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Australia will proceed with a bid to stage the 2011 World Cup, a Cricket Australia offical said on Tuesday, despite reports that a joint Asian bid is being lined up. At the weekend it emerged that Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh were uniting to bid for the tournament, and Shaharyar Khan, the Pakistan board chairman, indicated that Australia would not challenge them.But Peter Young, Cricket Australia’s general manager of public affairs, said that was not the case. “At this stage the ICC is just asking for expressions of interest and we are interested,” he told Reuters. “The deadline is February and we will be going ahead with that.”The Australian bid could be in association with New Zealand, and Young said that they were confident they would be a strong candidate. “We haven’t hosted the World Cup since 1992 and we have all the facilities and personnel to stage an event of this size again,” he said. “We’re exploring the option of a joint bid with New Zealand but if necessary we could go alone.”For the first time since the first World Cup in 1975, member nations are being asked to bid for hosting rights. The 2007 tournament in the Caribbean will be the last to be staged under a gentleman’s agreement struck by the ICC which meant the event staging was rotated.

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

After two first-innings totals which had gone in excess of 200, the bowlers at last had their say at the Feroz Shah Kotla, as Delhi Daredevils thrashed Rajasthan Royals by nine wickets in a disappointingly one-sided game. Rajasthan didn’t have a chance after their batsmen had floundered badly, putting up a dismal 129 on the board. Gautam Gambhir’s unbeaten 58, and his 112-run partnership with Shikhar Dhawan – who helped himself to a half-century as well – finished off the run-chase in a mere 15.1 overs.The only bit that went right for Rajasthan was the toss, which Shane Warne, their captain, won and had little hesitation in choosing to bat. When Taruwar Kohli survived five deliveries from Glenn McGrath in the corridor and spanked the sixth one over cover point for six, it seemed the run-fest had started all over again. As it turned out, Rajasthan had little to celebrate thereafter. In his next over, Kohli chanced his arm again against McGrath, but only found Mithun Manhas at midwicket. McGrath went on to bowl the first maiden over of the tournament, and from there Delhi never let the initiative slip.Rajasthan did their cause no favours with two run-outs, which severely hampered their momentum. Shane Watson hinted at carrying on the good work that his fellow Australians had managed earlier in the day in Mohali, pulling McGrath and Brett Geeves for fours, but his resistance was ended swiftly following a misunderstanding with Mohammad Kaif. Yusuf Pathan had already fallen to the run-out route earlier, and when Kaif, who struggled to find the gaps and the runs, scooped one to Geeves at short fine leg, Rajasthan had slumped to 57 for 5.In a team which had the immense figures of McGrath and Daniel Vettori in their bowling line-up, the hero of the day was Farveez Maharoof, who bowled with excellent control, changing his pace and offering the batsmen no width to score off. His dismissal of Darren Lehmann, who was trapped on the shuffle, was another blow to Rajasthan’s hopes of getting a challenging total on the board.Ravindra Jadeja, the left-hand batsman, offered some resistance, hitting Vettori for a six and a four off his first two balls, but Vettori had the last laugh, deceiving him with a quicker one which rattled the stumps. Warne and Dinesh Salunkhe ensured that Delhi needed to score at more than a run a ball, but on a flat pitch against a batting line-up which included Virender Sehwag and Gambhir at the top of the order, there was little chance of defending that score.Their opening partnership lasted just ten balls, but it was enough to set the tone for the run-chase. Gambhir’s slash and straight drive in the first over off Munaf Patel both found the boundary, while Sehwag had the home crowd on their feet and cheering wildly after just three balls, all of which sped to different parts of the ground: a lofted straight drive over Watson’s head, a spanking pull through midwicket, and then the best shot of them all – a delectable late cut between the wicketkeeper and slip. That, unfortunately, was as good as it got, as Watson hit back, ripping a quick one which rattled the stumps off the pads.Nothing could stop Gambhir, though, as he continued the Twenty20 form he had shown in the World Cup in South Africa. An audacious extra-cover drive for six and a late cut off Munaf quickly brought the asking rate below a run a ball, after which it was a cool canter.Rajasthan’s one hope was Warne, but Gambhir and Dhawan didn’t allow him to settle in either, sweeping and pulling him for fours even as Warne’s reactions suggested he was only a whisker away from a wicket. He pulled himself off the attack after just two overs, and the rest was a mere formality.

