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The Mumbai High Court will hear the case regarding ESPN-Star Sports and BCCI on Thursday, September 9. ESPN-Star Sports had earlier challenged the Indian board’s decision to award the four-year telecast rights, of matches to be played in India, to Zee Network. The matter was due to come up for hearing today, but was postponed, reportedly because the BCCI received the summons late. Also ESPN-Star Sports has sought more details and clarifications from the BCCI and Zee Networks.ESPN-Star Sports asserted that it was the highest eligible bidderciting the qualifying cretia in the BCCI’s tender. On July 7 the BCCIinvited bids for television rights to the next four years’ cricketplayed in India. That tender document stated: “The bidding will berestricted to broadcasters only.”Only those entities that have existing in-house production, telecasting units and channel network and have successfully telecast live and delayed International Cricket events of International standard for a period of at least two years (not as a Licensee) will be entitled to the Invitation to Tender and right to submit offers. Bid documents will be given to such entitiesonly.”ESPN-Star Sports contends that Zee Network does not fulfill thesecriteria.

Hampshire 2nd XI choose from twelve to take on Sussex 2nd XI in the ECB Trophy semi-final match at The Rose Bowl on Monday 11 August, starting at 11am.Hampshire reached the semi-final of the 50-over contest by winning all eight of their group matches, and will go into this clash as favourites.From the twelve, the only injury worry is Jimmy Adams, who sustained concussion and a bruised eye in the Frizzell County Championship match against Northamptonshire at The Rose Bowl. He is to see a specialist today (Friday) to gain clearance, but coach Tony Middleton is confident that he will be ready.The home side have reached the final in three of the last four seasons, without success and will be looking to redress this, starting with the semi-final.Admission is free to this game.Live scores of this match will be shown on the Hampshirew Web Site throughout the day.Hampshire squad: James Hamblin, Jimmy Adams, Will Kendall (capt), Lawrence Prittipaul, Greg Lamb, Chris Benham, Kevin Latouf, Iain Brunnschweiler (w-k), Charlie van der Gucht, James Hibberd, James Bruce, James Tomlinson.

Pakistan take on Sri Lanka Saturday in an encounter whichprovides Waqar Younis and his boys a chance to exact somerevenge of last April’s humiliating defeat in the final.Having beaten Sri Lanka by comfortable margins in the leaguematches, Pakistan surrendered tamely in the final, now afamiliar occurring.On paper, Pakistan are more talented than Sri Lankans butsomehow the present team seems to choke in the quest fortrophy.Playing an international match after five months due to thecancellation of New Zealand visit, Pakistan should have noexcuses if they failed to deliver the goods as the playersare fresh having appeared in a domestic knockoutcompetition.Since their arrival here, Pakistan players had couple ofpractice sessions and if the team management is to bebelieved then everyone is fit and raring to go. But withplayers and team management kept under wrap and not allowedaccess to media, Saturday’s match would reveal the state offitness of the players.However, news leaked to the press indicate that all is notwell with at least two players Azhar Mahmood and ShoaibAkhtar, eternally fit for tours but unfit after sending downfew overs, was battling injuries.It is almost certain that Azhar will sit out today’s clashbut Shoaib is likely to make the team.With Inzamam-ul-Haq to watch the match from the cosyatmosphere of the dressing room, middle-order batsman NavedLatif is expected to win his first international cap at theexpense of Taufiq Omar.Sri Lanka on the other hand are expected to make one change.They may bring in Kumar Sangakkara in place of RomeshKaluwitharana who failed with the bat but had a good sessionbehind the stumps.With weather expected to be cooler and less humidity, a highscoring game is on cards as the wicket is hard, firm andideal for stroke-making.Probable teamsPakistan (from): Waqar Younis, Saeed Anwar, YousufYouhana, Shahid Afridi, Taufiq Omar, Naved Latif, WasimAkram, Abdur Razzaq, Shoaib Akhtar, Danish Kaneria, ShoaibMalik, Younis Khan, Rashid Latif, Azhar Mahmood.Sri Lanka (from): S.Jayasuriya, M.Atapattu, A.Gunawardena, M. Jayawardena, R.Arnold, R. Kaluwitharana orK.Sangakkara, K. Dharmasena, C.Vaas, D.Fernando,M.Muralitharan, C.Buddika.

