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Glenn Rogers, who missed Scotland’s Intercontinental Cup win over Netherlands last week, has withdrawn from the squad to play Ireland which starts on Thursday.Rogers pulled out after his company arranged for him to go on a training course.”It is difficult at the moment, but at least we have reached a compromise that I will have the day off to play against India in a couple of weeks,” Rogers told The Scotsman. “It kills me to keep giving up my spot because I worked so hard to get it. But there’s nothing I can do about it in the present circumstances.”I can’t afford to take a step back in income because we are looking for a bigger house at the moment. As far as my cricket career goes, I will have to keep taking it week by week unless there comes a time when we can have full-time contracts, which I believe is the only way we can improve.”Rogers will also miss the Twenty20 World Championship because it clashes with a family wedding.

Dilip Vengsarkar, India’s chairman of selectors, has said he is pleased with the team’s performance in the one-off Twenty20 game against Australia in Mumbai.”We played excellent cricket against a formidable team like Australia,” he told reporters. “The Aussies play cricket at a different level, but we showed on Saturday that we too can be dominant.”Vengsarkar rued the loss in the sixth one-dayer in Nagpur, where India lost their way chasing a huge target after getting off to a solid start, to hand the series to Australia.”Had we won in Nagpur we could have very well drawn the series.”He was also impressed with Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s captaincy skills and the way he maintained his composure under pressure. “He did a good job during the series. He is a good thinker and a calming effect on the side.”Vengsarkar felt the wins in the last two matches against Australia would lift the team’s spirit. “It will stand us in good stead and our morale will be higher when we play Pakistan,” he said. “Even when we go to Australia these wins will help because we have beaten them here. At least it will be at the back of our minds that this team [Australia] is beatable.”When asked to compare the current Australian side with the West Indies team which toured India after the 1983 World Cup, he said: “Both are great sides. In 1983 West Indies really clobbered us in the one-dayers and Test matches. But this time we held our own and played extremely well against the Aussies.”The selectors will pick the squad for the ODIs against Pakistan on either October 26 or 27 during the Challenger Trophy, India’s premier domestic one-day tournament, in Ahmedabad. The first one-dayer against Pakistan is on November 5 in Guwahati.

Josh Hazlewood is out of the fifth Investec Test and for the seventh time on this and the previous West Indies tour Peter Siddle’s claims appear likely to be ignored by the selectors, opening the way for Pat Cummins to resume his Test career.The coach Darren Lehmann has been moved to explain why Hazlewood will not be playing, but a cloud remains over how the most experienced seam bowler in the tour party has not been used even once on this trip, even as England have prepared a succession of green, seaming surfaces ideally suited to Siddle’s skills.Siddle was understood to be utterly bereft about his omission for the Trent Bridge Test, and confided to his former captain Ricky Ponting that he felt his last chance to play for Australia had gone. The pitch for the Oval Test looks likely to provide similar levels of assistance to the bowlers, but with the Ashes gone it is likely that Cummins will be chosen alongside Mitchell Johnson and Mitchell Starc.The captain Michael Clarke said that Siddle remained in contention to play, and that at the age of 30 he should not be discarded as an Australian pace bowler. “Sidds is still working extremely hard and continues to get better,” Clarke said. “He’s played a few of the practice games and probably hasn’t got as many wickets as he would’ve liked.”But he’s certainly in contention for this Test match. He might’ve had a niggle after the tour game so the medical staff have tried to look after that. He bowled fine yesterday, I faced him in the nets and he bowled really well. Sidds is only 30 so I think he’s got plenty of time left in him, and he’s been a big part of the Australian Test team over a period of time.”Siddle has not played a Test since the first match of last summer in Adelaide when he bowled poorly while battling illness. Hazlewood has been preferred in each match since then, and Siddle was not awarded a Cricket Australia contract despite being chosen for this tour. The pitches in England seemed to create the ideal scenario for his inclusion as a consistent seam and swing bowler of much experience.Hazlewood, meanwhile, has struggled to maintain consistency, and Lehmann and the selection chairman Rod Marsh were seen in lengthy conversation with him in Northamptonshire. Lehmann said it had been decided that the least experienced member of the bowling attack needed rest before niggles became larger issues.”Josh has played six Tests since the West Indies tour and the last nine Tests for Australia, as well as playing an important part in the World Cup,” Lehmann said. “He has managed to get through this period without any major injury which is pleasing, though currently he does have some niggling problems that we would like to manage. As such, he was not considered for selection for the 5th Test.”On his return to Australia his niggles will be investigated further and he will work with our coaches, and our medical and fitness staff to have him prepared for the next series he is selected to play in.”Lehmann’s clarification leaves Cummins very much in line to play, resuming his Test career nearly four years after he made a memorable debut against South Africa in Johannesburg, taking the Man-of-the-Match award in a narrow victory on a helpful pitch for bowlers. According to Clarke, The Oval looks to be another such surface.”It still looks pretty green from the boundary so I imagine it will look even greener up close,” Clarke said. “It’s going to be another really tough Test match for the batters, but we just have to find a way to fight our backsides off, whether it goes two days or three days I’d just like us to be on the right side of that two or three days.”Mitchell Marsh has also firmed to return to the side ahead of his brother Shaun, after the latter was seen in deep conversation with Rod Marsh during Australia’s final training session.

