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Darrell Hair’s reinstatement to Tests and ODIs is being viewed with understandable caution by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). Nasim Ashraf, chairman of the PCB, said Pakistan had made its position on the matter clear at the ICC board meeting; he also indicated that Hair might not stand in Pakistan matches over the next year, until his contract with the ICC ends.”The PCB’s position, views and opinions were clearly reiterated at the meeting with regard to this issue,” Ashraf told Cricinfo.Ashraf’s countrymen were more forcible in their reactions. Inzamam-ul-Haq, who was banned for four matches for refusing to take his side back on to the field during the Oval Test in August 2006 after Hair accused them of ball-tampering, said he was “shocked and disgusted” by the news.”I would blame the Pakistan board for bowing down in Hair’s case and no player will now stand against injustices at the international level,” Inzamam said. “Hair was at fault but he is reinstated like a hero. The PCB needs to learn a lesson from the Indian board. See how they backed their players in Australia recently on contentious issues.”Pakistan did not return to the field after tea on day four at The Oval, in protest against Hair’s decision to dock them five penalty runs for ball-tampering. Hair subsequently declared the match forfeited by Pakistan, handing the win to England. It was the first time a Test had ever been forfeited.Shaharyar Khan, Ashraf’s predecessor and chairman during The Oval Test, shared Inzamam’s sentiments. “He [Hair] should never have been reinstated after committing so many gross irregularities during the [2006] Oval Test,” Shaharyar told Reuters.”The ICC board decided beyond doubt Hair’s conduct was not up to the mark. This man violated his responsibilities as a senior umpire. How the ICC can restore him is hard to comprehend.”Ramiz Raja, former captain and widely-respected commentator, said the decision highlighted Pakistan’s weak hand at international level. “The decision of Hair’s recall shows Pakistan’s lack of presence at international forums. It is surprising that Hair was reinstated without being tried and tested. It shows that the international community is ready to walk over Pakistan whenever they want.”

ScorecardEngland women finally got the result they were looking for, beating Australia Under-21s by 75 runs in what could be the boost to kick-start their Australasian tour which had started with two heavy defeats. Charlotte Edwards had promised they would be bounce back, and they did, with their batting finally firing to add 9 for 249 against the Shooting Stars who had beaten them earlier this week.Beth Morgan, who had started with two failures, came good with a fifty, as did fellow opener Sarah Taylor, the pair lifting England with a 134-run stand. Morgan employed the sweep to good effect while Taylor thrilled the crowd with her customary over-the-top hitting.It was the platform they needed, with the smooth Edwards, timing the ball as well as ever, and Lydia Greenway then each adding 31. A bizarre hat-trick of run-outs followed in a frenetic last over yielding four runs and four run-outs as England lost six wickets in the last four overs.The Shooting Stars were up with the run-rate until Rosalie Birch dismissed opener Rachael Haynes for 37 and struck again through Claire Taylor’s catch at mid-on. Birch went on to claim 3 for 21 from her 10 overs.Laura Marsh also bowled tightly to restrict the U21s in an eight-over spell worth 23. Isa Guha and captain Edwards chipped in to take two wickets apiece while their were two fantastic run-outs which helped dismiss them for 174.”I’m really pleased with how the girls responded,” said a beaming Edwards. “Our batting was positive and we’re back to somewhere near our best.” Head coach Mark Dobson added: “At various stages throughout the three matches we have either batted, bowled or fielded well. Now we need to combine each of these disciplines consistently throughout the forthcoming series.”This is England’s third match outside since September and so they will be pleased with their progress so far, with the crucial time in the middle.

