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Phil Jaques is trying to recover from the mumps in time to play in New South Wales’ FR Cup match against South Australia in his home town of Wollongong on Sunday. Jaques is desperate to move off Australia’s injury list after being struck by the disease after scoring two centuries in the Sri Lanka series.Jaques is one of a group of players causing concern – Stuart MacGill, Andrew Symonds, Michael Clarke, Matthew Hayden and Ricky Ponting have all missed domestic games – but he is regaining health. “I’m hopeful of playing but we’ll need to see where I’m at physically,” Jaques said in the Sydney Morning Herald. “My aim is to play.” New South Wales’ medical staff will continue to monitor Jaques in case he develops any complications.It now appears he will be fit for the Boxing Day Test and Matthew Hayden, Jaques’ opening partner, has also recovered from knee tendonitis. Hayden spent the past week training in preparation for the Chappell-Hadlee Series, which starts in Adelaide on December 14.Shaun Tait, who had to withdraw from the first Test of the Sri Lanka contest, is also on the comeback trail from an elbow problem, but he was outstanding in the Pura Cup match against Queensland, taking ten wickets for the game. The selectors are trying to decide the best way back for Tait, but the bowler is in no doubt about which option he would choose.”I’d rather play for Australia in any game,” he told AAP. The squad for the Chappell-Hadlee Series will be chosen on Thursday.

Pubudu Dassanayake, Canada’s coach, has announced a new coaching team who will take charge across the various levels of the game.Shaun Miller who played minor counties cricket in England will be the deputy national coach and he will be responsible for Western Canada which includes the areas of British Columbia, Alberta and Saskatchewan. He holds an ECB Level 3 qualification.Anderson Cummins, the former West Indies and Canada opening bowler, will look after the Under-19s, who have not qualified for the World Cup in Malaysia this month but will definitely take part in the 2012 event as hosts. Farooq Kirmani who represented Canada in the ’80s, will be undertaking the future of the juniors, in looking after the Under-15s. George Codrington, who represented Canada at last year’s World Cup in the West Indies, will undertake the women’s program.The trio do not, as yet, have formal coaching qualifications, but do have extensive experience of developing players’ skills over many years. “All three have played a considerable amount of international cricket – in Anderson’s case, at Test level,” a Canada spokesperson told Cricinfo. “It is important for Canadian cricket that we maximize this type of expertise which exists within the country.”Geoffrey Crosse will resume his role as technical analyst, team with specific skills in video analysis. “He has formal, college-level qualifications in that area,” said the spokesman, “which is becoming increasingly important for us.”There has been a change in the selectors’ panel too, as Errol Townshend has tendered his resignation as national selector. Richard Hawes, Chris James, Bhan Deonarine and Arvind Patel will soon be joined on the panel by a replacement Ontario representative. The Ontario Cricket Association will recommend a replacement to the CCA. The CCA will then appoint a replacement who will be formally elected to the position at the next AGM.Their big job this year will be to select the side they believe will help Canada win the Twenty20 World Cup Qualifiers in Ireland in August. This will be Canada’s singular focus for the foreseeable future, with two teams from six going through to the World Cup. Project Stingray, as it has been called, will be led by Dassananayake and moves into high gear immediately.The efforts will include the following: an expansion of indoor winter training, with indoor nets and indoor games being played three times a week; specific Twenty20 training; much usage of DVD footage; input from qualified sports psychologists; and the inclusion of promising Canadian Under-19s in the process.

Former Victorian player, captain and coach John Scholes passed away today aged 53. The cause of death is unknown and will be subject to a coroner’s report.Cricket Victoria Chief Executive Officer, Mr Ken Jacobs, said that Scholes was a unique person and would be sadly missed. “I think today Victoria lost one of its greatest ever cricketing sons. John’s contribution as a player, junior and senior coach, as well as mentor to many young Victorian cricketers, will quite simply never be matched. On behalf of the entire Victorian cricket community, I extend our sincere condolences to Diane, as well as John’s children, Shannon and Adam”.JOHN “BARREL” SCHOLES

• Played 62 matches for Victoria (3201 runs @ 30.78, 3 centuries, HS 156)
• First captained Victoria aged 21 and again aged 30
• Coached the Victorian Bushrangers between 1996 – 2001. Led the side to the 98/99 Mercantile Mutual Cup and to two successive Pura Cup finals in 99/00 and 00/01
• All time Premier Cricket games record holder (396). Carlton (277), Fitzroy Doncaster (119)
• 12, 693 runs (Premier Cricket record at the time), 26 centuries, 60 half-centuries
• 5 Premierships (4 Carlton, 1 Fitzroy Doncaster) from 9 Grand Final appearances
• Coached Carlton CC in 2002/03
• Played Premier Cricket for 31 years

