© The Daily Telegraph

In The Independent, Angus Fraser reveals that he has actually seen the ball at the heart of the whole row:

The state of the ball surprised me. It was protected in bubble wrap and treated as though it was part of a murder investigation. My first impression was that there was not a great deal wrong with it. I expected there to be more. This was not a ball that was about to reverse swing - the phenomenon created by the type of ball-tampering the Pakistan side had been accused of - extravagantly. The seam and quarter seam were in as good a condition as you would expect from a ball that was 56 overs old. They had definitely not been tampered with. There was a contrast between the two sides of the ball, as there always is. This is because one side has sweat and spit put on to it and is polished, while the other is left alone. The darker side is the one that has been polished and it generally looks tidier, while the other side always appears rougher.

In The Daily Telegraph, Simon Hughes, who was one of the expert witnesses called to the hearing, said the conclusion was:

A victory for common sense, an entity that had been in short supply at that same venue a month earlier … it emerged during the hearing that that afternoon was one of allegation, obfuscation, provocation and indignation resulting in the forfeiture of a Test match. There was chaos behind the scenes in the pavilion after tea. At the very moment officials were indulging in desperate brinkmanship with the enraged Pakistanis, the on-field umpires were independently removing the bails to declare the match awarded to England. It is clear that, with a bit of discretion here and a deep breath there, this fiasco would never have come about.

In a column in the same paper which will infuriate those who back Pakistan’s indignation, Derek Pringle offers a different take on why Hair was appointed to so many Pakistan matches:

According to one umpiring source, he has warned them about suspected malpractice over the ball eight times in that period [four Test series in 14 months], so the Oval, despite the sketchy evidence, may have been a last straw. Perhaps the question the PCB need to ask themselves is why Hair, a stubborn but principled man, was given so many of their Tests to stand in? Could it have been that the ICC wanted the team's wilder excesses to be placed in check by an umpire bold enough to take on the players?

	© The Guardian

Boycott in particular delivered a veritable tour de force. At one point, he took the infamous match ball in his hand, held it up and said: "That's a good ball, not just a playable ball. Boycott also took exception to the idea that an accusation of cheating should be tolerated. "If me or any of my friends were ever called a cheat," he told the hearing, the accuser would be "decked with a bunch of fives".

Elsewhere in The Guardian, Mike Selvey suggests that Hair has been stitched up by the ICC and that he is effectively finished … and the excuse put forward for his omission from the Champions Trophy is risible:

To invoke grounds of safety and security, when he has received by all accounts a single cranky email and no other threat, is just an expedient way of keeping him out of the way. But the umpire himself has said that he has been given no assurances of any firm commitments beyond that, or even an indication that there would be any. He is in limbo, on gardening leave, technically employed but actually unemployable.

In The Times, Simon Barnes believes that Hair “stood on the authority of his office, but a changing world had moved on without him”. He continues:

My colleague, Christopher Martin-Jenkins, is concerned that insufficient respect for the umpire is a recipe for anarchy. With both respect and affection, I am inclined to disagree. I think that if the umpire gets too much authority, there will be occasions when the authority is abused.

In the Daily Mail, Nasser Hussain raised a question over a man who was at the heart of the behind-the-scenes shenanigans but who has somehow escaped almost unscathed – mathc referee Mike Procter:

Procter didn’t do his job properly … he sat there for five days worrying about small things like illegal logos, but when something major came up he did nothing about it.

Also in the Daily Mail, Mike Dickson is of the view that whatever the rights and wrongs of what Hair did, he has not been treated well by the ICC. At The Oval he faced the media without a lawyer sitting next to him, as Shaharyar Khan and Ranjan Madugalle had, and no other official involved at the match was asked to stand up to be counted:

Hair has been hung out to dry or cut adrift might be a more appropriate metaphor.

	Ranjan Madugalle and David Pannick QC prepare for the hearing yesterday © Getty Images

In The Daily Telegraph, Simon Briggs claims that the Pakistan Cricket Board’s legal team are ahead on points:

In the course of the hearing, it became clear that Darrell Hair and Billy Doctrove — the umpires at the centre of last month's ball-tampering storm — had not fully followed protocol during the emotional and chaotic afternoon of Aug 20. Insiders say this has weakened their case substantially.

The mood of the meeting is reported to have been largely sympathetic towards Pakistan. While it has been acknowledged that Inzamam's sit-in protest was inappropriate, the umpires' conduct has provided Pakistan's lawyers with an opportunity to argue extenuating circumstances.

He adds that the PCB will argue that the disrepute charges should be kicked out as a result, and furthermore:

Extended to its logical limits, this argument could be used to support a change in the result of the game, which would then become a draw or no-result rather than an England win. But this will not happen, if only because of the upheaval it would cause within the betting industry.

In The Times, Matthew Pryor also suggests that things are going Pakistan’s way:

With so many lawyers in the room, the ball-tampering allegations that, if proved, would lead to only a fine or a ban of one Test match or two one-day internationals, are likely to be thrown out. There would seem to be a lack of the evidence required in a court, if not by ICC rules. If the verdict goes against them, Pakistan are likely to appeal or take Darrell Hair, the umpire, or the ICC to court. But they may yet be celebrating with President Musharraf, of Pakistan, who arrives in London tomorrow to meet Tony Blair, at a function in Park Lane.

© Getty Images

Ricky Ponting has enough on his own plate without worrying about Andrew Flintoff, writes Mike Selvey.

Aside from his batting, we shouldn't worry too much about Ponting, whom one eminent Test cricketer of recent vintage, who is familiar with him, described to me as a panicker.

Following pedigree leaders such as Allan Border, Mark Taylor and Steve Waugh would always be a tough call but these words of wisdom come from someone who relinquished the hold on the Ashes that his predecessors had established, got in such a lather over substitute fielders that even Duncan Fletcher cracked a smile and who in Malaysia recently was forced to hand over his match fee following a rant over a wide delivery in a no-account game in a competition to match.

Is the word 'Pom' is an abusive term, asks Andrew Mueller:

The view of Australia's human rights and equal opportunities commission is that Pom, while hardly a compliment, isn't quite an insult: it has ruled that Australian fans may utter it, though it wearily acknowledges that Pom might stray into the realm of racism when deployed in conjunction with words commonly associated with the term.

	© Daily Telegraph

Today, a report by Christopher Martin-Jenkins in The Times claims that Inzamam did not act on his own in refusing to resume play after tea but was persuaded by others.

The refusal to take the field may not have been his idea but that of Waqar Younis, the touring team’s bowling coach, or one of the other senior figures in or around the Pakistan dressing-room at the time, The source said that Waqar, who was suspended and fined in 2000 when found guilty of changing the condition of the ball by a referee in Colombo, took Inzamam into the lavatory for a secret discussion at the start of the tea interval, from which point the situation spiralled out of control.

In The Guardian, David Hopps concentrates on the roles of the officials, and particularly that of Mike Procter, the match referee, whose actions, or lack of them, make him appear increasing ineffectual:

Pakistan's lawyers will also claim that the match referee, Mike Procter, failed for several hours to inform Pakistan of the ruling by umpire Hair that they had forfeited the match. They will argue that it was this breakdown of communication, rather than any act of rebellion led by Pakistan's captain, Inzamam-ul-Haq, that was primarily responsible for the Test not continuing.

In The Daily Telegraph, Mihir Bose claims that Billy Doctrove was at odds with Darrell Hair and Procter.

I understand that Hair and … Procter, have strongly declared that they believe the ball was tampered with. In contrast, Doctrove's statement is far less strong and open to interpretation that he may not be entirely convinced that this is the case. That Doctrove should have doubts is no surprise. In his match report on the incident he is said to have suggested that the umpires allowed play to continue for a few more overs to identify what caused the ball to change condition. Hair, though, persuaded him that if the ball had changed condition it should be replaced immediately. Doctrove agreed.

