Ashantha de Mel, Sri Lanka’s sacked selection chairman, has lashed out at two of his fellow selectors, KM Nelson and Shabbir Asgerally, claiming that they were serving “vested interests” and “promoting their own agendas”.de Mel was ousted as selection chairman on Friday in a surprise move by Jewwan Kumaratunga, Sri Lanka’s sports minister, after the panel had been reappointed only three weeks earlier. Kumaratunga trimmed the committee to just five selectors as Ranjith Madurasinghe, a former Sri Lankan spinner, was also sacked.”I feel that in selection matters there has been too much of influence and some selectors have vested interests and work towards their hidden agendas,” de Mel told newspaper. “There were instances when a selector was on the phone for a long while talking to senior players, before and after meetings. I was disgusted with what was going on.”De Mel claimed that he was thinking of resigning anyway: “I told [Marvan] Atapattu while in New Zealand that I didn’t want to continue with the same set of selectors. Selectors should have the respect of the players but that wasn’t the case.”Both Asgerally and Nelson have limited cricketing experience, and neither played for Sri Lanka. Nelson, closely affiliated with Jayantha Dharmadasa and Sanath Jayasuriya, has a controversial past as a selector, famously writing off Roshan Mahanama prior to a Test against India in 1997, claiming that he would pull down his trousers in public if Mahanama scored runs. Mahamana scored 225 but Nelson’s pants stayed up.”How will the players respect a selector when he threatens to put his trousers down or scolds players in raw filth? Have Sri Lanka’s standards gone so badly? Don’t we have another Test cricketer who could do the job of a selector?”Sri Lanka’s selection past is strewn with controversy and allegations of club bias. de Mel predicted more problems for the future: “Some of these selectors weren’t independent. They were very much representing the interests of clubs.”de Mel’s 13-month chairmanship included a major public spat with Atapattu after de Mel accused senior players of blocking the progress of younger players. He dropped Tillakaratne Dilshan in apparent frustration, forcing Atapattu to blood an inexperienced batsman during a tight two-Test series in Pakistan.

Darren Stevens and Matthew Walker each struck centuries to launch Kent into a strong position against Warwickshire on day three at Edgbaston. Stevens struck 163 and Walker 140 as Kent turned a slender overnight lead into a huge one. Replying to Warwickshire’s first-innings score of 252, they reached 569 and Warwickshire were 45 for 2 in reply at stumps, trailing by 272 runs with eight wickets remaining.Walker and Stevens carried on where they had left off on the second day, as they each posted a century. Walker’s knock included 14 fours and two sixes, and Stevens’ was similarly boundary-laden: he smote 22 fours and a six.Andrew Hall also chipped in with a handy 49, and the wicketkeeper Niall O’Brien as undefeated on 21. Hall then turned his hand to the ball, removing both Ian Bell and Michael Powell, the only two wickets to fall so far in Warwickshire’s reply.Bell failed for the second time this match – with the bat at least – as he added a duck to his solitary run in the first innings. Both he and Powell were bowled by Hall. Alex Loudon was Warwickshire’s most successful bowler, with three wickets but they came at a cost of 130, runs that the home side could ill afford in the face of an onslaught. The day belonged to the batsmen – and Stevens and Walker took full advantage.Knocking the champions off the top spot should go some way to soothing Kent’s mood after the ECB confirmed yesterday that they would be docking eight points for the provision of a poor pitch. There’s not much wrong with the pitch at Edgbaston, as today’s run-fest demonstrated, but Kent’s bowlers will nevertheless be hoping to take early wickets tomorrow and complete victory.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details

