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The ICC has confirmed that Harbhajan Singh, the Indian offspinner, will be able to continue to bowl in international cricket, provided he uses an action consistent with the one he exhibited in the biomechanical tests conducted at the University of Western Australia in February.The decision follows a report from Marc Portus, the independent biomechanist, who conducted a further analysis of Harbhajan’s action after he was reported during the recent series against Pakistan.Portus’s report identified several differences in the actions employed by Harbhajan during the match against Pakistan and the one analysed at the university. However, it was unable to reach a definitive conclusion on the action used in the Pakistan match.Dave Richardson, the former South African wicketkeeper who is now the ICC’s cricket general manager, said that while the differences in the actions were identified, Portus had advised that he could not reach a conclusive decision because of differences in the footage quality and the camera angles.”There is no doubt that the action analysed in the university showed Harbhajan bowling with an action that is in accordance with the regulations,” said Richardson. “The analysis of the action used during the Pakistan match identifies some differences, including the position of the feet and the speed of the delivery. However, Portus was unable to reach a definitive conclusion on the action used against Pakistan because of the quality of the footage and the camera angles used. On this basis the ICC has advised the BCCI that Harbhajan is able to bowl in international cricket, provided his action is consistent with that used in the laboratory.”But Richardson added: “Should his action deteriorate, it is possible that the match referees would again report him and this would raise the prospect of further biomechanical analysis.”SK Nair, the BCCI’s honorary secretary, said that his board “welcomes the ICC decision to allow Harbhajan to bowl in international cricket. BCCI firmly believes that no bowler is licensed to throw. But at the same time, if a prima facie case cannot be established against the bowler, he should be allowed to play with a free mind. This cricket-friendly decision would not only lift the morale of Harbhajan, but also the other bowlers around the globe.”So that Harbhjan can be given the opportunity to understand the concerns raised in the Portus report, the BCCI has accepted an offer from the ICC for Richardson to meet with Harbhajan and his coach, to go through the specific points raised.

ScorecardFile photo: Jade Dernbach picked up three wickets in his first Georgie Pie match of the season•PA Photos

Stephen Murdoch’s 45-ball 70 and Jade Dernbach’s 3 for 25 set up Wellington’s 26-run victory over Central Districts in Nelson.Batting first, Wellington were off to an attacking start as openers Michael Pollard (25) and Michael Papps (36) put on 51 runs within five overs. Central Districts then chipped away at Wellington’s middle order, lead by Seth Rance, as no batsman apart from Pollard, Papps and Murdoch lasted for more than 10 balls. Wellington reached 175 for 9 at the end of their 20 overs, mainly thanks to Murdoch, who was dismissed in the last over.In reply, Wellington’s bowlers reduced Central Districts to 61 for 5 by the ninth over. Kruger van Wyk and Josh Clarkson then combined to put on a 43-run stand in six overs. The partnership was broken by Jeetan Patel in the 15th over, with Central Districts still needing 72 off 31. They were eventually restricted to 149 for 9.”Pappsy struck it beautifully at the top and really set the tone,” Murdoch said. “We’re two from four now so we’ve given ourselves a chance on a pretty congested table.”Central Districts moved one spot down in the points table from their third position, and despite winning two of their four games, Wellington sit at second-last position, ahead of Canterbury.This match also recorded the second instance in New Zealand’s domestic history that a female umpire, Kathy Cross, officiated in a game. Cross had been the first to do so in the 2006-07 season.

