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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.

Omar Henry, head of the South African selection committee, has hit back at Bob Woolmer’s comments that South African cricket is in a mess, while Graeme Smith insisted that he didn’t receive any sort of contact from Woolmer regarding his acceptance of the captaincy.Henry said: “I don’t know in which country Bob Woolmer finds himself right now. Perhaps he must have his eyes tested.” Henry’s comments were in reaction to Woolmer, the former national coach, who speaking at a benefit dinner for Dale Benkenstein in Pietermaritzburg, said he was deeply hurt by the present state of affairs in South African cricket, before going on to point a finger at Smith, who had questioned Klusener’s team ethic in a breakfast interview.”I can’t really believe that Lance has not been selected to tour England,” said Woolmer. “It was because of him that we got to the semi-finals of the 1999 World Cup in the first place. That man wins games for South Africa and then someone had the temerity to attack him at a breakfast.”Smith is the youngest man ever to lead the national side, and Woolmer was incensed by his lack of respect for a man who has been a mainstay of the team for over half a decade. “Graeme Smith has not been playing long enough and after five Tests has no right to criticise someone whose track record for South Africa is so good,” he said.He added that he had cautioned Smith against accepting the captaincy when it was offered to him in the wake of Shaun Pollock’s sacking. “I pleaded with him not to take the captaincy but to rather wait until he was 26, more experienced and more settled in the side so he could handle all the pressures.”However, Smith has since insisted that he in fact never received a call from Woolmer to that effect: “Bob’s entitled to his opinion on whether I should be the captain or not,” he said. “I don’t begrudge him that. But I just don’t remember him phoning me and suggesting that I should wait until I was 26 before taking over as captain.” He added, “I know I’m only 22, but my memory’s in pretty good working order.”Woolmer also hinted at provincialism in South African cricket when he said, “Lance, I must tell you that if you live in Cape Town you have more chance of playing for South Africa, and you think I’m joking.” Henry, Eric Simons, the national coach, and Smith are all from Cape Town.As South Africa prepare for what is sure to be a closely contested series in England, Woolmer – who played for Kent and England – said he considered himself a South African, though he felt dismayed at the about-turn in the nation’s cricketing fortunes. “I feel more like a masochist at the moment because the state of our sport really hurts me,” he said. “I wish I knew what was going on in our cricket because at the moment it is a complete mess.”

Roger Harper yesterday chided observers who described the West Indies’pre-tour camp as an army-type exercise which was not suited forcricketers.The West Indies coach, to the contrary, believed the two-week camp inTrinidad served its purpose in preparing the team for tours ofZimbabwe and Kenya.A lot of things have been said about the camp and wrongly so. A lot ofpeople from the Press have made some ill-advised and unresearchedstatements, he said on his return to the Caribbean yesterday after asuccessful tour.The West Indies coach lauded the effort of team sports therapistRonald Rogers and two physical training instructors from the Trinidadand Tobago Defence Force for their input at the camp.But he was critical of those who made negative comments about theexercise.I read things in the Press about an army-style camp. I have never beento an army camp and I don’t know what it’s like, Harper said.I doubt whether the people who made those comments saw any details ofthe programme of the camp.He added that Rogers’ assistants had previously worked with otherinternational sports teams.Certainly they are not army drill sergeants. The programmes they ran,as designed by Ronald, were specifically geared to getting our team inthe best physical shape and mental condition as well, Harper said.Judging from the results, obviously they have to be given some sort ofcredit.Harper was speaking to reporters during a welcome reception for theteam, hosted by British Airways in the Club Caribbean Lounge at theGrantley Adams International Airport.The reception was held following the success by the West Indies teamwhich returned from an overseas tour with positive results for thefirst time in six years.Carl Hooper’s men won the Coca-Cola Cup in a three-way limited-oversseries that also involved Zimbabwe and India, and followed up with a1-0 series victory in a two-Test series against Zimbabwe.On leaving Zimbabwe, the West Indies moved over to Kenya where theyeasily defeated the hosts in three One-Day Internationals.By no means have we arrived, Harper said, with the knowledge thatZimbabwe and Kenya are two of the weaker teams in internationalcricket.This is a process of development, a process of growing and we’ve shownthat we are learning.He said the success in Zimbabwe was significant because India had onlyrecently stopped the winning streak of mighty Australia but wereunable to defeat Zimbabwe in the preceding Test series.Winning in Zimbabwe was no mean feat. Defeating India in the (Coca-Cola) final was a significant achievement.We managed to overcome the adversity of losing a number of key playersto injury.The team stuck together well, fought very well and there was thedetermination and the will to win that process started way back in thecamp.The tour started with major injury worries for the West Indies whichresulted in champion batsman Brian Lara, leg-spinner DinanathRamnarine, and fast bowlers Cameron Cuffy, Mervyn Dillon and KerryJeremy having to return home early.If you look at the schedule of international cricket being playedaround the world, you will get injuries due to wear and tear, Harpersaid.What we have to try and do is to put together a process in theCaribbean of preparing our youngsters from early, making them fitterand stronger so that when they get to international level they arebetter prepared to take on the rigours of the sort of schedules wehave at the moment.The reception was attended by Barbados Cricket Association officials,including first vice-president David Holford, second vice-presidentOwen Estwick, board members Conde Riley and Bobby Goodman, consultantSelwyn Smith, as well as British Airways’ area commercial managerElvin Sealy.The West Indies’ party included Harper, Barbadians Courtney Browne,Corey Collymore and Pedro Collins, Guyanese Shivnarine Chanderpaul,Reon King, Ramnaresh Sarwan and Neil McGarrell and Trinidadian DaveMohammed.

