On the resilience of India’s tail this morning
I wasn’t particularly surprised that it took a while. If you’d said to me at the start of day one, that we’d wrap the game up after lunch on day five, I’d have taken that. Four wickets is four wickets in India. You’ve got to work hard no matter what, and today we reaped the benefits of some great work last night, and in the first innings when we batted. It’s no surprise, we knew it would be a challenge.On the margin of victory
I wouldn’t say it’s an easy Test win. It’s a convincing win for sure, 200-plus runs, but in these conditions, those sort of margins of victory can come around more easier than elsewhere. That doesn’t necessarily mean there’s a huge gap between the teams, and it was certainly not a crushing win. I expect India to come back strongly. We’ve been here before, three years ago, but we’ve a different sort of confidence this time. I certainly didn’t know what it was like to lose a Test back then [in 2001]. I know now. I know what it means to lose and I know what it means to win, and I think that personifies what the team thinks.On the completeness of Australia’s performance
That was a very, very complete game of cricket for us. It went as close to our match plan as we could have hoped. I’m sure we’ll analyse our plans before Chennai, but I’m thrilled at how the guys went about their business. Our gameplan has certainly changed since 2001. There’s no need to delve into match plans or theories, but we’re a different team now, a bit more versatile.On the importance of the toss
In my experience, you do not just win the toss and win the Test. Whatever you do first, whether it’s bat or bowl, you must do it well. We won the toss here and batted well, and India will probably admit they didn’t bowl quite as well first up, although Harbhajan turned it around in the second innings. We fully expected that, and next time, it will be helpful for gameplan. But whether you bat first or second, that’s the crucial innings. You’ve got to set up your runs while the wicket is in a good state.On Shane Warne’s lack of penetration this morning
Let’s face it, in reality, India did not have a lot to lose this morning, other than a Test match [chuckles] … if that makes sense. I thought [Irfan] Pathan played Warne very well indeed. He’s an intelligent cricketer with experience beyond his years. The others rode their luck and took him on. They were not expected to perform heroics, so their approach was relaxed.Shane’s figures are sure to be analysed and scrutinised, and people will claim he was ineffective. I beg to differ. I thought he played a fantastic role. We have an attack based around fast bowlers, so if people want to call him a support bowler then so be it. I wouldn’t call him that. He got the most dangerous batsman that we’ve met in world cricket twice in two innings. If hetakes just eight wickets in the series and they are all VVS Laxman, I’ll take that.On the umpiring
There have been a great deal of words written about the umpires, and lots of airtime on TV, but it goes without saying that some decisions will go against batsmen at some time, and on this occasion, India were on the receiving end more often than not. It’s easy to say get on with it, take the good with the bad, but I don’t remember reading on day two in Kolkata, that the crucial wicket of Harbhajan’s hat-trick [Gilchrist himself] was a certain fairly dubious lbw decision. You’ve got to move on.And what’s more, there aren’t many people in this room who’ve played in front of a crowd like that. The noise is extraordinary. When I went into bat, I had to say to Billy Bowden: “Mate, I wouldn’t do your job for quids”. You have no ideaif a batsman has bat-padded, or got an inside-edge, or whatever. It’s a very, very difficult job, made more difficult in these conditions. You have to accept it and move on, and not get too critical.I understand the frustrations of the Indians in this game. But then, apart from two umpires, no-one’s ever congratulated me for walking. And yet today, I was made to feel bad for appealing for Virender Sehwag’s dismissal. As far as I knew, it was out. I’ve since seen there was some bat involved, but why should we be made to feel bad? Let’s be consistent.On the lessons learned from Australia’s various matches against India
We’ve focussed a lot on three years ago, but let’s not forget how India played in Australia last year. That Adelaide victory was a real shock, and it wasn’t that we didn’t rate India, but we scored 500 in the first innings and no team should lose from there. Somehow we did, and we’ve learnt a great deal from the Indians. There’s a wonderful aura around these series, whether it’s one-day cricket or Tests. This was another great battle, we’re thrilled to have won and we’ll celebrate tonight. But tomorrow it’ll be all hands on deck for Chennai.

