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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.”

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Karnataka were in for a rude shock in their Ranji Trophy opener at the Moti Bagh Stadium in Vadodara, being bundled out for 85 after an inspired opening spell by seamers, Rakesh Patel and Irfan Pathan Sr. Karnataka’s decision to bat first backfired with Patel scything through the top order with 5 for 85, while Pathan chipped in with three wickets in 15 miserly overs.The duo shared the first six wickets to fall with six of the Karnataka batsmen failing to get past double figures. Baroda too got off to a shaky start – NC Aiyappa accounted for both openers with the score on 24. Ajit Bhoite, promoted to No.3, counterattacked with a fluent 62-ball 48 as Baroda went about wiping out the deficit. Seamer B Akhil struck two vital blows at the end of the day but Baroda, 28 runs ahead with six wickets in hand, were very much the side in command.
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Gagandeep Singh, Punjab’s opening bowler, instigated a manic opening hour at the PCA Stadium in Mohali, tearing Bengal’s top order apart. Gagandeep’s opening burst left Bengal reeling at 18 for 5 – including Sourav Ganguly falling for 6 – and it was only because of the former Indian wicketkeeper Deep Dasgupta that they averted a humiliation. Dasgupta’s 73-run partnership with Laxmi Ratan Shukla revived them somewhat but lack of lower-order support didn’t help matters. Dasgupta, who led the side to the runner-up spot last season, battled for close to four hours, managing ten fours in his rescue mission. Bengal’s bowlers struck three vital blows before the day was out, restricting Punjab to 75 for 3.
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Jaydev Shah’s composed hundred helped Saurashtra recover from a shaky position, recovering from a jittery 7 for 2 to a competitive 298 for 7 at the end of the first day’s play at the Ordinance Equipment Factory Ground at Kanpur. Having being promoted from the Plate Group last season, Saurashtra had one of the toughest games first up, taking on defending champions Uttar Pradesh on their home turf. Shalabh Srivastava, UP’s opening bowler, pegged them back with two wickets within the first six overs but a couple of handy partnerships rescued them.Shitanshu Kotak and Cheteshwar Pujara – one 34 years old with 14 seasons of first-class behind him, the other 18 in his second domestic year – reversed the tide with a 130-run stand. Kotak’s dismissal brought in Shah, son of current board secretary Niranjan, who solidified their position with a 159-ball 124, one that included 22 hits to the fence. His dismissal in the third session, off Rudra Pratap Singh, was followed by two more as UP came back into the contest.
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A fine century from Anirudh Singh, his third in first-class cricket, and a promising debut from Ravi Teja, the 19-year-old opener, got Hyderabad’s campaign off to a fine start against Maharashtra at Chatrapati Shivaji Stadium in Karad. Choosing to bat first on a ground hosting its first match in six years, Hyderabad ended the day on a comfortable 254 for 3. Teja kickstarted the innings with a breezy 84, comprising 13 fours, repaying the faith that the selectors had shown in him, throwing him into the deep end after a string of impressive performances at the Under-22 level. His 121-run stand with Anirudh laid the platform before VVS Laxman consolidated their position with a solid 31. Anirudh was unbeaten when play was called off – 36 minutes after tea owing to bad light and a slight drizzle – but his even 100, in 197 deliveries with 12 fours, had put them in control.
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A five wicket haul from Ashraf Makda, the left-arm opening bowler, helped Gujarat gain the upper hand on the first day against Rajasthan at Ahmedabad. Justifying his captain’s decision to field first, Makda and his partners halted Rajasthan’s fine start, restricting them to 204. Vikram Solanki, one of Rajasthan’s foreign imports, had a good start to his campaign, managing a 95-ball 58, but Makda bowled him, changing the complexion of the game. Nikhil Doru offered some middle-order resistance, with a little help from Kabir Ali, the other import from Worcestershire, but a quick three-wicket haul from offspinner Kirat Damani cleaned up the tail. Gujarat suffered two early jolts and ended the day on 43 for 2.
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Joginder Sharma’s 4 for 54 with his medium-pace enabled Haryana to bowl out Andhra for 202 in 71 overs at the Bansi Lal Stadium in Rohtak. Joginder and Sachin Rana, who conceded only 27 in 11.5 overs, reduced Andhra to 33 for 4. Satya Kumar Varma, coming at No.3, was the only batsman who managed to resist the Haryana attack and remain unbeaten at 105. On a day when no-one else crossed 25, Varma attempted to push the score forward along with the tail, adding 38 with Syed Sahabuddin and 50 with Lakshman Kishore, but Sharma broke both partnerships before they could do any serious damage. Haryana’s openers batted out the last six overs adding 8.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out

