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Imran Farhat’s hundred against the Indians earned him a Test spot © AFP

Imran Farhat’s 107 for Pakistan A against India has earned him an expected return to Pakistan’s squad for the first Test against India. In a 15-man squad relatively free of surprises, Pakistan have included four fast bowlers as well as Abdul Razzaq who has only recently recovered from typhoid. Razzaq missed the Tests against England with an elbow injury and was considered doubtful for the first Test after he was admitted to hospital.Iqbal Qasim, a member of the selection committee, told Cricinfo that the squad was a straightforward one to pick. “It wasn’t too much of a problem. I would say most of the squad picked itself and only a few little areas needed some consideration. You don’t want to disrupt a winning combination too much.”Farhat’s recall is notable; he was dropped in December 2004 after the Melbourne Test against Australia. At that time, he had played in 11 consecutive Tests as the first-choice opener for Pakistan, an extended run that few openers have been granted in the recent past. “But I was never disappointed during the last year because such up and downs come in your career,” said Farhat of his exclusion to AFP. He spent most of the year performing solidly on the domestic circuit, where in eight matches this season, he averages over 60. His performance ensured that rumours of an alleged bust-up between Farhat’s father-in-law, Mohammad Ilyas, and Bob Woolmer over Farhat’s continued exclusion from the Pakistan side last year were overlooked. A timely century against India in the warm-up game sealed his return.”Imran has performed very well domestically since he got dropped and he was rewarded for that by being picked for the Pakistan A side. By scoring a century he has taken his opportunity very well and he deserves a place in the squad,” added Qasim. Although his inclusion means Pakistan now has two specialist openers in the squad – Salman Butt is the other – the mood within the camp suggests he is unlikely to find a place in the starting line-up. As Pakistan continue their search for a settled opening pair, it seems likely the Shoaib Malik experiment as opener will continue for the time being. Woolmer is thought to be keen on giving Malik another opportunity while, according to Wasim Bari, the chief selector, Inzamam prefers Malik for the balance he provides with his offspin.Many thought Umar Gul, who played such a vital role in Pakistan’s win against India in Lahore in 2004, would find a place in the squad but Mohammad Asif edged him out. Qasim admitted picking between the two was a tough decision. “They have both done well recently. Ultimately we had only one place available and we just felt, given how he did against England on his ODI debut, and how he has improved over the last year and performed domestically, that he deserved a chance ahead of Umar. But it was a very tough choice.”Asim Kamal also finds himself out of Pakistan’s squad for the first time since his debut against South Africa in October 2003. With eight fifties in 12 Tests, he could consider himself unlucky but he has been woefully out of form in the last few months, as Qasim acknowledged. “We are monitoring him but he’s unlucky because he has been out of form for a while now. Even before the England series, he seemed out of touch, domestically and in warm-up games. He remains in contention, however, as he has proved himself capable of handling international cricket.”Yasir Hameed and Riffatullah Mohmand have also been released from the squad although the former, stricken with typhoid, will curse his luck. After missing out on the Test series against England, Hameed was recalled for the last ODI of the series in Rawalpindi, where he responded with a controlled half-century. He is likely to be out for at least a week now.Pakistan
Salman Butt, Imran Farhat, Younis Khan (vice-capt), Inzamam-ul-Haq (capt), Mohammad Yousuf , Shahid Afridi, Kamran Akmal (wk), Abdul Razzaq, Shoaib Malik, Mohammad Sami, Shoaib Akhtar, Rana Naved-ul-Hasan, Danish Kaneria, Arshad Khan, Mohammad Asif.

