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.

On a confidence-high after a match-winning 104 against Pakistan at Lord’s, Andrew Symonds is vocal in his belief that Australia’s experience with English conditions would help their Champions Trophy campaign.Symonds, an experienced campaigner in county cricket, played for two counties, and one of his more memorable knocks came for Gloucestershire: a 202-ball 252 with 16 sixes. And with Australians being the flavour of choice for most county teams, Glenn McGrath, Michael Kasprowicz, Matthew Hayden and Michael Clarke have played in England – all with a degree of success.The intricate knowledge of English conditions would work to their advantage, said Symonds, and hinted that their lack of success in previous editions of the tournament would motivate the players. “Playing county cricket helped me develop as a player greatly,” AFP quoted Symonds as saying. “The best way to learn how to play cricket is in a match situation and playing county cricket really helped me out.”You can be hitting it well in the nets, and that gives you confidence, but the only way you know where you are is by playing cricket. The opportunity is there for most of our cricketers, depending on availability, to play for the counties.” The chances have certainly been taken: 11 of the 14-man squad for the Champions Trophy have played county cricket.Symonds was hopeful of a good showing in the million-dollar tournament. “There is a lot at stake here and the boys are a bit embarrassed that we have not achieved anything in this competition. But we are going to give this one a good blast and hopefully achieve that.”He was guarded about facing New Zealand, whom he said Australia have “had some great games with”, and was cautious about the motley crew from the USA. “The United States will have a few bring-ins so they will have some good players there, some very capable cricketers and it is not a game to be taken lightly. We expect to win but we still have to go out there and play.”The Champions Trophy begins on September 10, and Australia begin their campaign on the 13th, against the USA, before playing New Zealand three days later.

After wrapping up the entire match in just 31.5 overs, Australia’s captain, Ricky Ponting, was in a feisty mood at the post-match press conference. Paul Coupar heard what both captains had to say:

Do you get anything out of this match?
Not as far as we’re concerned. We don’t get a whole lot out of that game. Hopefully the USA boys did get something out of it otherwise it’s a waste of time. I’ve been pretty strong in saying this before – I’m not convinced a Champions Trophy or a World Cup is the place for these sides to play. We’d like to see the game develop over there in the USA. Obviously it’s a huge market for cricket. But we want to be tested as players all the time and I don’t think we were tested too much day.But don’t the small sides need these games to learn from?
What they have to do first is to be a dominant team for a longer period of time in the group lower than this level. What we’ve seen in the last couple of World Cups and Champions Trophies is that different teams every time qualified. It’s whoever plays well in that one little qualifying tournament who comes up. If a team that dominates over a longer period of time comes up [into the World Cup or Champions Trophy] then you’ll know you’ve got a stronger side.What was your strategy today?
The whole idea of the game for us was to win the toss and send them in. Then bowl them out cheaply, go in and get the runs quickly to get our run-rate up above New Zealand’s – in case weather intervenes in our game with them later this week. We’ve achieved that, I think, so we’ve got what we could out of the game.USA captain, Richard Staple
What’s it like in your dressing room?
I just told them we have to keep our heads up high because we were playing against the best team in the world. It is the best attack in the world so we weren’t looking to go out and blast these guys about. And they didn’t give us anything to blast anyway.We learned from the way these guys play and that was our main objective. We didn’t realistically expect to beat these teams.When did you start to fear the worst?
Obviously the batting. We didn’t really get a start at all.And when are you back to the day job?
Next week.

Scorecard

New Zealand first innings 353

Mark Richardson c Ponting b Kasprowicz 19 (1 for 26)
Edged perfect legcutter to second slip
Stephen Fleming c Warne b Kasprowicz 0 (2 for 26)
Edged straight ball to second slip
Scott Styris c Gilchrist b Kasprowicz 27 (3 for 37)
Poor foot movement and straightforward catch
Nathan Astle run out (Clarke) 19 (4 for 138)
Parried by Gillespie in gully, direct hit at non-striker’s end
Mathew Sinclair c Ponting b Gillespie 69 (5 for 138)
Caught low at second slip
Craig McMillan c Gilchrist b Warne 23 (6 for 180)
Thin edge giving bowler the charge – would have been stumped
Brendon McCullum st Gilchrist b Warne 10 (7 for 206)
Beaten by legbreak, very close for third umpire
Daniel Vettori c Warne b Kasprowicz 21 (8 for 264)
Edged slashed drive high to second slip
Kyle Mills c Hayden b Warne 29 (9 for 317)
Defensive prod well held low at first slip
Chris Martin c Ponting b Warne 0 (10 for 353)
Bat-pad high to silly point