Batsmen from both teams struggled – Bangladesh against a subtle change of pace and Australia against left-arm spin – but Adam Gilchrist’s brutal brilliance made the difference and spurred Australia to a victory that was in little doubt after the 10th over of the chase. Gilchrist’s assault came after a disciplined bowling performance by an inexperienced attack had dismissed Bangladesh for 195 in the first one-day international at Chittagong.Gilchrist’s whirlwind 76 off 46 balls blasted away a huge chunk of the target before Bangladesh’s spinners came into play. Australia galloped to 96 off 10.5 overs but after Gilchrist’s dismissal the remaining 99 runs took 33.1 overs to get. Abdur Razzak applied the brakes with his left-arm spin, taking 3 for 36 and Mohammad Rafique, though wicketless, conceded a miserly 14 runs in ten overs. Eventually, Michael Hussey and Brett Lee steered Australia to victory but if not for Gilchrist’s blitz, it could have well been Bangladesh’s match.Australia started cautiously, only 11 runs came off the first three overs. In the fourth over, Gilchrist exploded. A slap through covers, followed by a fierce cut off the back foot and a drilled drive down the ground made it three fours in a row off Mashrafe Mortaza. Three more fours came off Syed Rasel’s next over and in the sixth, Gilchrist rocked back and man-handled Mortaza by carting him high and far over midwicket for the first of five sixes. In that same over, he miscued another attempted six and the top edge swirled down to long leg where Syed Rasel floored a crucial catch. Rasel had to bowl the very next over and Gilchrist rubbed it in by clouting another six to bring up his fifty off just 29 balls. Habibul Bashar brought on Razzak but Gilchrist hammered him for two sixes over midwicket. He eventually did get Gilchrist out, trapped in front while attempting a slog-sweep, but the proverbial horse had bolted several overs ago.Though all this carnage, Simon Katich remained a spectator, accumulating 14 off 22 balls as it rained runs at the other end. He miscued a pull off Mortaza to midwicket soon after and Razzak trapped Andrew Symonds and Ricky Ponting with arm balls in quick time. Michael Clarke’s run-out reduced Australia to 155 for 5 and gave Bangladesh a window of opportunity. But Razzak and Rafique had finished their overs and Bangladesh couldn’t find that extra something to pounce on the jugular.While Australia had to scrap for their runs against quality spin, Bangladesh’s batsmen brought about their own misfortune by playing indiscrete shots at inappropriate moments during what was a rudderless innings. To play out the new ball and take advantage of Australia’s inexperienced support bowlers, should have been the plan but Bangladesh’s top order had other ideas. Dan Cullen was making his debut and Mitchell Johnson had played just two ODIs, but Bangladesh lost two wickets each to Brett Lee and Nathan Bracken before the 20th over and were unable to put the untested bowlers under any sort of pressure.Only Bashar showed the needed concentration during a gritty half-century but by then there were hardly any batsmen left to follow his example. After opting to bat on a flat deck with a speedy outfield, Bangladesh made an ideal start by scoring 26 from the first three overs. Then Bracken, who conceded 13 off his first over, began to cleverly change his pace and conceded just nine off his next five overs. Saleh’s top-edge off Bracken to third man was the first of several rash strokes and soft dismissals.

