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Chris Cairns will lead the MCC against his former team-mates when New Zealand kick off their tour of England with the traditional opener at Arundel.Cairns, who retired from international cricket in 2006, is one of three New Zealanders in MCC’s squad. He will be joined by his former Test and one-day colleague, Nathan Astle, and Rob Nicol, the Auckland batsman and former MCC Young Cricketer. Darren Bicknell, who cracked 132 for the club against Scotland at Lord’s earlier this week, will open the batting, and the squad also includes Steve Elworthy, the former South Africa fast bowler, Paul Nixon, John Stephenson and Min Patel.”Touring team matches are always a highlight in the MCC cricketing calendar and Arundel is a fantastic place to play cricket,” Stephenson, MCC’s head of cricket, said. “It promises to be a great day for players and spectators alike and, hopefully, an international scalp in the bag for the club.”New Zealand’s squad, depleted by five players participating in the Indian Premier League – including their captain, Daniel Vettori – arrived at Heathrow yesterday afternoon. The first Test gets underway on May 15 at Lord’s.MCC team Darren Bicknell, Hylton Ackerman, Richard Montgomerie, Rob Nicol, Nathan Astle, Sean Ervine, Chris Cairns (capt), John Stephenson, Paul Nixon (wk), Steve Elworthy, Min Patel

India are set to play a two-day practice game against a Kwazulu Natal Invitation XI ahead of the second Test against South Africa on Durban, starting on December 26. The match will be held at Northwood Crusaders Cricket Club, starting on December 22.Dilip Vengsarkar, the chairman of selectors, had talked about the considerable gap between the first and second Tests and how important it was for the players to keep themselves match-fit. “A lot of our guys have been sitting on bench and they could easily lose form, so it’s important to keep them in loop,” Vengsarkar had said. He’d stressed that such a game would benefit a player like Munaf Patel, the fast bowler who’d missed the first Test owing to a sore ankle.KZN Invitation XI Rivash Gobind (captain), Imraan Khan, Ross McMillan, Martin Bekker, Cedric Mabuya, Michael van Vuuren, Darren Smit, Robert Frylinck, T Pillay, Saidi Mhlongo, Ugasen Govender, M. Serame, Coach: Y. Ebrahim

The man who endorsed Bennett King as coach of the West Indies team four years ago has regrets today.Dr Rudi Webster, who suggested to the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) that King would be a good choice after observing him at the Shell Cricket Academy in 2000, also feels that King should be given his walking papers if his record doesn’t improve.”I’m seeing a side of him now that I didn’t recognise,” Webster said. “His motivation when he was at the academy was very different from what it is now. I think he saw the academy as a stepping stone to a higher level, so he was really excellent.”Webster was speaking during a conference for senior Caribbean sports journalists at which he said King sent his application and his CV to him before it was forwarded to the WICB.”I’m sorry to say that I’m the person who recommended him to the WICB,” Webster said, also expressing his displeasure over certain comments made by King. “Having achieved his goal, and having been given the enormous power he has, and being an academic coach who describes people like some of our great players, and some of the great Australian players as dinosaurs.”Dinosaurs. I think that is the greatest insult from someone who has not had any achievement in international cricket, just two or three titles with Queensland. We have a fellow in Barbados, Hendy Springer, who has six or seven wins.”I think it is dreadful that someone like that could say such things about these great players and his great cricketers from Australia when he himself has achieved nothing in international cricket.”

Jason Gillespie could become a victim of South Australia’s woeful season and salary-cap problems, revealing he does not have a contract for next season. Gillespie said he would be keen to continue his career interstate if the Redbacks failed to secure his services.Gillespie has been far from South Australia’s worst performer in 2006-07, with 26 Pura Cup wickets at 29.34. The Redbacks have had trouble with their veterans this season, dumping Greg Blewett from the one-day side in December and axing Matthew Elliott from the Pura Cup team for their most recent match.”I don’t know where I stand with South Australia, whether I’m required for next year,” Gillespie told Adelaide’s . “I guess I’ll find out pretty soon. I’m still off contract so I guess I’m a free agent. You never know, maybe there’s a state keen on me and I’ll weigh up that option.”Obviously the Redbacks are my first option and I’d like to sign a two-year deal with them, but if that doesn’t happen then I’ll have to look elsewhere. In recent years, South Australia have signed some guys to long contracts and they haven’t performed, so maybe they are a bit concerned about my longevity.”Gillespie was dropped from the Australia Test team after the 2005 Ashes loss but returned for two Tests in Bangladesh last April. He earned the Man-of-the-Series award with eight wickets and a stunning 201 as night-watchman.However, he was ditched straight afterwards and believes he has virtually no chance of earning another recall. “I can’t see myself getting another Cricket Australia contract,” he said. “I believe they only gave me one last year because of what happened in Bangladesh.”My chance of playing for Australia again is about as remote as you can get. The selectors have played their card, they have lost faith in me, they don’t want me around and that’s their call. I’m not saying I deserved to be in the World Cup but it’s a bitter pill to swallow when you get man of the match in your last two Tests and you aren’t in the picture.”