Bose goers on to state that Inzamam’s defence will centre on suggestions he was unaware of much going on around him:

[His] statement is believed to include further evidence of how the Pakistani captain saw that dramatic Sunday's play. I understand Inzamam says he did not see Hair's signal awarding England five runs, did not know why the ball was changed, and only realised what had happened in the dressing room. He will admit that the team's failure to take the field after tea was a mark of protest against the ball-tampering charge but that he did not know Pakistan stood to forfeit the match if his team failed to take the field.

	© Daily Mail

Drafts of a few general questions had been forwarded to representatives of Kevin Pietersen, Ian Bell and Paul Collingwood — who were all at the crease around the time of the furore. The Professional Cricketers’ Association have sought assurances about the confidentiality of their replies. However, there was no followup from the ICC and the players have gone on holiday.

In The Independent, Angus Fraser summed things up:

One side will, undoubtedly, claim victory but the whole affair has done nothing but damage to the game.

Mark Ramprakash, named the Professional Cricketers' Association Player of the Year, reveals, in a column in The Independent, the secret of his success.

In the same paper, Chris Adams, captain of the victorious Sussex, talks about the art of captaincy on a shoestring budget.

	While Matthew Hayden hopes to strike such a pose at the Gabba, Lillee and Thomson will be manning the beaches of Queensland © Getty Images

After decades of wasting their summers at Lord's, the SCG and Sabina Park, a clique of ageing Test cricketers has finally realised what the rest of us have known for years - the best games are played on the beach.

Mark Waugh, Damien Fleming and Dean Jones will make up the rest of the local side, which will face off old adversaries such as Courtney Walsh, Joel Garner, Curtly Ambrose, Graham Gooch, Allan Lamb and Graham Hick in the international clashes.

One side of the field will be constantly under water, which has caused concern for some of the West Indies players and the English, who either cannot swim or have heard too much about the man-eaters that surf at our beaches.

Amid his fraught preparations for the hearings, Inzamam-ul-Haq talks to the Guardian about life, religion and Shoaib Akhtar.

Inzamam and a majority of the Pakistan team are the most visible adherents of the Tablighi Jama'at, a south Asian Islamic movement related to the austere and uncompromising Deobandi sect. Its latest recruit is the batsman Mohammad Yousuf, formerly Yousuf Youhana, who converted from Christianity. Yousuf now regularly leads the team in prayer.

"Over the past four years, there has been a change in the Pakistan team," Inzamam says. "If you look at the team, its entire reputation has changed. In the past, before my captaincy, we used to be routinely accused of match-fixing and other scandals. Now, all the boys pray together, collectively, five times a day. There is greater unity in the team. And we are widely respected as a team with integrity."

The Challenger Trophy in Chennai will see a host of youngsters making their debut on the big scene. In the Kolkata-based daily Telegraph, Mohandas Menon gives a brief summary of their careers.

	© Getty Images

The case containing them will have its own separate business class seat on the flight from London. It will not leave the wrist of Mr Chadwick, the MCC museum curator, who will be the only person to handle the urn during its four-month stay in Australia. Arrangements are being made to clear it through customs, including paperwork covering materials, value and provenance, a 24 hour acclimatisation period at the museum and a detailed examination. Every scratch, stain and mark is noted and photographed.

	Lancashire's season ended in farce at The Rose Bowl © Getty Images

In The Guardian, Colin Shindler, who watches more Lancashire games than most, looked back at the season and its unsatisfactory end.

It was somehow appropriate that Lancashire's season expired at the Rose Bowl in circumstances of pure farce. It was symbolic of a season that promised so much and delivered, again, so little. On Friday we had stared mournfully as the rainwater collected in gloomy puddles on the covers. On Saturday we had the unedifying spectacle of Hampshire bowling virtually unplayable "moon" balls at Lancashire batsmen who were too embarrassed to acknowledge the conventional landmarks of their innings.

But whereas many spluttered and moaned that Lancashire’s failure this time was down to the weather – and they were hit by more than their fair share of rain-blighted games – Shindler is unconvinced.

It also rains quite frequently on the other side of the Pennines but everyone knows that Yorkshire's failure to win the championship more than once since 1968 is because they have had some poor teams and a divided club. It is about time the inept Lancashire committee stood up and admitted as much. Instead they can only splutter that the ECB has taken away their Test match.

The build-up to the World Cup continues to throw up issues … will the grounds be ready, will the infrastructure cope? But a row has broken out in Antigua over a proposal to license sex workers in the region in time for the tournament.

If people thought that being accosted by one of the ICC’s zealous anti-branding rottweilers was an issue, the Antigua Sun put them straight.

Under the Immigration and Passport Act, if an immigration officer suspects that a person is coming into the country to behave in the manner of a prostitute the officer has the authority to refuse entry.

Moves are being floated to recriminalise prostitution in time for the event – although surely the ICC should investigate the apparent links between cricket and sex – but Clyde Walker, Antigua’s chief immigration officer, had a serious warning that security officials had enough to cope with trying to "keep out terrorists, deportees, travelling criminals, and undesirables".

	Shane Warne wasn't amused by Lancashire's tactics © Getty Images

Hardly a week goes by when Shane Warne doesn't find himself in the news for all the wrong reasons and it will come as no surprise to learn that the past 48 hours have been no different, writes Richard Boock in The New Zealand Herald.

His latest circus act came during the final round of the English County Championship on Saturday when he vented his spleen at Lancashire for not declaring their second innings closed in the interests of creating an exciting finish.The Hampshire import was so incensed that he began bowling donkey-drops and other apparently ridiculous deliveries; at one point sending down a stream of bouncers and being no-balled for throwing.

	Better with the bat than the ball...for now © Getty Images

Opinion remains divided surrounding Cameron White. A superb summer at Somerset, whom he captained in place of the injured Ian Blackwell, he retained captaincy of his Victoria for the forthcoming season. But while his captaincy credentials are not in doubt, his allround game is; of his two facets, it is his batting which has most developed, argues Lyall Johnson in The Age

White's season with Somerset also confused the argument as to where he should bat in the order. White himself is happy to bat wherever is best for team balance, but clearly enjoyed coming in at No. 5 for Somerset and No. 3 in the limited-overs matches. He has batted mainly at No. 6 and No. 7 in four-day cricket in Victoria and numerous spots in one-day matches. Last season, he batted at No. 6 in the Pura Cup, with Jon Moss shifted back to No. 7. White's numbers with the ball for Somerset weren't quite as impressive. He grabbed only 15 wickets at an average of 48.20 in the four-day format and eight wickets at 28.50 in one-day games.

Because White is not possessed of a massive leg break, many batsmen in four-day competitions play him as they would a medium pacer, driving him off the front foot because they're unafraid of being beaten off the deck.

The Barmy Army have been entertaining supporting England for a number of years, through the dark depression of the nineties and out into the altogether brighter 2000s. But with the Ashes a mere 59 days, 13 hours, and 28 minutes (ish) away comes the news that Australia are urging their public not only to turn up at the cricket, but beat the Barmies at their own game. Further proof in video format here and here - two commercials airing on Australian TV at the moment.

Never mind the cricket; this winter's real contest could be in the stands.

	It's verdict time for Darrell Hair on September 27 © Getty Images

Given the lack of television evidence, and the absence of any absolute condemnation from the expert witnesses, Inzamam will not be charged with ball tampering. In order for the ICC to save face, however, he will be charged with bringing the game into disrepute and so the blame for the cancellation will be laid firmly at his door. A small rap on the knuckles, maybe a fine and a small suspension, will ensue.

Read the full piece in The Telegraph.

