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Shahid Afridi has been named captain of Pakistan’s World Cup squad, a decision that ends weeks of uncertainty over who will lead the side in the global tournament starting later this month.Pakistan were the only side of the 14 participating teams not to have named their captain when the World Cup squads were announced in January, fuelling debate over whether Misbah-ul-Haq, the Test captain, could take over from limited-overs leader Afridi. Misbah was named vice-captain of the World Cup squad.Afridi has been Pakistan’s ODI captain over the last year but, just before the ongoing New Zealand tour, a number of key players and team management officials raised concerns with the board over his captaincy. The development placed the board in a quandary, caught between players and the captain, ultimately compelling them to delay the announcement of a leader.PCB chairman Ijaz Butt travelled earlier this week to New Zealand, where the team has just recorded its first one-day series win in more than two years, to hold discussions with Afridi, senior players and management officials over who should lead the side.”I had detailed discussions with team management and players in New Zealand regarding captain and vice captain,” Butt said, “and am pleased to state that everyone fully endorsed these decisions.”Pakistan play the final match of their six-ODI series against New Zealand on Saturday in Auckland.

Bangladesh have announced their preliminary squad for the World Cup, and there were no major surprises in the 30-man pool. They have included allrounder Alok Kapali, who last played international cricket in 2008 before defecting to the ICL, and 21-year-old fast bowler Dolar Mahmud, who has not played for Bangladesh since October 2009.With 65 caps, Kapali is an experienced player, but was erratic in his six years of international cricket, averaging 19.83 with the bat and 49.75 with his legspinners, before becoming part of the exodus to the ICL. It was that exodus that opened the doors for Mahmud to made his international debut, though he couldn’t cement his place in the limited opportunities he got.Bangladesh are riding high after two series wins on the trot – a 4-0 drubbing of New Zealand in October and a 3-1 victory over Zimbabwe in a series which ended on Sunday. They have no further international matches scheduled before February 19, when the global tournament starts.Sri Lanka were the first team to announce their preliminary squad, doing so on December 13. All 14 teams participating in the tournament have to announce their preliminary line-ups by December 19, and zero in on the final fifteen before January 19 next year.Preliminary Squad: Shakib Al Hasan, Mashrafe Mortaza, Tamim Iqbal, Mohammad Ashraful, Imrul Kayes, Junaid Siddique, Roqibul Hassan, Mushfiqur Rahim, Mahmudullah, Nazmul Hossain, Naeem Islam, Rubel Hossain, Shafiul Islam, Abdur Razzak, Suhrawadi Shuvo, Shahriar Nafees, Nazimuddin, Shamsur Rahman, Jahirul Islam, Sahagir Hossain, Syed Rasel, Shahadat Hossain, Mahbubul Alam, Dolar Mahmud, Mithun Ali, Nasir Hossain, Shuvogoto Chowdhury, Shabbir Rahman, Alok Kapali, Enamul Haque Jr.

