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.

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.

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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.

The pitch at the Wankhede Stadium was the focus of attention in the newspapers after India’s 13-run win against Australia in a Test which lasted just a shade over two days of actual playing time. While most writers agreed that the pitch was a shocker, many believed that it still could not explain Australia’s capitulation for 93 in the face of a meagre fourth-innings target of 107.”There were demons in the pitch, but Australia batted like they were in a horror movie; as if gooey green monsters were snapping at them every ball,” wrote Harsha Bhogle in The Indian Express. “It was a shocking pitch but the best batting line-up in the world cannot be decimated in under 15 overs. Nothing can be that bad; not even this horror at the Wankhede Stadium.””Australia’s fourth-innings collapse was lamentable,” Peter Roebuck commented in the Sydney Morning Herald. “Bad habits returned with foolish shots played and the hard graft ignored.” Writing in Sydney’s Daily Telegraph, Robert Craddock was more scathing: It was the worst botched chase in Australian cricket history.”The Indians rejoiced in their face-saving win, but there were words of caution about the means taken to reach the ends. Not surprisingly, they came from a seamer. Writing for The Hindu, Javagal Srinath said: “India’s desperation for such a result is understandable. But while winning in India, one should start working on the strengths that are required to play abroad on bouncy tracks. Indian cricket should not get carried away with the success on the home soil.”Australia sorely missed Shane Warne on this pitch, and the fact that Nathan Hauritz was the second-best spin option in the squad came in for some harsh comment as well. “By selecting only one tried and trusted tweaker for a tour of India, Trevor Hohns and his colleagues took a fearful risk,” observed Roebuck. “Hauritz took 2 for 87 on this turning track … but they [his two wickets] were also the result of outfield catches as opposed to deadly deliveries.”The man most under scrutiny was Polly Umrigar, the curator, and he maintained that the pitch wasn’t to blame for the bizarre game. “I can’t understand why [Ricky] Ponting chose to use the heavy roller before both innings … It’s common knowledge something heavy will ensure the wicket breaks quickly,” Umrigar told the Kolkata-based Telegraph newspaper. “I accept the wicket helped the spinners, but I don’t agree it ever was dangerous … Moreover, the turn wasn’t there from the first ball, was it? Our spinners did better simply because of their class.”The final word, though, went to Sourav Ganguly. Out of the Test with a groin injury, he nevertheless took a parting shot at Ponting, who had missed the first three Tests himself with a broken finger. Writing in Mid Day, a Mumbai-based tabloid, Ganguly asked: “Did Ponting’s thumb injury take more time than normal to heal or did his record against Harbhajan and Kumble have something to do with it? We should not be jumping to conclusions, but his record in India is indeed pretty ordinary.”He followed that salvo with another, referring obviously to the Indian team’s complaint about the Nagpur wicket: “Will Ponting and co. be criticised for the big fuss they made about the wicket which spun and cost them the match? Or do we have to start learning to live with the idea that rules will be different for touring sides to India and for the home team captain?”

Shane Warne will miss the fourth Test against India after breaking his right thumb during an eve-of-match net session at Mumbai today.Warne at first appeared to be untroubled, but soon looked in some discomfort and was taken to a local hospital for a precautionary X-ray where the break was revealed. It is thought that either Nathan Hauritz, the offspinner, or the legspinner Cameron White will take his place.”Shane experienced increased levels of pain throughout the afternoon, so we had the thumb X-rayed,” explained Errol Alcott, Australia’s physiotherapist. “The scans have detected a fracture in his right thumb, and given the amount of cricket on the horizon, we feel that it is in his best interests to get home now and rest. We can’t predict a return date for Shane, but we will review him in the lead-up to the first Test in Brisbane.””This series has been one of the true highlights of my career, so I’m really disappointed that I won’t be able to finish it off on the right note,” Warne admitted. “It would have been a great thrill to be on hand when we received the Border-Gavaskar Trophy at the end of this Test, but I’m satisfied with the knowledge that I helped contribute to our series win.”India (probable) 1 Gautam Gambhir, 2 Virender Sehwag, 3 Rahul Dravid (capt), 4 Sachin Tendulkar, 5 VVS Laxman, 6 Mohammad Kaif, 7 Dinesh Karthik (wk), 8 Anil Kumble, 9 Harbhajan Singh, 10 Zaheer Khan, 11 Ashish Nehra.Australia (probable) 1 Matthew Hayden, 2 Justin Langer, 3 Ricky Ponting (capt), 4 Damien Martyn, 5 Simon Katich, 6 Michael Clarke, 7 Adam Gilchrist (wk), 8 Cameron White, 9 Brett Lee, 10 Michael Kasprowicz, 11 Jason Gillespie.

Richard Langridge, who played 212 matches for Sussex between 1957 and 1971, has died after a short battle against cancer. He was 65.A top-order left-hand batsman, Langridge scored 8310 runs at 22.89, including five hundreds. He was a member of the team which won the Gillette Cup in 1963 and 1964, and was on the losing side in the 1970 final.Langridge topped 1000 runs in five seasons, with his best aggregate coming in 1961 when he made 1675 at 26,58. He took a break from the game between 1967 and 1969, before returning to play two final seasons with the county.Langridge was one of the family which played such an important part in Sussex’s history, His father, James, played eight Tests for England and made almost 600 appearances for the county, and his uncle, John, was named in the touring party for the 1939-40 series against India which never took place.