South Africa’s cricketers were caught in the midst of an alleged terrorist attack on Wednesday, as their hotel in London had to be evacuated.The team had been relaxing at the Buckinghamshire Hotel in London, ahead of a low-key charity match, when a suspicious white powder – thought to be anthrax – was discovered in the adjoining shopping centre.”The entire area was cordoned off and there were police and sirens all over,” said Omar Henry, the convenor of the national panel of selectors. “Within minutes, the fire brigade was on the scene and people were running in every direction. I locked myself in my room and did not want to move around in the hotel.”The players were told to stay in their rooms, and they were late in leaving for their match. After police had searched the area for quite some time, the players were eventually given permission to leave the hotel through a side door.

Heath Streak, Zimbabwe’s captain, believes one-day internationals should consider new rules and fresh ideas to maximise its interest and appeal.Talking ahead of Zimbabwe’s opening game of the VB Series against Australia at Sydney on Sunday, Streak said: “One-day cricket is a fantastic advert for the game, but there is a risk that unless a tight finish is involved, the game can be predictable for players and fans.”Spectators now have dozens of sports and entertainment to choose from on their TV screens, so cricket has to find a way of holding its own in a crowded market.”Streak had a few ideas of his own on how to shake things up a bit. “For example, as a captain, I’d support the idea of being able to change the current fielding restrictions from the first 15 overs of a match, when you have to have two catchers and only two fielders outside of the circle.”If I could use the 15 overs in blocks of, say, five overs each, it would allow me to experiment more with my bowlers and have new options to try in the field. That might help change the quiet period you often get in games between overs 16 and 40.”He also suggested the introduction of international Twenty20 cricket, the 20-over format introduced in England last season. “We saw the instant impact that Twenty20 cricket had in England when we toured there in the last northern summer,” he said. “Perhaps the ICC could experiment with an international version of Twenty20, which I think would pull in spectators and be an attractive formula for telecasters.”Streak, who has played 172 one-dayers for Zimbabwe, warned that the game needs to keep coming up with new ideas. “With 11 countries playing limited-overs internationals there is plenty of scope to experiment with some fresh thinking,” he said. “Cricket needs to find a way of keeping itself attractive and interesting. Test cricket should always be there as the purest form of the game, but one-day internationals provide the perfect opportunity for some creative thinking.”

Derbyshire have signed James Bryant, the former Somerset batsman, on a two-year contract. The deal was originally agreed back in September last year, but only sealed this week.Bryant, 27 and born in South Africa, had a disappointing last season for Somerset, averaging under 30. However, he has impressed for Eastern Province, the South African domestic side this winter, scoring 163 and two half-centuries.Bryant, whose parents were born in the UK, qualifies as a domestic player after he granted a British passport last year.

