Confusion over the match between India and Pakistan Legends sides, originally revealed by Cricinfo on October 18, appears to have been slightly eased with the announcement at the weekend that the game is set to take place on March 3 at the 60,000-capacity Rogers Centre in Toronto.Ben Sennik, the president of the Canadian Cricket Association, confirmed the game was going ahead at a press conference in Toronto. He said that the event has the full support of the Canadian board and added he anticipated a sell-out crowd. “We should make it a point to be part of this event to show our support for Cricket in Canada,” he concluded.S Madan Lal, the former India Test player who is managing the Indian side, insisted that the game was being taken very seriously and that two well-balanced teams were being brought to Toronto. Players such as Ajay Jadeja, Venkatesh Prasad, Wasim Akram and Saeed Anwar were among those who would play.There was, however, no mention of Mohammad Azharuddin who was originally announced as the captain of the Indian side.

Ireland have confirmed the 15-man squad who will participate in the first division of the World Cricket League in Kenya. The six-team tournament runs from January 30 until February 7 and features the top six ranked countries below Test level, namely Kenya, Scotland, Ireland, Canada, Netherlands and Bermuda.An added incentive for the Irish to do well is the fact that the top two finishers will receive $250,000 and a place in the inaugural ICC Twenty20 Championships, which are to be held in South Africa in September 2007.The squad will again be captained by Trent Johnston, and contains the same 15 players who led Ireland to European Championship glory in Glasgow this summer. Irish coach Adrian Birrell is looking forward immensely to the WCL, saying: “It should be very competitive cricket with so much at stake. The players have been working very hard over the winter months, and we set off in early January for Port Elizabeth to continue our preparations. I’m confident that the players will be in ideal shape come the commencement of the competition. We have no injury worries or availability problems, so the squad has taken on a very settled look.”Warren Deutrom, the newly installed chief executive of Irish cricket, looked forward to 2007 saying, “It’s a great time to be at the helm of Irish cricket. The next 12 months will be without a doubt the most memorable in Irish cricket, and I’m delighted to be involved. I’d like to wish Adrian and the team all the best in their endeavours, and I’m sure they’ll do us all proud.”Ireland squad Trent Johnston (capt), Andre Botha, Jeremy Bray, Kenny Carroll, Peter Gillespie, Dave Langford-Smith, Kyle Mc Callan, John Mooney, Paul Mooney, Eoin Morgan, Kevin O’ Brien, Niall O’ Brien, William Porterfield, Boyd Rankin, Andrew White.

Nathan Astle has retired from international cricket, citing a lack of motivation just six weeks before what would have been his fourth World Cup. Astle told a press conference at Perth his international career was over but he was undecided on whether to continue at first-class level.”I have been fighting this day for about eight months,” Astle said. “I so desperately wanted to go to my fourth World Cup, but deep down inside I knew that I was lacking motivation and the enjoyment levels were just not there.”Probably the first indications were last year when I was having a good run and not really enjoying the success that I was having. But because I wanted to go to the World Cup I probably fudged over these feelings, which was fine until about a month ago when it really started to hit home that this was no longer the place for me. Enjoyment has always been a huge factor for why I play the game and when that faltered I knew it was time to move on.”Once I had made the decision that I would not be going to the World Cup, for the sake of the team, I needed to go as soon as possible to make way for another player. I don’t believe it would have been fair on my team mates to hold on.”One of New Zealand’s most successful limited-overs cricketers who also built a respectable 81-Test career, Astle called it quits after a disappointing start to the CB Series in which he scored 0, 45, 0 and 1. He has also struggled in Test matches recently, averaging only 24.30 from his last eight games.Astle, 35, leaves the game as New Zealand’s third-most capped player and second-highest run-scorer in ODI cricket, with 7090 runs at 34.92 from his 223 appearances. In Test matches, he is fourth on his country’s list of most games and fourth on the run tally. His 4702 Test runs came at an average of 37.02 from 81 matches.His 16 ODI centuries – by far the most of any New Zealand player – rank him equal ninth on the all-time list and above such legends as Viv Richards and Adam Gilchrist. His most recent hundred came early last year when he finished unbeaten on 118 as New Zealand wrapped up a series win against West Indies at Christchurch.A destructive top-order batsman and nagging medium-pace bowler, Astle first appeared on the international scene in 1995 when at the age of 23 he made his limited-overs debut under Ken Rutherford against West Indies at Auckland. It took four games to make his mark – 95 opening the batting against Sri Lanka – and in early 1996 the Canterbury batsman was given his first taste of Test cricket.

