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Sharad Pawar, the Indian board (BCCI) president, insisted that the BCCI is against “money-making” ventures and will only support series that promote Test cricket. Refusing to back down from his stance against the Indian Cricket League (ICL), Pawar again scoffed at the recently floated Twenty20 series proposed for October.”Test cricket is the real thing. It is the top level of the game and brings out the best in the players. We would be only happy if anyone does something for the sake of Test cricket. We will encourage it,” Pawar told PTI. “But Twenty-20 is for glamour. It can only bring in money.”On August 6, Digvijay Singh, general secretary of the Congress, the biggest party in the ruling federal coalition in which Pawar is a cabinet minister, wrote a letter to the latter requesting the BCCI to give up its “confrontationist” attitude against the ICL. “Instead of taking a confrontationist stand, you should act as a facilitator for the ICL to succeed,” Singh wrote. “I am sure the objective of the BCCI is not to make the millions but to popularise the game of cricket. I am sure you will prevail upon the hardliners in the Board and make them understand the sentiments of millions of cricket lovers in India.” Pawar chose not to comment on this.The BCCI secretary, Niranjan Shah, recenty said that players who take part in the ICL will never be eligible to play for India and would also be banned from domestic cricket in the country. Pawar maintained, however, that the BCCI would not interfere if retired players chose to associate themselves with the game: “I had said in Bangalore a few days ago that those who have retired from the cricket and pursue the game in whichever form and we won’t come in the way.”

In the men’s game, Sachin blinks and it’s front-page news. For the women, seismic shifts are underway, but they barely register on the Richter scale of media – and world – attention. Keen eyes, though, would have been scanning the developments following last year’s merger of the ICC with the IWCC. And those followers won’t have been disappointed.While some countries whose boards merged years ago will see only marginal benefits – Australia and England, for example – for the rest it’s like all their Christmases, Diwalis, Eids, and birthdays arrived at once, in a big bundle labelled “Cash”.India are already benefiting from huge improvements – getting to play in better stadiums, with better facilities and vastly increased match fees. As if to celebrate, they lifted the Asia Cup again, and even won a Test against England for the first time, just their third ever victory – and it was achieved on English soil, too, as they won the two-Test series 1-0. They did, however, fall to the Australians in the one-off Test earlier in the year.Women’s cricket in Africa is taking shape, too. For the first time there was a set of Africa pre-qualifiers for the qualifying tournament in Pakistan in 2007. Zimbabwe, in their first ever one-dayers, swept aside all opposition to storm into the next round, winning 3-0.Something for Zimbabwean cricket as a whole to cheer about, as their male counterparts (and in some cases brothers – Julia and Chamu Chibhabha, Ed and Yvonne Rainsford all play at the highest level) slid into further misery on the international stage. Zimbabwe women will now join South Africa, who are still kicking themselves after narrowly missing out on automatic qualification in the last tournament, which they hosted, in 2005.And it’s not just cash: the ICC put their mouth where their money is. There was a big stride forward on the awards stage when Karen Rolton became the first ICC Female Player of the Year after three years of ICC Awards. It was fitting that Australia’s captain should lift the award, after Anjum Chopra and Katherine Brunt were the others on the shortlist.So the women are finally mixing it with the big boys like fellow Aussie captain Ricky Ponting and on the pitch there will be more mixing – with the announcement of a women’s Twenty20 preceding a men’s for the first time, when South Australia and Queensland head to the Adelaide Oval on January 10 in Australia. The idea is to showcase the women’s matches, at no extra cost, to a ready-made audience. If it is deemed successful, the format could extend to international matches, an idea which has already been mooted informally in England.