Joe Burns and Usman Khawaja got the nod, Cameron Bancroft and Shaun Marsh just missed out, but there was also plenty of discussion about the veteran Michael Klinger in Australia’s selection meeting ahead of the first Test against New Zealand. At 35, Klinger seemed unlikely to be seriously considered for the start of a rebuilding process after a number of post-Ashes retirements.However, his double-century for Western Australia in the first round of Sheffield Shield matches was timely as the younger contenders around the country failed to have an impact in the last innings before the squad was chosen. It was Klinger’s 14th century across all formats in the past year, and head coach and selector Darren Lehmann said his name had been part of the discussion.”We spoke about him quite a lot, to be perfectly honest,” Lehmann said on SEN radio in Melbourne on Friday. “He was very, very close. It’s a tough one isn’t it. His experience is there. He’s 35, we’ve already got Adam Voges who is 36. Do we want to go down that path?”Age is not too much of an issue, but when we’re looking at players over a period of time – he averages 38 in first-class cricket, Khawaja averages 40 for example and he’s seven or eight years younger. Sometimes you just have to go with a gut feel. It’s a tough call sometimes. But we certainly looked at him.”National selector Rod Marsh was blunt when asked about Klinger, declaring that although he had been discussed, his long-term performance had not been such that he warranted jumping ahead of the younger men.”Of course we’ve looked at Michael Klinger,” Marsh said. “He’s got to keep making runs. “Have you looked at Michael Klinger’s batting average in first-class cricket? It’s not as good as the other boys. Part of our selection policy is if you’ve got two blokes that are absolutely equal you go for the younger bloke, and I think that’s very fair.”If one bloke is noticeably better and is more likely to influence the outcome of a game, then you pick the old bloke. But if they’re not noticeably better and they’re not likely to influence the outcome of a game, then you must always go with your youth. That’s our policy, and whether you agree with it or not, it’s irrelevant.”Although Klinger’s long-term figures might appear slightly underwhelming, he has enjoyed a productive period in his thirties. In the past two years he has averaged 45.95 in first-class cricket, with 11 centuries, but even if Burns and Khawaja fail to grasp their chances against New Zealand it would appear more likely that younger men such as Bancroft would be the next contenders.Michael Klinger’s recent double-century for Western Australia was his 14th century across formats in the past year•Getty Images