Back-to-back hundreds on a tour of West Indies in his third and fourth Tests earned him a permanent place in the side and he peaked in 2002 with the fastest Test double-century. He reached the milestone in only 153 balls against England at Christchurch and went on to finish with 222, his highest Test score.The later stages of his career have been far from smooth sailing and it was just over a year ago that Astle was dropped from the one-day side to make way for Stephen Fleming, who was returning from paternal leave. John Bracewell, the New Zealand coach, said at the time he wanted to expand the team’s depth ahead of the World Cup. But Astle returned with a string of outstanding scores, including the 118 against West Indies, before struggling to have any impact at the Champions Trophy and in the CB Series.Fleming said he would miss his most experienced offsider out on the field. “Nath was a very uncomplicated, naturally aggressive player who was just great to watch,” Fleming said. “He was also a great sounding board for me as a captain because of his calmness and consistency. He will be missed.”Bracewell said it would be hard to fill the gap Astle had left. “Statistically his record puts him into the position of greatness but probably the greatest loss will be his stability and influence inside the team,” he said. But Bracewell said the timing of Astle’s announcement left a lot to be desired.”It was a bit of a shock to all of us and quite disruptive to our plans but I respect his decision,” Bracewell said. “Timing’s never great this close to a big tournament and Nathan was going to be a serious part of that because of his experience and the younger players he was assisting to mentor.”

Arjuna Ranatunga, the former Sri Lankan captain, has said that winning the World Cup in 1996 was the worst thing that happened to Sri Lankan cricket.”As a country it was the best thing that happened [winning the 1996 World Cup] but to our cricket it was the worst thing to happen because it opened the door for all unwanted elements to get involved in cricket administration,” said Ranatunga. “After the World Cup a lot of money got into our system. Players’ minds changed. Wrong values were given to them. There were people who got into the board to get name and fame. People who wanted to get popular started getting very close to the players by giving them money.”They thought if the players were paid well they would keep their mouths shut, play and go away. They didn’t manage cricket and finance it properly after the World Cup. We are facing the repercussions of it today.”It is so sad to see some of the players who played under my captaincy and the way they behaved. Suddenly they were different. They were like my brothers when they played with me. We used to sit and have meals together,” said Ranatunga. “I don’t blame them; I blame the administrators for what they did. When cricket and money go together it’s a problem. In our time we were never concerned about money. We took what was given to us. Now it is totally different.”Today if you speak to a schoolboy and ask him to play for a club he would ask how much he will get paid for playing. It has gone to that level. There was a time post World Cup 1996 when I attended a captain’s meeting in England and, arriving early morning in Colombo, I went straight to the SSC to play for my club. It doesn’t happen today. When I see such things happening I get sad and angry sometimes. If we continue with this concept we are going into a big mess.”Ranatunga reflected on an unfortunate incident, when prior to the 1996 final his team received a long list from the board stating the benefits they would receive if they won the World Cup. “The players were very hurt because they were never bothered about money. It was a very sad and unhappy experience,” said Ranatunga. “We got about $20,000 for winning the World Cup. We didn’t know that there was prize money. We were only aiming for the trophy. That’s the difference between then and now.”Ranatunga was of the opinion if Sri Lanka picked the right team and planned properly they could win the 2007 World Cup. “Picking the right team is the key factor. If you want to win the World Cup the captain must pick the side he wants. He has a lot of responsibility, more than the selectors. The captain and his team carry the hopes of 19 million people.””I have a lot of respect for (Tom) Moody, the way he has brought this side up. He is a person who is committed at the moment to Sri Lanka cricket. I have a lot of confidence in this side. This may be our last chance of getting close to a final. I hope that they will not lose their heads.”