ScorecardMichael Carberry saw Hampshire home and kept their Division One hopes alive•Getty Images

Hampshire have preserved their Division One status on the final day of the season after defeating Nottinghamshire by eight wickets at Trent Bridge. They secured the victory needed to keep their hopes alive after chasing down a victory target of 200, and their perseverance was rewarded shortly after 3pm, when news filtered through from Headingley that Sussex had succumbed to the county champions, Yorkshire, by 100 runs.”I’m so happy right now. I don’t know what it feels like lifting a cup, but this probably feels just as good, if not better,” said Fidel Edwards, Hampshire’s former West Indies fast bowler whose match haul of 10 for 145 was instrumental in the victory.”To come here and win was a great effort where we showed our class,” Edwards told BBC Radio Solent. “It’s a great feeling to be staying Division One. It’s been a good team effort and we’re really happy right now. Come next year, it’s going to be hard to beat us.””We’ve played some really good cricket in the last few weeks,” said James Vince, Hampshire’s captain. “I think we’ve got the balance of our side right, and that will stand us in good stead for next season. Fidel Edwards has been outstanding. On a flat pitch like this one having someone like him who can get wickets makes a big difference.”Openers Jimmy Adams and Michael Carberry had laid the foundation for the win by putting on 89 together on the third evening and after a watchful half hour they took their stand into three figures. Adams moved to his 50 from 81 deliveries and Carberry followed shortly afterwards, running Stuart Broad for back-to-back boundaries to the vacant third man area to reach the milestone.The opening stand reached 129, at which point Jake Ball struck with two wickets in as many deliveries. Adams chopped on to his stumps after making 70 and then Lions captain James Vince was cleaned up first ball by his fellow squad member.Carberry’s half-century had arrived in 110 deliveries and he made sure there was no way back into the contest for the hosts as he unleashed a flurry of shots, before scampering a single to mid-on to clinch the contest.Carberry closed on 84 not out and Will Smith was unbeaten on 34 at the end. Nottinghamshire’s defeat, their first loss in eight matches, confirmed their third place finish in the table.