David Hookes suffered fatal injuries outside a St Kilda hotel on January 18© Getty Images

David Hookes threw two punches at a bouncer before he was allegedly knocked to the ground and suffered fatal head injuries, a court heard today. The altercation between Hookes and the bouncer occurred after Hookes had been thrown out of a Melbourne pub on January 18 this year.Hookes, 48, died the next day from injuries suffered in the alleged assault. Zdavko Micevic, a 22-year-old bouncer, is charged with manslaughter and assault over the incident outside the Beaconsfield Hotel in St Kilda.At the opening of Micevic’s committal hearing in the Melbourne Magistrates Court today, Terry Forrest QC, the accused’s lawyer, said his client would give evidence that Hookes had thrown two punches at him before he retaliated. Mr Forrest also said evidence would show that Hookes had a blood-alcohol content of 0.14 at the time of the incident.The court heard Hookes and several members of the Victoria and South Australia teams had been celebrating at the Beaconsfield Hotel after a match that day at the MCG. Mr Forrest said witnesses would testify that the group became rowdy when asked to leave at closing time and Hookes, in particular, had argued with security staff.The court heard that a local resident would give evidence that a group of up to 14 men was involved in a loud argument outside his house. He told magistrate Ian McGrane that one of the cricket group is alleged to have told a bouncer that his “head would roll tomorrow” and that “you won’t have a job”. The court also heard that a witness saw a group of men arguing and throwing punches outside the pub.But Darren Lehmann, today’s only witness, said that despite being in the pub and being close to the group outside, he hadn’t seen anyone throwing “a violent series of punches” or noticed any boisterous behaviour. Lehmann presented a stoic defence to questioning about his role in the altercation with the bouncers and his observations of the night’s events.Lehmann repeatedly told the court he either hadn’t seen various incidents described by Mr Forrest or could not recall what was said or done by other members of the group at almost any stage of the night. He could, however, remember how much he’d had to drink.Asked by Mr Forrest if he’d had a lot to drink, Lehmann said he’d drunk only three beers and a vodka during the two-and-a-half hours he was at the pub. He’d also had two beers in the dressing rooms after the match and another at his team’s hotel before leaving for the Beaconsfield. He said he didn’t believe Hookes had drunk too much on the night.Asked if Hookes had been argumentative with hotel staff, he replied that he couldn’t recall. Lehmann gave the same answer when asked if he’d heard women who were with his group screaming and again when asked if a female with the group had jumped onto a bouncer’s back.While Lehmann agreed that he had telephoned for an ambulance, he had not seen how Hookes ended up on the ground or what he had been doing prior to being felled. In response to questioning by Mr Forrest, Lehmann denied he had collaborated with others before making a statement to police or that he had “sanitised” his evidence.Mr Forrest earlier told the court that after being charged over Hookes’ death, Micevic’s house had been burned down, he had received death threats and his car had been vandalised. The Beaconsfield Hotel, which has since ceased trading, was also vandalised.”Needless to say, the past 24 hours have been very difficult,” Lehmann said. “However, it is all behind me now, and I’m looking forward to helping Australia win this Test series. The case is still before the courts, so it is inappropriate for me to make any further comment on the matter. As I have said though, it’s great to now be back with the boys, and I’m really looking forward to getting out there on Thursday.”The committal hearing, which is scheduled for eight days, continues tomorrow.