Thilanga Sumathipala, the former president of Sri Lanka Cricket, will take up a new formal role as the board’s official representative to International Cricket Council this weekend. Sumathipala is scheduled to attend the ICC’s executive meeting in Lahore on October 16 and 17.”The executive committee unanimously decided to request Mr. Sumathipala to attend the ICC executive meeting in Lahore on October 16 and 17,” a media release said. “Sumathipala is the longest serving ICC executive board member, who has been handling the most important affairs in the international arena for Sri Lankan Cricket.”Sumathipala decided not to run for a fourth term as board president earlier this year, after an immigration scandal led to him being held in police custody for nearly five months. But he remains a powerful and influential figure in the current administration.The position as an international envoy had been offered earlier in the year, but Sumathipala, at the time under police guard in a private hospital, turned down the post. He was released on bail in June and has now been handed back his passport.The immigration case, however, still continues with the next hearing set for later this month. The case revolves around Sumathipala’s alleged assistance of Dhammika Amarasinghe, a man implicated in more than 28 murder cases, to obtain a forged passport and travel to London as a cricket board guest in 1999.

Timing is everything where cricket is concerned. So it’s fair to say there’s only one side hitting the ball off the middle of the bat at present. While India contorts itself with nefarious issues of TV rights and election intrigues, the Aussies have slipped into cruise control with hardly a clunk through the gears.Glenn McGrath has got wickets, the opening pair have got runs, and even Ricky Ponting’s anointed successor, Michael Clarke, has risen to the acclaim with a polished half-century. If this is the final frontier, then – for the moment at least – it seems someone has forgotten to put the sentries on the gate.Australia’s entry into India has been as smooth as a Mark Nicholas handover. From their opulent base at the world-famous Taj Hotel, a stone’s throw from the bedlam, beggars and balloon salesman who throng around the Gateway of India, the entire squad has been on a charm offensive.Adam Gilchrist set the tone with an light-hearted press conference on the first day; McGrath followed suit by shelving his verbal bouncers, and even Brett Lee has got in on the act, impressing the locals with his grasp of Hindi (although not, it seems, the rowdy enclave at fine leg, who spent this morning informing Lee that he sucked – or some word of that ilk at any rate).And then there’s Shane Warne. He’s been kept under wraps by the management for this warm-up game, although that hasn’t exactly cramped his style. After all, winning the hearts and minds is a 24-hour job in this day and age, so Warne’s (officially-sanctioned) nocturnal habits have been helping the cause no end.On the eve of the match, for instance, he was to be found in the corner of an exclusive restaurant near the team hotel, buttering up a selection of Mumbai’s elite, plus a certain high-profile Indian middle-order batsman. The name of the player (and, incidentally, the name of the bar as well)? Tendulkar. It was just the first of several encounters over the coming weeks, we hope.And two days earlier, Warne’s penchant for propping up bars had been utilised to the max by a certain globally renowned Australian beer giant. After an energetic net session at the Brabourne Stadium, Warne and his entourage retired to the Hotel Intercontinental on the seafront for a “beer and bites” afternoon.With a beer in hand, a local DJ on one side and a “TV stunnah” on the other, Warne was asked a series of questions that ranged from the banal to the fatuous. (“Shane, are Indian women flirtatious?” “Yes”; “Shane, have you any got any Bollywood ambitions?” “Not yet …”) Okay, so the team has been asked to limit its commercial exploits, but keeping Warne out of the pub was always going to be a non-starter.But anyway, let’s get back to the cricket. The game was long dead by the time the third day began, but it was still a pleasure (and a rare one at that) to watch a match at the Brabourne Stadium. One local journalist, who as a boy witnessed Fred Trueman demolish the Indians in 1952, could still recall the days when the ground stood proud and alone on this plot of land, an area that had been reclaimed from the sea and donated to the Cricket Club of India in 1937 by the then-Governor of Bombay, Lord Brabourne.It has since been subsumed by circumstance. The old recreation ground that backed onto it has long gone, to be replaced by a clutter of new (now rather old) buildings. And in 1974-75 it had its Test status abruptly whipped away, when the Bombay Cricket Association erected the functional and not-entirely-graceful Wankhede Stadium, not more than a couple of blocks