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Ehsan Mani has warned that the ICC could lose credibility as a result of the “disgraceful” handling of the Malcolm Speed affair. Speed was placed on gardening leave until the end of his contract in July after reportedly falling out with some of the executive board.Mani, who was president of the ICC between 2003 and 2006, said that he was disappointed with the way the matter had been dealt with. “He [Speed] has served the ICC with loyalty and a huge amount of distinction and I would have expected that if there were differences they could have been handled privately,” Mani told the .”The way the board has handled this has been disgraceful. If they do not pull their act together they will lose credibility.” Mani’s comments come in the wake of similar remarks by his predecessor, Malcolm Gray, who said that things had got out of control and that differences “should be handled better”.The current executive will also be uneasy with Mani’s comments about the independent forensic audit into Zimbabwe Cricket. It voted to keep the report secret, a decision which was the catalyst for Speed’s departure as he made it clear he did not agree with the move.”The ICC must always be transparent,” Mani said. “Ideally the report should have been made public. Nothing ever stays private. But I am hopeful that with David Morgan taking over [in July] the ICC will come through this.”

Younis Khan, the Pakistan vice-captain, believes that the possible comeback of three key fast bowlers including Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Asif would make Pakistan the best bowling team in the world, even ahead of world champions Australia.Younis said that his team would gain a huge pace advantage once Shoaib, Asif and Shabbir Ahmed – whose action has been cleared by the ICC – return to international cricket during next month’s tour of South Africa. The trio have been included in a list of 25 probables invited for a conditioning camp starting in Lahore from tomorrow in preparation for the tour of South Africa.”We would have a bowling attack stronger than Australia’s if Shoaib, Asif and Shabbir return to the squad,” Younis told at the National Stadium in Karachi. “We are already equipped with some good bowlers but once these three are back our attack would be awesome. All these three are valuable bowlers for their wicket-taking abilities and you need such players to win Tests against strong opponents.”Shoaib and Asif are available for selection for the tour of South Africa starting from January 4 after being cleared of doping offences by a Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) appeals committee earlier this month.Pakistan rode on a good showing from pacers Umar Gul, Shahid Nazir, Abdul Razzaq and legspinner Danish Kaneria to beat West Indies 2-0 in a home Test series this season.”The one thing that makes me very optimistic about our team’s future is that bowlers like Umar Gul, Shahid Nazir and Mohammad Sami have been performing impressively in recent times and Rana Naved-ul-Hasan is also regaining good form,” he remarked. “I must say that once we have all our pacers ready for national duty we would be better off than even Australia in this department of the game.”Younis, who led Peshawar Panthers into the semifinals of the ongoing Twenty20 Cup believes Pakistan would be in a good position to win the series in South Africa but was quick to add that the players will have to really apply themselves in what would be demanding playing conditions in South Africa. He played down fears that the Pakistan batsmen would flop on bouncy South African wickets.”The South Africans are a top side but we are good enough to beat them. By applying ourselves and showing self belief we can do it. The going would be tough but I am confident we would be ready for the challenge.”

Bangladesh have called up Abdur Razzak, the young left-arm spinner, for the upcoming tours of Zimbabwe and Kenya. Impressive performances for Bangladesh A in Zimbabwe recently were the main reason for his selection, said Faruk Ahmed, Bangladesh’s chairman of selectors.Razzak, 24, has played 14 one-day internationals for the senior side. He has taken 18 wickets at an average of 26.77 with best bowling figures of 3 for 17 against Sri Lanka in 2004.Bangladesh are due to play five one-day internationals in Zimbabwe starting on July 29 followed by three one-day internationals in Kenya starting on August 12. Habibul Bashar, the national captain, remained confident of picking up a first overseas victory. “We have displayed a lot of improvement in recent times, so it is fair to say we are favourites for both series,” he told reporters. “We know it won’t be as easy as when we played at home. But we still believe we have enough fire power to beat them under their conditions.”Added Dav Whatmore, the coach: “We are very confident that we can win the series, but we do need to adjust [to the conditions] as quickly as possible.”Last year, Bangladesh defeated Zimbabwe 3-2 in a one-day series before going on to rout Kenya 4-0 in March to register their two home series victories to date.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Match package
Bulletin – West Indies through without impressing
Verdict – A scrappy win
Gallery

Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsWesley Barresi struck five sixes and seven fours during his 40-ball 75•ICC/Donald MacLeod