After two severe batting collapses against Australia and Sri Lanka, Herschelle Gibbs has urged South Africa’s middle-order batsmen to build on the solid starts provided by the top order.”The guys are firing up front and it would be good for our middle order to fire as well,” Gibbs told . “In order to win a tournament like this you need a big team effort and along with that team effort comes individual performances and the guys are good enough to turn it all around in one game. I wouldn’t say it’s a problem right now. The guys up the order have been setting it up, we just need the middle order to get in there and bat with the same intensity.”Chasing 378 for victory in their final Group A match against Australia, South Africa were on course at 220 for 1 in the 32nd over, but they were eventually dismissed for 294. It got worse in the Super Eights match against Sri Lanka on Wednesday. South Africa needed only five runs off 31 balls with five wickets in hand but Lasith Malinga took four wickets in four balls and it was left to Robin Peterson to edge South Africa home with a wicket to spare.”We learnt the lesson of not completing the innings with the same intensity with which we started it,” Gibbs said. “That’s what happens when you drop the intensity, it takes four good balls to turn the game on its head. It was an interesting experience and very, very nice to come away with a win. But it was a big lesson for all the batsmen who batted at the end.”I don’t normally have the stomach for matches like that. I’m normally the first one hiding in the toilets at the back of the change room, not able to watch. But I sat through it this time and witnessed every ball and had a drink very quickly after it was finished. Maybe we just took things for granted and weren’t clinical enough at the end of the innings. But the lesson has been learned and the same mistake won’t be made again.”South Africa’s next match is against Ireland on Tuesday in Guyana and Gibbs said there was no way they would underestimate the Irish challenge. “We know they are a dangerous team and we know you can’t take anything for granted,” he said. “If you disrespect your opponents you will come short. The games are hotting up now. It’s a big time in the tournament and we can’t relax.”

Darren Sammy said he was “shattered” to miss West Indies’ tour of India earlier this year but his focus is now squarely on a potential Test debut in England. Sammy, the first international cricketer to emerge from St Lucia, believes his experience in English conditions could help him make the most of the two-month tour.Sammy was named in the squad to visit India in January but sustained an injury shortly before the team departed. He said missing the trip might have hurt his chances of making the World Cup squad but he had moved on since then.”I was out in the wilderness for a few years after playing my last international game and it was one of the major disappointments of my career to get injured the day before we had to travel to India,” Sammy said. “But this is Test cricket and it is where you get a true test of you character and you have to be physically, mentally and skilfully prepared to be successful.”Sammy has spent the past fortnight playing league cricket in Lancashire and believes his knowledge of the conditions will increase his chances of a Test call-up. “I have been playing for Crompton Cricket Club and that has helped me to get acclimatised,” he said.”Since 2003 I have been playing in England annually so I think I am very familiar with the conditions here. So far the pitches have played well because unlike previous years the batsmen have been getting a lot of runs in county cricket with two players scoring double-centuries so far.”Sammy said being part of the Test squad was a great privilege but he felt he had earned his place. “I was not very surprised by my selection because I have been putting in some hard work over the past few years and I have been getting good results,” he said. “I have never played Test cricket so it will be a challenge but it is a hurdle I’m prepared to jump over.”

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

Gautam Gambhir’s second one-day century, and a promising three-wicketdebut for Piyush Chawla were the highlights as India sealed the one-dayseries against Bangladesh with a comprehensive 46-run victory in a matchreduced to 49 overs a side by early-morning drizzle. Aftab Ahmed’s brisk40 gave Bangladesh a glimmer of hope early on, but needing to overhaul284, they fell a fair way short on a sluggish pitch.But while it was the slow-bowling duo of Chawla and Ramesh Powar thatapplied the tourniquet, it was Zaheer Khan that made the initialincisions. When Bangladesh upset India at Port-of-Spain in March, TamimIqbal had given him a bit of a pasting, and he repeated the treatment inthe opening match of this series. But lightning didn’t strike thrice, asindecisive calling deprived Bangladesh of Tamim’s services with only 18on the board.He struck a delivery from Zaheer to mid-off and started to run, only for ayes-no routine from Javed Omar to leave him hopelessly short as heattempted to regain his ground. Harsh words were exchanged as Tamim walkedoff, but the damage had been done. The innings badly needed some momentumat that stage and it came from Aftab, who started with a gloriousstraight-drive off Zaheer before clipping Munaf Patel nonchalantly overmidwicket for six. When another shot was smashed through the off side,Rahul Dravid strengthened the cordon, but he was helpless when a ball wasdriven straight at his midriff with immense power.One of the heroes of the victory over Australia at Cardiff in 2005, Aftabhad no qualms about adopting the unorthodox, and when Zaheer came roundthe wicket, he moved inside the line and scooped one down to fine leg,before a heads-up charge sent another shot sailing over point and down tothe rope.Omar’s attempt to emulate his partner only resulted in him misreading aslower delivery from Zaheer and chipping to cover, and India’s positionwas strengthened minutes later when Saqibul Hasan, who saw a loft justbypass midwicket, nibbled one behind the stumps.Aftab carried on regardless, dispatching Munaf over cover for four,prompting Dravid to call for spin in the 15th over. Chawla’s first ballwas crashed through the covers for four, but he soon settled down tobeguile the batsmen with his variety, especially a well-disguised googlythat few of the batsmen were able to pick.It accounted for Ashraful, who chopped one on, and when Aftab’s 41-ballinnings ended with a tame charge to Ramesh Powar, Bangladesh were down forthe count at 92 for 5. Mushfiqur Rahim played some lovely strokes down theground while adding 59 with Habibul Bashar, but the captain’swait-and-watch approach saw the asking-rate spiral out of reach. By thetime the big hits came – Mashrafe Mortaza took four sixes and 26 runs offa Dinesh Mongia over – they were nothing more than consolation for theraucous crowd at the Sher-e-Bangla Stadium.Earlier, India’s top order put in an improved performance in thesweltering heat, mixing energetic running with clever placement into thegaps. Sloppy catching helped – Gambhir survived two tough chances – butthe lower order couldn’t quite cash in the chips as Bangladesh foughtback.Having spent years on the periphery, Gambhir knew the importance ofseizing limited chances. As in the first match, he began at a rapid clip,whipping erratic deliveries to square leg, before settling down to nurdlea patient fifty. He had to battle the oppressive conditions, forced to usea runner towards the latter part of the innings after being afflicted bycramp, but still managed to pierce the field on a regular basis.His footwork to the spinners was decisive, and he repeatedly targetted thegaps at midwicket and extra-cover. Unlike the more experienced VirenderSehwag, who succumbed to the temptation of trying to whack every ball outof the ground, Gambhir paced his innings impressively. His attempts toaccelerate in the latter half of his innings were affected by hiscondition – a hobble followed nearly every stroke – but he carried ongamely to three figures.

