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Australia captain Ricky Ponting has called on the ICC to make sure the Umpire Decision Review System is used in every series, after the Pakistan board did not put the system in place for the neutral series in England. As the “home” board, the PCB is in charge of such matters, and the UDRS will be used for the upcoming Pakistan-England series.However, it is also not being implemented in the Sri Lanka-India Test series, which prompted the Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara to express his disappointment. Ponting has also become used to the UDRS and although the on-field umpires had a reasonably good match at Lord’s, he would have preferred consistency across series.”I got my point across at the referee’s meeting before the series. I think that even the ICC could have stepped in on this occasion,” Ponting said. “It’s a financial thing at the end of the day, that’s the reason we are not using it. I thought the ICC could have come in and done something about it. It hasn’t eventuated so we’ve just got to get on with it now.”You do get used to playing a certain way and having some decisions sent back for a referral. But that’s all we’ve got so we just have to get on with it and let the umpires do their job out in the middle. I think Pakistan just didn’t get around to getting it organised quick enough or something. That was the way it was explained to us at the referee’s meeting.”The cost of the UDRS is one of the major stumbling blocks, and there are also issues around the availability of the equipment. However, given that the system was rolled out properly after a lengthy trial process, Ponting believed the ICC should have stepped in to ensure it was used.”I don’t know the ins and outs of the whole thing and the way it’s being run,” Ponting said. “In a series like this one which is a neutral one there is always going to be that dispute about who’s paying for it and should we use it. It was brought in as compulsory in Test cricket 12 months ago now. I felt if it was ever left up in the air that someone should have stepped in and made sure that it actually happened.”Haroon Lorgat, the chief executive of the ICC, defended the current process. Speaking on Test Match Special last week, he said there were several issues that determined whether the UDRS was to be used in the Pakistan-Australia series.”I understood there were some technical difficulties in getting it up and running before the first Test got going,” Lorgat said. “The way we fashion the current scenario is for the home team in consultation with the visitors to determine if they want DRS or not. That’s part of the process that we’re walking to introduce it on a permanent basis.”

Kiran More, India’s former chief selector, has criticised the axing of Yuvraj Singh from the Asia Cup squad. More said it was too close to the 2011 World Cup to drop a player of Yuvraj’s calibre. He also questioned the decision to leave out India’s more experienced pace options, the likes of Sreesanth, RP Singh, Munaf Patel and Ishant Sharma.”You can always send a message to Yuvraj,” More told Cricinfo. ” ‘Sit on the bench. You’ll be in the reserves, we are playing somebody else but be part of the team, get your fitness right, get your act right and get disciplined also.’ That would give him more encouragement. But only one player has been pointed out, and they’ve dropped him from the Asia Cup.”Yuvraj has averaged 24.7 in his last 11 ODIs, and scored a best of 43 in 14 games in the IPL this year. His fitness in the recent past has come in for criticism and he was also issued a show-cause notice by the BCCI for an alleged pub brawl in St Lucia following India’s exit from the World Twenty20.”They are making a mistake,” More said. “If the World Cup is so close by, I’ll not fiddle around with the team. I will not drop Yuvraj Singh from the XV.”More said India needed to identify a pool of 20-22 players and not look beyond them for the World Cup. However, he was surprised that none of Sreesanth, Munaf, Ishant or RP was picked for the World Twenty20, the tri-series in Zimbabwe or the ongoing A tour of England. He said the decision to ignore an experienced set of seamers hurt the possibility of their return to the national side and remain in contention for the World Cup.”I’m very surprised that RP, Ishant Sharma, Irfan Pathan and Sreesanth have not been picked. They were part of the team one and a half months back, and now they are not among the next 60 also,” More said. “They didn’t go to Zimbabwe, they didn’t go the A tour of England. Suddenly your main players are missing from the next 60, how are they going to make a comeback?”The guys who have gone to England for the A tour, they are going to do well. The matches there will not be very competitive, and they are going to come back and be in the reckoning for a place in the Indian team. Not Ishant, RP, Irfan or Sreesanth.”I don’t know if [Ashok] Dinda or [Umesh] Yadav are going to play the World Cup. They could have gone to England as part of the A team and gained some good experience for two-and-a-half-months there. It’s too early for these guys to get into the 2011 World Cup.”More also felt Yusuf Pathan had not been given a fair run before being dropped. Yusuf had a poor World Twenty20, averaging just 10.50, and has scored just two half-centuries in his 37-match ODI career. “I’m not very happy with Yusuf Pathan’s place in the batting order,” he said. “He’s been batting at No.7 all the time. You are always batting in a difficult situation at that position, and you have to score quick runs. He got 44 in his last innings; it’s not a fair call on him also.”Among the newer players in the squad, More singled out the offspinner R Ashwin as a promising prospect and said he should have played more matches on the tour of Zimbabwe. “We need a surprise bowler for the World Cup, and our concern is in the bowling department,” More said. “Ashwin has done well domestically, and is a different bowler. He’s got a lot of variety and a good height to bowl offspin. He should have been a certainty in the playing XI in Zimbabwe. I hope he gets more opportunities.”