Wasim Akram in his column: “I think the ICC should … get into preparing Test pitches all over the world, or start deducting points that will affect a team’s ranking. Till then we will keep getting these (wrestling pits) like the one in Jamtha, where the ball hardly comes on to the bat.”Jacques Kallis in his column: “Ask a spinner whether he would prefer to bowl on a decent pitch with 400+ runs on the board, or on a dry turner with just 200 on the board where he has to worry about every run, and I think most will take the first option.”Not everyone was complaining though.

Mohammad Yousuf, Pakistan’s record-breaking middle order lynchpin, is a definite non-starter for the first Test against South Africa at Centurion Park, due to begin from January 11, and may end up missing the entire Test series.Yousuf was due to leave for South Africa today, joining his team-mates late after returning from performing in Saudi Arabia, but is unable to do so now as his wife is due to give birth some time between January 12 and 19.”Yousuf’s wife has undergone some complications in her pregnancy and is due to undergo surgery either on 12 or 19 January. Therefore he is unlikely to be available for the first Test,” a PCB spokesman told Cricinfo. A board statement was later released after discussions with the batsman, confirming that he will miss the first Test and possibly the second.”Mohammad Yousuf requested that he needs to be with his wife at the time of her surgery which is expected to take place either on the 12th or 19th of this month depending on her condition. In case the surgery takes place on 12th, the batsman will leave on 14th January to join the team in South Africa whereas he will leave on 21st January in case the surgery takes place on 19th.”If he doesn’t make it for the second Test (beginning Janauary 19), it is unlikely that he will play the third either. A source close to the team told Cricinfo, “If he misses those two then expecting him to come back without practice for the third is unreasonable and he may find it tough going.” Yousuf also missed two ODIs in the series against the West Indies in December due to his wife’s condition.The development is a considerable setback to Pakistan’s chances in South Africa, where his presence in a relatively weak batting line-up was thought to be crucial. Yousuf was Pakistan’s best batsman by some distance last year, and among the best in the world. Statistically, he had no equal, scoring a record 1788 Test runs with nine hundreds in 11 Tests, another record.It also compounds a mildly worrying start to the tour for Pakistan. Umar Gul, Pakistan’s best bowler in the last six months, only bowled three overs in the warm-up game against the Rest of South Africa, before being pulled off with an ankle strain. Bob Woolmer told Cricinfo though that he should be fit to play the first Test.”He has seen a doctor who does not think it is anything more than strained ligaments. We will have a further scan to eliminate the chances of bruising to the bone but he should be fine for the first Test,” said Woolmer.The news isn’t so bright for Shoaib Malik who has sustained a “grade one ankle injury” and will be out for a minimum of two weeks. Abdul Razzaq, Pakistan’s all-rounder, has already been ruled out of the Test series. Inzamam-ul-Haq, Pakistan’s captain, didn’t bat on day two of the warm-up game, as he was suffering from a chest infection but the problem, according to Woolmer, is not a serious one.

Rain left Natal 63 runs shy of what would have been their first win in a first-class match this season.Instead, the match was drawn as Natal’s progress was halted at 198 for four in search of a target of 261 with 36 overs still to be bowled.The home side earned their shot at victory by efficiently wrapping upGriqualand West’s second innings for 222 after they had resumed on 167 forfive. Griquas scored 279 in their first innings, to which Natal replied with241.That meant Griquas’ last five wickets, which tumbled in 17.1 overs, wereworth just 55 runs. As has been the trend throughout this match, battingerrors rather than penetrative bowling caused most of those wickets to fall.The last of them belonged to 20-year-old number seven Johan Louw, whoconverted his overnight 14 into a solid 50, his maiden first-classhalf-century in only his second match.The visitors’ most stubborn partnership on the final day was mounted by Louwand Zahir Abraham, who added 49 for the eighth wicket.Natal’s run chase was entertainingly sparked by Ahmed Amla, who went afterGriquas’ mediocre bowling with gusto to score 69 off 115 balls with ten foursbefore being trapped in front by medium pacer Louw ten overs from theenforced close.The elegant Amla rode his luck and was dropped three times, each time offthe bowling of off-spinner Martyn Gidley and twice by the bowler himself.Amla’s dismissal ended a fourth-wicket stand of 55 shared with his captain,Dale Benkenstein, who took over the aggressor’s role impressively to finishwith 42 struck off 53 balls, including two fours and three sixes.Griquas were hampered by the absence of fast bowler Wayne Kidwell, whorequired four stitches after splitting the webbing between his thumb andforefinger while fielding.

