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A team made up from Pakistan’s Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) andpossibly an official from the sports ministry will be heading to Englandas part of Pakistan’s probe into the spot-fixing allegations swirlingaround some of Pakistan’s top cricketers.No date of their departure is, however, set yet. A request has been madeto the UK government to let the team know when an appropriate time mightbe for the them to travel.The composition was discussed at a meeting between Interior MinisterRehman Malik and the Sports Minister Ijaz Jakhrani on Tuesday. Inam Ghani,the FIA director, and Azad Khan, the agency’s additional director, havebeen nominated to travel to London. The feeling in the interior ministryis that a point of view from the sports ministry is relevant andsignificant to the team’s work. An official from the sports ministry isexpected to be announced by Wednesday.Four players were alleged by the to be involvedin spot-fixing. Mazhar Majeed was caught on camera by the newspaperclaiming to have bribed fast bowlers Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir tobowl deliberate no-balls during the Lord’s Test against England. Majeed,who also claimed Salman Butt and Kamran Akmal were involved, was arrestedbefore being let out on bail without charge. Scotland Yard spoke to Buttas well as Amir and Asif, searched their rooms andconfiscated their mobile phones.”The team will interact with Scotland Yard over there and our involvementwill be largely dependent on the investigations of Scotland Yard,” Maliktold Cricinfo. “This will be fact-finding team, to ascertain what hashappened and why it might have done. There will be interaction withScotland Yard not interference because it has happened in the UK not inPakistan.”The involvement of the ministries indicates the seriousness with which thegovernment is viewing the allegations. Already the President Asif AliZardari (also the chief patron of the PCB) has asked for – and been sent -a preliminary report by the PCB into the matter. The Prime Minister YousufRaza Gillani has also spoken sternly of the “shame” the incident hascaused Pakistan.A request has also been made to Interpol London by the interior ministryto send background information into the case to Interpol Pakistan.

ScorecardSomerset’s bid to land their first County Championship title suffered a potentially fatal blow when they inexplicably batted throughout the final day at Canterbury. Against part-time bowling and an attacking field, Somerset refused to set the hosts a target and churned on to reach a second innings total of 387 for 7 to ensure a stalemate when the teams shook hands on a draw.Visiting captain Marcus Trescothick endured verbal abuse from a sparse crowd for batting through the final day and collecting 10 points for the draw. The former England left-hander ended unbeaten on 188 after seven and a half hours at the crease, his best championship score since 2007.Somerset started the day on 138 for 3, an overall lead of 146, but any hopes of a run chase or a positive result were effectively over by lunch. Kent struck in the third over of the day when James Tredwell plucked out the off stump of James Hildreth (32) as he attempted to sweep.Trescothick scored his second hundred of the summer with only nine fours and from 251 balls as he and Craig Kieswetter posted 100 for the fifth wicket. Kieswetter then chipped back a chest-high catch to Tredwell to give the offspinner final figures of 5 for 95, yet it proved the last meaningful action of the game.Home skipper Rob Key made his views clear on the situation when he brought himself on to bowl to take the wickets of Peter Trego (37) and Ben Phillips (14) as Kent ended the game with Joe Denly keeping wicket and Geraint Jones bowling.

England coach Andy Flower has downplayed any significance the outcome of the final NatWest ODI might have on the Ashes later this year.England have already claimed the five-match series after winning the first three games but lost the fourth to a dominating Australian performance. So while Flower would obviously like to win Saturday’s game at Lord’s to cap a successful series, he is not too concerned about the result.”Of course, 4-1 would be excellent for us – and we will be giving everything to do that,” said Flower. “This is another important one-day international. Whenever you are representing your country, especially against such quality opposition, you will do everything in your power to win the game.”But now that the series is already won, I don’t think tomorrow’s result will have huge implications for what happens in Australia towards the end of the year.”At the same time, Flower admitted winning is a habit and it will be good for England’s psyche to keep the upper hand. “Every win you have against certain opponents grows your self-belief and confidence – and they are very important elements in competitive sport. We are always looking at ways to grow our confidence, and there is no better way to do that than playing well and winning against quality opposition.”Fast bowling will be a key factor on bouncy Australian pitches and both Stuart Broad and Steven Finn have both been rested recently to work on their conditioning. In Finn’s case, there was also the suggestion that he was being hidden from Australia and Flower is positive England have the right combination of bowlers to be successful.”Without doubt, pace will play a big part on those bouncier pitches. But I think we are getting a posse of bowlers together that will be able to hold their own. The early introduction of Finn against Bangladesh may bear some fruit in Australia. We are getting together a group of fast bowlers that will be able to dovetail, on form and fitness grounds, and be quite dangerous.”