The runs dried up at one end but Aftab Ahmed had no trouble in maintaining a healthy strike-rate at the other. While Aftab was playing stunning shots like the swivel pull off Johnson that sailed over deep square leg for six, Mohammad Ashraful, normally a flamboyant batsman, struggled to even rotate strike and his frustration ended with a failed attempt to clear mid-off. Aftab’s wicket, spooning Lee’s slower ball to point, left Bangladesh struggling at 79 for 4. Such was their plight that when Cullen was introduced on his ODI debut, he bowled two consecutive maidens.Bashar and Khaled Mashud added 54 for the sixth wicket, the only partnership of note in the innings. Though he didn’t score at a rapid pace, Bashar bound the innings together in the middle overs. His stumping off Hogg in the 43rd over snuffed out any hopes of Bangladesh posing a challenge during the slog and hastened the collapse.Had Bangladesh snared Gilchrist early, 195 may have been enough. But they didn’t, and his innings made all the difference.

BangladeshRajin Saleh c Lee b Bracken 7 (26 for 1)
Shahriar Nafees c Gilchrist b Lee 16 (33 for 2)
Mohammad Ashraful c Cullen b Bracken 5 (52 for 3)
Aftab Ahmed c Clarke b Lee 30 (79 for 4)
Tushar Imran c Gilchrist b Hogg 20 (117 for 5)
Habibul Bashar st Gilchrist b Hogg 52 (171 for 6)
Khaled Mashud b Mitchell Johnson 27 (182 for 7)
Mashrafe Mortaza c Gilchrist b Hogg (185 for 8)
Mohammad Rafique c Hogg b Symonds 8 (194 for 9)
Syed Rasel c Gilchrist b Symonds 0 (195 all out)
AustraliaAdam Gilchrist lbw Razzak 76 (96 for 1)
Simon Katich c Bashar b Mortaza 18 (101 for 2)
Andrew Symonds lbw Razzak 0 (109 for 3)
Ricky Ponting lbw Razzak 14 (133 for 4)
Michael Clarke run out Ashraful 16 (155 for 5)
Hogg c Razzaq b Tushar 7 (174 for 6)

Shane Warne launched another attack on his former coach John Buchanan, who he said was responsible for Australia’s CB Series loss to England on Sunday. Warne said Buchanan must be held accountable for Australia’s gruelling taper-training program, which appeared to leave the side flat at the end of the one-day program.”From what I hear, the boys trained really, really hard, probably too hard and it affected them,” Warne told . “They got tired for the finals and didn’t perform really well so John Buchanan has to take responsibility for that.”Warne famously questioned the worth of coaches in general last September, with the line: “I’m a big believer that the coach is something you travel in to get to and from the game.” He said such hard practice sessions were not ideal preparation for a team constantly aiming to perform at their best.”If you’re playing international cricket, all you want to be is fresh and happy,” he said. “You don’t want to be trained into the ground. But that’s the way he wanted to do it but it didn’t work out. Hopefully it will hold them in good stead for the World Cup.”Buchanan admitted the heavy workload and Australia’s desire to be well prepared for the World Cup had affected their performance during the CB Series. He also said complacency and an expectation the side would keep winning contributed to Australia’s decline.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out – England

