Paul Newman in Lahore talks to the scourge of FaisalabadShakoor Rana, the umpire involved in the infamous Test match dispute with Mike Gatting, could be umpiring an England A match on the current tour of Pakistan. The very suggestion brings both enthusiasm and excitement to his voice.”I would love to umpire an England A match,” he says. “That would prove the previous chapter is closed.” The ghost of one of English cricket`s darkest hours may be about to materialise.Shakoor is looking forward to watching England A take on a Pakistan Cricket Board XI in his native Lahore next Saturday when he will “say hello to my good friend John Emburey”. The tourists may then make a much closer acquaintance with the man who brought aTest to a standstill and began Gatting`s demise as England captain.A campaign to ensure Shakoor stands in at least one match of thefirst major English tour of Pakistan since the infamous Faisalabad affair of 1987 is gaining momentum here. “I`m talking to people about this to see what I can do,” said Omar Kureishi, vicechairman of the Pakistan World Cup committee. “Shakoor`s standing would be the perfect bridge-building exercise between thecountries. Even if the umpires for the tour have been appointedby the PCB, they can be changed.”Speaking exclusively to the Sunday Telegraph, Shakoor welcomedthe development and talked openly about his feelings towards Gatting and his contented family life in Old Anarkali, a prosperousdistrict of Lahore. Time appears to have mellowed him but thereare still flashes of the stubborness which saw unprecedentedscenes of conflict between an umpire and an England captain on acricket field.”Gatting did the wrong thing when he started abusing me and therewere a lot of words exchanged. But I would handle it differentlyif it happened again,” said Shakoor, now 58 and still working forPakistan railways in Lahore as an assistant sports officer,coaching cricket and lecturing on umpiring.”I didn`t like what happened and would be much more calm now.But I have no regrets. Everybody in Pakistan knows Shakoor Ranaand it has had no bad effect on my life.”It did not do much for his umpiring career, however. Since thefinger-pointing episode at Faisalabad, when a day`s play was lostwhile he insisted on an apology from Gatting which finally cameunder protest when the TCCB insisted the England captain did so,Shakoor has been restricted to just two Tests and Pakistanidomestic cricket.He will not stand on England`s tour if Arif Abbasi, chief executive of the PCB, has his way. “I am on record as saying that manwill never stand in another Test,” said Abbasi. “If I can helpit, that will remain the case. What he did was wrong.”Not according to Shakoor, even now. A popular theory afterFaisalabad was that the umpire was poised to apologise along withGatting in a compromise to ensure the Test continued but, withPakistan struggling to stay in the game, captain Javed Miandadtalked Shakoor out of it. Not so, he says.”I was never going to apologise,” said Shakoor. “I`d done nothingwrong. I`m still very proud of Mike Gatting`s written apology. Ikeep it under my pillow and read it from time to time.”He has twice visited England since 1987, once on holiday and oncethanks to a #7,000 cheque from a tabloid newspaper for an interview, but his efforts to talk to the Middlesex captain were rebuffed.”I went to watch him play and said `Hello Mike, how are you?` “said Shakoor. “He said: `Oh God, not you again.` He was upset butI just wanted to bury the hatchet.”I would have just told him to forget Faisalabad and let us befriends. But I would not have said sorry.”

Despite stern cautioning from the ICC regarding sledging, Ricky Ponting, Australia’s captain, has openly supported Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath continuing their verbal tirade against South Africa as the first Test gets underway at Perth on Friday.Ehsan Mani, the ICC president, had earlier this week stated that the ICC was determined to keep the game’s image clean and not let it fall to the level of a “hooligan’s sport”. “We don’t want cricket being reduced to a level where it turns into a hooligans’ sport and the spirit of the game is eroded,” Mani had said. “We can’t have a situation like we see in football (soccer).” The ICC is concerned by the fact that since November, eight players and officials have been found guilty of code of conduct breaches – twice the number when compared to this same period last year. So far this year 38 players and officials have been charged with offences, and Mani’s comments come a day after a blunt warning issued by Malcolm Speed, the ICC chief executive, about the growing number of code of conduct violations.Responding to Mani’s claims, Ponting has defended his ace bowlers, maintaining that verbal banter was a part of Australia’s motivation leading into a series of this magnitude. “The main culprits this time have been the ones who do it every series, Warney and McGrath,” Ponting told . “That’s why I don’t think it’s too much different than normal. Those guys actually like the challenge of making some statements and then getting out there and backing them up. That’s the way they’ve played their best cricket over the last 10 years. “While accepting that the ICC was tolerable of verbal exchanges between players in tense and competitive matches, Mani was adamant that it would not tolerate any degrading comments that fell outside the boundary of sport. Ponting, however, maintained that this would not be the case in the series against South Africa. “As long as we’re being sensible about what we’re doing and staying on our side of the line in the sand I’m happy with that,” he said. “Glenn and Shane like to challenge themselves as much as they can and they seem to lift when those bigger occasions and one-on-one battles come around.”He does remain fairly surprised by the ICC singling out this series as a potentially volatile scenario. “There’s no reason at the moment for me to have to address the players and let them know to take it easy. It’s just a bit of banter between the players…there’s nothing untoward as far as I’m concerned at the moment,” Ponting said. “I’m sure the cricket’s going to be played in a hard and fair manner. It usually is when Australia and South Africa get out on the field of play. All the players are very aware of the spirit of cricket on the field and off the field.”He did, though, take the opportunity to mention the role that Warne will play in the tense encounters that will pepper the three-Test series. “Warney’s record against South Africa (101 wickets at 22) would be outstanding so that’s probably why he’s come out and said what he has,” he said. “It’s just another thing they (South Africa) are going to have in the back of their minds now and Warney will just go out there and play cricket.”