Ramachandra Guha has a look at a few fascinating stories linked to some cricketers' names.

If Pataudi's was the most democratic name change undergone by a cricketer, surely the most charming was that effected by the England fast bowler Bob Willis. He made his first-class debut with the two Christian names his parents gave him. Then he spent a winter following Bob Dylan around the west coast of America. After he returned to England, and cricket, he changed his name by deed-poll to "Robert George Dylan Willis

Read the full piece in The Hindu

Ian Chappell may have been a hard taskmaster during his Australian captaincy days, but as Will Swanton of The Sun Herald observed, meeting Chappell now would 'dispel every ill-conceived notion you had of him'. Chappell's contributions as a cricket writer is as significant as his insightful commentary and he recounts his early days as a writer, and what it takes to succeed in the field.

"There was a quote from Red Smith's son which said the thing he remembered most about his dad's writing was that he used to pore over a word. He just wanted to get the right word. That's always stuck in my mind. I get like that. I think, 'Shit, there's a better word for this'. You find the right word and it lifts the sentence so much."

On the topic of the Ashes, Chappell rates England's chances, and he strongly feels that Andrew Flintoff's appointment as captain is an aggressive move which should serve England well.

Read the full piece here.

Bob Woolmer's recent suggestions to legalise ball-tampering in order to even things out between batsmen and bowlers may not be in the best interests of the game, writes Bob Simpson in Sportstar. The trend of batsmen leaking runs at will has coincided with the decline in bowling standards.

But why, after 100 years plus and in an era which is claimed to be the most scientific and professional ever, do bowlers need outside aid and changes to the law when, for over a century, Test bowlers have used guile, skill, hard work and the mastery of line and length to obtain results? Is it that the modern bowlers have lost all these abilities?

The way forward is for bowlers to keep it simple, like Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne, who've each fetched over 500 Test wickets by just sticking to the basics.

	When Sachin Tendulkar smiles, the world smiles with him © AFP

Cricket fans better stay tuned in as we can expect a long season of action and drama, with the Ashes series and the World Cup ahead, as well as Sachin Tendulkar's return to form, writes Peter Roebuck.

By next April, a hundred issues will have been settled, a thousand rumours will have been heard — some of them almost true — fifty conspiracy theories will have been mooted, none of them well pitched.

Read the full piece in The Hindu.

It's 20 years since India and Australia played out a titanic contest at Madras, only the second tie in the history of Test cricket.

The Times of India revisits the day and speaks to Maninder Singh, the last man to fall, who maintains that he got an inside edge and was wrongly given lbw.

On the other hand, Mid-day, a Mumbai-based tabloid, chats with Vikram Raju, the umpire who delivered the verdict, who sticks by his guns: "My decision was clean as a whistle".

Also read Cricinfo's coverage of the events - Eye-witness accounts from Bobby Simpson, Dean Jones, Greg Matthews and Ravi Shastri. There's also an interview with Dean Jones, who had no hesitation in terming the Test as one that 'marked the renaissance of Australian cricket'.

Ben Dorries attempts a look at the lives of Lara, Tendulkar and Ponting in The Courier-Mail.

Three cricketing worlds collided for a few precious moments in exotic Malaysia as modern-day greats Ricky Ponting, Brian Lara and Sachin Tendulkar chewed the fat in a rare get-together. The private lives of the world's three top batsmen – with 30,766 Test runs between them – could not be more different away from their glossy magazine ads and rich endorsement deals.

AAP's Daniel Brettig writes about Ponting's planned team approach in the early overs of today's game against India.

	Roberts has overseen Flintoff's training for several years - here, pictured in March 2005 on the moors © Getty Images

Simon Hughes follows Andrew Flintoff in and around the hills of Bolton, with Dave 'Rooster' Roberts, as he continues to prepare for strapping on his bowling boots again.

Roberts, who cajoled Ian Botham back to fitness after a back operation in 1988, leads the way. Having lived in the area since boyhood, it is very much his territory. Flintoff, eight weeks after ankle surgery, follows gamely behind. The undulating, uneven terrain would be a good test of a mountain goat never mind a 100kg cricketer in rehab. He exhibits no discomfort as we skirt the water and climb the first of several wooded slopes. Everything is tailored to cricket-specific fitness, so we canter for three minutes, then walk for three, in keeping with a fast bowler's normal match cycle.

We stop at the foot of a steep incline and Flintoff and Wyatt race each other up it three times. The lack of an obvious spring in his step belies Flintoff's power: he wins each time.

We weave through the trees and stiles, running, walking. There is little banter. Just the occasional "off we go again!" from Roberts. Having worked together now for three years, there's an innate understanding between the two men.

A fascinating read at The Telegraph.

	Richard Hadlee suffered Down Under © Getty Images

"Greg took me aside and said I was over-reacting to the crowds and if you antagonise them or show them they are getting to you it will only get worse," Hadlee said. "In the early days as a young puppy I overreacted.

"Greg said forget about the distractions and do your talking with the ball – and at the end of the day there were more Test wickets for me against Australia than any other nation. I think it worked out pretty well.”

In The Australian Malcolm Conn writes about Kerry Packer, another high-profile figure during the 1980s.

Australia's players will today honour the late Kerry Packer as the most influential man in the history of the sport by naming a life membership award after him. Shunning the opportunity to highlight a great player of the game, the Australian Cricketers' Association instead decided to recognise Packer for making the game professional with the introduction of World Series Cricket in 1977, and the ongoing multi-million-dollar support of the Nine network.

There are mountains and there are molehills and The Surfer suspects that the latter is about to turn into the former with the news that a private text allegedly sent by the chairman of Leicestershire, Neil Davidson, has caused much indignation at Somerset, who have lodged a complaint with the ECB. And it’s about girls. Read the sorry saga, as reported in The Times here.

Chloe Saltau reports in The Age how a Victorian country association has resorted to expensive measures to save their turf competition.

At a meeting this week of the Bendigo and District Cricket Association, in the part of Victoria most severely affected by drought, clubs voted unanimously to invest in a recycled watering system worth about $60,000. The alternative was to cancel the turf league, a breeding ground for elite Premier Cricket in Melbourne, or move their gun players onto hard, synthetic wickets, far from ideal for cricketers aspiring to play for their state or country.

"It's going to be hard," said association president Darren Lewis. "We had a meeting last night with the clubs, and we spelt out the financial possibilities and said, 'Either we put our hand in our pocket to guarantee our future, or we don't,' and the clubs unanimously said, 'We've got to do it.' "

Umpires are in the news again today, starting with Darrell Hair’s belief he will stand in the Champions Trophy. The Courier-Mail’s story is here and the Sydney Morning Herald’s report is here.

In the Herald Sun Jim Wilson writes Cricket Australia supports neutral umpires for any Test series.

A couple of weeks ago the ECB staged their first 'spin match' at Derby where a collection of the most promising young spinners in the country pitted themselves against promising young batsmen in a range of set-up situations. Only one of the spinners involved, 22-year-old Sachin Vaja, does not have a county - but that probably won't last long. He styles himself on Muttiah Muralitharan and has already bowled at some of England's top batsmen in net sessions and has excited many coaches. Matthew Pryor chatted to him for The Times.

The 22-year-old from East London has travelled far since last August. He was discovered by Neil Burns, the chief executive of London County Cricket club, and could be at the beginning of a successful career.

	The coach... according to Warne © Getty Images

This winter, England will tour India and Australia with as many as five coaches, and that is not counting the physiotherapist, masseur, doctor, media managers and security advisers who will accompany them. When England toured Australia in 1982-83, neither team had a coach.

The old days might not have been the way to do things, but Pringle goes on to suggest we might gone too far the other way ...