Bancroft had been part of the squad named for the abandoned tour of Bangladesh, and would likely have opened with Burns had that trip gone ahead, with David Warner out of action due to a fractured thumb. Burns debuted in Test cricket at No. 6 but now has the opportunity to become Warner’s new opening partner, having thrived as an opener for Queensland – he averages 46.58 as a first-class opener for the Bulls.”I guess my last two years for Queensland has been as an opening batter and I feel really comfortable and confident in that role,” Burns said. “I’ve had some consistent success there, so it is very easy to just slide in and I guess the fact that the first game is at the Gabba, my home ground, makes it a little bit easier as well. So, it is a challenge that I’m really looking forward to; I’m excited about the prospect of opening the batting for Australia”Burns averages 40.86 at the Gabba, which is also the adopted home ground of the now Queensland captain Khawaja. It has been an especially productive venue for Khawaja, who averages 67.46 from nine first-class matches there, and now has a chance to play his first home Test in nearly four years.Khawaja’s return to the side is all the more impressive given that last December he suffered a serious knee injury that put him out of action until the middle of this year. He said there were times during his lay-off that he wondered if his career might have been over, but now he has the chance to build the solid Test career that he has promised since his debut in 2011.”It’s massive, I’m just happy to be playing cricket again,” Khawaja said. “I was thinking about it this morning and at one point I thought – with the knee injury my career might have been over. And then obviously I did a ton of work to get back. I’m just happy to be playing cricket again, it’s a lot of fun. So yes it’s a big bonus I think.”

Chris Gayle’s management have retained the services of a “leading Australian media lawyer” with the intention of “immediately” launching defamation action against Fairfax Media over allegations that he indecently exposed himself to a woman in Sydney during the World Cup last year.The allegation arose following Gayle’s widely decried actions in an interview with the Ten Network sports presenter Mel McLaughlin while playing for the Melbourne Renegades in the Big Bash League.The Renegades fined Gayle $10,000 for the incident, and the Cricket Australia chief executive James Sutherland declared the West Indian opening batsman would be facing far more severe consequences if he transgressed further.It is believed a substantiation of Fairfax Media’s indecent exposure allegation against Gayle, which it claimed had taken place during a training session at the SCG before the start of the tournament, would be viewed by CA as sufficient cause to tear up his existing contract with the Renegades.Gayle would also be banished from playing for any club in the BBL – a competition designed in part to be a welcoming tournament for females – in the future.”Chris Gayle has strongly denied allegations first published by Fairfax Media that he indecently exposed himself to a woman during last year’s World Cup in Sydney,” Gayle’s manager Simon Auteri said in a statement.”Despite such denials Fairfax Media continues to publish the false and defamatory allegations which have received widespread re-publication in media throughout the world.”As a result Chris Gayle has retained Mark O’Brien, a leading Australian media lawyer to immediately commence defamation proceedings against Fairfax Media.”

India received a further jolt at the end of the Old Trafford one-day international with news that Zaheer Khan had twisted his ankle while batting. It was a potential knockout blow for India after the three-wicket loss left them trailing the seven-match series 3-1.Zaheer, India’s bowling spearhead throughout the tour, suffered the injury to his left ankle during his cameo of 20 from 19 balls. He pushed the final ball of the 47th over to the off side but pulled up as he reached the other end. He did not show any signs of discomfort during his first bowling spell but struggled when he returned for his final three overs.”He came through fine and got through the game,” Rahul Dravid said about the injury. “Now it’s a question of waiting and watching, seeing how it is in the morning and putting some ice on it. We have got a couple of days [before the next match] and it’s a good sign for us that he went through the game and bowled. It might be a bit sore after the game.”Zaheer has put in the most number of overs (228.2) among the Indian bowlers so far on this tour. He had suffered a groin strain before the start of the tour but came through the Tests, ending it as the Man of the Series. He missed the second ODI at Bristol due to a bout of flu but recovered to take part in the next two games.There was also a minor concern over Yuvraj Singh, who top-scored with 71 and bowled two overs. He appeared in pain towards the end of the game and was well below his athletic best. He seemed to have recovered the next morning, with Rajeev Shukla, the administrative manager, saying, “He’s absolutely fine. There is no problem.”India are set to leave for Leeds on Friday afternoon. The fifth ODI is to be held at Headingley on Sunday, a match that they need to win to stay alive in the series.