Recognition came for one woman at Lord’s. England returned to the home of cricket for the first time in five years and Claire Taylor graced the occasion with a flowing 156 from 151 balls against India, the fastest one-dayer at Lord’s in history, eclipsing Viv Richards’s effort in the World Cup final in 1983. She was rewarded with an honours board at the ground and that achievement, along with the admirable conduct of both sides in front of a crowd of 6000, will have done wonders in helping to convince the decision makers to stage another women’s match at headquarters soon.Another psychological boost came when Somerset offered Taunton as the home of women’s cricket in England. For the first time the women will be considered alongside the men when it comes to having the pick of the fixtures. The more cynical may say this hints at Somerset bidding for Test status – if they can prove they can stage internationals and are seen to be promoting all forms of cricket, but they’re showing their commitment in other ways, with an enviable women’s set-up. They’re even funding a girl, Anya Shrubsole, on the Academy at a cost of around £15k per annum and other counties, such as Lancashire, are following suit.Attention, then, is being paid to the women’s game. Sky covered some more one-dayers once again, if only to cover their contractual obligations. And unfortunately, despite some compelling cricket, the cameras also captured great swathes of empty seats, as matches still failed to large crowds.India’s captain Mithali Raj, though, is confident that with the new cashflood, the women can up their game to play more exciting, attacking cricket. Tests in particular need an injection of excitement. Scrapping them altogether may be more feasible. Tests are thin on the ground as it is – there were only three Tests played all year – and the players don’t even practise playing this form of cricket leaving England, for example, to rely on their coach, the former first-class player Richard Bates, to talk them through session by session, as the games unfolded.New Zealand refuse to play this form of cricket – and, with low attendances and little incentive to play, perhaps other countries should follow suit. Although two-day cricket is being introduced to India that makes them the only country to play anything above one-day cricket at domestic level. And of course two-day cricket is still vastly different from four days, as played in Tests.Women’s cricket, then is heading in the right direction. But while there’s light, it’s still a very long tunnel.

On the team’s batting
To get just 196 on this wicket was unacceptable. We had three good games with the bat before this but today wasn’t a day for us. It’s just a matter of being consistent. All our batsmen have the experience to get big scores but we let ourselves down today.On Murali’s absence
Murali had a hamstring strain when he was fielding in the Ahmedabad game and we decided to leave him out in the last minute. With the amount the pitch was turning in the morning, Murali’s presence could have been crucial with a total of 230 or 240. But 196 was just not enough.On the pitch
The new ball was coming on a bit but slowly a bit of dust began to come up and it got slower. I wouldn’t say it was the best pitch for batting, compared to the rest of the pitches in this series. But I’m not making any excuses for our poor display.On what has gone wrong
It’s all about getting some momentum early in the series. When you are down in a long series, and when things are not going your way it becomes very difficult to come back. We should approach it game by game and try and perform.On the positives from this series
I think throughout the series Dilhara Fernando has done well. The way he has come back from injury, and the amount of work he has put is in great. Dilshan has also done well. He gets a bit overconfident and takes some unnecessary risks but we need to send messages to him sometimes.On the reaction back home
The CEO of Sri Lanka Cricket [Duleep Mendis] met the team in Pune and given us his full support. We have their backing despite the defeats.On trying to experiment with a few youngsters
Sooner rather than later we may have to try out a few youngsters.On plans for the next few weeks
We’d like to end the tour on a winning note and then take our minds off the results. We hope to refresh ourselves back home, think about the positives from this series and then come back prepared for the Tests.

Doug Bollinger has been included in Australia’s Test squad to tour the West Indies as a replacement for Ben Hilfenhaus, who is suffering from a recurrence of a stress fracture in his lower back. Bollinger will make the trip as part of the 15-man squad as long as he can prove he has recovered from a broken foot he sustained in February.The news came while Bollinger was on his honeymoon, and barely a week after he was offered his first Cricket Australia contract. “I’m just wondering if they might bump me up to first class,” Bollinger told AAP before leaving Sydney for Honolulu. “It’s probably been the best week of my life. I’m so happy that it’s happened and I’m just so excited at the moment.”Bollinger, who was married to Tegan Sutherland on Friday, was unlucky not to be chosen in the original group for the Caribbean campaign following a breakthrough Pura Cup season. He topped the wicket tally with 45 at 15.44 despite missing the last three games with the injury.”I’ve had a bit of a bowl,” Bollinger said. “I’ve been running and I’ve been in the gym, so I feel really well at the moment.”Alex Kountouris, the Australia team’s physio, said Bollinger should be fine to make the trip. “Doug has recovered well from his fractured foot,” Kountouris said. “He has been bowling for the last couple of weeks with no complaints and, as long as he completes the final fitness test, we believe he will be fully fit to take part in the Test tour of the West Indies.”Hilfenhaus’ injury means he cannot bowl for several months, which rounds off a disappointing year after he collected 28 Pura Cup wickets at 43.82 and struggled to have the same impact as in his outstanding 2006-07. However, he did retain his Cricket Australia contract and the selectors said he would remain in the frame for future series.”Obviously this is very disappointing for Ben,” Andrew Hilditch, the chairman of selectors, said. “However, given the amount of cricket facing the Australian side in all forms of the game over the next 18 months, a conservative approach to the management of his back injury is best to ensure he makes a full recovery.”Kountouris said the aim was to have Hilfenhaus fit and fresh for the start of 2008-09. “Ben had some lingering back pain towards the end of the Pura Cup season and recent scans have revealed a possible recurrence of an old stress fracture to the vertebrae,” he said.”His recovery will involve not bowling for the next few months but continuing on with a rehabilitation and strength program. We believe this will be his best preparation for the beginning of the 2008-09 season.”The squad gathers in Brisbane for a training camp in early May ahead of the three-Test series against West Indies. Five ODIs and a Twenty20 international follow before the players return to Australia in July.

