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England captain Clare Connor is confident that her side can lift the World Cup for a third time when they head to South Africa this month. Australia are the one side who could stand in their way she says but England, the second favourites, have been working hard to ensure they leave no stone unturned in their quest for success.”I am hoping that we don’t meet Australia in the semis: I’ve got this vision of meeting them in the final,” 28-year-old Connor told Cricinfo at the launch of England’s World Cup campaign at the House of Commons on Monday.”But it might not be like that: we might beat them in the semis and meet someone else in the final. They’re the team with the mystery surrounding them. We’ve broken that down with New Zealand now because we beat them in the summer: that was an important series to win. The Aussies sit rightly above us.”England are ranked second in the world, thanks in no small part to their 3-2 series victory at home to the World Cup holders New Zealand last summer. And Connor believes that the team is gelling at just the right moment. “The mood is brilliant,” she says. “We have a strong sense of confidence in how the preparations have been going. We’re a team that’s been winning over the last 18 months so that helps hugely. It’s one big happy family. There’s a massive age range – 19 to 39 – and it’s a squad that’s just clicking more and more.”

But Connor is aware that the road to a successful World Cup is a long and difficult one, especially during the tournament itself. However, she revealed that England will be ready to cope with whatever challenges are presented to them. “We know that there might be disappointment along the way,” she admits. “With a World Cup you rarely win every game and we’ve talked about that, about coping with that pressure. It’s all part of it.”And England’s preparations were given a boost by working with experts in each discipline of the game. “I’m not just saying this – we couldn’t have been any more prepared,” she said. “We’ve had nutritional support, strength and conditioning support, bowling specialist, specialist fielding work with Trevor Penney. Fast bowlers have worked with Troy Cooley. Batters have worked with Graham Gooch. It’s been the whole package so we’re just raring to go.”

The Zimbabwe Cricket Union’s (ZCU) drive to improve playing standards for its top players has received support from the South African board.The United Cricket Board of South Africa (UCBSA) has invited Zimbabwe Under-23 to play in both the one-day and three-day formats of the South African Airways Challenge – the two top amateur inter-provincial competitions – in the forthcoming season.Further help was offered with Zimbabwe’s captain Tatenda Taibu and the allrounder Andy Blignaut joining up with franchise sides Cape Cobras and Highveld Lions respectively.Gerald Majola, chief executive of the UCBSA, said: “We will introduce these two measures as part of the UCBSA’s commitment to assisting the ZCU to raise playing standards in this time of reformation for Zimbabwe cricket. We both believe that playing in our top amateur and professional competitions will assist the ZCU in this regard.”

