Pakistan’s tour of New Zealand will open on December 8 with a three-day match against Canterbury at Hagley Oval while Auckland will play the tourists in the second of their pre-Test warm-up matches. The first Test is scheduled to begin on December 19 in Hamilton.As a bridge between the Tests and one-day internationals, a one-day match against Wellington will be played at the Basin Reserve, where Pakistan will have just completed the second Test match of the series. Northern Districts will host the opening one-day match against South Africa on February 12 while another major association side will play a three-day match as a warm-up for the South Africans before the Test matches from March 5-7.New Zealand’s domestic four-day programme, the State Championship will open on December 1 with matches continuing throught the Christmas-New Year period which has traditionally been when one-day matches have been played. However, Major Associations have been critical that they have suffered a drop-off in crowds in this period while State Shield one-day matches clash with New Zealand’s international games. By staging the one-day programme between the Pakistan and South African series, although there is a conflict for the early part of the programme with the Pakistan tour, there should be a chance for greater local interest in the domestic matches.When the Championship programme ends on January 9, the teams placed first, second and third will play their final three games against fourth, fifth and sixth, and with points carried on, the two highest scoring teams after eight rounds will play off in a final played from March 4-7.The Shield programme will start on January 8 with the final scheduled for Waitangi Day, February 6, New Zealand’s national holiday.The State Championship programme is:Monday Dec 1 – Canterbury v Otago, Aorangi Park, TimaruThursday Dec 4 – Northern Districts v Auckland, Westpac Park, Hamilton; Wellington v Central Districts, Basin Reserve, WellingtonSunday Dec 7 – Northern Districts v Central Districts, Harry Barker Reserve, GisborneWednesday Dec 10 – Auckland v Otago, Eden Park Outer Oval, AucklandFriday Dec 12 – Wellington v Canterbury, Basin Reserve, WellingtonThursday Dec 18 – Auckland v Wellington, Eden Park Outer Oval, AucklandSunday Dec 21 – Central Districts v Canterbury, Fitzherbert Park, Palmerston North, Otago v Northern Districts, Carisbrook, DunedinSaturday Dec 27 – Auckland v Central Districts, Eden Park Outer Oval, AucklandTuesday Dec 30 – Canterbury v Northern Districts, Hagley Oval, Christchurch, Otago v State Wellington, Carisbrook, DunedinSaturday Jan 3 – Canterbury v Auckland, Hagley Oval, ChristchurchTuesday Jan 6 – Central Districts v Otago, Pukekura Park, New Plymouth, Northern Districts v Wellington, Westpac Park, HamiltonOn the completion of the series of five rounds, all teams will be placed from 1 – 6 according to the points obtained. A draw for the remaining three rounds of the competition will be based on teams finishing 1, 2, 3 each playing the teams finishing 4, 5, 6. Points earned in the first five rounds will be carried forward to the remaining three rounds. At the conclusion of the eight rounds the two teams with the most points will play off in the final.Saturday Feb 14 – 1 v 6Tuesday Feb 17 – 2 v 5, 3 v 4Friday Feb 20 – 1 v 5Monday Feb 23 – 2 v 4, 3 v 6Thursday Feb 26 – 1 v 4Sunday Feb 29 – 2 v 6, 3 v 5Thursday Mar 4 – Sunday Mar 7 FINALThe State Shield draw is:Thursday Jan 8 – Northern Knights v Wellington Firebirds, Westpac Park, HamiltonFriday Jan 9 – Central Stags v Auckland Aces, Pukekura Park, New Plymouth , Otago Volts v Canterbury Wizards, Molyneux Park, AlexandraSunday Jan 11 – Wellington Firebirds v Canterbury Wizards Basin Reserve, Wellington, Central Stags v Northern Knights Fitzherbert Park, Palmerston North, Otago Volts v Auckland Aces, Molyneux Park, Alexandra.Tuesday Jan 13 – Canterbury Wizards v Auckland Aces, Rangiora Recreation Ground, Northern Knights v Otago Volts, Harry Barker Reserve, Gisborne, Wellington Firebirds v Central Stags Basin Reserve, Wellington.Friday Jan 16 – Auckland Aces v Wellington Firebirds Eden Park, Auckland, Canterbury Wizards v Northern Knights, Rangiora Recreation Ground, Central Stags v Otago Volts Queen Elizabeth Park, Masterton.Sunday Jan 18 – Auckland Aces v Northern Knights Eden Park, Auckland, Central Stags v Canterbury Wizards Waikanae Park, Waikanae, Otago Volts v Wellington Firebirds Centennial Park, Oamaru.Wednesday Jan 21- Northern Knights v Canterbury Wizards Westpac Park, Hamilton (D/N), Otago Volts v Central Stags Carisbrook, Dunedin, Wellington Firebirds v Auckland Aces Basin Reserve, Wellington.Friday Jan 23 – Central Stags v Wellington Firebirds New Plymout , Canterbury Wizards v Otago Volts Aorangi Park, Timaru,Northern Knights v Auckland Aces Westpac Park, Hamilton (D/N)Sunday Jan 25 – Auckland Aces v Central Stags Eden Park Outer Oval, Auckland, Canterbury Wizards vWellington Firebirds, Hagley Oval, Christchurch,Otago Volts v Northern Knights, Queens Park, InvercargillTuesday Jan 27 – Auckland Aces v Otago Volts Eden Park Outer Oval, Auckland, Wellington Firebirds v Northern Knights Basin Reserve, Wellington, Canterbury Wizards v Central Stags Hagley Oval, Christchurch.Friday Jan 30 – Auckland Aces vCanterbury Wizards Eden Park Outer Oval, Auckland, Northern Knights v Central Stags Westpac Park, Hamilton (D/N),Wellington Firebirds v Otago Volts Basin Reserve, Wellington.Monday Feb 2 – Semi- Final (2 v 3)Tuesday Feb 3 – Reserve DayFriday Feb 6 – FinalSaturday Feb 7 – Reserve Day