With a host of international stars expected to light up the field at the National Stadium, Habib Bank Limited (HBL) will take on Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) in the final of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, Pakistan’s premier first-class tournament.While this will be HBL’s fifth final appearance in the 50 years that the tournament has been played, they have only won it once, and that too 30 years ago. The march to the final, having lost only one match in the process, was made possible on the back of strong all-round performances.Featuring only one batsman in the top 50 this season – Hasan Raza with 735 runs in 10 matches – HBL were boosted by the inclusion of Younis Khan and Shahid Afridi in the 15-man squad for the final. While Afridi has played two matches for HBL this season – scoring a quickfire 70 and 33 – Younis was forced to miss the entire domestic season due to international commitments. Taufeeq Umar (284 runs at 71) and Imran Farhat (171 runs at 43) did start the season well for HBL, but were later banned from playing domestic due to their involvement in the Indian Cricket League.In the field, HBL have been brilliant; Mohammad Aslam and Fahad Masood have taken 78 wickets between them and have been key ingredients in HBL’s route to the final. The inclusion of Danish Kaneria and Abdur Rehman – who took eight wickets on Test debut against South Africa at this ground last year – might signal the omission of Dilawar Khan, the Peshawar-born legspinner who has 28 wickets in five matches. While Rehman has only bagged a solitary wicket in the only domestic match he played, Kaneria already boasts a tally of 17 wickets from three.SNGPL have already achieved the credible feat of reaching the final in their debut first-class season. Their star has been the 17-year-old Umar Akmal, younger brother of Pakistan wicketkeeper Kamran, who has scored 849 runs in eight matches at an astonishing average of 94 with a strike-rate of over 90. His unbeaten 248 against Karachi Blues remains the second highest score of the tournament and was nearing his second double before the last league match was called off after the assassination of Benazir Bhutto. Mohammad Hafeez (639), Khurram Shehzad (594) and Yasir Arafat (524) have been notable performers with the bat and SNGPL will welcome the return of Misbah-ul-Haq, Pakistan’s backbone in the last six months.Samiullah Khan Niazi, on the fringes of an international debut during the last few years, has been devastating with the ball – 43 wickets at an average below 19 in nine matches. While SNGPL’s bowling line-up will not scare tooo many, the medium-fast duo of Imran Ali and Asad Ali will be hoping to add to their joint tally of 64 wickets.Keep an eye on
Akmal, if he plays. His participation is in doubt due to his call-up to the Under-19 squad but his inclusion will only cause problems to HBL purely from his penchant for scoring quick runs. Others on offer are Afridi – Karachi is one of his favourite grounds – and Younis after his dazzling century in the first Test against South Africa on this ground.Pitching it right
The National Stadium pitch is a gift to all. While it offers assistance to fast bowlers on the first morning, it gradually settles down to aid batsmen over the next few days before the crumble makes it interesting on the last two days. With plenty of boundaries expected, the ball will roughen up quick and reverse-swing post-tea will form part of proceedings on a daily basis. Mid-20s temperatures will ensure fast bowlers can bowl effective, long spells, especially with spin expected to tie up one end.Teams (from)
HBL – Rafatullah Mohmand, Khaqan Arsal, Younis Khan, Hasan Raza, Shahid Afridi, Aftab Khan, Humayun Farhat (wk), Kamran Hussain, Abdul Rehman, Danish Kaneria, Fahad Masood, Sajid Shah, Aslam Qureshi, Farhan Iqbal, Dilawar HussainSNGPL – Misbah-ul-Haq, Mohammad Hafeez, Saleem Mughal, Azhar Shafiq, Yasir Arafat, Hafiz Majid, Ali Niazi, Umar Akmal, Imran Khalid, Adnan Rasool, Adnan Akmal, Farhan Asghar, Arsalan Mir, Tauqeer Hussain, Samiullah Khan Niazi, Asad Ali, Imran Ali, Asim Butt, Faisal Rasheed, Adil Raza