Haroon Lorgat, the South Africa selection convenor, plans to “look beyond colour” when picking the team for the crucial second Test against Australia at Melbourne on Monday. South Africa chose four black or coloured players for the opening match at Perth, but the places of Ashwell Prince and Charl Langeveldt appear in doubt with the expected returns of Jaques Kallis and Nicky Boje.The United Cricket Board’s constitution says South Africa must be a “team of colour”, with an unofficial component of at least two non-white representatives in each side. However, Lorgat said in Sydney’s the second Test squad would be “a pure cricket selection”.”We have to look beyond colour with this,” Lorgat said. “That won’t be an issue in our deliberations. Of course one of our duties and responsibilities is to provide opportunities for black players but cricket is doing enough at all levels.”Makhaya Ntini and Herschelle Gibbs would cover the “target” system’s requirements, but halving the team’s non-white representation could attract large amounts of political criticism from South Africa. Boje, the left-arm spinner, appears to be a certain selection while a top-order batsman will make way for Kallis if he recovers from an elbow injury. Prince has said the quota or target systems are wrong because they “mess with the minds of both white and black players”.

Post-match press conferences, at the best times, are a good study in contrast, the winners on the day beaming away, chattering excitedly, and the vanquished, heads down, answering in as few words as possible. But the second game of the Champions Trophy saw a particularly bad mismatch, on and off the field. Handed a sound thrashing, the Zimbabwe captain, Prosper Utseya, who might well consider a name change if he stays in his current profession, could only say, “We didn’t apply ourselves when we were batting. We tried to play too many shots early on. And at the same time there was some poor shot selection.”Brian Lara, of course, was meeting questions with a booming bat. “We came here to win this game emphatically, and we did that,” he said. “The bowlers had to get a run and they got five-six overs under the belt and performed well. We did well in the field too. It doesn’t matter what the opposition got – we went out and batted with purpose, which was important.”Lara didn’t have much work to do, only 16 minutes at the crease, but even in that he managed one classy square-drive, and put the last nails in the coffin with two big sixes. “I asked [Ramnaresh] Sarwan if I could have a knock, because I didn’t play in the practice game. I just wanted to hit a few balls with the middle of the bat, and I was happy to do that,” insisting that he didn’t come out to bat planning to finish the game off in style. “It just happened. I just thought I should play each ball on its merit. I took the field into consideration as well. Yes I could have gone out there and blocked a few. But I get more confidence from my innings if I approach it the way I did.”At the same time, Lara was not ungracious in defeat. He did concede that “something like 200-plus was definitely on the cards for a team like Zimbabwe,” on this pitch, but would not be drawn into suggesting that one-sided matches like this took the sheen off this tournament. “I think it’s very important to encourage the likes of Zimbabwe and Bangladesh and other lower-ranked teams. They want to get out there and play against the best teams in the world and it’s an opportunity for them to spring a surprise on anybody,” he said. “If Zimbabwe was not here for this tournament you might say Bangladesh shouldn’t be here as well, but they’ve beaten Pakistan and Australia and you have to give them the opportunity. It’s good for cricket on the whole and we just have to accept that.”Sandwiched between the strident Lara and the crestfallen Utseya was a jocular Chris Gayle, the Man-of-the-Match for his breezy 41. “I was feeling a bit weak so I started slowly, and later I tried to be a bit more positive and get it over as quickly as possible,” he said, not trying to be politically correct. When asked why he went for the third big hit, and was caught, despite being dropped twice, he choked down a chuckle and said, “It was a bit entertaining as well. You know Chris Gayle already. I like to entertain and be positive and play a few shots. I wasn’t taking anything for granted, though, just playing each ball on its merits.”But there was little merit in Zimbabwe’s cricket on the day, and Utseya was resigned to this. “It is quite difficult because the morale and the confidence of guys goes down,” he said. “To be honest we didn’t play to the best of our ability today. I’m sure we can do better in the matches to come.”