When Sadagopan Ramesh square-drove Jacob Oram to the fence early on the second day, it was a shot that released two years of frustration. Despite averaging nearly 38 from 19 Test matches, he was banished to the cricketing wilderness by a selection committee that believed he did not have the technique or the stomach to face quality fast bowling. At Rajkot, on a wicket that had decent carry and bounce, he showed that he had the ability to make runs. At the end of the day, the five wise men that make up the selection panel must swallow all talk and recognise the fact that there is nothing more important than the ability to put runs on the board.In a near chanceless display – he was dropped by Scott Styris off Daniel Vettori when on 96 – Ramesh proved that the he had in it in him to score runs when it mattered the most. Over the last two Ranji seasons, he has made just one first-class century, against Kerala, but he is the first one to admit that big games do the trick for him. “Probably the motivation factor is much higher in a big game. The stakes are higher in a big game and I have never thought of the consequences,” he said. ‘What if I fail?’ – that question never came into my mind. Maybe that clicks for me in the big games.”There was more than one occasion during the day when Ramesh played and missed. With Daryl Tuffey bowling well from one end, Ramesh flirted with danger, proffering half-hearted strokes at some deliveries that were best left alone. But any batsman worth his salt will tell you that this is bound to happen when you spend four-and-a-half hours at the crease to make 110 from 206 balls. But then, people who have watched Ramesh over a period of time will tell you his biggest strength is his ability to put the odd setback behind him. He does not mull over nicks that could have been. He merely gets on with what he knows best – driving the ball when it is pitched up. On the day, 19 boundaries came off his blade, and no one but the cruellest man would suggest that he got more than his fair share of luck.Showing the full face of his Woodworm Wand he drove magnificently down the ground, both past mid-off and mid-on. Occasionally, when the bowling flagged, he unveiled the cut, a shot he had shelved sometime ago because the percentages did not work out. The hook shot, a rarity in modern Indian batting, was also on display, and reached the fence unerringly, even if it kept the outfielders interested every now and then.More than any of these strokes, though, it was the runs on the board that brought a wide grin to Ramesh’s face. “I would not say I am relieved because I could have added another 40 or 50 runs. It’s just that I have been waiting for this opportunity for so long. I am happy that I was able to grab the opportunity." On Saturday, the selectors pick the squad to play the first Test against New Zealand at Ahmedabad, and they were present in full strength to watch the innings. In that sense, the timing of this innings could not have been better. But Ramesh is not one to hang onto these sorts of thread. He refused to be drawn out when asked if he had done enough to make it back to the Test team. “I will come to the ground tomorrow,” he said, almost as though nothing had happened. “I take the day as it comes. If I see my name in the reckoning or in the team, I will be very happy about it but otherwise I am not the sort to dream about all these things.”Dream or not, Ramesh clarified several points that were raised against him. At several moments in the day, he did not get much of the strike or was bogged down by spells of good bowling. But he did not throw it away. On 30, 44 and then finally 84, he was stuck, unable to get the runs flowing. He took half an hour to get to his 85th run. And then, of course, the three-figure mark loomed. “Every batsman becomes conscious of the three-figure mark once he crosses 80,” conceded Ramesh. “I know there is a big difference between 99 and 100. I have gone through that. So I wanted to get to the three-figure mark today.”Finally, despite putting a strong hundred on the board, there was carping about the manner in which he was dismissed – and replays showed clearly that the ball missed bat and went off shoulder – and his footwork. Laid-back as ever, Ramesh pooh-poohed such doubts. “I have got to the three-figure mark, so don’t start that talk again,” he said, breaking out in a wide grin. “I have tightened up my game a bit more. But it’s for the people to judge, not for me to talk about. After all, they are only watching me, I can’t watch myself bat.”Jacob Oram, another left-hander to make a century on the day, was full of praise for the manner in which the India A openers handled the New Zealand bowling. “I thought they played very well. They left the ball well but at the same time, they put away the bad ball, especially Ramesh. He was very good on the drive and played very well on a wicket that was still helping us with the new ball.” Very true, Jacob, very true. You might just be seeing a bit more of this bloke in the days to come.