Mark Boucher has admitted to having mixed feelings over South Africa’s decision to cancel their tour of Pakistan. The South Africans were scheduled to depart for Pakistan on Sunday, but the board pulled out of the tour on Saturday in the wake of a bomb blast in an office block in Karachi on Friday. “It’s a sad thing for an international cricket tour to be called off because it’s not safe for players in a different country,” Boucher told .”I feel sorry for the Pakistanis. Apart from the Bangladesh tour they haven’t been able to play a home series for ages, and I know we wouldn’t enjoy having to play all of our matches away from home. Some of our guys who haven’t played in the sub-continent are missing out, but I’m sure they will get the chance again.”That said, the cancellation couldn’t have come at a better time for Boucher and his team-mates. “We’ve just come off a long tour, three months away in England,” Boucher said. “We had 10 days between the tours. That’s just about enough time to get your washing done and start packing again. That’s what I mean when I say I have mixed feelings about it.”However, Boucher was at pains to point out that the team was committed to the tour before the Karachi blast. “It wasn’t the players’ decision [to pull out of the tour], it was the UCB’ s,” he said. “The players were worried because there was a safety issue, but we were ready to go.” The cancellation followed an earlier decision to proceed with the tour that was taken after a UCB safety delegation visited Pakistan. That decision was conditional on the security situation in the country not deteriorating before or during the tour. “We agreed that if the risk assessment changed the decision to go would be reconsidered,” Boucher insisted.The chief executive of the South African Cricketers’ Association, Tony Irish, was quoted in a Sunday newspaper as saying the players were “hugely relieved” the tour had not gone ahead. Boucher confirmed that view. “Let’s not beat around the bush, the sub-continent isn’t the best place to tour,” he said candidly. “There is a big culture change and you are confined to your hotel most of the time. But it is an important part of a player’s development. It does your skill levels the world of good to play there.”Boucher said he would make productive use of most of his unexpected time off. “I think I’m going to play a bit of golf, and I’m looking forward to doing some pre-season training with Border. It’s an opportunity for us to play in our domestic competitions, because as national players we have a responsibility to our provinces as well.” Followers of provincial cricket, at least, will not feel short-changed by the international non-event. “Our first match is against Western Province, which means you’ll have Makhaya Ntini, Monde Zondeki and Charles Langeveldt up against Herschelle Gibbs, Graeme Smith and Jacques Kallis,” Boucher said.

Sri Lankan off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan inspired a dramatic West Indiancollapse on the second day of the opening Test in Galle and then warned thetourists that they are yet to see him at his best.Muralitharan, who has been working hard in the nets on a new mysterydelivery designed to counteract pad-thrusting batsmen, claimed 5-21 in theday to finish with 6-125, as West Indies lost their last six wickets for 25."Initially, it was tough, as Brian Lara, Ramnaresh Sarwan and Carl Hooperplayed really well on a really good batting track," he said afterwards,clearly delighted with the turnaround, which had pulled the home team backinto the game."But we always thought that if we could get Lara we could get the otherwickets quickly, as they had some inexperienced batsmen to come.The 29-year-old off-spinner, who has now taken 356 Test wickets in only 67matches, has been receiving ice-treatment on a sore shoulder."I did have a little shoulder injury, which I picked up whilst doingweights," he said. "I had stopped bowling in the nets and struggled inSharjah."Gradually, I started to bowl again. During the first day my rhythm was notquite there, but today it was coming out really nicely. Hopefully, it willget better and better as the series progresses."Muralitharan, ever the optimist, believes Sri Lanka can still win despitethe West Indies piling up 448 in their first innings."Unfortunately, Lara got a big one, but this is a batting wicket and stillwe can get a result if we can make a big score. By the fourth and fifth daythe ball is going to spin a long way."He is particularly looking forward to having another crack at Lara."It is a pleasure to bowl at Brian (Lara)," he said "He is such a wonderfulplayer. Unlike other players he doesn’t have any restrictions and can playshots all-round the wicket, so it is always a challenge to bowl at him.First round to Lara after the Trinidadian superstar smashed a brilliant 178,but Muralitharan warned him: "As a bowler I have an advantage. I can makeseveral mistakes, but if a batsman makes one then he is finished and I win."

Match facts

Wednesday 28 October
Start time 1.00pm local (1100 GMT)Craig Ervine has a poor record in T20 internationals, but Zimbabwe are likely to persist with him due to the lack of a credible alternative in their squad•AFP