What Warne is really saying is that great players don't need coaches, and he is right. Certainly the most gifted players of my acquaintance, Ian Botham, Vivian Richards and Brian Lara, were instinctive and possessed great flair. The only advice they listened to came from their inner voice. Coaching, by contrast, is about advice based on method and analysis, things anathema to pure talent.

It all comes under the umbrella of team preparation which some coaches, perhaps justifying their hefty salaries, have pushed to the limits of acceptability. While computer and video analysis are considered standard now, wacky ideas such as the use of earpieces between coach and captain (a Bob Woolmer idea subsequently banned by the International Cricket Council) and studying the Art of War by the ancient Chinese general, Sun Tzu (another Buchanan initiative), have invited derision and not just from the press.

	© Getty Images

My religion has helped me big time It makes me disciplined. Now I don't think of tomorrow, I think for today. I used to take five wickets in a day and worry about tomorrow rather than enjoy it. I don't feel under pressure to perform any more.

People have no idea what Islam is about because of the media's negativity. If people read the Koran they would see a different message. If I do something wrong it doesn't mean Islam is wrong. Don't believe that Islam is the religion that makes people do these things. Islam says if you kill one man, you kill mankind.

Nick Bratt, who skippered him when he played league cricket in Staffordshire, hints at a different side to the old Mushtaq:

I think he got to a period in his life when he felt that things had to change and he found Allah … Mushy told us about some wild nights but he can tell you more about that than I can.

In today’s Daily Telegraph, two views on the Ashes selections from either side of the divide. TV anchor Mark Nicholas bemoans the fact that England have picked a side full of walking wounded.

The damaging effect half-fit players had on the tour four years ago was quite a shock. These are the Aussies we are talking about, and wounded ones too. Now we have exposed ourselves again. It is unbelievable. Why are the doubtful starters not to be in Perth with the Academy, having a run-out in the leagues? That way they could be added to the party when proven fit, rather than subtracted if found unfit, which is so debilitating.

Ian Chappell, meanwhile, is hardly complimentary, while acknowledging that the selectors did about as well as could be expected.

When I first read the England Ashes squad my reaction was that of the ubiquitous fearsome rugby league forward, who when smashed in the jaw by an opponent in the opening scrum, grins and says: "Is that the best you've got?" However, not wanting to be a smart aleck and also mindful of a couple of atrocious 2005 Ashes predictions the thought didn't linger. It could also have been that, apart from one or two contentious issues, this was the best the England selectors could muster under trying circumstances.

Move over Boonie, Beefy's in town.

Foster's is believed to have chosen English cricket legend Ian "Beefy" Botham as the new face of its popular talking doll.

The little Beefy will appear alongside a new talking David Boon doll for the coming Ashes Tests in Australia.

In a new take on the old talking Boonie, the dolls will argue and respond to one another's wry comments.

Foster's gave away about 200,000 talking Boonie dolls with Victoria Bitter slabs during the 2005-06 one-day series.

Via The Herald Sun

	'I will be flying out there thinking about hitting hundreds' © AFP

Ian Bell has issued a warning to Australia not to underestimate him, or England, in this winter’s Ashes.

"It will be an aggressive and very good series. We played aggressively against Pakistan and we need to keep doing that, while also staying in our game plan and not getting too carried away.

"We have just beaten a good Pakistan side with no Michael Vaughan, Andrew Flintoff, Ashley Giles or Simon Jones. To do that with so many big players missing has given everyone a lift.

"As for me, I'm a tougher, harder cricketer now. Last summer I was still questioning myself. I wasn't sure going into the first Test at Lord's whether I was good enough to play at that level.

"But this time I will be much more positive - I will be flying out there thinking about hitting hundreds."

Full story at the Sunday Mirror

	For some cricket now: See you in Brisbane on November 23 © Getty Images

Vic Marks writes in The Guardian -

If anyone is under pressure after the selection of this winter's squads it is the ECB's medical staff, who have presumably delivered the assurances about the crocks.

Meanwhile Michael Atherton has received a text message from Ashley Giles...

"Christ, Ath," said the text message in the middle of last week, "I've not had my legs amputated, you know. Any jobs going then this winter?"

Read The Sunday Telegraph for more.

The debate over who should lead England in Australia raged on until the final moment, when Andrew Flintoff claimed the honour. David Graveney, the chairman of selectors, said it was the tightest of calls before it eventually fell to the man who was central to England's success last summer. Ricky Ponting has said it doesn't matter to him who leads England but Thornton McCamish, in The Age, says it is great news for Australian fans.

I'm delighted. As captain, Flintoff will be in the game from coin-toss to post-match debriefing. Australian cricket fans now face a thrilling prospect: a summer dominated by players we can warm to.

And here's another South African cricketer in the arms of a model. Herschelle Gibbs and his fiancé, Tenielle, are considering a wedding ceremony on the idyllic island of Antigua during next year's World Cup in the West Indies. Read the full piece in News24.

It was unusual to see Gibbs - well-known for his late night gallivanting - up and on the go before breakfast. And to see Gibbs out of bed that early and in the presence of a member of the opposite sex could only mean one thing - he was smitten.

	The rebirth of Shane Watson © Getty Images

The transformation of Shane Watson from a man-in-a-hurry to Australia's latest 'allrounder hope' can be attributed to his new-found love for the guitar. He taught himself to play the instrument on the internet, spending $1500. Four months on, he now belts out his favourite tunes from Maroon Five and 3 Doors Down like a pro. Watson also looks ahead to The Ashes.

"It's such an amazing way to get away and relax, go for a run along the beach or go for a swim and just chill out. I'm 100 per cent more relaxed than I ever have been and it's definitely starting to come across in my cricket."

Read the full piece in The Courier Mail.

	'It takes one ball to get a batsman out' - some wise words by Thommo © Getty Images

Maybe bowlers do look at the speed gun, but it’s rubbish anyway... The calculation is out of the bowler’s hand, not at the other end... It gives a false impression and the actual speed could be ten per cent slower... The question is: What are the coaches doing? It’s not that hard to make the ball swing and, so, why aren’t they working with the bowlers? Kapil Dev, Akram, Waqar Younis... All these guys swung the ball and picked up a huge number of wickets... The coaches and super coaches aren’t teaching the blokes properly.

I’m a believer in that the more you bowl, the better you get. Follow that and you’re going to be able to handle tough situations.

	'I am officially the spin doctor now' © Getty Images

In a big day for the champion leg spinner — who is alleged to have written several books, though he claims never to have read one — Southampton and Solent University awarded him an honorary degree on Wednesday for services to cricket...

Warne appeared delighted with his first degree. He paraded around the outfield with a gown and mortar board over his cricket uniform

Kevin Pietersen understands better than anyone that Australia provides the greatest of all opportunities to seal both his cricketing reputation and growing celebrity, writes Donald McRae in The Guardian

"It's September 12 today," said Pietersen as he passed the magazine to Jessica, who had stretched out on the hotel bed. "Exactly this time last year, at 10 past three, I was still at the crease, batting with George Clooney [Pietersen's nickname for the greying if not so dashing Ashley Giles]. It was everything I dreamed of as a kid, china."

	Angus Fraser was one of quite a few who felt that Strauss should have been captain © Getty Images

"He's relaxed about missing out on the Ashes captaincy, but the England opener has firm views about leadership, public school accents and which side his (Australian) wife will be supporting this winter". Brian Viner speaks to Andrew Strauss for The Independent.

"Look, I like to think I will have an opportunity to captain the England team again," he says. "This was not about a leadership contest. It's about 16 guys keen as mustard to retain the Ashes. As captains I think Fred [Flintoff] and I both have plenty of attributes, but they are very different. I think your characteristics as a captain are your characteristics as a person and if, as captain, you do something foreign to your character, you'll come unstuck very quickly.