Scorecard
Adam Lyth has enjoyed a prolific start to the season for Yorkshire•Getty Images

Adam Lyth continued his hugely impressive start to the County Championship season as Yorkshire built a strong position against Somerset at Taunton.The 22-year-old left-hander followed up his first-innings century with 93 off 170 balls, including nine fours, as his side closed day three on 154 for two and leading by 182. That made Lyth the leading scorer in Division One with 622 runs at an average of 62.Somerset had earlier been bowled out for 377, Arul Suppiah falling one short of a hundred and Jos Buttler scoring 52. Adil Rashid claimed 4 for 85 and David Wainwright 3 for 48. But, while the pitch is offering some slow turn, it will need to change significantly in nature for either side to force a win on the final day.In the corresponding fixture last season Somerset successfully chased a target of 476 so Yorkshire captain Jacques Rudolph, who played in that game, is unlikely to be thinking in terms of a generous declaration.Lyth was out in the last over of the day, lbw sweeping at Murali Kartik, and was clearly frustrated at letting the opportunity of a second century in the match pass him by. But he had again demonstrated his emerging talent, albeit on a flat wicket.Anthony McGrath was unbeaten on 38 and the only previous second-innings wicket to fall was that of Joe Sayers, also leg before playing across a full-length ball from Alfonso Thomas for 12.Somerset had begun the day on 226 for 4 in reply to 405, with Suppiah on 78. He and Buttler batted sensibly for the first hour and the opener looked certain to reach three figures. But on 99 Suppiah pushed forward to a ball from Wainwright that gripped and turned, forcing him to edge a catch to Rudolph at slip. He had faced 210 balls and hit 14 fours.Buttler followed up his maiden century at the Rose Bowl last week with another mature contribution. The 19-year-old reached his 50 off 69 balls, with seven fours, but then top-edged a short ball from Wainwright to Lyth at mid-wicket.Rashid removed Ben Phillips, who looked unhappy with his lbw decision, and Thomas, caught behind off a leg-break as Yorkshire pressed for a first-innings advantage. It was as good as secured when Oliver Hannon-Dalby nipped a ball back at Peter Trego to trap him in front and, although last man Charl Willoughby lofted a defiant six off Rashid, he was soon bowled by Wainwright, the ball just flicking the off bail.