Australia first innings

Matthew Hayden lbw b Mills 8 (1 for 16)
Trapped on back foot and hit high on pad
Justin Langer lbw b Vettori 34 (2 for 85)
Plumb in front to ball that jagged back and stayed low
Ricky Ponting c Astle b Martin 51 (3 for 109)
Well caught at square leg off hook
Darren Lehmann c McCullum b Vettori 8 (4 for 128)
Caught behind off attempted drive

The annual general meeting of the Canadian Cricket Association (CCA) has re-elected Ramesh Jagoo as a vice-president, a little over a year after he was booted off the executive committee.Jagoo was one of three VPs elected – Howard Petrook and Cliff Cox were the others – at the CCA’s annual general meeting in Mississauga. “It’s certainly good to be back and be able to serve Canadian cricket,” Jagoo told share.com. “I like the direction in which this board is heading and I believe I could use my knowledge and experience to assist them in moving forward with their vision.”Traddie Simpson was officially appointed as the new treasurer, a role he has been filling informally since Charles Pais’s departure in January. "Nobody wanted the treasurer position, so I chose to accept it because I felt I could make a contribution there,” Simpson told share.com. “It was a lot easier to get a VP than a treasurer.””When we assessed our financial state earlier this year, we realized that we were in dire financial straits,” explained Ben Sennik, the CCA’s president. “Within a matter of days in the position, Traddie was able to incorporate excellent accounting systems, thus providing the basis for the board to receive monthly financial statements and virtually day to day monitoring of the finances.”

The pitch at Westpac Park in Hamilton has come under a cloud and there are doubts over whether it will be ready for the Test between New Zealand and Sri Lanka. The first Test is less than a month away and the weather conditions have made it extremely tough for the pitch to be prepared.Heath Mills, the Players’ Association executive manager, told the that there were several concerns with regard to the pitch. “The feedback I’ve had from players is that they would be very surprised if Westpac Park was ready to host a Test in four weeks time.”However, John Reid, the New Zealand Cricket operations manager, told a spokesman of the board: “The pitch has been checked and cleared in Hamilton and no replacement will be needed.”The man in charge of the surface – Karl Johnson, the groundsman – wasn’t too optimistic about getting the pitch in top shape before the game. He said that the weather in Hamilton this summer has made preparation “extremely difficult”. Johnson had shipped up Waikari clay from Canterbury at the end of last season to replace the inconsistent Naike soil. He said that he had selected a strip for the Test and would begin rolling it once the warm-up game between Northern Districts and Sri Lanka was over.”But it has been bloody difficult,” Johnson said. “We’ve had to prove that the block has come through the winter and have had a warrant of fitness passed on it. Waikari always takes a couple of years to settle. It will get better with age and for this Test match we’re just looking to get a consistent quality to it. It’s not going to be startling and up around the nostrils, but it should be consistent.”The condition of the pitch was a talking point in the recent State Championship match between Northern Districts and Auckland. Mark O’Donnell, the Auckland coach, said, “By day three, there was enough variable bounce to cause problems. Those problems will be magnified in international cricket. Day three is too early for the sort of stuff we saw.”The pitch had also come under scrutiny during last season’s Test match between New Zealand and South Africa when a “crater” appeared on the wicket, and nearly forced Clive Lloyd, the match referee, to call off the match.