Gloucestershire have signed two new players on a 12-week trial basis. David Brown is an allrounder who impressed in the second team last season and Grant Hodnett has already played in the first team after being picked up from the local leagues, playing for Cheltenham CC. Both will be with the squad for the first three months of the season.Stuart Barnes, the club’s Academy Director, said of Brown: “He made some useful contributions to a good season at that level and this extended period of time in the early season will allow us to really see what he’s capable of.”Hodnett, the right-hander who was born in Johannesburg, made his first-class debut against Warwickshire last season, and just missed out on a fifty; he made 49 and 10 in his two innings. “Grant deserves this opportunity to spend an extended period of time working with the full time squad,” said Barnes. “In the matches he has played with us so far he has shown good potential.”

Play has been abandonedfor the third successive day in the Carib Beer Series match between the Windward Islands and the Leeward Islands at the Mindoo Phillip Park on Sunday. The outfield, which was already drenched and waterlogged after rain on the first two days, was even more saturated because of its poor drainage. After an inspection at 2 p.m by umpires Eddie Nicholls and Lawrence Thomas, any further chances of play were ruled out. Nicholls said they would attempt to start the game on the fourth and final day depending on the conditions.

The Indian women’s cricket side, led by Mithali Raj, left Chennai on Friday for their one-month tour of Australia and New Zealand. They will play one Test and three one-dayers in Australia and five one-dayers in New Zealand.The 14-strong team has spent the last nine days in Chennai at the MRF Pace Foundation, and Raj said that they were as ready as they could be. “Batting and bowling are our strengths and the team is in good nick,” she said, adding that the pitches at the MRF Foundation were “almost similar to that in Australia.”Indian squad Mithali Raj (capt), Nooshin Al Khadeer, Anjum Chopra, Neetu David, Rumeli Dhar, Jhulan Goswami, Karuna Jain, , Reema Malhotra, Sulakshana Naik, Devika Palshiker, Sunetra Paranjpe, Amita Sharma, Jaya Sharma and Monica Sumra.

