Jagmohan Dalmiya
It matters little that he is now merely the president of the Cricket Association of Bengal. The fact that he does not hold high office in the Board of Control for Cricket in India does not preclude him from being the most influential player when the elections come around. A shrewd administrator and wheeler-dealer, Dalmiya has time and again beaten the odds, and the opposition, when it comes to garnering votes and winning elections. He’s right behind Ranbir Singh Mahendra.Sharad Pawar
Federal agriculture minister and president of the Nationalist Congress Party, Pawar has a reputation of being a wily politician and a heavyweight to match up against. Tasted bitter defeat in last year’s elections, and the very fact that he has stepped into the fray again this year means he is virtually sure he has enough votes (out of 30) to emerge victorious. Although inexperienced in matters cricketing, Pawar has earned respect in Mumbai circles for the manner in which he has ironed out disputes that dogged the Mumbai Cricket Association, and opened doors for various projects in and around the city.Ranbir Singh Mahendra
The incumbent president, who perhaps is growing weary of being referred to merely as Dalmiya’s front man. Son of Bansi Lal, former chief minister of Haryana, Mahendra has been known to hold strong views on a variety of matters. From all reports he would like to use his second term in office – if he gets one – to leave his mark on Indian cricket, and be remembered as more than a “rubber-stamp” president.Inderjit Singh Bindra
Once a close confidante of Dalmiya, now a bitter foe and rival. He has waited long for a chance to overthrow Dalmiya and get back in the thick of Indian cricket administration. He built the best cricket facility in India – the Punjab Cricket Association ground at Mohali – in record time, and has impressive credentials as an administrator. Has worked behind the scenes for some time now trying to whip up unity among the anti-Dalmiya cricket associations.Raj Singh Dungarpur
An evergreen figure in Indian cricket at the Cricket Club of India, Mumbai, Dungarpur has been more outspoken in his criticism and opposition of Dalmiya than anyone else. For a few years now he has been predicting – perhaps more out of hope than conviction – that Dalmiya’s days were numbered and that Indian cricket would be back in better hands. His tendency to make sweeping statements and proclamations make him a favourite with the electronic media, but have not endeared him overly to the people who matter in cricket.Lalit Modi
One of the new breed of young (comparitively) administrators, Modi has overthrown the ruling Rungta family that ran the Rajasthan Cricket Association like a family business, and made a name for himself as a highly efficient if occasionally cocky administrator. His open defiance of all things Dalmiya has won him many friends, not least Bindra. Modi is president of the RCA, and also vice-president of the Punjab Cricket Association.

Pakistan has promised to provide fool-proof security to the Indian cricket team including air surveillance during the Test and one-dayer at Karachi.The five-member delegation – led by Yashovardhan Azad, inspector general of police – which assessed the venues during a recent visit to Pakistan was apprehensive about the Indians playing a Test in Karachi but agreed later. “The delegation was against holding a Test in Karachi but on assurances from the Pakistani Government and Shahryar Khan, PCB Chairman, they agreed to play there,” sources told PTI. “The delegation was told that high-class security would be provided to the Indian team and after checking with all the security apparatus with the Karachi administration, they agreed.”The delegation also expressed security concerns on account of Moharram which would require large deployment of security forces. But they were told that a three-ring security blanket would be provided, complete with barricades around the team hotel. The delegation included Ratnakar Shetty, executive secretary in charge of the BCCI, GS Walia, a member of the BCCI media committee and two government officials. Azad was sent for his “expertise” in security related issues.Karachi is the commercial capital of the country and the visiting Indian delegation was urged to agree to a match there as “this would generate a lot of revenue for PCB”.