	Ashley Giles: England's best 90% fit net bowler © Getty Images

The fact that I have not played any cricket since last November doesn't really concern me. I am a strong believer that if I am bowling well in the nets then I can carry that into a game.

If that was not worrying enough, he then reveals that he’s not exactly at 100% even in the nets:

I'm bowling in the nets again but not quite off my full run-up. I'm probably at about 90 per cent fitness at the moment and I'm confident of being fully fit by the end of this month. Obviously that will come too late for me to play any cricket this season. But I'm going to India with the Champions Trophy squad and that will give me the chance to bowl in the nets and in the middle.

So come November, England will have a choice between someone who looks good in the nets and possibly in a few club matches in India, and Monty Panesar, who has taken 32 wickets in 10 Tests while Giles has been sidelined. What is really worrying is that it is even being discussed …

Alastair Cook reveals to The Daily Telegraph the feeling when he heard his name announced by David Graveney as being one of the England squad for this winter’s Ashes series. Although he had been told earlier in the day by Graveney in a telephone call, watching the press conference from The Oval was still surreal:

I was standing on a cross-trainer in the gym when the team was announced on TV. I couldn't hear what they were saying – I just watched the pictures, but it was still a pretty amazing feeling to see my name up there. Over the next few minutes, I'm sure I set a personal best on the machine.

	© Getty Images

A closer look at the England squad reveals that Flintoff, himself returning from injury and preparing for his first Test in Australia without a "super" prefix, has little in the way of reliable, experienced campaigners with him. Only three other players have more than 50 Tests to their name, and of those, Marcus Trescothick's emotional issues and Ashley Giles's dodgy hip must surely be cause for concern. Nine members of the "senior" squad of 16, meanwhile, have played fewer than 20 Tests - including Kevin Pietersen, Ian Bell and Monty Panesar, of whom much is expected this summer.

England might also have outsmarted itself by making Flintoff captain. Certainly, he proved himself last year as the long-awaited and much-mythologised next Botham. But it should not be forgotten that the last Botham, the original, not only was a conspicuous failure as captain, but while in office was reduced to a mere mortal as a cricketer, too.

Bob Woolmer, writing in the Australian, reckons England have recovered this summer from their post-Ashes celebratory state of mind but still believes Australia will win back the Ashes.
.

If I was a betting man, I would say — sadly, for I remain an Englishman — that England will not retain the Ashes.

	© The Mirror

The response to England's Ashes squad announcement exactly a year after the Ashes were won back after 16 years and eight barren series has drawn critical acclaim from the British media. The final squad was no real surprise, but the decision to appoint Andrew Flintoff as captain has been seen as the bravest decision by the selectors.

A strong, imposing captain is essential in Australia, which is why the selectors chose Flintoff, writes Derek Pringle in The Daily Telegraph.

The Times' Simon Barnes heralds the choice of "special" Flintoff as England captain to defend the Ashes for his ability to strike fear in the opposition and inspire his team-mates.

Martin Johnson, Pringle's colleague, feels England's plan for success will see Australia lose their shine:

This time, Australia is in such a lather of anticipation that you wouldn't be too surprised to see the Barmy Army waved through the fast track diplomatic channel en route to a live interview with Channel Nine's Today Show.

Writing in The Guardian, Mike Selvey feels that England's mini-army for the Ashes tour is a good idea after the shambles of the previous visit down under.

England will be going to Australia with the sort of multitudinous collection of stars and extras that would have had Cecil B de Mille turn emerald with envy. Sixteen players will form the main party but billeted in self-catering accommodation in Perth will be a further 14 - the Academy squad - waiting to scramble at a moment's notice should any of the main men suffer injury or infirmity.

And in the Mirror, Mike Walters had no fear that England's walking wounded would be an issue for the captain:

Six months ago in India he managed to make a silk purse out of the sticking plasters and bandages holding a ravaged squad together.

Alastair Cook says it's the realisation of a boyhood dream to be going out to Australia with the task of retaining the trophy

Hardly a week goes by these days without someone excitedly claiming that cricket is about to take-off in China. Now it emerges that ICC chief executive Malcolm Speed will be in Beijing next week to find out how the land lies.

The China Cricket Association has unveiled a strategic plan that has 60,000 schoolchildren playing cricket in three years and 150,000 in five years, with Beijing, Shanghai and Dalian the hubs for promoting the game. Mandarin editions of the Laws of Cricket are now available in China while Australian cricketing officials have visited the country to conduct coaching courses.

But perhaps the real reason that cricket’s bosses are so keen on China was found in a remark by Syed Ashraful Huq, the boss of the Asian Cricket Council when he told DNA Sport that if China participated in future World Cups then “lucrative commercial windfalls would follow”. He added: “As soon as China breaks through, I foresee the total global revenues for cricket increasing by up to 30 to 40%."

As Gordon Gekko said in Wall Street: "Greed is good, greed is right … greed works."

	Inzamam-ul-Haq: an awesome presence at the crease © Getty Images

Watching with intense pleasure his two cameo masterclasses at Lord's in July I was smitten by a rare and cherished eureka moment which has not gone away. As the burly, noble fellow toyed with England's perspiring bowlers in the sun, I half closed my eyes and, of a sudden, the revelation overwhelmed me - in form, style, bearing and ingrained majesty, Inzy must be the nearest thing I'd ever seen to witnessing WG Grace at the wicket. The massiveness was all, and the control. In my reverie, it really could have been "the Champion" down there.

It’s widely accepted that cricketers are a barmy lot. But even by those standards, four people who decided to play an impromptu game on a sandbank on the Skate Bank in middle of Scotland’s Moray Firth can safely be described as barking. One of them was quoted in The Daily Telegraph as saying:

The charts have not been updated since 1918, so there was a chance that it had moved or shrunk. However, we decided it was worth investigating. My brother would not allow me to take his proper cricket gear, but we found a small bat and a tennis ball and set out to play the first game on the sandbar for 80 years.

Unfortunately, their energetic bowling and their enthusiastic celebrations were mistaken by a member of public on the shore more than a mile away as signals for help and a rescue helicopter and a lifeboat were launched to rescue them!

	England's Ashes © Getty Images

As the Ashes squad is named, Patrick Kidd recalls in The Times, with the help of others, the moment Australia were beaten a year ago.

“On Monday morning I saw a newspaper headline which read: ‘One hero wanted at The Oval, report in at 10.30 in the morning’,” Pietersen said. “I wanted to be that hero.” The hero rode his luck. The hat-trick ball was deflected off his shoulder to slip. Then, he edged Warne behind but Adam Gilchrist knocked the ball out of the path of Matthew Hayden. Pietersen was then dropped on 15 by Warne.

	The Australians at boot camp © Getty Images

What does Richie Benaud think about John Buchanan's boot camp to improve the spirit and skills of the Australian team? Read The News of the World to find out.

I was captain for the final six years of my Test career and I am certain my players would have thought I'd gone bonkers if I'd even put up the idea of such a gathering. How would I have handled Australian coach John Buchanan's modern-day version, which he hopes will toughen his players for the Ashes battle against England? For a start, I would have taken great care to protect my right shoulder.

Surprise surprise. The legendary Sunil Gavaskar is thinking of making a foray into blogging. Gavaskar was the star guest on the second day of BlogCamp, India's biggest blog unconference.

I look around and I see almost everyone here sitting with a laptop in front. I belong to the transistor generation. My columns even now are written in longhand.

The Indian board has nominated three umpires for ICC's Panel and Suresh Shastri is one of them. Returning to international umpiring after eight years, Shastri speaks to The Indian Express about what lies ahead.

"I am not young but at the same time I cannot be called a veteran too. There are many in the Elite panel who are 55-58 but there are still good. I think, as you go ahead, you tend to handle pressure better. One thing I have learnt in these years to stay in control of the proceedings, and in these times, it’s important."