It was inevitable that Andrew Symonds would finally come good – given that it was Pakistan, and given that there were murmurs about his form again. Almost two years ago, he had magnificently resurrected his own career and his team’s innings in the World Cup opener, against Pakistan, with an awesome 143. And, up until about a month ago, he had remained just that – awesome. But his form with the bat slipped in the last month, and had remained in freefall until today when, against the same opponents, he took his opportunity.At 3 for 53 in 14 overs, Australia were on the back foot as they often are, yet – within just three overs – Symonds had effected a shift in momentum. Twenty-five runs were nurdled, glided and bludgeoned in that time, mostly off the middle of his bat. Advantage gone. Thereafter, with Damien Martyn in tow, he barely broke sweat, exposing an astute cricket brain in running his singles, marvellous fitness in pushing twos, and fantastic strength and timing in finding the boundary.Martyn’s contribution was in keeping with his low-key, unsung nature. He didn’t hit a single boundary and, although he stayed till the 41st over, it almost felt as if he hadn’t been there. Like Symonds, he had won something at Australia’s glittering awards dinner the other night – Best Test Player. And, if those medals made them heroes among heroes, their partnership confirmed that status. But that their stand didn’t seal victory as emphatically as Symonds’s century at Johannesburg is both a testament to Pakistan’s resilience and the morsel of hope that they must cling on to for the second final on Sunday.It is not ironic, just fitting, that Pakistan have looked more cohesive and scrapped harder Shoaib Akhtar than at any stage him on this tour. It has been one of the central failings of Pakistan cricket over the years that the concept of the individual, the matchwinner, has taken precedence over that of the team.It has been a singularly fortunate misfortune that they have possessed some of the most exquisitely talented individuals; men whose gifts and achievements have almost demanded lopsided attention. But their improved performance in the VB Series has been the upshot of a number of players – and not just one – performing at various times with bat, ball and in the field.Certainly, their top order is still worrisome, and today Brett Lee bullied and battered it redundant. But the form and firmness of the middle and lower orderhas been such that the top order’s early dismissals have almost been a blessing. Only for a team like Pakistan could this ever be the case. Inzamam, with his fifth half-century of the series, was once more as untroubled as he was threatening. He has been like this all series, and now has five fifties.In partnership with Shoaib Malik – who has been strangely subdued – hebriefly sparked a fightback. The allround lower order, with the rekindled Shahid Afridi and Abdul Razzaq, have also played key, cataclysmic roles and,for the first half of today, it seemed they had done so again.Special mention, though, for the embodiment of this resolve, the real heart and soul of this team’s revival – Rana Naveed-ul-Hasan. He is the antithesis of the starry Shoaib, and Pakistan has had few players with his courage, the commitment and spirit. He was the butt of much ridicule from local journalists when Pakistan played Sri Lanka in a Test last November when, on debut and on a flat pitch, he toiled without reward over after over, often being smacked around by Kumar Sangakkara.The press box, perhaps unused to a bowler who wasn’t lightning-quick on the field and a personality off it, suggested he would be slaughtered in Australia,laughing him off as a balding, ageing, ineffective toiler. He took the crucial wicket of Sangakkara, though, opening up that match and he ended with three forthe innings. They should have known better; in March, he received a fearful mauling at the hands of Virender Sehwag and Sourav Ganguly in Karachi – yet came back to take both their wickets.And he isn’t just indefatigable. Today he revealed yet again, with both new and old ball, a brain almost as sizable as his heart. And what’s more, he has reverse-swung the ball with more success than either Shoaib or Mohammad Sami have in the last year. That he played after the death of his father as little as two days ago adds not only to the poignancy of his performance but to the stature of the man. His batting today took Pakistan to within 18 runs of the target; if Pakistan can continue to feed off his spirit, they may get muchcloser on Sunday.

While Malcolm Speed was being given the cold shoulder by the board of the Zimbabwe Cricket Union, he did meet with some of the rebel players during his 36 hours in Harare. The talks, described as amicable, remained private, but by the time he left what was clear was that the standoff between the board and the players was no closer to a resolution.The rebels remain unimpressed by last Friday’s statement from the ZCU giving them another 21 days to return to work, seeing it as little more than a face-saving exercise brought about by fears that the board had acted illegally by dismissing them in the first place.If anything, the players’ attitude has hardened. They still insist that Heath Streak should be reinstated as captain, the board is equally adamant that Tatenda Taibu, his successor, is there to stay. Asked whether they would be prepared to compromise, Grant Flower, the spokesman for the players said: “I’m not. Our captain [Streak] might be, but I think he’d be on his own.”Flower added that he feared that he, and most of the other rebels, had played their last matches for Zimbabwe. And he admitted to having grave concerns for the game’s future there. “With more experience the young guys in the team will become better players, but that will take a long while,” he said. “But I don’t know if there are enough good players in this country to keep the system going to be honest.”Although they are continuing to train, many of the rebels appear to have accepted that their careers in Zimbabwe are over and are looking for employment abroad. Sean Ervine left last week – ironically bumping into the Australian side in transit at Johannesburg airport – and is pondering playing for Western Australia. Streak has been linked with Tasmania, although he is unlikely to do anything until all hope of a deal with the board has disappeared. Others are considering offers to play club cricket.As for Taibu, he remains at the centre of the dispute but very much distanced from it. He has got on with the job of captaining the decimated Zimbabwe side, and has led by example and with great dignity. But while he is good enough to play international cricket, he is leading a team which clearly isn’t.”Obviously it has been tough, but I’m very lucky to have a bunch of young guys who are willing to represent their country,” he said. Asked whether he thought the Tests should go ahead, he said that was a decision for the ICC. But he added: “It’s disturbing … it would be disappointing for me because the Australians are the world champions and my boys need to play them to improve.”