Gerald Majola, the CEO of the South African board, has threatened to boycott future tours of Australia if the racial abuse towards his players continues.Majola, who is in Perth to watch South Africa play Sri Lanka in the VB Series, was quoted in the Cape Times as saying: “It is very serious and if it continues, yes, we would look very seriously about whether we return here for another series.”South Africa have been targeted by a tiny minority of racists during their tour. The worst incidents occurred during the Test at Perth in December when several players were called “kaffirs” and “kaffir boeties” – they also complained about similar incidents at Melbourne, Brisbane and Sydney.”It is not right when a country has a history like ours. It is something that we never thought we would hear about,” Majola explained. “The sad thing is, it has continued around Australia. It hasn’t just been limited to one state or one city.”South Africa’s management were advised against making the original incidents at Perth public for fear of triggering copycat abuse on other grounds. But after consulting the players, the decision was reached that such matters needed to be flagged.While there is no mistaking Majola’s anger at the incidents, it is unlikely that South Africa would shun future tours, not least because it would leave them facing a hefty fine by the ICC for failing to honour their commitments under the Future Tours Programme.But Cricket Australia are taking the matter seriously and a review of security on grounds is underway at the moment.

Damien Martyn was shocked by his Test recall for the series in South Africa after scoring only 142 runs at 23.67 in three Pura Cup matches this season. Martyn, who was sacked following a dismal Ashes showing in the same year he was named Australia’s best Test player, said he didn’t think he was in the running for a tour spot.”I hadn’t really thought about it, it’s a shock for me,” Martyn told . A veteran of 61 Tests, Martyn scraped 178 runs at 19.77 in England and was cut for the Super Test. “My bad series came at the wrong time,” he said. “It probably came at a wrong time for a lot of us. It was disappointing, too, because we lost and the side didn’t do well and we had to fall on the sword and get dropped for it.”Martyn was also sacked after the SCG defeat to South Africa in 1993-94 and said he tried not to get too excited about his return because he knew the downside. “When you get dropped it hurts,” he said. “For me I’m at a point at my age I’ve been through the ups and downs and been dropped I don’t know how many times now. I try to keep an even keel.”Martyn said not being part of the side was hard to swallow and admitted it was painful to watch the Boxing Day Test on television. “That’s when it hits home,” he said. “Because you’ve been a part of it so much, you always think about it. For me, just winning a Test match and singing the team song again – just simple things like that.”Michael Kasprowicz, Shaun Tait and Michael Clarke have also been recalled to the Test squad and Martyn said the players were hungry to regain the Ashes urn. “To win it back, you’d almost like the same side to go out there and give them a run for their money,” he said. “But I’m not looking that far ahead, because I hit England batting well and I missed out after that. I’ll just try and get through this tour.”Clarke, 24, faced a public axing in November following criticism that his technique was not tight enough. “My batting at the moment is a lot better than it has been, both mentally and technically,” he said. “As much as you hate getting dropped, it certainly gave me some time to re-assess.”

Starting today cricket fans in India will be able to watch a simulated version of all international matches live on their mobile phones no matter where they are. Cricinfo Genie, a path-breaking product, has been developed in association with India’s premier gaming company Dhruva Interactive.As part of Cricinfo’s strategy to introduce innovative services to mobile phone users, subscribers to the Genie will also get up-to-the-minute news updates, match schedules, statistics and trivia.The Genie is currently available to mobile phone users on Airtel and Hutch networks but will soon be open to consumers of other telecom carriers as well. Plans are also afoot to make the product globally available in the next 12 months.Click here for details on how to get Cricinfo Genie.

