Young Bushranger all-rounder Andrew McDonald is to lead Victoria’s 2nd XI in game two of the Cricket Australia Cup in Western Australia from October 13-16.The team for the match at Richardson Park, South Perth has been confirmed and is as follows:

Andrew McDonald (C)
Matthew Albers
Liam Buchanan
David Hussey
Michael Klinger
Bryce McGain
Matthew Mott
Sean Pietersz
Peter Roach
Graeme Rummans
Tim Welsford
Allan Wise

Sunil Gavaskar has predicted hard times for India in Australia, on the eve of the team’s departure for a three-month tour that will consist of a four-Test series, followed by the VB Series also involving Zimbabwe. India’s last Test victory in Australia came in 1981, and they have lost seven of their last eight Tests there, dating back to 1991-92.India slumped to a 37-run defeat in the TVS Cup final against Australia last Tuesday, a third defeat in succession against a side that was nowhere near full strength. Chasing a target of 236, gettable even on a wearing pitch, they disappointed a capacity Eden Gardens crowd by capitulating meekly in the final stages.The manner of surrender infuriated Gavaskar. In his column, he wrote, “If they can’t get 236 against a second-string bowling attack what will they do against the fully fledged attack?”India were the last team to beat Australia in a Test series, back in 2001, but Ricky Ponting, who masterminded the TVS Cup triumph, reckoned they would struggle in Australia. Even Sourav Ganguly acknowledged that his team’s recent displays – a drawn two-Test series against New Zealand and the indifferent showing in the TVS Cup – were a worry.In the same newpaper in which Gavaskar had aired his views, Ganguly said, “Our performances in the recently concluded Test and one-day series have been below par. The situation requires everyone to put up their hands and be counted.”India go into the tour with a five-man pace attack that is woefully short on experience, with only Ajit Agarkar having played in Australia before. The batting will once again be heavily reliant on Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid, with Ponting suggesting that the Australians had worked out the likes of VVS Laxman and Virender Sehwag.The selectors have also come in for much criticism in the build-up to the team’s departure, because of their decision to omit Murali Kartik – the only Indian slow bowler to show consistently good form in the recent past – in favour of Harbhajan Singh and Anil Kumble, both of whom did little of note in the home season.

Victoria 9 for 381 dec and 2 for 208 (Hodge 111*, Elliott 79) drew with Queensland 7 for 605 7 dec (Love 300*, Hopes 97, Perren 95, Seccombe 57
Scorecard

Martin Love became the first player to score a triple-century for Queensland, smashing an unbeaten 300 as the match against Victoria at Melbourne ended in a tame draw – and both captains expressed concern with the flat track at Melbourne’s Junction Oval.The pitch yielded 1194 runs for only 18 wickets, and Love, Queensland’s captain who smacked 300 not out, was less than impressed. “It needs to have a bit more in it for the bowlers,” he said. “It’s certainly weighted in favour of the batters, but even from a batting point of view it’s still hard work. The ball doesn’t come onto the bat, it’s a bit of variable bounce, you really have to spend a lot of time at the crease to score your runs.” Junction Oval has yielded 30 three-figure individual scores in 26 first-class games, including five 200s and now Love’s 300.But it will be wholly forgettable for team-mate Stuart Law, who was fined 25 per cent of his match fee. Law’s fine is understood to be $800, after he pleaded guilty at a post-game hearing for making an audible obscenity soon after his dismissal for 5 on the third day.Queensland gained two first-innings points after declaring at 7 for 605, and Victoria batted out the rest of the day, with Brad Hodge making 111 and Matthew Elliott 79 in their 2 for 208.Victoria coach David Hookes added he hoped the pitch had more life when his side hosted Western Australia next week. “It would be extremely disappointing for us if we had another bland draw next week,” he told reporters, “and therefore our first two home games were draws, regardless of where the two points go.”Queensland declared one ball after Love reached his triple century, with a single off a cover drive. “It’s just relief I got there – if I was on 298, we were still declaring at the end of that over,” Love said. It was his highest first-class score and broke Peter Burge’s 40-year record of 283 as the highest score for the state.Love scored the first triple century in the Pura Cup since Dean Jones’s 324 not out for Victoria against South Australia in 1994-95. But it was also the slowest Cup triple ton, with his 610 minute vigil surpassing the 561 minutes South Australian Jack Badcock took in 1935-36.Love knows this innings will not be enough to force his way back into the Test team, but chairman of selectors Trevor Hohns would have come away from watching this game impressed with his concentration. “If you bat for a long time you show the selectors you can concentrate for long periods and I think that’s what is required at Test cricket,” Love said. Apart from the Man of the Match award, Love also won the special Spirit of Anzac Medal, struck because this game started on Remembrance Day.Meanwhile, Victoria will test injured allrounder Jon Moss on Saturday morning ahead of Sunday’s one-dayer against the Bulls at the MCG. Moss is in doubt with a groin injury he suffered while batting two days ago. Queensland’s Ashley Noffke and batsman Lee Carseldine will miss the match with back injuries.