After winning the first Test by the massive margin of an innings and 99 runs, New Zealand will hope to complete their first series win in the subcontinent since Geoff Howarth’s side beat Sri Lanka 2-0 over 20 years ago. In Dhaka, Bangladesh were undone by Daniel Vettori, who returned the excellent second-innings figures of 22-13-28-6, but they will expect to put up sterner resistance this time.”The wicket was quite slow and we got some bounce that helped me a lot. It was good for spinners but not the best.” said Vettori. “Patience is key to surviving on such wickets. They can learn a lot from our style of batting in the first innings.”To strengthen their batting, Bangladesh have replaced Hannan Sarkar, who had scored only 54 in his last nine innings, with Aftab Ahmed, who will make his Test debut on his home ground if selected: “I know this wicket better than anybody else and I want to leave my mark in front of fans here.” Like Nafis Iqbal, and Enamul Haque junior, who joined the squad to bolster the spin attack, Aftab was part of the side that defeated Australia in the Plate final of the Under-19 World Cup in March this year.Wicketkeeper Khaled Mashud will continue as captain, since Habibul Bashar has not yet recovered from the thumb injury that ruled him out of the Champions Trophy and the first Test.The plan for Bangladesh is to bat as long as possible, to make a first-innings score above 300, and try to force the New Zealanders to bat on a wearing pitch. The spin attack is one area in which the Bangladeshis can compete. But it is a scheme that could work for either team according to Khokon, the curator of MA Aziz Stadium: “The team that wins the toss and chooses to bat first might establish control over match as the first two days will promise a lot of runs.”The pitch will be quite similar to that in Dhaka. “Even the pace bowlers would not be able to get any assistance during this time,” Khokon added. “The wicket will only take a little turn on the third day while the fourth and fifth day will definitely belong to the bowlers. Maybe the only difference will be a slight change in bounce.”John Bracewell, New Zealand’s coach, is reluctant to make any major changes tothe side, but with one eye on the series against Australia next month, there is the temptation to include Kyle Mills or Chris Martin, who have yet to play a match on this tour. Ian Butler, who went wicketless at Dhaka, may be rested.There is no room for complacency, however tempting, for New Zealand. Oram, who took only three wickets in the first Test, said: “The fact that we played with the ruthlessness which was expected was very good. We’ve come over here to get some results after recent poor performances, notably the 0-3 whitewash in England, and it doesn’t matter who it’s against.”Whichever way the result goes, history, either long-standing or recent, will be turned around.Bangladesh (probable): 1 Javed Omar, 2 Nafis Iqbal, 3 Aftab Ahmed, 4 Rajin Saleh, 5 Mohammad Ashraful, 6 Alok Kapali, 7 Khaled Mashud (capt, wk), 8 Manjural Islam Rana, 9 Enamul Haque jr., 10 Mohammad Rafique, 11 Tapash Baisya.New Zealand (probable): 1 Mark Richardson, 2 Matthew Sinclair, 3 Stephen Fleming (capt), 4 Scott Styris, 5 Nathan Astle, 6 Jacob Oram, 7 Brendon McCullum (wkt), 8 Daniel Vettori, 9 James Franklin, 10 Paul Wiseman, 11 Chris Martin.

Group A

Test-discard Mohammad Sami took a career-best 8 for 39 as Sialkot were dismissed for 142 in their second-innings thus handing Karachi Whites a 209-run victory at the UBL Sports Complex. Sialkot, who were set 351 to win after a Khalid Latif century, were left limping overnight at 9 for 3 and failed to fare any better on the final morning as wickets fell regularly, bar a 54-run seventh-wicket partnership that took the visitors past the 100-mark. Sami’s pace and accuracy was evident from the fact that three of his victims were bowled, one was dismissed leg-before while three were caught behind.An Ammar Mahmood century and two healthy partnerships ensured hosts Faisalabad drew their match against Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) at the Iqbal Stadium. Resuming on 75 for 2, the home side showed no urgency as healthy batting from both sides on the first three days had slid the match towards a draw. Mahmood scored his 106 off 226 deliveries Usman Arshad provided useful assistance with a 123-ball 50 as none of the WAPDA bowlers were able to make an impact on proceedings.Sui Southern Gas Corporation (SSGC) rounded off an impressive nine-wicket win over Hyderabad at theNiaz Stadium as the required target of 156 was easily surpassed thanks mainly to an 104-ball 87 by opener Asif Zakir. A fine 134 by Shahid Qambrani and late-order hitting propelled Hyderabad to 344 in their second-innings after a disastrous start saw them lose their first two wickets for no score. Sohail Khan picked his five second-innings wickets to finish with nine wickets in the match as SSGC needed just under 33 overs to claim nine points.Riding on a mammoth 514 for 9 in their first innings, National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) stormed to an innings and 53 runs victory over Multan at the Gymkhana Ground. Requiring another 155 to make NBP bat again after resuming on their overnight 113 for 2, Multan were in trouble regularly as none of their batsmen were able to prolong their stay in the middle. Irfanuddin finished with three wickets while legspinner Mansoor Amjad claimed two to add to his brace in the previous innings.

