Richard McInnes, the outgoing coach of the Bangladesh Under-19 team, has criticised the country’s selection policy, in particular Dav Whatmore’s habit of pitching unprepared youngsters in at the deep end of Test cricket.”The Under-19s are a lot better players than they were two years ago,” McInnes told The Daily Star in Dhaka, after watching the cream of his crop being put through the ringer during the first Test against England at Lord’s. “But I also understood the reasons [for their early promotions]. These guys are probably the best in their positions in the team.”I agree that it is too early to pick Rajib [Shadahat Hossain], Nafees [Iqbal], [Mushfiqur] Rahim … and all those guys who should not be playing Test cricket for another five years,” he continued. “But saying that, there is no-one in Bangladesh who will do any better than they will.”McInnes enjoyed considerable success in his two-year stint with Bangladesh, the highlight being victory over Australia in the final of the Plate Championship at last year’s Under-19 World Cup. Many of the players in that match have now graduated to the senior side, including Shadahat, Nafees, Aftab Ahmed and the spinner Enamul Haque jr.McInnes, however, remains frustrated that the lines of communication between him and Whatmore were not more open. “Unfortunately Dav never asked me [for help with the Under-19 boys],” he told The Daily Star. “With so many of my boys in the team, it would have been useful because I know what to tell Rajib [Shadahat] when he is down or any other player of that group for that matter. But it is not for me to go and tell him that. That was one of the frustrating parts.”McInnes now leaves to take up a role with the Australian Academy, and though he thought long and hard about extending his contract with Bangladesh, he realised that opportunities like this don’t come along every day. “My wife was pretty disappointed that we had to move,” he said. “She had made some good friends here but with a new addition to the family and due to some other considerations, I thought this was the [right] time.”

Simon Jones has rejoined England’s one-day squad after undergoing a week of intensive rehabilitation on his knee problem. Jones was released from the squad after England’s opening match against Bangladesh, at The Oval, after suffering a sore right knee.He has been working at the academy in Loughborough and has now been cleared to take his place again for the remaining matches of the tournament. This began with training at Headingley ahead of tomorrow’s match against Bangladesh.Chris Tremlett, the Hampshire seamer, joined the squad in Jones’ absence and has performed well in the last two matches. He took 4 for 32, the second best figures by England player on one-day international debut, at Trent Bridge against Bangladesh, then took 1 for 53 against Australia at Durham.The England selectors will make a decision over the weekend as to whether Tremlett will remain with the squad now that Jones is fit again.

Scorecard

A superb unbeaten 110 from Sridharan Sriram was the brightest splash of sunshine on an otherwise grey afternoon as India A and India Seniors shared the honours on the opening day of a four-day warm-up match at Bangalore. Zaheer Khan and Irfan Pathan had given the Seniors the advantage with some incisive bowling in helpful conditions, but Sriram’s fluent strokeplay wrested the initiative in the final session as the A team finished on 282 for 7.Forever on the fringes of national selection, Sriram has kept on doing what he does best, scoring a pile of runs for his state, the South Zone and the A team. Soft-spoken, earnest and not cut out for a Coke commercial, he has had to watch as those less talented have had national caps thrown their way. “I take it one innings at a time these days,” he said after the day’s play. “I’m not thinking of selection. All I can do is keep on scoring, and hope someone notices.”He batted beautifully, tackling both pace and spin with equal aplomb. Pathan had rocked the A team just after lunch with two wickets in two balls, but Sriram and Venugopal Rao then put on 91 before Zaheer came back to scalp Rao and Mahendra Singh Dhoni either side of tea.Zaheer’s splendid opening spell – 7-5-3-1 – had been the highlight of the morning after Dinesh Mongia won the toss and elected to bat. Gautam Gambhir started confidently with three fours off Pathan, but neither he nor Dheeraj Jadhav could get Zaheer away. Yet, despite running in like a man who had a point or two to prove to those who reckon he’s a lazy layabout, Zaheer just had the wicket of Jadhav – bowled for 8 – to show for considerable effort.Gambhir, who’s in direct competition with Aakash Chopra for an opening slot against Australia, showed glimpses of class in his 45. The effect was ruined, though, by the terrible position he got into to hook Pathan down to Ambati Rayudu, the substitute fielder, at short fine leg in the first over after lunch (106 for 3).Mohammad Kaif played with great composure for his 31 as he sought to convert those who have tagged him a one-day specialist, but Pathan – who bowled with typical verve as the day wore on – ended a promising knock with one that darted back to trap him leg-before.Mongia’s attempt to impress the selectors had ended much earlier, as he was bowled by Harbhajan for just 17. It wasn’t a day to cherish for the slow bowlers though, with a wet outfield making the ball heavy and difficult to grip. Both Sriram and Rao played Harbhajan with a measure of comfort, and Anil Kumble had to wait until the shadow of stumps to pick up his lone wicket, Murali Kartik caught by Rahul Dravid at slip.