Australia have regained the Ashes with a comprehensive 206-run win two balls after lunch on the final day at the WACA. Shane Warne claimed the final wicket, leaving him on 699 Test scalps, as Kevin Pietersen was left stranded on 60. He and Andrew Flintoff had briefly raised English hopes with a stand of 75, but once Warne made the first breakthrough the rest fell like skittles.For the umpteenth time in Ashes history, Warne was involved in the major moments. He ended Flintoff’s best innings of the series then bowled Monty Panesar with the second ball of the afternoon session as five wickets fell for 14 runs. Warne’s script has often seemed pre-determined and he now has the opportunity of reaching 700 in front of his home fans on Boxing Day. But that is for the future, today was all about Australian redemption.”Every second of our hard work over the past 14 months has been worth it,” said an emotional Matthew Hayden, while the elated captain, Ricky Ponting, said: “We’ve had a long time to think about it, we worked harder than ever before and all that work has come through in our play but we have turned it around and played some unbelievable cricket.”As Pietersen and Flintoff defied Australia for the opening hour and a half the excitement levels around the ground grew with every boundary. After a miserable period with the bat, Flintoff appeared to have decided to return to his basic instincts and just attack the bowling. He smashed five fours in nine balls off Brett Lee and Stuart Clark, his timing and authority growing with each blow. A flicked six over midwicket followed and his first half-century of the series came off 64 balls with two boundaries off Glenn McGrath.

Suddenly a host of dates were being thrown around the easily excited commentary boxes (most 1981 and 2005) but the dream couldn’t survive. For all the concerns over Warne’s workload, it is the man himself who doesn’t want to stop bowling and when a full delivery drifted under Flintoff’s bat the celebrations started.For once Pietersen had been overshadowed but followed Flintoff’s fifty with his second of the match, from 123 deliveries. However, after losing his captain the shoulders visibly sank. As Flintoff made his way off the ground he waited for Geraint Jones – a man living on borrowed time – but any words of wisdom had little impact. The dismissal summed up Jones’s series; he went for a sweep, the ball bobbled to silly point and while everyone was focused on the appeal Ponting spotted Jones’s foot was on the line and promptly ran him out. Pietersen had earlier survived a similar referral to the third umpire – after Mike Hussey’s direct hit from short-leg – but this time Steve Davis, the TV umpire, had an easy call to make and Jones completed his first Test pair.Sajid Mahmood was quickly pinned by Clark’s yorker and Pietersen’s odd decision not to farm the strike exposed Steve Harmison to Warne with predictable results, although Rudi Koertzen’s decision was again debatable. The break kept everyone waiting just that little bit longer, but lunch had barely been digested when the series was sealed. England held the Ashes for 463 days; Australia spent every one of those waiting for this moment and it’s going to be one mighty party in Perth tonight.

The West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) and the West Indies Players Association (WIPA) have formally brought an end to the impasse that has plagued regional cricket for almost two years, with the signing of agreements relating to their outstanding issues.A WICB release, following the regional cricket Development Workshop in Antigua, revealed both parties have signed the Collective Bargaining Agreement, Memorandum of Understanding and a Code of Conduct for players and officials, which should end the differences that have threatened or affected several tours over the past 22 months.These agreements were, the statement quoted Dinanath Ramnarine, WIPA president, as saying, “The formal acknowledgement by the West Indies Cricket Board that the WIPA is a full partner in the process of taking West Indies cricket forward.”Gordon pointed out to the more than 50 representatives of stakeholder groups in regional cricket that the WICB was extremely aware of its responsibilities to the West Indian people and that “we have a board that genuinely wants to take cricket to a higher level, but we need help and institutional support”.Gordon also promised participants that the board will take their proposals seriously and, through the Cricket Committee headed by Clive Lloyd, place a high priority on implementing them.In his closing address, Gordon pointed to the track record of achievement demonstrated by the WICB under his leadership. He stressed that the organisation’s public commitments regarding several issues, including the Lucky report, the player impasse, taking the best team to Australia and reducing the board’s deficit, were all achieved. “We ask you to recognise we said what we were going to do and have done them,” Gordon emphasised.He also thanked the Stanford organisation for its support for the workshop and on the success of the 20/20 tournament. “20/20 is now part of cricket life in the Caribbean,” Gordon declared, “and we must continue with it. We will continue to leave the door open. If Mr Stanford and his group find a way to work with us, we will be delighted. The board is appreciative of what Mr Stanford has done.”