Australia and West Indies will play the opening match of the DLF Cup on September 12 at the Kinrara Oval in Kuala Lampur. The Deccan Herald has a preview of the ground.

A little over three years back, the Oval was not even a figment of anyone's imagination. Rubber plantations abounded in this part of the Malaysian capital, and what is now the Kinrara Oval was also a plantation then

With a capacity between 4,300 and 4,500, the Kinrara Oval boasts of six pitches, apart from four turf practice pitches and three other synthetic tracks, and 21,000 square feet of soil has been imported from Darwin in Australia

	'I think the selectors have a fair idea what sort of captain I am, and likewise with Fred [Flintoff]' - Strauss chooses his words before the big day © Getty Images

Two months ago, assuming his return to full fitness, a Flintoff-led England in Australia looked inevitable. But Strauss' candidature has gained momentum as his calm and authoritative leadership has guided England to a victory against Pakistan in the Test series and a drawn NatWest Series that had seemed beyond them. The decision, to be announced tomorrow, remains too close to call.

A Twenty20 match is to be held tomorrow at Grace Road comprising local Christian clergy and Muslim imams to mark the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks.

The Christian and Muslim teams first met in a football match earlier in 2006, where the imams won 5-0. It was decided to have a rematch in a different sport.

Bishop Stevens said: "I am looking forward to playing this game myself, though that may not lead to a clergy victory.

"The work of the Muslim-Christian dialogue is seen as a model of how to break down negative stereotypes and adds to community cohesion."

The match will start at 1600 BST on Monday 11 September.

Full story at the BBC

Ashish Nehra speaks to GS Vivek about his return from injury and challenges that lie ahead:

I have been India’s best bowler for two seasons, I have been consistent in all the series that I have played and I am still India’s fastest bowler. I have experience on my side and I have done well, especially in the death overs, so if the selectors think I am back to my best, there’s no reason why I shouldn’t get my place back. It’s another thing if the selectors don’t want me, in that case I am happy playing for Delhi.

	© AFP

Rabeed Imam takes a trip down to the home town of Mashrafee Bin Mortaza for the post-wedding reception of Bangladesh's most animated cricketer . Click here to read.

Riding the Honda CDI in his usual carefree fashion with Razzak in the back, Mortaza suddenly let go the steering and spread his hands on reaching the Chitra Bridge but still managed to balance the bike with ease. “He has fantastic control of a motorbike so I wasn’t worried,” Razzak tried to put up a brave face. One of Mortaza’s childhood pals inform that they used to jump from the bridge on to goods carrying barges as they passed.

It was 12pm and the last part of the Mortaza experience unfolded. Showing a narrow path that leads to the river from his house Mortaza said confidently, “I can do what ever I feel like here. This area belongs to me and my friends. We have been taking this path to the river since I was a kid. We used to race each other to see who hits the water first and sometimes we ran stark naked through this passage screaming and shouting before plunging into the river. Even now at times we turn back the clock to those days and a friend’s mother, who to her misfortune saw us one day, asked in exasperation if we would ever grow up,” grins Mortaza.

	© Getty Images

The way ahead lies with Strauss, asserts Mike Atherton. In the article, Atherton ponders on Trescothick.

is Trescothick on medication? If so, does that affect his state of mind going out to bat? The reason I say that, is that occasionally I had to go on steroids called prednisolone to combat a medical condition – steroids that caused mood swings – not exactly ideal when a key part of batting is controlling your mind and controlling your emotions. Moreover, how will Trescothick handle an Australian tour that is bound to be more stressful and mentally enduring than virtually any other? Can he last the distance; history has shown that he fades towards the end of long, gruelling tours?

England’s squad for this winter will be announced on Tuesday and there is still plenty for the selectors to resolve, not least the captaincy, writes Simon Wilde in the Times.

Darrell Hair, the umpire at the centre of cricket's biggest controversy since Bodyline more than 70 years ago, has broken his silence to hit back at those critics who have condemned his role in the Pakistan ball-tampering affair. Bill Day speaks to Darrell Hair for The Mail on Sunday.

"It really upsets me when people describe me as racist, because they have no idea how I spent my childhood and how that shaped my beliefs in adult life. How can people judge me to have prejudices when I went to school in Australia alongside Chinese children, Hungarian refugees and all manner of other nationalities?

Andrew Struass has a burning desire to keep the captaincy job, discovers Donald McRae.

Strauss's belief that England would benefit from him being the "main man" can be heard in the way he describes becoming Middlesex's captain. "That was a real turning point for me, just like now. I had to stop being a student idiot and become more sensible and organised and that definitely improved my batting. I also reacted far more quickly to situations in Test cricket because I'd been a county captain.

Most [England] fans don’t give two hoots about the Champions Trophy. It’s misnamed (it must be — England’s one-day team are included), it’s misconceived (too frequent, too money-driven) and it’s mistimed (too close to the World Cup), says Tim de Lisle.

While Australia has been pondering where Tom Moody stands in the coaching pecking order, the man himself has been undertaking far more meaningful work - helping provide cheer to a battered nation, feels Alex Brown in the Sydney Morning Herald.

Quite apart from being Superman, what does a coach really need to be given that he himself never has to face a ball, asks Harsha Bhogle in The Indian Express.

Mike Haysman joins the long line of experts who back the move to legalise ball tampering:

The skill of a bowler to make a cricket ball perform in an unconventional way to deceive the batsmen is an integral part of the game. That ability separates the best from the average and only the best can influence a game by perfecting the art. Constant deviation does not guarantee habitual success. Why should a bowler not be allowed to further display his skill, utilising means naturally found on a cricket field? By the way, bottle tops have never been discovered loitering harmlessly at extra cover, waiting to be stealthily employed!

What to learn more about Mike Haysman? Read Robert Houwing's profile in Cricinfo.

	© The Cricketer International

The Professional Cricketers’ Association, the representative body for England’s Test and county cricketers, has asked the ECB to reduce the number of hours and overs bowled each day in County Championship matches.

While players around England believe the provision of more time to relax and recuperate will lift standards in the game of cricket, Alec Bedser, the great former Surrey and England bowler, feels otherwise.

“Soon they will not want to play at all ... I don't understand how modern cricketers can improve by playing less. I have been putting these points for 30 years but have never had any answers. The administrators are too worried about what the players think.”

Read Bedser's scorn in The Times.

The interview addressed all the issues dogging Chingoka - the controversial new constitution, the financial position of the board and the long-awaited forensic audit, the domestic programme and the national side.

But Chingoka skirted round many of the questions, and on closer scrutiny the answers were vague. But he did hint, as Cricinfo revealed last month, that Test cricket would not be resumed until 2007-08:

"We are working with the ICC on this issue with the aim of resuming in the 2007-08 season. In order to do this, we believe we need to play 10 to 12 unofficial three/four-day matches. The youngsters are coping with the shorter version but need more exposure to the longer version."

Shane Warne yesterday told Cricinfo England could be the best team in the world, but today in The Age he mocks their progress.

"It's incredible that everyone is still talking about the last Ashes — it was one series and England have got to move on. What happened last summer will not matter one bit when we start the first Test in Brisbane and we are very confident. England might say they are the best team in the world because they beat us last year, but they lost to Pakistan straight afterwards. Does that mean Pakistan become the best in the world?"

Mike Selvey applauds Darren Gough's determination to win back his England place, if not his performances once there.

Not long after the selectors had announced their provisional squad for the current one-day internationals, a message was passed to me, apparently from The Dazzler. "Tell Selvey," it went "that he can stick it up his arse."