A crowd of around 500 enjoyed the fare, and there was much encouragement for Zaheer, who bowled 19 miserly overs to suggest that he’s in decent enough condition to take on Australia. He used the short ball effectively, and was a constant menace, out-bowling Pathan in the morning. And it was to him that Sourav Ganguly turned to just before tea with Sriram and Rao making sedate progress.First he got Rao (36) to cut one to Virender Sehwag at point and then, after the tea break was taken, Dhoni gloved an attempted hook behind the stumps. The tail didn’t wave the white flag though, with Kartik’s obdurate 20 giving Sriram the support he needed as he pushed on to a deserved century.When it finally happened, with a flash outside off stump streaking to the third man fence off Kumble’s bowling, you had the truly bizarre sight of a pitch invasion, albeit by one red-shirted individual who charged to the middle to shake a bemused Sriram’s hand.And as the day drew to a close, attention shifted off the field, with Syed Kirmani, the chairman of selectors, fielding questions about the likely composition of the team, and his own fate. True to bumbling form, the Indian board has scheduled the elections for the selection committee in the week before the most important series that India will play in the foreseeable future.The selectors don’t know if they’ll be around tomorrow, and the players in the middle are clueless about the individuals who will decide their fate. Welcome to the brave new world of Indian cricket, where TV rights and court cases have obscured the big picture..The various camera crews at the ground found themselves in the difficult situation of having to file reports without any footage. India’s finest – Sachin Tendulkar and Ajit Agarkar excepted – had assembled for a match that could conceivably decide some futures, and only half a stand-full of people could watch the proceedings. As a popular punchline in these parts goes, We are like this only.

Sri Lanka A 171 for 3 (Tharanga 74*) beat West Indies A 168 (Ganga 52) by seven wickets
Upul Tharanga guided Sri Lanka A to a seven-wicket win over their West Indian counterparts in a rain-shortened match at Moratuwa.Opening the innings, Tharanga top-scored with an unbeaten 74 from 95 balls, after Sri Lanka had been set a target of 169 in 35 overs. He was helped to the finish by his captain, Russel Arnold, who played the sheet-anchor role with 39 not out from 76 balls after West Indies’ Darren Sammy had taken two early wickets to reduce the Sri Lankans to 39 for 3.Earlier, West Indies had been indebted to their own captain, Daren Ganga, whose brisk 52 enabled them to set a decent target in spite of a flimsy collapse from the tail. Sewnarine Chattergoon made 38, but no-one else topped 16 as the last nine wickets tumbled for 97 runs.&

Live scorecard and ball-by-ball details
A lead of 270 had been whittled down to 136 and, suddenly, Pakistan’s bowlers, so effective in the first innings, seemed out of place in the second. Sanath Jayasuriya was single-handedly changing the course of the second Test with a sublime knock. After five sessions on the field, he realised the pitch had nothing for the fast bowlers and proceeded to wrest the initiative from Pakistan.Sri Lanka are not out of the docks yet. The deficit is still substantial, and the pitch will only get easier to bat on in the last innings. A wicket or two could lift Pakistan’s spirits, especially if one happens to be Jayasuriya. But at the crease were two of Sri Lanka’s most prolific batsmen this year. Kumar Sangakkara was not his fluent self yesterday, and was nearly dismissed by Danish Kaneria, but a stay at the wicket against the easy-paced bowling could do a world of good for him.A Sri Lankan win seems unlikely from here, though a draw and Pakistan winning are viable options. It depends on how quickly they score, and whether they can play for time.