Australia stood on the brink of a thoroughly deserved victory in the first Test after the old firm of Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne, bowling together against India for the first time since 2001, brought about a top-order collapse to leave India sinking in quicksand, ending the fourth day 352 behind with only four wickets in hand. Even rain, which is forecast for tomorrow, is unlikely to save them, because it rarely rains heavily enough here in Bangalore to wash out a whole day.India battled manfully during the early part of the day to restrict Australia to 228 – a total which neatly doubled their first-innings lead – at a lesser rate than they would have liked. Harbhajan Singh was magnificent, bowling with control and guile, and claiming wickets at regular intervals. But ever since India were bowled out for 246, it had been clear that their batsmen would have to dig them out of the hole in the second innings. It was a tall order, and the past was staring at India like an apparition. They needed a distant 457 to win on a ground where the highest successful run-chase is 195 … and within little more than an hour they were reduced to 4 for 24, through a mixture of accurate bowling, dodgy umpiring, and a shambolic piece of running between the wickets.India began their innings in the worst possible manner, when they lost Virender Sehwag to a terrible decision from Billy Bowden: a straight one from Glenn McGrath caught a thick edge on its way to Sehwag’s pad. The din must have drowned out the noise of the nick, but the deviation was visible to the naked eye from the stands behind the bowler’s arm. But Bowden raised his finger, and to add injury to insult, Sehwag might cop a fine for showing his displeasure (1 for 1). Minutes later it was 2 for 7, when Aakash Chopra fell to another contentious decision, this time by Steve Bucknor: Jason Gillespie rapped him on the pad with a incutter, and replays showed that the ball might have missed leg.McGrath’s deadly knack of varying his pace and the seam’s angle, while always hitting the corridor just outside off, made him a devilish proposition. He snapped up two wickets in two spells, but more importantly was instrumental in piling on the pressure with his parsimony, as he sent down eight maidens in his 12 overs, conceding only nine runs.It got even worse when a horrendous misunderstanding led to Sourav Ganguly being run out. He pushed one to short midwicket, and took off for a single immediately, only to see Rahul Dravid stop after a couple of strides. Ganguly was stranded halfway down the pitch, and didn’t even bother to look back as Adam Gilchrist uprooted the off stump with great glee.And the final blow came just before tea, when Shane Warne deceived VVS Laxman with his first ball. It came down flatter and quicker, Laxman played for more turn than there was, was hit in line, and fell to Warne for the second time in the match. The crowd roared its disapproval of the decision, but the ball was dead straight (4 for 19).Dravid waged a solitary battle as a crushing defeat loomed large, but two more setbacks at the other end all but lit the Indian funeral pyre. The weekend crowd – nearly a full house – cheered their local hero, after all else had gone awry. India had limped to 6 for 105 from 49 overs by the close, with Dravid undefeated on 47.The only silver lining for India was the form shown by Harbhajan, who teased the batsmen with his subtle variations of length and turn. Keeping it asstraight as possible, he forced the batsmen to defend after charging down the track, and no-one summoned the courage to loft him over the top. Damien Martyn was forced to curb his fluent style, and ensured that the first hour was negotiated without too many jitters. He blocked, shouldered arms and drove straight to the infielders, and survived a few close leg-before shouts. Just 20 runs came off the first ten overs, as Martyn helped Australia into a near-impregnable position.He was eventually out for 45, pushing an uppish drive to short midwicket, but a flurry of runs followed his dismissal, with Warne’s energetic cameo providing the boost. Although there were two fielders positioned on the square boundary, Warne swept Harbhajan crisply and, along with Gilchrist, provided the final kick towards a lead of more than 450.Harbhajan mopped up the tail after lunch to finish with 11 for 224 in the match, the best return by any bowler on this ground, taking his tally in his last three home Tests against the Aussies to 39 – but by then the visitors’ middle order had already done enough … and more.

Close South Africa 320 (Boucher 72, Kirsten 53 retd hurt, Malik 4 – 42)
Scorecard

The two Shoaib’s – Malik and Akhtar – revived Pakistan and restricted South Africa to 320 on the opening day of the first Test at Lahore. Gary Kirsten (53) showed all the virtues necessary to tackle spin bowling until he was hit by a thundering bouncer by Akhtar. Mark Boucher made a plucky 72 and prevented a batting collapse when Akhtar was running red hot. The other Shoaib, Malik, showed all the subtleties involved in offspin bowling and picked up four wickets on a truly absorbing day of cricket.Yousuf Youhana made his captaincy debut, but lost both the toss and the morning session. His counterpart, Graeme Smith, literally bullied the inconsistent Akhtar in his first four overs when he clattered him with bludgeoning venom. Mohammad Sami was the antithesis of his partner. He bowled a teasing spell, restricting the flow of runs and occasionally flirting with batsmen’s edge. He was rewarded when he pitched a rare one short and wide, and Smith got a top edge while trying to pull him over midwicket (52 for 1).Kirsten then joined Herschelle Gibbs, and the pair continued the swift pace of scoring until Gibbs edged a full ball from Danish Kaneria to Taufeeq Umar at first slip (84 for 2). Kirsten showed his experience, forcing the bowlers to pitch it up as he paddle-swept everything in sight. But as soon as the ball was tossed up, he came down the track and lofted it over the infield, disturbing the bowlers’ rhythm and ensured that his side’s runaway start didn’t fritter away.

