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The arbitrator in the case between the BCCI and the Kings XI Punjab, justice BN Srikrishna, has withdrawn from the case after disclosing to both parties that he represented the Wadia Group, part owners of the Punjab franchise, in many of their cases in the past.”I disclosed to the BCCI today that I was defence counsel for the Wadia Group,” Srikrishna told ESPNcricinfo. “They said I couldn’t continue, I said that was fine with me.”The news came a day after Srikrishna delivered an interim order in another case involving the BCCI, granting a stay on the expulsion of Rajasthan Royals. He said today’s development would not have any bearing on the Rajasthan case. “I will carry on because my association with the Wadias in the past does not concern that case.”Srikrishna was scheduled to begin hearing the Punjab case today, with the hearing set to last three days with provisions for a reserve day. But the board’s objection – made before the day’s proceedings started – stalled it.The irony is that Srikrishna was the BCCI’s own choice as arbitrator when both the issues went to arbitration. BCCI president Shashank Manohar told ESPNcricinfo that “he was chosen as we have all our faith in him.”Manohar said they would be challenging Srikrishna’s order staying the Rajasthan Royals termination in the Bombay High Court tomorrow, but said there was a possibility to include more teams in the fourth IPL.”Honestly speaking, we have nothing against any teams or any of the franchises,” Manohar said. “We have just acted based on the advice we have taken from our lawyers over certain matters.”The BCCI chief said the board was “not at all worried” about the turn of events in the IPL arbitration cases. “We will work it out … even if there are eight teams or ten teams in the next IPL, that’s fine. If we get an order from the court tomorrow that we cannot terminate the teams and they will have to be included in the IPL, that will happen.”

Brendon McCullum has been ruled out of the remainder of the HRV Cup due to a back injury that could affect his participation for the early part of the home series against Pakistan. McCullum had injured his back during the second Test against India, where he scored a double-century to secure a draw, but played in the third Test and three of the five ODIs that followed.An Otago association statement, as reported in the , said the decision to rule out McCullum was “the most common-sense approach for Brendon to rest to give him the best possible opportunity of taking a full part in the upcoming international series”. McCullum has played just one HRV Cup game for Otago since returning from India. The series against Pakistan comprises three Twenty20s, two Tests and six ODIs, with the first Twenty20 game to be played on Boxing Day in Auckland.McCullum opened the batting for New Zealand in both the Tests and the ODIs on the tour of India and captain Daniel Vettori suggested he could keep his place at the top of the order while Jesse Ryder, a regular opener, could be pushed down, given his sound ability against spin. The practice earlier had been to play McCullum down the order when New Zealand’s batting was experiencing a low.”I do feel sorry for Brendon because it’s the first suggestion [that is made],” Vettori was quoted by the as saying. “It’s tough on him and I think he’s a real asset at the top of the order in the World Cup. Jesse is such a good player of spin, and with his finishing qualities as well we’ve put a little more thought into him batting at No 4 in the one-dayers.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsThe victorious Rajasthan team poses with the trophy•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Rajasthan became the newest team to etch their name on the Ranji Trophy, shutting Baroda out after taking the first-innings lead with a clinical display that didn’t give an inch to the hosts on the final day. It capped an improbable season for Rajasthan, who rose from being last year’s bottom-placed team in the Plate League to become Ranji champions in their ninth appearance in the final. Rajasthan’s strength this season has been their ability to bat big, and today it was the lower order that batted Baroda into helpless disappointment.For Baroda to have had a sniff, they needed to dismiss Rajasthan quickly. They eventually did bowl them out, but not before the visitors’ lower order had frustrated them for almost two sessions. Though Ashok Menaria – who went soon after scoring his third century in three knockout games – and Rashmi Parida fell within the first hour, the tail defended stoutly in the company of wicketkeeper Rohit Jhalani, who surprisingly came in at No. 11. Each run was loudly cheered by the Rajasthan supporters and association officials, and as the lead grew, Baroda’s shoulders drooped.The Baroda bowlers were already tired after having spent more than 200 overs on the field over four days, and though they toiled away, the game was slowly slipping from their grasp. Murtuja Vahora steamed in, Bhargav Bhatt kept going on for 45 overs, but the others were steady at best. The bowlers’ disappointment gave way to angry stares as half-chances went by the close-in fielders, and the last-wicket partnership between Jhalani and Pankaj Singh comprehensively deflated them. Jhalani and Pankaj added 59 in 153 deliveries, but it was the prolonged ease with which they milked the bowling that highlighted Rajasthan’s domination.When Pankaj was finally bowled by debutant Abhijit Karambelkar, the hosts needed an impossible 375 in 29 overs. Rajasthan were not done yet though, and Pankaj and Deepak Chahar gave Baroda a torrid time, striking thrice in successive overs to leave them reeling at 21 for 3. Chahar showcased his prodigious ability to swing the ball, getting a delivery to move away after angling it on leg stump, and Swapnil Singh could only edge it to a diving Aakash Chopra at second slip.The teams decided to call off proceedings after 14 overs in the Baroda innings, but not before Pankaj and Chahar had once again displayed their worth as a strike pair, ending the tournament with 83 victims. There was no shame in defeat for Baroda, for Rajasthan were clearly the stronger and more experienced side. They would however, look back at the two dropped chances yesterday as the moment when they let the Ranji Trophy slip out of their hands, and Rajasthan never gave them a second look at it. The eventual champions knew they were the better team, but they also proved it on the big stage.