ScorecardGareth Batty captured four wickets after hitting a half-century to give England A the upper hand against West Indies A on the second day of their first unofficial Test at the Antigua Recreation Ground. Batty remained unbeaten on 75 in England A’s first-innings total of 386 and then took 4 for 62 to reduce West Indies A to 229 for 7 by the close, still 157 behind.Sylvester Joseph, the West Indies A captain who was leading a rearguard fightback, was unbeaten on 36 along with Dave Mohammed on 28. The duo have so far put on 40 for the eighth wicket. Joseph has batted patiently for 152 minutes while facing 107 balls and striking four fours, while Mohammed has so far faced 31 balls and struck two fours and a towering six over long-on off Alex Loudon.Batty had resumed on 30 with the score on 304 for 8. He and Alex Wharf, unbeaten on nine at the start, shared in a ninth wicket stand of 89 to frustrate West Indies A for 75 minutes in the morning session. Wharf made 32 before he edged a drive to slip off left-arm spinner Mohammed, who ended with 4 for 109 from 30 overs as the ninth wicket fell at 356.Sajid Mahmood was last out for ten when his on-drive was caught inches off the ground by a diving Dale Richards running in at mid-on off Narsingh Deonarine. Batty, who slapped Jermaine Lawson to the cover fence to bring up his 50, batted for 173 minutes, faced 112 balls and struck nine fours. Richard Kelly, who took four scalps on the first day, ended with 4 for 70 from 17 overs.Batty then captured four wickets on the trot after West Indies A were seemingly coasting at 104 for 3 with Richards and Joseph at the crease. Richards, who had pulled Mahmood for a six over midwicket and hooked Kabir Ali for four to reach his half-century, was dismissed one run later when he edged a cut off Batty to wicket-keeper Chris Read.Joseph and Deonarine then added 32 for the fifth wicket before Deonarine, who had lifted a full toss from Batty over midwicket for a six, needlessly lost his wicket. He padded up to a delivery from Batty and was adjudged lbw by Clancy Mack, who also ruled that Kelly (18) was caught at slip off Batty, to leave West Indies A on 189 for 7.Kelly, who had swung Batty for a big six over midwicket, gestured to Mack that the ball had taken his pad before walking away. Carlton Baugh (4) skied an attempted slog-sweep to midwicket to give Batty his third wicket. West Indies A had lost four wickets for 85 runs. Earlier, two wickets in three balls by Mahmood rocked the top-order after Ali had made the initial breakthrough by removing Lendl Simmons (14) to a catch at the wicket at 42 for 1.Mahmood, who has taken 2 for 30 from 13 overs, induced Sewnarine Chattergoon, who hit 45 from 104 balls with six fours, to chase a wide ball to third slip, to end a second-wicket stand of 59 with Richards. Marlon Samuels (0) only lasted two balls before Mahmood comprehensively beat his lazy attempt to cover his stumps, the ball taking an inside edge before knocking back his off and middle stumps.England A lost the services of Wharf after 9.3 overs when he twisted his right ankle attempting to stop a back-drive from Joseph. His condition will be assessed overnight.

Andre Nel, the pick of South Africa’s bowlers on the second day at Cape Town, is upbeat about their prospects in the first Test. “If we can get 200 runs ahead, we are well in the game. If we bowl as well as we bowled today we have a real chance.”Nel beat the bat and caused problems for all the batsmen without much luck – he only took 2 for 45. But he knows how important his role will be defending any target. “Pace will be more difficult than spin – it is a two-paced wicket, some stop, some go through. Then again, maybe Nicky Boje can play a big part.”His disappointment at losing three wickets before the close was clear, as was his reaction to the crowd: “Our crowd are quite quiet in comparison to the Australian crowd – I miss the Australian crowd, I need them to fire me up.” But he was pleased that his dropped catch – Ricky Ponting on 61 – didn’t cost the team dear: “I was catching sweet all week, I dropped Ricky again but luckily this time is cost us 15 runs, not 100.” Nel dropped Ponting at Melbourne, when South Africa toured Australia, and he went on to score 117.Matthew Hayden was disappointed to miss out on his 26th Test century after doing a lot of hard work in tough conditions. “It is frustrating but I rode my luck as well over the course of the day, I was solid but it was the conditions we faced.”We would have liked some more runs, but it is a hard wicket to start on for batsmen and, while we are disappointed, we have a 100-run lead and with three wickets down we are looking at a pretty solid position.””There is a lot of sideways movement. This morning was as hard batting as we’ve had in Test cricket for a while. All the seamers had a good day, they offered that lateral movement – unless you were looking to play defensive shots you felt vulnerable.”He added that he was surprised by the quality of the wicket and thinks it leaves Australia in a good position for to push for victory. “I thought it would quicken up and there’d be less movement, but as the day went on it still offered seam movement. I’d suggest those conditions will remain through the course of this match. We have an important three wickets.”On this track we don’t want to chase 300, that’s for certain, we are off to a good start, we bowled in some good areas tonight and if it is anything like today, tomorrow morning will offer some challenges for their batting.”With no longer being part of the Australian one-day set-up, Hayden is delighted with his return to the international scene. “I have had two months where I haven’t played at this level and straight away I am really enjoying the opportunity and experience. The partnership today was a beauty. I have been playing a lot of four-day cricket so that is an advantage to prepare that way.”