ScorecardAnthony Ireland prospered on a good day for Gloucestershire’s bowlers•PA Photos

Anthony Ireland claimed five wickets as promotion-chasing Gloucestershire bowled out Middlesex for 236 on the opening day of the County Championship Division Two match in Bristol.But 19-year-old Josh Davey ensured Middlesex gained one batting point with a fine 61 on his Championship debut. Davey received good support from fellow debutant Toby Roland-Jones, who contributed 19 to a ninth-wicket partnership of 53, which was broken when Roland-Jones miscued a pull to give Ireland his fifth wicket.Ireland finished with 5 for 25 from 11 overs, while there was good support from Gloucestershire’s four other seam bowlers. Gemaal Hussain took 2 for 70 and there were also two wickets for Jon Lewis. Gloucestershire reached the close on 81 for 2 with Chris Dent unbeaten on 13 and Hamish Marshall not out 21.After Gloucestershire captain Alex Gidman won the toss, his decision to insert Middlesex looked like it might backfire as Sam Robson and Scott Newman put together an opening stand of 63. Robson was reprieved before a run had been scored when James Franklin dropped a difficult chance at gully off Lewis.Steve Kirby had both batsmen playing and missing during an impressive spell from the Pavilion End, but Robson and Newman otherwise remained largely untroubled. The game changed dramatically in the 50 minutes before lunch, as Gloucestershire took five wickets for 34 runs in 11 overs.Newman was the first to go when he edged Hussain to Gidman, who took an excellent low catch at first slip. Gidman took another sharp catch to dismiss Owais Shah off Lewis, and two wickets fell in the next over as Ireland had Robson lbw for 39 and Neil Dexter caught down the legside by wicketkeeper Jonathan Batty.Gloucestershire had more to celebrate from the last ball before lunch when John Simpson edged Ireland to Hamish Marshall at second slip. Dawid Malan and Davey hinted at a Middlesex revival with a partnership of 37 for the sixth wicket, but Malan departed for 29 when he was caught at cover by Chris Taylor off Franklin.Ireland claimed his fourth wicket when Tom Smith fended a delivery into the hands of Kadeer Ali at short leg, and it became 181 for 8 when Tim Murtagh snicked a drive off Hussain into the gloves of Batty. Davey and Roland-Jones responded well and Davey reached his half-century with a hook off Kirby for three runs. His maiden fifty came from 102 balls and contained eight fours.The pair guided Middlesex to 224 for 8 at tea, but both were dismissed within three overs of the resumption. Roland-Jones top-edged a pull to Kirby and Davey then thick-edged a drive off Lewis to Franklin at gully.Gloucestershire’s reply got off to a good start as Ali and Batty took the score to 28 without loss off nine overs before light rain forced the players from the field. But when they returned Pedro Collins struck twice, bowling Ali with a ball which kept low and then trapping Batty lbw for 20.

Match facts

Monday, May 10, St Lucia
Start time 0930 (1330 GMT)Shahid Afridi hasn’t fired yet for Pakistan•Getty Images

The Big Picture

Two of the brightest sides of last year’s tournament have been two of the bigger disappointments this time. And yet, a win for either here could still see them through to the semi-finals, depending on what happens in the game between England and New Zealand.Pakistan do not require a mathematical miracle to get through. A win here, and an England win over New Zealand, remarkably, might guarantee them a spot in the semis, given that Pakistan’s net run-rate is superior to both New Zealand and South Africa. For Graeme Smith’s men to go through, a win coupled with an English win, will be enough.On most days South Africa would look the likelier bet, if only because Pakistan have been so timid and unsure through the tournament. But at spin-friendly St Lucia, with big stakes on the line, certainty is in short supply.In any case, South Africa have been strangely inconsistent, a malaise that stretches beyond just this tournament and format to last year. In the Caribbean they’ve relied heavily on their pace duo of Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel and both have been hot and cold; in particular, the latter’s no-ball problems are beginning to hurt. Little errors have crept in, the kind of untidiness you do not expect from them; catches have been dropped, edges have gone through slips, fumbles here and there. Their batting has been consistently weak.Pakistan have struggled with most things, their batting line, the make-up of their attack and their fielding. Shahid Afridi’s form has gone, they’ve picked and dropped Mohammad Sami at the wrong moments, Abdul Razzaq has been used strangely, either opening the bowling or not bowling at all. Of their batsmen, only Salman Butt has been a success and he was least expected to be one.Yet nobody, least of all South Africa, will forget that it is at these moments that they can be at their most dangerous.