	'Trescothick deserves our compassion' - Ian Botham © Getty Images

His wife Hayley’s post-natal depression after the birth of their daughter, Ellie, in April 2005 is thought to have contributed to his sudden inability to cope with the strain of being away from home last winter, after a constant succession of high-profile appearances for England at home and away.

Richard Hobson feels that the accident to Trescothick's father-in-law could have been the turning point.

Last November he considered leaving the Pakistan tour when his father-in-law, John, suffered serious head injuries after falling off a ladder at home. Trescothick was put through the distressing experience of watching CCTV footage of the accident via his mobile phone. It is easy now to imagine that as a turning point.

Instead of pouring scorn on Trescothick's request to skip next month's Champions Trophy in India, he deserves our compassion, says Ian Botham in the Daily Mirror.

Let's face it: nobody will care about Trescothick skipping a superfluous one-day competition if England come home with the Ashes in the New Year. Surely that's what we all want - and if it takes a bit of leeway from the compassionate society for Tresco to join the party, let's give him the breathing space he needs and leave the cynicism for later.

	Dhoni's absence among the ICC awards nominees has stirred the Indian media © Getty Images

While Rahul Dravid has been nominated for four ICC awards - cricketer of the year, captain of the year, Test and ODI player of the year - the Indian media have raised questions about Mahendra Singh Dhoni's conspicious absence among the 17 nominees for ODI player of the year.

In fact only two players - Yuvraj Singh and Michael Hussey of Australia - have an average better than Dhoni in the period under consideration, says The Times of India. Dhoni had accumulated 1170 runs from 36 ODIs at an average of 55.71 in the last one year starting August 1. Among his notable performances was the scintillating 183 he scored against Sri Lanka in Jaipur. It is the highest score by any wicketkeeper in ODIs.

"At least on two counts, Dhoni should have made the cut," writes GS Vivek in The Indian Express. "Going by the numbers, Dhoni deserved a place. And if match situation was the criteria, it’s no secret that he has bailed out India on a number of occasions over the last season. In fact, Dhoni has been the key in India morphing into world record chasers last season."

"ICC chief executive Malcolm Speed defended wicketkeeper-batsman's omission saying that his performance over the last season qualified him for 2005 award and not for this year," says The Hindustan Times. "However, out-of-form Irfan Pathan's name appears among others on the list of nominations for ODI Player award, despite being sidelined for many one-day internationals in West Indies."

	© The Daily Telegraph

The BBC’s veteran Pat Murphy accused Sky of having “power without responsibility" for the way they presented and commented on the footage of Shoaib Akhtar working on the ball.

And Derek Pringle in The Daily Telegraph was equally critical:

“In a mischievous piece of commentary, Sky failed to draw their own conclusions, leaving it for viewers to email in their thoughts. Nasser Hussain's trenchant thoughts after England's innings — that Shoaib, was "very silly to do it in the current climate" as it would be "all over the morning paper" — was ironic given Sky's instigative role.”

Pringle also noted:

“The pictures, shown in slow motion, mostly looked innocent (you are allowed to clean the ball under the umpire's supervision). Yet when a bowler uses his thumb to lightly pick at something out of their line of sight, there is always room for other interpretations especially when you've been punished for ball-tampering before, as Shoaib was in 2003.”

In The Guardian, David Hopps wrote:

“Anyone who contends that the pictures shown constitute evidence of ball-tampering would find identical incidents taking place every day that first-class cricket is played. The nub of Pakistan resentment is less that they are being accused of cheating than that they are the ones who are being singled out.”

Richard Hobson in The Times said that: “the sequence was suspicious but inconclusive, because at no stage was it certain that his nail dug into the ball.”

You can see a video of the incident at The Corridor

	What's the cause of England's woeful one-day form? © Getty Images

Is the county game failing England's one-day side? Read David Fulton's and Nick Knight's opposing views in The Guardian.

Fulton: "I think that with the C&G, Pro40 and Twenty20 there are too many limited-overs competitions in the English county game. Having three different formats does have an effect on the intensity of the cricket played and on England's one-day side."

Knight: "We play enough high-intensity one-day cricket to produce the quality necessary for the England team and I believe we are not far away from producing results."

	Rosalie Birch: diplomat © Getty Images

Commenting on the recently-concluded series against India’s women’s side, Birch trotted out more clichés about curries and hot food in one column that an entire series of It Ain’t Half Hot Mum.

“We found it hilarious how the Indians added their own curry paste and pickles because they found the food too mild … but our players will not be laughing when their mouths are burning up in India.”

Wonder which universe Birch is living in? The ECB should make it mandatory to have its cricketers savour the delights of London’s Curry Mile, if only for the likes of Birch to sample how cumin combines with parsley and Rose Mary overlays cardamom to make curry something much more than just a masala-mix.

John Westerby writes on a spin-only match where a group of bowlers twirling away at Derby, it is hoped, will be challenging each other for membership of the elite group in a few years’ time.

Shane Warne, in an extract from his autobiography published in The Times, reflects on the cost of cricket to his personal life:

I have done a few stupid things along the way, on and off the field. There are some people who think I am a bit of an idiot and, at times, I would have to admit they’ve been right. But whether they love me or hate me, they are still interested in me and when you cut through everything else I think that is because of the way I play the game.

Robert Craddock writes in The Courier-Mail about Cricket Australia’s “Go off in green and gold” plan for the Ashes.

Australian fans will be encouraged to buy replicas of the team's new one-day uniform, which captain Ricky Ponting will unveil in Sydney today. Supporters will be able to have their faces painted green and gold. The fightback follows claims that up to 40,000 English fans will attend the five Ashes Tests, about 5000 of whom are members of the Barmy Army.

In The Guardian, Mike Selvey writes on England's miserable one-day summer:

Realistically, given that the next two matches are certain to be toss-oriented irrelevances (whose idea was it to schedule floodlight matches for September?) England have one more match, next Sunday at Edgbaston, to get their house in order before they embark on the Champions Trophy - where Australia and India await - the VB Series in Australia and then the World Cup.

In a first exclusive extract from his new book, Shane Warne reveals how a former hobby quickly became his passion:

I played for my school teams and the local club, but as a teenager, cricket was never more than a hobby. Aussie Rules was my first love, tennis probably just second.

	Andrew Flintoff was near "boiling point" after two weeks in Australia with the World XI © Getty Images

"Flintoff's fitness will not have been confirmed when the England selectors sit down to make their decision [on September 12], but Flintoff is desperate to captain the side in Australia, and depriving him of that honour may be risky," Fraser says. "Whether Flintoff can handle all the attention that comes his way is another matter. The Australian public and media will make it their business to agitate and distract the allrounder and it will be interesting to see how he copes.

"Flintoff was given a glimpse of what might lie ahead when he played against Australia for the Rest of the World. He spent little more than a fortnight in Melbourne and Sydney but the constant attention he received nearly brought him to boiling point."

	Rudi Koertzen signals a Powerplay..but do England fully understand the benefits they offer? © Getty Images

After Pakistan’s comprehensive win over England in the second one-dayer at Lord’s yesterday, the papers have a clutch of articles on the outcome. Andrew Strauss talks to Scyld Berry, Steve James and Michael Atherton in the Sunday Telegraph and believes the key to winning the World Cup is the use of Powerplays:

The side that wins the World Cup will be the one that uses the power-plays best [power-plays are the 20 overs out of the 50 where fielding restrictions apply]. You have to score a lot of runs in the power-plays but, if you lose wickets, you hamstring yourself. As Sri Lanka showed, if you can go at the opposition and it comes off, the game is as good as won.

And Atherton continues the theme in the same paper

The new rules put more pressure on captains who, with fielding restrictions and bowling permutations, have enough to think about in one-day cricket. It was no surprise to see Inzamam-ul-Haq forget about the second power play in the first one-day international at Cardiff. Yet generally, it is England, not their rivals, who have struggled to come to terms with the power plays and have yet to grasp the opportunities they offer.