Michael Vaughan has announced his intention to stand down as captain of England’s one-day side with immediate effect. Vaughan, whose place in the ODI side came under scrutiny following a poor World Cup, will not be retiring from limited-overs cricket, but anticipates that the focus for the remainder of his career will be on captaining the Test side, particularly with a view to reclaiming the Ashes in 2009.Vaughan, 32, has been in charge of England’s one-day fortunes ever since Nasser Hussain stepped down in the wake of the 2003 World Cup. He has led the side in 60 matches, winning 32 and losing 22, but in that time, he has been unable to establish his credentials as a one-day batsman. His career average is a meagre 27.15 from 86 games, and he has never made an ODI century.His hold on the one-day captaincy was weakened during the recent World Cup in the Caribbean. He managed just 130 runs in England’s first eight games of the tournament before massaging his figures somewhat with a quickfire 79 against West Indies at Barbados, and in the field he was unable to inspire his side in the wake of the infamous “Fredalo” incident in St Lucia.”Since our disappointing performances in the World Cup, I have been giving careful consideration as to what is the best way forward for the England one-day team and my own role within the side,” said Vaughan in an ECB statement. “I reached this decision some time ago, but I did not want to announce it until after the end of this Test series to avoid it becoming a distraction to the team.”However, due to intense speculation in the media about my future, I feel it is important to make my intentions clear now. Our priority is to build a one-day squad able to compete strongly at the next World Cup, and I firmly believe that the interests of the team will be best served if I step down and allow another player to gain additional experience of captaincy in the one-day international arena.”I am committed to continuing as England’s Test captain for as long as I can be successful in the role,” added Vaughan. “I enjoy the job and I also believe that I will be able to form a strong working relationship with whoever is appointed to the one-day captaincy. I will continue to play one-day cricket for Yorkshire and it is not my intention to retire from ODI cricket as a player. I do, however, fully appreciate that the new captain will need a period of time to establish his own authority over the team.”Vaughan recognises that the grievous knee injuries that forced him out of the game for 18 months will not stand up to the constant rough-and-tumble of ODI cricket, especially as it is another four years until the 2011 World Cup in the subcontinent. However, his hold on the Test captaincy has been consolidated since his return to the side. He cemented his place as a batsman with a century in his comeback innings at Headingley, and has since overtaken Peter May as England’s most successful Test captain, with 21 wins in 35 matches.On Friday, England’s selectors announce their squad to take on West Indies in two Twenty20 matches and three ODIs. Paul Collingwood, who made his fifth Test century at Chester-le-Street on Monday, is widely tipped to take over Vaughan’s role, although Kevin Pietersen is also considered to be in the running.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsAndre Russell whacked 46 off 20 balls•Getty Images

Needing a win to stay in contention for their first Big Bash League semi-finals, Sydney Thunder turned out in style and sank Sydney Sixers in front of a record crowd. Thunder had lost their previous four games, missed their preferred opening partnership, but produced a clinical performance with the bat to post the season’s highest score. Quick contributions from Shane Watson, Michael Hussey, and Andre Russell powered Thunder to 202. The bowlers then dismissed Sixers for 156 to cap off an impressive all-round performance.Thunder are now safe, so long as one of the Melbourne teams lose their final games, or else they enter the murky world of net run-rate. Either way, in keeping their side of the qualification bargain, Thunder pulled the plug on Sixers’ season.It was not all plain sailing, though. To remain in contention for finals themselves, Sixers had to win inside 16 overs. And when Nic Maddinson was joined by Brad Haddin in pursuit of 203, Hussey, playing his final game in Sydney, looked anxious, and with good reason. Thirty of Maddinson’s first fifty runs came in sixes, and he was swinging with such power that the back of his bat simply flew off as he tried to drill offspinner Chris Green down the ground.

