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Hampshire have released four players from their county staff following a meeting of the cricket committee on Monday.The most senior of the players is John Stephenson, 36, the former Essex and England all-rounder. He came to Hampshire in 1995, taking over as captain from Mark Nicholas. He did the job for two years before being replaced by the current captain, Robin Smith. His appearances for the First XI this season have been limited to just three CricInfo Championship and four Benson and Hedges matches. Stephenson is concluding his benefit year.Simon Francis, 23, has been troubled by injury over the past couple of years, and with the rise of young seam bowling talent at the club in the form of James Schofield, James Hamblin and Chris Tremlett, the club felt they had to release this likeable young man. It is ironic, as his brother John has broken into the first team as a batsman. Simon made his debut in 1997.Zac Morris, 23, came to Hampshire in 1998 with his brother Alex. He has played just two first-class matches for his newly-adopted county. He arrived as a left-arm bowler, and switched to seam with some success. But other problems within the club have led to his release.Andrew Sexton, 22, joined Hampshire from the MCC Young Cricketers in 1998 and showed early promise as an opening batsman, scoring a half century on his debut. But his progress since has been limited. He played in 11 Second XI games, averaging nearly 31, but a surplus of available players has led to his release.

The five-member working group formed by the BCCI to propose remedial action for ensuring smooth conduct of the IPL has met all the stakeholders of the league. BCCI secretary Anurag Thakur, who is one of the five members, is confident the group will submit its report ahead of schedule.”We have completed our meeting with stakeholders and have taken into account their suggestions,” Thakur told reporters in New Delhi on Monday. “I must tell you that all stakeholders are on the same page regarding what needs to be done. The deadline is August 29 but we are planning to submit our report before that.”Over the last week, the group had discussed the fallout of the Lodha panel’s verdict to suspend the owners of Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals for two years. The group had invited representatives of all the major sponsors of the IPL, the tournament broadcasters, all the IPL franchises apart from the two suspended teams, and the IPL chief operating officer Sundar Raman for one-on-one discussions. On Monday, the working group met with representatives of PepsiCo India, the title sponsors of the IPL.It is understood that all the stakeholders stressed on the need to have an eight-team IPL. The working group, which includes Thakur, IPL chairman Rajiv Shukla, BCCI treasurer Anirudh Chaudhry, IPL governing council member Sourav Ganguly and the BCCI’s legal consultant Usha Nath Banerjee, will now have to chalk out a pathway that ensures eight teams for the next two editions.”Now that we have met all stakeholders, the members of working group will meet again to discuss and prepare the report,” Thakur said.Despite Thakur’s optimism, the decision over the fate of the IPL is likely to be taken only during the BCCI annual general meeting in September. Before that, the working group will have to table its recommendations to the IPL governing council, which in turn will need to forward its proposals to the BCCI working committee. With the working committee likely to be convened towards the end of the month, it is all but likely that the governing council recommendations will directly be tabled before next month’s AGM. The date of the AGM is yet to be finalised.

: “I didn’t watch the game. But I think Mankading should be looked at like any other dismissal. The batsman should not be leaving the crease before the ball is released. Simple. If he does he pays the price for it. Not the bowler’s fault.”: “Was the bowler actually in his delivery stride in the first place? He just ran through and knocked the stumps over, I don’t think he was ever going to bowl the ball. I was surprised that the umpires called for it to be reviewed. I thought they may choose to say, ‘No, the ball has to be bowled and it’s not out.’ And the final thing was I thought it was too tight to call. I think the batsman should have got the benefit of the doubt once it went to the third umpire. I wasn’t convinced that it should have been actually given out.”I don’t think Mankading should be a part of the game at all. I think if you are in the spirit of the game then why would you end up like this? There was two runs to win, you are playing and Under-19 World Cup, games are being beamed all around the world and to see that type of thing happen was very unsportsmanlike.”Anyway the Zimbabwe player wasn’t looking like he was trying to get advantage. If he was out, he was only just out. And I think he may not have been out anyway. So it wasn’t as if he was a metre down the pitch. It didn’t look like he was trying to take advantage.”: “The spirit of cricket says that you should give a warning to the batsman. But technically he is out if he left the crease. As a gentleman you should give a warning that’s what the spirit of cricket teaches you.”It happened once in the 1987 World Cup too between West Indies and Pakistan when Abdul Qadir won us the match. Courtney Walsh was bowling the last over and he chose to give a warning [to Saleem Jaffer]. Pakistan will always remember Walsh for that gesture and the gentleman’s spirit he showed.”For the Under-19 players this is the age and time to learn about the spirit of cricket. When it comes to the technical situation the batsman is out but the spirit of cricket teaches you to be fair and square.”: “It’s not something I would have probably done but I think we have to leave all the emotion aside. Historically there’s been a bad connotation to mankading. The law has been adjusted and it is in the law books and people talk about the spirit of the game.”Is sledging part of spirit of the game? A batsman at the non-striker’s end stealing a couple of yards – this didn’t happen here, it was just an inch or two, if so much – a batsman backing up a couple of feet down the track off the last ball to win a game, let’s say, in a World Cup, is that within the spirit of the game? So those are the questions we have to ask. If the law is there, that was within the law.”