Kallis began as if performing for a sweeping circus, and he survived a huge appeal for lbw from Kaneria, which was very adjacent. But he gradually showed that there were more shots in his book, rocking back to punch the ball through the covers. However both Kirsten and Kallis had Lady Luck on their side as both escaped regulation catches.Apart from Sami, Pakistan’s bowling in the morning session was pedestrian and the fielding was very close to horrific. Just as a massive total was looming large South Africa were hit by an Akhtar whirlwind of gut-wrenching pace and bulls-eye accuracy.First Kallis faced the bombardment and was beaten three time in one over. He was glued to his crease and his lack of footwork cost him in the next over when he was given out caught behind off Danish Kaneria to a dubious decision. Kirsten reached his fifty with an elegant cover-drive and was all set to pitch tent for the whole day. But all such hopes were literally dashed in the seventh over after lunch, when Akhtar unleashed a well-directed short ball on Kirsten’s off stump. Kirsten tried to pull him away with a swift swing of the bat, but the ball was just too fast and sneaked in through the visor onto his left cheekbone. He was covered in blood within a few minutes and was hurried to the hospital for safety.McKenzie came in to face the death-metal music and received an incisive yorker that started outside off and swung and got him lbw (159 for 4).Boucher walked in amid blood and swing, and played a truly memorable innings. He kept out the yorkers and swept all the spinners. He was aided by some large gaps left in the field and hurried South Africa along to safety. Along with Boetta Dippenaar, and then Shaun Pollock , he rebuilt the innings which was threatening to collapse.And when the game was drifting away from Pakistan, they found the other Shoaib revitalizing them and picking up the crucial wickets of Dippenaar – who was in good touch – and Boucher, both caught at leg-slip. Shoaib then tantalized the tail with looping variation – they were clueless against the `doosra’ – and wrapped up the innings for 320.When Smith was blazing away he might have envisaged a batting mauling, but the two Shoaibs had other ideas – one brutal and the other subtle.

Michael Vaughan will miss Yorkshire’s C&G Trophy quarter-final, against Northamptonshire on Saturday, to ensure the groin injury he suffered during the NatWest Series does not occur again.The ECB’s chief medical officer, Dr Peter Gregory, said: “We need to ensure that there is no further deterioration to the groin strain that kept Michael out of two matches. We are confident, however, that with rest Michael will be fully fit for the first Ashes Test at Lord’s next week.”The remaining centrally contracted players are available for the counties who are involved in the quarter-finals. This means that Andrew Flintoff, Ashley Giles and Geraint Jones will be making rare county appearances while Matthew Hoggard is available for Yorkshire.Graham Thorpe is also available for Surrey, although his Test position will be known by the time they play Hampshire as the squad is named on Thursday.

Match drawn – Bangladesh A 54 for 2 (Shahriar Nafees 20*) v Glamorgan 380 (Powell 111, Syed Rasel 4-89)
ScorecardRain washed out the final day between Glamorgan and Bangladesh A at Abergavenny. Glamorgan were bowled out for 380 on the first day, with Michael Powell top-scoring with 111. Bangladesh had made 54 for 2 in reply, after Andrew Davies took both wickets in what little play – 10.1 overs – was possible on the second day.Bangladesh’s captain, Shahriar Nafees, was left unbeaten on 20 after the umpires Darrell Hair and Mervyn Kitchen called the match off just after midday.

This past year has been quite a voyage of self-discovery for England’s one-day cricketers. It all began last November amid the vapid indifference of the Bangladesh tour; progressed to Sri Lanka and the ignominy of that 88-all-out debacle at Dambulla and a double washout in Colombo, and blundered blindly on through a rain-ruined Caribbean venture and a miserable NatWest Series campaign. And yet, by some miracle, the team has landed up in the final of the Champions Trophy, and are now favourites to secure their first global title, at the fourth time of asking.If it’s all a bit much to take in, then at least England can take comfort from the fact that their opposition will be feeling equally disorientated. West Indies have spent much of the past year being kicked from pillar to post and back again – by England’s cricketers on the field, but perhaps more damagingly by a legion of former Caribbean legends in the press-box, none of whom has required a second invitation to voice their scathing opinions. And yet, in the last gasp of an exhausting season, Brian Lara and his beleaguered team have earned themselves a chance at redemption. It’s enough to bring a tear to the eye.Two improbable contestants then, but one tasty final in prospect – and an unexpectedly fitting conclusion to a season in which England and West Indies have crossed swords so often, it is a wonder there is any steel left on either team’s blades. But there is no risk of this being written off as just another encounter, for it has been an eternity since either team made it to a final of this magnitude. England lost out to Imran Khan’s cornered tigers, Pakistan, at Melbourne in the 1992 World Cup, and though West Indies reached the final of the inaugural ICC Knockout in 1998-99 (in the days before it was as widely recognised as a mini-World Cup) they have not been seen on the big stage since 1983, when India’s bits-and-pieces heroes shocked them at Lord’s.Tomorrow, at least, the pain of defeat for the vanquished should be offset by the sense of achievement in simply reaching the final, not least for England, whose vanquishing of the Aussies at Edgbaston seems likely to enter the annals as one of those rare beasts – an “I was there” one-day match. But though they are undoubtedly the form team of this tournament, England cannot afford to be complacent about tomorrow’s challenge: this year’s Test tally may be 7-0 in their favour, but in one-day cricket, West Indies have won four matches to three, and it was they who secured the bragging rights by reaching the final of the NatWest Series in July, where they lost out to New Zealand in a one-sided final at Lord’s.England’s failure in that competition still sticks in Duncan Fletcher’s throat, and yesterday, he insisted that the only way his team would receive the recognition they deserve this year would be through victory, and victory alone. “Going through to this final is important for us,” he said. “When we beat West Indies and New Zealand in the Test series they were regarded as being rubbish and on the way out, but now people must appreciate that England have been improving and suddenly got our act together in the one-day game.”There can be little doubt about that now, after a 2-1 victory over India in the NatWest Challenge that was more emphatic than the scoreline suggests, and two handsome wins against Australia and Sri Lanka. The cornerstones of England’s success have been fairly easy to spot – Andrew Flintoff, the world one-day player of the year, towers above all comers, while Steve Harmison continues to translate his aggressive line in Tests into a frugal bat-jarring length for the limited-overs game.