Sourav Ganguly has cleared a fitness test and is certain to lead the Indian team in their one-day international match against Pakistan on Saturday. Andrew Leipus, the team physiotherapist, put Ganguly through a three-hour practice session and was satisfied that he had recovered completely from the groin strain which had forced him to miss two Tests in the recent series against Australia.The outcome of the fitness test was largely expected after Ganguly played for Bengal in a Ranji Trophy game earlier this week. He also practised in the nets on Thursday without any discomfort, and declared himself fit after bowling from his full run-up.

Scorecard

South Africa A’s last pair of Thami Tsolekile and Garnett Kruger edged their team to a tense one-wicket win against New Zealand A as they gained the psychological advantage ahead of the final. South Africa were still 29 runs short of their target when Tyron Henderson was the ninth man out, but Tsolekile and Kruger held their nerve.The match was a close fought encounter from the start as New Zealand recovered from the loss of both openers to the new ball through a stand of 92 between Mathew Sinclair and Peter Fulton, the captain. Loots Bosman broke the stand when he trapped Fulton lbw, then Sinclair became the first of four victims for Jacques Rudolph’s legspin.Sinclair’s 64 came at better than a run-a-ball and Rudolph’s success with the ball was an unexpected boost for South Africa. Rudolph, South Africa’s captain, was once earmarked as haveing the potential to be a useful bowling option, but back injuries forced him to restrict the number of overs he sent down. However the skipper introduced himself as the sixth bowler and managed to stem the late-order quest for runs with three further wickets.The latter stages of New Zealand’s innings were held together by James Marshall, with a hardworking 56. He managed just a single boundary – a six – but worked the ball around and ran hard between the wickets as the ball grew softer.South Africa also suffered a difficult start to their reply, slipping to 55 for 3 when Rudolph was unable to reproduce his bowling form with the bat – falling first ball to Iain O’Brien. Bosman was performing the anchor role before he was caught behind off Chris Harris – who was proving as difficult to score off as the South African slower bowlers.With the innings in trouble at 122 for 7, and the pressure increasing, Jan Botha played a superbly paced innings, striking 54 off 45 balls and added 85 with Henderson. When both fell in quick succession the game was there for the taking for New Zealand, but Tsolekile and Kruger had other ideas.

