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Paul Collingwood will warm up for his England return with a Pro40 match for Durham on Sunday after the ECB freed him for extra match practice ahead of Tuesday’s second ODI against South Africa. It will be Collingwood’s first ODI since being banned at the end of June for four matches for a slow over-rate when captain against New Zealand and his first since ceding the leadership.Friday’s opening ODI at Headingley was the last of the four matches he was banned for and now he should feature in Durham’s Division One match against Worcestershire at New Road. Since his ban he has managed three limited overs matches for Durham, scoring 36, an unbeaten 78 and 8.Alastair Cook, who was omitted from Friday’s team, has also been made available for his county Essex, along with Ravi Bopara. While Bopara played in England’s 20-run win he did not bat. Essex’s Division Two tie is against Glamorgan at Colchester.

Shaun Tait is expecting to return to first-class cricket for South Australia’s opening Sheffield Shield game following his successful tour of India with Australia A. Tait is back at home in Adelaide after collecting six wickets at 18.16 from four games as Australia A wrapped up the one-day tri-series against teams from India and New Zealand.The matches were his first since walking away from cricket in January, when he cited mental and physical exhaustion. Tait’s promising efforts on the challenging India trip have convinced him that he is ready for a full return to the first-class arena.”I should be fine, ready to go first game,” Tait told the . South Australia’s season begins with a one-day match against Victoria at Adelaide Oval on October 12, followed by a Sheffield Shield match also against the Bushrangers that starts two days later.Tait could hardly have been given a tougher place to make his comeback than in India, where his sometimes injury-plagued body was rigorously tested. But he came through the trip well and starred in one match against India A, when he picked up 3 for 27.”It was tough conditions, hot and the wickets weren’t exactly bowler friendly,” Tait said. “We all played well and the performances were pretty good. I am over all the bad injuries. I still get a bit sore in the elbow and that sort of thing but if you ask fast bowlers around the world they are all pretty sore.”The elbow is 100% fine for bowling and throwing. Mentally I am absolutely fine. The body being healthy and fit helps mentally as well.”During Tait’s absence, Australia have picked other fast bowlers including Ashley Noffke, Doug Bollinger and Peter Siddle for Test tours. Tait believes his best chance for an international return is in the one-day arena, but Australia’s chairman of selectors Andrew Hilditch said he would remain in the Test frame if his domestic performances were up to scratch.”He hasn’t been pigeon-holed, that is for sure,” Hilditch said. “Australia A is important for him and is a good lead-in to the season. He is an explosive bowler, India was going to be good experience for him. It all depends how he starts the domestic season.”

Brian Lara’s involvement with the ICL has been put in doubt after league officials said he was injured and “unlikely to play” for them, and the player said was “out of the ICL”. Lara, who was in Mumbai, has left for Australia with the ICL second season now under way in Hyderabad.”The fact that I’m going tomorrow to Australia means I won’t be here for the ICL” Lara was quoted as saying in the . “It means I am out of the ICL.”Himanshu Mody, the ICL’s operational head, said Lara may never return to competitive cricket. He fractured his left arm during a Carib Beer Cup match in January and was ruled out of the second edition of the ICL earlier this year.”Lara now has a permanent problem on his left shoulder and will never beable to play the game actively and, therefore, is unlikely to play for the ICLin future as well,” Mody told Cricketnext.Lara was the most high-profile signing when the league was launched at the end of 2007 and was named captain of the Mumbai Champs. However, he had a forgettable stint, managing 31 runs at an average of 6.20 as his side finished at the bottom of the table. He retired from international cricket after the 2007 World Cup in the West Indies.

A court is seeking records of Shoaib Akhtar’s latest disciplinary transgression to decide on his appeal of a ban and fine for earlier disciplinary violations.Shoaib is currently challenging an 18-month ban from cricket and a fine of Rs 7 million (US$95,000) in the Lahore High Court, but the PCB’s legal adviser Taffazul Rizvi said Shoaib had repeatedly violated the players’ code of conduct.The court wanted the transcription of a recent interview Shoaib gave to an Indian news channel. Rizvi said the board would submit the text in court within this week. “We have the DVD of the interview that Akhtar gave on an Indian television channel recently in which he criticized the PCB,” he told . “Akhtar had assured the court about his good behavior but he violated the code of conduct in his recent television interview.”Shoaib’s lawyer Abid Minto, however, challenged the cricket board stance that he has repeatedly violated the code of conduct. “There was no inquiry on Akhtar, so we want the Board to produce evidence,” Minto told reporters.The apparent breach of the code of conduct comes after Shoaib, 33, was selected in the Pakistan squad for the T20 Canada in Toronto last month as well as the recently-concluded three-match ODI series against the West Indies in Abu Dhabi, after the PCB had softened its stance over his bad behaviour. He was also allowed to turn out for Federal Areas in Pakistan’s domestic Pentangular Cup.He was initially banned by the PCB for five years, but the sentence had been reduced to 18 months, along with the fine, by an appellate tribunal in June.