Sachin Tendulkar and Jacques Kallis share the No.1 spot in the latest ICC player rankings for Test batsmen following the conclusion of the Cape Town Test on Thursday. Both Tendulkar and Kallis have 883 rating points, just one ahead of Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara at No.2.Tendulkar, who scored 146 and 14 not out in the third Test in Cape Town against South Africa, gained one place in the rankings. Kallis, who was the top run scorer for the series with 498 runs including three centuries and was declared man of the series, earned 77 points to jump four places.Tendulkar last topped the rankings in October after he scored 214 and 53 against Australia in Bangalore. This is the tenth time he has claimed the No.1 spot. Kallis last claimed the No. 1 spot in 2005, after the Sydney Test against Australia.England opener Alastair Cook, who was the leading run scorer with 766 runs from just seven innings in England’s 3-1 victory over Australia in the Ashes, jumped eight places to No.5. He ended the series with a career-best rating of 803 points. Meanwhile Gautam Gambhir, the India opener, who made 93 and 64 in the Cape Town Test, moved up seven places to No.15.Dale Steyn comfortably held on to his No. 1 spot for Test bowlers, moving to 899 points after taking 21 wickets at 17.47 against India. England fast bowler James Anderson, who finished as the leading wicket-taker in the Ashes, moved up one position to No.3. Kallis, of course, continues to lead the rankings for Test allrounders.

The ICC has decided to set up a public ballot system for ticket sales for the semi-finals and final of the 2011 World Cup. The ballot opens on February 28 and closes on March 6, and the application form can be downloaded here. The tickets were initially meant to go on sale on February 21 but the website selling them, Kyazoonga.com, crashed due to heavy traffic, forcing the ICC to take up an alternative measure.”It was most unfortunate and no blame should be directed at Kyazoonga, the ICC’s official ticketing partner, as no one could have anticipated that tens of millions people would be trying to access the site an hour before it went live,” Haroon Lorgat, the ICC chief executive, told reporters in Bangalore. “In truth Kyazoonga have been an innocent third party in all the issues we have had with ticketing.”In conjunction with the hosts, we have now agreed that a ballot system is the best means of releasing any available tickets for the semis and final. The high demand clearly proves the massive attraction of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 and format of 50 overs cricket.”A limit of two tickets applies to each application. Once completed and submitted, the applicant will receive a Ballot Application Number, which will be part of the draw made by computer on March 10. Successful applicants will be informed on March 11 and following an online payment through the Kyazoonga website, the tickets would be sent from the third week of March.The semi-finals will be held in Colombo and Mohali on March 29 and 30, followed by the final on April 2 at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. The lack of a centralised ticketing system in the Indian leg of the World Cup has exposed two major issues: the lopsided availability of public tickets as well as a delayed distribution system by local associations, which has led to anger from fans and disgruntlement amongst sponsors.People queuing up for tickets for the India-England game in Bangalore were at the receiving end of a baton-charge by the police, as the number of tickets made available to the public simply failed to match the overwhelming demand. Lorgat described the incident as “unfortunate” but said a centralised ticketing system was something the ICC was looking to implement in the next World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.