A facial cut has ruled Shane Harwood, the Victoria bowler, out of the first interstate Twenty20 match against Western Australia at the WACA tomorrow. Harwood received six stitches near his right eye following a training injury yesterday and has been replaced by Andrew McDonald, who is returning from thumb surgery.Shane Warne will also play in the 20-over match and has been named in the ING Cup squad for the clash on Friday night and the Pura Cup game starting on Sunday. The domestic appearances will be the first of the season for Warne, who replaces Ian Hewett in the ING Cup and Mathew Inness in the Pura Cup.Victoria ING Cup Cameron White (capt), Adam Crosthwaite (wk), Matthew Elliott, Ian Harvey, Brad Hodge, David Hussey, Brad Knowles, Michael Lewis, Jonathan Moss, Graeme Rummans, Shane Warne, Tim Welsford.Victoria Pura Cup Cameron White (capt), Jason Arnberger, Matthew Elliott, Ian Harvey, Brad Hodge, David Hussey, Michael Lewis, Jonathan Moss, Peter Roach (wk), Graeme Rummans, Shane Warne, Allan Wise.Victoria Twenty20 Liam Buchanan, Adam Crosthwaite, Matthew Elliott, Ian Harvey, Andrew McDonald, Ian Hewett, Nick Jewell, Brad Knowles, Jonathan Moss, Graeme Rummans, Shane Warne, Tim Welsford.

South Africa 311 for 7 (Smith 115*, Kemp 80) beat England 304 for 8 (Pietersen 100*) by seven runs
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details

Kevin Pietersen’s sensational 69-ball hundred, England’s fastest in one-day cricket, was not enough to save them from defeat in a thrilling fifth one-day international at East London. England eventually fell seven runs short of the 311 posted by South Africa, who now take an unassailable 3-1 series lead to Durban on Friday.Graeme Smith and Justin Kemp put England’s bowlers all around the park in a thrilling 117-run stand for the fifth wicket. Smith recorded his second century in three matches, and Kemp walloped 80 from just 50 balls, before being yorked by Darren Gough, the only bowler to emerge with any credit. Smith struck a magnificent unbeaten 115 – his second century of the week – as South Africa exploited an easy-paced pitch to reach a dominating 311.Jacques Kallis (49) and the impregnable Kemp battered England’s attack at either end of the innings as South Africa made full use of their 50 overs after a rain-delayed start to leave England needing the highest one-day score at Buffalo Park. And they nearly did it, but were left to rue a slow start which brought only 59 runs after 15 overs. South Africa had no such sluggishness at the start of their innings.On a small ground where the boundary was brought in after the rain, the second-wicket pair of Smith and Kallis wasted no time in rattling up a stand of 90 in as many balls, to propel South Africa to a lightning start. Kallis demolished Kabir Ali’s first over with five exquisite fours and, along with Smith, put his side in firm control, vindicating the decision to bat. Darren Gough had made an early breakthrough, dismissing AB de Villiers through an edge to Geraint Jones for 2 as England set about attempting to keep themselves in the series (10 for 1). But this merely brought Kallis to the crease, and he immediately displayed his array of classy strokes.

Smith brought up the first four of the day with a cracking cover-drive off Matthew Hoggard: but the ball only trickled over the rope on a small but stodgy outfield, littered with islands of sawdust. He added two more off Hoggard, with drives through extra cover and long-on, while Kallis late-cut a four to hurry Hoggard out of the attack after his first four overs went for 28. Michael Vaughan kept faith with pace and brought on Ali, who lasted just one over as Kallis rattled up those five fours, a masterclass in punitive batting.A brave Ali battled back, though, in his second spell after the medium-pace of Paul Collingwood and Marcus Trescothick stemmed the tide. Ali removed Kallis and the in-form Herschelle Gibbs in quick succession: Kallis punched his first ball to the substitute Ian Bell at midwicket for 49, before Gibbs chipped to the towering Pietersen at midwicket (119 for 3). Gibbs, unable to continue his rampant run at No. 4, was gone for 8: but he wasn’t required this time as the others all contributed.Ashwell Prince was dethroned by Hoggard’s throw after a breezy 34 from 45 balls, as South Africa marched on to 181 for 4. But his flighty innings was made to appear pedestrian as Kemp joined the fray and, as in the last match, floored the accelerator. He was in imperious touch – lofting six after seamless six into the stands – and ruined Ali’s figures for the second time in the match, striking 25 from just one over (his other seven overs went for a miserly 21). Smith was also on fire, and played sensibly after an initial assault. His second fifty was devoid of boundaries but full of thought, as he steered his team to a record score at East London.