A confidential memo from the broadcaster Setanta has described the ECB’s handling of their TV rights deal a “charade”, and accuses Giles Clarke of “making up the rules as he went along”.BSkyB extended their contract in August in a deal worth around £300 million (US$600 million). At the time, Clarke, the ECB’s chairman who has ruffled plenty of feathers in his short time in office, attacked Channel 4 and the BBC for not submitting a challenge to Sky. Now, however, a senior executive at Setanta – whose £30 million bid was unsuccessful – described the process as a charade and complained the company was treated with “contempt” by the ECB.Clarke rejected the criticism. “The tender documents were compiled by external legal counsel in accordance with European Commission law, and the negotiations with broadcasters were conducted impeccably by the ECB’s commercial director, John Perera, and Clive Leach, the chairman of Durham,” he told the . “Setanta have no grounds for complaint, and they have not raised any concerns with the board or the ECB executive.”Sky’s deal, which has attracted criticism from many observers who feel it ostracises sections of the population, runs for four years.

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

The India XI thoroughly outplayed their Pakistan counterparts in their first outing of the ICL 20s World Series, chasing down a target of 166 with five balls to spare. It was a good win for India, who kept Pakistan to a gettable total, bar a few dropped catches, and their chase was aided by a similarly sloppy display from Pakistan. Ambati Rayudu did not finish what he started, but batted long enough to ensure those behind him didn’t sweat too much. Hemang Badani saw India through with an unbeaten 32 from 22 deliveriesIndia lost the explosive G Vignesh in the first over, run out by a direct hit from Shahid Yousuf when he harried down the track and did not pay heed to Ibrahim Khaleel’s call to stay put. An entertaining partnership followed.Khaleel and Rayudu, who was reprieved by Imran Nazir at backward point on 4, struck the ball confidently and with precision. Rana Naved-ul-Hasan was taken for 14 in his opening over, and Khaleel looked good for a few runs more before Arshad Khan drew a mishit on 36, scored from 27 balls. Stuart Binny failed to convert a dropped catch and drove a return catch back to Arshad and Mohammad Sami got R Sathish cheaply as well. Rayudu continued to hit the ball well and crossed fifty from 36 balls with an inside-out slash.Having just thumped a long hop through cover, Rayudu chased a lifting delivery from Abdul Razzaq and was brilliantly taken by the wicketkeeper, Humayun Farhat, with the score reading 132 for 5. At this stage, India needed 34 from 28 balls. Inzamam-ul-Haq brought back Sami and he uprooted S Abbas Ali’s stumps when 13 were still required. Badani kept his cool and in the company of Reetinder Singh Sodhi, finished the match in the final over.The success for India was laid by the start they had with the ball. Four balls into the match, Pakistan had lost Imran Farhat, mistiming a pull off Rajamani Jesuraj to mid-on. Nazir – who slammed 392 runs at 43.55 with a strike rate of 175.78 in the recently concluded tournament – signalled his intent with a four and a six off Jesuraj, but the bowler had the final say when Nazir went the same way as Farhat in the third over. Rana continued his free-hitting fun, smacking Binny and Sodhi’s military medium-pace with disdain, even as Yousuf went pulling Vignesh to midwicket.Inzamam’s arrival at the crease in the ninth over was a potential minefield for India. Rana was looking solid on 44 from 30 balls when Murtaza was called back. It took him one delivery to send Rana back – another massive swing going nowhere but down Badani’s throat at long-on. Murtaza was immediately taken off for three overs – during which Pakistan scored 27 – and returned to trap Inzamam lbw for 24 on the sweep. Razzaq followed in the next over but the luckless Eklak Ahmid looked on in despair as two catches were dropped in one over.Murtaza added Tahir Mughal for 12, Jesuraj dismissed Humayun, and Pakistan ended their innings on 165 for 9. Scores in that region had been chased down frequently this past month, and India found themselves in familiar territory.