At a time when Australia’s ODI fast-bowling depth is being tested, they seem to have no shortage of quality batsmen to call on. Centuries to George Bailey and Steven Smith won Australia the first ODI against India in Perth on Tuesday, and for the second game they will likely bring in a bloke with a List A batting average of 72.86 in the past three years. And one of the most in-form batsmen in the country probably still won’t get a game.The former is Shaun Marsh, the back-up batsman in the squad and the likely beneficiary of David Warner’s absence for paternity leave over the next two games. The latter is Usman Khawaja, who is joining the squad for the Brisbane and Melbourne ODIs, and is enjoying a remarkable run of form whatever the colour of the ball: not since October has Khawaja been dismissed below 50 in any format.Yet it is hard to argue with the probable batting line-up Australia will use in Brisbane, where Marsh is expected to open with Aaron Finch. After all, Marsh was second only to Smith on the Matador Cup run tally in October, with 390 at 65.00, and the last time he played for Australia he plundered 182 in the Hobart Test against West Indies. Khawaja’s return from injury bumped Marsh from the Test side; now Marsh looks set to keep Khawaja out of the ODIs.It is nearly three years since Khawaja last played ODI cricket for Australia, and even then he played only three games without reaching double figures. However, since his most recent ODI appearance Khawaja has thrived in one-day cricket, averaging 56.88 in List A matches, although he played only three Matador Cup games this summer due to a hamstring injury. Khawaja hopes his selection is the first step towards becoming an ODI regular.”The hunger is to play as many forms of the game as possible,” he said on Wednesday. “I’ve made it clear that I’ve always wanted to play one-dayers. But sometimes it’s about timing. If I’m going to get my opportunity, I don’t know, but when I do get it hopefully I can take it and be more than just a Test cricketer. At this moment I’m really happy with how I’m hitting the white ball.”Already 2015-16 has been a breakout summer for Khawaja in the Test team – he scored centuries in all three Tests in which he batted, in Brisbane, Perth, and Melbourne. His last two BBL innings, an unbeaten 109 before Christmas and 62 on Monday, suggest his white-ball form is indeed strong.”I’m really happy with how the Test stuff went,” Khawaja said. “There’s a lot of one-day cricket coming up in the next year. I’d love to be a part of it. Hopefully I can contribute moving forward.”However, Khawaja knows he will likely be warming the bench for the second ODI in Brisbane on Friday. “I haven’t been told anything,” he said. “I’m just using common sense – SOS [Marsh] is already there so I’d assume he’d slot into Davey’s spot and I’ll be the spare batsman. That’s what I’m expecting.”Australia will be aiming to secure a 2-0 lead in the five-match series in Brisbane, after their win in the high-scoring opener in Perth on Tuesday. India managed 3 for 309 against a new-look Australia attack featuring debutant fast bowlers Scott Boland and Joel Paris, whose combined figures read 0 for 127 from 18 overs, but Australia’s batsmen chased down the target with four balls to spare.

Chris Martin, the New Zealand seamer, has expressed surprise at being selected for the Twenty20 World Championship but hoped he would excel in the tournament. “I’d scheduled this time of the year to do a few university studies,” Martin told the .Martin, who will share the new ball with Shane Bond, was picked as John Bracewell, New Zealand’s coach, wanted specialists to play in the tournament. “The likelihood of me having to bat is quite minimal and you need to have specialists at either end, I think,” Martin said.Martin said the Twenty20 format would be harsh on the bowlers. “I’m leaving the country without my ego, I think,” he said. “If I can go at under ten an over then I’ll be happy, so it’s not usual for any type of cricket I’ve played in the past.”Martin said he had only played about half a dozen games of Twenty20, but had enjoyed them. “It’s got a nice speed to it, which you sort of get used to – performing under quite intense pressure,” he said. “And the crowds come along to watch as well which is quite a bonus.”People are still learning how to play it and there are some countries around the world that have played it a lot more than New Zealand. So for us to arrive with the right game plan and the right philosophy will be quite important to us doing well. It’s also one that I’ll hopefully look back on as being a highlight.”Meanwhile, Brendon McCullum, the wicketkeeper, hopes to bat up the order and take charge of the innings with some big-hitting. McCullum started his international career as an opener before dropping down the order.”I have a little bit of responsibility to try to score a big innings somewhere along the line,” he said. McCullum was looking forward to play with his brother Nathan McCullum, who was picked for the tournament for his all-round skills. “It’ll be good,” Brendon said. “I caught up with him last week and I know he’s pretty excited.”The offspinner Jeetan Patel, who is suffering from flu, has been working on pitching the ball in the blockhole at the indoor nets. “Being able to hit the hole is a big part of Twenty20 so I’ve been working on that, but it seems a little bit fake doing it indoors so I can’t wait to get away and start doing some real work,” Patel said.

