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MS Dhoni was named captain of the World ODI Team of the Year at the ICC Awards in Johannesburg. The team was chosen by a specially appointed selection panel chaired by former West Indies captain Clive Lloyd.Six countries are represented in the 12-man line-up and just one player – Dhoni – appeared in the World ODI Team of the Year in 2008.Chairman of the ICC Awards selection panel, Lloyd said: “It was a very difficult task in selecting this year’s ODI team but looking at the line-up I feel it has great balance and depth. It would be a formidable team.” Lloyd was joined on the panel by former India captain Anil Kumble, former Pakistan all-rounder Mudassar Nazar, former New Zealand captain Stephen Fleming and ex-England wicketkeeper Bob TaylorWorld ODI team of the year: Virender Sehwag (Ind), Chris Gayle (WI), Kevin Pietersen (Eng), Tillakaratne Dilshan (SL), Yuvraj Singh (Ind), Martin Guptill (NZ), MS Dhoni (Ind, captain, WK), Andrew Flintoff (Eng), Nuwan Kulasekara (SL), Ajantha Mendis (SL), Umar Gul (Pak), 12th man: Thilan Thushara (SL)

Mediation efforts between the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) and the West Indian Players Association (WIPA) over the dispute regarding payments and contracts have collapsed. Shridath Ramphal, the former commonwealth secretary general, who had been appointed to broker a deal in the stand-off, said a feared labour shutdown might also result from the breakdown in talks.”It was another bad day for West Indian cricket which, without fundamental changes, is now likely to deteriorate further,” Ramphal said in a statement. Ramphal said the sides had been close to a deal a day earlier but talks were derailed after one side tabled a new draft agreement, not making public any more details of the sticking points.He also invoked assistance “of various kinds to make implementation of the agreement feasible. However, all that changed dramatically when one party introduced an entirely new document and refused to negotiate on any other.”The dispute erupted in July when 13 of the leading West Indies players made themselves unavailable for the first Test against Bangladesh in St Vincent, citing pay and contract issues. The WICB was forced to field a weakened squad which resulted in Bangladesh sweeping both the Test and one-day series.Ramphal was appointed mediator on July 21 after current Caribbean Community and Common Market (CARICOM) chairman and Guyana president Bharrat Jagdeo met with top representatives from both sides. Jagdeo, in his statement, said he was “disappointed to learn of the failure” of WICB and WIPA to reach and agreement but added that he was “not wholly surprised.””CARICOM governments will have to consider what next to do to save West Indies cricket, and West Indians everywhere, from still further humiliation,” Jagdeo wrote. He blamed the WICB for failing to disclose to him and the WIPA that the board had already selected a ‘second-string’ team for the upcoming Champions Trophy in South Africa and hinted it was the WICB board that demanded a new document be considered.”The president (of the board) later apologised for the omission but the damage had been done. Mediation was weakened from the start,” Jagdeo said. “Now, it seems that the mediation has been the victim of the same spirit of board insistence on getting its own way whatever the consequences for our cricket.”

Pakistan allrounder Abdul Razzaq has said that the PCB has cleared him to play in the IPL, claiming that Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) were keen to seek his services for the third edition. The franchise though, has denied any official approach.PCB officials, in a meeting at the board’s headquarters in Lahore, reportedly gave the go-ahead to Razzaq after he had sought permission to play in the league. “It is great news for me and I’m now looking forward to give my best for Knight Riders,” Razzaq said.Razzaq, 29, was banned by the PCB for joining the unofficial ICL in 2007 after he was excluded from the World Twenty20 squad the same year. He was one of the key players for the Hyderabad Heroes in their title win in 2008.However, with the amnesty offer from the PCB earlier this year, he made his international return during the World Twenty20 in England in June. He was also part of the Pakistan squad that toured Sri Lanka earlier this summer, but was dropped for the Champions Trophy because of a lack of form and fitness.KKR officials though, clarified that no official approach had been made yet to any foreign ex-ICL player because the IPL was yet to finalise recruitment norms for those players. The IPL organisers said they might hold an auction for foreign ex-ICL players if needed, with the norms expected to be finalised in December.The inclusion of Razzaq may help turn around KKR’s fortunes after two forgettable IPL seasons. They finished sixth in 2007 and on the bottom in the second edition held in South Africa. The franchise has, in the past, hired a number of players from Pakistan, including Shoaib Akhtar, Umar Gul, Salman Butt and Mohammad Hafeez.