Graeme Smith said it was the players’ “biggest worry”; Tim May, the Federation of International Cricketers Association, warned of the possibility of a player strike; while Sunil Gavasker was “shocked” at players complaining over their schedules. The topic of player burn-out has elicited extreme reactions but Sachin Tendulkar, expectedly, chose the middle path.”It differs from player to player,” he said while speaking at an Airtel-promotional event in Mumbai. “Some have played a lot of cricket and feel the effect of too much cricket, while others have just started. It is important that the International Cricket Council (ICC) and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) strike a balance between too much cricket and too less. It is also important from the spectators point of view – they shouldn’t be deprived of cricket; at the same they shouldn’t get too less.”When probed further on the issue, especially Gavaskar’s view on the topic, Tendulkar chose the diplomatic route. “Everyone is entitled to his opinion. As far as I am concerned, I have been happy with my schedule. It is important to physically and mentally recharge yourself after every series. One must make sure there is a break after matches and series.”Tendulkar was also asked of Ricky Ponting’s fantastic run recently, fast catching up on his record 35 Test hundreds. “I played against Ponting in a few exhibition games in 1991-92 and knew he will be the guy to watch out for. Sunil Gavaskar’s record of 34 Test hundreds stood for 22 years and such benchmarks help the next generation – whether it is Ponting, Lara or myself. That is the best thing about records.”

Scorecard

Reyad Emrit starred with both bat and ball, stroking his way to his maiden regional and first-class century to put Trinidad & Tobago in firm control of the Carib Beer Challenge final against Barbados at Guaracara Park at Pointe-a-Pierre.The hosts needed a knight in shining armour to take them to safety after ending the first day precariously perched on 223 for 8. But against a tough Barbadian bowling attack – led by the West Indies trio of Pedro Collins, Ian Bradshaw and Corey Collymore – Emrit responded with a gritty 112 to take T&T to a competitive first -innings score of 340.That was not the end of his contribution for the day though, as he returned with early breakthroughs to finish with figures of 2 for 24 from seven overs to leave the visitors tottering on 130 for 5.The day began with a total of 250 looking a very good score for T&T. The Barbadians would have been hoping to mop up the tail and begin their chase, but that was much further away than they anticipated. And although they applied the early pressure – only 73 runs came in the first session – they could not separate the pair of Emrit and Dave Mohammed, his overnight partner, before the lunch break.Emrit, unbeaten overnight on 37 and Mohammed (11 not out), won the patience game early on, turning over the strike when possible, and dispatching the odd bad ball to the boundary. They would eventually post 122 for the ninth wicket, a new T&T record. Emrit brought up his fifty with a soft push for two, but his run-scoring slowed once he reached the half-century. Mohammed also used his opportunities to cut Ryan Austin, the offspinner, twice through point for four.Emrit’s one chance came when he was on 61. It was a lofted drive to midwicket, which was put down by Collymore off Ryan Hinds, the captain. To the Barbadians’ chagrin, he made good use of his let-off. After lunch, Emrit brought up T&T’s 300 with a push to long on for two, then drove Hinds through deep extra cover for four. By then, Barbados, the defending champions, looked dispirited in the field and appeared to be waiting for something to happen.Hinds opted to bring back Collymore, which seemed a good ploy, and he hit Mohammed on the pad four times in one over, at least one of which he was very lucky to survive a confident appeal. Mohammed carried on though, straight driving Collymore to the long-on boundary for his fifth four, and then pushing to mid-on for a single to bring up his 50. Emrit had a couple of cover-driven fours to take him to 89, and got a couple more to take him into the nervous nineties. He did not seem too nervous though, lifting Austin beyond the extra-cover boundary for six to move to 97.Mohammed departed on 50, trying to cut over point. On 99, and with last man Amit Jaggernauth at the other end, Emrit slashed at a wide ball by Collymore outside the off stump. The next ball was cut to first slip and raced past Floyd Reifer to the boundary. Emrit ran down the pitch and leaped into the air in celebration, with fans rushing onto the ground to congratulate him. Emrit took his total to 112 and the overall T&T score to 340 before he slashed at a wide ball and was caught in the slips by Kurt Edwards to bring T&T’s innings to a close.