Both Pakistan and Bangladesh come into this match with their immediate future confirmed. While Pakistan savour their progress in the tournament, Bangladesh will be checking-in for a flight back to Dhaka on Friday. Beaten comprehensively by Australia and Sri Lanka in the Super Eights, Bangladesh’s joy of upsetting the West Indian wagon earlier was short-lived as rash strokes and poor temperament got the better of their inexperienced batsmen.Pakistan, however, should barely sweat after resounding wins over the World Cup finalists and few will bet against them not to beat lesser opposition with greater authority and conviction. But, given the extremes that Pakistan experience, a repeat of Bangladesh’s victory over its Asian rivals at the 1999 World Cup should not be forgotten no matter how unlikely it seems at the moment.Bat play: Bangladesh have the ability to score quickly but their batsmen have taken a queer aversion to prolonging their innings. They are missing a plan on how to pace their sojourn in the middle that often results in a lofted mis-hit after a flurry of strokes. Aftab Ahmed, with 147 runs in the tournament, has been their best batsman with Mohammad Ashraful, not his usual flowing self, providing some hope in the middle order.Pakistan’s only worry is their opening combination; Imran Nazir and Salman Butt havebeen huge disappointments and a promotion for Shahid Afridi is likely to give him some batting practice. Younis Khan, Shoaib Malik and Misbah-ul-Haq, the tournament’s joint top-scorer, will try and add to Bangladesh’s miseries.Wrecking ball: Spin will be the key to Bangladesh’s chances of stopping Pakistan from wreaking havoc. Shakib Al Hasan, the slow left-armer, has been their most successful bowler in the tournament but not the most economical. Their opening combination of Syed Rasel and Mashrafe Mortaza has yielded only three wickets and has failed to provide the initial breakthroughs.Pakistan’s bowling department, however, has no such concerns. Afridi already boasts a wicket-tally of ten and the offspinner Mohammad Hafeez did well to contain Australia. Sohail Tanvir, a late replacement for Shoaib Akhtar, has built up a reputation of picking up wickets in his first over while Mohammad Asif, with eight wickets so far, should be able to create panic among the Bangladesh batsmen with his annoying accuracy.Keep your eyes on: Misbah was deemed by many as too old and inept for this format of the game. He has not only rescued Pakistan several times in this tournament, but has also hit the longest six. He also has 18 fours and three more sixes to go with that.Shop talk: Pakistan’s victory celebrations after their win against Australia even got the country’s president involved. Pervez Musharraf not only lavished praise on the team but also awarded US$10,000 to each member. Bangladesh, however, are hoping for an upset at the end of a largely disappointing tournament.Pitching it right: The weather is expected to be dry and warm and with Bangladesh having already played at this venue twice, they might want to make use of a batting pitch where England scored 188 against Zimbabwe. With a hard surface and good bounce, Asif and Tanvir could prove to be a handful.TeamsBangladesh (probable) Tamim Iqbal, Nazimuddin, Aftab Ahmed,Mohammad Ashraful (capt), Shakib Al Hasan, Nadif Chowdhury, Mahmudullah,Mashrafe Mortaza, Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), Abdur Razzak, Syed Rasel.Pakistan (probable) Imran Nazir, Mohammad Hafeez, Salman Butt,Younis Khan, Shoaib Malik (capt), Shahid Afridi, Kamran Akmal (wk),Misbah-ul-Haq, Sohail Tanvir, Umar Gul, Mohammad Asif.