Group B

Lahore Shalimar survived a few nervous moments towards the end of play as they narrowly held on for a draw against Khan Research Laboratories (KRL) at the Gaddafi Stadium. Facing a massive deficit of 264 after the first-innings, Lahore were left struggling on 73 for 3 overnight and it was left to an unbeaten 129 from Suleman Khan that ensured safety for the home side. Facing 294 deliveries, Suleman shared useful partnerships with Mohammad Hussain and then the tail to ensure it was only bonus points that KRL won in the end.A much-improved performance by the Abbottabad batsmen while following on ensured a draw against hosts Quetta at the Bugti Stadium. Fawad Khan, Rahimbaz Khan and Adnan Raees all made amends for their earlier failures by stroking watchful 70s to ensure the 179-deficit was not only overhauled, but a stiff target could be set during closing stages if a collapse was to occur. However, yet more watchful batting towards the end ensured a panic-free close to the match as Quetta managed three bonus points.A late Rawalpindi collapse saw them lose their last six wickets for eight runs to hand Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) a 94-run victory at the KRL Ground. Placed well for a win at 212 for 4 while chasing 306 for victory, Rawalpindi succumbed to the pace of Imran Ali who finished with 6 for 41 in the innings and nine wickets for the match as Usman Saeed’s 50 and Adnan Mufti’s 45 failed to inspire the Rawalpindi late-order

Mark Butcher could return to action in Surrey’s second County Championship game of the new season as he continues his recovery from the wrist injury that forced him home during England’s tour of South Africa this winter. April 27 is being suggested as Butcher’s possible return, when Surrey face Glamorgan at Sophia Gardens.Butcher will be keen to get back to full fitness quickly to enable him to have as many opportunities as possible to stake a claim for the No. 3 slot in the Test match side. Robert Key took his place when he was forced out of the Cape Town Test with his wrist injury, sustained during practice at the start of the tour. There is now increased competition for batting places in the England top six after the dramatic success of Kevin Pietersen and the fact that Ian Bell’s claims for an extended run can’t be ignored for much longer.It is unlikely that Butcher will force his way back for the two Tests against Bangladesh as the selectors will want to give Key another opportunity and Pietersen will also be in the mix, but his hardened Test experience could come in vital if England suffer any injuries during the Ashes series.

England women cricket’s leading batsman Claire Taylor is going to try her hand playing for Canterbury in the State League competition this summer.Taylor, one of the most consistent of England’s players over the last two years, and one of their best performers at the CricInfo Women’s World Cup at Lincoln University, has been named in a women’s trial to be played against Otago at Geraldine at Labour Weekend.Canterbury has lost more top players and coming on top of the loss of three of its stalwarts of recent history the year before, Debbie Hockley, Catherine Campbell and Katrina Keenan, it is facing another rebuilding year.Missing from the team, which will be led by new captain Haidee Tiffen, will be Paula Flannery, who has decided to stay overseas, Emily Travers who is taking a break, Delwyn Brownlee and Fiona Fraser, who has decided to stay in Wellington, her home town.Another English player, Mandie Godliman, a wicket-keeper, started the season in Christchurch but is going to try out for the Wellington team. She has played eight matches for England and along with Taylor, has been named in the side to play in the four-nations series in New Zealand in January, against Australia, New Zealand and India, and then to play in the Ashes series in Australia.England fast bowler Clare Taylor is to play for Otago again this season while Charlotte Edwards is to play here as well. She played for Northern Districts after the last Women’s World Cup.Tiffen, New Zealand’s leading all-rounder, had her position as Canterbury captain announced at tonight’s Canterbury season launch. Nicola Payne will be the vice-captain.Canterbury men’s coach Michael Sharpe outlined the work the State Wizards had been doing in the off-season and commented on the extensive back-up the side will have this year with input from New Zealand Cricket Academy personnel Warren Frost and Ashley Ross.Canterbury chief executive Richard Reid said he had received sign-off from clubs and districts in the province for a new form of competition next summer and said he hoped that people would embrace the system when it was put in place.He had been very pleased with the way a new points system had been accepted this season, along with new hours of play, and he was sure there would be a wide measure of satisfaction with the changes.All senior clubs were presented with an allocation of match balls at the opening function which was held at Canterbury Draught’s brewery, one of the Canterbury Association’s sponsors.