Jamaica coach Junior Bennett has said he is satisfied with his team’s five-wicket in their opening match of the Carib Beer series against Leeward Islands, but expressed concern over his team’s batting after they slumped to 20 for 4 chasing 115 before staging a recovery.”I’m not too pleased with our batting in both innings,” Bennett told the . “But we are extremely pleased to get off to a positive start. We will definitely have to look at the batsmen and talk to them before our next game. I think both our openers got out the same way twice [hooking] in both innings, which is not good.”But Bennett praised his spinners, Odean Brown, who claimed the Man-of-the-Match award for his 10 wickets and Nikita Miller, who took seven wickets. “There are some aspects of our cricket that we are extremely proud of. I think we bowled extremely well. Brown and Miller bowled well, supported by [Andre] Russell and [David] Bernard.”We took some good catches and our ground fielding was also good,” he said. Jamaica will need to sort out their batting before their next match against a Combined Campuses and Colleges team starting at Kensington Park on Friday, January 11.Meanwhile, Leeward Islands’ coach, John Archibald, said his side had positives to take from the match despite their low scores of 155 and 183 in the two innings. “Even in losing you can take away the good things. We saw some fight, some resilience. But the most important thing is that the guys didn’t hang their heads.”Anthony Martin, the legspinner, bowled very economically. The batting of young Montcin Hodge, who showed a lot of character, was also good, and it was also nice to see Javier Liburd finding his footing.”Martin took four wickets, including figures of 3 for 31 in the first innings, Hodge scored a patient 64 gathered over five hours, and Liburd scored 43 in the first innings. Leewards will be looking to gain their first points of the season when they take on Windward Islands in Grenada on Friday.

Rajshahi, who had already secured the National League one-day title, finished their campaign with a 51-run defeat by Dhaka at the Mirpur Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium. It was a low-key end to their season and followed on from their collapse against the same opponents the previous day which cost them the first-class crown. The win gave Dhaka second place.Dhaka made a wobbly start before Anwar Hossain and Mahmudullah, who both hit fifties, started a recovery which enabled them to post 254 for 8. Hossain, who went on to win the man-of-the-Match award hit 65 off 91 balls. In reply, Rajshahi limped to 203 in 48.5 overs.Khulna finished on level points with Dhaka thanks to their seven-wicket victory against Barisal at the Birshreshtha Shaheed Flight Lieutenant Matiur Rahman Stadium but were edged into third on net run-rate. Imrul Kayash made 133 off 151 balls to lead Khulna’s reply to Barisal’s 265 for 6, and they eased past the target with 14 balls to spare. Earlier, Raqibul Hasan scored his maiden one-day hundred, hitting 133 off 131 deliveries.Chittagong still finished bottom despite a consolation seven-wicket win over Sylhet at the Fatullah Cricket Stadium. Their victory was based on a 133-run fourth-wicket stand between Faisal Hossain and Dhiman Ghosh as they eased past Sylhet’s 198 with almost 20 overs in hand.

Eagles 334 and 121 for 3 (van Wyk 61*, Beukes 42*, Symcox3-25) trail Dolphins 612 for 8 decl (Amla 249, Kent 120, Mall 66)by 157 runs
ScorecardThe Dolphins played themselves firmly into a commanding position on dayfour of the SuperSport Series final against the Eagles at Goodyear Parkin Bloemfontein.A maiden double-century from Hashim Amla and a first century of theseason for Jon Kent allowed the Dolphins to declare on 612 for 8, the16th-highest first-class total in South African cricket. The Dolphins kept the Eagles in the field for 14 hours before striking three times,Russell Symcox claiming the top three batsmen.Amla’s innings came to an end on 249 when he was run out after a mix-upwith Russell Symcox. His innings lasted five minutes short of 11 hours.Kent and Amla put on 296 for the fifth wicket, before Kent was caughtbehind off Cliff Deacon for 120. Symcox (9), Lance Klusener (13) andDuncan Brown (27*) found runs difficult to come by as the Eagles bowlersstruggled on, notching three runs an over. At the end, Andrew Tweedie flayeda quick 14 before the declaration came.The Eagles were left with a deficit of 278 to overhaul and four sessions to survive bat – and they started their reply in disastrous fashion, losing three wickets to Symcox in the space of 10 overs. Davey Jacobs was bowled withoutscoring, while Boeta Dippenaar (9) and Loots Bosman (0) edged to thekeeper.Jonathan Beukes (42) and Morne van Wyk (61) steered the innings back ontrack with an unbroken partnership of 92 as the Eagles finished on 121for 3, still 157 behind.A tense final day waits.

