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Overnight not out batsmen Sridharan Sriram and Hemang Badani made 94 and 86 respectively as Tamil Nadu took command of their Elite Group Ranji Trophy match against Orissa at the MA Chidambaram Stadium on Saturday.The duo’s efforts ensured that the hosts, who began the day on 144-2, ended up notching 314 all out, a first-innings lead of 192. S Badrinath, who made 37, was the other batsman deserving a mention.When Orissa batted a second time, Tamil Nadu medium-pacer Laxmipathy Balaji, who had wrecked them in the first innings, claimed two wickets in his first two overs. With No 4 Sanjay Raul also falling early for a duck, Orissa at 13/3 were staring at the possibility of being defeated inside two days. But captain Rashmi Ranjan Parida (22*) and Pravanjan Mullick (35) ensured that their team lived to fight another day. When stumps were drawn at the end of the second day, Orissa were 78-4, needing another 115 runs to make Tamil Nadu bat again.Sharma, Mongia put Punjab on course for outright winMedium-pacer Vineet Sharma claimed five wickets as Uttar Pradesh were bowled out for 111 in their first innings against Punjab at the Mohali Stadium on Friday.The visitors, who resumed on 39-0, found Sharma and left-arm quick Amit Uniyal (3-43) too hot to handle and ended up conceding a 97-run lead. When Punjab batted a second time, captain Dinesh Mongia led from the front, smashing 86 off 87 balls with 15 fours to guide his team to 158-4 (an overall lead of 255) at the end of the day’s play. Opener Samrat Sharma (37*) and Reetinder Sodhi (15*) were set to resume battle on their side’s behalf on the third day.Lahiri leads Bengal’s fightbackThe Bengal-Hyderabad match was nicely poised at the end of the second days’ play at Secunderabad. The visitors, who dismissed Hyderabad for 395, had reached 122/3 in reply when stumps were drawn at the end of the day’s play.On Friday morning, off-spinner Saurasish Lahiri claimed five wickets to restrict the hosts, who began the day on 296-4, to 395. Overnight not out batsman D Vinay Kumar went on to make 67. When Bengal replied, they lost wickets at regular intervals, but with Deep Dasgupta (37*) and Rohan Gavaskar (12*) still around, they would be nourishing hopes of gaining the first-innings lead.Khoda, Doru help Rajasthan post strong replyAt Jaipur, opener Gagan Khoda made 84 and Nikhil Doru 64 as Rajasthan gained a 79-run lead against Himachal Pradesh with three first-innings wickets in hand.Khoda and Doru got together after their team had been reduced to 5/2 in the morning. Playing watchfully, the duo put on 167 for the third wicket to help their team past the the Himachal total of 166. With Sanjeev Sharma making an unbeaten 29 and Extras yielding 37, Rajasthan then went on to end the second day at 245-7.Powar, Bahatule help Mumbai recoverAt the the Karnail Singh Stadium, Delhi, Rajesh Powar made 71 while Sairaj Bahatule chipped in with 67 as Mumbai recovered to post 248 against Railways on the second day.The duo, who got together with their team’s score at 93-7, posted 87 for the seventh wicket before Powar (71 off 177 balls) was dismissed. Bahatule, who made a slow start, then took over and guided his team to a respectable total by the time he became the last wicket to fall. By the time stumps were drawn, Railways had made 15-0 in four overs.Wickets tumble in a hurry in Andhra-Delhi matchDelhi were left needing 128 runs with nine second innings wickets in hand at the end of the second day’s play against Andhra at the Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi.In the morning, Delhi, who began their first innings on 59/5, were bowled out for 111. Medium-pacer Syeb Sahabuddin, who claimed seven wickets, was the wrecker-in-chief for Andhra, who earned a 87-run first-innings lead.Medium-pacer Amit Bhandari and off-spinner Sarandeep Singh, though, brought