Moving on
Rahul Dravid may have stonewalled his way through the opening day, but the intent was unmistakeable on day two, especially once the new ball was taken. Stuart Broad was cut through cover, and when he then dropped short, Dravid flailed one over the slip cordon for four more. India made 123 runs in the opening session, with Dravid contributing 55 from 89 balls.You need some luck too
Dravid was two short of that long-awaited century when Andrew Flintoff got one to dart away from the bat at pace. It missed Dravid’s defensive push by millimetres. A couple of minutes later, he worked James Anderson off the pads to backward square leg for a single. It had taken 261 balls, but the ordeal was over.1000-run man
When he got to 142, Gautam Gambhir had 1000 runs for the calendar year, not bad for someone who didn’t play his first Test of 2008 till Sri Lanka in July. It was also some achievement for a man who contemplated giving up the game after the disappointment of being overlooked for the 2007 World Cup squad.Mighty Mishra
As a contest, it was the most unequal one possible. The gargantuan figure of Flintoff, who had clocked 151 kph at one point during the day, up against the diminutive Amit Mishra. Mishra survived 11 balls against England’s colossus and even affected one cheeky loft over the slips for four. Kudos too for an emphatic straight six off Monty Panesar.Oh, Brother!
After failing to dismiss Sachin Tendulkar on the final day in Chennai, Graeme Swann was understandably jubilant at getting him cheaply here going for an awkward paddle-sweep. “He’s the one wicket you prize more than any,” said Swann, who also admitted that his brother had given him some stick for not being able to do more in Chennai.Don’t let the sun go down
If crowds don’t understand some of cricket’s rules, you can scarcely blame them. Once you come off for bad light during the half-hour extension at the end of play, you can’t go back out. Within a minute of the English openers retreating to the dressing room, we had the brightest sunshine of the day, and no chance whatsoever of play resuming. The law is indeed an ass.

Scorecard
Points table

Western Australia raced to a three-day victory over Queensland at the Gabba to repay Brett Dorey for his maiden ten-wicket match haul. Dorey backed up his 6 for 28 in the first innings with 5 for 60 in the second as the Bulls were dismissed for 179, giving the visitors a chase of 191 to stay in finals contention.Queensland had them 2 for 36 but Wes Robinson followed his 78 on Saturday with a cool 46 while Adam Voges’ unbeaten 80 pushed the visitors to 4 for 193 in gloomy conditions. It was a fine all-round game for Voges, who also grabbed seven catches.Rain stole about an hour in the first session and interrupted again late in the day. However, there was enough time for the players to earn a day off after the Warriors moved to third.Resuming at 4 for 110, Lee Carseldine did not stay long before nicking Steve Magoffin on 55 and Dorey stepped in for four of the final five wickets. Magoffin provided excellent support with 4 for 62 as the bowlers took advantage of the steamy conditions that have helped them throughout the game.

Queensland 8 for 300 dec (Broad 84, Carseldine 51, Bailey 5-90) and 0 for 3 need 330 runs to beat South Australia 6 for 489 dec and 7 for 143 dec (Klinger 57)
Scorecard
Points table

Cullen Bailey’s first Sheffield Shield game in more than a year has been a success with his career-best figures allowing South Australia to chase outright points against Queensland. The legspinner Bailey held a Cricket Australia contract in 2007-08 but was barely used by his state over the past two seasons.However, he has returned in excellent condition and impressed with 5 for 90 before the Bulls declared at 8 for 300, 189 behind the Redbacks. The home side then built their advantage to 7 for 143, with Michael Klinger raising a half-century and Chris Swan taking 3 for 28, before closing their innings.The Bulls survived two overs before stumps and cut three from their victory target of 333. A win for South Australia might move them to fifth while a Queensland success would shift them closer to a spot in the final.Ryan Broad held Queensland’s first innings together with a watchful 84, but miscued a pull off Bailey shortly after Andrew Symonds had holed out to long-off. Symonds, who hit Bailey for six as part of his 27, is carrying a knee injury and will see his doctors in Melbourne after the match.Swan completed Bailey’s collection, which also included Martin Love and Chris Hartley, when he edged to first slip. Bailey’s previous best was 5 for 146 in 2005-06 when he started to be noticed by the national selectors.