Scorecard

Queensland swept to an innings-and-16-run victory over Western Australia to lift themselves off the foot of the Pura Cup table. The home side threatened to put up a fight as Justin Langer and Chris Rogers added 166 for the first wicket, after the Warriors extended their lead to 301, but the Queensland attack worked as a unit to dismantle the resistance.After his first-innings failure, Langer spent useful time in the middle ahead of the first Test especially in light of Phil Jaques’s recent stunning form. He and Rogers scored at four-an-over before James Hopes broke through and the slide started. Chris Hartley’s fine match behind the stumps continued as he collected an edge off Langer and quickly pocketed another chance as Michael Hussey fell for a duck.Four runs later Rogers’s resolute innings came to end six short of a century as Andrew Symonds made the first of two incisions. The middle order was then jolted by Mitchell Johnson’s pace as he again hurt the Warriors with big-name scalps. Damien Martyn was caught by Symonds before Adam Gilchrist’s lean run continued with another nick to the keeper.With the powerful top order sliced apart the only question was whether the Bulls could wrap up the points with a day to spare. The tail didn’t offer much meaningful resistance as the wickets continued to be shared around with Shane Watson nabbing a brace. Johnson completed the rout when he removed Ben Edmondson as Hartley took his 10th catch of the match.

Until the end of the Indian tour of Pakistan, we will be running a daily Paper Round of what newspapers in India and Pakistan, and from around the world, are saying about this series. This is what the media had to report today:

Security issues have dominated the build-up to this series, and now the Khaleej Times reports on the plight of the players on tour. The report says, “Ganguly came to [a] coffee bar for a round of tea last evening but nobody was willing to serve him. An astonished Ganguly kept requesting the waiters but no one was obliging. The waiters were not rude – they were only acting under the instructions not to serve anything to any Indian player till somebody has tasted it first and declared it safe. Ganguly was bemused and requested a journalist to help him get the tea. After a bit of cajoling, and [the] voice of reason, the journalist himself was allowed to first go to the kitchenette of hotel Pearl Continent in Lahore, taste the tea, and then declare it safe for the Indian captain.”There is also a vivid description of what was going on around Ganguly as he drank his tea. “It was an amusing sight to see Ganguly have his cup of tea with security men – and their sniffer dogs – gawking at him as if he was a UFO.”And this tight scrutiny was not limited to just food and drink. “So tight is the security that even envelopes dropped in the names of players at the hotel are first checked by top bomb-disposal experts to ensure none of it is a paper-bomb. Rahul Dravid immediately sought out the business centre of the hotel, and spent the next two hours on the Internet.”* * *In a column in Rediff.com, Javagal Srinath looks at the psychological aspect of the series. “I am afraid that verbal abuse will be rampant from the Pakistan camp, as their coach Javed Miandad has already initiated the psychological warfare … A little exchange of words is always good to give a boost to the challenging spirit of the game. But indecent personal remarks and vulgar gestures will not augur well for the so-called friendship series.”Srinath singled out a few players in the Pakistan team and remarked on their mental make-up. “Barring the incident in Toronto, where current Pakistani skipper Inzamam-ul-Haq strode into the crowd, taking the law (read bat) in his own hands, his behaviour as a cricketer has always remained exemplary. A great timer of the ball, Inzy has always been a cool customer – be it in victory or defeat.”However, Srinath’s views differ when it comes to a few other players. “The rest of the Pakistani players cannot be put on the same pedestal. Behind the stumps, Moin Khan could be the real culprit. Wicketkeepers can be a menace to the game if they don’t conduct themselves properly. The stumper’s proximity to the batsmen makes it is easier to exchange words.”He added, “There is Shoaib Akhtar, [who] has learnt his lessons from the World Cup encounter. His arrogant remarks only made our batsmen more determined to treat him disdainfully. Although Shoaib is careful with his words this time, the truth remains that he can’t really promise his own good conduct. The game is such a leveller that nobody can get away with a show of arrogance. Even the real exponents of the game dread making such conceited statements for fear of the curse of the game, which could be severe.”* * *In a syndicated column in Mid Day, Rashid Latif has branded Inzamam-ul-Haq as a captain without any dynamism. “He is a routine leader, who makes changes by rota. It is Moin Khan behind the stumps who has brains and actually effects changes. Inzamam, also, is in very poor form, he has scored only 100 runs or thereabout in his last five innings. He just cannot afford a slip-up.”Latif insisted that there was a huge chunk of pressure on Sourav Ganguly as well. “He [Ganguly] has scored only eight runs in his last four innings. If he does not do well in Pakistan, he could lose his captaincy. This series is being held after 15 years — both captains can’t afford a flop show.”There is also a mention of the batting abilities of both players and a specific citing of Inzamam’s running between the wickets. “When on song, though, both are world-class batsmen. Ganguly will be helped by the lack of bounce on our pitches. Inzamam, if he gets past the first 10-15 minutes, will be difficult to stop. In the initial moments, he is not sure of his movements. Steve Waugh always used to have a short cover for him for those spooned drives. His running between the wickets is diabolical but once he is set he does not rely on it, he hits fours and sixes only.”* * *Shoaib Akhtar has said that he is looking forward to enjoying the pressure put upon him by the millions of fans. In a column which appeared in The Times of India, he said, “Playing our neighbors in front of a home crowd is going to be an interesting and challenging experience. Right now I am keeping calm so that I can enjoy the pressure on Saturday.”Shoaib hopes that this historic series wont be trivialised into a battle between himself and Sachin Tendulkar. “I am sure Sachin would agree that such an approach would be trivialising a game between two good sides.”