Graeme Smith, the 22 year-old Western Province left hander, will captain the South African national cricket squad on tours to Sharjah and Bangladesh later this month. Smith becomes the seventh player to captain South Africa since 1991.The squad, announced in Cape Town today by UCBSA CEO Gerald Majola, sees several changes to the one that took part in the ICC Cricket World Cup.Recalled to the senior squad are Western Province left arm spinner Paul Adams, his provincial teammates, left arm seamer Charl Willoughby and right arm seamer Allan Dawson, as well as Northern Titans batsmen Jacques Rudolph and Neil McKenzie.Two players, Allan Donald and Jonty Rhodes have retired from all International cricket, whilst Gary Kirsten has retired from One Day International cricket.SA Squad to Tour Sharjah and Bangladesh.

Graeme Smith Captain Western ProvincePaul Adams Western ProvinceMark Boucher BorderAllan Dawson Western ProvinceBoeta Dippenaar Free StateHerschelle Gibbs Western ProvinceAndrew Hall EasternsJacques Kallis Western ProvinceNeil McKenzie NorthernsMakhaya Ntini BorderRobin Peterson Eastern ProvinceShaun Pollock KwaZulu-NatalJacques Rudolph NorthernsCharl Willoughby Western Province

Ashwell Prince will replace Boeta Dippenaar for the two Test matches in Bangladesh.The squad leaves for Sharjah on 28th March to take part in the CBFS Sharjah Cup, before traveling to Bangladesh where they will play in a Triangular ODI tournament.The National selectors also named a 15-man South African A squad to tour Australia in April.The squad will be led by Northern Titans all-rounder Gerald Dros.South Africa A Squad to tour Australia

Gerald Dros Captain NorthernsAhmed Amla KwaZulu-NatalAdam Bacher GautengNicky Boje Free StateAlbie Morkel EasternsAndre Nel EasternsJustin Ontong BolandDewald Pretorius Free StateAshwell Prince Western ProvinceRoger Telemachus Western ProvinceThami Tsolekile Western ProvinceCharl Langeveldt BolandMartin van Jaarsveld NorthernsMorne van Wyk Free StateQuinton Friend Western Province

The SA A squad will depart for Australia on the 30th of March. They will play six limited over matches and two three-day matches against Australia A.

HOBART, Feb 28 AAP – South Australia will be tempted to make an attacking declaration at Bellerive Oval tomorrow in their desperate pursuit of an outright win over Tasmania.Rain stopped the Redbacks taking the field at all today and forecasts of showers for tomorrow threaten to prevent play again.The Tigers scored 285 in their first innings on day one yesterday.In reply at stumps on day one, SA were 2-17.With an outright win essential for the Redbacks’ hopes of making the Pura Cup final, SA could be forced to declare short of the Tigers’ total and hope Tasmania would set a target for them to chase.Play was officially abandoned today at 5.05pm (AEDT) and scheduled to resume at 10.30am tomorrow in an effort to make up time lost.Tigers fast-bowler Gerard Denton bagged openers Shane Deitz (5) and David Fitzgerald (9) in successive overs yesterday for figures of two for nine.Nightwatchman Mark Cleary was not out on one at stumps, with skipper Greg Blewett yet to score.