The big picture

The final home international of Zimbabwe’s busiest season in more than a decade draws to a close with the second Twenty20 against Afghanistan at Queens Sports Club. Zimbabwe have little but pride to play for, but Afghanistan will be chasing another historic first. Afghanistan’s win on Monday was their first over a Full Member in Twenty20 internationals, and if they complete another victory on Wednesday they will have achieved another notable first with a win over a Full Member in a Twenty20 series.That is partly indicative of the fact that Associate teams tend to play Full Members only during major tournaments, but perhaps Afghanistan’s most important achievement on this tour has been to effectively blur the line between the bottom rung of the Full Members and the top Associates – something that Ireland just failed to do, despite playing in three fantastically exciting games.Many have been left asking how it’s possible that Zimbabwe have regressed so quickly, after all the gains that have been made this year, and both the media and fan pages are awash with theories as to what is ailing them. Pride has been pricked, alarm and despondency unleashed. But that is missing the point just a little. Zimbabwe appear to have been caught off guard by the intensity of competition offered by Afghanistan, and the real story is how much Afghanistan have progressed, rather than the other way around.If there’s one area in which Afghanistan have truly surpassed Zimbabwe, it’s the enjoyment they seem to derive from every act of the game. Raees Ahmadzai, a former Afghanistan captain, remarked that the one-day series win was celebrated at home as though Afghanistan had just won the World Cup, and there were tears in the eyes of the cricketers as they celebrated that victory. Afghanistan’s passion for the game is self evident.It would be churlish to suggest that Zimbabwe’s cricketers don’t play with pride and passion of their own, but it is clear that there is a spark missing. Perhaps, after what will have felt like a humiliating defeat, they need to rediscover what it was that drew them to the game in the first place. Wednesday’s game must be seen as an opportunity to do that.

Form guide

(Last five completed matches, most recent first)
Zimbabwe LLLLW
Afghanistan WWWLW

In the spotlight

There are no television cameras to capture it, nor speed guns to measure it, but Dawlat Zadran has looked leagues above the other seamers on either side with the old ball during this tour. Dawlat was clocked at just over 145kph at the Asia Cup last year, and he has certainly looked swift in every match here, but more impressive than his pace has been the direction of his yorkers at the death, and his controlled use of reverse swing. Dawlat picked up a career best 4-22 in the deciding ODI, and his late burst on Monday turned the match for Afghanistan. He will be expected to keep Zimbabwe’s batsmen leashed once again.Zimbabwe appear beyond the point where a single individual might stand out and make a difference for the team. The impressive efforts of the spinners Tendai Chisoro and Wellington Masakadza weren’t enough to turn the ODI series for them, and Sikandar Raza (86) and Sean Williams (102) both contributed heroic innings in vain. The entire Zimbabwean team is going to have to coalesce if they are to raise themselves out of this funk. That’s difficult to do when you’re not winning much, but it’s the only real path back to success for them.

Team news

Craig Ervine’s form has tailed off dramatically in his last four matches, and he is yet to convince as a Twenty20 batsman, with a strike rate of 80.50 from 13 matches. But the only replacement for him in the squad is the uncapped Kevin Kasuza, whose domestic T20 record is also modest. Zimbabwe will thus probably go with an unchanged XI.Zimbabwe (probable): 1 Chamu Chibhabha, 2 Sikandar Raza, 3 Sean Williams, 4 Elton Chigumbura (capt), 5 Craig Ervine, 6 Malcolm Waller, 7 Richmond Mutumbami (wk), 8 Tendai Chisoro, 9 Wellington Masakadza, 10 Taurai Muzarabani, 11 Chris Mpofu.Afghanistan’s XI performed solidly as a team on Monday, and there is no pressing reason for them to consider changes to their side.Afghanistan (probable): 1 Usman Ghani, 2 Mohammad Shahzad (wk), 3 Karim Sadiq, 4 Asghar Stanikzai (capt), 5 Mohammad Nabi, 6 Najibullah Zadran, 7 Shafiqullah, 8 Gulbadin Naib, 9 Rashid Khan, 10 Dawlat Zadran, 11 Amir Hamza.