Form guide (Most recent first)

Pakistan LLLWW
South Africa LWWLW

Watch out for

Abdur Rehman made a fine comeback against New Zealand, picking up two cheap wickets in his first T20I for over two years. He has always been a successful limited-overs left-arm option and his return comes after one of his best domestic seasons. South Africa still struggle to score quickly against spin and Rehman’s position, amid the spin of Afridi and Saeed Ajmal, may well be crucial if the surface is given to spin.Like India, Pakistan have also struggled against fast, short-pitched bowling, even in St Lucia, where Australia’s pace attack knocked them over. So Morne Morkel and Dale Steyn are likely to again be the central planks in their side’s plans to get through.

Team news

Pakistan are unlikely to tinker much with a line-up that did so well in the field against New Zealand. In fact, the right balance in their attack finally seems to have been struck, four games into the tournament. With few batting replacements, Afridi will desperately hope one of his batsmen other than Butt can kick on, though dropping Mohammad Hafeez and bringing in Khalid Latif may be an option.Pakistan (probable) 1 Salman Butt 2 Kamran Akmal (wk) 3 Mohammad Hafeez/Khalid Latif 4 Umar Akmal 5 Misbah-ul-Haq 6 Shahid Afridi (capt) 7 Abdul Razzaq 8 Mohammad Aamer 9 Mohammad Sami 10 Abdur Rehman 11 Saeed AjmalThough South Africa are still likelier to use pace to unsettle Pakistan’s batsmen, the nature of the pitch might warrant a return for Roelof van der Merwe, though he is wicketless thus far in the tournament. Their top order has struggled too, and whether or not the ageing, misfiring Herschelle Gibbs will continue to be persisted with is also open to question.South Africa (probable) 1 Graeme Smith (capt) 2 Jacques Kallis 3 Loots Bosman/Herschelle Gibbs 4 AB de Villiers 5 JP Duminy 6 JA Morkel 7 MV Boucher (wk) 8 J Botha 9 Dale Steyn 10 Morne Morkel 11 Charl Langeveldt

Pitch and conditions

There won’t be as much bounce or pace as in Barbados, though the express bowlers have still prospered in St Lucia.

Stats and trivia

Ian Butler, the New Zealand fast bowler, has signed up with Gloucestershire as their second overseas player for the Friends Provident t20 tournament. Butler, who previously played for Gloucestershire in 2003, joins New Zealand team-mate allrounder James Franklin in the squad.Butler, 29, has represented New Zealand in 14 Twenty20 games, performing impressively with 19 wickets at an average of 19. He has also played eight Tests and 26 ODIs. Butler played two games in the World Twenty20 this year, and had a crucial role in a tense last-over win against Pakistan, taking three wickets.”I am really pleased to be back at Gloucestershire. The club has been very friendly and welcoming, just as I remembered it from before. I am looking forward to playing some cricket and helping the club to success in the Twenty20,” Butler said.Gloucestershire’s director of cricket, John Bracewell, said: “I am delighted that Ian has joined us for the FP T20. Ian is a specialist death bowler and pinch hitter. He brings with him recent experience in the Champions League with Otago, and at the World Twenty20 with New Zealand, and will be huge asset to the squad.”