Delhi roaring back into the game claiming four wickets each to bowl Andhra out for 97 in their second essay. With opener Akash Chopra making a steady uinbeaten 35, the hosts ensured that they had a very good chance of pulling of a win despite their poor first innings show.Naidu century helps Vidarbha amass large totalVidarbha virtually batted Tripura out of their Ranji Trophy plate group match at Nagpur, with Vivek Naidu posting 113 out of his side’s final score of 445.Naidu’s innings was studded with 18 fours and took 152 balls, and along with consistent lower middle-order performances, gave Vidarbha a definite edge. NitinGawande made 50, RS Paradkar hit 47, and Chandrasekhar Atram made the second-highest score of the innings with 61 off 104 balls (8×4, 1×6). Along withMadhusudan Acharya’s 55, that made four fifty-plus scores in the innings, apart from Naidu’s century.At the close of play, Tripura were 52 for one in 15 overs, still 291 runs behind Vidarbha with two days of play remaining.Joginder Sharma gives Haryana the lead at GurgaonA knock of 80 off just 102 balls from lower middle-order bat Joginder Sharma gave Haryana a lead of 66 by the close of play in their Ranji plate groupmatch against Bihar at Gurgaon.Resuming from 23 for no loss, Haryana reached 291 for seven by stumps. Opener and skipper Jitender Sharma made 73 off 165 balls (11×4), but no other batsmanreally got set until Joginder. He added 104 runs for the sixth wicket with Sumit Sharma, who was still present at the crease on 34 when play ended.Maharashtra consolidate advantage at PuneMaharashtra extended their domination of Jammu & Kashmir at Pune by racking up 397 in their first innings after bowling their rivals out for 131.Top-scoring for Maharashtra, Ranjit Khirid made 89 off 136 balls, striking 13 fours and one six in the process. This knock came after opener NA Godbolestruck 68, and a string of other significant scores in the middle order saw Maharashtra reach 397 before being bowled out in 108.2 overs. For Jammu & Kashmir, Surendra Singh took five wickets for 75.In reply, Jammu & Kashmir were 45 for one in 19 overs when stumps were called at the Deccan Gymkhana Ground stadium.Kerala dominate Services at DelhiPutting on a massive 478 for eight declared in their first innings, Kerala were well-served by their batsmen, and the score gave the side a definite edgein their Ranji plate-group tie against Services at Delhi.Although skipper Sunil Oasis fell early, without adding to his overnight score of 71, C Hemanth Kumar continued to strike the ball sweetly. He had posted 81runs for the fourth wicket with Sreekumar Nair before falling on 150 off 328 balls with 14 fours.Nair too put the bowling to the sword, striking an imperious 133 off 194 balls with 15 fours and one six. His knock enabled Oasis to declare the innings closedat 478 for eight, and in reply, Services had reached 51 for one by stumps, with KN Ananthapadmanabhan already striking with his leg-spin.Karnataka-Madhya Pradesh tie evenly poisedThe Karnataka-Madhya Pradesh Ranji plate group match at Gwalior was evenly poised at the end of the second day, with Karnataka responding strongly to the hosts’first-innings total.Madhya Pradesh hit up 314 in their first essay after winning the toss, a score based largely on Devendra Bundela making a sedate 71 off 241 balls with sixfours and a six. B Tomar was relatively quicker with his 60, which came off 115 balls. For Karnataka, Venkatesh Prasad took three wickets, while left-armspinner Sunil Joshi snapped up four.Karnataka lost Barrington Rowland early, but J Arunkumar and Deepak Chougule batted well to add 97 runs for the second wicket. Arunkumar was dismissedfour runs short of a fifty, but Chougule, in the company of Vijay Bharadwaj, took Karnataka safely through to stumps, getting to his 50 in the process.At the close of play, the visitors were 134 for two.