But there have been other factors as well. Paul Collingwood, who epitomises the team ethic that permeates the squad, has not allowed himself to get frustrated by a lack of opportunity in Test cricket, and instead has passed the time by turning himself into the best infielder in the world. Andrew Strauss and Ashley Giles have carried their confidence across from the Test arena, and though Michael Vaughan’s overall form has been a cause for concern, his iron-willed 86 against Australia was the clearest proof yet that he is a captain and a player who will bow to no-one.But talking of captains, there is one player who will relish tomorrow’s opportunity perhaps more than any other man on the field. It has been Lara’s misfortune to preside over an era of perpetual decline in West Indian cricket, and the rewards for his efforts have been few and far between. Tomorrow, however, he has the opportunity to deliver to the Caribbean their first piece of silverware since Clive Lloyd lifted the World Cup in 1979, and it is unlikely that he will be stepping back to let his young guns hog the limelight.Lara’s participation was in doubt after the semi-final against Pakistan, when he was struck a fearful blow on the back of the neck as he swayed into a 92mph bouncer from Shoaib Akhtar. Though he was soon passed fit, the warning signs are there that, at 35, his reflexes may not be what they once were. Harmison and Flintoff will have taken careful note, and it is unlikely that his innings will pass without one or two testers from the bowler’s half of the pitch.All year, Lara has insisted long and loud that West Indies is a team, not a group of individuals, and finally that argument is beginning to be taken seriously. With stars such as Chris Gayle, Ramnaresh Sarwan and Shivnarine Chanderpaul, the depth and variety of the batting is the envy of many, more highly-rated sides, and though the bowling lacks the explosive menace of yesteryear, there is a solidity to the endeavours of Ian Bradshaw, Corey Collymore that ensures that few sides can ever take them apart.The main man, however, is also one of the youngest on show in this tournament. Dwayne Bravo is one of those players with the ability to make things happen, as demonstrated by his pinpoint throw to run out Yasir Hameed in the semi-final victory over Pakistan. He made his mark during the Tests with runs and wickets in a losing cause, but he is a winner at heart and tomorrow at The Oval might just be his stage to prove it. That’s if a certain other allrounder doesn’t get there first, of course.England (probable) 1 Vikram Solanki, 2 Marcus Trescothick, 3 Michael Vaughan (capt), 4 Andrew Strauss, 5 Andrew Flintoff, 6 Paul Collingwood, 7 Geraint Jones (wk), 8 Ashley Giles, 9 Alex Wharf, 10 Darren Gough, 11 Steve Harmison.West Indies (probable) 1 Chris Gayle, 2 Wavell Hinds, 3 Ramnaresh Sarwan, 4 Brian Lara (capt), 5 Shivnarine Chanderpaul, 6 Ricardo Powell, 7 Dwayne Bravo, 8 Ryan Hinds, 9 Courtney Browne (wk), 10 Ian Bradshaw, 11 Corey Collymore.

