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The long overdue accounts for the old Kenyan Cricket Association, covering the year to the end of 2004, have now been submitted to the ICC and club officials, and they show the level of chaos inside the board in the months leading up to the elections which saw the removal of the old regime.The most revealing part of the accounts are the notes by Shah Patel & Company, the Nairobi-based auditors.The five-page document reveals that many transactions cannot be verified because of missing documentation. “A number of transactions … were not adequately supported by invoices,” the report stated. “As a result of our queries we subsequently received a file containing random invoices not filed in any particular order. We have noted a very large amount of expenses accrued at the year end. Since most of these are not adequately supported, we are unable to comment on the correctness of these expenses.”Critics of the old regime, who were unhappy with the relationship between the KCA and Media Plus, the rights company owned by Sharad Ghai, would have been interested to note that there were “a number of cash payments to Media Plus Sports Ltd for which no supporting documents were available. The payment voucher, which must be authorised by two signatories as per the Association’s protocol has only one signature, that of Mr Ghai.”The report continued: “Media Plus Sports Ltd has been paid US$28,000 as ground expense. This payment is besides the contracted public expenses paid to Media Plus Sports Ltd. There is no authorisation on the payment voucher except a signature by Mr Ghai. The explanation we received was that the Association had to pay Nairobi Gymkhana and Mr Ghai made the payment hence these payments were a reimbursement to Mr Ghai. No documentary evidence was available to support this.”The auditors also stated that they failed “to understand how no supporting documents are available for large amounts spent”. Some items of more than US$20,000 have no documentation at all.While there is no suggestion of anything untoward, what the audit does highlight is the lack of financial control exercised by the old KCA.The new board, which assumed control in May 2005, inherited debts in excess of US$500,000 with no meaningful assets.

Younis Khan and Shahid Afridi have agreed to play for the Asian XI team in a three-match series against a World XI in Houston between June 14 and 19. It had earlier been reported that both players had withdrawn from the event, but Hasan Jalil, the organiser, visited Jamaica during the second Test and persuaded them to change their mind.”I personally met with Younis and Afridi and convinced them we would like to have them play for the Asian XI with other Pakistani players and they agreed,” Jalil told reporters. “Inzamam-ul-Haq was keen that Younis and Afridi should play and now we have the best Pakistani players coming to Houston for the matches.”Inzamam, Younis, Afridi, Yousuf Youhana, Abdul Razzaq and Shoaib Akhtar would all be playing in the Asian XI along with Rahul Dravid, Virender Sehwag, Harbhajan Singh, Anil Kumble, Irfan Pathan, Yuvraj Singh, as well as Sri Lankans Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara.Jalil added that he hoped to be able to bring in Brian Lara and other West Indies players.

Shaharyar Khan, the Pakistan Cricket Board chairman, has written to international and domestic umpires in the country, asking them to report bowlers with suspect actions. According to a report in The News, Shaharyar also provided umpires with a list of bowlers to observe, which included Shoaib Akhtar, Shabbir Ahmed, Riaz Afridi and Junaid Zia.In recent times, a number of Pakistani bowlers at the international level have been reported for a suspect action and advised to undergo remedial measures. In an attempt to avoid similar situations in the future, Shaharyar asked umpires to correct bowlers before it was too late, and to do their job without fear of criticism.While the ICC has put guidelines in place to define suspect actions, what has been notable is the reaction to umpires who report bowlers. In a recent case, Chris Broad, the match referee who reported Muttiah Muralitharan after Sri Lanka’s series against Australia, came under attack for socialising with Australian cricketers. While the accusation was on a different charge, it was widely perceived as an attempt to put Broad under pressure.

Essex County Cricket Club begin their Frizzell County Championship Division1 campaign with a home match against near neighbours and rivals Middlesex,commencing on Good Friday. The game runs over the full Easter weekend andEssex, as part of their on-going Kids Into Cricket campaign with associatesponsors Essex & Suffolk Water, are offering children under 18 entry intothe match days for just £1 over the holidays. There are no limits to thenumber of children that adults may bring.A good crowd is expected with many seeing the new installation of theimpressive Essex floodlights at the County Ground for the first time, aswell as the new public and Members’ seating in many areas of the ground andthe new Public Bar Marquee where the public visitors may now purchaseShepherd Neame beers under shelter.The Club are also opening the new Hayes Close Members’ Restaurant undercanvas, which replaces the Riverside Restaurant. The new facility offersexcellent views of the cricket and is expected to be extremely popular.Commercial Manager Dave Comley said:”The Club has done an awful lot to improve facilities for the Members andPublic for the new season and we hope that we will get a bumper support tostart the ball rolling on Good Friday.”The first day of the new season at Chelmsford is Good Friday, commencing at11.00 a.m. with the game scheduled to run to Easter Monday.