Scotland captain Preston Mommsen’s unbeaten 44-ball 68 went in vain after his bowlers and fielders conceded too many runs, to allow Netherlands amass 191 for 6. Netherlands’ 32-run win was set up by Wesley Barresi’s quick start and Peter Borren’s surge at the end which helped them collect 56 runs in the last five overs, after Scotland had dropped Barresi twice early on in the same over.Opting to bat with an unchanged side from the game against Afghanistan, Netherlands lost their first wicket, that of Stephan Myburgh, to Alasdair Evans in the third over before Ben Cooper joined Barresi. In their second-wicket partnership of 82 runs, Cooper’s contribution was only 12 off 14 as Barresi unleashed several orthodox shots, including drives and cuts before he was given two reprieves in three balls in the sixth over. He soon struck a six to make Scotland realise the price of that. He was particularly harsh against Michael Leask and Richie Berrington, collecting 25 runs off eight balls, put together. Evans provided a bit of respite by getting both batsmen out in the 11th over, but that only brought Borren on the pitch.The run rate was over nine when he walked out and he made sure it fell only fleetingly. After relying on singles early on, he let loose with two leg-side heaves in the 15th over, and pelted Watt for 19 runs in the 17th over with slog-sweeps and a reverse-sweep. His fifty off 24 balls acted as the a burn in the wounds after Scotland had hurt themselves to allow Barresi’s fifty off 27 balls. An 18-ball 24 from Roelof van der Merwe lifted them past 190. Evans took two more in his last over to finish with a career-best 5 for 24.Scotland, in response, were in a spot of bother early on after losing their openers in the first nine balls. They struggled to get partnerships going as left-arm spinners van der Merwe and Pieter Seelaar got the next four batsmen out, three of them holing out in the deep, to leave them reeling at 75 for 6. The required rate had shot up to 14 when Safyaan Sharif joined Mommsen with eight overs to go. Mommsen chaperoned the partnership of 80 runs for nearly eight overs, but it was a near-impossible task to accomplish with the tail and despite some meaty blows till the end, Scotland were all out for 159.

Injured fast bowlers Shoaib Akhtar and Umar Gul have been asked to appear before a Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) medical commission soon after their arrival from South Africa later this week.A PCB official said that both Shoaib and Gul would be examined by the board’s doctors who would later decide on a rehabilitation plan for both.”Since the World Cup is less than two months away, we would not be wasting time and plan to put the two bowlers on a rehabilitation programme right away,” said Dr Ahsan Malik, PCB’s director of communications. “They are two of our main bowlers and we would try all measures to assure they are fit in time for the World Cup.”Shoaib withdrew midway through the second Test against South Africa in Port Elizabeth with a hamstring injury after taking four vital wickets in the first innings. He is also said to be carrying a knee injury and his availability for the World Cup in the West Indies is not guaranteed.Gul, Pakistan’s most successful fast bowler in 2006, was ruled out of the series after suffering an ankle injury in the lead up to the first Test at Centurion.

Hooray for helmets
The selection of Farveez Maharoof created a headache for the team before the first Test and the bowler finished the match with one. Brett Lee’s bouncer is mean most of the time, but it is even more dangerous on a murky morning and Maharoof was unable to avoid it. He turned his head as he ducked and the ball thudded into the back of his helmet, ballooning to Adam Gilchrist. It was the second helmet Lee had struck in the game after finding Marvan Atapattu’s in the first innings.Not yet safe hands
Phil Jaques staged a verbal defence of his fielding before returning to the Test team on Thursday and he has spent much of the match at short leg, a position he has been working hard to master. His efforts in close have been fine but he made a mistake at square leg in the second over of the morning. Lunging to intercept Chamara Silva’s flick off Stuart Clark, he was unable to grab the chance that was comfortable by Test standards.Nifty fifty
After Stuart MacGill’s speedy achievement of 200 wickets in 41 Tests comes Stuart Clark’s acceleration to 50. Clark recovered quickly from Jaques’ spill to trap Prasanna Jayawardene lbw in his next over and bring up his half-century in 10 games. Charlie Turner reached the mark in a record six matches while other Australians to beat Clark included Fred Spofforth, Rodney Hogg and Terry Alderman (eight matches) and MacGill, Arthur Mailey and JJ Ferris (nine).The immoveable feast
Tea times have permission to switch due to rain or a team being nine wickets down, but the lunch reservation is always the same. Sri Lanka lost four wickets in the 18.5 overs allowed by the rain and regulations in the first session, with Lee making the penultimate breakthrough two minutes after the food was due. The 40-minute break was taken and the players returned for 15 balls before Muttiah Muralitharan was bowled by Clark.