A senior Pakistani minister has been denied a visa to visit India for the second one-day international between the hosts and Pakistan. The news comes after 46 Pakistani journalists, awarded media accreditation for the five-ODI and three-Test tour, were unable to cover the first match as they were yet to be issued visas by the Indian High Commission (IHC).Railways minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed intended to watch Thursday’s second match at Mohali, but was informed by the IHC in Islamabad that he could not be issued the required visa. “I was planning to travel on Wednesday but they left me disappointed,” he told . “They didn’t give any reason for not granting me the visa.”This time I had got invitation from the Board of Control for Cricket in India and even then they did not give me the visa at the eleventh hour.”According to the minister, official permission was sought from the Pakistan government for the required travel and as a result, a protest has been lodged and the Pakistan prime minister informed. No official from the IHC was available for comment.While visas were famously relaxed and citizen-to-citizen contact was actively encouraged during the last three series between the two countries, a similar trait has yet to be seen this time around. This surprised the minister, who firmly believed that “there should be people-to-people contact between the two countries.”

Shane Bond, New Zealand’s fast bowler, has announced his intention to target Sanath Jayasuriya, the hard-hitting Sri Lankan opening batsman, in their semi-final clash in Jamaica.”If we can get Sanath out early we can probably limit them to 200 runs so it’s my job, especially in this game, to get him out and we’ve always identified him as a key wicket,” Bond told the .The pitch at Sabina Park is expected to offer a fair bit of assistance to fast bowlers and according to Bond it has more bounce and swing than any of the other wickets that New Zealand have played on this World Cup. “It’s a small ground,” Bond added. “We have a long batting line-up, some big hitters, so it might suit us better and should be an ideal ground when playing a side like Sri Lanka.”Bond has 12 wickets at 12.83 from seven matches in the tournament. He missed New Zealand’s final Super Eights game against Australia due to a stomach complaint and his side lost by 215 runs. The defeat, Bond said, was disappointing because New Zealand were a better side than the one bowled out for 133 in 25.5 overs.”The moment we beat South Africa [in their penultimate Super Eights game], we knew we would be playing Sri Lanka and that became our sole focus,” he said. “So we didn’t do ourselves justice; we weren’t focused. But we are here for the game we really want to play and we’ll turn up for this match.”Winning the World Cup will give a huge boost to cricket in New Zealand, felt Bond. “I think people are hoping we win but aren’t speaking it,” he said. “I think even to make the final would be a huge buzz and an Australia-New Zealand final would be something special.”

Prosper Utseya has been fined 40 percent of his match fee for a slow over rate in the fourth one-day international against Bangladesh at Harare.Other members of Zimbabwe’s team were fined 20 percent of their fee from Saturday’s match following the hearing conducted by match referee Cyril Mitchley.”This was Prosper’s first offence of this nature but he must be careful not to let it happen again. He has received a stern warning,” said Mitchley. “Slow over rates are not fair to the opposition or the spectators and captains have a responsibility to ensure their players adhere to the regulations in that regard.”Bangladesh claimed the series 3-1 after a one-wicket win in the final match on Saturday.

Pakistan A 22 for 3 (Hopes 2-0) trail Australia A 293 (Ronchi 107, Jaques 82) by 271 runs
Scorecard

A lively century from Luke Ronchi gave Australia A a respectable total before the Pakistan A top order threatened to disintegrate in the second Test at Lahore. At stumps on the first day the home side was 22 for 3, still trailing Australia by 271 runs.Khurram Manzoor was the only Pakistan batsman to get off the mark and he was unbeaten on 20 at the close, with Naved Latif yet to score. Doug Bollinger had Khalid Latif caught behind for 0 and James Hopes, who finished with 2 for 0, removed Yasir Hameed and Anwar Ali, each without scoring.It was an unhappy end to a day that had begun well for Pakistan after Faisal Iqbal won the toss and decided to field. The visitors were struggling at 59 for 4 as the Pakistan fast bowlers shared the wickets around, but Phil Jaques and Hopes began the recovery mission.Jaques continued his productive tour – he made 152 in the first Test – with 82 from 99 balls and Hopes managed 34. But it was Ronchi batting at No. 7 who did the major damage, belting two sixes and 16 fours in his 107 from 109 deliveries. Ronchi had solid support from Cullen Bailey (31) as Australia fought their way to 293.