For all the fuss around India’s bowlers during this World Cup – normal service could well be resumed within 24 hours – there’s another slightly underwritten set of numbers from its first four matches. These numbers come from the unlikeliest of sources: India’s top order, from the prime batting positions in the short game, numbers one to three.India may not have lost a game in this World Cup so far but its opening stands have read: 69, 46, 9, 69. Both Virender Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar have scored hundreds in this Cup – Sehwag reminding Dhaka and the world that a 200 could come any time and Tendulkar following it up with a measured construction of an innings in Bangalore. Yet in the two ‘gimme’ games that followed – versus Ireland and Netherlands – neither of the openers nor the No. 3 Gautam Gambhir have built from reasonable starts and none of them have crossed 40. Between them, Tendulkar (38, 27), Sehwag (5, 39) and Gambhir (10, 28) have spent significant time at the crease, but have not gone on to dominate.In a tournament that was supposed to be about big-hitting batsmen on wickets that were belters, outfields that were small and opposition that was tiny, these are underwhelming returns. MS Dhoni believes that it is the start from the trio that will enable India’s explosive middle order a chance to play their A-game, which will be needed in what will be India’s most revealing match of the World Cup so far: against South Africa in Nagpur.In his pre-match pow-wow at the VCA stadium, Dhoni said the team was hoping its top order comes through in the rest of the competition: “If we have slightly longer partnerships at the top, the explosive power of our middle and lower-middle order can be used more in the positive way.” Read as: if the top three get runs, then Virat Kohli, Yuvraj Singh, Dhoni and Yusuf Pathan will be able to do more than fire-fight like they did against Ireland and Netherlands.MS Dhoni has said that bigger partnerships at the top would help India’s cause•AFP

“If our openers can play as long as possible, it will be good for us… what we have seen is that if both Sachin and Viru get going, it gets very difficult to stop them,” Dhoni said. And that gives India the launch pad with which to build those innings that will give their unthreatening attack enough to bowl with. He was quick to add that even though “we have not got very big [opening] partnerships” what was important, was “the way we have got the runs”.The struggle against the two Associate teams has given the batsmen who followed the chance to test themselves under pressure, but the top order now needs to give the team the legs to bat through the rest of the competition.Dhoni said India’s batting relied heavily on momentum. “So if we get off to a good start from either momentum point of view or time-period point of view, our lower order can really cash in.” In a slightly roundabout way, he was referring to the importance of the top order doing something emphatic against the South Africans: either scoring at a rapid rate or occupying enough overs to give the hitters who follow a chance to crank straight into turbo mode. For the first time, Dhoni looked fatigued on the eve of a World Cup match day. His normally jutting-chin-square-shoulder self slouched over the mike, the tedium of fronting the press evident, even though his replies still came with the full range: from considerate detailing to cutting snub.The batting, he believed, had gained much from its wobbly performance over four matches: India had set totals and it had chased. It had played on run-heavy wickets and then slow tracks. “We have got fair exposure as to what we may get in the coming games depending on the venue. The first four games have been good for us to get into the groove and be ready for the next leg of the tournament.”With India’s quarter-final slot as good as assured, Dhoni said meeting slightly tougher opposition two games before the knockout was a blessing of sorts and gave the team the “liberty of having two extra games” on the side. We will see.What the Indians need right now, is to get that elusive momentum going. There will be no better time for India’s top order to jump-start it than against South Africa on Saturday.