Younis Khan, the Pakistan vice-captain, believes the absence of Simon Jones could prove crucial to the outcome of the series against England.Jones was finally ruled out of the tour earlier this week with an ankle injury sustained during the Ashes series, an injury which also caused him to miss the final Test at The Oval.Younis highlighted Jones as the danger man in England’s impressive four-man pace attack. “Overall, England have a very good pace attack but Jones was their best bowler in the Ashes series as he has learnt to reverse swing the old ball at good pace and that makes it difficult to face him at all times. I watched him bowl in England and his ability to reverse and his pace is supplemented by a neat action. He was the one who caused the Australians the most problems.”Asim Kamal, who has played 11 Tests for Pakistan, also agreed that Jones’s absence could be decisive but said that England’s attack might struggle to adjust to conditions in Pakistan.Jones took 18 wickets in the Ashes at 21 apiece, but it was his low strike rate – at 34 it was better than any bowler on either side – and an uncanny ability to conjure wickets at pivotal moments that stood out. “He took wickets at crucial moments and was a crucial part of their attack with the old ball,” Younis added.Younis, who along with Inzamam-ul-Haq has been one of Pakistan’s most consistent batsmen over the past year, is expected to play a key role throughout the series. Since his recall to the national team in November 2004 against Sri Lanka at Karachi, Younis has been irrepressible.He celebrated his recall with a century in that Test and has scored 1085 runs at 63.82 in nine matches in that period. The run has encompassed four centuries in all, including a monumental 267 at Bangalore that enabled Pakistan to level the series against India.Kamal too has been an unqualified batting success. He has quietly compiled eight fifties since his advent in the side and added considerable depth to the middle-order. On the English fast bowlers he said, “The conditions will be very different from England and that’s a plus point for us. But they’ve got a quality attack and the injury to Jones is good for us.”Kamal also drew attention to Matthew Hoggard, one of the less celebrated members of the pace quartet. “Matthew Hoggard never allowed the Australian openers to settle down and took wickets with the new ball because he has the ability of disguising his straight ball while swinging the new ball both ways. Our openers will have to be aware of this.”Meanwhile, Peter Moores, National Academy director, warned England that they will underestimate Rana Naved-ul-Hasan at their peril. Rana played under Moores at Sussex this year, helping them to third place in the top division.Moores, who recently left Hove to take up the Academy post, told BBC, “He is very skilful. But as well as that, he has the same passion and enthusiasm to play as an 18-year-old. He has no fear of failure or inhibitions.”Rana has taken 55 wickets in 31 ODIs but in his five Tests since his debut last year he has managed only eight expensive wickets.Moores added, “He bowls at 85mph or above; he swings it away with the new ball and reverses it with the older ball; then he has at least three different slower balls. He also has very good disguise of reverse swing, manoeuvring the ball in his fingers – very clever.”There is no guarantee he is going to get in the Pakistan side yet, but I would be amazed if they didn’t pick him. I think he will do well in Test match cricket. He asks a lot of questions of batsmen and he is not scared of hard work either.”

MPs are to hold an enquiry into the ECB’s decision to sell the broadcasting rights of cricket to satellite television.According to the , the Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee will question ECB officials and broadcasters at Westminster on November 29. Speaking to the newspaper, the chairman of the committee, John Whittingdale, said: “There is still considerable controversy over the deal and differing accounts. I think it will be helpful to give the opportunity to all parties to state their position.”The debate to remove terrestrial coverage of cricket in the UK continues to rumble on, almost a year after the original announcement was made. The committee will also take evidence from the former ECB chairman, Lord McLaurin, and Chris Smith, the former culture secretary, who negotiated a “gentleman’s agreement” over the rights in 1999. Effectively, the deal allowed the ECB to partially sell rights to satellite broadcasters, but only on the basis that the majority of Test cricket would remain on terrestrial channels.The ECB have continued to defend themselves vehemently, stating that no terrestrial television company had offered more than 35% of the rights. Earlier this month, Colin Gibson, the ECB’s communication director, told the BBC: “The television revenue makes up 80% of our income. Had we not accepted the bid from Sky, who are a quality cricket broadcaster, we would have been faced with cuts of up to 40% in all areas of the game. This would have affected every level from grassroots right up to the England team.”

A piece of cricket history will be auctioned in Melbourne on Thursday when a bat used by Don Bradman on his way to a double century is expected to fetch up to Aus$120,000.The bat, which is signed by Bradman as well as 24 contemporary Australian and West Indian players, was used when he scored 232 at The Oval against England in 1930, an innings regarded as one of his best as it was made on a rain-affected pitch and helped Australia to win the match, and in so doing to reclaim the Ashes.Charles Leski, the auctioneer, said it was the first time the bat had been offered for sale. “Bradman was in the habit of treating all of his bats with reverence, especially those he achieved big scores with,” he explained. “Even bats he didn’t score well with, he endorsed. But this is a special one. We expect to get a lot of interest.”The bat was presented to the chief mechanic of General Motors Australia in 1931, after the company presented Bradman with a car.