The Pakistan Cricket Board has reacted to doubts over New Zealand’s willingness to play five one-day internationals next week by threatening to pull out of their tour to New Zealand next month.New Zealand are scheduled to play five one-day internationals in Pakistan, starting with the first game at Faisalabad on November 22, but the series has been cast into doubt after they received a threat regarding their safety.However, Tauqir Zia, the PCB chairman, said “It is a policy decision that we will not go to New Zealand if they don’t come to play in Pakistan.”Pakistan had earlier threatened to sue the South African board for US$ 7 million after they suddenly refused to tour Pakistan in September when a bomb exploded in an empty building in Karachi. However, the PCB agreed to revise the itinerary and excluded Karachi so that the South Africans could play five one-day internationals and two Tests in Faisalabad, Lahore and Rawalpindi.However, it may prove more difficult to persuade New Zealand to come over. Their last tour of Pakistan in May last year was abandoned ahead of the last Test after a bomb exploded outside the players’ Karachi hotel, killing 14 people. This one-day series was planned as the replacement to help Pakistan recover from the losses.A spokesman said: “The PCB won a case against New ZealandCricket in the ICC Disputes Resolution Committee when Tauqir Zia pleadedthat the Kiwis had not fulfilled their Future Tours Programme (FTP)commitment in 2002.”The ICC Disputes Committee had ordered NZC to eithercompensate PCB or participate in a series in Pakistan. NZC had agreed tothe five-match one-day series to avoid huge compensations that couldhave fetched the PCB millions of dollars”.The PCB also termed the threatening letter to New Zealand as a hoax. “South Africa also received a similar hoax letter before coming to Pakistan,” said the spokesman, “but after we gave them all the security assurances they believed us and sent their team. We have passed the letter to the concerned authorities for further investigations”.New Zealand are scheduled to play five one-day internationals on its short 12-day trip, with Faisalabad hosting the only day game on November 22. Rawalpindi is to host back-to-back day-night games on November 24 and 25 before the teams play the remaining two games at Lahore on Nov 29 and December 1.

Andrew Flintoff will captain England for the first time in his career when they take on a Bangladesh Cricket Board XI at Dhaka tomorrow.Flintoff missed the Test series with a groin injury, but flew into Bangladesh with the rest of the one-day players not in the Test squad. Flintoff will take charge in the absence of Michael Vaughan and Marcus Trescothick, who are both having a well-earned rest. Also missing from the team are Richard Johnson and Rikki Clarke, who are still suffering from a viral infection picked up during last week’s second Test at Chittagong.All of the seven newcomers to the tour are set to play, with Andy Strauss making his first senior appearance. The first of three one-day internationals is on Friday November 7 at Dhaka.Team 1 Andy Strauss, 2 Vikram Solanki, 3 Paul Collingwood, 4 Anthony McGrath, 5 Andrew Flintoff (capt), 6 Ian Blackwell, 7 Chris Read (wkt), 8 Gareth Batty, 9 Ashley Giles, 10 James Kirtley, 11 James Anderson.