Aakash Chopra, who is batting on a career-best 262 in the Ranji Plate semi-final against Maharashtra, called it his most satisfying knock this season. Rajasthan reached a strong 551 for 6 at the end of the second day after being put into bat at Nasik.Chopra, who played 12 years for Delhi before shifting this season, said that he felt more pressure playing as a professional cricketer for Rajasthan, and was happy that he could contribute in the semi-final. “It’s a different ball game as a professional; there is a lot more pressure on you to perform,” Chopra told ESPNCricinfo. “You are the main player. The youngsters look up to you for guidance and you have to stand up and be counted. Luckily, for us, we have Hrishikesh Kanitkar and Rashmi Parida and all of us professionals have done well so far.”This will probably be the first time that Chopra, whose previous highest first-class score was 239*, would go to sleep thinking about a possible 300. However he said he wasn’t sure how long Rajasthan would bat tomorrow. “We have to declare at some point and bowl them out to gain points for the first-innings lead. We are yet to discuss when to declare. I think we will bat for a while but not sure how long. I have a few double hundreds but yes, this could be the first chance for 300.”Chopra was delighted with the timing of his knock. “More than the amount of runs, the fact that I scored in a semi-final is what gives me great pleasure. This is the game that actually decides whether we go on to the finals, and Super League, or remain in Plate.”Though the scoreline might hint at a placid track and raise questions over Maharashtra’s decision to bowl first, Chopra said that Rajasthan also would have opted to field had they won the toss. “There was enough moisture on the track which was very darkish in colour. So there was no surprise that they made us bat.”It was obvious then that the first session would be the most crucial, and much depended on Chopra to provide a good start. “We were just biding time in the first session yesterday. There was enough sideways movement along with bounce because of red soil. I opened up in the second and hit around 75-80 runs. It was my most free-flowing phase in the last two days; I also hit a few sixes, which helped.”Maharashtra’s woes were compounded by their bowling and wicketkeeping errors; they have conceded 74 extras that included 33 byes and 25 no-balls. “It was indeed bizarre,” Chopra said. “Rohit Motwani [Maharashtra’s captain and keeper] is a pretty decent keeper actually. What’s happening is that the ball here is moving late and a lot after it passes the batsmen. And it’s also dipping on the keeper.” The current record lies with Railways who gave away 89 extras against Tamil Nadu in 1998-99.Chopra was confident of gaining the vital lead. “The track is showing signs of deterioration; there is bounce and a little movement. Also, you have to consider the pressure of this large total. We are confident of bowling them out and getting that lead.”

New Zealand coach Mark Greatbatch has praised his team’s fighting spirit and has said the patience shown by the New Zealand players has been one of the key factors in their performance in India so far. New Zealand, ranked the No. 8 Test side in the world, were under pressure coming into the India tour following their 4-0 ODI series in loss in Bangladesh, but they managed to draw the first two Tests, against the No. 1 side to defy expectations.”It has been a good war of attrition. The guys have been working hard for the two Tests – 10 days of cricket,” Greatbatch told the . “And that scenario we need to improve on.”We have fought hard. We were behind in this game [in Hyderabad] but we caught up pretty well. We are fighting every ball, every over, every hour and every session. We are enjoying the challenge that India is throwing at us.”New Zealand were expected to struggle to take 20 wickets, given the inexperience in their fast bowling attack. But led by captain Daniel Vettori – the leading wicket-taker in the series – the New Zealand bowlers have bowled with discipline, backed by sharp fielding to surprise the Indian batsmen. “There are different plans to what you bowl in say, the UK or New Zealand,” Greatbatch said. “The areas to bowl in India are straight. Aiming at the off and middle stump, you bring the lbw and clean-bowled into play. And in case the ball holds the line, there’s a high possibility of an edge. If you can control the scoreboard it is a big plus. That way you can bowl a number of dot balls.”One of the positives to emerge from the second Test for New Zealand was the form of Brendon McCullum, promoted to open the innings. McCullum made a match-saving double-century, his highest Test score. “You’ve got to be patient. If you show patience you get good results. McCullum batted for nine hours and got good results.”In Ahmedabad, New Zealand were hampered by the absence of fast bowler Hamish Bennett, who injured his groin on the first day and bowled only 15 overs. Jesse Ryder, who bowled 17 overs in the first innings in Ahmedabad, picking up one wicket, didn’t bowl in the second innings because of a calf injury. Greatbatch, though, said such problems were unavoidable.”Everyone has to think about their responsibility and not be distracted by such things. You need to think about the things that you can control. It could be about the next ball or next over you are facing. It is all about focussing on the hour and keeping a strong mind.”The third and final Test begins in Nagpur on Saturday. New Zealand are yet to win a Test series in India and, despite their strong performance so far, Greatbatch was cautious in looking ahead. “This has been a see-saw series. We have dominated play at the same time we have fought back after India have dominated. We will relax the mind and body for the next day and half. We need to go to Nagpur and look at what we face there.”