ScorecardMichael Di Venuto’s hundred should deny Yorkshire victory•Getty Images

With the £21 million Carnegie Pavilion now dominating the skyline at the Kirkstall Lane end, the new look to another Test ground in the throes of transformation takes some getting used to. It is an imposing structure with futuristic lines, although the choice of colours is worryingly reminiscent of a 1970s bathroom. Anyone who shudders at the thought of avocado green will know what I mean.The backdrop of steady rain that cut short the cricket was more familiar sadly, if not this season. How blessed the Championship has been, as the momentum for change gathers pace, to have been granted the weather these last few weeks in which to show its true worth.But it would have been fanciful to expect to get through April without seeing days more typical of an English spring and the intervention of rain here mid-afternoon has probably guaranteed a draw, barring a collapse by Durham to rival their fledgling days as a first-class county.It will not happen. Yorkshire built a massive first-innings total with hopes of bowling the champions out twice but may not do so even once on the evidence of today. Then again, perhaps a draw was always at the back of their strategic thought patterns. Yorkshire have seized the incentive of extra win points with as much gusto as anyone but will still appreciate the merits of denying an immediate rival and if they are to make a fist of challenging for the title then Durham are likely to be their biggest threat.Even so, there were still some spectators wondering whether they had taken their domination of the first two days just a little too far, insisting as they did on having more than 600 runs in the bank before they gave Durham chance to reply. It took them until after tea on Wednesday, which meant Durham had spent the longest time continuously in the field since they joined the Championship, longer even than when Brian Lara made 501 against them.To win, Yorkshire were banking on an attack without Tim Bresnan and Ajmal Shahzad bowling Durham out twice on a pitch that has been largely slow and placid, a surface on which even Tino Best, for all his desire to make an impact on his county debut, has struggled to look menacing. A cautious approach from Will Smith’s side would probably have got the job done in any event, even without half a day’s play lost.The disappointment for Yorkshire, though, is that the bowlers on whom they will rely until Bresnan and Shahzad return managed to dislodge only Dale Benkenstein in the time available, and that after Adil Rashid had taken two wickets with consecutive googlies the evening before, suggesting that the two spinners, Rashid and David Wainwright, might be a real handful.But in the event, nothing they or the seamers could conjure up would deny Michael Di Venuto the 51st first-class century of his career. The Australian will now attempt to match Yorkshire’s Jacques Rudolph’s marathon occupation of the crease and ensure that his 13th century for Durham home side becomes the basis for another day of frustration for the home side.Yorkshire lead by 395 runs but the 16 wickets still required is the relevant statistic, and there has not been much evidence that taking them is within this attack’s capabilities in these conditions. Oliver Hannon-Dalby and Steve Patterson, in the vanguard of the new generation of Yorkshire seam bowlers, both bowled well at times but against batsmen as wordly as Di Venuto and Benkenstein it was not enough.Benkenstein’s knee, injured when he ran out Anthony McGrath on Wednesday, did not appear to cause him serious difficulty. His departure came just after lunch, when Wainwright, the left-arm spinner, produced an excellent ball to have him stumped. But with Ian Blackwell now alongside Di Venuto, he and his teammates will need to deliver a lot more of those.

Sussex have signed Rana Naved-ul-Hasan as their overseas player for the opening few weeks of the season as cover while Yasir Arafat is with Pakistan at the Twenty20 World Cup.Rana previously played a pivotal role at Hove when Sussex won the 2005 and 2006 County Championship titles, with the 32-year-old taking 139 first-class wickets at an average of 22.41.He was at Yorkshire last year but struggled to establish himself despite starring in one game, scoring 42 not out from 15 balls and three for 44 to set up a Pro40 victory over Durham at Scarborough.Rana is currently serving a one-year ban from the PCB for poor behaviour but is free to play non-international cricket. Mark Robinson, the Sussex coach, is looking forward to his presence in the dressing room.”We are extremely fortunate to have a player of the quality of Rana to cover Yasir. He knows the club well, will fit in quickly and add some depth to our bowling attack as well as provide some useful runs.”

New South Wales 6 for 565 dec beat South Australia 288 and 103 (Borgas 34, Copeland 5-31, O’Keefe 3-21) by an innings and 174 runs
ScorecardTrent Copeland finished the game with eight wickets•Getty Images

Trent Copeland grabbed the second five-wicket haul of his three-game career as New South Wales demoralised South Australia with victory by an innings and 174 runs. It took the Blues only 35 minutes on the final morning to wrap up the result, which boosted them to fourth on the Sheffield Shield table and gave them some hope of pushing for a place in the final.The scene was set on the third day when the Redbacks crashed to 6 for 96 and when Copeland trapped the last recognised batsman Cameron Borgas lbw for 34, a short day appeared likely. Steve O’Keefe (3 for 21) picked up Jake Haberfield caught behind and Copeland snared two more wickets to confirm the win.It gave Copeland match figures of 8 for 101 and continued the remarkable start to his first-class career after he collected ten wickets on debut three weeks ago. However, he could not wrest the Man-of-the-Match honours from Phillip Hughes, who set up the one-sided contest with 192 on the first day.