Former Pakistan players, Aamer Sohail and Abdul Qadir, have criticised the decision taken by arbitrator Irfan Qadir to overturn Shoaib Malik’s one-year ban and cut his fine by half. Speculation in Pakistan has suggested that political pressure was brought to bear on the PCB regarding Malik’s ban.”By lifting the ban on Malik, the PCB has succumbed to political pressures,” Qadir, a former chief selector, said. “If the board had taken a strong decision, it should have stuck to it come what may, but their decision will now encourage the players to violate discipline and get away with it.”Since Malik had been pardoned, Qadir said, the PCB would have to do the same with the other players. “Now it’s the duty of the board to clear other players also because it will be blamed to have done preferential treatment to one player after Malik is cleared,” he said.Sohail called the decision a “hasty” one. “To hide its own incompetence, the PCB targeted the players and, after pressures from outside, they abruptly lifted the ban.”The PCB had banned Younis Khan and Mohammad Yousuf, from playing for Pakistan in any format for an indefinite period, while handing out one-year bans to Malik and Rana Naved-ul-Hasan following the team’s disastrous tour of Australia in 2009-10. Shahid Afridi and the Akmal brothers were fined Rs 2-3 million [$24,000-35,000] for various misdemeanours and put on six-month probations.The charge against Malik was never clearly explained by the inquiry committee that decided on the punishment but it was widely thought to be for what a number of management officials and players called his negative influence on the side. This was confirmed in a subsequently leaked video of the inquiry committee meetings, in which Malik’s role within the squad was blasted by a number of players including Afridi and Yousuf.Sarfraz Nawaz, a former fast bowler, was scathing in his criticism of the PCB, saying it had taken “a coward’s stance”. “It’s a decision taken under political pressure and will damage Pakistan cricket in the future,” he said. “PCB took a decision against discipline breaches but couldn’t stand the pressure from political forces. I also question the authority of the arbitrator as well who doesn’t have the credibility and authority to take such a decision.”All of the punished players, apart from the retired Yousuf, had appealed against their bans and fines and will have hearings in June. Younis’ appeal was scheduled to be heard immediately after Malik’s but it was pushed back to June 5, while Naved-ul-Hasan’s hearing was set for June 19. However, Iqbal Mohammad Ali, the head of parliament’s sports committee, felt the delays were a deliberate attempt to keep them out of the Asia Cup in June.”I believe the only reason in delaying the appeals of these two players is that the PCB does not want to include their names in the Asia Cup squad,” Ali told AP. “He [arbitrator] should have given decisions on all the six appeals yesterday, but he just lifted ban from Shoaib Malik and reduced the fine.”It surprised me that they kept only Malik under observation. PCB should treat all the players equally. If they had decided to lift the ban on Malik and reduce the fine, they should have taken the similar decision on all the players.”

Tony MacGibbon, who died aged 85, was one of the survivors from New Zealand’s first Test win over West Indies in 1955-56. Only just Sam Guillen, Jack Alabaster and John Reid, the captain, remain from that famous side.A tall, brisk bowler and capable batsman, MacGibbon made his debut for New Zealand against England at Lancaster Park in 1950-51 and went on to play 26 Tests, taking 70 wickets at 30.05, at the time a New Zealand record, and scoring 814 runs at 19.85.On the 1953-54 tour of South African tour he was crippled by illness, but still took 22 Test wickets. His 35 runs in a low-scoring match contributed considerably to New Zealand’s maiden Test victory, while an aggressive 66 at Old Trafford was the highest score by a New Zealander in the dismal England series of 1958. At the end of that tour, MacGibbon remained in England to read Civil Engineering at Durham University”Tony was a hell of a good team man and he had some good figures,” Reid said. “I can’t say we won too many Tests with him, but we did win one and that was the first. I used to pick up quite a few catches in the slips off him.”He was a tall guy, about six-foot five, who used to bowl outswingers nicely. Of course, in those days, it was the old back foot no-ball rule – the drag rule – so as long as you landed behind the wickets you could reach way over the front-foot line and he would have been bowling at that pace from 19 yards.”Speaking to the Southland Times, Reid recalled one occasion on New Zealand’s 1958 tour of England when against Essex, MacGibbon was less accurate. “We were told it was one of the first games that had been televised by the BBC and he opened the bowling and sprayed them a bit. I was fielding at second slip, I think it was, and he hit me on the shin it was that bloody wide.”At the end of the over I must’ve stormed down the other end and he said, `Take it easy, Boss. Don’t go crook, we’re on television’. He was a bit of a character and one of my best team-mates.”