Cricket Australia’s National Selection Panel (NSP) has named the Australia-A squad, that will play against the Indians, in a three-day game beginning at Hobart, on December 19.Michael Hussey, a Western Australian batsman, will captain the side, which includes representatives from each state, and three Australia A debutants – Paul Rofe and Shaun Tait, from South Australia, and Cameron White, from Victoria.Trevor Hohns, chairman of the NSP, said the team represented a blend of experience and emerging young talent. “With the Australian side being so successful in recent years, it’s difficult for those players on the cusp of selection to break into the national team. The side represents a good mix of senior experience and young talent, and reflects our approach of developing players capable of performing at the international level.”Hohns also added that the selection of Hussey as captain was testament to his impressive start in domestic competitions. He said, “Michael’s a highly thought-of player who has demonstrated outstanding leadership abilities with Western Australia in recent months. He’s an experienced and talented performer, and is widely respected by his playing peers around the country. He’ll no doubt play a role in helping point some of the younger guys in the right direction.”Meanwhile, Cricket Australia has announced that the NSP has reviewed its selection criteria for Australia A’s limited-overs engagements against India and Zimbabwe in January. The selectors have chosen to adopt a youth policy for the two limited-overs games, with a greater emphasis on developing players for the future.Squad
1 Michael Hussey (capt), 2 Michael Clarke, 3 Chris Rogers, 4 Martin Love, 5 Brad Hodge, 6 Cameron White, 7 Wade Seccombe, 8 Matthew Nicholson, 9 Damien Wright, 10 Paul Rofe, 11 Shaun Tait

Jamaica 338 (Bernard 120) and 372 for 5 (Gayle 71, Lambert 82, Hibbert 102) drew with Windward Islands 249
ScorecardJamaica’s Carib Beer Challenge Series semi-final against the Windward Islands ended in a draw – the first-innings lead was enough to see them through to the final – but the match will sadly be remembered for crowd trouble that forced the umpires to abandon play well before the scheduled close.Certain spectators, angered by Jamaica’s decision to bat on, threw plastic water bottles onto the field at the Alpart Sports Club, forcing Eddie Nichols and Basil Morgan, the umpires, to call of play with a minimum of 26.2 overs still to be bowled.Jamaica, already assured of a place in the final against Barbados, opted for batting practice, with Keith Hibbert (102) hitting his maiden first-class hundred. There was also a fine innings from Tamar Lambert, who made 82. The Windwards’ challenge was lacklustre, mainly as the result of the absence of Fernix Thomas, who couldn’t bowl because of a groin strain.Chris Gayle, who was captaining Jamaica for the first time, expressed his disappointment with the crowd’s behaviour. “I didn’t expect this from the Alpart crowd,” said Gayle, who defended his decision to bat on by saying that a number of his bowlers were nursing niggles.Resuming at 145 for 2, Jamaica scored 92 runs in the morning session for the loss of Donovan Pagon (25). Lambert fell soon after the interval, slicing a catch to backward point off Ian Butler.David Bernard, whose superb first-innings century set the tone for Jamaica’s domination of the game, made 0, caught at cover by Craig Emmanuel off Butler. That prompted Hibbert to accelerate, and he hammered Shane Shillingford, the offspinner, for successive sixes over long-on. He got to 100 in the over before tea, sweeping Rawl Lewis to the square-leg fence. But Jamaica’s failure to give the Windwards a hit after that prompted the ugly scenes which caused the match to be called off.

Shane Warne will fulfil a promise to Muttiah Muralitharan by flying to Sri Lanka today to help the rebuilding process after the Boxing Day tsunami. Warne, who took 2 for 20 in Victoria’s ING Cup win over Queensland at Ballarat yesterday, will return in time for the crucial clash against New South Wales on Sunday as they push for a place in the final.Warne is scheduled to travel to some of the worst hit areas including Galle – "where one of my favourite cricket grounds in the world was washed away" – and he will direct money from his children’s charity to Sri Lanka. Warne said he was also dealing with the Melbourne City Council in a bid to restore the ground at Galle."Right after the tsunami tragedy I promised Murali I would do whatever possible and while my Foundation was set up to aid Australian children in need, through our friends we will channel funds into this worthy cause," Warne wrote in his Daily Telegraph column.Warne, who played in the charity match at the MCG and the three-game series in New Zealand, said he "just wants to help" and will travel with Brad Grapsas, the chief executive of the Shane Warne Foundation, to see where the money raised by the organisation will go."Murali and I have always got along okay, I have huge respect for him, but fate and its tragedy has thrown us together in this and no doubt it has brought us closer," Warne wrote. "Our head-to-head battle for the world Test-wickets record is a terrific joust on the sporting field, but on this issue I’m proud for us to be brothers in arms for such a cause."