Pitch and conditions

Zimbabwe’s effort with the bat on Monday was probably about 20 runs under par, and the short boundaries and hard ball should theoretically make run-scoring fairly easy in this format, in these conditions. Having played on every one of the surfaces on the square during this tour, both teams will have a good idea what to expect from the surface. Spin will continue to be important, though the battle between bat and ball should remain an equal one.The day before the match was blustery and cloudy, but the weather should clear by Wednesday.

Stats and trivia

• Zimbabwe have won only seven of the 39 T20Is they have played, and three of those wins were against Canada, Netherlands and UAE.
• Afghanistan have won 18 of the 32 T20Is they have played, but their victory over Zimbabwe on Monday was their first over a Full Member.
• Najibullah Zadran has hit more sixes (16) than fours (14) in T20Is.
• Sean Williams is Zimbabwe’s leading runscorer in T20 cricket this year, with 177 runs from seven innings at an average of 35.40 and a strike rate of 122.06.

Quotes

“Psychologically, Zimbabwe are under a lot of pressure now, especially after losing the ODI series.”
“Queens is a flat track, and if we bat first again we have to put on much more than 150.”

Roy Hodgson has rejected claims that England are gearing up to play long ball with his inclusion of Andy Carroll in the starting line-up, with Ashley Young operating behind him. Hodgson responded that by saying that Rinus Michels, the man behind the famed ‘Total Football’ philosophy, always insisted on having a big man upfront who would be utilised in a more direct style if needed during games. Hodgson insisted that even the most possession-obsessed sides mixed up their styles and if it was good enough for them it would be good enough for England.

Elsewhere in the news Roberto Martinez is set for further talks with Liverpool; Manchester City won’t be a top seed in the Champions League, while Chelsea are planning to make their move for Pep Guardiola.

Headlines

Roy Hodgson has urged his England players to prove they can cut it at top level international football – Guardian

Roberto Martinez is set to return for further talks with Liverpool in the coming week with a view of him succeeding Kenny Dalglish – Guardian

FIFA will insist that referees will also undertake drug tests to ensure they aren’t using any performance enhancing stimulants – Guardian

Chelsea are planning to make a move for Pep Guardiola after being heartened by reports that he maybe wavering over his plans to take a year-long break – Daily Telegraph

Manchester City face the prospect of a ‘group of death’ in the Champions League next season as their failure in the competition last year means they won’t be included among the top seeds – Daily Telegraph

Clint Dempsey has hinted that he may leave Fulham this summer in pursuit of Champions League football – Independent

Jan Vertonghen has warned Tottenham to move quickly to wrap up a deal to sign or risk losing him – Sun

Luis Suarez says that his ‘conscience remains clear’ with regards to his race row with Patrice Evra – Independent

Joey Barton won’t appeal his 12 match ban as QPR look set to launch an investigation into his actions and whether they will look to retain his services for next season – Daily Mail

Ray Wilkins has emerged as a rival candidate with Claudio Ranieri for the vacant job at the Hawthorns – Daily Mail

Kyle Walker believes that Tottenham can challenge for the title next season, providing they keep hold of their best players – Sun

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Newcastle United is on the trail of the highly-rated Venezuela international Roberto Rosales, according to the player’s agent – Newcastle Chronicle

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Alastair Cook led England to safety in Galle, but his team dropped down in the rankings © AFP