Group A

Karachi Whites’ openers, Ali Asad and Khalid Latif, scored hundreds to grind Lahore Shalimar’s bowlers down on the first day in Muridke. Asad hit 16 fours in his unbeaten 127 while Latif made 123 in an opening stand of 249. Mohammad Saeed provided Lahore with their only wicket of the day when he had Latif caught behind but Asad took his team to stumps on 264 for 1.Sohail Tanvir took 4 for 87 to put Khan Research Laboratories in a dominant position against National Bank of Pakistan in Rawalpindi. He was well-supported by Jaffar Nazir and Akhtar Ayub, who took 2 for 24 and 3 for 59 respectively, as NBP were bowled out for 184. Opener Rashid Riaz scored a solitary half-century as the rest of the batsmen struggled against KRL’s pace attack. In reply, KRL had reached 54 for 1 by stumps, losing Saeed Anwar jnr to Mohammad Aamer.Habib Bank held the advantage at the end of the first day of their match against Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited (ZTBL) at the Sheikhupura Stadium. Having won the toss and put ZTBL in, Habib Bank’s bowlers reduced them to 231 for 7 by stumps. However, ZTBL did well to recover from a precarious 112 for 5 thanks to Wajahatullah Wasti, who made 83 with 11 fours and a six. The ZTBL wickets were shared by five Habib Bank bowlers, with Mohammad Aslam taking 2 for 37.Half-centuries from Rameez Aziz, Qasim Sheikh and Zahoor Elahi helped Pakistan Customs recover from early losses to post 273 for 6 against Water and Power Development Authority in Sialkot. Pakistan Customs were reduced to 24 for 2 before Aziz and Sheikh added 140 for the third wicket. Aziz top scored with 85 while Sheikh and Elahi contributed 60 and 52. Shabbir Ahmed and Ali Azmat were the pick of the WAPDA bowlers, taking 2 for 44 and 2 for 27 respectively.Umar Akmal scored 93 off 126 balls to lead Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited to 252 for 7 on the first day against Pakistan International Airlines in Faisalabad. Akmal hit 12 fours and a six during his innings and SNGPL were in a sound position at 155 for 2 before a middle-order wobble gave PIA the edge. Anwar Ali, Jamshed Ahmed and Tahir Khan took two wickets apiece for PIA..

Group B

Hyderabad took firm control of their match in Mirpur Khas, dismissing Quetta for 163 before their batsmen reached 110 for 1 before stumps. Sajjad Ali provided Hyderabad the breakthrough with the new ball, dismissing Quetta opener Shahzad Tareen for a duck before the rest of the bowlers struck at regular intervals. Left-arm spinner Pir Zulfiqar picked up 4 for 50, including the wicket of Taimur Ali, who top-scored for Quetta with 50. Azeem Ghumman lead Hyderabad’s strong reply, scoring 68 before he was lbw to Nazar Hussain just before stumps. Hyderabad ended the day 53 runs away from taking the lead with nine wickets in hand.Usman Arshad and Ijaz Ahmed jnr scored centuries to give Faisalabad control of their match against Peshawar in Sargodha. Arshad remained unbeaten on 134 while Ijaz scored 118 in a third-wicket partnership of 258 which lead Faisalabad to 335 for 4 at stumps. They were in a bit of trouble at 59 for 3 before the massive partnership. Fast bowler Nauman Habib was Peshawar’s best bowler, taking 3 for 64.Rauf Akbar and Saad Altaf took four wickets apiece to help Islamabad restrict Sialkot to 268 on the first day in Islamabad. Akbar and Altaf struck early with the new ball to reduce Sialkot to 60 for 3 before Kamran Younis and Mohammad Ayub scored 60s to revive the innings. They added 106 for the fourth wicket before the innings lost direction due to a steady fall of wickets. Islamabad batted three overs and reached 3 for 0 before stumps.Sheharyar Ghani’s unbeaten 125 held Karachi Blues together and enabled them to reach 291 for 7 against Multan in Karachi. The innings had slipped to 82 for 4, courtesy Abdur Rauf who took 5 for 89, before Ghani strung together useful partnerships with the lower-order. He added 110 with Zakir Afridi who made 42 before he became Rauf’s fifth wicket.Opener Ghulam Mohammad scored a century but received little support from his team-mates as Abbottabad ended the first day against Lahore Ravi on 278 for 8 at the Lahore City Cricket Association Ground. Ghulam shared a second-wicket partnership of 73 with Javedullah and added another 100 for the third with captain Adnan Raees but the innings eventually fell away from 262 for 4 to 278 for 8. Waqas Ahmed, Kashif Siddiq and Hasan Ahmed took two wickets each for Lahore.