Gough eventually ended Kemp – and the sizable crowd’s – fun with a yorker, but only after Kemp had bludgeoned seven sixes and four fours on his way to an electrifying 80, to all but end England’s series hopes. Mark Boucher fell next ball – another inswinger – and Gough found himself on a hat-trick (298 for 6). Shaun Pollock drove the danger ball, but he was a faller nevertheless as he failed to get back for a third run and Gough removed the bails from Vikram Solanki’s throw. Gough had 3 for 58, but by this time South Africa had reached 300.England made a slow start in their reply as the opening bowlers – Pollock and Makhaya Ntini – continued to work well in tandem, as they have done all series. Pollock was the first to strike, removing Trescothick, who never looked comfortable. He scratched around for 20 balls for his 4 before sending a simple catch to Kemp at first slip (22 for 1).South Africa’s bowlers continued to tie down England’s batsmen, and Andre Nel picked up the wicket of Geraint Jones for 37 after he made another decent start, while Andrew Strauss’s bright knock of 20 was brought to a close by a sacrificial runout. Michael Vaughan made painstaking progress – bringing up his first four in the 19th over – and posted 70 from 94 balls before he became Nicky Boje’s first victim, caught by Prince at midwicket. At 179 for 4, the odds were still heavily in South Africa’s favour.But that was to reckon without England’s talisman, Pietersen, who changed the complexion of the match with an outstanding unbeaten century. He was joined by Solanki. Pietersen rocketed to fifty from 38 balls, and took a particular liking to the leftarm spin of Boje, despatching him for three sixes. He enjoyed taking apart the pace of Ntini, too, carting him for four after four.Solanki, looking to force the pace, played a useful cameo for 19, but he couldn’t get back for a second and Nel removed the bails. Paul Collingwood (4) lent brief support before he was trapped lbw by Kallis (236 for 6). Ashley Giles hit Nel back over his head for a startling six, and then applied the salt with a four next ball. But Kallis burst his ripening innings of 15 from seven balls with a leg-stump yorker. At 254 for 7, England still needed 58 from 32 balls with three wickets remaining.Ali did his best – striking a six on his way to 20 before being run out attempting a second. But it was the punchy Pietersen who was the driving force of England’s innings. He continued to take them close with an exceptional knock, backing himself and his trusty eye for the ball all the way. But at the death Nel backed , and delivered a strangling 48th over which all but killed off the game. Ntini’s experience told in the penultimate over as the batsmen couldn’t strike a boundary. Pietersen may have larruped Nel’s final ball over long-on for six, but his knock was all in vain – and South Africa emerged deserved victors.

Kepler Wessels, the former South African captain, has said that there is little South Africa can gain from the Zimbabwe series which begins today. Key South African players, including Jacques Kallis, have been rested for the three-game one-day series against Zimbabwe. Kallis was an important part of the team that recently inflicted a heavy one-day series defeat on England.”South African cricket will not benefit at all,” said Wessels to News24, a South Africa-based website. “It will not have any influence. The players must do as well as they can, but one cannot really read anything into the performances in this series.”He said that the tour to the West Indies was more significant, and that the players had to put the results of the Zimbabwe tour behind them. Wessels’s comments echoed Graeme Smith’s belief that the only thing his players could take away from the Zimbabwe series was self-confidence.However, Peter Kirsten, the former South African batsman, considered the series to be an opportunity for Zimbabwe to acquire experience even if South Africa had nothing to gain. “South Africa cannot take a lot from the series. I really do not think it will do their self-confidence a lot of good. My experience of victories over poor opponents is that they give you a false sense of security.”Kirsten suggested that South Africa could instead participate in the SuperSport series, as those matches were more difficult than a series against Zimbabwe.

ScorecardWestern Australia fought back after Shane Deitz and Daniel Harris put on 165 on the first day of the Pura Cup game at the WACA. WA claimed four wickets for just 20 runs to set South Australia wobbling at 5 for 234. But Callum Ferguson (35 not out) and Graham Manou (23) rescued SA, lifting them to 6 for 295 by the close.Deitz made a successful return to SA’s top side but narrowly missed a century as they dominated the opening two sessions against WA. Facing a four-man pace attack after Justin Langer sent the Redbacks in, Deitz and Harris (82) responded with a carefully crafted stand against some wayward bowling. Deitz had replaced Tom Plant for the match and was dismissed ten short of three figures when he bottom-edged a pull from Steve Magoffin.