Bennett King, the West Indies coach, has brought a change in one vital area of his team’s game: fielding. King knows the importance of saving every run and never misses the opportunity to stress the importance that fact to his boys.On the eve of his team’s third game in the IndianOil tri-series in Dambulla, King was rounding off the practice session with the fielding drills. Hitting the ball low, he made the players dive forward to take the catches. Tino Best, always the livewire was in his own world when he failed to stop the ball and didn’t even attempt to show any intention to bend or dive forward. An infuriated King, unimpressed, shouted at the staring Best, “You can’t dive. Does that mean you will allow a four on the ground?” A man never short for words, this time Best was speechless. The arrogant pupil had been rapped on his knuckles and for the rest of the session an attentive Best made sure not to commit any further mistakes.King’s discipline was bearing fruits. It was seen on Saturday evening when the Windies fielders threw themselves at everything and managed to overwhelm the favourites Sri Lanka in the end. Omari Banks, though he dropped two catches, agreed that King’s fielding lessons were good. “Bennett has been working hard on the fielding aspect and expects us to give our best when we go out field so its good to see that the guys showed the same courage and commitment we show during practice.”Despite not having their regular captain Shivnarine Chanderpaul while defending their target, the young Caribbeans, led by their stand-in skipper Sylvester Joseph, showed enough passion to keep the pressure lid tight over the Lankans. The result was their first victory on this tour of Sri Lanka and also the first in the tri-series. This was a much-needed win for the depleted Caribbean side who had lost most of its top players in the endorsement imbroglio.Joseph, who top-scored for the Windies with 58 thought the people in the Caribbean would be happy for the efforts put into this victory. “It means a lot. We had been struggling with the top order throughout the tour. Our bowlers were doing the job but we were failing with the bat and we didn’t stick to our plan and didn’t have wickets in the end. We applied ourselves and it worked.”With the absence of the regular stars, people like Joseph knew they had enough opportunities to prove their worth. But time and again they fell way short of the mark. “The situation is very difficult when you play a second-string team and your top players, who have been doing well for the past few years, are not around and we miss them. But it is an opportunity for us to show that we are capable and we have shown that we have the potential and we continue to work hard we can become a good team to reckon with.”Joseph believed the change in the batting order was one of the most important catalysts in the top order clicking. West Indies top order had failed throughout this series, but today Chanderpaul opened the innings with Joseph and provided the much-required stability his young partners wanted. It worked. “He took control and took charge and we needed someone up there to really stick it out and he did that.”The Sri Lankan coach Tom Moody also acknowledged Chanderpaul’s contribution. “West Indies batted well early on especially Chanderpaul, though unwell, lead from the front and got the momentum going and the rest of the players got that going. We pulled them back as they were on target for 250 through some good bowling and some good fielding in the latter stages.”Both Moody and Mahela Jayawardene, the stand-in captain, gave credit to the opposition for their hardwork but at the same time felt that the Sri Lankans paid for their mistakes. “We made it difficult with the position we put ourselves into by losing early wickets” was Moody’s verdict while Jayawardene fell. “We were not complacent. West Indies bowled well especially Omari Banks but we created our own pressure by losing too many wickets.”Banks, who finished economically with figures of 2 for 24 in his 10 overs, said, “I was trying to just put the ball in the right areas and try and improve my length.” That effort was enough to earh him his first Man-of-the-Match reward.Alhough none of Sri Lanka’s fast bowlers managed to take a wicket, Moody didn’t seem worried. “The fast bowlers early on and beat the bat regularly and then we just lacked a little bit of consistency so its hard to maintain the pressure early on.” Instead Moody was focussing on the positives of his first loss after taking over as the coach of the Lankan team.”It’s a timely wake-up call. The team has had a successful run in the Tests and the one-dayers up to date and today we played below par. But you can look at it in the positive way. Our batting needs to be looked at, as there is a lot of inconsistency at the top order. If the top order clicks then it means we not relying on some excellent partnerships down the order. In one-day cricket most of the games are won by the top order doing the hard work.”The focus now shifts to the crucial game tomorrow, the last of the league games of the series where West Indies play India. West Indies need to win that match if they have to make the final against Sri Lanka on Tuesday, next week. But they are not looking that far ahead. They just want to carry on today’s good work to tomorrow. “We have worked really hard in the past weeks and it would be fitting if we can go out tomorrow and play positive and try to win to make to the final”, said Joseph who would be wishing that his captain gets back healthy in time for Sunday’s vital game.Chanderpaul suffered a viral infection two days ago, but thought he was fine for the game and so he batted. But his condition worsened and he couldn’t field. Windies’ media manager, Imran Khan, said the team was concerned. “We will monitor the situation through the night and the decision will be taken in the morning. But it’s a concern.”But the Windies can hope for the best and get some encouragement from Moody’s words of praise for them. “The Windies, despite not having their full-strength side, have shown a lot of spirit. A youthful side that shows a lot of spirit carries a lot of weight and that is what we saw this evening.”