The West Indies Cricket Board Inc. (WICB), expressed surprise yesterday to a letter received from the Leeward Islands Cricket Association (LICA).Chief Cricket Operations Officer, Michael Hall, said that the Board was “surprised at LICA’s letter and it may be injurious to the tournament and LICA’s credibility.”Hall went on to explain that the WICB is on record to further expand the Red Stripe Bowl competition, but “for reasons mainly financial” the Board is not able to implement the full expansion plan.Hall also confirmed that the Leeward Islands representatives to the WICB advised the Board’s general meeting on 21st July that the winner of their one day tournament – Antigua – would be the “individual” team and a “rest” would come from among the other member territories.The WICB yesterday also confirmed that both the Windward and Leeward Islands were asked to supply two teams – one “individual” team and a “rest” team. The Windwards Islands however, advised the Board meeting that they had not “devised a mechanism by which they could transparently select an individual island”. This, in the absence of a one day competition among the islands. The Windward Islands therefore sought, and were granted special dispensation to supply a Windwards North and a Windwards South team for the competition. Hall was quick to add that this would be a “one off” situation and that they were expected to comply fully next year.Meanwhile, acting LICA president, Carlisle Powell, says that they (LICA) were not involved in the decision – to invite Antigua to compete as a separate entity. He however admitted that “Antigua was good enough to play on their own,” but stressed that he was bound by the LICA resolution.John Maginley, first vice president of the Antigua Cricket Association Inc. (ACA), says that they are continuing with plans to “play on our own as a separate entity, unless we are told otherwise.”The WICB is expected to make a ruling on whether to be bound by their earlier decision to invite Antigua to compete as an individual island, or to abide by this latest LICA resolution. This decision was expected today from the WICB president, Wes Hall and vice president, Val Banks.Incidentally, Banks was the former LICA president and WICB representative at the time when the discussions about Antigua going solo in the Red Stripe Bowl were ongoing. The other LICA representative leading those discussions was Enoch Lewis.The Red Stripe Bowl competition is expected to start some time in October and will consist of 10 teams in two (2) zones, one in Guyana and the other in Jamaica. The Windward Islands are the defending Red Stripe Bowl champions.

New Zealand have announced squads for the women’s national team and the A side that will train over the next 12 months for the World Cup in Australia in 2009.All members of the squad that lost the Rose Bowl to Australia in March have been included in the national training squad along with Suzie Bates, Selena Charteris, Ingrid Cronin-Knight, Maria Fahey, Ros Kember, Beth McNeill, Rowan Milburn, Louise Milliken and newcomer Prashilla Mistry.Both squads will attend camps at New Zealand Cricket’s High Performance Centre over the winter and the White Ferns will play warm up matches in October-November.New Zealand squad:
Suzie Bates, Nicola Browne, Sarah Burke, Rachel Candy, Selena Charteris, Ingrid Cronin-Knight, Sophie Devine, Lucy Doolan, Maria Fahey, Ros Kember, Sara McGlashan, Beth McNeill, Katey Martin, Aimee Mason, Rowan Milburn, Louise Milliken, Prashilla Mistry, Rachel Priest, Amy Satterthwaite, Haidee Tiffen, Sarah Tsukigawa.A squad:
Kate Broadmore, Saskia Bullen, Abby Burrows, Kendra Cocksedge, Tamara Gould, Holly Huddleston, Victoria Lind, Frances Mackay, Megan Murphy, Katie Perkins, Liz Perry, Sian Ruck, Kerry Tomlinson, Megan Wakefield, Josie Young.

Anil Kumble, Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman, Sourav Ganguly, RP Singh and VRV Singh have been passed fit for the upcoming Test series against South Africa, which starts on March 26 in Chennai.The fitness tests took place over the last few days at the National Cricket Academy in Bangalore, and were held under the supervision of Paul Chapman, the physical conditioning coach, and Paul Close, the physiotherapist. Each of the six players declared fit underwent a medical examination, bleep test, body strengthening and fielding practice.Among the players declared fit, only Dravid and RP had injury niggles. Dravid had suffered a finger injury during the Test series in Australia while RP had missed the CB Series due to a hamstring injury he picked up mid-way through the fourth Test in Adelaide. Dravid told Cricinfo that his injury had healed, while RP said he would return to action in the Deodhar Trophy from March 14. The other players also underwent the routine Tests, as according to the new rules of the Indian board, the players who have been out of action for a month need to prove their fitness at the NCA ahead of any series.Pankaj Singh, meanwhile, looks doubtful for the South Africa series, having been advised three weeks’ rest to recover from a hip strain. Pankaj had been selected in the Test squad for Australia but only featured in the tour games.The findings of the tests were sent by the NCA to the BCCI.India’s concerns, though, would be over the members of the side that were in Australia for both the Tests and ODIs, with Sachin Tendulkar, Ishant Sharma, Harbhajan Singh, and Yuvraj Singh advised rest for two to three weeks by John Gloster, the outgoing Indian team physio.The selection of India’s squad for the first two Tests against South Africa has already been postponed from March 9 to March 17, with chief selector Dilip Vengsarkar wanting the players who returned immediately after the Test series in Australia to take part in the Deodhar Trophy, which commences on March 14.