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.

Chris Hartley has some big gloves to fill when he makes his domestic one-day debut for Queensland in the ING Cup final against the Western Warriors at the Gabba on Sunday. Hartley replaced Wade Seccombe, who was included in the Australian Test squad, in the only change to the Queensland team for the ING Cup decider.However in his first class debut earlier this season, Hartley showed that he is not daunted by the big occasions. He became the first Queenslander since Matthew Hayden to score a century on debut when he scored 103 against South Australia. He went on to represent the Prime Minister’s XI against India in January.Seccombe has been a lucky charm for Queensland in the past decade, playing in the 1995-96 and 1997-98 Mercantile Mutual Cup victories. He was also an integral part of Queensland’s 1994-95 and 1996-97 Sheffield Shield wins and the hat-trick of Pura Cup titles between 1999-00 and 2001-02. Queensland have won six of their past seven ING Cup matches this season, including the last five on the trot. Their only loss in that sequence was against Western Australia at Perth.A final decision on whether Jimmy Maher, who suffered a hamstring injury, returns to the team is not expected to be made until Saturday. Maher scored a massive 187 when the Bulls amassed a record 4 for 405 against Western Australia in Brisbane earlier this month.Squad 1 Jimmy Maher (capt), 2 Stuart Law, 3 Martin Love, 4 Clinton Perren, 5 Craig Philipson, 6 James Hopes, 7 Chris Hartley, 8 Andy Bichel,9 Ashley Noffke, 10 Nathan Hauritz, 11 Scott Brant, 12 Chris Simpson

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.”

Yuvraj Singh has complicated the selection of the Indian team for the third Test by playing a blinder in the second Test. His maiden Test century came when India were in deep trouble. From 147 for 7, Ifran Pathan and Yuvraj took India towards respectability, to 287 all out. His innings has made it difficult for India to leave him out of the team for the final Test. Yuvraj came into the team as a replacement for Sourav Ganguly, who suffered a back injury during the one-dayers. Ganguly has since recovered fully and has arrived in Lahore.Ganguly’s return has meant that India have to leave someone else out of the side if they are to make room for Yuvraj. And, cruel as it may seem, Aakash Chopra is the man likeliest to get the axe. Chopra has done remarkably well at the top of the order since he made the Test team. He was asked to do a job – blunt the new ball and see out the tricky early spells when the pitch and the fast bowlers are freshest. His solid defence, coupled with a seemingly unlimited patience and the ability to leave the ball alone for long periods, made him the ideal foil for Virender Sehwag.Sehwag and Chopra have opened the batting together in eight Tests now: two home Tests against New Zealand, four away against Australia and now two in Pakistan. In these matches they have posted four 100-run opening stands, the last of which was 160 at Multan. India has lacked this very consistency at the top of the order, since the time Sunil Gavaskar and Chetan Chouhan (3010 runs at 53.75) opened the innings. There was a brief period when Sadagoppan Ramesh and Shiv Sunder Das did well (836 runs at 44), but that did not last long. Chopra and Sehwag have been together for only eight Tests, but six of those have been overseas, and it is noteworthy that three of their 100-plus stands have come abroad, of which the lowest was 123 at Melbourne. Before the start of the second innings of the second Test, the Chopra-Sehwag combine had racked up 849 runs at an average of 80.64Before the start of the Test series, John Wright conceded that the opening conundrum was an interesting one. With no reserve opener in the squad it was assumed that Yuvraj would play the role. But, as Wright explained, India might be considering other options. “It’s an interesting question. We had a reserve opener in Australia, but the selectors didn’t think it fit to pick one here. That means — unless I can convince Rahul Dravid or someone else of the experienced four — that Yuvraj may have to fulfil that role. Or maybe Parthiv Patel. It is an interesting situation, we’ve just got to hope that [Virender] Sehwag and Aakash [Chopra] carry on the good form.”Now, the form of the openers is not in question, but, if Yuvraj has to fit into the playing eleven, then it is likely that Chopra will miss out. Whether Yuvraj will come into the side as an opener, or as a middle-order batsman, with Patel opening, remains to be seen. The thought of a double-barreled attacking partnership in the form of Sehwag and Yuvraj is a spectator’s delight.Anand Vasu, an assistant editor of Wisden Cricinfo, will be following the Indian team throughout this series.