James Anderson has been given three days to prove his fitness to England, otherwise he will make an early return home from Sri Lanka.Anderson twisted his right ankle playing squash against James Kirtley ten days ago, and despite early signs of encouragement, he has not recovered as quickly as expected. If he is not able to bowl in the nets by next Tuesday, the day the first Test begins, England will send for a replacement.”We have got to monitor him over three days and if he makes no more progress we will need someone else out here quickly,” said Duncan Fletcher, England’s coach. If Anderson does fail to recover, then Fletcher is likely to call for Martin Saggers, who played in the second Test against Bangladesh, even though James Kirtley was kept on as cover from the one-day squad after Anderson was hurt and Stephen Harmison was ruled out with a bad back.Kirtley boosted his chances of making the side for the first Test after he took five wickets in England’s warm-up match against a board XI. “Kirtley has definitely come into the equation and we will have to think long and hard as to what we are going to go with,” Fletcher pondered. “We have to throw all kind of things into the boiling pot and take a long look at the wicket before we decide.”Fletcher is keen to make sure the squad has plenty of bowling options due to the high risk of injuries playing three back-to-back Tests. Indeed, England have used 11 different opening combinations in Test cricket in the last 12 months.”If we had one injury after this Test match we would need an out-and-out quick bowler on standby,” Fletcher added. “We just can’t seem to have the same unit going into every Test match. It is disruptive because each bowler has an individual role they are trying to develop. At the moment there is no way individuals can learn to develop their game; playing one Test match and then being out for three or four, back in for two.”

Statement by Cricket Victoria President and Cricket Australia Chairman Bob Merriman“On behalf of Australian cricket, I offer our deepest condolences today to David Hookes’ family and all those near and dear to him.”All Australian cricket lovers will be in shock at the news of his tragic passing.”David was one of those rare, gifted athletes and people who instantly captured attention, whether it was through his aggressive batting, inspiring captaincy, aggressive coaching or his forthright commentary.”It is well known that David was an outstanding sportsman from the start and he demonstrated this at an early age for South Australia, who he eventually captained to a Sheffield Shield title, for Australia and also during the World SeriesToby (Aus): Cricket era.”He made a record number of runs for South Australia, but is probably better remembered for his remarkably explosive batting episodes, such as five successive fours in an over on Test debut in the Centenary Test, 29 off one over against Victoria and his Australian record for the fastest first-class century.”More recently, David became a very successful coach of Victoria. His willingness and ability to help others, particularly young players, was probably less publicly known than his other achievements but should also be noted as an important part of his significant contribution to the game he loved.”Hookes, 48, played 23 Tests for Australia after making his debut against England in the 1977 Centenary Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. He went on to score 1306 career Test runs. His international career also included 39 one-day international appearances for Australia, in which he made 826 runs at an average of 24.29.Hookes had a long and distinguished career at first-class level, making 12,671 runs at an average of 43.99 from 178 matches. He finished his playing career in 1992, as Australia’s highest domestic run-scorer, a record that was later surpassed by fellow South Australian Darren Lehmann.

It was unanimously agreed by the British press that both England and West Indies have strong batting but inexperienced bowling, and it is how the bowlers perform that will be the key to deciding the series. “It used to be throat balls rather than boat calls that welcomed England teams to the Caribbean,” wrote Derek Pringle in the , “but when Michael Vaughan’s well-rested team touch down in Jamaica tonight it will be the bowlers rather than the batsmen who feel the pressure of trying to win a Test series against that loose alliance of islands known as the West Indies.”With that in mind, featured Steve Harmison, who insisted he had left his perennial homesickness bag behind in the North East, and was raring to go after a six-week spell training with Newcastle United. “It has had a remarkable effect on the Durham fast bowler, who has been bedevilled by injuries,” wrote Pat Gibson. “Now he can hardly wait to fly off to the Caribbean at lunchtime today.”Indeed, Harmison himself said: “It was a real eye-opener for me. I came away from that thinking that, while I will still keep doing the things I’ve always done, I’ll be doing them with more of a sense of purpose.”Angus Fraser, writing in , agreed that Harmison, as well as Simon Jones, will be key players. “English cricket would be hard-pressed to find a more exciting sight that Stephen Harmison and Simon Jones