Click here to read Cricinfo's explanation of Powerplays.

Though no one is denying Stuart Broad’s potential, Stephen Fay tempers the excitement in his column at The Independent on Sunday

When Broad came back on, this trio treated him with scant respect. Yousuf drove him for four to mid-off to score the winning runs. His bowling lacked penetration on the day and his figures of 6.3 overs for 44 runs reflected this. Put yesterday down on the learning curve. It is still steep. Broad has some way to go.

In the same paper Stephen Brenkley questions the “misguided” decision to recall Darren Gough to the one-day squad:

None of the other England bowlers remotely looked like taking a wicket, though Rikki Clarke had Younis caught on the mid-wicket boundary, somewhat lazily chipping. Gough was disappointing.

He talked as well as bowled himself into this squad at Essex and he turned up looking overweight, which hardly gave him the best chance. He took nought for 44 in his eight overs and apart from his first over was unthreatening. The selectors must begin to ask themselves what the point of continuing is but then they should have put the question long ago. Pakistan won with 20 balls to spare in match reduced to 40 overs because of rain.

	'Imagine Middlesex being handicapped financially for playing Ed Joyce' © Getty Images

Naturally my initial reaction to this news was one of indignation, but reflection and some consultation can mellow. In fact more than that. I actually now consider it no bad thing that counties will have the leeway of an extra foreigner. Yes, they were words – however begrudging – in favour of my old friends the Kolpaks. Told you there was a surprise waiting. The ECB's main line of thinking is that they do not want to penalise counties for fielding players who are qualifying for England under the residential rule (at least 210 days per year to be spent here for four consecutive years). And I agree with them. I used to think those four years should be spent in the second team but if it is only one per county and likely to benefit the England team, then I can stomach it. Imagine Middlesex being handicapped financially for playing Ed Joyce? Or Nottinghamshire for Kevin Pietersen? Sixteen-year-old Zimbabwean left-handed batsman Gary Ballance at Derbyshire is a good example. At Harrow now, he wants to play for England and his recent 73 in a Pro40 match indicates such desire not to be unrealistic. Derbyshire should not be 'fined' for giving him first-team action during his school holidays. This is all dandy as long as the intentions are honourable. What we do not want is abuse of the system; say, a Johann Louw situation where he declared himself here with Northamptonshire to qualify for four years and then after two years returned to South Africa to play as a domestic cricketer again, thus meaning he had to be reclassified as an overseas player. Middlesex fell for the bait. How they must wish they hadn't. His strike bowling has since been embarrassingly unproductive.

	Floodlights: a waste of time in England? © Getty Images

In the same column, James chides the use of floodlights in England:

It substantiates my theory – however curmudgeonly – that floodlit cricket is a hugely overrated concept on these shores. It simply doesn't work. Most of the time we don't need the lights (which are rarely bright enough anyway) and when we do, it's either too cold for spectators or too dewy for a fair contest. But with permanent illuminations now erected at five of our county grounds unfortunately it's not going to go away, as illustrated by the unfathomable decision to stage three of the five internationals in the current series against Pakistan under the damned things.

	Brett Lee and his wife Liz © Getty Images

If it comes during the Test, Lee has reluctantly resigned himself to missing the birth. The decision followed ``marathon'' discussions between Lee and his wife. "Obviously the family is the most important thing and hopefully there is a way to work around both things because I would love to be there,'' Lee said. "You have to make sure that when the Test match starts you are totally focused ... which I will be,'' he said. "I am hoping (the baby) might come a few days early. It will be a totally new experience for both of us. Just the thought that we have created something makes it special. It is obviously going to be a very exciting time.''

Exciting or not, Lee wasted no time in plugging his sponsors Three who, he joked, might set-up a video link from the hospital to Sydney…read the full story at Sunday’s Sydney Telegraph

There's a grainy-but-enjoyable video of the great Fred Trueman at The Corridor which is worth a look. A wonderful, fluid, natural action Trueman had

"There is a thin line between tampering and damage if you lack the hard evidence," says Mark Ramprakash in The Independent.

Pakistan had the ball swinging, as they showed when they got rid of Alastair Cook. The umpires looked at the ball and it must have been OK. About 15 minutes later Hair objected. Why if it was swinging enough to get a man on 80 out would you keep scuffing?

Clyde Walcott will be buried in his native Barbados today. Read Ali Bacher's tribute to the man who "probably did more for West Indies and world cricket than anyone else".

For West Indies, he was a great player, team manager, convener of selectors and president of the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB). For world cricket, he became chairman of the International Cricket Council, the highest office in the game. In every capacity, he was driven by one thing only - his great passion for cricket.

	'For a while Ponting was the pin-up boy of Sydney airport taxi drivers when he would jump in and say "Wollongong please" as he headed down to see Rianna before they married' © Getty Images

Thousands of Australian youngsters may dream of being Ricky Ponting but the man himself dreams of other things. Ponting chats with Robert Craddock in The Courier-Mail on his love for AFL, why he got his driving license only when he was in his mid-20s and his formative years.

Ponting carries a long scar on his right elbow, the legacy of his last game of football as a 15-year-old in Launceston where a severely broken arm terminated his career and left him with an itch he has never really been able to scratch.

"That injury was the reason I stopped playing footy," he said. "From that moment on, I have always said that one thing I have always wanted to do in life was play one more game of Australian rules footy and it would be really nice if it was with the Kangaroos. Sadly, it is not going to be. It's just a huge passion."

Vinod Kambli is all set for a new innings, writes Clayton Murzello in Mid-Day , the Mumbai-based newspaper. On September 8, he will marry model Andrea Hewitt in court.

Also check out Clayton Murzello's article on Madhav Mantri - the country’s oldest living Test cricketer based in India - on his 85th birthday.

By the time you read this, Mantri would have woken up at 4.30 am; done his free-arm exercises, walked for 45 minutes and after his daily prayers, it’s breakfast at 7.30 am.

At 16, Santosh Yadav was Hyderabad's brightest prospect. He made his Ranji Trophy debut against Andhra Pradesh in 1995-96 but since then things went horribly wrong because he developed an addiction to alcohol. Now 26, Santosh is hoping to make a comeback and has been on the wagon for a year. Read Santosh Yadav's story in The Times of India.

In The Times, former Wisden editor Tim de Lisle highlights the fact that cricket's international merry-go-round is not only hard on the players, it's also pretty environmentally unfriendly. He recalled that while editing Wisden Cricket Monthly a few years ago, he commissioned an investigation into the mileage of top players:

"We named the first winner — Australia's Ian Healy, who had done, from memory, about 70,000 miles. Within a few years, the winner (by then Stephen Fleming, of New Zealand) was doing 100,000 miles. International cricket’s total emissions, for a relatively small sport, must be colossal."

"Open an Indian magazine and the chances are you will see Sachin Tendulkar sharing a little of his personal cachet with a motorbike. And administrators in the subcontinent still think it’s OK to give the man of the match a bike or even a car. Not even the umpires are immune. Fly Emirates, say their shirts, which is demeaning to them and damaging to the planet."

A remarkable story in The Daily Telegraph of a man who put his approaching fifty ahead of the minor point that he was having a heart attack at the time.

"The old runs were a little bit lacking and I have been struggling to perform this season," he said. "But I was having a good game and found it too easy. I was getting sixes and fours and was feeling really good about my game. I think I was a bit of an idiot really. I should have stopped straight away because it could have finished me off there and then."

Does Stuart Broad have as much potential as everybody is saying? How satisfied have you been with the progress of Liam Plunkett, Saj Mahmood? England's bowling coach Kevin Shine answers these questions and more in The Guardian.