Stuart Clark’s first innings burst may have been the pivotal moment in Australia’s thunderous victory at Headingley, but Andrew Hilditch, Australia’s chairman of selectors, insists the veteran paceman will not be guaranteed a starting berth for the fifth Test.Hilditch, speaking at Australia’s limited-overs squad announcement on Tuesday, was adamant Mitchell Johnson, Peter Siddle and Ben Hilfenhaus remained Australia’s first-choice Test fast bowlers, with Clark set to duel with Nathan Hauritz for the final bowling berth ahead of the Ashes decider at The Oval.Clark dismissed Alastair Cook, Paul Collingwood and Stuart Broad in a sublime first innings performance which yielded figures of 3 for 18 from ten overs. His unwavering accuracy and unnerving bounce provided the Australian attack with the pressure-building intensity it sorely lacked at Lord’s and Edgbaston, and his outswing perfectly complemented Johnson’s movement back into England’s right-handers on a torrid first morning.It was no coincidence Clark’s first call-up of the series coincided with Australia’s first victory, however Hilditch refused to concede that his panel had erred in not picking him earlier in the tour. Moreover, Hilditch predicted Clark’s involvement in the fifth Test would be more dependant on conditions than form, with a dry pitch to tip the selection balance back in Hauritz’s favour.”[South Africa] was one of the best series victories I’ve been involved in and we had three strong fast bowlers in Johnson, Siddle and Hilfenhaus which took us through that series,” Hilditch told reporters in Adelaide. “It was always going to be very tough for someone to knock them out.”Although they’ve probably taken a bit of time to hit their straps, the reality is all three are now the leading wicket-takers in the Ashes, so I think all those selections have been absolutely spot-on. We’ve also played on very dry wickets and Nathan Hauritz has had a very important role to play, probably the first opportunity really to consider playing four quicks was at Headingley.”Stuart Clark got the nod and he did a good job, but the other three bowled exceptionally well as well and took more wickets. So I think we go into the final Test with those three fast bowlers as our leading bowlers at the moment.”Australia’s selections have generated much debate since the start of the Ashes series. The move to omit the reliable Clark appeared to haunt the tourists at Sophia Garden, Lord’s and, to a lesser extent, Edgbaston, as Johnson and Siddle leaked runs at an alarming rate. The decision to replace Phillip Hughes with the relatively untried Shane Watson after the second Test also invited controversy, however Watson’s three half-centuries at the top of the order have gone far to vindicating the move.”I’ve got to say from a selection point of view I’ve been thrilled with the Ashes, I think it’s gone particularly well,” Hilditch said. “Every decision’s been tough because we did have a strong squad we thought coming over from South Africa.”We were disappointed in Cardiff. If we’d won in Cardiff, which we obviously should have, the whole series would have been very different, so we’ve taken a while to come back from that. The Oval will be a tough Test. We’re going to have tough selections. Stuart Clark played well, Brett Lee’s going to be fully fit and ready to go, so it’s a good position to be in, but it’s not going to be an easy decision.”