Sunil Gavaskar has defended his association with the IPL’s beleaguered Kochi franchise against charges of conflict of interest and sought to explain the nature of the relationship as informal and preliminary. He has also hinted at senior members of the IPL governing council having existing or potential conflict of interest issues.”I do not have a deal with Kochi,” he told the Indian channel NDTV. “There is no stake, there has been nothing.”Gavaskar, who was not part of the governing council when it was reconstituted in September, has in recent days been linked with the Kochi franchise. He has already denied helping the consortium make its successful bid in the IPL team auction in March and said there was no written agreement over his association with the franchise, nor any question of holding any stake in it.”They only came to me for advice,” he said, adding that it was not extraordinary. “They can’t go to the English Premier League or the Premier Hockey league or the Department of Atomic Energy for advice on the IPL.”He said he told them he couldn’t be associated in any way with them while on the governing council. “If there was any association I would have gone to the governing council and sought their permission. Had the council said no, it would have been a matter of my choosing between the franchise or the governing council. The fact of the matter is so far they don’t even have a franchise, they are still having internal issues.”Gavaskar also spoke of conflict-of-interest issues surrounding the IPL. The most famous one – which is also currently being heard in the Supreme Court – involves N Srinivasan, the BCCI secretary who is also the owner of Chennai franchise. Another involves Chirayu Amin, Modi’s successor as the IPL chairman and who, Modi alleged, had a 10% stake in a failed bid for the Pune franchise. A third involves Ajay Shirke, a member of the newly re-formed IPL council.Asked by the channel to explain the apparent conflicts of interest, Gavaskar said: “I suppose it would have been different had they won [the bids]. Obviously it would then have been out in the public domain.”When it was pointed out that he was not denying the allegations of conflict of interest made by the interviewer, Gavaskar said: “It’s a fact everybody knows and everyone is aware about the fact of these associations.”Gavaskar also said he had not been paid for his work on the IPL governing council over the past three years. “I have not been paid at all by the BCCI, since I took on the offer,” he said, adding that he’d sent “a gentle reminder” about the non-payment. As a consequence of that, he said, he’d learnt that Sharad Pawar, the ICC president and former BCCI chief, would organise a meeting between Gavaskar and the current board head Shashank Manohar (in his presence) to sort out the matter. “That for me is good enough.”However, his claims on this issue were disputed by Srinivasan, who told Indian channel CNN-IBN all dues had been cleared till the last financial quarter (July-September 2010).

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were outMichael Klinger excelled in both leadership and batting to steer South Australia into the semi-finals•AFP

