Mark Boucher will have to wait a while longer to discover his fate after Cricket South Africa (CSA) adjourned his disciplinary hearing to a date that is yet to be confirmed.Boucher appeared before CSA’s Disciplinary Commissioner, Michael Kuper SC, at a hearing on Friday after allegations by the board that he had breached the players’ code of conduct on five occasions in the course of comments attributed to him in an article published in earlier in the week.In the article, Boucher supported Jacques Kallis, who resigned as vice-captain of South Africa after he was excluded from the squad for the Twenty20 World Championship to be staged in South Africa in September.Boucher was quoted by the newspaper as suggesting there were ulterior motives for his omission: “It is either those who have an issue with him, and have a chip on their shoulders, or those who have ulterior motives.” He did not elaborate.

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.

Ireland women have named the squad they hope will earn them a place at the 2009 World Cup. Heather Whelan, who has been captain since 2005, will continue to lead them in the qualifiers in Lahore next month.Their latest World Cup campaign, in 2005, was disappointing: they came bottom, having failed to win a match. Most of the squad have experience from that campaign, though, and with a busy summer under their belts – including a full domestic programme, participation in a men’s league, summer tour to Sussex and the European Championships in Holland – and intensive training, they are confident of making the World Cup.Pakistan represent the biggest challenge of the group. Though Ireland women have never lost to them, Pakistan will be out to settle some scores from when their men fell to Ireland men in the World Cup earlier this year.But some of Ireland’s players from that match, and indeed the World Cup, are on hand to lend their experience. Trent Johnston, Adi Birrell and Matt Dwyer are helping out the women with one-to-one coaching, alongside their bowling coach Thinus Fourie, who is also an Ireland international.The women’s coach Miriam Grealey said of the preparations to come: “We will be working on playing spin, footwork, and batting with more aggression and confidence, but also on areas for individual development. We are working hard on our consistency which is the key to winning.”Our fielding has really improved over the last couple of years, we have watched and learned from the likes of Australia and New Zealand and, in this area, I feel we are on a par with any of the top nations.”We recognise that the conditions will be tougher in Pakistan, so physical fitness, conditioning and circuit training are all part of our overall preparation.”Squad Anne Linehan, Caitriona Beggs, Cecelia Joyce, Ciara Metcalfe, Clare Shillington, Eimear Richardson, Elaine Nolan, Heather Whelan (capt), Isobel Joyce, Jean Carroll, Jill Whelan, Jillian Smythe, Marianne Herbert, Nicki Coffey.

Lance Klusener, the former South African allrounder, has been left out of the Dolphins squad set to play the Eagles in the season-opener at Kingsmead from Thursday.Cassim Docrat, CEO of the KZN Cricket Union, said there was a “hitch” regarding Klusener’s eligibility to play, the Natal-based reported. This comes in the wake of Cricket South Africa’s decision to ban players involved with the Indian Cricket League (ICL). Cricket South Africa’s chief executive officer Gerald Majola had said anyone who joined the ICL would not be allowed to play in matches organised by the board.Klusener, who signed for the ICL, an unofficial league that intends to stage Twenty20 games across India, had lashed out at the board’s stand. Tony Irish, the CEO of the SA Cricketers’ Association, has taken up the matter with the board on Klusener’s behalf.Another star Dolphins cricketer, Dale Benkenstein, will also miss the four-day match. Docrat said Benkenstein is still in England but will be available for the second round of the competition.Meanwhile, the Inland selectors have named the squad from which the XI will be chosen for the opening SA Airways Challenge round against Boland at the Maritzburg Oval from Thursday. The Durban-based KZN Coastal side was also selected for their match in East London.TeamsKZN Dolphins Imraan Khan, Doug Watson, Wayne Madsen, Ahmed Amla (capt), Jon Kent, Daryn Smit, Johann Louw, Morné van Vuuren, Yusuf Abdullah, Quinton Friend, Saidi Mhlongo, Mafinki Serame. Coach: Yashin Ebrahim.KZN Inland André van Vuuren (capt), Ross McMillan, Clint Bowyer, Brad Moses, Lyndon Brown, Kivershan Padayachee, Michael Matika, Sashen Dorasamy, Garry Hampson, Murray Hampson, Lennox Lwana, Qasim Khurshid, Olly Humphries, Mbasa Gqadushe, Glen Addicott. Coach: Robbie Coutts.KZN Coastal Rivash Gobind (capt), Kyle Smit, Fabian Lazarus, Martin Bekker, Calvin Flowers, Cedric Mabuya, Chad Hauptfleisch, Viyaash Gobind, Andrew Tweedie, Dan Horsfall, Tyron Pillay, Keegan Africa. Coach: Sakele Simon.