bowling in tandem for England,” Fraser decreed. “No England captain in recent times has had the luxury of utilising the threat offered by two bowlers of such pace.”Mike Selvey, in , argued that “instead of setting off with the air of condemned men”, England will go with “genuine belief” that they can win a series there for the first time in 36 years. “England’s bowlers, especially the pacemen, must come of age with a rapidity that will belie their playing experience,” he said. “Much of the pressure will land on the shoulders of the two fastest bowlers in the party, Simon Jones and Steve Harmison.”, though, ran with “Flintoff’s beefed up and raring to go”, focussing on Andrew Flintoff’s pivotal role in the team, and listing him as the umpteenth new Ian Botham. That was something which Flintoff himself was quick to shrug off: “I’m trying to play like Fred, not Beefy,” he dead-batted, “and Fred’s doing all right at the moment.” However, Mike Walters insisted that “none has been sprinkled with the great man’s stardust … until now. With his brutal weight of stroke and aggression with the ball, Simply Fred is the nearest thing to Beefy since the legend himself.”Vaughan, meanwhile, while still confident of success, was also quick to err on the side of caution, and to point out that the batting will be just as important. “Our batting experience will be crucial,” he said just before departing from Gatwick. “The players’ records speak for themselves. Mark Butcher has more runs for England than anybody over the past two years, Graham Thorpe is a class act, and Nasser Hussain has a superb record over many years.”On the bowlers, he said: “We’ve got some young lads who are very exciting and hopefully we can ruffle the West Indies batsmen, but we have got to be realistic. Steve missed Sri Lanka through injury and Simon has only played one Test and been out of the game for a long time. Let’s not hype them up too much.”He also singled out that man Brian Lara, who is sure to be the hot topic in England’s team meetings. “I think Lara averages 75 against England in the Caribbean and I think he’s the key to the series. He’s just had a fantastic series in South Africa, but his team lost 3-0, so if we can get him early, that will create a bit of pressure.”The West Indies are vulnerable, but you have to get on top to attack. On home soil they are a tough team to beat. We’ll have to work hard, make plans and try to play in an attacking manner. Everyone tells me it’s a fantastic place to play cricket and, with the crowd involved, it will probably be played at a different tempo to the games we had in Sri Lanka before Christmas.”Vaughan concluded: “We obviously have an eye on the history of the game, but none of us was even born 36 years ago. The only thing we can concentrate on is the next 2½ months and we’ve got a fantastic chance of doing well.”

A Yorkshire club player has been jailed for three years after a row which started during a Sunday league match ended with an umpire suffering a fractured arm in a revenge attack.York Crown Court was told that Mahmood Akhtar was so incensed when he was given out leg-before by Qadeer Hussain in September 2002 that he instigated an attack with a baseball bat during a game a week later.Hussain was fielding during the subsequent match when Akhtar and his brother, Gulfam Zaqar, ran onto the field and began hitting him. Hussain’s teenage nephew, who tried to intervene, was also assaulted. Zaqar also pleaded guilty to the charge of grievous bodily harm and assault and is awaiting sentencing.”The fact that you didn’t wield the baseball bat serves you not a jot,”the judge told Akhtar. “The fight that followed was a cowardly attack upon this man. Your brother attacked him with a baseball bat with such effect it caused him serious injuries.”During the hearing, Akhtar’s solicitor had told the court that his client’s life “revolves around his family, his work and the people at his local cricket club.”

The encomiums flowed for Sachin Tendulkar after his 141 nearly allowed India to chase a target of 330 at Rawalpindi. Writing for Press Trust of India, Rashid Latif called Tendulkar cricket’s "Kohinoor[diamond]", and the best batsman he had ever seen. "Time and again I thought, has there been a better batsman I have seen in my life? I couldn’t think of anyone, not even Viv Richards," wrote Latif."Tendulkar’s genius was apparent in the way he made adjustments in his batting, and that’s why he is Tendulkar and not Virender Sehwag. While Sehwag doesn’t make any attempt to understand the bowlers’ strategy, Tendulkar sizes up the situation instantly … A pure genius. We are very fortunate to have been born in the same era as Tendulkar and watched him in action."