ScorecardYorkshire lost wickets at regular intervals but managed to gain a valuable lead•Getty Images

Adil Rashid did not enjoy the most satisfactory of winters. Included in the England party to tour South Africa, he produced just four expensive overs in international cricket and slipped down the pecking order to such an extent that he lost his place in the limited-overs squad to James Tredwell.Surely, however, he still possesses a golden future. He has already claimed over 170 first-class wickets and scored four first-class centuries. And, aged just 22, he has plenty of time to improve. It was Rashid’s batting that caught the eye on the second day at Edgbaston. Coming to the crease with the match in the balance, Rashid demonstrated technique, talent and intelligence to earn his side a narrow advantage after the first innings.It was not just the shots Rashid played that impressed – pleasing though many were – but those he did not. He left the ball with a discipline that put several of his more experienced colleagues to shame and, by reaching further forward to defend than anyone on either side, nullified the unpredictable bounce and movement this pitch continues to offer.In between the defence, he unfurled some delightful attacking strokes. Waiting for the poor ball, he cut with a flourish and whipped the ball off his legs with real panache. On this evidence there’s no reason why he should not, in due course, bat in the top six for Yorkshire and, perhaps, England.He was offered steadfast support by Ajmal Shahzad. Shuffling into his shots in a manner reminiscent of Kim Barnett, Shahzad was admirably patient (his 30 occupied 125 deliveries) and helped Rashid add 63 runs in 36 overs. With Azeem Rafiq also progressing through the county’s system, it suggests that whatever problems Yorkshire may have had utilising the talent of its Asian community in the past, they have been corrected now.If progress was painstaking at times – at one stage Shahzad went 49 minutes and 44 deliveries without adding to his score – this was also an absorbing contest, offering a far more complete display of cricketing skills than can ever be produced by a Twenty20 match. Those that decry the championship should take note; tinker with it and we tinker with the foundations of the Test team.Rashid and Shahzad’s defiance helped Yorkshire eek out a first-innings lead of 57. Had Jonathan Trott, usually so reliable in the slips, clung on to a relatively straightforward chance offered by Rashid off the deserving Naqaash Tahir when the batsman had just 7, the hosts may even have earned a lead. Trott eventually made amends with the ball by extracting some extra bounce to find the edge of Rashid’s bat.Yorkshire may still reflect that they squandered a golden opportunity, however. At 176 for 3, they had the chance to put this game beyond Warwickshire, but paid the price for an inappropriately aggressive approach.While there was little Andrew Gale could do about the horrible low bounce of the delivery that dismissed him, many of his colleagues were less innocent. Jacques Rudolph, having batted beautifully and survived a ‘catch’ off an Andrew Miller no-ball when he had 55, undermined his good work by driving loosely at a sharp leg-break, while Tim Bresnan prodded, leaded footed, at one he could have left and Jonathan Bairstow pulled obligingly to square-leg.In their second innings, Warwickshire lost their captain early. There was little Ian Westwood could do to avoid the brute of a lifter that reared and took his glove, however, providing a reminder that this pitch, though slow, is likely to continue to offer bowlers assistance throughout the game.Not that any demons were apparent from the way Ian Bell batted in the last hour. Bell has looked imperious in this match. He seems to have grown in stature over the winter and now appears on the brink of flourishing into the world-class player his talent always suggested he could become. An almost dismissive pull for six off Rashid in the last over of the day underlined his dominance and, but for a run-out chance offered when he had just eight (Joe Sayers failed to hit the stumps from close range), he looked quite untroubled.Varun Chopra was less convincing, but remained unbeaten at stumps. Warwickshire have fought their way back into this game but, with two days to go, it remains a compelling and unpredictable contest.