Chris Gayle has said the way he had been treated by the West Indies board (WICB) had left him with little choice but to join the Royal Challengers Bangalore squad for the 2011 IPL and miss the home series against Pakistan. A day after the WICB said it was disappointed at how Gayle had handled the IPL issue, the batsman has hit back, claiming the board had not checked on his rehabilitation from injury after the World Cup, and that he had been “stunned” to learn from the media of his omission from the squads for the Twenty20 and the first two ODIs against Pakistan.In a hard-hitting interview with KLAS Sports, a radio station in Jamaica, Gayle also poured scorn on the role of the West Indies coach, Ottis Gibson, dismissing him as a “user”, and blaming him for wrecking the confidence of his fellow veteran batsman Ramnaresh Sarwan during the World Cup. “The coach messed up the man mentally,” he said. “The players were not in the right frame of mind. Sarwan was batting without a free mind. Players told me they lost confidence. A player speaks his mind in team meetings openly… The player said his piece… After that, he never play another World Cup match. But me talk with my mouth and me talk with my bat.””A group of players were selected for a training camp in Barbados, and I never got a call, nobody spoke to me, and I decided to leave it alone,” Gayle said. “I continued my training programme, and I came to find out via the media that a Twenty20 squad was announced, and a one-day international squad was announced, and I was stunned when I saw a big headline in the newspapers, ‘Gayle, Sarwan, Chanderpaul dropped’.”Gayle said no one from the WICB had contacted him before the squads had been named. “The only communication I have had with anyone connected with the WICB was when I sent a text message to (team physio) CJ Clark, and gave him an update about how I was doing,” he said. “I told him I was feeling good, the progress I was making; I was running, I was in the gym, and working. His only response was that he would send a fitness programme, which I did not receive until the IPL offer had presented itself.””I wanted to get back on track as quickly as possible. I wanted to play and represent West Indies. This was my ultimate goal, since I did not have a contract, but I was forced into this decision because teams were picked, I was not informed about what was happening, and I did not know what the future would hold. The matches could be played, and other players do well, and I could still be sitting on the sidelines, so I had no other choice.”I have served West Indies for many years, but I was disrespected a lot, and I have been playing under a lot of pressure. I can’t sleep properly. I need to get this off my chest. I want everybody to print what I said, I want to clear the air and I want them to ease up. WICB… back up offa my back.”Gayle’s explanation, however, was at odds with what the WICB said in a release soon after it granted him the no-objection certificate, clearing his participation in the IPL. The board claimed it had been in communication with Gayle.”At the conclusion of the cricket World Cup, Gayle underwent a medical examination in the UK,” the WICB said. “Following Gayle’s consultation with a UK doctor it was determined that he would require at least two to three weeks of rest before returning to training.”The WICB medical personnel had been communicating with Gayle on the status and management of his injury since his return to Jamaica following the Cricket World Cup, this included arrangements for his rehabilitative programme. Gayle was undergoing rehabilitative work with an appointed physiotherapist and had already attended ten sessions. The next phase was to include sport-specific training along with a running programme.”After the resumption of training the WICB team management would have organised a fitness test to assess Gayle’s fitness and decisions would have then been taken about his selection to the West Indies team to face Pakistan. It is clear that there was no way that Gayle could have been considered for selection for the first two ODIs given the facts outlined above.”The WICB said it was surprised to learn that Gayle had been making arrangements to play cricket in India when it was under the clear impression that he was undergoing rehabilitation work and about to resume training. “In discussing his application for an NOC, the WICB has repeatedly informed Gayle that he is expected to resume training after which he would be required to undergo a fitness test and once passed fit, he will be considered for selection for the remainder of the Pakistan series.”

Hashim Amla and Jacques Kallis lead the nominations for this year’s SA cricket awards, with three nominations each. The awards celebrate the achievements of South African cricketers over the last season. They will be presented at a gala dinner on June 7.In the last season, South Africa played against Zimbabwe in a one-day series, against Pakistan in the United Arab Emirates, India at home and in the World Cup, where they were knocked out in the quarter-finals.Amla has been nominated for the Test and one-day cricketer of the year awards as well as the overall cricketer of the year. In five Tests in the 2010-11 season, Amla averaged 64.25 and scored two centuries. He was equally impressive in the limited-overs format, averaging 60.61 and scoring five centuries in the 20 ODIs he played. Amla swept the awards last year, winning in all five categories he was nominated in.