Delightful fast bowling from Shaun Tait, solid back-up medium-pace from Daniel Christian and a near-perfect chase from Daniel Harris and Michael Klinger, who continues to cling onto the golden bat with his third match-winning fifty in three games, took South Australia Redbacks to the semi-finals of the Champions League.For about 25 overs, this had everything a Twenty20 game should have. Tait’s pace like fire, sensational fielding, Ross Taylor’s counter-punching, Tait’s comeback to get Taylor, Dillon du Preez’s stunner in the second half of the innings, some more special fielding, and Christian’s three-wicket last over. Dale Steyn and Praveen Kumar followed it up with a spirited defence, but the South Australia openers played sensibly, taking sharp singles and getting occasional boundaries. Once South Australia had kept the opening seamers wicketless, Royal Challengers Bangalore’s bowling became progressively looser, misfields and dropped catches found their way in and the last 100 runs were a cruise in the heavy Durban breeze.Tait set up the night beautifully. He didn’t quite burn the speed gun, but bowled quick enough and got disconcerting bounce from deliveries fuller than bouncers. Manish Pandey top-edged a quick back-of-a-length ball in his first over, and an inside edge to a surprise full toss saved Rahul Dravid in his second. In between those overs, Callum Ferguson accounted for Robin Uthappa with a diving catch at cover-point even as all eyes had moved to the square boundary.Taylor, though, seemed to be playing a different game, racing along to 46 off 26 out of a team total of 62 by the end of the eighth over. Then Klinger, who had got Dravid through the early use of Aaron O’Brien’s left-arm spin, called back Tait. That was the easy part. It is not easy for the bowler who knows he has to give his captain a wicket in six deliveries. Tait started with a short ball, not quite the bouncer, that beat the keeper. Later in the over, Taylor bent his knees to play a length ball. It seemed the correct action until it kicked up to take the shoulder of the bat. Job done.Klinger was making superb bowling changes; legspinner Cullen Bailey removed Virat Kohli in his first over. du Preez then produced the surprise of the night, giving anything pitched on a length some tonk, hitting four sixes and a four in his 26-ball 46. Harris, running from long-on towards cow corner, almost latched onto one of those. He dived full length to his right and took the catch, then realised his proximity to the rope, and flicked the ball back in. A relay throw found both du Preez and Cameron White at the same end, but the replays showed Harris’ shoulder had just touched the boundary-rope skirting before he released the ball. Strangely, though, the umpires called it a four when it should have been a six.It would hardly matter in the end. Nor would the drop catch in the next over when du Preez drilled one short and wide delivery back at Bailey. For just when du Preez looked like setting a formidable target, Christian produced a bouncer to get him out. The 2.5 overs after that produced just 20.Harris and Klinger, already with a century stand in this tournament to their credit, then backed up their contributions in the field with another match-winning effort. They are both pretty similar in their batting styles: strong on the cut, low on risks, and possessing motor feet. It is difficult to tell them apart. Their running between the wickets, at times with the ball dropped on the pitch, frustrated the bowlers. In the second over, Klinger struggled against both Steyn’s pace and sharp inward movement. If this was a tennis rally, Klinger had been pushed right into a corner. From there he produced the winner, first through an on-drive for four, then back-to-back cut fours in Steyn’s next, with not much width on offer.du Preez, who made up for Jacques Kallis’ absence with the bat, ceded territory with the ball, bowling gentle length deliveries in the sixth over. Harris hit him for three boundaries to bring up South Australia’s 50. From then on the stroke-play grew more attractive, the batsmen matched each other shot for shot, Dravid missed a tough chance at point when Klinger was 31, Pandey dropped a fairly easy one when Harris was 43 and the asking-rate fell below a run a ball in the 13th over.Despite the two quick wickets that followed, it ceased being a contest too soon for a match that had such an intense first half.

ScorecardOn a good day for the wicketkeepers, Scotland’s Dougie Lockhart claimed the first five victims in the Durham innings, only for his side to crumble to a 63-run defeat in the Clydesdale Bank 40 match at Chester-le-Street. Home skipper Phil Mustard pulled off three stumpings off Ian Blackwell and also held a catch as Scotland slumped to 44 for 6 in reply to 157. Majid Haq’s 28took them to 94 all out in the 30th over.Put in to bat, Durham’s innings was twice interrupted by rain and after the match was reduced to 35 overs a side they were all out with one ball unused. Forfarshire’s Matthew Parker moved the ball away from left-handers Mustard, Ben Harmison and Ben Stokes to have all three caught behind to reduce Durham to 38 for 3.Durham batted poorly, but at least they have depth and Gareth Breese and Kyle Coetzer put on 64 after coming together at 81 for 6. Breese provided the impetus, scoring 34 off 33 balls before driving to mid-off with nine balls left, while Coetzer defied two injuries to make 35 against hisfellow Scots.Already hampered by a stress fracture in a foot, he had laboured to 15 off 34 balls when a thigh strain forced him to send for a runner. He played out a maiden in the 28th over as Scotland skipper Gordon Drummond conceded only 14 runs off seven overs with his skiddy medium pace.But Coetzer suddenly began to strike the ball well with three overs left. Two lofted straight fours spoilt Parker’s figures and two more boundaries followed in the final over off Richie Berrington before Coetzer was caught at long-on for 35.Without the retired Gavin Hamilton, the Scots had no-one with the experience to orchestrate a challenge, especially as opener Lockhart retired with a back injury after the fall of two early wickets. Scotland managed only 12 runs in the first eight overs and, already feeling thepressure, the three stumpings followed.There were also three wickets for Chris Rushworth, who opened up with a four-over spell of 2 for 2 into the strong wind, then switched ends and finished with 3 for 6 in seven overs.