Zimbabwe Cricket has announced a revised domestic cricket structure that will see five national select sides play in a national league competition beginning next season.Five new sides – , the national team, Zimbabwe A, a Board XI, Zimbabwe Development and the National Academy – will take part. At a meeting on Friday, ZC said the objective of the new national league format was ”to create a professional, well organised and competitive domestic league that is free from individual politics”.It continued: ”The technical challenges being faced by ZC today relate to the lack of a clearly defined technical structure. ZC needs to put in place a technical structure that is well defined in terms of role with clear and defined outputs in order to measure performance.”It is against this background that a workshop on structure development is required before the onset of the 2006-07 season. This workshop will deal with issues of communication, job descriptions, politicking among others.”Meanwhile, the Logan Cup, the country’s first-class tournament, is set to resume with three new sides. Although Manicaland and Midlands remain as they were, the two old provinces of Mashonaland and Matabeleland have been disbanded and their places will be taken by Harare Metropolitan and Bulawayo Metropolitan. The fifth side will be Masvingo. “What will happen is that the smaller provinces will be swallowed up by these five for the Logan Cup,” source said. “With time, they say, they will become independent and play on their own.”ZC came under intense fire after it failed to stage the Logan Cup in 2005-06. At the time a spokesman insisted that it had merely been postponed and that the seasons had been rejigged.Cricinfo first broke the story that the board was planning the domestic overhaul earlier in the year.

Returning to Test cricket after a 28-month layoff, Shane Bond was delighted with his performances in the two-Test series in Zimbabwe. He took 13 wickets at 9.23, including returns of 10 for 99 in the second Test at Bulawayo – his first ten-wicket haul – and in the process became the quickest among all New Zealand bowlers to get to 50 Test wickets. Bond achieved the mark in only his 12th match, beating Chris Martin’s earlier record of 13. (Click here for Bond’s Test stats.)”That’s what’s driven me on, a few of those milestones I wanted to achieve,” Bond told Radio Sport after the match. “I’ve just got to keep working hard and hopefully I can tick them off as I go along. I feel like I’m in better condition now. I’m fitter, stronger, and a smarter cricketer.”Bond expressed his surprise, though, at the number of wickets that came his way at Bulawayo. “I set myself high standards but you never think you’re going to get a bag of wickets. I never gave up hope [during the injury layoff]. There were some really tough times, more mental than physical, but you’ve just got to work through them. All I wanted to do was be consistent and support the guys around me.”Stephen Fleming, the New Zealand captain, admitted that Bond’s presence had made a huge difference to their attack. “We’ve gone through some series and kept our mouth shut, knowing we were missing possibly one of the greatest bowlers to play for New Zealand. He’s worked very hard and come back well.” Fleming himself had a reasonably good series with the bat, scoring two half-centuries. His 65 in the second Test took him past the 6000-run mark in Tests, making him the first New Zealander to achieve the feat.New Zealand’s next engagement is the one-day tri-series next week, involving Zimbabwe and India. However, Bond will have to wait seven months to play his next Test, when New Zealand host West Indies in March 2006.

Michael Dighton, the Australian first-class batsman, will join Hampshire as a temporary replacement for Michael Clarke.Dighton, 28, has played 41 first-class games for Tasmania and Western Australia, and has scored over 2,000 runs at an average of just below 40. He is currently playing for Greenock in Scotland.Clarke, Hampshire’s second overseas player after Shane Warne, is in Australia’s one-day squad to play in Zimbabwe between June 6 and 12, and Dighton is expected to make his first appearance in the National League match against Kent on May 31 at The Rose Bowl.

The West Indies Cricket Board announced on Tuesday that the Selection Committee has named 12 players from which the final 11 will be picked for the third Cable & Wireless One-Day International against Australia at Beausejour Stadium on Wednesday.West Indies trail Australia 0-2 in the seven-match series after losing a double-header at Kingston’s Sabina Park by two runs on Saturday and eight wickets on Sunday.Squad: Brian Lara (captain, Trinidad & Tobago), Ramnaresh Sarwan (vice-captain, Guyana), Omari Banks (Leeward Islands), Carlton Baugh Jr (wk, Jamaica), David Bernard Jr (Jamaica), Corey Collymore (Barbados), Mervyn Dillon (Trinidad & Tobago), Vasbert Drakes (Barbados), Chris Gayle (Jamaica), Wavell Hinds (Jamaica), Ricardo Powell (Jamaica), Devon Smith (Windward Islands)Coach: Gus Logie
Team Manager: Ricky Skerritt
Team Analyst: Garfield Smith
Team Trainer: Ronald Rogers
Adriel Richard
West Indies Media Attaché
Tel: 246/230-7016