Rajasthan slash ticket rates
It was difficult for the authorities in Jaipur to fill up the 30,000 seats at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium and resorted to slashing the ticket rates, reported. That wasn’t all. The Rajasthan Police demanded Rs 80,00,000 (approx US$ 200,000) for providing security for the first match against Kings XI Punjab. Terming IPL to be an event organised for monetary benefits, the Rajasthan Police refused to provide security free of cost.No full house at Chennai either
Despite the presence of the most expensive player in the IPL, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, the Chennai Super Kings are struggling to get a full house for their first home match against the Mumbai Indians. A day before the match, reports that only 15,000 of the 38,000 available tickets have been sold. Besides the now-mandatory cheerleaders, Chennai have also lined up singer Hariharan and popular drummer Sivamani to entertain the crowd.Hayden settles in
Matthew Hayden was all praise for Dhoni’s leaderships skills and even said he had an aura about him. “I have no issues with that. Dhoni is a fine thinker and a confident individual,” said Hayden. “There is an aura about him. For me, it is a great experience sharing the dressing room with Indians and learning how they go about their cricket.”West Indies players to return on May 18
Chris Gayle, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Dwayne Bravo are expected to return to the West Indies on May 18, in time for West Indies’ series against Australia. West Indies Cricket Board CEO Donald Peters said that the players will return four days before the first Test in Jamaica, starting on May 22 .Another floodlight failure at Eden
While the Kolkata Knight Riders have got off to the perfect start, winning two out of two, they are yet to get things in order at their home ground, Eden Gardens. After being criticised for preparing a difficult track for their first home game, which was also blighted by a power failure, there was further embarrassment as two of the floodlights went off during a practice session.

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.

Jack Kerr, who played seven Tests for New Zealand in the 1930s and later went on to become the president of New Zealand Cricket, died in Christchurch on Sunday at the age of 96.At the time of his death he was the second oldest living Test cricketer, being ten days younger than Eric Tindill, who toured England with him in 1937. He is the third longest lived Test player of all time, behind Tindill and Francis MacKinnon.A World War II veteran, Kerr maintained a link with cricket after his playing days, taking up coaching and the administration of the game. He was the manager of the New Zealand team which toured South Africa in 1953-54 and he also had a stint as the chairman of the New Zealand Cricket Council.”Jack [Kerr] made a significant contribution to New Zealand Cricket and the New Zealand Cricket Foundation over a number of years and his support was warmly welcomed and greatly appreciated,” New Zealand Cricket Chairman Sir John Anderson said.Kerr, who was an accountant by profession, was a right-hand opening batsman who had a long domestic career. He scored 4839 runs in first-class cricket at an average of 32.19. He was at his best in 1935-36 when he made 146 not out and 71 for Canterbury against Percy Holmes’s MCC tourists, and followed up with two centuries in the unofficial “Tests” – 105 not out at Wellington and 132 at Christchurch.He passed fifty only once in his seven Tests, when he scored 59 against England at Christchurch in 1932-33. Kerr toured England twice, in 1931 and 1937, and his second trip was the more successful as he tallied 1205 runs at 31.71.

Glenn McGrath has signed off on his career by winning the World Cup’s Player of the Tournament prize with a record 26 wickets. When McGrath stepped from the Kensington Oval he entered retirement and then collected his third World Cup winners’ medal after seven weeks of bowling brilliance.In 250 one-day internationals McGrath collected 381 wickets and his 71 World Cup victims in 39 games are 16 ahead of the previous mark set by Wasim Akram. McGrath, 37, has made continued high performance a trademark and he finishes his career in fifth place on the ICC one-day rankings.One of only five players to reach 900 rankings points, McGrath reached his statistical peak of 903 during the seven-match ODI series against South Africa in March 2002. Only Joel Garner, Richard Hadlee, Shaun Pollock and Muttiah Muralitharan collected more points from the complex ratings system. McGrath holds the same spot in the Test records after capturing 914 points during the 2001 Ashes series.