Nepal’s participation in the ICC Trophy, due to start in Toronto, Canada, next Thursday, is likely to be decided in the next 24 hours.Cricket Association of Nepal president, Mr. Jai Kumar Shah, said the situation regarding four players refused entrance visas by the Canadian Government, was likely to become known sometime this weekend.The captain, Raju Khadku, is one of the players in question. The team was due to leave Nepal for Toronto today (Saturday).While the logistics of calling up replacements in time may have demanded it anyway, Mr Shah said Nepal would not play in Canada without the four players.Should Nepal withdraw, it would leave the Second Division draw of the qualifying tournament for the 2003 World Cup lopsided, with four teams in Group A and six in Group B. It is not known whether the draw would be revised at this late stage should that eventuate.This is after confirmation from Simone Gambino, President of the Italian Cricket Association, that Italy has withdrawn from the tournament, following the International Cricket Council’s decision to rule four players of the Italian squad ineligible.Lancashire all-rounder, Joe Scuderi, and Peter Di Venuto, the brother of former Australian One Day International player, Michael, were among the four.Dr. Gambino said the Italian Foreign Ministry would advise the ICC that the ICA would have acted in contravention of Italian law had it not included the four players in its squad.

Liverpool defender Neco Williams may not be content with being Trent Alexander-Arnold’s backup in the long-term, according to journalist James Pearce.

The Lowdown: Williams impressing at Fulham

The 20-year-old joined Fulham on loan during the January transfer window, having struggled to earn minutes at Anfield so far this season.

Williams has impressed in his first couple of months in west London, scoring two goals and setting up another two for the Championship leaders and almost finding the net from the halfway line in one match.

The Welshman will return to Liverpool at the end of the season, but it remains to be seen if his long-term future lies on Merseyside.

The Latest: Pearce unsure of William’s Liverpool future

Writing in a Q&A for The Athletic on Sunday, Pearce claimed that Williams may look for a permanent move away from Liverpool in order to be a regular starter, if he cannot offer a strong challenge to Alexander-Arnold’s position in the Reds’ starting XI.

The journalist stated: “Very difficult to find anyone who has Trent’s skillset. Neco Williams doing very well at Fulham on loan. But whether he would be happy being Trent’s deputy next season I’m not sure.”

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The Verdict: Understandable if Williams wants out

Williams is a talented young footballer but the fact of the matter is that he has arguably the world’s best right-back ahead of him at Liverpool.

For that reason, it is almost impossible to see the Welshman being a fixture in the team at any point over the next few years, unless Alexander-Arnold suffers from serious injury problems.

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

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Williams could be a great deputy for his team-mate over time, maturing into a formidable player, but it would be wholly understandable if he wanted to leave the Reds for good and become a key figure elsewhere.

In other news, three Liverpool players struggled in the win against Nottingham Forest. Read more here.

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.

Ian S Mohan, a teacher based in Trinidad, was one of many volunteers who are helping out at World Cup venues. He outlines his experiences during the first-round matches.

In-tents security: Fans get searched as they enter the ground © Cricinfo

Now that the travelling circus has left the shores of Trinidad and the natives have returned to their normal way of life, the true impact of the World Cup has finally sunk in.On the first day of volunteering we were a happy bunch of naive Trinis who could not wait to see the tourists and usher them to their seats and, if called on, we would have been happy to stand next to and fan the tourists until the prizegiving. We were really eager to work for our country and the beloved game – a true bunch of patriots.It was a culture shock for us all when we went to the Queens Park Oval. We got an idea of what was in store at the University of the West Indies (UWI) warm-up games as well.The biggest impression in my mind was the curtailing of freedom in your own country. It was martial law in the confines of a cricket ground. At the ground, water was TT$12 (US$2) a bottle – outside the fence and in the UWI café it was TT$4.50. A beer was TT$18 a cup – over at the café it was only TT$6.The spectators passed the bars and concessions and simply walked away. One spectator, who on the first warm-up game arrived with his own water, was told he could not enter the arena with his plastic bottle, especially with the cap on, as this was clearly a weapon of mass destruction. He was taken from the UWI by paramedics at 3pm suffering from dehydration, because he could not afford to purchase water at the inflated price .This was the highlight of the World Cup for me. I continued to volunteer (but the fire was out) as I was moved by that cricket fan who waited a lifetime to be a part of the first World Cup and almost paid the ultimate price.

Thousands of real cricket fans stayed away – they said they had self respect and pride and would not pay money to be treated this way.