Earlier, Bangladesh had been guilty of frittering away opportunities.Mortaza was back, and Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who helped stabilise theinnings with 36, edged him twice, only for the ball to drop short of firstslip on each occasion. Abdur Razzak also found the outside edge of Dhoni’sbat in his first over, but there was no slip in place to snaffle thechance. Soon after, he fluffed a flat-batted swat as Dhoni went on to add87 with Gambhir.Gambhir had his share of good fortune too – an inside-edge off a fizzingRazzak delivery just eluded Rahim’s clutches – but for the most part, thebatsmen rotated the strike without much ado. Though it was a must-wingame, Bashar didn’t set attacking fields, especially for his trio ofleft-arm spinners.Dravid ensured that he stayed on till the end, watching the lower orderplay some rash strokes. He had worked out the pitch better than most,nudging the ball around for most of his innings even as Bangladesh’sbowlers ensured that there would be no late run-glut. Their initialprofligacy, however, cost them dearly, as two of Indian cricket’smen-on-the-fringe seized their moment.

Talat Ali, manager of the Pakistan team, has dampened down rumours of disgruntlement within the side over the appointment of Salman Butt as vice-captain, saying there is “complete harmony” among players.Local reports over the last few days have said that senior members of the team are unhappy with the promotion of Butt to Shoaib Malik’s deputy. The move surprised many when it was announced, given that Butt had only just returned to the side after a spell on the sidelines and also his general inexperience: he has only played 14 Tests and 26 ODIs since his debut in 2003. He replaced Mohammad Asif, who was vice-captain for one series against Sri Lanka in Abu Dhabi.”There is complete harmony in my team and if some people are saying otherwise then they have malicious intentions,” Ali told . “These are false reports. There have been no revolts and there will be no revolts. Our team is slowly turning into a well-oiled unit and we are looking forward our future assignments,” he added.His comments came a day after it was alleged that the manager had a showdown with Shahid Afridi during the team’s recently-concluded training camp in Abbottabad. The incident is said to have occurred on the team bus after training. Butt entered the bus only to find the best seats already taken up.Ali apparently asked Afridi, one of the most experienced members of the side, to offer his seat to the “new vice-captain”, which led to harsh words being exchanged. Ali said the incident had been blown out of proportion and was “no big deal.””I just said (to some of the junior players) that one of you should offer his seat to Salman, he is your vice-captain. It was Afridi who said that ‘he can take my seat, after all he is the vice-captain’. I told him (Afridi) to stay where he is and that some junior boy would vacate his seat but he was insistent and I had to tell him firmly to stop it. That is all that happened and now people are trying to make stories of it,” he explained.Ali admitted, however, that Afridi sounded a “bit sarcastic” in his offer. “He did sound a bit bitter but that was all.”The incident is the latest in Pakistan cricket’s attempts to wean away the hierarchical structure where seniority, of years and matches, and not always performance holds sway in decision-making. The appointment of Malik as captain was seen as one step and the imminent introduction of central contracts which give heavy weightage to performances in the preceding year is another. The promotion of Butt, still not a regular in either form of the game, is seen by many as possibly a step too far.