Harbhajan Singh, who was alleged to have gestured and spat at a section of the Sydney crowd yesterday, will not be in the dock after match referee Jeff Crowe viewed all the evidence on the incident, and subsequently felt there was no need for action against him.”I have investigated the alleged incident with Cricket Australia’s ground security officials after reading newspaper reports and viewing related photographs that have been published. After reviewing all available information, I conclude that there is no need to take any action against Harbhajan Singh,” Crowe said in a press statement.Earlier, India had rejected the accusations against the spinner Harbhajan, following reports of the incident in the first final of the CB Series in Sydney. Indian officials felt it was a further attempt to unsettle Harbhajan.”This is the imagination of the Australian press, which has been trying to add pressure on Harbhajan at every moment,” Bimal Soni, the India team manager, said. India want to keep the focus on the on-field action ahead of the second CB Series final in Brisbane after they won the first decider at the SCG on Sunday.The and the both quoted members of the crowd who claimed Harbhajan had made monkey gestures towards them and spat in their direction. The papers also said Harbhajan was being abused by spectators.

Namibia have announced their squad for the Intercontinental Cup match at home against Canada which begins this Thursday. Although some teams, including Canada, have played three matches, this match will be Namibia’s opening match of the campaign.They are due to play a further six matches in the competition that was revamped to a round robin format this year, but these fixtures have not yet been released.The13-man squad includes three of the under-19 side which unexpectedly qualified for the next World Cup – Morne Engelbrecht, Ray van Schoor and Ewald Steenkamp.The four-day match starts on November 25. Engelbrecht and van Schoor had a chance to see what Canada are like, when they, along with fellow squad members Wibur Slabber and Michael Durandt, played for Namibia A in a 50-over warm-up match at Windhoek on Wednesday.Canada won that match easily, by six wickets, but they won’t be expecting an easy time of it against the full side next month. In the Intercontinental Cup, Canada have so far won one and lost two, and the squad they have in Africa at the moment is far from their first-choice side.Deon Kotze was a late inclusion owing to injuries but will probably play owing to his experience in four-day matches.Squad J.B. Burger, Raymond van Schoor, Bjorn Kotzé (capt), Deon Kotze, Gerrie Snyman, Michel Durandt, Nicolaas Scholtz, Tobie Verwey, Ian van Zyl, Kola Burger, Louis Klazinga, Wilber Slabber, Morné Engelbrecht, Ewald Steenkamp.

Division One

Harbhajan Singh took 4 for 64 to bowl Worcestershire out for 217 on the third day against Surrey at Guildford, forcing them to follow on. Surrey’s last two only added a further 22 to their overnight 347, but their bowlers quickly tore into Worcestershire’s top-order; Matt Nicholson removed his compatriot Phil Jaques and Vikram Solanki before Harbhajan took over. Steven Moore, the Worcestershire wicketkeeper, stood in Surrey way with a combative 58, but his wicket prompted an inevitable slide from the lower-order who collapsed to 217 all out. Following on Worcestershire moved to 46 without loss, still trailing by 106.Read John Ward’s full report of Yorkshire’s third day against Kent at Scarborough.Hampshire continued to rule the rod over title-chasers Sussex, who barely recovered from their overnight 65 for 6 to make 145 at The Rose Bowl. Luke Wright’s 46 added a touch of respectability. Hampshire’s reply was by no means flawless, at 83 for 3, but John Crawley’s unbeaten fifty took them to 113 without further loss. They will aim to quickly erase the deficit on Saturday morning and march on to a steady lead.

Division Two

Justin Langer and Simon Katich, former Australia team-mates, set up an enthralling finish to Derbyshire and Somerset’s match on the third day at Derby. Katich declared Derbyshire’s first innings on 94 for 2, 246 behind Somerset who increased their lead by 84 before setting the home side 331 to win in 98 overs. Somerset’s last five smashed 160 runs before lunch with Craig Kieswetter stroking an impressive 52 from 43 balls. Derbyshire then added 94 in 31 overs – Katich declaring after a brisk 29 – before Somerset, batting for the second time in the day, cracked 84 in 20 overs. Bad light forced the players off early, but an intriguing final day is in prospect with Derbyshire requiring a further 329 runs on a wearing pitch.Northamptonshire made steady progress against Nottinghamshire at Northampton after rain washed out the first day. Three fifties from the top four helped them past the 200-mark, but Notts struck back in the evening session to restrict them to 264 for 7. Stephen Peters, David Sales and Alex Wakely struck the half-centuries, while Robert White fell just short, with 46. Last week may have been one for the old-timers – but Mark Ealham added his own contribution today, with four wickets.A wet outfield meant there was no play between Glamorgan and Leicestershire at Abergavenny, nor at Bristol for Gloucestershire’s match against Essex.