West Indies bowler Jermaine Lawson has been reported for a suspect bowling action, the ICC confirmed on Sunday. Lawson’s action was called into question by the match officials after the first Test against Sri Lanka in Colombo, and they immediately reported him.The report was submitted by the umpires Simon Taufel, Nadeem Ghauri, third umpire Peter Manuel and fourth official Ranmore Martinez who were concerned about the angle of Lawson’s elbow.”The match officials had concerns with potential elbow flexation when viewing the bowler’s action with the naked eye,” explained the ICC match referee, Mike Procter. “This assessment has led the team of officials to request the ICC to commission a biomechanical report into the bowler’s action in accordance with the new process introduced earlier this year.”In accordance with the ICC’s recently revised bowling review process, Lawson’s action will now be analysed by a human movement specialist at the ICC within the next three weeks. Video tapes of the match will also be submitted for analysis. After the analysis is completed, the biomechanical expert will report back to the ICC, confirming if the action is legal. Lawson will be free to play international cricket in the meantime.

Balwinder Singh Sandhu, the former Indian fast bowler, has been appointed coach of Madhya Pradesh. He succeeds Devashish Nilosey.Jyotiraditya Scindia – the newly-elected president of the Madhya Pradesh Cricket Association (MPCA), who is also a Member of Parliament – announced that Sandhu had been appointed for a one-year period, and would begin his duties from Monday.”The Association will now focus on club cricket and divisional units will be strengthened,” Scindia told reporters.Sandhu coached Baroda in the Ranji Trophy and West Zone in the Duleep Trophy till the last Indian domestic season. His most productive period was with Mumbai – whom he coached from 1996 to 1998-99 – helping them become the Ranji Trophy Champions in 1996-97. He later served as bowling coach at the National Cricket Academy in Bangalore last year and was one of the candidates for the coach of Mumbai this season, ultimately losing out to Pravin Amre.Madhya Pradesh begin their Ranji Trophy season against Railways at New Delhi on November 23.

Match facts

Wednesday, August 12, 2015
Start time 1000 local (0430 GMT)

Big Picture

“We’re both young teams,” has been the phrase of the tour so far. “Both teams are rebuilding,” captains, players and team directors have said. All of this is another way of saying neither team is particularly good at present. There is a lot of chatter about potential and talent. Less about Test form and recent record.India are further down the transition track, and so appear the more polished outfit. KL Rahul is the least experienced batsman in the top order, but he already has a ton in Australia. Rohit Sharma is an unproven Test no. 3, but he has sent Sri Lanka bowlers into therapy in other formats. Between Virat Kohli, Shikhar Dhawan, Ajinkya Rahane and Cheteshwar Pujara, there is enough quality in that top order to hurt Sri Lanka, as long as the visitors can overcome their aversion to batting well away from home.After years of seeking a partner for Tillakaratne Dilshan, Sri Lanka’s opening partnership has emerged as one of the hosts’ strengths. Dimuth Karunaratne still plays the snazzy legside flicks, but has recently discovered the offside, and added a few points to his batting IQ. Kaushal Silva hangs on like a limpet, rarely punishing the opposition, but often annoying them.There are the flakier batsmen – Jehan Mubarak and Upul Tharanga are yet to prove they can be Test performers. But offsetting this uncertainty is Angelo Mathews, who after Kumar Sangakkara is becoming Sri Lanka’s sure thing.The attacks are evenly matched, even if Sri Lanka’s pace stocks are again diminished by injury. Dhammika Prasad and Nuwan Pradeep are improving bowlers, and in Rangana Herath and Tharindu Kaushal Sri Lanka have a varied spin threat. They will hope Sri Lanka stay within reach of India for the first three days, before the Galle surface’s cantankerous mood takes hold on days four and five.It isn’t a Galle match without a late batting collapse, and as India appear intent on fielding five bowlers, Sri Lanka will hope to expose the lower middle order. Virat Kohli and Ravi Shastri will feel the opposite. The extra bowler in the side will help put pressure right back on the Sri Lanka’s batsmen.

Form guide

(last five matches, most recent first)

Sri Lanka: LWLLL
India: DDDLL

In the spotlight

A day out from the match, Kumar Sangakkara already smiles down from almost as many hoardings as the politicians contesting in the election, in under a week. Fans in Galle will hope he can give the venue he calls his “favourite ground to play in” a final Test to remember. As big scores are rare at the P Sara, the first three days of this Test present his best chance of matching Don Bradman’s double-century record. It remains to be seen if he will be back to his hungriest in this series, after a lower-intensity outing against Pakistan.Virat Kohli had an outstanding tour of Australia, but has been short of runs across formats since the World Cup. Two failures in the practice match won’t have done him much good. The early stages of this Test should present conditions he is more comfortable in, but with all the talk of leading an aggressive team, and trialing new ploys to fit the new philosophy, will the focus on his own run-making persist?