South African allrounder Albie Morkel has been withdrawn from the South Africa A squad for the tour match against the New Zealanders in Potchefstroom after sustaining a minor injury during the tour of Pakistan.Morkel has been replaced by Cape Cobras allrounder Rory Kleinveldt. The selection committee made another change, drafting in allrounder Blake Snijman for fellow Highveld Lions team-mate Werner Coetsee.”Werner hasn’t played any first-class cricket for four weeks and in the circumstances he has been granted permission to play in the amateur competition for North West this weekend,” said Joubert Strydom, the chief selector.The four-day match begins on November 1 at Sedgars Park.South Africa A (revised): Boeta Dippenaar (capt), Morne van Wyk (wk), Alviro Petersen, Neil McKenzie, Jean-Paul Duminy, Gulam Bodi, Rory Kleinveldt, Thandi Tshabalala, Lonwabo Tsotsobe, Friedel de Wet, Charl Langeveldt. 12th man: Blake Snijman

Division One

Graeme Hick has become the 16th player to reach 40,000 first-class runs, passing the landmark during his 49 against Warwickshire. Hick adds another accolade to his career – and he is the first man to pass the milestone since Graham Gooch 13 years ago. “For someone who has achieved as much as he has in the game, to still have the drive, work ethic and hunger is great,” said his captain Vikram Solanki. “It takes a particular type of character and personality to be able to do it. As a player, he is the ultimate professional. He is still in fine shape. He has always looked after himself, he is still fit, still works hard, probably harder than anyone else now. He is an amazing guy.” Maybe the moment got to him, but Hick fell as soon as he had reached the landmark when he was caught behind off Dale Steyn. Nevertheless, Worcestershire moved to a 56-run lead when they were all out on the stroke of stumps at Edgbaston- thanks largely to Stephen Moore’s 112 – as the game heads towards a draw.Despite the best efforts of Mark Davies – who took 4 for 48 – Durham are now looking at a victory target of more than 250 on the final day after Hampshire recovered from 124 for 6 to make 309 for 9 by stumps. Durham were only able to add 24 to their overnight score at the Rose Bowl thanks to Shane Warne polishing off the tail to finish the innings with6 for 83, leaving Hampshire 56 behind at the turnaround. And this difference was looking crucial with the early collapse, but Dimitri Mascarenhas and Warne added 45 for the 8th wicket before Chris Tremlett gave further reminder of his allround skills by frustrating Durham’s bid for the top with a vital 62 not out from 81 balls, including three sixes to help Hampshire’s resurgence. But Hampshire suffered the minor indignity of having five runs deducted from their total because of their batsmen running on the pitch.Despite an impressive knock of 77 from Joe Denly, Kent were forced tofollow-on at Old Trafford after Lancashire bowled them out for272. Kent failed to put together any meaningful partnerships aside from an opening stand of 83, and Muttiah Muralitharan grabbed four middle-order wickets as they slumped from 160 for 4 to 210 for 8. England outcast Geraint Jones continued his recent return to form with the bat by making 70, adding 34 with Ryan McLaren, the second highest partnership of the innings. Denly and Key survived the two overs before the close and will have to bat out tomorrow to prevent Lancashire from earning their second win of the season.The clash between Yorkshire and Sussex at Headingley is fast turning into Ajmal Shahzal’s match. After scoring valuable runs yesterday he picked up four wickets today to help dismiss Sussex for 141 in what continues to be a very low, and slow-scoring game. With a deficit of two on first innings, Yorkshire were looking comfortable second time round at 112 for 1 before Jason Lewry made Craig White his second victim of the innings and Anthony McGrath was needlessly run-out for 59 to leave Yorkshire 129 for 3 at the close. With seven wickets in hand, they are likely to try to make the game safe rather than allow Sussex the opportunity to leapfrog them to the top of the table.