Younis Khan, the Pakistan vice-captain, believes the team are stronger in the wake of the fourth Test forfeiture which rocked international cricket.Pakistan have bounced back from the Oval controversy, where they were embroiled in a ball-tampering row, to win the Twenty20 international against England and take a 1-0 lead in the five-match one-day series.”After losing the Test series 3-0 we were very down and we saw the one-day series as a good chance for us to return to Pakistan with a victory,” Younis told bigstarcricket.com. “It’s never much fun going back to Pakistan having lost a Test series and a one-day series – so we are definitely not relaxing at the moment.”There is no shortage of motivation anyway for a team generally thought to be among the leading contenders to win the World Cup in the Caribbean next spring. But the ball-tampering furore – board chairman Shaharyar Khan described the ruling as a “slur” on team and country – has brought even more focus. “One thing that helped bring us even closer together was the controversy at The Oval,” said Younis.The Oval drama led to umpire Darrell Hair, who penalised Pakistan five runs in that ill-fated Test, offering to resign in exchange for 500,000 dollars. The whole thing got revealed after a bizarre exchange of e-mails between the Australian official and the ICC was made public by the latter.”Ultimately that kind of thing is not good for cricket, and we regret the fact the match was unable to be finished,” said Younis. “We were in a good position, and also the crowd wanted to see two good teams complete the match. The whole thing is no good for cricket, no good for Darrell Hair, no good for the Pakistan team, no good for Inzy (skipper Inzamam-ul-Haq) and no good to the England team. But it’s happened now – and nobody knows what will come next.”Younis has been struck, however, by the positive effect on Pakistan’s morale. “Inside the team, we became even closer after that incident,” he said. “Team spirit was good anyway, but the unity was there even more after that match. We are very united. After that we really backed our captain.”Younis now wants Pakistan to demonstrate their ability by sweeping the remainder of the three day one-dayers starting at The Rose Bowl in Southampton on Tuesday. “We are keen to give our passionate fans something to cheer about,” he said.”That is our main goal – we must win it. We are in the world’s top three in both Test and one-day cricket, so we are in good shape. Another win in this series would see us getting closer to Australia.”

Australia 126 for 7 v England
Scorecard

England ripped through Australia after a delayed start to the second Test at Worcester, reducing the visitors to 126 for 7 by the close.Heavy rain prevented any play until 3pm, and with moisture in the pitch and low clouds, England gambled by putting Australia in. The decision soon paid dividends. Belinda Clark looked fairly comfortable, but Lisa Keightley’s run out triggered a collapse which saw them slip from 27 for 0 to 49 for 4.Lisa Sthalekar led a mini recovery with a spirited 34, but her dismissal brought more wickets and England ended in a good position – although they will not be too complacent. In the first Test at Hove, they had Australia 115 for 7 only for the last three wickets to add 230 runs. Julie Hayes and Shelley Nitschke, who did much of the damage them, are still at the crease .

The BCCI is planning to reduce match fees for international cricketers once a contract system is introduced. According to The Times of India, Ratnakar Shetty, the BCCI’s joint secretary, has said that the pay cut for both, Tests and one-dayers, would be Rs 65,000.”There is a likelihood that the match fees for Tests and one-day internationals would be cut down by around Rs 65,000,” said Shetty. “But this is not final. The suggestion is that cricketers making the playing 11 would get Rs Two lakh for a Test, compared to Rs 2.68 lakh they are getting now. For one-dayers the amount works out to Rs 1.60 lakh as compared to the Rs 2.35 lakh they are getting now.” He added that the board would most likely implement the team’s suggestion about giving reserve players half of what the playing 11 received.* * *In the same paper, Sourav Ganguly reacted with disbelief when he was told that VVS Laxman, who has averaged 74.75 since January 2003, grumbled about being perpetually on trial. “VVS on trial? You’ve got to be joking,” said Ganguly. “His is one of the first names to be put down on paper by the selectors. I don’t see any question marks against his name.”He touched on the debate about the openers, saying, “Today Yuvraj [Singh] is ready for Tests and I see no reason why he should not get a shot at the top of the order. Just imagine both Viru [Virender Sehwag] and Yuvi firing together! Gee, it gives me goosebumps!”* * *Laxman again, and he talks of the record Test score in The Indian Express. “I’ve my sights on 400,” he says, “but only when the team needs it. It should come when the team requires it the most.” Laxman’s best score in Tests (281) was also India’s highest score for three years, until Sehwag’s 309 earlier this year.He spoke about his evolving game and experiences. “My shot selection has improved,” he said. “It’s not that I am playing lesser shots. Only, they are more risk-free. Also, I am able to judge the wickets better.”* * *Most of the Indian players were unable to follow the football too closely because of the training camp, but they all had their favourites, according to The Indian Express. Zaheer Khan likes Zidane and Henry, and in the event of the French faltering, he’s got van Nistelrooy and David Beckham as well. Laxman doesn’t follow the game much anymore, but France find favour with him too. Rahul Dravid likes Ronaldo, Rohan Gavaskar thinks Italy or the Czech Republic could win, Mohammad Kaif prefers Portugal, and Lakshmipathy Balaji prefers sleep. Yuvraj, though, has a way of watching the games. “Train, sleep, watch matches and again sleep.”But no one bends it like Badani. His favourites are France and he thinks Beckham is overrated by the English press. “I am not an idiot, though,” says Hemang Badani, presumably speaking about his understanding of football.