On a day when their new-ball bowlers were smattered in the first session, their third seamer over-stepped on 15 occasions and their fielders let slip three catches, the Indians could take heart from Zaheer Khan’s spell in the middle session, one that read: 7-3-10-2. It was an effort that both Andrew Strauss, captain of the England Lions, and Venkatesh Prasad, India’s bowling coach, spoke highly of and would serve as a consolation at the end of a tough opening day.A year back Zaheer was uttering phrases like “all I want to do is be back in the side” and “I’m desperate to return”. He was at Worcestershire, troubling batsmen in the second division of the County Championship, and doing his best away from the spotlight. It was an experience that got him fitter, gave him a chance to bowl long spells and enabled him to return to England as India’s spearhead. He ended as the highest wicket-taker in the division (78 wickets in 16 games) and helped Worcestershire gain promotion.He wasn’t at his best on the opening day at Chelmsford. He struggled with his length in the first spell, though he got rid of the out-of-form Andrew Strauss, struggled with his line in the second, when he strayed down leg, before turning up for an inspired seven-over burst in the middle.He showed the value of experience – keeping it on and around off – and mixed his length well. Jonathan Trott, who recently made his England one-day debut, was forced to edge to first slip in a sequence that read yorker, slash and miss, leading edge, outside edge. Tim Ambrose, the Lions’ wicketkeeper, was taunted from over-the-wicket before he quickly changed to round the stumps and induced the edge. The bowlers had discussed a specific plan at the lunch break, as Prasad was to reveal later, and decided to avoid the trap of keeping it too full or too short. Bowling back of a length and mixing up the angles worked just fine.”Being a left-armer adds something to your armoury, something most batsman aren’t used to and he can swing it both ways,” said Strauss of Zaheer. “He knows what he’s doing with the ball and is someone to watch out for from the Indian side.”The fact that Sharma sent down 15 no-balls, on a day when he hardly threatened, didn’t seem to worry Prasad. “He’s just 18, he’s bowling well in the nets and this is a chance for him to learn. He’s shown signs of improvement and will be better off after this experience.”But were India anywhere close to deciding their third seamer for the first Test at Lord’s? “RP Singh has been the most impressive,” said Prasad providing a clear indication but quickly added, “Ranadeb Bose and Ishant have done well too. It’s upto the team management to finally decide.”Strauss said he was happy with the total but cautioned that they’d get an indication of how good a total it was only when they bowled on the pitch tomorrow. “Bresnan batted exceptionally well and both he and Broad saved us today,” he said. “Broad showed what talent he has with the bat and Bresnan we all knew had a lot of capability anyway. At 380-odd at the end of the day we’re pretty happy with that, a few guys have shown what they can do.”Strauss himself didn’t make much of an impact though, and couldn’t get much practice before the first Test at Lord’s, starting on July 19. “I was looking forward to getting a big one but there is a second innings to come and hopefully things will turn around. I was feeling pretty jaded at the end of the last Test at Durham [against West Indies] and felt I needed some time away. It was a case of getting myself ready for the Tests and part of it involved technical work indoors before hitting the ground running with Middlesex. Hopefully I can get a good score in the second dig, before the first Test.”

Tim Bresnan has signed a new two-year contract with Yorkshire that will keep him at Headingley until 2009.Bresnan, 22, has taken 131 first-class wickets at 31.81 since 2001, and last week hit a career-best 126 not out for England Lions against the touring Indians at Chelmsford. He was recently named in England’s 30-man preliminary squad for the inaugural Twenty20 World Championships that take place in South Africa in September.”I’m delighted to pledge my future to Yorkshire,” said Bresnan. “The arrival of Darren Gough, as captain, and Martyn Moxon, as director of cricket, has been really exciting for all of the players here. The club is going from strength to strength and this is the place where I want to play my cricket. We’ve got some massive games around the corner and a chance to win a trophy for Yorkshire’s loyal supporters.”Moxon said: “It is great news that Tim is staying with us. He’s popular in the dressing room and works hard for the team. Although people class him as a bowling all-rounder, the hundreds he scored at The Oval and in the recent England Lions match show that his batting is getting better all the time.”Stewart Regan, Yorkshire chief executive, said: “Tim is a quality allrounder and an important part of the club’s future. This is why we are all delighted he has signed a new deal, which will put an end to recent newspaper speculation surrounding his future. Tim has had a taste of international cricket and wants more England caps and I am sure those will come if he continues to improve and work hard. He belongs in a cap with a White Rose on it.”