Cricketers rely on “feel” and Australia’s catching is currently badly out of touch. During the Test series against India the cordon was under-performing and the problems continued in the opening match of the CB Series when two edges were grassed in the same Mitchell Johnson over.The Australians are convinced there is not a problem with the amount or quality of their training, but there has been a recent addition to their methods. International teams have started wearing black, fingerless gloves to soften the impact of the repetition and most of the local players have been using them in the lead-up to matches.Michael Hussey is a fine fielder who has had some troubles over the past couple of weeks – he missed a reasonably comfortable offering at second slip off Gautam Gambhir on Sunday night – and is open to the idea that the accessory can reduce a player’s feel for the ball. “Maybe a little bit,” he said. “We practise very hard and we do a lot of catching as part of that.”You do build up some hotspots on your hands. If you do have hotspots and you favour a certain hand, then you are practising with the wrong technique. That’s probably one of the reasons why we use the gloves, so we can protect our hands and practise the right technique.”Australia’s previously exceptional standards have lowered since the exit of Shane Warne from first slip and in the subsequent restructuring a number of players are in unfamiliar international positions. Hussey, who spent much of his time in the gully after Matthew Hayden’s move to Warne’s old spot, was standing at second slip on Sunday night beside Ricky Ponting, who also spilled a tough chance off Gambhir, and Adam Gilchrist.Michael Clarke and Andrew Symonds had unsuccessful stints next to Gilchrist during the Test series when a trend that started in Perth grew worse when eight – including some extremely difficult ones – were put down in the final game in Adelaide. Gilchrist’s drop of VVS Laxman convinced him it was time to retire.Under John Buchanan’s old guidelines the team wanted to catch 50% of one-handed diving takes, but that figure has been well out of reach. “It’s been a bit disappointing, I must admit,” Hussey said. “It’s not something we’re panicking about because we work that hard on our catching.”The guys in those positions have pretty good hands, I think it’s just a case that we’ve had a bit of a change and we’re in new positions. It just takes a little bit of time.”However, Hussey said the players fielded regularly in those spots during their state careers. “So they should be comfortable,” he said. “We are continuing to practice hard and will hopefully we become better at it.”

Steve Harmison is in line for his first Test appearance since the West Indies series in June, after Peter Moores, England’s coach, conceded that Matthew Hoggard’s prospects of being fit in time for Sunday’s second Test at Colombo are extremely doubtful. Though Hoggard batted in England’s training session at the Premadasa Stadium on Friday, he has not attempted to bowl since injuring his back during Sri Lanka’s second innings at Kandy, and Moores conceded that time was running out.”His back’s still sore,” said Moores. “It’s got better as backs do, but tomorrow’s the key day. He’s going to have to bowl tomorrow to be available for selection.” The likelihood of that happening, however, is slim in the extreme, and worryingly for England, Hoggard is not the only seamer in the wars. Ryan Sidebottom missed training with a stomach complaint, while James Anderson bowled with strapping on the left ankle he injured during the warm-ups.Both men are still expected to be fit for selection, which leaves a straight choice between the experienced Harmison and the rookie Stuart Broad, who has yet to make his Test debut. From the evidence of their performances at nets, there was only one man showing any relish for the contest. Harmison was listless for long periods of his spell, and spent several minutes between deliveries discussing his action andrun-up with Moores and the bowling coach Ottis Gibson. Broad, on the other hand, plucked out Michael Vaughan’s middle stump with a seaming delivery, and was lively and eager to impress throughout.Even so, the indication from the England camp is that they are prepared to trust in the greater knowhow of Harmison, for what has become a must-win match. “We’ve seen Steve over the last two weeks, not just in the last few net sessions,” said Moores. “He’s an experienced Test-match cricketer, and in Steve we’ve got someone whocreates bounce, creates pressure, and is someone who Sri Lanka won’t like to face.”The final point is the crucial one as far as England’s permutations go, because their seam attack at Kandy was lacklustre once the friendly first-day conditions had evaporated. “Our line and length wasn’t too bad, but we’ve got to be a bit more savvy and streetwise,” said Moores. In Harmison, England have a cricketer whose reputation for devastating menace precedes him. If he doesn’t play in this contest, there seems little point in ever calling on his services again.Moores, though, gave the impression of a man who was prepared to disregard the evidence before his eyes, and trust Harmison’s big-match instincts to kick in on the day. “Whenever you play someone in a Test match, you never quite know what you’re going to get,” he said. “There’s always an element of risk. Steve worked hard during the last Test match, but one of the challenges during Tests is that you bowl by yourself in the middle. He needs time against batters, so netting today was good.