Full list of nominees

• CSA umpire of the year: Johan Cloete, Shaun George, Adrian Holdstock

• MTN40 cricketer of the year: Faf du Plessis, Ryan McLaren, Imran Tahir

• Standard Bank Pro20 cricketer of the year: Albie Morkel, Makhaya Ntini, Owais Shah

• SuperSport series cricketer of the year: Vernon Philander, Jacques Rudolph, Imran Tahir

• Standard Bank international Pro20 cricketer of the year: JP Duminy, Rusty Theron, Lonwabo Tsotsobe

• Standard Bank one-day international cricketer of the year: Hashim Amla, AB de Villiers, Lonwabo Tsotsobe
  Castle Test cricketer of the year: Hashim Amla, Jacques Kallis, Dale Steyn

• SA cricketer of the year: Hashim Amla, AB de Villiers, Jacques Kallis, Morne Morkel, Dale Steyn

Kallis scored 821 runs in five Tests in 2010-11, at an average of 136.83, including his first Test double-century. He also scored four other hundreds in the season, two of which came in the third Test against India in Cape Town in January. That performance has earned him the only nomination for the KFC so good award. He was slightly less prolific in one-dayers, averaging 38.90 in 11 matches, without scoring a hundred. He also took 10 wickets at an average of 24.50 in ODIs. Kallis previously won the cricketer of the year award in 2004.Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel and AB de Villiers have also been nominated for the cricketer of the year award. The pace pair excelled with the new ball in all formats while de Villiers averaged 72.71 in Test cricket, 56.68 in ODIs and was given the added responsibility of keeping wickets in the limited-overs formats. Lonwabo Tsotsobe, who emerged as the third prong in South Africa’s pace attack, has been nominated in the ODI and T20 cricketer of the year categories.On the domestic front, Jacques Rudolph, who topped the SuperSport series batting charts and Vernon Philander, who was the leading wicket-taker in first-class cricket, have been nominated for awards. Imran Tahir, who became eligible to play for South Africa last season, led the SuperSport series wicket-takers list until his international call up and has also been nominated for two awards.Retired international fast bowler Makhaya Ntini and England international Owais Shah are up against Albie Morkel for the Pro20 Cricketer of the year award.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out
Amit Mishra hit Munaf Patel for four successive boundaries in the last over•AFP