Despite England’s disastrous winter, and a limp performance in the World Cup, the departing England coach, Duncan Fletcher, insists the foundations have been laid to build a successful side.”I think the foundations are there,” Fletcher said in a news conference in Barbados, following England’s thrilling one-wicket win over the West Indies yesterday. “If you look around we are the youngest side in the world in Test cricket not only in caps and ages, but also in experience.”We’ve shown the way we can play on occasions, we just haven’t put it together on a consistent basis. The foundations are there, but I think it might take a little bit longer. I have said previously that this World Cup was a bit early for them and it could take up to a year, but who knows?”They could suddenly put it together in six months, but I would still be a little bit patient with them because they’ve got a bit of learning to do.”Far from seeking the quiet life after spending eight years under the public’s fickle gaze, he revealed he is open to offers from other countries and maintains he still has plenty to give.”I do need a break,” he admitted. “I probably need a month and then I’m sure my wife will be trying to kick me out of the house.” Asked when he would be ready to take on a new challenge, Fletcher said: “Tomorrow, I reckon.”Fletcher resigned last week with his replacement, Peter Moores, announced just 24 hours later. And although no one has yet approached him with an offer, Fletcher remains confident that his knowledge and experience can be put to good use.”I’ve got ideas; I think I can help,” he said. “I really feel that as far as coaching is concerned I am still forward-thinking [and] can think out of the box. One thing you can say is that when I got the job not many people wanted it. Now everyone’s clamouring for it. So that’s probably a good indication.”Moores’s reign as England coach begins on May 1.

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

For five days at Fatullah, David had led, scrapped, slipped but fought back and hung in there tenaciously before falling to the Goliath after one hell of a battle. The Australians were no doubt stung by that embarrassment and today, with a little bit of help from the Bangladesh batsmen, hit back with vengeance. Asked to bowl first on a flat pitch, they got on top almost immediately, thanks to Jason Gillespie, who struck three blows in his first four overs. Rajin Saleh hit back with a fluent 71 but Stuart MacGill and Shane Warne prised out three wickets apiece to bowl out Bangladesh for a paltry 197. Australia rubbed it in further as they reached 76 for 1 at stumps.

It was a day where Australia, going in with a five-man bowling attack, eschewed their arrogance, be it while fielding – a sweeper cover was put straightaway for the spinners, or batting – Matthew Hayden and Phil Jaques didn’t bludgeon but chose to caress, and slowly forced Bangladesh into submission. That Australia meant business was evident in their selection: both Brett Lee and Warne played, shrugging off exhaustion and shoulder injury. Stuart Clark, who didn’t impress in the first Test, was replaced by the debutant offspinner, Dan Cullen.

The wicket offered bounce and turn but then so did the one at Fatullah. Bangladesh played without any pressure in the first Test – no-one expected them to rattle 355 on the opening day – but the pressures of expectations seemed to have burdened them at Chittagong.

The slide began with a relatively innocuous delivery: a ball drifting down the leg side was casually flicked away by the first-Test centurion Shahriar Nafees to fine leg. Habibul Bashar, nicknamed Habitual Basher for his tendency to have a go at the bowling, chose to spontaneously combust at the crease. Two lovely square-drives to the left of point off Gillespie prompted Ricky Ponting to move in a fielder in that position. Bashar flashed again and before one could blink, a diving Phil Jacques had the ball in his hands.

After 11 overs of pace, in which time Javed Omar fell as well, Ponting switched to spin and Shane Warne removed Mohammad Ashraful in his second over with a gentle legbreak which Ashraful guided straight to Matthew Hayden at first slip.

The one batsman who showed the resilience, courage and flair to resist the Australian attack was Saleh. Early in his innings, Lee pinged him on the helmet. Saleh responded by driving him to the cover fence. Lee’s response was another short one at furious pace that crashed into Saleh’s helmet again, but Saleh remained unfazed, battling Lee just as he had withstood a barrage of bumpers from Shoaib Akhtar on Bangladesh’s previous tour to Pakistan. Against the spinners, he was precise in his footwork, going back or forward as the trajectory and the length demanded of him. He lofted Warne to long-on to bring up the fifty for Bangladesh, drove MacGill against the spin to the midwicket fence and then pulled a short one to ease the pressure which the early wickets had put on the team.