Barbados started brightly, in their reply, Dale Richards and Wayne Blackman taking them to 27 off the first six overs. Ganga then decided to make his first bowling change, replacing Richard Kelly with Emrit, the first innings century-maker, at the northern end. This move immediately paid dividends for T&T, as, still charged from his crucial knock, Emrit soon removed both openers to leave the visitors on 43 for 2 at tea.First, he succeeded in trapping Richards lbw with his second ball to give the hosts their first wicket at 27. Blackman later played a forward defensive shot to the same bowler, and only managed to feather a thin edge behind to Denesh Ramdin, who accepted the catch.After the tea interval, Barbados started slowly, with skipper Hinds taking almost 20 minutes to add to his score. But once Reifer started to open up and find the boundary, Hinds also opened up, although Mohammed almost managed to have him run out. Mohammed’s third over, however, bore fruit – Reifer, on 18, skipped down the pitch to go after Mohammed and edged to first slip, only to see Bravo hold onto the ball at chest height to leave Barbados at 70 for 3.In came Dwayne Smith, and he began in brisk fashion, picking up a few singles before slapping Mohammed to cover for four. He departed just as suddenly as he arrived, charging down the pitch at the newly-introduced Jaggernauth, and being stumped by Ramdin on the second attempt.Kirk Edwards, the debutant, grew in confidence, as he drove Jaggernauth to the extra-cover boundary for four to bring up Barbados’ hundred. Eventually, Hinds gifted his wicket to Kelly in his second spell, as he drove at a ball wide of off-stump and offered the faintest of edges to Ramdin.Barbados would surely be ruing the chance they missed to take the ascendancy in the match in the first session. And unless one of their remaining batsmen can pull off an Emrit-esque performance to even things up, they may well lose this final.

Inzamam-ul-Haq, the Pakistan captain, hopes to have the services of Shoaib Akhtar during his side’s tour of England in July. Akhtar has not played cricket since he underwent knee surgery in February, but has been invited to a training camp later this month to determine his fitness for the tour.Inzamam, 36, remained confident that the fast bowler would be back to full fitness. “The reports about his rehabilitation are very positive. He is in the gym and has also started bowling in the nets,” he told Reuters. “We will invite him for the camp and hopefully he should be 100 percent fit soon.”Shoaib, with 165 Test and 199 one-day international wickets, went through a bad patch in early 2005 when he seemed to be betraying high expectations with a wayward work ethic. But later in the year he regained the trust, especially of Inzamam and Bob Woolmer, Pakistan’s coach, by taking 17 wickets in a 2-0 win over England at home. Having missed the one-day series against India earlier this year with fitness problems, Shoaib has been named a key figure in Pakistan’s progress as a Test side.”Shoaib is an important member of our attack. Conditions in England help the pace bowlers and we would like to go there with our first line pack of bowlers,” Inzamam said. “I see him forming a very potent new ball attack with Mohammad Asif. Then we will also look again at Mohammad Sami. We have a quality leg spinner in Danish Kaneria who has bowled a lot in their conditions. And we are planning to go at them with a top pace attack.”Pakistan play four Tests and five one-day internationals in England.

Scorecard
The supposed weak spot in Pakistan’s batting line-up showed no signs of fragility on the second day against Leicestershire as their two openers, Imran Farhat and Salman Butt, put on a splendid 145 opening partnership as Pakistan declared on 304 for 5.Against a depleted attack, the pair were quick to assert their authority with Butt striking 12 fours in his 68, and Farhat launching a six and 12 fours in his 81. However, the introduction of Nicholas Walker – the 21-year-old medium-fast bowler – brought dividends as he bowled Butt, trapped the Pakistan captain Younis Khan in front for 9 before removing the especially dangerous Shahid Afridi for just 13.All of a sudden, with Farhat retiring on 81, Pakistan had stumbled from 145 without loss to 201 for 4 until, that is, Kamran Akmal arrived at the crease. With typical aggression and audacity, he and Faisal Iqbal (40*) put on 103 for the sixth wicket with Akmal finishing on an unbeaten 62 from just 81 balls. Four towering sixes and five fours pinged off his bat, as he took particular fancy to the inexperienced medium-pacer Ryan Cummins.Khan declared with Pakistan trailing Leicestershire’s first innings by just 11 runs. Before the close, they turned a good day into an excellent one with the quick dismissal of Hilton Ackerman and Matthew Boyce to leave Leicestershire in the precarious position of 45 for 2.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out