India A 220 for 4 (Jadhav 89) beat Pakistan A 209 for 7 (Misbah 89*, Amjad 48, Paul 3-33) by 6 wickets (D-L method)
Scorecard

India A registered an easy six-wicket win over Pakistan A in the final of the triseries in Kenya even as the same two teams clashed in Amstelveen in the opening match of the Videocon Cup. Dheeraj Jadhav (89) led the way with a magnificent innings as India scored 220 for 4 with more than two overs to spare.Gautam Gambhir (12), who has been in a rich vein of form, fell early, caught by Kamran Akmal off the bowling of Riaz Afridi (24 for 1). MS Dhoni, another cricketer scoring runs by the bucketful in this tournament, followed Gambhir to the pavilion soon after, giving Afridi his second wicket (44 for 2).From then on there was little joy for Pakistan as Jadhav and Sridharan Sriram put on 115 for the third wicket, and took the game away. Sriram scored freely, striking 7 fours in 63-ball 60. When Sriram fell, caught and bowled by Naved Latif, India A had already reached 159 from 31.3 overs.Jadhav, who faced 112 balls for his 89, and struck one six and seven fours in the process, fell even as India reached the doorstep of victory. In the 42nd over Jadhav succumbed to Rao Iftikhar Anjum with the score on 205. By then, though, an India A victory was a formality.Earlier, a splendid unbeaten 89 from Misbah-ul-Haq lifted Pakistan A after a dismal start, and took them to a competitive 209 for 7 from 47 overs. In a match briefly interrupted by bad light – which caused three overs to be reduced from the innings – Pakistan A wobbled early, but consolidated in the middle overs and finished with a flourish to leave the match interestingly poised at the half-way stage. The interruption left India A chasing a revised target of 220 even though Pakistan A made only 209.Misbah came to crease after both openers had gone with only 18 on the board, and when Bazid Khan and Faisal Iqbal left soon after, Pakistan A had slumped to 30 for 4 and were in danger of being bundled out for an embarrassingly low total. Misbah, however, led the recue act with his third successive half-century of the competition. He added 102 for the fifth wicket with Manzoor Amjad, who made a composed 48, while the lower order chipped in usefully too.For India, the seamers made excellent use of helpful conditions, and fully justified Sairaj Bahutule’s decision to field after winning the toss. Shib Sankar Paul and Amit Bhandari both got the ball to move off the seam, troubling all the top order batsmen, while Aavishkar Salvi, coming on first change, was at his niggardly best.However, Pakistan A wrested the initiative against the spinners – Bahutule, Sriram and Ramesh Powar collectively went for 118 runs from 19 overs. Misbah was circumspect to start with, but then showed a full array of strokes, cheekily reverse-sweeping Sriram for consecutive fours, and then paddling the seamers to the fine-leg fence in the last few overs, as Pakistan A got to a total which seemed improbable at the half-way stage of their innings.

Brian Edrich, one of the famous clan from Norfolk who were numerous and good enough to be able to field their own XI, has died at the age of 86.A left-handed middle-order batsman and offspinner, he played for Kent and then Glamorgan in the decade after the war, and then enjoyed a successful late career with Oxfordshire in Minor Counties cricket.Edrich made his debut as a 16-year-old for Kent’s 2nd XI in 1939 but the war meant he had to wait another seven years for his Championship bow. After two moderate seasons, he broke through in 1949 when he scored 893 runs, including a career-best 193 not out against Sussex and during that innings he added 161 for the ninth wicket with Fred Ridgway.In the same summer he took 37 wickets, including career-best figures of 7 for 41 against Hampshire, but he was never regarded as a regular bowler. After 1951, when he took 49 wickets at 26.24, he bowled rarely.That year he passed 1000 runs for the only time, but his form thereafter was patchy. In 1954 he moved to Glamorgan but while there he failed to pass 500 runs or average more than 20. In 1956 he became assistant coach and thereafter played in the 2nd XI where he helped groom up-and-coming players.In 1964 he took up a post as coach at St Edward’s, Oxford, a move which allowed him to resume playing competitive cricket with Oxfordshire until 1971.

