading for a rotation policy that will allow more cricket to be played without burning out the leading stars.”We’re heading towards rotation, more specialists and different sides put out in different forms of the game and against different types of opposition,” Clarke said in the January issue of magazine.Currently only Australia have the strength and depth for such a rotation policy, as witnessed by resting Ricky Ponting and Matthew Hayden for the Twenty20 against New Zealand, but Clarke says the likes of England will have to build larger pools of players to pick from. “It’s not unreasonable to consider that England could field some highly effective XIs against some of the Test sides.”Those who want less international cricket are therefore likely to be disappointed. “Everyone recognises we have to fund the game,” says Clarke. “And funding is increasingly about academies and bigger grounds. And, if we are going to have bigger grounds, then we have to give them games to stage.”Larger grounds, he believes, will allow tickets to be graded more affordably which, given the exorbitant prices being charged at Lord’s and The Oval in 2008 – up to £103 – would be welcomed by the publicPrior to his election Clarke was best known for brokering the controversial TV deal with BSkyB. In less than a year the ECB will be finalising its next four-year broadcasting deal and he expects it to be very different. “Everything’s changed. Twenty20 is a fascination for broadcasters because the time-frame is almost equivalent to that of a football match. I would expect a different approach to highlights and a different approach to Pro40.”He recently helped the ECB secure a five-year deal with ESPN-Star to show English cricket in Asia. “We are now in negotiations with two broadcasters in other parts of the world just for the Twenty20 Cup and the Pro40,” he says. “I hope to build supporter bases for county cricket in the subcontinent, like football has done.”