“The real challenge comes when he pulls on an England shirt again and goes out to play for his country,” said Moores. “We all know that nets are different. You get fantastic net players who can’t translate that in the middle, so we can only take so much from that. You have to take stuff from how the player is around the team – how he’s talking, how he’s feeling. Steve’s doing everything right, both on the fitness and technical side, and if he’s the best man for the job, he’ll play.”Another omission for Broad would be a tough break for a player who has been waiting patiently for his debut since the start of the English summer, but at the age of 21, there is no question that his chance will come before long. Moores, though, wasn’t going to be rushed into giving him that first call-up. “The challenge with Stuart is to know when to release him into Tests,” said Moores. “There’s no doubt he’s pushing very hard. He’s playing well and offers some options with the bat as well, and he’ll be very much talked about in selection, as will everyone.”Broad’s willowy frame is a concern for the team management, however. He has the height to be a fast bowler, but so far lacks the meat on his bones that will make him a durable England prospect. “He’s adaptable, he’s got a knack of getting wickets, and he’s getting stronger all the time,” said Moores. “But part of Stuart’s thing is getting the physical strength to deliver his skill over a decent length of time, in what are pretty harsh conditions.”He’s earned his right to be in this squad because of how he’s performed,” said Moores. “He’s probably physically ready to bowl three spells a day over five days, but he’d be pushing the limits of it, to be honest. Mentally, for a young bloke, he’s very strong and I think he’s got a Test match in him, but whether he’d be able to play three on the bounce, I don’t know yet.”Both men could yet be called upon if Sidebottom and Anderson fail to recover fully from their respective ailments. England do have previous in that regard, having purged their entire new-ball attack between the first and second Tests in Sri Lanka four years ago, but Moores implied that Hoggard’s enforced absence would be sufficient change among the seamers. “I saw enough from the England team that we can still win the series,” he said. “If we play to our ability, and put them under pressure. The challenge is to do that, and sustain the pressure over longer periods with bat and ball.”

The Sri Lankan umpire Asoka de Silva and Steve Davis of Australia have been promoted to ICC’s Elite Panel, following the body’s decision to expand the pool from 10 to 12 umpires.de Silva, the former legspinner who played 10 Tests and 28 ODIs between 1985 and 1992, was one of eight full-time umpires selected for the ICC’s Elite Panel when it was first introduced in 2002. de Silva has stood in 33 Tests and 76 ODIs after making his debut in 1999 and has served previously on the Elite Panel between 2002 and 2004.Davis, 56, has stood in 11 Tests, 71 ODIs and three Twenty20 Internationals having made his top-level debut in 1992.”Their promotions are a result of perseverance, hard work and commitment and I am sure these two umpires will serve as an inspiration to the other international umpires who are striving hard to break into the Elite Panel,” Dave Richardson, the ICC’s general manager, said. “For Asoka, it will be his second time in the Elite Panel and he has returned after performing outstandingly on the international panel over the past 12 months.”Asoka brings with him a combination of playing and umpiring skills and that combination is one that we believe will serve him well in the months and years to come.”Steve has served an apprenticeship on the fringes of the Elite Panel and his elevation reflects not only his consistency during recent years but also his excellence over the past year in particular.”I have no doubt that the elevation of these two quality umpires will strengthen the Elite Panel.”de Silva was understandably delighted in his promotion, adding: “It has required a lot of hard work leading to good decision-making on a consistent basis and I am glad my efforts have been recognised. I am now keen to ensure I maintain the high standards I have set myself.””I am thrilled to be appointed to the Elite Panel,” Davis said, “as it has to be the aim of every umpire to be appointed to this select group. I have worked hard for this and now I look forward to concentrating on umpiring on a full-time basis. I have always enjoyed the company of those umpires already on the Elite Panel and now I have the chance to work with them all on a more regular basis. I am really looking forward to the challenges ahead.”