South Africa’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has denied claims that the plane crash that caused Hansie Cronje’s death last year could have been due to sabotage. A report in the Observer Sport Monthly had quoted an unnamed CAA investigator as saying that there was reason to believe foul play in the whole matter.Trevor Abrahams, the commissioner of the CAA, told SABC Radio News: “We are not aware of any such report. I don’t know where it comes from andcertainly the indication that someone involved in the actual investigation from the CAA made any such statements are not true.”

England’s selectors today named the parties for the first section of this winter’s tour. England play two Tests and three ODIs in Bangladesh before flying to Sri Lanka for three more ODIs and three Tests. The tour starts on Oct 8 and finishes on Dec 23 – the players then return home for Christmas before a revised team travels to the West Indies in March.Only eight of the players who took part in this week’s amazing victory over South Africa at The Oval have been included in the 15-man Test squad. The odd ones out are Martin Bicknell and Ed Smith – and Alec Stewart, who has announced his retirement. Stewart’s likely replacement is Chris Read, the Nottinghamshire wicketkeeper who has already won three Test caps, but there is also a place for the highly rated Kent keeper Geraint Jones. At 27 – two years older than Read – Jones was a late starter in county cricket but has made a fine impression since taking over fulltime from Paul Nixon at Canterbury this year. He has had an interesting path to England colours: he was born in Papua New Guinea and schooled in Australia. But, as that Christian name suggests, he has Welsh parents, which qualifies him for England selection.Smith misses out after a mixed showing in his three Tests against South Africa. He started well, with 64 at Trent Bridge, but struggled afterwards – although his fielding, thought to be a worry beforehand, stood up well, culminating in a fine swoop to take the final catch at The Oval. But with Graham Thorpe a certain selection after his own Oval heroics and Nasser Hussain returning after injury, there was no room for another batsman once the selectors decided against taking 16 players.Bicknell is unfortunate to miss out after his fine second-innings form at The Oval, but lack of pace and surfeit of years counted against him. James Kirtley misses out too, despite taking five wickets on debut at Trent Bridge. Instead the pace battery comprises James Anderson, Stephen Harmison and the returning Matthew Hoggard. Kirtley does at least feature in the squad for the one-day section of the tour.There was no recall at this stage for Robert Croft, the Glamorgan offspinner who has done his best work for England overseas, with 35 wickets in nine Tests. Instead the selectors have opted for Ashley Giles (a star of England’s previous trip to Sri Lanka in 2000-01) and Gareth Batty, the Worcestershire offspinner who was in the squads for the third and fifth Tests against South Africa this summer but failed to make the final cut. But, with the pitches in Sri Lanka expected to help the spinners, the selectors may bolster the spin department after the Bangladesh leg of the tour – and Croft may come back into the reckoning then.The main surprises came in the form of call-ups for the allrounders Rikki Clarke and Paul Collingwood. Clarke, 22, has had a subdued season for Surrey – only 491 runs (admittedly at an average of 49) and nine wickets in nine County Championship matches to date. Collingwood, previously seen as something of a one-day specialist, he missed most of the season with a shoulder injury, but has returned successfully recently.Apart from Kirtley, five other players have been named only in the one-day squad – the usual suspects Vikram Solanki, Anthony McGrath, Ian Blackwell, and Richard Johnson, plus Andrew Strauss, the 26-year-old Middlesex captain. Strauss, who was born in Johannesburg, has enjoyed a fine season, and has the advantage of being an opener. He is also seen as an outsider to become Vaughan’s eventual successor as captain.There