Malcolm Speed has hit out at critics who have accused the ICC of apparent indifference to player workloads, stating that they are “quite simply ill-informed and wrong”.Speed, the ICC chief executive, wrote in an article published on Cricinfo that the ICC was all too aware of the strain on players.”Avoiding that cycle of problems was one reason why the ICC recently introduced its new six-year Future Tours Program (FTP) to replace the existing five year schedule,” he explained. “[It] was put together following extensive consultation and has factored in guidelines, supported at the ICC Cricket Committee, by players at the captains’ meeting and by player representatives, including FICA, concerning the highest volume of matches each side should be playing.”He went on to outline the demands on each country, which should mean that no teams should play more than 15 Test matches and 30 ODIs in a 12-month period, although he added that “teams rarely come close to this limit”.But he warned that some of the scheduling was outside the ICC’s control and was down to the member countries themselves. “There is a reliance on members to be responsible in scheduling additional commitments above and beyond those required by the FTP – two Tests and three ODIs home and away against each other during the six-year period. The ICC recognizes the need for Members to look to maximize their revenue in order to grow the game … but, at the same time, they have to be mindful that the players are their prime assets and overworking them would benefit no one in the long run.”

And Speed said that while the strain of travelling and playing was clear for all to see, he stated that “they are engaged in their career of choice”. He continued: “They are doing something that the vast majority of people that watch them in action can only dream of, and they are well-paid too. The current crop of international stars are better rewarded for their efforts than any of their predecessors.”Players have to realise it is a two-way street. They cannot, on the one hand, complain of playing too much and then turn round and head off for a lucrative spell of English county cricket when there is a break in the schedule.” He also pointed out that not all players were unhappy, and some wanted to actually play more.Speed’s comments would seem to throw the onus back on the individual boards as it is the extra matches they squeeze into gaps in the schedules – such as the DLF Cup in Abu Dhabi this week – that greatly increase the time spent travelling and playing.What is sure is that this debate is far from over.

Kerala’s sole home Ranji Trophy match this season may be shifted from Kochi to Palakkad as the dates for the match clash with Kerala Football Association (KFA) plans to use Kochi’s Nehru Stadium for its national league games.Since the Nehru Stadium is hosting the second of the seven one-dayers between India and Australia on October 2, the KFA scheduled nine of its home matches after October 22. So, the Ranji match, from November 12 to 15, against Services was going to coincide with the football league games.”That could be a problem but I think we can settle the issue amicably after discussions with the cricket association,” KMI Mather, the KFA president, told the . “The All India Football Federation plans to have a strict schedule this season. And we’ll need at least two weeks to prepare a football ground after a cricket match, with the focus being mainly on the wicket.”But shifting the match to Palakkad’s Fort Ground will prove costly for the Kerala Cricket Association (KCA). “[It] will mean an expense of Rs 500,000 to Rs 600,000 because we have to prepare the ground all over again,” said TR Balakrishnan, the KCA interim president.

Yere Goud has obtained clearance from the Indian board (BCCI) to represent Karnataka and will lead the side in their second round Ranji Trophy match against Haryana at Mysore starting on December 1. Ratnakar Shetty, the BCCI’s chief administrative officer, confirmed that Goud’s clearance had been approved by Sharad Pawar, the board president.Goud was forced to sit out of the first match against Baroda, on technical grounds, as he had failed to obtain the required No Objection Certificate (NOC) from Railways, his previous team, on time. Barrington Rowland, the opening batsman, led the side in Goud’s absence, as Karnataka got off to a disastrous start, losing by seven wickets after they were shot out for 85 in their first innings.Goud, who last represented his home state Karnataka in 1994-95, had been appointed captain as early as August and trained with the probables in their pre-season preparation, for nearly four months. Unfortunately for Goud, Railways failed to intimate the board before the cut-off date for the NOC, which was September 30.

Austin “Jack” Warner, the president of Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association football (CONCACAF), has criticised the proposed move by Texan millionaire Allen Stanford to pour US$28 million into a regional Twenty20 tournament.”Stanford is making the biggest mistake of his life because Stanford believes he can save cricket by building at the top. At the top there is nothing to build. What he should have done with his money is invest it in cricket from the bottom, build on the ground, go into youth programmes, go back to the days of the Wes Hall cricket league. (He should) bring coaches from overseas to help train these young cricketers and over time (in) three, four, five, six years, you will build a cadre of cricketers in the region as you have never seen.”Stanford announced on Monday his plans for a regional Twenty20 tournament scheduled for August and September next year, and which is expected to see 17 countries competing for a top prize of US$1 million. The team finishing second will collect US$500,000 with the boards of the top two teams receiving US$200,000 and US$100,000, respectively, to be used for developmental purposes. While there will be US$25,000 for the Man-of-the-Match in every game, that person will claim US$100,000 in the championship game.Stanford said he had been motivated to undertake the initiative after having witnessed the decline of cricket in the region and hoped the tournament would be “the catalyst for a resurgence of love for the game, that it will signal the return to the glory days of cricket”.