Division Two

While one old timer was making records with the bat at Worcestershire, another was making the ball sing down at Bristol. Andrew Caddick took his second five-wicket haul of the match to bowl Somerset to a crushing victory against Gloucestershire – defeating them by an innings and 151 runs. Caddick ended with match figures of 12 for 71. It’s the 17th time in first-class matches he’s taken ten wickets in a match. Charl Willoughby took the other five wickets – and he ended with seven. The win came within three days, but could have been shorter had rain not affected the early days. To add insult, Gloucestershire were deducted one point for a slow over rate.In a desperate attempt to force a result and drag themselves away from thebottom two of Division Two, Leicestershire declared their first innings at 131 for 4, still 120 behind Northants in what was looking like a rain-ruined contest at at Northampton. The home side closed on 99 for 4 with Lance Klusener dangerously poised having hit 22 from 18 deliveries in the evening. Earlier, Northants were indebted to David Sales 92, and late-order runs from David Lucas and the Australian Steven Crook, who boosted them to 251. Another David, Masters this time, claimed the seventh five-wicket haul of his career.Essex made Middlesex follow on at Lord’s, rolling them for 177 in their first innings. Martin Saggers, on loan from Kent, was the destroyer-in-chief with an impressive 5 for 39. He struck again as Middlesex resumed 199 runs adrift, removing Nick Compton lbw before Billy Godleman and Owais Shah helped the home side recover with a stand of 125. Godleman was trapped in front by Danish Kaneria, but Shah and Ed Joyce pulled Middlesex up to 198 for 2 by the close. Shah has been the epitome of patience so far forhis unbeaten 80, and will need to keep that up on Monday if Middlesex are to prevent the top three in the table putting distance between them.After more than two days of waiting to get underway, Nottinghamshire wastedno time putting Derbyshire to the sword at Nottingham, bowling them out for 108. Charlie Shreck made the Derbyshire scorecard look rather pitiful as he returned figures of 7 for 35 to add to his burgeoning reputation, and then Mark Wagh compounded the misery with a run-a-ball 88. Former captain Jason Gallian also made a handy 62 and withHussey, Read and Ealham still to come, expect some rapid scoring tomorrow asNotts look to declare and keep pressure on leaders Somerset.

In a departure from hundreds of years of cricket tradition, there will be no mandatory toss in either division of the English County Championship in the 2016 season, after the ECB confirmed they were implementing an experiment to try to encourage the development of spin bowling.Instead of the toss, something that was recorded as taking place as far back as the 1700s, the visiting team will first have the choice of whether they want to field first. If they don’t wish to take up that option the toss will take place as it always has.There has been growing concern that the standard of pitches in county cricket – particularly in Division Two – is compromising the development of players. Specifically, the role of spinners has become marginalised on surfaces that sometimes provide extravagant help to medium-pace seamers while batsmen, fearful that they will receive an unplayable delivery sooner rather than later, have responded by playing more aggressively. As a result, some of the skills required to succeed in Test cricket – patience, discipline and consistency – have been lost.Initial reports about the move had centred on the trial being used only in Division Two of the Championship but, after a meeting of the ECB cricket committee at Lord’s on Thursday, it was decided to implement it across the board in four-day cricket.”By giving the away team the option of bowling first, we hope the home side will be encouraged to produce the best possible four-day pitch,” Peter Wright, the chairman of the cricket committee, said. “That will be good for cricket in general, and not only for spinners: batsmen should also benefit, from better pitches which will lead to them facing more spin bowling; and if pitches start drier, the ball may scuff up a bit more and produce more reverse swing.

Who is the ECB cricket committee?

Peter Wright (Chairman)
Alan Fordham (ECB Head of Cricket Operations)
Tom Harrison (ECB Chief Executive Officer)
Andrew Strauss (Director, England Cricket)
Angus Porter (Chief Executive – Professional Cricketers’ Association)
Rob Key (Kent captain)
David Leatherdale (Chief Executive – Worcestershire)
Mark Robinson (formerly Sussex’s Cricket Manager – recently appointed head coach of England Women)
Steve Garrett (First-Class umpire)
Andy Flower (ECB’s Technical Director of Elite Coaching) also attended at the committee’s invitation.

“It isn’t all about spin. There has been concern for some years about some Championship pitches. But it is fair to say that the plight of spin bowling in this country brought things into focus.”Of course counties want to win matches, and that generally means taking 20 wickets. That has to be a reason we have seen a lot of pitches that start a bit green and damp, and get better as the game goes on, rather than deteriorating to help the spinners. But another main function of the County Championship is to develop players for England. We don’t think it has been serving that purpose for spinners.”We did originally consider introducing this as a trial in one division only but, after further discussion and debate today, we have decided to extend this to both divisions of the County Championship. We believe this is an innovation which will be watched closely well beyond the County Championship. We will then need to assess how successful the trial has been at the end of the 2016 season before deciding whether to continue with this.”Peter Such, the ECB’s lead spin bowling coach, recently told ESPNcricinfo: “In overseas Test cricket somewhere between 46-48% of overs are bowled by spinners, but in county cricket that figure is around 20%.” At a couple of division two counties, that figure drops below 10% at home games.”The pitches tend to start damp, which makes them seam-bowler dominated and makes it very hard for spin bowlers to break through. We need to do more to encourage spin bowling.”