was no place for Darren Gough in the one-day squad, suggesting that the international career of England’s leading fast bowler of the past decade has come to an end. Gough predictably took it badly: “I’m bitterly disappointed,” he said. “They’ve picked that many bowlers this summer they had to fit them in somewhere so they’ve shared them out and I was the easy target to miss out. In one-day cricket in the last game I was Man of the Match [the NatWest Series final against South Africa] and I think a lot of people expected me to be still in the one-day squad because I’m still a good one-day bowler. I expected to be picked.”David Graveney, England’s chairman of selectors, explained his panel’s thinking: “In choosing the Test squad, we were mindful of the need to learn lessons from the drawn series against South Africa and ensure we have the right options available in the very different conditions we will face in Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. Our batting line-up at present is strong and we can draw on a nucleus of highly experienced Test batsmen plus a genuine all-rounder in Andrew Flintoff. The inclusion of Paul Collingwood and Rikki Clarke in the squad will also give us the option, where necessary, to strengthen our batting line-up still further and build totals which the captain can defend with what is a young and relatively inexperienced bowling attack.”Martin Bicknell and James Kirtley both made strong contributions in the recent npower Test series and were considered as seam bowlers, but Matthew Hoggard was preferred as we feel that his type of bowling will be most effective in the conditions we are likely to face on the subcontinent. We decided not to opt for a third spin bowler in the Test squad at this stage. But we will review the position after the tour to Bangladesh. Jason Brown, Robert Croft and Ian Blackwell will be considered as possible spin bowling options for the Sri Lankan Tests if required. Chris Read will be our first choice wicketkeeper and Geraint Jones will understudy him.”The one-day squad performed well to win both the NatWest Challenge and the NatWest Series this summer and the bulk of that squad has been retained for the winter. The injection of youth and energy in the field was an important factor in our success and we have kept faith with a number of younger players who we feel could play a part in the World Cup in 2007. Darren Gough still remains a selection option for the second part of the winter in one-day cricket. However, as part of our planning for 2007, the selectors needed to look at other options regarding bowling bearing in mind the playing conditions in Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.”Andrew Strauss has performed well in both forms of the county game this season and his inclusion will give us another batting option and also maintain the high standards of fielding we are seeking to achieve in one-day cricket.”The selectors also named a 14-man Academy squad, which will undergo training at Loughborough as well as undertaking tours to Malaysia and India. It includes Simon Jones, the Glamorgan fast bowler on the comeback trail, and Kevin Pietersen, the prolific Nottinghamshire batsman who was born in South Africa and doesn’t become eligible for full England selection until the end of the 2004 season.England Test squad
Michael Vaughan (capt), Marcus Trescothick, Mark Butcher, Nasser Hussain, Graham Thorpe, Andrew Flintoff, Paul Collingwood, Rikki Clarke, Chris Read (wk), Geraint Jones (wk), Ashley Giles, Gareth Batty, Matthew Hoggard, Stephen Harmison, James Anderson.One-day squad
Vaughan (capt), Trescothick, Vikram Solanki, Andrew Strauss, Anthony McGrath, Flintoff, Collingwood, Clarke, Read (wk), Ian Blackwell, Giles, Batty, Richard Johnson, James Kirtley, Anderson.England Academy squad
Kadeer Ali (Worcs), Simon Francis (Somerset), Alex Gidman (Gloucs), Simon Jones (Glamorgan), Shaftab Khalid (Worcs), Michael Lumb (Yorks), Sajid Mahmood (Lancs), Graham Napier (Essex), Scott Newman (Surrey), Kevin Pietersen (Notts), Matthew Prior (Sussex), Bilal Shafayat (Notts), James Tredwell (Kent), Graham Wagg (Warwicks).