Pakistan’s selectors have taken the unusual step of naming a 15-man squad for the ICC World Twenty20 without naming a captain. The squad, which includes Shahid Afridi and the Akmal brothers – players recently fined and put on probation by the board – has also been named well before the ICC deadline for naming final squads.There are recalls for Misbah-ul-Haq, Salman Butt and Mohammad Hafeez while Hammad Azam, the U19 allrounder, has been rewarded for a fine performance in New Zealand in the World Cup. Little else about the squad is a surprise and as expected Shoaib Malik and Rana Naved-ul-Hasan are not in the squad, beginning in effect the year-long bans handed out to them by the board.The real surprise is the board not naming a captain. Afridi was appointed Pakistan’s Twenty20 captain last year after Younis Khan retired from the format and the board had inked him in for Pakistan’s defense in the Caribbean. But after his ball-biting incident in Perth, for which he has now effectively been punished twice by an ICC ban and a PCB fine, the decision is not so straightforward. Malik replaced him for the two T20Is against England in Dubai recently but will not be in the Caribbean.”We haven’t announced a captain and there is slight delay on that,” Mohsin Khan, chief selector, said. “The board asked me to name this team without a captain because circumstances are such but I have requested the chairman that in future this should not be the case. The captain and coach make the team fight on the field and the planning has to be done with them in mind. The situation is such. There are 3-4 guys and any of them can be captain. Whoever becomes captain, may not agree 100% with the squad, but he will be mostly happy with the names in the squad.”The inclusion of Butt in the squad suggests he may be one of the players in the running. He hasn’t been a part of Pakistan’s Twenty20 thinking since June last year and his impact in the format has anyway been limited. On seniority alone, Misbah and Abdul Razzaq are in the frame and despite his punishments, Afridi remains in the running. “The only contenders are the senior players, they know these players, they have played with them,” Mohsin said.Mohsin said he had asked the chairman before selecting the three players on probation. “The three are on probation but that is a check and balance on them. The three are the backbone of the line-up.”Misbah had been dropped from all three formats of the game late last year by the selection committee led by Iqbal Qasim, though he was immediately called up to the squad at the request of Mohammad Yousuf, then the captain. But further failures led to him being dropped from Pakistan’s ODI team in Australia.But Mohsin said his experience – and the presence of Butt – was critical especially in crisis situations. “If you look at his ODI record, we often don’t play 50 overs so you need one player, if you lose early wickets, we need one or two guys – like Salman as well – who can carry the team through the end. Misbah is a player who is a senior in all three formats.”Mohsin said he would’ve preferred to take two wicketkeepers in the squad, but had to settle for one, and Kamran Akmal’s batting got the nod, despite his poor work behind the stumps. “He has been a drawback at times I agree,” he said. “But this is the World Cup and with the squad we have gone with 90% certainty and 10% risk.”Pakistan beat Sri Lanka at Lord’s last June to seal a memorable, unexpected triumph. They are placed alongside Australia and Bangladesh in Group A. “We have picked this squad to the best of our ability. This team is capable of winning the World Cup again.Squad: Salman Butt, Mohammad Hafeez, Khalid Latif, Misbah-ul-Haq, Fawad Alam, Umar Akmal, Shahid Afridi, Abdul Razzaq, Yasir Arafat, Hammad Azam, Kamran Akmal, Umar Gul, Mohammad Asif, Mohammad Aamer, Saeed Ajmal.Reserves: Shahzaib Hasan, Mohammad Sami, Raza Hasan, Naveed Yasin, Sarfraz Ahmed.

Queensland 335 (Carseldine 109, Swan 55*, Copeland 8-92) & 2 for 41 lead New South Wales 244 (Forrest 62, Cutting 5-82, Feldman 4-49) by 132 runs
ScorecardBen Cutting stood tall for Queensland with 5 for 82•Getty Images

Ben Cutting earned Queensland two first-innings points but his outstanding performance was still not enough to trump the debutant Trent Copeland. The Bulls finished at 2 for 41 with a lead of 132, but Copeland, the right-arm fast bowler, had added both victims to gain 10 for the match.Copeland had started the day by registering 8 for 92 off 28.4 overs, the second-best figures in a maiden first-class fixture for New South Wales, and ended it by removing Nick Kruger and Wade Townsend. It took him only four balls to strike in the morning, bowling Scott Walter as the Bulls were dismissed for 335, and he then left the stage to Cutting as the Blues were knocked over for 244.Cutting, who turned 23 today, has been growing as a bowler this season and his 5 for 82 off 16 overs took him to a competition-high 24 victims. Luke Feldman helped Cutting finish the job by grabbing 4 for 49, including the top scorer Peter Forrest for 62, in his third first-class game.New South Wales boast the tastiest top order in the competition but Cutting ran over Phillip Hughes (26), Phil Jaques (15) and Simon Katich (0) in two overs as the hosts slid to 3 for 46 before lunch. Steven Smith was next, falling for 49, and Cutting gained his fifth breakthrough when Daniel Smith was caught behind by Chris Hartley, who took five for the day.