* * *Pakistan dailies have alleged that the Indian camp is resorting to mind games to get the better of Pakistan. In a piece titled "Fired-up Pakistan avenge Karachi defeat" The News said that the Indians had deliberately mislead the opposition into thinking that Ashish Nehra would not play at Rawalpindi. "One wonders what kind of medicine the Indian team has invented that saw Nehra getting fit in hours rather than days… [It] was just a stunt that aims at playing with the minds of opponents." On the same subject, The Nation said: "Indian trick turns into reality as Nehra is out for a week". (Nehra split a webbing on his hand during the Rawalpindi and has been ruled out for a week.)Ganguly’s comment about Shoaib Akhtar’s action didn’t go down well with the Pakistani media either. In a piece titled `Pakistan prepare to tackle Ganguly’s mind games, The News quotes a Pakistan team official as saying: “We know that the Indians have been behind a whisper campaign about Shoaib’s action being under scrutiny in this series by the umpires and match referee through their media corps. We realise it is all a ploy to start a controversy in the press about Shoaib’s bowling action and try to put him under pressure and disturb him in this series as he is a potential match-winner. But he is ready for such a situation.”The article even alleged that Ganguly had deliberately asked an Indian journalist to question him on the over-rate issue after the Karachi match, so that he could hit out at the ICC’s system of only fining the errant team, and not docking overs.* * *Meanwhile, the post-mortem into the Rawalpindi match continued, and The Times of India came up with a novel reason for India’s defeat: the boring diet of their players. The daily reports that the Indians had daal [lentil] soup, and then chose between Italian pasta with sauce or plain rice with daal, with "boring boiled vegetables", mashed potatoes and vegetarian sandwiches. The Pakistanis, on the other hand, tucked away into plenty of chicken and mutton, with some ras malai [milk-based dessert] thrown in as well. The newspaper also spoke to Zahid Rasool Hasmi, the catering head of the Marriott Hotel, where the two teams were putting up. "We had nothing to do with it [the menu], the Indian team management wanted it."* * *The News, a Pakistan daily, says that the reason Mohammad Sami and Shoaib Akhtar were more effective at Rawalpindi was because they followed Imran Khan’s advice. Imran, says the newspaper, gave the two fast bowlers a simple suggestion: “Just go out and attack the batsmen. Don’t worry about the runs or the extras."The daily quotes a source from the Pakistan team as saying: “He [Imran] felt that Shoaib and Sami were struggling because they were in two minds [about] whether to attack the batsmen or contain the runs.” Sami had conceded 74 runs at Karachi, but came up with superb figures of 3 for 41 at Rawalpindi, while Shoaib took 3 for 49 in that game.

Nothing is straightforward where Zimbabwean cricket is concerned these days. Less than 24 hours after three of the current new-look Zimbabwe side issued a public denial of weekend reports that they were planning on joining the banned rebels, a local journalist has claimed that the three only did so under duress.On Sunday, several media outlets carried articles suggesting that Dion Ebrahim, Douglas Hondo and Mluleki Nkala were all on the verge of withdrawing from the Zimbabwe squad.On Monday, the Zimbabwe Cricket Union issued a statement on behalf of the three, which concluded: “We the undersigned have no intention of boycotting or pulling out of the squad. We are proud to be selected and will fulfil our commitment to Zimbabwe cricket.”But the local pressman, who does not wish to be named, overheard a heated exchange in the team’s hotel on Monday which left him “convinced that [the players] were forced to make the statement”.He apparently witnessed Stephen Mangongo, Zimbabwe’s new convenor of selectors, shouting at Hondo. “You are being stupid,” he yelled. “How can you side with those white racists?”Mangongo, a known pro-Mugabe hardliner, is a key official at Takashinga, a club closely linked with the drive for more black players in the Zimbabwe game. An administrator of Asian descent met him last week, and the conversation is quoted in today’s Guardian. “When this whole Streak issue came up, Stephen looked at me and demanded, ‘Are you with the whites or the blacks? You guys must decide’.”There is also confusion surrounding the relationship between Dion and Maqsood Ebrahim. The ZCU statement claimed it was “untrue and false” that the two were related. But that doesn’t tally with what Dion Ebrahim has said in the past. “I once spoke to Dion Ebrahim and he told me that he is related to Maqsood Ebrahim,” said a local source. “He said Maqsood is his uncle, and now I am shocked that he is denying it.”The demoralising effect events are having on Zimbabwe’s cricketers was highlighted by comments from one of their up-and-coming players (who again, for obvious reasons, didn’t want to be named).”It’s so sad it has come to this,” he said. “I remember when I was 12 or 13, watching a Test match from the nets at the Harare Sports Club and looking at the players on the field, wishing … hoping that one day I would have the honour of playing for my country and wearing the prized baggy green. My Test cap sits at home now: whether I will have the pleasure of donning it once again is uncertain.”Why can’t I just play cricket and fulfil a lifelong dream of one day walking off the field for the last time while the sun goes down at the Sports Club, take my cap off and leave because it’s my time … Sit in the changing-room and say farewell to all my friends who too have fought for the honour to wear and fight under the baggy green. What a nightmare this is for all of us.”