ScorecardHolders Sussex Sharks kept their hopes of a third successive 40-over title alive thanks to a brilliant innings from skipper Mike Yardy which handed Somerset their first defeat of this seasons Clydesdale Bank 40 competition. The Group A leaders looked to be in an impregnable position when they made 216 for 7 from 20 overs in a rain-reduced Horsham contest which did not start until 4.45pm.When legspinner Murali Kartik took two wickets in his first over, Sussex were 74 for 3 after seven overs and behind on Duckworth-Lewis calculations, Luke Wright having earlier holed out off seamer Mark Turner. Chris Nash was bowled by Peter Trego in the next over and it looked all over for the hosts – but Yardy had other ideas.In steady drizzle and worsening light he took the attack back to Somerset with eight fours and three sixes in his 66 from just 30 balls. None of the visitors’ attack were spared and Yardy found the ideal foil in Joe Gatting, whose 25 off 18 deliveries contained three boundaries and an upper-cut six off Alfonso Thomas.Together they hammered 91 in just seven overs and when umpires Neil Mallender and Jeremy Lloyds decided conditions were too bad at the end of the 15th over Sussex had won by 17 runs under Duckworth-Lewis. Somerset still lead the group but Sussex might sneak into the semi-finals as the best-runner-up providing they can win their last two games.Such a scenario looked unlikely earlier after Somerset had raced to 145 for 1 from 12 overs after Yardy had put them in. Openers Marcus Trescothick and Craig Kieswetter put on 102 for the first wicket with Kieswetter making the most of a reprieve on one when he was dropped by Murray Goodwin at mid-off.Kieswetter made 45 from 26 balls with four sixes and three fours and the attacking tempo was maintained by Trego who was out the ball after reaching 50 from 22 deliveries with six fours and three sixes. Trescothick set himself to bat through the innings but when he was third out inthe 15th over for 67, made off 36 balls with nine fours and three sixes, Somerset lost their way and a further four wickets fell in the remaining overs.Luke Wright picked up three wickets for 41 runs and Monty Panesar two for 33 but Sussex also dropped two more catches. Ed Joyce got the reply off to a good start with an expansive 35 off 18 balls including six fours and although Kartik looked to have made the decisive intervention for Somerset, England man Yardy and Gatting had other ideas.

Chris Gayle has said he is not distracted by speculation about his West Indies captaincy, which was sparked by selectors overlooking him for the Jamaica captaincy for the Caribbean T20.”I am not even focusing on that right now, to be honest,” Gayle told the on his return to Jamaica after the tournament. “I am just here to enjoy myself and to enjoy the break as well, so I am not really paying any attention to that right now. I got a couple days [rest] so hopefully I can rebound again.”[There are a] couple of tours coming up and I am looking forward to them. [There’s] the 50-over format of the regional tournament and then we have the Sri Lankan tour. I am just going to enjoy the break right now.”Jamaica selectors named Tamar Lambert as captain for the Twenty20 tournament, and the move led to speculation over Gayle’s tenure as West Indies captain, with WICB director Azim Bassarath criticising Gayle’s leadership.”I have said it before that after observing Chris Gayle for the T20 World Cup, I am of the view that he is not a good captain,” Bassarath said recently. “He is a confused man when it comes to leading the team, and the Jamaica Cricket Association seems to have supported my view that he is not the best choice. I personally think that he is a poor captain.”Gayle has led West Indies in 20 of his 88 Tests since taking over nearly three years ago, but has won only three of those matches. He has 17 wins in 53 one-day internationals as captain.