Tasmania 5 for 234 (Birt 93*, Paine 57, North 3-38) beat Western Australia 7 for 231 (Ronchi 55, Doherty 4-32) by 5 wickets
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsXavier Doherty’s four wickets set up Tasmania’s victory•Getty Images

Tasmania gained a chance to push for their fourth domestic one-day trophy after their penultimate-ball victory over Western Australia earned them a place in the FR Cup final. The Tigers had Travis Birt to thank for being first into the decider after his 93 off 99 took them past the Warriors’ 7 for 231 with five wickets in hand.They will face the winner of Saturday’s clash between Queensland and Victoria, who are pushing for hosting duties on February 28. Tasmania were hoping for a comfortable chase but they couldn’t produce the major innings until Birt started to flex.Tim Paine, the opener, benefited from three dropped chances to move to 57 as he guided the pursuit until his departure left the side at a nervous 4 for 145. Paine fell trying to sweep Aaron Heal, the left-arm spinner, and left Birt to take over.Tasmania’s situation remained tight but Birt, who hit eight fours and two sixes, was able to provide important surges. He thumped two boundaries through the off-side in consecutive balls off Brad Knowles and followed up in his next over with a six on to the roof of the members’. Birt and Jason Krejza (22 not out) took the Powerplay in the 46th over, picking up 15 from the first six balls to ease some more pressure, and then were relieved when Mitchell Marsh dropped his second catch of the innings when Birt top edged.Sixteen were needed off two overs and Birt swivelled two legside fours off Michael Hogan, leaving five required from the last six balls. Three singles off Nathan Coulter-Nile made it two off two and Birt sealed the result with a pull to the midwicket boundary.Marcus North had given his side a chance after starting his spell by removing Ed Cowan to a soft drive while the captain George Bailey slipped against the offspinner when attempting a pull. North repeated his first-delivery trick in the 41st over when Dan Marsh cut to backward point on 7 and the offspinner collected 3 for 38 during a day for the slow bowlers.Xavier Doherty’s 4 for 32 was responsible for many of Western Australia’s difficulties after the hosts won the toss. The Warriors suffered regular losses to be 5 for 118 when Mitchell Marsh left with a breezy 42 off 36, but the lower order chipped in with some important contributions.Luke Ronchi led the recovery by shelving his aggressive instincts to post 55 off 85 and his 75-run partnership with Matt Johnston (39) was important in getting them so far. The total would have been smaller if Dan Marsh had taken any of the three chances he missed off Doherty, but the locals copied the generosity in the field.After Doherty was used at crucial times in the win over Queensland on Saturday, Bailey gave the left-arm spinner more responsibility. Doherty came on at first-change and picked up Liam Davis lbw and returned in his second spell to have Luke Pomersbach (18) caught at cover. He was called in the batting Powerplay to take care of Ronchi and Johnston to complete an impressive performance.

Former PCB chairman Nasim Ashraf has said the amendments made to the board’s constitution provide the sports ministry with the authority to undermine the board’s independence. The amendments, recently approved by the constitutional committee, sparked fears of the PCB being consigned to a subordinate role in running Pakistan cricket.”This will prove the death knell for Pakistan cricket,” Ashraf told Dawn. “Nowhere in the world are cricket boards run by any government body. Even in the time of Justice Cornelius, the cricket board always kept its independence and autonomy for good reasons. One can only wonder at the motive of the sports ministry. This will further make cricket victim of political vagaries and bureaucratic red-tapism.”The amendments gave the sports ministry a significant say in the functioning of the PCB. The board could now be directed by the sports ministry to take actions that it saw fit to ensure efficiency in administration and governance. Also, the government could now appoint a nominee to the PCB committees involved in tendering contracts and organising the bidding process for broadcasting rights to cricket matches.An independent governing board headed by a visionary and competent chairman acting as a chief executive, Ashraf said, was in the best interests of Pakistan cricket. “An independent Governing Board comprising regional presidents as well as technocrats should make up the full authority, with the chairman working as chief executive to provide leadership and vision to the Governing Board.”Ashraf added he had appealed to the patron-in-chief of Pakistan cricket, President Asaf Ali Zardari, to review the amendments and said he hoped the current PCB administration will heed the views of former chairmen, including Shahryar Khan, on the matter. “I wish the authority consider the views of the former chairmen of the PCB, who have no interest except love for the game and the country as they have played their innings.”