Farveez Maharoof, the Sri Lankan allrounder, has made a strong case for selection ahead of Dilhara Fernando for Tuesday’s semi-final against New Zealand in Jamaica.Fernando secured his spot in the XI with impressive performances against India and England but suffered an ankle injury against Australia. Maharoof, who replaced him against Ireland, was adjudged Man of the Match for his haul of 4 for 25.”I will give 200 percent in the match and I would back myself to perform,” Maharoof told . “We have played really well so far. It will be a case of continuing to give it our best.”I got injured earlier in the tournament against Bangladesh but I just kept working hard in the nets. This is my first World Cup and it is something I have been looking forward to ever since I became professional three years ago.”All the bowlers have proved their class at the World Cup. We have been talking about getting the basics right and putting the ball in the right areas. We are very happy with the way things are going and we are looking forward to the semi-finals.”Upul Tharanga, the out-of-form opener, looks all set to retain his place in the semi-final line-up amid reports that former captain Marvan Atapattu could replace him. Tharanga has managed only 17 runs in the last three innings but has been assured of his place by Asantha de Mel, the chairman of Sri Lankan selectors.”We must not forget that Tharanga scored two centuries against England last year and also scored two centuries in the Champions Trophy,” de Mel said. “In this World Cup also he was the highest scorer with 65 against India.”Jeetan Patel, the New Zealand offspinner, was not so optimistic about gaining a spot in the semi-final line-up in spite of taking 2 for 48 against Australia. “I’ve heard Jamaica is a dirty, green seamer and Barbados is hard and bouncy, so I’m not sure how much more action I’m going to see,” Patel told the , a New Zealand newspaper. “I wasn’t sure of my place in the squad because I wasn’t sure how the wickets here would play. But so far it has been very good.”Jacob Oram has said New Zealand would use the extra bounce at Sabina Park to target Sri Lanka’s top order but Mahela Jayawardene was unconcerned. “Like any other cricketers in the world, our batsmen love to play on bouncy tracks when the ball is coming on,” Jayawardene said. “And we’ve got a very decent bowling attack to complement those conditions.”

Adam Gilchrist, Australia’s most successful one-day opening batsman, is expected to be demoted to No. 7 when he returns to the side from a short holiday next week. The reports Trevor Hohns’ selection panel, which wants a stable combination before next year’s World Cup, has decided on the move after Gilchrist’s disappointing returns this summer.Gilchrist was slotted in at the top of the order on a Steve Waugh hunch in 1997-98 and since then he has blasted 7147 runs in 201 matches. However, he has struggled after the three Super Series games and scored only 24 runs in his past five matches, including a first-ball duck in Sunday’s loss to South Africa. However, Hohns said on Sydney radio he had no plans to shuffle Gilchrist down the line-up, and Ricky Ponting defended his team-mate.Brad Haddin will replace the resting Gilchirst when Australia face South Africa in Melbourne on Friday and Sri Lanka in Sydney on Sunday. The paper reported the selectors were keen to ease Gilchrist’s load and ensure stronger starts from the opening pair than during the VB and Chappell-Hadlee series. The candidates for Gilchrist’s opening spot alongside Simon Katich, who will miss Friday’s game against South Africa with a groin injury, include Michael Clarke, Damien Martyn and Michael Hussey. Martyn was given the first chance to cement a spot when he was named alongside Phil Jaques for the clash at the Telstra Dome.Another opener in need of runs is Graeme Smith, the South Africa captain who has not posted an international half-century on the tour. Smith, who was unlucky to be given out lbw for 3 in Tuesday’s loss to Sri Lanka, said it was important for the senior players to make contributions after the tour-ending injuries of Kallis, Nel and Ntini.”We’ve got a lot of young guys around and the guys who have been around for a little bit need to take a lot more weight on their shoulders,” he said in . “That includes me. It’s important for me to stand up and get performances.”

Ireland’s former coach Adrian Birrell, who enjoyed so much success at the recent World Cup, has been selected to coach an all-star European line-up in a fixture against MCC at Lord’s on June 7.”It is a great honour for me to be selected in this role,” Birrell said. “Since arriving in Ireland in 2001, I have learned a lot about Associate cricket and I really think there is huge potential for development within the next tier of the international game.”The performances of Ireland and other supposedly weaker teams during the World Cup have shown that the gap between the best and the next best is closing, although there is still a long way to go.”This will be the second time that MCC have played this fixture. In 2006 MCC won by five wickets at VOC Cricket Club in Rotterdam