Only two results were possible at the start of the final day’s play: a draw or a South Africa win. Well, that’s what we thought at any rate. Michael Vaughan, on the other hand, thought very differently, and said as much afterwards, once England had wrapped up an astonishing 77-run victory with eight overs of the match to spare.”That was the opinion of a number of so-called experts,” Vaughan retorted. “The opinion of our team was that, if we came and batted well for first hour and half, the game was there for us to win. We’ve had some great wins in the last year, but this is very, very special indeed. To bowl the South African team out in two sessions, when they usually have nine batters, was truly amazing.”Though the hero of the final day was Matthew Hoggard, who grabbed all six of the first wickets to fall en route to career-best figures of 7 for 61, it was Marcus Trescothick who established the tone for the day, with a buccaneering 180 in the morning session. “Trescothick’s innings was very special,” said Vaughan. “It was so free scoring that it allowed us to declare in a fashion where we could set attacking fields and put them under pressure.”England’s prospects of victory had been dented by the calf injury that Steve Harmison endured in the first innings, and there had been some doubt as to whether he could take any further part in the match. In the end, he produced a lengthy but luckless stint, although Vaughan admitted that his fitness worries had affected the timing of England’s declaration.”We wanted quite a few runs [this morning],” said Vaughan, “because we didn’t know what we’d get from our bowlers. Hoggy’s tired, Freddie’s tired, and Jimmy’s young, but all I asked at the start was that they gave it their all for 60 overs or more, and see where we are at the end of it. It was a very tough game mentally, with its ups and downs and lengthy interruptions, so to come back and win showed great mental resolve.It’s been a hard trip,” Vaughan conceded. “I’m tired, so I dread to think how the bowlers are feeling. But they’ve kept running in and giving it their all, and once we had our lead, that allowed us to set attacking fields with six slips, and we knew that if we put the ball in the right areas, we’d get our opportunities. Hoggy did that superbly, and though didn’t take all our opportunities, we took enough to win the game.”Hoggard set England up for victory by grabbing two wickets in two balls at the top of the innings, including the vital scalp of Jacques Kallis for a first-ball duck. “To get their best player first ball is what you need in these situations,” said Vaughan. “It was a tremendous effort for Hoggy to keep running in as he has done for the whole tour. He’d be the first to admit that he didn’t bowl as well as he had in the first innings, but he still picked up a five-fer.”It was a return to familiar territory for Hoggard, who played two years of club cricket in Johannesburg in the mid-1990s, before moving on to Free State for two seasons. “I’ve had four years of international cricket since I last played here,” he said, when asked how his game had changed in the intervening years. “I’ve been bowling on different wickets all around the world, and coming into a balanced squad helps me as well. It’s taken me a while to realise my role, but now I’ve found a niche, I hope to continue.”I didn’t really think I was due a big one,” he said, despite having been England’s most reliable bowler all tour. “Obviously the wicket did a little and the cracks are opening up, but I just put ball in the right areas and thankfully I came out on top. I’m pretty tired now, but I’d have been more tired if we’d lost or drawn. The victory has given me a boost.”I’ll take some special memories from today,” he added. “This is definitely up there with the best of them. Michael’s got me a stump as a souvenir, so I’ll be sure to get it signed and put it up on the wall.”

Sourav Ganguly, the Indian captain, has said that Sachin Tendulkar’s decision to withdraw from the Test series against Zimbabwe was a wise one.”I think he’s [Tendulkar] made the right decision if he’s not fully fit,” Ganguly was quoted as saying by Reuters. “I don’t think he should risk it. It’s his injury and he knows best. We’ll miss him, obviously, but we want him fit for the bigger games.”Ganguly said that he hoped Tendulkar would be completely fit in time for tougher series that India were scheduled to play in the coming months. “We have a lot of cricket coming up against Sri Lanka, Pakistan, West Indies and England. That’s going to be tough, so I think it’s good that he’s taking a break now and he can come back completely healed.”Greg Chappell, the India coach, also said that he was disappointed at Tendulkar’s withdrawal but added that it was important for him to recover completely before making a return to the side,”I am disappointed that Tendulkar wouldn’t be seen on this tour, but it is important that he recovers completely and is fit for India’s future engagements,” Chappell was quoted as saying by PTI.He was confident of India performing well in the remaining games of the tri-series. “We are looking for three good games. I am not panicking as it is an experienced line-up; at least most of them are for sure. They all have had good starts at one time or other and, hopefully, we can go back to India with the batting order ticking along nicely.”