Players support Carters’ charity Batting for Change

Each six hit at the SCG had a touch more significance as the players personally pledged AU$775 to Sydney Sixers’ wicketkeeper Ryan Carters’ charity Batting for Change. In its second edition, the Batting for Change cup was retained by Thunder, after their opening night win at Spotless Stadium in December.
In total, 17 sixes were hit, raising $13,175, which will take Batting for Change to within $10,000 of their target of $120,000.
Shane Watson hit three sixes, raising $2,325, while Andre Russell’s supreme display saw him clear the rope four times. Remarkably, within 19 balls, Sixers captain Nic Maddinson – a long-time supporter of Batting for Change – had overtaken as the hosts set about chasing Thunder’s 202.
Carters founded Batting for Change ahead of BBL03. He raised around $30,000 for Heartland School in Kathmandu in the first season, and $108,000 (Sixers played two extra games as they reached the Grand Final) for the education of 500 women in Mumbai in BBL04. This season, the charity has been raising money to fund bachelor degrees for another 500 women at the SPRJ Kanyashala Trust in Mumbai, as well as for 100 women in rural Sri Lanka.
The charity works by taking pledges – say, $10 – from donors for every six hit by the Sixers during the BBL season.

Green proved an unlikely staller for the Thunder. Brought into the attack with Sixers on the charge, he had Haddin caught sweeping second ball and conceded just five runs in his first two overs. Maddinson’s blitz ended when he was caught brilliantly by a diving Henry Nicholls at long-on off legspinner Fawad Ahmed the following over. Sixers were 118 for 4 in the 13th over, and they added very little to that.With the bat, Thunder could have done little more. Watson, promoted to open in the absence of Usman Khawaja and Jacques Kallis, veritably ghosted to 66 off 41 balls. Hussey anchored the innings, while Russell was in brutal form, fearlessly clearing his front leg and throwing his hands to launch four sixes in the death to propel Thunder.Despite a torrid start to the tournament, Watson has been in fine form in 2016. This innings was marked by his staples: hard-hit pulls, booming front-foot drives, attractive cuts, slog-sweeps to the spinners and three stunning sixes too. All good signs with the World T20 around the corner. Either side of sending Doug Bollinger sailing down the ground, he went after Nathan Lyon, nailing him over cow corner, then long-on. Aiden Blizzard, who joined Watson at the top, pulled a Johan Botha half-tracker for a six, but fell to the first ball of the seventh over, Sean Abott’s first.Watson built for six more overs with Hussey, before he was caught at long-on attempting another biff. Hussey was smart as ever, pulling boundaries behind square and running with the speed of a man half his age. It was a surprise to see Nicholls come in at No.4 before Russell, but the New Zealander did not last long, miscuing Lyon to backward point.Russell then set to work immediately, with a violently-pulled six followed by a magnificently orthodox cover-driven four off Ben Dwarshius. Jackson Bird was then belted for a six, before Russell got stuck into Bollinger. There was a six over cow corner, a drive through cover, and a pull despite taking his eyes off the shot contained in a single over, the 18th. It took a moment of genius to eventually dismiss Russell as Botha tossed up catch on the long-off fence to his alert team-mate Jordan Silk. A cameo from Ben Rohrer then took Thunder past 200, where they looked safe.After Michael Lumb fell early, Sixers’ chase was all about Maddinson. He was in sublime touch and looked set to pull off a heist, even if not quite quickly enough. He struck Russell for successive leg-side sixes, then gave Fawad the same treatment down the ground. Watson was next to be sent for a six and a four, before the debutant Nathan McAndrew was bullied.Green, however, arrived and slows things up, while Fawad attacked the new batsmen. Slowly but surely, Sixers’ dominoes fell, and Thunder completed the job.

The declaration of a state of emergency in Pakistan has cast a shadow over the national team’s tour of India, but is not expected to result in the tour being called off.The Pakistan Cricket Board is yet to come out with an official statement – that could happen after the country’s president, General Pervez Musharraf, addresses the nation later on Saturday – but a senior official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said the series would not be affected at all because it is taking place in India.The Pakistan team is in New Delhi, having arrived in India on November 1, and is expected to leave for Guwahati tomorrow. “As far as we are concerned, we have not received any instructions from the PCB,” Ehsan Malik, the team’s media manager, told . “We are continuing to do what we have been doing.”