Post lunch he punched Lee to point, reached his fifty with a miscued lofted drive off Warne and celebrated the landmark by cutting MacGill to the fence. Aftab Ahmed, who was circumspect in the first session, shifted gears in the second. Warne was lofted imperiously over long-off, Lee was square-driven and Aftab repeated that shot again to bring up the fifty of the partnership.

However, the stand ended in controversial circumstances. Warne floated one up that drifted in and dipped, taking the inside edge before bounding off Ahmed’s boots to Gilchrist. The unsure field umpires, Ian Howell and Aleem Dar, referred it Mahbubur Rahman, the third umpire, and after countless replays it seemed the decision was made in the batsman’s favour when Ricky Ponting entered the fray. An animated chat with Howell, the umpire at the bowler’s end, resulted, quite surprisingly, in a review of the decision as the umpires went into further conversation with Rahman. This time the verdict came in favour of the visitors, and Aftab trudged back for 18.

Soon Bangladesh slipped into further misery when Saleh was deceived by MacGill. He set him up with a slow legbreak that was pulled to the midwicket fence before slipping in a straight one which hastened off the pitch. Mohammad Rafique and Abdur Razzaq biffed a few, while Khaled Mashud rode his luck despite being quite clueless against MacGill, but even the lower-order resistance only took Bangladesh to a below-par 197.

Australia lost Hayden, against the run of play, to a sudden urge to dominate, lofting straight to long-on, but Jaques and Gillespie, the nightwatchman, prevented any further damage. The day belonged to Australia and the manner in which they approached their batting, Bangladesh could well be spending a lot of time sweating under the sun on the second day.

BangladeshShariar Nafees c Brett Lee b Jason Gillespie 0 ( 0 for 1)

Habibul Bashar c Phil Jacques b Gillespie 8 (11 for 2)

Javed Omar lbw Gillespie 2 (17 for 3)

Mohammad Ashraful c Hayden b Warne (41 for 4)

Aftab Ahmed c Gilchrist b Warne 18(102 for 5)

Rajin Saleh b MacGill 71 (130 for 6)

Mohammad Rafique c Hayden b MacGill 19 (152 for 7)

Mashrafe Mortaza c Gilchrist b Cullen 4 (157 for 8)

Abdur Razzak c Lee b MacGill 16 (193 for 9)

Shahadat Hussain c Gillespie b Warne 0 (197 all out)

Australia

Matthew Hayden c (sub) Alok Kapali b Mohammad Rafique 29 (67 for 1)

Ricky Ponting has claimed the schedule for this summer’s Ashes tour could work in his side’s favour. Australia, who landed in England on Sunday morning, face a full itinerary of one-day internationals, including a triangular tournament against the hosts and Bangladesh plus three further games, before the Test series starts at Lord’s on July 21.The Australians have not played a Test for seven weeks and during the break they have had only a short training camp in Brisbane to fine tune their game.England, meanwhile, have completed a comfortable 2-0 Test win against Bangladesh. But Ponting is sure the timetable will allow his side to adjust and score some psychological points over England before the real business of the summer starts.”It could be a bit of an advantage for us the way the summer has panned out with us having a long break and then 10 one-dayers before the first Test,” Ponting said. “It could seem like the end of the summer for England and we have got time to get playing.”There are going to be a number of changes, but I am happy we are ready for them. We are all looking forward to this tour immensely, the build up has been big-time already. This is a big tour for us – it always is – but more especially because it is No. 1 in the world against No. 2. It should be great all round.”And Ponting is hoping his side can get some momentum from the one-day games before defending the Ashes, which the Australians have held since 1989. “It would be good if we could achieve that going into the Tests,” he said, “but I’m not overly worried about what happens in the one-dayers in terms of the Tests.”We want to win every game we play in and if we do that and we have created some momentum then all well and good but I don’t take a lot out of one-day series. Test cricket is a different game, there will be a few changes of personnel so we will have to see how it goes.”But we are not just here preparing for the Test series. The one-dayers are our main focus to start with. But we will have a lot of cricket under our belts by the time the Test series comes around and it will be good to get under way with the cricket. It is an exciting time for us and world cricket now.”Australia will start the series as firm favourites to retain the Ashes urn, but the coach John Buchanan is not worried about the fact that they are expected to defeat their hosts. “This team is always faced with a lot of expectation,” he said. “A number of them are world-class players who will go down as greats of the game so there is always expectation no matter who we play. The great thing about this team is that they just don’t look at those expectations, they just look at their own performances.”Australia travel to Lille in France on Monday to visit the graves of Australian soldiers who were killed in the First World War – Steve Waugh led a similar expedition to the memorial in Gallipoli when he was captain in 2001.”It means something different,” Buchanan said. “It is more of a life experience than a cricket experience. It is just something we have got the opportunity to really experience a bit in terms of what Australians experienced in the war theatre.”