Australia 7 for 324 (Ponting 106, White 63) beat West Indies 8 for 274 (Deonarine 53, Pollard 62, Smith 58*) by 50 runs
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsRicky Ponting’s 29th ODI century, his first at the Gabba, was the highlight of a record-breaking performance by Australia•Getty Images

Ricky Ponting sparkled with his 29th ODI century to lead Australia to a 50-run victory that sealed the series against West Indies. Ponting’s side has out-played both touring teams this summer and the captain stepped up with an outstanding 106 as his side posted a ground-record 324.Even if Chris Gayle had fired his outfit would have found the chase difficult and when he went for 34 off 27 balls the game was gone. Narsingh Deonarine’s maiden half-century kept the tourists going for a while before Kieron Pollard showed some muscle with a personal best of 62 and Dwayne Smith chipped in an unbeaten 58. With every dot ball the task got harder and they finished at 8 for 274.The result gave Australia a 3-0 lead and continued their unbeaten home campaign in Tests, ODIs and a Twenty20. Their thoughts now turn to Monday night’s Allan Border Medal before the final match of this series in Melbourne on Friday.Gayle has carried around an under-manned squad and he watched his band of medium pacers receive some severe punishment from Ponting. Australia batted first again after losing the toss and Ponting entered at 1 for 43 to take control.In Sydney on Friday the same group restricted Australia to 225, but this pitch wasn’t as spicy and Ponting made them pay for any lapses. He warmed up by lofting Pollard for four and next ball caressed him for a delightful straight six. Nikita Miller, the left-arm spinner, was lifted over the rope at long-on, but Ponting also showed his timing with deft touches, including a late cut to the boundary off Deonarine.The hundred, his first in an ODI at this ground, came with a glance to short fine leg and the 20,088 fans stood to applaud. It was a healthy crowd for this series – although the ground was half full – but the spectators were entertained throughout the hosts’ innings. Ponting’s exhibition ended with a pull to short fine-leg off Smith that was taken low-down by Ravi Rampaul.Cameron White was also worth watching during his 63, which included some brutal hitting of the ball and his body. White was feeling confident when he went down the pitch to Pollard on 35 but changed his mind and turned his head to a short delivery. The ball missed White’s helmet and hit his jaw, leaving a puffy red mark. He was sent for an x-ray after being dismissed and cleared of major damage.James Hopes’ late 42 off 21 inflated the total with help from Michael Hussey (23) on a day to forget for the visiting bowlers. Smith returned 2 for 59 off eight overs, Rampaul had 1 for 68 off 10 and Pollard 1 for 45 from seven. Darren Sammy fared better with 2 for 44 while Miller did well at times.West Indies’ bowling, which started with Smith’s five legside wides in the opening over, was often loose but their early catching was spectacular. Shane Watson had rushed to 26 when he lofted Smith and Wavell Hinds sprinted back from mid-on, diving for the take just inside the boundary. Tim Paine (24) also made a start but departed to a cut shot which ended up with a leaping Pollard at point.The same spark couldn’t be matched with the bat, although it really was an impossible task. Travis Dowlin (8) had already departed to a catch behind when Gayle pushed at Doug Bollinger and edged to Paine. It was the fifth time this summer that Bollinger (2 for 44) has dismissed Gayle in Tests and ODIs and the contest quickly became one-sided.Batting was harder under lights than it had been during the day and the Australian bowlers were on target when it mattered. Lendl Simmons tried to heave Hopes for six but found Nathan Hauritz in the deep, while Hinds, playing his first international innings since 2006, crawled to 20 off 36 when run out by Hopes’ direct hit at midwicket.Deonarine was in good touch during his 53 but the pressure grew and he had to hit out, giving Hauritz a wicket when he found long on. Pollard walked in with the team needing eight an over and two runs a ball were required off the final ten overs.Once Pollard got settled he planted a couple of big sixes but in the end the assignment was far too big. It’s been like that for the touring teams for most of the summer.