England may have drawn the final Test against Sri Lanka in Galle, but the 1-0 series loss meant they slipped from second to fifth in the LG ICC Test Championship table.Sri Lanka, on the other hand, have jumped up two places from fifth to third; had they won in Galle, they would have replaced England in second position.”Those stats don’t lie,” admitted Michael Vaughan, England’s captain. “We got to No. 2 in the world because we beat most teams in the world. “We’re No. 5 in the world because we lost to Australia and we’ve only got 20 wickets once in our last 14 Tests away from home.”England’s slip results in South Africa becoming the No. 2 team in the rankings for both Tests and ODIs, behind Australia. With upcoming series between South Africa and West Indies and Australia and India beginning on Boxing Day, the rankings could well change before the year ends.There is stiff competition among the teams placed second to fifth, with South Africa, Sri Lanka and fourth-placed India all on 109, only separated by fractions of a ratings point, while England are close on their heels at 107.However, top-ranked Australia remain the runaway leaders, and even a 4-0 loss to India at home won’t see them lose the No. 1 spot.In the players rankings, Kumar Sangakkara, who had displaced Ricky Ponting at the top of the list for Test batsmen after the first Test in Kandy, has fallen to third place. Ponting regains first place, but will have to battle with No. 2 Jacques Kallis to retain the position, with both players involved in series that begin on Boxing Day.Mahela Jayawardene, who won the series prize for his 474 runs against England, is now up to sixth place, ahead of Kevin Pietersen, who has slipped to seventh.Among the bowlers, Muttiah Muralitharan continues his reign at the top, while Matthew Hoggard drops three places to ninth.

LG ICC Test Championship

Team	Matches	Rating
Australia	28	143
South Africa	33	109
Sri Lanka	32	109
India	33	109
England	40	107
Pakistan	33	94
New Zealand	18	91
West Indies	24	72
Bangladesh	18	4

LG ICC Player Rankings

Test batsmen
Rank	Name	Country	Rating
1	R.T. Ponting	AUS	936
2	J.H. Kallis	SA	935
3	K.C. Sangakkara	SL	933
4	Mohammad Yousuf	PAK	880
5	M.E.K. Hussey	AUS	874
6	D.P.M.D. Jayawardene	SL	835
7	K.P. Pietersen	ENG	804
8	M.L. Hayden	AUS	803
9	Younis Khan	PAK	799
10	S. Chanderpaul	WI	762
	Top 100

Test bowlers
Rank	Name	Country	Rating
1	M. Muralitharan	SL	907
2	M. Ntini	SA	808
3	D.W. Steyn	SA	775
4	S.R. Clark	AUS	769
5	A. Kumble	IND	732
6	B. Lee	AUS	726
7	S.E. Bond	NZ	724
8	S.M. Pollock	SA	701
9	M.J. Hoggard	ENG	695
10	Shoaib Akhtar	PAK	684
	Top 100

India will look to neutralise Sanath Jayasuriya’s threat, and AjitAgarkar might be their best option in this regard © Getty Images

There will be interesting individual battles within the main battle as both India and Sri Lanka do their homework and try to home in on perceived weaknesses. Here are a few head-to-head contests:Agarkar v JayasuriyaSanath Jayasuriya has tormented bowlers of all kinds for so long now thathe’s always a vital member of the Sri Lankan batting line-up when theteamsheet is finalised. Any team coming up against Sri Lanka will plan to neutralise Jayasuriya’s threat, and India could well turn to AjitAgarkar to do the job. Agarkar, who predominantly bowls outswing toright-handed batsmen, will get the ball to shape back in to theleft-handed Jayasuriya consistently and, if he can hit the right lengths,will be a genuine threat. In the recently concluded series against WestIndies Agarkar repeatedly picked up Chris Gayle, both lbw and bowled, with the ball that came in.Kumble v DilshanSri Lanka’s firepower may be stacked up at the top, but in TillakaratneDilshan they have a batsman capable of explosive innings coming down theorder. With several captains saying that the middle-overs of the inningscould be crucial to the fortunes of teams in the World Cup, Sri Lanka willbe watching carefully how, and how often, Dilshan can come off. The factthat he plays unorthodox strokes, hitting the ball from the stumps on bothsides of the wicket, means that the manner in which he handles Anil Kumblecould be critical. Given Kumble’s metronomic efficiency, if Dilshan misseshe will be out.Malinga v UthappaVirender Sehwag’s run of poor form may have affected him deeply but theIndian team has managed quite alright in his absence, thanks mainly to themarauding Robin Uthappa at the top of the order. While it isearly days in his international career, Uthappa has shown he has theeye and the fast hands, backed by raw power, to hit cleanly through theline in the early part of the innings when the field restrictions are on.Whether he can do the same when the ball is moving around a bit remains tobe seen but he will now be tested against raw pace. Lasith Malingahas blasted out batsmen from the top order with regularity and he will belooking to get Uthappa out of the way in a hurry, for this is one batsmanwho does not believe in simply occupying the crease.