It dawned to me that the ICC does not care about our little countries and our economies. They are alien to the socio-economic status and the way of life of the spectators of cricket, and the culture of the peoples of the Caribbean, and even Asia … for that matter, the world. They care only about image, ambush marketing, television and money.They don’t care about the people who keep cricket alive: us. Thousands of real cricket fans stayed away – they said they had self respect and pride and would not pay money to be treated this way. I now understand their view and feel that I compromised my self respect to be part of the tournament. We were told how to talk, how to smile, how to welcome the tourists, how to speak. We had a handbook to learn from.The ICC twisted the arms of small island states to institute draconian laws to facilitate the World Cup. Why? We have been holding ODIs for 30 years, and win, lose, or draw, the end was peaceful. The biggest terrorist in the Caribbean is rain, as it threatens any game. We were stripped of our water, food, and our true West Indian flavor that visitors come to the Caribbean to take part in. We were told to sit quiet, not to be too loud, not to disturb the spectators … but to have fun and enjoy the game. Bull.How can you enjoy a cricket match and not show your enthusiasm or disgust? The biggest joke was that the nuts man, who in Trinidad tosses his packs from the front row to anywhere in the stands, was told by ICC that he has to deliver in hand the packets. No one has never been hit and if so only his pride is dented for not being able to make a clean catch.The nuts man also had to change his sales pitch – his unique call – to that of “Nuts! Nuts!”. Our nuts men also are walking comedians, giving and taking jokes, but not at the World Cup. They were censured. They took the abuse for the high prices and said meet them at the next ODI series and they would give you the answer. You could have seen the agony, instead of pride, in the nuts men at this gala event. Oh, and the nuts were TT$6 – at a normal ODI they would be half the price. We bought, only to save the nuts men from bankruptcy, for they are as essential as the umpires to cricket in the Caribbean.

Checking for contraband … and tightened bottle tops © Cricinfo

The volunteering did have its benefit . I was able to see more cricket than normal – don’t let on that you saw cricket as a volunteer, though. I met many foreigners, and was really happy to welcome them to my beloved Trinidad. I enjoyed the modified Queens Park Oval, I would enjoy cricket in 2008, whoever is coming to beat the West Indies.Volunteering is a calling, and you have to love doing it. I wanted to be a part of the World Cup because I love the game, will always love the game and would do it again. The ICC must be empathetic to us; the audiences. People of all walks of life make up the paying patrons, and it’s the poor who sacrifice the most to see their heroes perform. If we are to bring the championships back to the Caribbean they must think about the people. The games are not well attended as the spectators will not pay to be abused. Caribbean people have their pride.It was sad to watch our Muslim brothers and sisters agonise during the lunch breaks as they were unable to get a venue for prayer. The Local Organising Committee did not take into consideration the religious aspect of the spectators. It was the visiting Pakistani and Bangladeshis who wanted to go to the mosque, but they were denied exit passes to visit the St James Mosque, which was one mile away. These spectators were genuine in their need and were bluntly told that there was a no re-entry policy. It was even difficult to get water to do their ritual washing before prayers.This World Cup will be remembered for the wrong reasons. The good work of the volunteers has been overshadowed by the off-field drama and the insults meted out by the ICC to the proud Caribbean people.

Despite the best efforts of the Sri Lankan board (SLC) to draw in crowds for the series against Pakistan, including giving free entrance for the first Test, the Pakistani players are not pulling in the spectators.Just a few hundred people showed up on the first day of play in the Test here on Monday after rains washed out the opening day’s proceedings, SLC announced free entry for some of the spaces inside the Sinhalese Sports Club in a bid to draw in the crowds. Unfortunately for them even this move has not worked although the Pakistan Cricket Board enjoyed better results with this ploy during their home series against England and India earlier this season.”The problem is that except for two or three players there are no glamorous names in both teams at the moment and to make matters worse Sanath Jayasuriya, who is a genuine crowd puller, also didn’t score runs in this match,” a home board official said. “Historically India draws the biggest crowds followed by Australia and England. Pakistan was a popular team when Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis were playing. But now the team except for Inzamam-ul-Haq doesn’t have any big names. We’ve no doubt had fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar been playing we would’ve got better crowds for the one-day series and the first Test.” He said that Shoaib remained a popular player in Sri Lanka whom people paid to watch in action.However, a senior journalist said the local board had also messed up things by holding the first two one-dayers at the Premadasa Stadium and charging as much as 5000 rupees for the grandstand. “With the Sri Lankans not doing well in recent times why would people pay this amount to come and watch them,” he asked.The Sri Lankans are now looking forward to the tour by India and South Africa later this year and a triangular one-day series involving both teams to attract big crowds once again. Perhaps the extreme humid and hot conditions have also played their part in the keeping away the crowds as at times the weather can get suffocating.But while the Sri Lankan board might not be earning from gate money receipts but they are well off thanks to a long-time lucrative sponsorship deals including US$50 million for the sale of television rights until 2008. Which is why the nine players who have been given central contracts by the board get paid a top monthly salary of 300,000 rupees (US$2800) besides the senior ones like Jayasuriya and Muralitharan also get paid match fees according to seniority basis, with the highest slab being approximately 600,000 rupees (US$5600) per match.