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

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.

Scorecard

Michael Dighton completed a brilliant week with his second one-day century as Tasmania overcame Western Australia by three wickets in Hobart. Having slammed an unbeaten 146 against New South Wales on Sunday, Dighton backed up with a smooth 106 as he steered the successful chase of Western Australia’s 6 for 227 and extended the Tigers’ FR Cup lead to 10 points.Dighton drove the ball strongly down the ground and was powerful off the back foot during his 119-ball innings that included 13 fours, including a pull off Brad Hogg to bring up three figures. The Tigers needed his mature display as they threatened to slip up on a two-paced pitch.Travis Birt (18) and Ricky Ponting (10) went early in the chase and there were further stumbles when Dan Marsh, George Bailey – he fell to a stunning outfield catch by Ben Edmondson – and Tim Paine departed. Dighton look relaxed throughout and he almost sealed the win, exiting 18 runs short when he was caught trying to loft over mid-off. He became the third of Danny McLauchlan’s four wickets and left Luke Butterworth to secure the result with 32 not out.The pitch looked made for runs, but both teams had to fight on the surface after Western Australia won the toss and batted. They were rescued by their captain Adam Voges and Darren Wates after slumping to 6 for 129 when Hogg miscued a full-toss on 33.Western Australia had Adam Gilchrist and Michael Hussey in their ranks, but both international players went quickly and when Sean Ervine was bowled trying to sweep Xavier Doherty they had lost half their batsmen for 75. Brendan Drew bowled both Hussey and Shaun Marsh while Ben Hilfenhaus and Brett Geeves also made early marks.Voges remained calm and shelved his aggressive shots as he plotted a way out of the damage. It took him 118 balls to reach an unbeaten 88, which included two sixes as he accelerated, while Wates picked up 44 not out. The 98-run stand pushed the visitors to a useful total, but it was not enough.

Mitchell Johnson ended a Test he was not sure he would play in with anenhanced reputation and the hope India’s batsmen would see him as a threatfor the rest of the series. A mid-match chat with Troy Cooley, Australia’sbowling coach, helped Johnson achieve more swing in the second innings andhis burst of three wickets finished the game late on the fourth day.However, Johnson had to survive a close battle to appear on Boxing Day afterthe push for Shaun Tait grew when he replaced the left-armer for theChappell-Hadlee Series. Johnson’s variety and tight control, which was afeature of the home fast bowlers in Melbourne, were crucial elements asIndia were dismissed for 196 and 161.”There was a bit of concern there [about my spot],” he said after the teamhad completed a recovery session at a Melbourne beach. “It took me bysurprise, being dropped from the one-day squad.”While Australia’s spin options are limited, there is strength in thefast-bowling stocks and the back-up is led by Tait, who remained in the 12-man squad for the second Test. There will be no way infor Tait in Sydney after the 337-run win in Melbourne, but Johnson is stillnot feeling secure about his place. After 11 wickets in three Tests he hasmade a promising start and is safe for a couple of games at least. Johnsondelivered an immaculate line outside off stump at the MCG, which was theplan to frustrate the Indians into rash shots, and he gave away less thantwo runs an over.In the first innings he opened with five maidens to Rahul Dravid and afternot picking up any wickets or much swing he talked to Cooley. The upshot wasa straighter wrist position on day four and some dramatic movement. MS Dhoniand Anil Kumble were caught behind in the same over, setting up a speedyfinish, and Johnson was proud to seal the win by bowling RP Singh.”Getting three wickets was a bit of a relief,” he said. “In the firstinnings I didn’t have any luck, so it was good to get those wickets at theend and to get it reversing was a good sign.”Fourteen victims in the one-day series in India helped demystify the opposition and he was notintimidated bowling to Tendulkar, Laxman, Dravid and Ganguly. “Hopefully theIndians are thinking about me,” he said. “I just tried to back myself andnot think about who was at the other end. Once you start to think about whoyou are bowling to and how good they are you might struggle a bit.”Australia squad Matthew Hayden, Phil Jaques, Ricky Ponting (capt), Michael Hussey, Michael Clarke, Andrew Symonds, Adam Gilchrist (wk), Brett Lee, Brad Hogg, Mitchell Johnson, Stuart Clark, Shaun Tait.