Derbyshire have offered Australia a one-day match next week to help keep them active after their exit from the ICC World Twenty20.Australia, who were unceremoniously dumped out of the tournament on Monday after defeats by West Indies and Sri Lanka, have been left with no cricket for a fortnight before their Ashes tour opener against Sussex at Hove.”From a cricketing point of view, it would suit us nicely,” John Morris, Derbyshire’s head of cricket, said.However, it seems unlikely Australia will take them up on the offer, preferring instead to remain at their temporary base in Leicester and make full use of the net and gym facilities at Grace Road.

Match facts

April 24, 2009Start time 16.30pm (14.30GMT)

Big Picture

Bangalore’s batting just hasn’t been up to scratch•Getty Images

It hasn’t been the start both teams would have hoped for, already having lost two matches each. Bangalore Royal Challengers’ biggest problem has been their top-order batting: they have lost a wicket in the first over in every match, and end-of-Powerplay scores of 29 for 3, 46 for 2, and 31 for 2 aren’t the best of platforms.They now come up against a team which has one of the weaker bowling attacks around, a Kings XI Punjab outfit that is struggling to cope with the loss of Brett Lee, Sreesanth and Jerome Taylor. Another key performer they are missing is Shaun Marsh, who invariably provided them a cracking start last season.While rain has dogged much of the tournament, no team has suffered as much as Punjab, both of whose games have been curtailed before even the tactical time-out was reached. They’ll be hoping for a full match, and one that will finally get them off the mark.

Form guide

Yuvraj Singh remains the pivotal performer for Punjab, especially in the absence of the hard-hitting Australian pair of Marsh and James Hopes. They have other batsmen who can score quickly, but none have the explosive capability that Yuvraj possesses. Fast bowler Yusuf Abdulla was drafted in for his knowledge of South African conditions, but hasn’t done much of note yet and needs to step up.Bangalore’s bowlers have looked clueless when Matthew Hayden and Adam Gilchrist went on the rampage against them, and their batting has misfired in all three games so far. The fielding in the game against Deccan Chargers also didn’t match the sharpness of the opposition’s. They need their big guns, particularly the foreign ones, to raise their games if they are to improve on their showings.

Watch out for

Dale Steyn v Yuvraj Singh: Steyn has been quick, but hasn’t made the sort of impact expected from a team’s pace spearhead. His side will be looking to him to rein in Yuvraj, who can cause as much damage as the veteran Australians who sunk Bangalore in their two previous matches.

Team news

With Rahul Dravid having had to prop up the batting so far, Bangalore will be tempted to include the power hitting of Mark Boucher or Cameron White in their side. Rajesh Bishnoi hasn’t done much with his limited opportunities, and his place could come under scrutiny.Bangalore: (probable) 1 Robin Uthappa, 2 Praveen Kumar, 3 Jacques Kallis, 4 Kevin Pietersen (capt), 5 Rahul Dravid, 6 Virat Kohli, 7 Mark Boucher (wk), 8 Karan Sharma, 9 Vinay Kumar, 10 Anil Kumble, 11 Dale SteynDespite two losses, Punjab aren’t likely to tinker with their four overseas players, mainly because of a lack of quality options. The bowlers haven’t had too much of a chance to show what they are capable of, so they could retain their places.Punjab: (probable) 1 Karan Goel, 2 Ravi Bopara, 3 Yuvraj Singh (capt), 4 Kumar Sangakkara (wk), 5 Mahela Jayawardene, 6 Irfan Pathan, 7 Taruwar Kohli, 8 Piyush Chawla, 9 Vikramjeet Malik, 10 VRV Singh, 11 Yusuf Abdulla

Head-to-head record

Punjab were one of the teams to beat in the league phase last season while Bangalore were dismal right through the tournament. Punjab posted easy wins both the times they came up against Bangalore in 2008.

Quotes

“We were in the same position last year, so hopefully we can go and pick things up.”