Duleep Mendis will be the coach for Sri Lanka’s forthcoming tour to the West Indies after the Lankan board (BCCSL) failed to find a suitable long-termreplacement for Dav Whatmore.Mendis, a former Sri Lankan captain, was appointed as an interim coach forthe recent New Zealand Test series and the Bank Alfalah Cup after Whatmorerequested early leave from his contract which expires at the end of May.The board had hoped to find a permanent replacement in time for the WestIndies tour but the leading candidates – Bob Woolmer, John Bracewell, SteveRixon and Graham Ford – all made themselves unavailable.”Duleep (Mendis) will continue for the West Indies tour,” confirmed AnuraTennekoon, the BCCSL chief executive. "When the new cricket board comes inwe will have to decide whether to advertise or to headhunt for a new coach.”Other contenders for the post include Greg Chappell, the former Australian captain and coach of South Australia, who has indicated that he would not beinterested in a full-time job, and John Dyson, the former Australian batsman.

Sussex appeared to have made promotion a formality by batting Warwickshire out of realistic contention on a low-key third day out at Edgbaston.Needing only a draw to confirm First Division status next year, the south coast county established an imposing lead of 397 thanks to centuries by Richard Montgomerie and Chris Adams.They lost only two wickets in six-and-a-half hours while adding 312 and they may yet make the game watertight by building on their total of 324 for 3 on the last morning.Warwickshire had one success in the first hour when nightwatchman James Kirtley was caught at first slip but began to look a dejected side after missing an opportunity to run out Montgomerie when he had made 40.The opener made his native county pay by taking his second hundred of the season off their bowling and when he was out for 121, he had completed eight centuries in his summer of nearly 1,700 first-class runs.He batted for nearly five-and-a-half hours, hitting 15 fours from 258 balls, and after so much care and application, it was a disappointing conclusion when he hoisted a short delivery from Vasbert Drakes to deep square leg.A third-wicket stand with Adams had yielded 199 and his partner was then on 99 after reaching 1,000 runs in a season for the fifth time in his career.The Sussex captain safely chalked up his third century of the year from 196 balls but remained intent on locking up promotion by cautiously advancing to 132 not as his young partner, Tim Ambrose, made an unbeaten 41 out of 78 in the 26 overs.

After a slow start to their campaign, Guernsey have notched up their second win in consecutive days by beating Botswana by 25 runs at The Padang. Having won the toss, Guernsey’s batsmen made it count and posted a competitive total of 241 for 6. Lee Savident gave his team a sound start with a top score of 65 off 102 balls while Jeremy Frith also contributed a half-century. Stuart Le Prevost, the Guernsey captain, scored a quick 36 and the lower order made useful contributions. Botswana were on course during their run-chase, reaching 108 for 1, before they lost direction. Frith caught and bowled Faisal Rana for 57 and dismissed Karan Kapoor to leave Botswana on 112 for 3. Gary Rich took two crucial middle-order wickets before Jamie Nussbaumer dismissed the last four batsmen. He finished with 4 for 42 as Botswana were dismissed for 216 in the final over.Bahrain put in a powerful all-round performance to crush Norway by 232 runs at the Indian Association Ground. Imran Sajjad and Adil Hanif set up Bahrain’s innings with scores of 68 and 65 respectively before Tahir Dar boosted the total to 304 for 7 by blitzing 54 off 24 balls. Bahrain’s new-ball bowlers, Yaser Sadeq and Halal Abbasi, cut through the Norway top-order, reducing them to 35 for 5, a position from which they never recovered. Not content with an aggressive half-century, Dar took 2 for 13 in six overs while Fahad Sadeq claimed 3 for 16. Norway were shot out for 72 as early as the 28th over. The win ensured Bahrain’s berth in World Cricket League Division 5 next year.”Today we just played our natural game against Norway. In Bahrain we play on matting so it’s taken some time to get used to the turf wicket but today things really came together for us and we just went for it,” Dar said. “We really wanted to create a big target for Norway and the only way for us to do that was to hit the 300 mark, which we did and they failed to make it thanks to our strong bowling.”As for tomorrow’s final against Singapore, we know it’s going to be tough, Singapore have not lost a match this tournament but we’re confident and hopefully we can bring our winning way to the finals.”Singapore maintained their 100% win record by beating Malaysia by four wickets to secure their fifth victory in World Cricket League Division Six at the Kallang Ground. The victory also secured their place in World Cricket League Division five next year. Singapore’s bowlers backed up the decision to send Malaysia in by dismissing them for 183 in 50 overs. Muthuraman Sockalingam top scored with 43 while Mulewa Dharmichand was Singapore’s best bowler, taking 3 for 37. The home side’s chase started poorly when Buddika Mendis was lbw for a duck but Narender Reddy steadied the innings with a patient 64 off 134 balls. He was supported by Monish Arora, who scored 37, as Singapore reached the target in the 47th over.