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Stephen Harmison marked a stunning return to form on the second day of the final Test at The Oval, grabbing eight wickets in the day, including 6 for 46 in West Indies’ first innings, to go with his Test-best 36 not out in a 60-run last-wicket partnership with James Anderson. West Indies were then demolished for 152, and despite a wonderful unbeaten cameo from Chris Gayle, they are staring down the barrel of an innings defeat – and a 4-0 series whitewash – at 85 for 2, 233 runs behind.It was a fine display from Harmison, who had claimed only eight previous wickets in the series. Today, rhythm returning with every wicket, he added eight more, including his 100th in only his 23rd Test.Things had looked very different first thing, as West Indies had threatened a fightback with an early double strike, with both Geraint Jones and Andrew Flintoff dismissed without adding to their overnight scores. Corey Collymore deceived Jones with his fifth delivery of the morning, moving one away and taking the edge. Ramnaresh Sarwan held a tidy catch at third slip, and Jones was out for 22 (313 for 6). Fidel Edwards then dished up another short one at Flintoff, who went for a one-legged pull but mistimed to mid-on, where Jermaine Lawson took an excellent one-handed catch tumbling backwards (321 for 7).Giles dominated his partnership with Hoggard, collecting several fours off Collymore, Fidel Edwards and Dwayne Smith. Not too far behind, Hoggard was off the mark with a nice clip off his legs for four off Collymore, and followed that up by whipping Dwayne Bravo to the midwicket boundary. Two overs later Hoggard was at it again, hitting Bravo for three more fours to take his partnership with Giles to 50.After bringing up England’s 400 with a scampered single off Lawson, Giles brought up his fifty with a four and a two off Bravo. Two more took him to 52, but Giles could do no better, edging Bravo to Lara, who held the catch this time (408 for 8). Lawson finally got his man in the next over, as Hoggard mistimed a drive straight to Sylvester Joseph at cover (410 for 9), but Michael Vaughan chose not to declare, and Anderson and Harmison came back out to bat after lunch.They immediately set about the bowlers with even more contempt than Giles and Hoggard. Harmison clipped and pulled Lawson for two fours in the first over back, and then smashed Bravo over long-off for a huge six. Harmison then heaved Lawson over midwicket for another six, and smashed Bravo over long-on for his third. A single to third man by Anderson brought up the fifty partnership for the tenth wicket, and Harmison moved past his own previous-highest score in Tests with a pull off Bravo that raced to the midwicket boundary.Anderson joined in the run-fest with an unbelievable Adam Gilchrist-style uppercut over the slips for four, but the fun finally ended in the next over, as Anderson missed a swipe at Gayle and was bowled for 12. After a last-wicket stand of 60, All 11 English batsmen reached double figures – the first time this had happened since 1928-29.West Indies’ reply got off to a shaky start, as Gayle was sent back to the pavilion following a thin edge off a short, leg-side delivery from Harmison (19 for 1). Harmison struck again in his next over, with Giles taking a simple catch at gully after Sylvester Joseph was squared up by a short, fast one (22 for 2). Flintoff came on for Hoggard at the Vauxhall End, and in his second over Sarwan edged to Andrew Strauss in the slips and was out for 2 (26 for 3).Shivnarine Chanderpaul fell in the first over after tea, pulling Hoggard to square leg, where Robert Key took a stunning one-handed catch diving to his left (54 for 4), but Lara was intent on attacking: cutting and driving Hoggard for fours two overs later, and then pulling Flintoff powerfully for consecutive boundaries on the leg side. Lara then crashed Flintoff through point as he moved closer to a vital fifty.But wickets kept tumbling at the other end. Bravo had moved quietly to 16 with some well-timed strokes on the off side when he tried an over-ambitious pull at a Harmison bouncer, and Jones held the resulting top-edge (101 for 5). Lara brought up his half-century with a slightly streaky edge to third man off Anderson, but Carlton Baugh lost his concentration after the drinks break, guiding the simplest of catches to Strauss at third slip to depart for 6 (118 for 6). With Smith in hospital undergoing a precautionary x-ray on a side-strain he picked up while fielding, and therefore unable to bat, Collymore came out into the middle to join Lara.Running out of partners, Lara stepped up a gear, unleashing his trademark cover-drive on Anderson, and cutting Harmison down to third man. But the procession at the other end continued, and Collymore lasted just seven balls before edging to Marcus Trescothick in the slips to give Harmison his first five-wicket haul of the series.With Edwards in, and only Lawson to come, Lara chipped Anderson just short of Key at mid-on, and then decided to take on Harmison, slamming him through the covers and then behind square on the leg side. But Harmison won the duel next ball, as Lara’s attacking instincts got the better of him, and he lofted another pull to Ian Bell at fine leg (149 for 8). Confused calling lead to Edwards’s run-out for a duck in the next over, and West Indies were forced to follow on – an embarrassing 318 runs behind on a good pitch.

Coming out to bat for the second time in the day, Gayle clipped two fours off his legs in the first two overs of the second innings, but this was merely a taster of what was to come. Refusing to lie down and die, Gayle crashed all six deliveries of Hoggard’s next over for fours – the first time this has happened in Test cricket – with not a slog in sight. Time after time the ball raced to the boundary, through midwicket, to long leg and through the covers off both the front and back foot.Vaughan immediately changed Hoggard for Giles, and Harmison for Flintoff, but Gayle wasn’t finished. After taking stock of the bowling, he drove and pulled Flintoff for two more fours, and one over later, for a third to reach his fifty from only 36 balls.But Joseph couldn’t match Gayle’s firepower: and nor did he have any answer to Harmison’s. He fell to a fast, brutish short ball that took the edge and flew to Jones, who took a tumbling catch (73 for 1). That was Harmison’s 100th wicket in Tests, and in his next over he made it 101 as Ian Bell took a blinder in the gully to dismiss Sarwan for 7 (81 for 2). Lara and Gayle played out a nervous two overs to the close without any further scares, but all signs point to England applying the whitewash some time tomorrow.Liam Brickhill is editorial assistant of Wisden Cricinfo.