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.”

Reacting to the news that Muttiah Muralitharan was threatening to sue him, Bishan Singh Bedi was unperturbed. “I’m entitled to my opinion,” he said. “In my opinion, he doesn’t conform to the laws of the game and the ICC is squarely to blame for allowing him to get away with it,” said Bedi, in an interview with The Hindustan Times.An Associated Press report had quoted Murali’s manager, Kushil Gunasekera, as saying that a few of Bedi’s articles had been sent to his lawyers. When asked about it, Bedi said, “I have no lawyers. Let them send a letter, they will have to send a million letters to various people. They have to realise that I have nothing personal against Muralitharan.””I have never met him, never said hello, never shaken hands with him,” said Bedi. “How can I have something against him personally? I am talking about the spirit of the game being violated.”Bedi added that the fault lay with the International Cricket Council for allowing Murali to carry on with such an action. And he reiterated that Murali wasn’t the only one with a dubious action, and that the ICC was letting them off too easily.”The problem is not with the bowlers, it lies in the ICC’s inefficiency to control them,” he said. “What is the ICC up to anyway?”

Zimbabwe’s rebel cricketers have been given until Wednesday, July 21, to agree to the International Cricket Council’s plan for arbitration in their dispute with the Zimbabwe Cricket Union, reports AFP. Chris Venturas, the players’ legal representative, is quoted as saying, “We’ve been given until Wednesday 5pm (1600GMT) to make a decision about arbitration.”Venturas’s comments came after he met with Malcolm Speed, the ICC chief executive, in London on July 16. “I’ll be recommending we go for it. But I don’t know yet what they [the players] are going to say about it,” said Venturas. Earlier, the ZCU agreed to the ICC’s proposal that recommended the issue be sorted out by a three-man arbitration panel in Zimbabwe.The ZCU would nominate one man to the panel, the players another and the third would be chosen by mutual agreement. Most of the rebel cricketers are in England at the moment, as part of a fund-raising tour to raise money for the Zimbabwe Cricketers’ Fund and the Zimbabwe Pensioners’ Fund.Venturas has said that arbitration is what the players wanted all along. “As I explained to Malcolm (Speed), this is what we had been asking for but we were stonewalled by the ZCU. For arbitration to work it needs the consent of both parties.”The ball is now in the players’ court and Venturas was hopeful all parties would be closer to a solution at the end of this process. “A lot of things have happened in the last two months and the players have moved on. They need to think about it [arbitration]. I hope they do agree because I think arbitration is in the best interests of Zimbabwe cricket.” The players had earlier requested a month more to think about the point of arbitration, but the ICC denied this request, pressing upon them the need to fast-track a solution.