Farveez Maharoof will try and exploit Virender Sehwag’s tendency to sometimesplay without moving his feet much © Getty Images

Maharoof v SehwagFarveez Maharoof was one of the surprise packages for Sri Lanka in theChampions Trophy when he recorded a seven-for against West Indies inMumbai. He has the ability to dart the ball laterally off the surface -especially if the ball grips a bit – which allows him to trouble batsmeneven when the ball is not moving in the air. Virender Sehwag, who islikely to bat in the middle-order, will have to contend with Maharoof. Given Sehwag’s tendency to sometimes play without moving his feet much, the manner in which he counters balls that move off the pitch could well determine how successful he is.Sangakkara v DhoniOnly once in the history of international cricket have wicketkeepers fromeither side scored a century in the same match. That happened at Jaipur,where Mahendra Singh Dhoni played one of the most astonishing knocks ofrecent times, scoring 183. Sangakkara, by no means an inferior batsman but not quite in the same league when it comes to thrashing the ball, hadearlier done his bit, scoring an unbeaten 138 to set up the match. ForIndia, just like Sri Lanka, the runs the wicketkeeper makes is crucial tothe balance of the team. Which of them is the more consistent could have a big say in the outcome of the series.

The ongoing crisis blighting Zimbabwe Cricket has produced another casualty with the news that Matabeleland Cricket Association chairman Ahmet Esat has stepped down from his post and ceased to be a ZC board member.Former Matabeleland medium pace bowler Ethan Dube, who is also on the national and provincial selection panel, has replaced Esat. Dube was unanimously elected by the clubs at a delegates meeting held at Queens Sports Club last Wednesday and also replaces Esat on the ZC board.In his letter of resignation to both ZC chairman Peter Chingoka and the Matabeleland board dated 2 December 2005, Esat made it clear that he did not want to be associated with the controversy bedeviling cricket in Zimbabwe. He said, however, that the main reason for relinquishing his post was because he is undertaking an international pharmaceuticalexamination in the United States which will see him move there for the next six months and he said it was unfair for the game if he was to cling onto his post.Esat became MCA chairman in 2002 when the then incumbent Rob Whiley stepped down, and was formally elected to the post in 2003 and then re-elected last year on a revised two-year term ending in July 2006.Dube is no pushover and is one of the many people advocating the removal of Chingoka and Ozias Bvute from office and that is certainly not good news for pair.In normal circumstances, Stanley Staddon, the MCA vice-chairman who also seats on the ZC board and who is a close ally of Chingoka and Bvute, should have taken control until next year’s AGM but it is understood that he declined to take up the post.

Reunert Bauser, the chief executive of Border Cricket Board (BCB), is being investigated for alleged misappropriation of funds after a raid on the board’s offices last Thursday.According to the South African Press Association, Bauser has been accused of using some of the proceeds from the 2003 World Cup for air tickets to the UK worth R20,000 (£1,800), and a further R400,000 (£36,000) that was earmarked for the Border Bears team.Bauser, who was in the UK at the time of the raid last week, vehemently denied the allegations and, according to his lawyer, earlier financial statements were found to have no irregularities when vetted by auditors. Bauser believes there may be a “vendetta” against him.But Vido Mgadla, the president of the BCB, denied any suggestions of a vendetta on Wednesday, and said, “This is bad for Border cricket and the sooner the matter is sorted out the better.” Asked what might happen if Bauser were to be found guilty, Mgadla joked: “I suppose the wicket will have to be prepared all over again but I hope not.”The BCB has launched its own investigation, which is expected to conclude on Friday.