Team news

Dushmantha Chameera has been bowling in the nets, but it appears as if the selectors would prefer to preserve him for the Tests in more seam-friendly conditions in Colombo. Lahiru Thirimanne has a weak grip on his no. 4 position, and could easily be replaced by Upul Tharanga. Tharindu Kaushal will likely play ahead of Dilruwan Perera.Sri Lanka (probable): 1 Kaushal Silva, 2 Dimuth Karunaratne, 3 Kumar Sangakkara, 4 Upul Tharanga, 5 Angelo Mathews (capt.), 6 Dinesh Chandimal (wk), 7 Jehan Mubarak, 8 Dhammika Prasad, 9 Tharindu Kaushal, 10 Rangana Herath, 11 Nuwan PradeepM Vijay is out with a hamstring injury, which means Rahul will open alongside Shikhar Dhawan. India will likely prefer the pace of Varun Aaron and Umesh Yadav to the skill of Bhuvneshwar Kumar. The spin attack will probably comprise R Ashwin and Harbhajan Singh.India (probable): 1 KL Rahul, 2 Shikhar Dhawan, 3 Rohit Sharma, 4 Virat Kohli (capt.), 5 Ajinkya Rahane, 6 Wriddhiman Saha (wk), 7 R Ashwin, 8 Harbhajan Singh, 9 Ishant Sharma, 10 Varun Aaron, 11 Umesh Yadav

Pitch and conditions

There have been intermittent rains in the days preceding the match, so expect a stop-start game. Despite the bad weather, however, the pitch seems to be a typical Galle track, which will dry out considerably over the course of the game.

Stats and trivia

• The match will be Angelo Mathews’ 50th Test.
• Once the hosts’ fortress, Sri Lanka have lost two of their last three matches in Galle.
• India have not won a series in Sri Lanka since 1993.
• None of India’s top six have played a Test in Sri Lanka.

Quotes

“In the last eight years of my career, Kumar Sangakkara has helped me personally. He is always willing to help the young guys and whenever you play a bad shot he comes up to us and says that we can play it in a better way. He gives confidence to the youngest and not only for the batsmen – for the bowlers as well. We learnt a lot from him and we are thankful for who he has been for the team on and off the field. He is your go-to man. You can always go to him and get an honest opinion.”
“It’s a great opportunity to create some momentum, knowing it’s a three-match series. Even if it’s an off day, you still have time to re-group and think about what went wrong. If it’s a good day you can learn from it.”

Twenty20 may not yet have a presence in New Zealand, but four Black Caps took the chance to hone their skills in cricket’s latest craze in England on Tuesday. East Grinstead Sports Club’s picturesque oval played host to the county side Sussex and a Lashings World XI containing Chris Cairns, Chris Harris and the Marshall twins, James and Hamish.Only one Twenty20 match has been played in New Zealand, which was the inaugural international against Australia in February, and Harris said after that game he believed there was a place for it back home with 5pm starts. Cairns, the Man of the Match, was in fine touch, hitting a brisk 37 with two towering sixes down the ground, and delivering a tight spell that included a wicket with his third ball.Harris was stumped cheaply after a typically scratchy start but, significantly, showed no ill-effects of the shoulder injury he suffered in December when he bowled, and rattled Sussex’s Carl Hopkinson with a change of pace. Harris is not able to throw, but said he expected to be ready in two to three months. New Zealand’s one-day tri-series in Zimbabwe is less than three months away.James Marshall had some reason to feel hard done by after Hamish not only got to bat ahead of him, but had a bowl as well. James was given regular overs last season for his province Northern Districts, but it was Hamish’s action at training that caused Richie Richardson, the Lashings captain, to ask why he did not get a go for New Zealand.With his very first delivery, Hamish had Luke Wright caught at deep mid-on by James. If Hamish can develop his medium pacers it would be an asset to New Zealand with Harris and Nathan Astle in the twilight of their careers.The Lashings XI was a mix of past and present internationals. Herschelle Gibbs and Greg Blewett were at the top of the order, VVS Laxman and Rashid Latif batted in the middle and Javagal Srinath and Vasbert Drakes took the new ball. The Lashings total of 144 was good enough for an eight-run victory and the ominous six boundaries taken by Ian Ward and Murray Goodwin off the first two overs of Sussex’s chase counted for little at the end.