Lancashire are now likely to stay at Old Trafford© Getty Images

Lancashire have said a final decision on whether they will relocate to East Manchester will be made by the end of the summer. The idea was first suggested towards the end of 2003, but the timing of a final announcement has been constantly put back by feasibility studies and negations with Trafford Council.Jim Cumbes, the chief executive, said: “I can’t see it dragging on much longer. We will definitely have made a decision by mid or late summer.” After the initial excitement created by the idea, the chances of the move going ahead have rapidly diminished. It would have seen Lancashire join Manchester City at the Sportcity complex, used for the Commonwealth Games.The current location of the club, just half a mile away from Manchester United, has its advantages. The Metrolink tram stops just outside the ground, and the association with a famous football club has boosted the club’s finances, especially during the winter months, with hospitality and the Old Trafford Lodge being particularly successful.Recent work at Old Trafford has also suggested that the prospect of a move is disappearing. Another stand as been demolished, temporary seating will take the capacity to 22,000 for the Ashes Test, and the likely decision will be to plough more money into the current ground.

The Indian women’s team has pooh-poohed suggestions that poor umpiring played a part in the drawn one-off Test against New Zealand at Vapi. A senior member of the Indian think-tank said: “There was one decision that went against them, but that means nothing. When they were bowling, they were appealing for everything. Even when there was no chance of a dismissal they would go up, especially their keeper.”There has been a suggestion that the New Zealand team were upset with the decision that went against Kate Pulford, their opening bat. In the second innings, a sharp delivery from Neetu David, the left-arm spinner, turned across the face of the bat as Pulford shaped to play. A loud shout for caught behind was upheld. Slow-motion replays showed that the ball may not have hit the bat – but anyone who saw the replay would have to admit that there was enough doubt for the decision to go either way.”To complain about the standard of umpiring simply based on one dismissal is silly,” said an official. “The New Zealand team appealed so much that the umpires got wise. Beyond a point, they were appealing for everything, and became frustrated that things were not going their way. That, more than anything, was the cause of complaints.”The slow, low-scoring Test ended in a draw. The teams now play a five-match one-day series, which starts in Mumbai on Thursday (Dec 4).

SYDNEY, Dec 21 AAP – Steve Waugh has once again endorsed Stuart MacGill as the replacement for the injured Shane Warne as selectors sit down to pick their side for the fourth Test against England.MacGill was given little opportunity to make a last-minute impression in NSW’s Pura Cup game against Victoria at the SCG today, with the Blues beaten convincingly by nine wickets.The 31-year-old leggie took 3-56 from 25.5 overs in Victoria’s first innings, including a spell of 3-16, but wasn’t used today as the Bushrangers cruised to an outright victory inside three days.However, Waugh believes MacGill’s record in Test cricket – he’s taken 82 wickets in 17 matches – should count in his favour when the selectors name the side for the Boxing Day Test tomorrow.”He’s a quality bowler. I have gone on record that he’s in the top couple of spinners in the world,” Waugh said.”It’s up to the selectors now whether they decide he’s the next one to be picked or it’s Nathan Hauritz or Brad Hogg or whoever else is turning the ball in Australia.”He’s a quality bowler. He’s done well at Test cricket.”Waugh also rejected suggestions Australia should replace Warne with a pace bowler despite the success of speed on the MCG this summer.”I think for the balance of any attack you’re better off playing a spinner than a four-pronged pace attack, unless you’re the West Indies of the 70s and 80s and they had four outstanding quicks,” Waugh said.”But I think for the balance of the side and to give you options on day four or five you’re better off having a spinner there.”