ScorecardFirst hundred: Ian Blackwell hit the first century of the season to mark his Durham debut in style•Getty Images

Ian Blackwell couldn’t have moved any further during the winter, uprooting his career from Somerset in the south west and transplanting into to the defending county champions, Durham, up in the north-east corner of England. It’s a trek that he hopes will rekindle an international career that has been stalled since 2006.He couldn’t have started much better than a hundred on his debut as rain limited play to 17 overs on the second day against MCC at Lord’s. “It’s a new challenge and I’ve wanted to get my name back in lights,” Blackwell said. “I want to play for England again. With a change of county, I can test myself, get out of my comfort zone and progress with my cricket.”England have named two large squads in the last week and Blackwell’s name was nowhere near either of them, yet he should be pushing much harder for a one-day place. Duncan Fletcher liked what he could bring to the team – a two-dimensional cricketer capable of destructive batting and useful spin – but he eventually grew tired of his poor fitness. Blackwell’s last ODI was at Indore in April 2006. The issue has plagued him throughout his career and isn’t going away in a hurry.Over the winter he has slimmed down and worked hard on his fitness. It is something of a change of heart as a key reason for him leaving Somerset was struggling to adapt to Justin Langer’s fitness philosophy. Blackwell is adamant he left on good terms with most at Taunton, but he clearly didn’t see eye-to-eye with Langer.”I get on well with Brian Rose [the director of cricket], Richard Gould [the chief executive] and even Andy Hurry the coach and they were pleased for me that I have gone to a decent county and wished me all the best. I’d like to think that if I wanted to go back there one day they’d welcome me with open arms.”Langer wanted me to be a bit fitter. He said I had an issue with my throwing arm as well, which I disputed a little bit because I think it’s okay. There were various factors but he didn’t see me fitting into the mould he wanted so that was that really.”England have shown recently that a lack of fitness won’t be tolerated when they dropped Samit Patel from the one-day squad, so Blackwell will have a hard task proving he is worth further investment at the highest level. He has spoken with Geoff Miller, the national selection, about his desire to play for England again and Miller in turn has told him what they expect. Blackwell, though, admits he may never be a perfect fit for the national side”For me it’s a little more difficult with my lifestyle and the way I’ve been over the last few years,” he said. “But I’ve rectified that a little bit and do look after myself better than I have done in the past. Perhaps I haven’t done everything I could to give me a chance of playing for England through my fitness. It’s always been an issue. I’m easily led and rarely turn down a drink or chance or to go out.”An England return may be a long way away, but Durham should feel the benefits of Blackwell’s move in the short term. His 102-ball century against the MCC showed the power he will add to their middle order as they aim to retain the Championship title and target further one-day success. Will Smith, Durham’s new captain, helped take their unbroken fifth-wicket stand to 170 before rain arrived before lunch and didn’t relent. Play was abandoned shortly after tea, leaving the main sub-plot of this match still unexplored.Michael Vaughan and Ian Bell are still waiting for their chance to impress the selectors. With an indifferent forecast over the weekend it is looking increasingly likely that the MCC batsmen may have to make do with one innings in this match, and with the Test squad expected to be named on April 18 time is running out.

Pre quarter-finals

Centuries from opener Aakash Chopra and Virat Kohli helped Delhi overhaul a challenging Railways score of 304 at the Polytechnic Institute Ground in Agartala, and qualify for the quarter-finals. The pair added 222 for the second wicket in a little over 30 overs but Railways struck back, with legspinner Karan Sharma taking 3 for 57, including the wickets of Chopra and Kohli. However, an unbeaten 33 from Rajat Bhatia helped Delhi shrug off the loss of seven wickets for 76 and reach their target with nine balls to spare. For Railways, openers Sanjay Bangar and Varaimudi Cheluvaraj provided the ideal start, adding 101. A 22-ball 48 by Dhiran Salvi took Railways past 300 but in the end, the total proved inadequate.Persistent rain overnight and on Saturday morning resulted in the pre-quarter final in Agartala between Tamil Nadu and Orissa being abandoned without a ball being bowled. The umpires made three inspections but felt the conditions were unfit for play as there was water around the 15-yard circle and the bowlers’ run-up area. Tamil Nadu go through to the quarter finals on a higher net run-rate.