Clare Connor has been taken on a new role alongside being the ECB’s chief executive – she has been appointed as the European representative to the ICC Women’s Committee. It’s the same role that her predecessor Gill McConway held.The committee, formed in 2005, has three main objectives: to govern and manage women’s cricket in conjunction with the ICC; provide leadership to the Regional Development Managers to assist them in developing women’s cricket in their region; and to make recommendations to the ICC Development Committee for future women’s cricket initiatives.Connor will join representatives from four other regions on the committee, which meets twice a year, including Carol Whilby-Maxwell (Americas), Catherine Campbell (East-Asia-Pacific), Kerri Laing (Africa) and Shubhangi Kulkarni (Asia). The Netherlands’ Betty Timmer is the committee’s chairwoman.Connor captained England for six years from 2000 until retiring. She was awarded the MBE in 2004 and the OBE in 2006. She said she was honoured by the appointment. “With so much international cricket on the horizon, and participation levels at an all-time high, it is an exciting time to be in a position to make an impact on the women’s game through association with ICC.”In particular, the women’s World Cup and the Twenty 20 World Championships, both in 2009, will be impressive showcase events to show how dynamic the women’s game has become in recent years.”

UAE might be languishing at second from bottom in the 2007-08 Intercontinental Cup, but they remain confident of reversing their fortunes ahead of their match against Namibia on Wednesday.In three matches, they have only won one match – an excellent 138-run win over Bermuda last November. And it was this win which inspired UAE, and their captain, Saqib Ali, to believe in themselves. UAE were dismissed for a lowly 143, conceding a first-innings deficit of 168, but fought back brilliantly on days three and four to win by 138 runs.”It was an unbelievable win for us,” Saqib said. “That victory really gave us the belief that we can do well in this competition. I think we have what it takes. We have plenty of experience with people like Khurram Khan and Arshad Ali and there is a good feeling in the squad.”In spite of their bullishness, UAE’s preparations for Wednesday’s match have been far from ideal, with heavy rains sweeping the region. “Also it is a new pitch at Sharjah Stadium,” Saqib said, “so we don’t really know how it is going to play.”Saqib took over the reins from Arshadfor the Bermuda match, and the new-found freedom paid immediate dividends for Arshad whose mammoth 185 set-up UAE’s matchwinning 449.”I decided that I wanted to play as just an ordinary player, not captain,” Arshad said. “It is easier for me that way and since I gave up the captaincy I have been doing very well, scoring runs and taking wickets.”Namibia, meanwhile, come into the match following an impressive eight-wicket win over Canada in October. Their win was set-up by a fine 163 from Bjorn Kotze, but neither his brother, Deon, or Louis Klazinga, who took 6 for 82 in the match, have made the trip. UAE, though, will not be underestimating Namibia.”We are wary of Namibia. We know they have a good side with plenty of experience and lots of batting,” Saqib said. “It will be very interesting. I am looking forward to it.”