Cecil Starr, the former South Australia player and long-term administrator, has died four years to the day after his friend Sir Donald Bradman. Ian McLachlan, the SACA president, said Starr, 97, passed away today and was South Australian cricket’s most revered elder statesman.Starr played seven first-class matches for South Australia after making his debut in 1927, and served on the SACA’s Ground and Finance Committee from 1952 to 1978. He was a state selector from 1948 to 1957 and 1959 to 1965, and a SACA honorary life member."He was a charming and gentle man with an enormous knowledge of cricket and cricket administration," McLachlan said. "He gave thousands of days of his life to this game and would be remembered very fondly by all in the cricket world." Bradman died aged 92 on February 25, 2001.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball commentary

A novice in Ricky Ponting and an expert in Michael Kasprowicz led Australia to victory in the inaugural Twenty20 international against New Zealand at Eden Park. Ponting sensibly set up a massive total with an unbeaten 98 before Kasprowicz barged in with four wickets as they won by 44 runs in a chaotic experience.Neither captain was sure of their tactics before the match, but the displays of Ponting and Kasprowicz should be patented for this KitKat cricket. New Zealand needed almost 11 runs an over inside a stadium reverberating like a Linkin Park amplifier, and were bustling at 49 in five overs as Kasprowicz arrived. Owning envious experience of the game from his time in county cricket with Glamorgan, Kasprowicz slipped an outswinging yorker through Stephen Fleming, who had pulled a 148kph Brett Lee thunderbolt for four, and his second delivery removed Mathew Sinclair (49 for 2).Kasprowicz further dismantled the New Zealand chase in his following three overs as he sent back Brendon McCullum and then captured the crucial wicket of Chris Cairns, skying to Glenn McGrath at midwicket (95 for 5). The Kiwis could not revive from this point as Australia’s strangling, fuller bowling continued to contain them. Scott Styris managed to muscle 66 from 39 balls, including five fours and three sixes, but when the required run-rate topped 19 an over with three remaining Australia had sealed victories in the first Test, one-day international and Twenty20 matches.The only thing holding up the win was Glenn McGrath’s cheeky last-ball impersonation of Trevor Chappell’s run-up for the underarm. Fortunately McGrath held on to the ball to avoid another Trans-Tasman incident, and returned to his short mark to claim the final wicket of Kyle Mills.Australia’s unique record was set up by an amazing innings by Ponting, whose tentative steps quickly became ones of dominating purpose. He had a patient look early – he even shouldered arms to one ball – before collecting at a one-day international pace and steaming as the innings concluded. Belting four sixes off Daryl Tuffey in the 19th over, he missed his chance for a century when Mike Hussey hit the second-last ball over the boundary. The pair collected 78 in the final 5.3-over surge, and Ponting again had confusing emotions as he left the field.

Sharing an 83-run partnership with Simon Katich, Ponting picked up early boundaries without extravagance but his mood changed when he launched a massive flick over square leg from Jeff Wilson. He finished with eight fours and five sixes from 55 balls, while Hussey’s late value was worth 31 from 15.Splashes of brilliance with bat, ball and in the field combined with the horror of international players slogging and missing throughout the match, but no shots were better for the purists than two Ponting cover-drives for four along the ground. But the dangers of such a high-risk and high-profile experiment without significant preparation were exposed in the opening overs as Australia’s top order swung like wrecking balls and madly crashed to 54 for 4.Andrew Symonds had played ten similar matches in England, and showed punishing power in racking up 32 off 13 balls from No. 3. Mills was blown for three fours and a six before catching Symonds’s under-edge with the final ball of the fourth over (46 for 3). Recovering quickly from the pasting, Mills produced a beautiful outswinger to clip Damien Martyn’s off stump as he waved a drive. He deserved his three wickets, while Cairns had an important presence in spilling only 28 from four overs.The New Zealanders embraced the new concept with a throwback to retro body-hugging shirts, terry-towelling hats and facial hair in the early-1980s mode. Craig McMillan sported delicious mutton-chops and Hamish Marshall’s frizzy hair, which was more disco ’70s, was so big it needed a hay barn.All the gimmicks suited the rock-festival atmosphere that began in a first-over of mayhem that included a wide, a stunning dropped catch by McMillan, a back-foot six from Michael Clarke and finally his dismissal to a mistimed pull (10 for 1). The pace barely dropped over the next 39 overs, but the style will be rigorously debated.

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.”

After a fighting knock that stabilised the West Indian innings against South Africa in the second Test in Trinidad, Ramnaresh Sarwan, unbeaten on 93, said that his team would be looking to add another 100 runs to their lead of 119.West Indies were struggling on 92 for 5, before Sarwan and Bravo stitched together a vital 78-run partnership to end the day on 170 for 5. “Tomorrow we will have to start all over again,” Sarwan was quoted in Reuters. “If we can get close to 219 runs ahead that should set South Africa a good challenge. We needed someone to take responsibility and bat through the day, and that became my responsibility. It was important for me and Dwayne to pick up any singles that were on offer, and to rotate the strike as much as possible on a pitch that was not the best.”Sarwan also blamed the pitch for the mini-collapse, as they lost four wickets for just 13 runs. “I don’t think it’s a lack of application,” he explained. “Obviously the pitch has not been playing that well, it has been of variable bounce but, of course, you gotta apply yourself and stuff but I don’t think it’s lack of anything from our batsmen.”He defended his batsmen, though, and added: “It’s just one of those days when things didn’t go our way It will be very hard for me to say the guys are not applying themselves because everyone going out there wants to perform. Obviously if I get a hundred I will be very happy but I think if I get beyond a hundred it will be very good for us and put us in a good position.”