Division One

Points TableDavid Hussey struck 157, his third for Nottinghamshire this season, as his side reached 336 on the first day of their match against Gloucestershire at Nottingham. Choosing to field first, Gloucestershire picked up three quick wickets: Jason Gallian, run out for nought, Darren Bicknell and Younis Khan. Tottering on 43 for 3, Hussey was joined by Russell Warren (60) and the pair put on 136 for the fourth wicket to stabalise the innings. Warren fell to Jon Lewis, who then bowled Chris Read first ball as Gloucestershire struck back. Graeme Swann swung freely at the end, striking five fours and a six in his brief knock of 38, but the home side were bowled out in the 82nd over. Lewis ended the day with 4 for 80 from 19 overs.

Australia have summoned an American baseball coach to help rid them of the fielding fumbles and missed catches which blighted their tour of England this summer. Mike Young, a senior American baseball coach who once attended spring training with the San Francisco Giants, has worked with Australia’s one-day team for five years, but this appointment is on a more full-time basis.He conducted fielding drills during a training session on Monday, ahead of the first of three one-dayers against the World XI on Wednesday. As well as coaching Australia’s fielders, Young spent four weeks with the England team in 2004, before their tour to South Africa. Young told AFP he was excited to be given the opportunity of working full-time with Australia:”I’ve made no bones about wanting to work more on a full-time basis with cricket. I gave up my baseball career to do this because I believe in it.”Australia’s fielding during their Ashes campaign in the summer surprised many. They had, until recently, been faultless in the field, and Young doesn’t see his coaching role restricted to just the national team:”I want to do it with coaches around the country, too, not just with the Australian team. If they speak to me and say ‘are you interested?’ Absolutely, I’m interested. For the last three years, I’ve said I want to do this full-time – it’s my goal, my passion and I want to finish my career with it.”These are the best players in the world and I enjoy working with these athletes. It’s just a matter of working at them on a day-in, day-out basis. There is no doubt in my mind, these guys are the best athletes in the world that I’ve seen as far as cricketers, it’s just a matter of repetition and getting back and doing some of the things that we’ve worked on for three years.”

Greg ChappellOn experimenting with new players and the squad for the game
We intend to play all the players over the next three games. We haven’t taken a final decision on the squad yet and haven’t even decided on the 13. We will take a call depending on the conditions tomorrow. We need to give everyone a chance. You need more than 11 or 12 players in your side. It’s also good to keep freshness going and managing your assets well. It keeps everyone going and guards against injury and bad form.On the dew factor tomorrow
Yes, it’s a factor to consider and we will think about it. But I think we’ve done well either way. It should not be too much of a concern.On Harbhajan Singh’s improvement in this series
He has worked very hard. He did well in the Challenger Trophy in Mohali. He’s made technical changes with his flight and bounce and he’s such a good bowler when he’s getting bounce.On Yuvraj Singh’s poor run in the last four games
He’s done well in Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe and saves us a lot of runs on the field. You need everyone to contribute in at least two out of the three aspects of the game and I think we’ve got quite a few allrounders in the side – Virender Sehwag, Yuvraj, Sachin Tendulkar. It would be great for him if he scores runs, but he’s contributing well to the side.On Mahendra Singh Dhoni
He’s a confident individual without any cockiness. He has a good mind as he showed with a power innings one day and a finesse innings on another day. His great form with the bat is rubbing off on his wicketkeeping as well. It’s also rubbing off on the others in the side.On the players talking much more about cricket in the dressing-room
It’s good for all the players. I think we’re talking much more about cricket, discussing scenarios, debriefing after the matches. It’s important to know what different players think of each other’s games. It’s been great with the seniors getting involved. Sometimes, only when someone asks you a question do you become aware that you know something. The best way to learn is to teach someone.Tom MoodyOn the pitch and conditions for tomorrow’s game
It’s another good cricket wicket. Obviously, being a day-night fixture, we’re going to be faced with difference in conditions from afternoon to evening. But both teams have to face it and we need to rise for the challenge.On nothing working for the team during the series
I don’t think it’s quite that blunt. I think India came out in the earlier part of the series punching and their chances came off. They shuffled their batting order and that came off. We performed a lot better in the last two games but have fallen short in a couple of areas.On the lessons from this series
We need to be realistic. We didn’t perform upto our usual level. Playing here is different and playing in Sri Lanka is different. We’re enjoying the challenge. What we have to realise is that one-day cricket is played all over the world in different conditions and we need to adapt to it.Mahela Jayawardene
On the team’s performance
In the last two games, I thought the guys performed really well. We almost won the last game before Raina and Dhoni took it away. We’re lacking that final blow, the killer instinct. But as a team everything is coming together and we hope to win in the last three games.On what Sri Lanka learnt in the last four games
There are a lot of positives to be taken from this series. We came back even after the Indians attacked. We will look at this as a three-match series from now on and push ourselves to the limit. That will help us get some momentum for the Tests.