Kevin Pietersen doesn’t like being overshadowed for very long so after two relatively quiet Tests he chose the opening day at Headingley to make his first major impact on this series. His century was far from chanceless – he had three clear lives – but his biggest inconvenience came when cramp forced him to retire. However, with Ian Bell supplying another composed innings, and Pietersen ready to resume in the morning, England’s Manchester momentum has transferred nicely across the Pennines.All the main batsmen contributed something to the cause and England’s only gripe will be that four of the top six played themselves in without going on. But that is the nature of Headingley; batsmen often say how they rarely feel ‘in’ at Leeds and the fact it was only a batsman of Pietersen’s class who could really dominate suggests batting is not a cakewalk. That shouldn’t take anything away from Bell, who was again faultless, and also Chris Read who was under immense pressure on his return to Test cricket.When Pietersen retired hurt with the total on 259 for 4, if Read had fallen early a decision would have needed to be made as to whether Pietersen returned or the tail was exposed. An inside edge (the bane of Pakistan’s day) opened Read’s account but then he played confidently with Bell, although it helped that there were six overs of loopy part-time spin.On another day, though, the outcome would have been very different for Pakistan, who probably won’t be exchanging pleasantries with Darrell Hair in the near future. When Pietersen was on 2, he got an inside edge via his pad through to Kamran Akmal but Hair declined the appeal. Pakistan could feel rightly aggrieved with that decision but when Pietersen was 29 they could have no complaints as Shahid Nazir overstepped. They will also feel Pietersen escaped two very close lbw appeals early in his innings, but the fact that he was shelled at midwicket the ball before he retired shows Pakistan didn’t help themselves.The height of Pakistan’s frustrations came in the first session despite three wickets before lunch. Shortly after Pietersen’s first let-off, Alastair Cook was the beneficiary of a missed inside-edge. Cook couldn’t take his second chance and popped a catch back to Umar Gul off the last ball before lunch, but Pakistan would have still been stewing about Pietersen, well aware of the damage he is capable of.

Pietersen wasn’t quite at his best in Pakistan during the winter – despite a century at Faisalabad – with his impetuosity often getting the better of him. However, this summer he has added another level of responsibility to his play and that was on show here as he played himself in, albeit with his moments of fortune.The first half of his innings was about steadying England from 110 for 3 and the recovery began with Paul Collingwood for company, before he disappointingly picked out deep square-leg after a stand of 82 in 22 overs. But, by then, Pietersen had already lit the blue touch paper. One shot, on the up through midwicket with a straight bat, signalled the start of his onslaught. Danish Kaneria soon ended up in the stands and, 44 balls after reaching fifty, Pietersen’s now trademark leap accompanied his fifth Test century and third of the summer.When Salman Butt grassed Pietersen at midwicket on 104 Inzamam just chewed his finger nails but the frustration must have been immense. He will have a sensed a moment of relief when Pietersen’s cramp, which had troubled him from when he was in the 90s, forced him off the field for treatment. The problem for Inzamam, as has been throughout the series, is that he had no strike bowler to turn to.Nazir, in his first Test since March 1999, deserved more than Strauss’s wicket but Mohammad Sami was again a major disappointment. However, during the final session Umar Gul backed up his hardwork from Old Trafford with a fine new-ball burst. There was enough in the pitch to keep the seamers interested and Read’s late dismissal to one that didn’t bounce much indicates that batting won’t become any easier.Pakistan ended with a touch of momentum as Gul squeezed one through Matthew Hoggard’s defences. But the thought that will keep them awake tonight is that although Pietersen has left the field once he’ll be back in the morning with the serene-looking Bell. Inzamam could be forgiven if he has the odd nightmare.

How they were out

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