Victoria 0 for 16 trail New South Wales 287 (Haddin 76, Lee 74*) by 271 runs
Scorecard

Brett Lee made a spectacular comeback from injury, but it was with the bat rather than the ball. His unbeaten 74 helped New South Wales to recover to 287 after they slumped to 5 for 67 on the opening day of their Pura Cup match against Victoria at the MCG. Victoria had scored 0 for 16 by the close.At one stage Cameron White, Victoria’s captain, had six men on the boundary to try to curb Lee’s hitting as he steered his side to respectability after it looked like being a nightmare start for Mark Waugh in his first-class captaincy debut. Waugh was left regretting his decision to bat first after NSW lost five wickets in the pre-lunch session.But NSW’s wicketkeeper Brad Haddin dug in and put on 74 with Lee, who was playing his first first-class match since he tore an abdominal muscle in October and underwent ankle surgery in the lay-off.Lee took on the senior batting role once Haddin was out for 76 early in the final session. From 8 for 212, Lee and Stuart Clark (12) were able to graft a partnership of 25 before Lee and Liam Zammit (13) put on 50 for the last wicket. Those runs could prove invaluable, given that both sides are locked on eight points and outright points would give the winner an equal share of the lead in the Pura Cup table.Ian Harvey (3 for 57) and Andrew McDonald (3 for 63) gave Victoria a dream start and overcome the loss of strike bowler Mathew Inness, who withdrew because of glandular fever. Harvey took the new ball in Inness’s absence and had immediate success, removing openers Greg Mail (0) and Phil Jaques (4).McDonald also chimed in with the scalps of Michael Clarke (25) and Michael Bevan (17) – he also later bowled Waugh (44) – before some dogged NSW resistance set up what should be a good tussle over the next three days.

All may not be lost for New Zealand fast bowler Shane Bond who returned home to Christchurch from Sri Lanka today.New Zealand Cricket’s sports science medical co-ordinator Warren Frost met Bond at Christchurch Airport and said afterwards that the advice received from the team physiotherapist on tour, Dayle Shackel, offered a best hope scenario that Bond’s back problem could be disc-related and not the stress fracture that has been feared. Bond will have an MRI scan on Monday to determine the extent of his problem.Bond said after his arrival in Christchurch that before leaving Sri Lanka the injury had settled down and there was no stiffness associated with it. It was only when twisting that he could feel the injury.The victim of three stress fractures at earlier stages of his career Bond, who became the bowler to achieve the fastest 50 wickets by a New Zealander in one-day internationals on the tour to Sri Lanka, said the feeling was different on Sunday to that he felt when suffering his earlier stress fractures.”Those times I wasn’t able to bowl a ball because there was a searing pain in the back. After bowling three overs [against Pakistan] I got a wee bit stiff but was able to bowl at a reasonable pace. I never felt sore when I bowled. I’m a little bit nervous that it is not going to be great news. I’ll be able to tell as soon as I see the scan what the problem is,” he said.The news will also be followed with interest by English county club Warwickshire who have been in daily contact with Bond to see how he is doing. He is due to join them for the full English season. “They will be the first to know,” Bond said.In case it is bad news Bond has prepared himself for that and said he would at least be lucky that it is not until mid-September that the New Zealand team plays again and he was hopeful that with the required rest he could be over the problem by that time.The thing about his recovery was that it required rest and the only thing he would be unable to do was bowl. It would allow him to spend the winter at home with his wife, and he was looking forward to that.Bond said the conditions at Dambulla were the best he had bowled in over in Sri Lanka and were much like New Zealand last summer. “It [the pitch] was the best I had bowled on over there. But the hardest thing on a green wicket is putting the ball in the spot,” he said.Frost said that if Bond’s injury was disc-related it might not be too long before Bond was back on the field and meeting his Warwickshire commitments.