For 19 overs Deccan Chargers, out of the competition already, seemed to be going through the motions. In the 20th, they came to life through Amit Mishra’s four successive boundaries off his India team-mate Munaf Patel. Mishra and his India spin rival Pragyan Ojha then bowled eight overs for 34 runs on a turning pitch, sucking the life out of Mumbai’s chase. A rollercoaster final over by IPL debutant Anand Rajan made for good drama too.Mumbai, pretty much like Deccan, woke up in the last two overs of their innings, with 42 required. Kieron Pollard and Harbhajan Singh took 16 off the 19th, and then Pollard got stuck into Rajan, who had earlier removed Sachin Tendulkar and TL Suman in the same over. Rajan was chosen to bowl that last over ahead of the overseas pro and expensively acquired Daniel Christian. Pollard hit the first length ball for a huge six. Rajan’s attempt at a yorker resulted in a leg-side wide. Pollard got a thick edge on the next, and dived a mile to complete the second run. Both teams’ scores after 19.2 overs were identical: 119 for 6.Pollard started doing what Mishra had, flicking a leg-side length ball for four. The debutant had to be under pressure, although an expressionless face didn’t give much away. Kumar Sangakkara and Ishant Sharma, fielding at a very straight mid-on, called conferences every ball. Rajan’s previous over had featured the wicket of the best batsman in the world. He was throwing it away now. Then came a smart slower ball, a split-finger one, outside off. This edge from Pollard carried to third man. Game over. Rajan didn’t go delirious celebrating in true IPL fashion. He just smiled.For a little less than the first half of the match, Deccan hadn’t had much to smile about. From the moment Michael Lumb lost his leg stump to Lasith Malinga in the first over, Deccan lived a stifled life. Not one of the main batsmen, except for Shikhar Dhawan, struck at a run a ball.Malinga and Harbhajan Singh were difficult to get away, and Dhawal Kulkarni sneaked in three wicket-taking deliveries. It seemed Mumbai had resumed normal service after their 87 all out in their previous game. Then Munaf began the last over, at 112 for 6. Dhawan hoisted the first ball for six. Munaf came back well with a yorker that brought Mishra on strike.This is where the game started turning. Munaf bowled a bouncer, and the top edge flew over the keeper’s head. Munaf had things to say to Mishra then, which didn’t quite go down well with the Deccan batsmen. Dhawan too joined in the exchange. An attempted yorker now ended up as a full toss, and ended up at the midwicket fence. This time Mishra was looking for Munaf. The next was half edged, half guided past the keeper. Mishra and Munaf collided on the pitch even as the ball reached the third man boundary. Another yorker went wrong, and another full toss was clipped for four.Deccan went into the defence with confidence. JP Duminy, who was beautifully done in by a loopy offbreak earlier in the match, bowled a beauty himself, opening the innings. That offbreak, pitching on leg, hitting off, removed Aiden Blizzard, and sent Mumbai into caution mode. Now with Mishra and Ojha turning the ball square, Deccan’s 135 started to look a good total.Ishant, too, chipped in with the wickets of Ambati Rayudu and Rohit Sharma. With wickets falling around him, Sachin Tendulkar seemed to be stuck between caution and aggression. He too tried to go after the debutant Rajan in the 16th over, with 60 still required. He punched him for four first ball, but then saw Suman perish to a slower one. To the last ball of the over, he moved across to try and pull, and was caught dead in front. Ojha and Mishra came back to give just 11 off the next two overs.Pollard’s hitting in the final two, which brought Mumbai teasingly close to a win, went on to emphasise that he should be batting higher for Mumbai, who are now out of the crucial top two on the points table.

Uncertainty continues to surround Rashid Latif’s position as Afghanistan coach, after an Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) official said his contract would not be renewed. Latif, however, says he has not been contacted yet about any decision.Following the 3-0 series defeat to Pakistan ‘A’ last month Latif had said he was disappointed with the attitude and effort put in by some of the players, who he believed did not perform to the best of their abilities because they wanted to see former coach Kabir Khan back in the post.Now, according to a report in the Pakistan newspaper the ACB has decided against renewing Latif’s contract. “We believe he has failed to fulfill our expectations and that has prompted us to look at other options,” ACB chief executive Naseemullah Danish told the newspaper. “We all respect Latif, but the recent drubbing at the hands of Pakistan A forced us to ponder over our future. We need someone who is mentally tough and does not make lame excuses for defeats.”I can tell you that we have received the CVs from England and one of them is a big name with a ten years coaching experience in county cricket, and he is likely to be appointed as our batting coach.”Latif told ESPNcricinfo, however, that his contract was currently valid until the end of next month. “I have not been contacted about this. My contract is valid as far as I know till July 20th,” he said.Danish said the board is looking to reappoint Khan as bowling coach. “Kabir will help us in two ways, firstly he is very close to our players and secondly he will help our players understand what the foreign coach will instruct them, since most of our players cannot understand and communicate in English.”The former Pakistan fast bowler Kabir has been coaching United Arab Emirates since October last year after his stint as Afghanistan coach ended abruptly in August 2010; alleged interference from ACB officials forced him to leave the team then.The situation, however, may not be as clear-cut as it appears. It is believed that there has been contact between ACB chairman Hazrat Omar Zakhilwal and Latif in a bid to clear the fog around what has gone wrong between team members and Latif during the Pakistan ‘A’ series. That intervention, observers believe, may yet have a role to play in the conclusion of this matter.