India’s coach, John Wright, has criticised his team for not delivering the final blow in the first Test at Mohali against Pakistan, and has advised them to be more hungry for success if they are to attain to the highest levels of international cricket.”We could not get the killer blow in,” said Wright after India failed to take the last four wickets to win the Test. “That result has to make us more hungry. It’s disappointing not to get the result we wanted, after the situation the opposition was in.” India can overtake England at No. 2 in the world Test rankings if they win the three-Test series 2-0.”If you want to be a top side, you have to get the job done. This is an area where we are still learning. If we want to climb the list we’ll have to have the killer instinct. This is what I look for and want from the team.”Pakistan were struggling at the start of the fifth day with just a 53-run lead and only four wickets in hand. However, a record 184-run partnership between Kamran Akmal and Abdul Razzaq saved the Test for Pakistan. “In India-Pakistan contests, players always seem to find that little bit extra, but it came on the last day from the Pakistani batsmen.”When asked whether Harbhajan Singh would be selected for the Kolkata Test, Wright said: “Conditions suit us here and he [Harbhajan] has a good chance of making the side. Harbhajan has done well at the Eden Gardens and likes bowling here. I don’t think we’ll go with five bowlers. Traditionally we have always played two seamers and two spinners here and it has worked for us.”

Most of Zimbabwe’s rebel players may by now be scattered across the globe, but the ramifications of their dismissal continue to rumble on.Their solicitor, Chris Venturas, admitted at the weekend that the players consider the matter almost at an end. But he did deliver a parting swipe at the ICC who, he claimed, was directly asked on May 20 to form a dispute resolution committee to arbitrate in the showdown. “We gave the ICC seven days to get back to us and we haven’t heard anything,” he said. “We have to assume that nothing is happening, or even if it is it’s too late for my clients. They want to move on.”For its part, the ICC denies that it has ignored the rebels’ request. “A panel has not been formed at this stage because the ZCU is disputing whether that system has any jurisdiction,” Brendan McClements, the ICC’s corporate affairs manager, told Reuters. “We have said to the ZCU we think it does and the players have said to us they think it does. The ZCU do not concur.”He [Venturas] is right in that a panel has not been convened at this time, primarily because the ZCU are fighting it and saying it wouldn’t have any authority.”McClements added that both sides were now taking legal advice about how to proceed.

A hike in monthly pensions for former players, plans to boost support to other sports, and venues for the 2006 Champions Trophy were some of the issues discussed in the BCCI’s working committee meeting in Mumbai on Sunday.Showing the money
Players who have figured in 25 Tests or more will receive up to Rs35,000 as pension amount while those who have played in less than 25 will get Rs25,000. The widows of Test cricketers will also receive the same amount. Former cricketers who played for India in Tests and ODIs after December 31, 1993 and all international umpires will receive a sum of Rs10,000 per month.Sharing the booty
Sports other than cricket will also benefit from the BCCI’s largesse, after they decided to set up a corpus fund worth Rs50 crore (approx US$11 million) to boost budding talents in the under-15 age group in various sports. “It’s the responsibility of the BCCI to support young talent in sports that figure in the Asian Games and Olympics,” Sharad Pawar, the president of the BCCI, said about this initiative. “The BCCI will pick the No.1 in the under-15 age group and help them in training in India and abroad. The modalities have to be worked out and the BCCI constitution has to be amended for this purpose. We will set aside Rs50 crores and add the proceeds of one off-shore match every year [around Rs40 crores] to build the corpus.”Ground work
The board, after negotiations with the ICC, confirmed four venues — Cricket Club of India, Mumbai, Jaipur, Mohali and Ahmedabad — for the Champions Trophy to be held in October-November this year. “The ICC has agreed to reduce the compensation money from US$1 million to under 200,000 dollars for the fourth venue,” informed Pawar. “The ICC rejected Chennai and Bangalore because of the threat of rain and the Cricket Association of Bengal informed the BCCI that it was not in a position to conduct the Champions Trophy games.”Pawar will choose eight venues in India for the 2011 World Cup and the “eight centres will have to send the compliance letter soon,” reported BCCI treasurer N Srinivasan. Also, a special committee headed by Chirayu Amin, the vice president, and comprising Arun Jaitley of the Delhi District Cricket Association, Lalit Modi, Bindra and Ajay Shirke, Maharashtra Cricket Association president, had been formed to come up with proposals to develop the 30 acres of land given by the Delhi Development Authority to the board.To cap it all
Agreeing with Sunil Gavaskar’s views on the India cap, Pawar announced that only the national players will wear the cap with the BCCI’s crest on it, while the support staff will not be allowed to wear it.Searching for talent
A special committee headed by former chief IS Bindra will give suggestions about optimum usage of the board’s funds, and will also offer recommendations on the Talent Research Development Wing (TRDW). “The committee will submit a preliminary report on all the related issues, including the scraping of the TRDW and the change in the format of the national selection panel [from five members to three],” said Pawar. Gavaskar had earlier criticised the proposed move to scrap the TRDW, asserting that the increase in the number of players from smaller towns was due to this system. He felt it would be a “big mistake” to scrap such a successful system.