Buoyed by the hugely successful tour by the Indian team to Pakistan earlier this year, the boards of both countries are planning further initiatives to ride on that momentum. According to a report in The Indian Express, the Pakistan board has proposed a match between the domestic champions of both countries, as well as one between the two top school teams.The report adds that the Indian board has agreed to the idea "in principle". Speaking to the daily, Shaharyar Khan, the PCB chairman, said: “I spoke to Mr Dalmiya about two-three months ago and also wrote to him regarding this idea. Now only the dates and venue has to be worked out.”If the plan is implemented, Mumbai, the Ranji Trophy champions, will clash against Faisalabad, the holders of the Quaid-E-Azam trophy, in the inaugural edition, which could be held within the next six weeks. Shaharyar indicated that Pakistan was willing to host the game: “Faisalabad, our champions, also have a Test centre, so we will be more than glad to host this match. We are looking for a sponsor but even if don’t get one we will go ahead with idea.”The report also quotes Ratnakar Shetty, the joint secretary of the BCCI and the Mumbai Cricket Association, as saying that he was looking forward to the contest. “I really hope, for the sake of Mumbai cricket, that this proposal comes through. I will be really happy if it does fructify. It will be an honour to undertake the trip and be the first team.”

England v South Africa, Old Trafford, Thursday, 1330GMT

After the disappointment of the rain at Headingley, it is ironic that the NatWest Series caravan now moves on to Old Trafford for a day/night match between England and South Africa. Manchester is not known for its droughts, and it must be hoped that the weather allows what promises to be a fascinating contest to run its full course.The no-result recorded at Headingley proved frustrating to both England and Zimbabwe, as both of them would have fancied their chances of a win. Zimbabwe had the confidence of beating England first time out, while England were buoyed by their own victory against South Africa.Now England must aim for back-to-back wins against South Africa, who themselves will be smarting from their defeat at The Oval. However, it is difficult to draw a form-line from the initial round of matches. What has become evident is that England’s middle order has shown a certain fragility, while South Africa’s bowling resources are somewhat thin.Both teams will be striving to amend those shortcomings, while building on the progress to which both can point. For South Africa, Jacques Kallis is in fine form, with the bat at least, while Andrew Hall has emerged as an allrounder of true international class. However, there is also a doubt about their youthful captain, Graeme Smith, who injured his left shoulder in the field at Canterbury on Sunday.England can point to Marcus Trescothick’s batting form, now in partnership with Vikram Solanki whose hundred at The Oval will not be forgotten quickly by anyone who saw it, and the continuing development of Jimmy Anderson.Add to that the progress of Chris Read, the return of Darren Gough and the growing authority of Michael Vaughan, and it is clear that the England selectors are making significant strides towards building a competitive one-day outfit.Whether it will be good enough to achieve that second successive win over South Africa remains to be seen. What is certain that England will be hoping to win the toss and bat, to be spared the problems usually associated with batting under lights, to say nothing of having the advantage of bowling in the twilight zone.England (probable) 1 Marcus Trescothick, 2 Vikram Solanki, 3 Michael Vaughan (capt), 4 Andrew Flintoff, 5 Anthony McGrath, 6 Jim Troughton, 7 Chris Read (wk), 8 Kabir Ali, 9 Richard Johnson, 10 Darren Gough, 11 James Anderson.South Africa (probable) 1 Graeme Smith (capt), 2 Herschelle Gibbs, 3 Jacques Kallis, 4 Jacques Rudolph, 5 Andrew Hall, 6 Mark Boucher (wk), 7 Martin van Jaarsveld, 8 Shaun Pollock, 9 Nicky Boje, 10 Alan Dawson, 11 Makhaya Ntini.