Stuart Clark has revealed his disappointment at being dropped from the Australian Test side, after he played a vital role in their emphatic whitewash in South Africa.Clark, who it is believed had asked for a break from the one-day series to spend time with his pregnant wife, stated clearly that he was available for the selection for the second Test at Chittagong. But Australia decided to play three spinners in the game and go with Jason Gillespie ahead of Clark, who had been their best bowler against South Africa with 20 wickets in the three Tests.”I am disappointed to have missed out,” Clark was quoted as saying in . “I said I was available for the whole match, no matter what the circumstances. They chose the team, I wasn’t in it, and I only came home once I knew I wasn’t picked. I had a bit of a chat with the selectors over there, but I didn’t really get into why I wasn’t picked. I’ll find out more later on.”Merv Hughes, the traveling selector, reasoned that Gillespie was chosen because of his good performance in the first Test and his experience in subcontinental conditions. Gillespie, of course, made a historic double-hundred in the game, posting the highest score by a nightwatchman.”I had spoken to some people about coming home if things got close,” Clark said, referring to the imminent birth of his first child. “They wanted to play three spinners, I guess. I’m not sure about the selection, I haven’t looked into that.”

Bennett King, the coach of West Indies, has hit on the experience factor in both his side and India as they battle it out in the five-match one-day international series. King, with a relatively young and inexperienced squad, summed up the series as one that would rely on senior players to pull through.”Both teams rely on experience to pull through and probably are also the teams who have inexperienced bowling attacks, so that way it has been pretty similar from them so far,” King told Press Trust of India. King singled out Brian Lara’s role in West Indies’ series-levelling win at Kingston, too: “[Brian] Lara has a lot of experience and what I like about him is that he believes in taking risks. Such things add a lot of value.”King termed working with the present West Indies team as both an exhilarating and frustrating experience. “These guys are wonderful athletes. I mean, we have four or five cricketers who are exceptional in terms of movement across the ground,” he said. “And it is not just cricket, even those in rugby rate a few of our players who are better than even them. Dwayne Smith for instance is once in a lifetime athlete. He brings a lot of value to the side in the field. He is only 21, so in terms of experience he is still a puppy.”As for the bowling, King said there was room for improvement in a side he judged would stay pretty much the same for next year’s World Cup. “Edwards’ pace is down a bit but he can be a handful. Jerome Taylor can swing the ball and Bradshaw has been good but still we have some work to do in this area,” he said. “It’s more or less the key but there are a few players outside this mix who we are keeping our eyes on. But World Cup is still nine months away and things canchange.”Both King and Ramnaresh Sarwan, whose unbeaten 98 proved the fulcrum of West Indies’ innings in the previous match, stressed on the batting and sluggish pitches in the Caribbean as the reason for low-scoring contests. “We lost early wickets in Sabina Park the other day and ended up around 200. Other teams would still have gone up to 250, so that’s the area where we need to work upon,” was King’s take, while Sarwan added: “I personally feel a total of 260-270 is going to be a good total on the Caribbean pitches.”

After leading England to a convincing victory over Sri Lanka in the second Test at Edgbaston today, and hitting the winning runs, Andrew Flintoff paid tribute to Kevin Pietersen whose 142 in England’s first innings set them up for victory.”The difference between the teams was KP’s knock,” Flintoff said. “Whoever saw it witnessed something special – who knows how good he can be? He is something really special, I don’t think that’s a secret.”He’s only played a handful of Test matches and in that short time he’s got better and better,” Flintoff said. “I’m going to be excited to watch and play with Kevin over the next few years and see how his career unfolds. Hopefully, in years to come, people will be talking about finding a ‘new Kevin Pietersen’ and talking about him in the same breath as the likes of Brian Lara and Sachin Tendulkar.”Speaking of the win, Flintoff said: “It was a comfortable in the end, but hard-fought as the wicket probably suited them more than us.”I bowled more overs than normal in the last Test because I try to bowl to the circumstances,” he said. “This pitch wasn’t my type of pitch; it suited Matthew Hoggard and Liam Plunkett better, those bowlers who hit the surface and move the ball around.”Though the margin of six wickets appears comphenesive enough for England, they were made to work hard all day. Liam Plunkett earlier wrapped up Sri Lanka’s innings in a hurry and, with figures of 3 for 17, put his name forward for the final Test at Trent Bridge. England could yet recall Steve Harmison, who last week returned to bowling in a Championship match, for Friday’s Test meaning there will be just one available place between Plunkett and Sajid Mahmood.Meanwhile, it is expected that the England captain, Michael Vaughan, will finally return to competitive cricket tomorrow for Yorkshire’s clash against Scotland. Commenting on the news, Flintoff was delighted but confirmed that his role as stand-in captain is very much a short-term solution.”It’s been fantastic doing the job as England captain,” he said, “but it’s a temporary job – he [Vaughan] is the one who’s taken the side forward in the past three years. Maybe further down the line if the job became available I’d be interested. But with Michael back I can just get back to my day job.”