down the road.It is a great shame, because the Brabourne is a venue steeped in the game’s history, as a tour of the magnificent pavilion will amply testify. Four floors and open-fronted, it is a hive of bars, restaurants and even bedrooms, the walls of which are bedecked with photographs from all eras. There are fading group shots of the various squads to have toured England; a series of stills showing Anil Kumble’s ten-wickets-in-the-innings against Pakistan, and rather randomly, a framed scorecard from a “Grand Cricket Match” of 1893, between the Australians (843 all out), and Oxford & Cambridge (191 and 82 for 1).All this history. But, it’s fair to say, there’s only going to be one timespan on any of the players’ minds this month. Thirty-five years. Australia have made a near-perfect start to their quest, but as they set off for Bangalore tomorrow, they’ll know it’s time for the charm to give way to the offensive.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India had approached the Delhi Police asking for its stand on the thorny issue of questioning Herschelle Gibbs and Nicky Boje should they come on South Africa’s tour of India in November.Both men are considered key witnesses in the match-fixing case that was investigated by the Delhi Police, and the South African team has reportedly threatened to abort the tour unless they’re given assurances that Gibbs and Boje won’t be questioned. The BCCI has now written to KK Paul, the Delhi Police Commissioner, asking for a clarification.”We have received the letter and are examining it,” said Paul, when contacted by the Press Trust of India yesterday. The Delhi Police have yet to decide on their course of action.It may be recalled that it was the Crime Branch that unearthed the scandal which led to the fall from grace of the likes of Hansie Cronje and Mohammad Azharuddin, when they eavesdropped on conversations between some players and bookies. According to Delhi Police, the case has not been closed.

The Indian cricket board has refused England’s request to play Twenty20 international matches on its tour of India early next year. The ECB was keen for England to play Twenty20 matches in India, but India’s board has rejected the proposal, because this form of cricket has not yet been played in India.”ECB is anticipating that the England team will play three Tests and seven one-day internationals on next year’s tour of India,” said John Carr, ECB director of cricket operations, told the news agency . “ECB’s understanding is that BCCI is not in favour of the Indian team playing Twenty20 international matches.” He also added, according to a report in the , that all seven one-day internationals would played against India only – and not form part of a triangular series. “We hope to play seven straight ODIs against India,” said Carr “We are expecting a draft itinerary from BCCI within a couple of weeks and both boards will be keen to promptly confirm the itinerary.”This is not the first time that the two boards have disagreed over proposed matches. In 2001, the ECB refused to play seven one-day internationals because its agreement with the BCCI, led by AC Muthiah at the time, had cited only five matches. After Jagmohan Dalmiya became BCCI president, he wanted England to play seven games on their tour. Eventually a compromise of six matches was reached and the series was drawn 3-3.David Morgan, the ECB chairman, told that he was discussing the 2006 tour’s itinerary with Dalmiya despite him not being a BCCI office-bearer. “We anticipate the international matches being played from early to middle of March through to middle to late April,” said Carr. He also said that a venue inspection team would visit India ahead of the series to inspect the arrangements. He said “It is ECB’s standard practice to visit some or all the venues to be used for a tour. The timing of any such visit is to be confirmed.”

Although it was USA’s turn to have a day off on Friday, heavy rain which washed out the games involving their nearest rivals ensured that they won the tournament before their last match, leaving Cayman Islands, Canada and Bermuda scrapping for second place.USA beat Cayman Islands by six wickets
USA completed an impressive clean sweep, confirming beyond any doubt that they were the best team. That they beat Cayman Islands, the side drafted into the Intercontinental Cup at the senior team’s expense, will give them added pleasure.Cayman Islands were inserted on a wicket that had a little moisture from the overnight rain. Openers Ricardo Roach and William Quin got off to a reasonable start but then disaster struck as both fell with the score on 26 . Wickets fell rapidly thereafter as the spinners tied down the batting and Cayman Islands were skittled for 86. Hemant Punoo, USA’s captain, was the pick of the bowlers with 8.3-3-12-4. The solid USA batting side struggled somewhat, but again it was Punoo to the rescue with a brilliant 42 not-out as the USA won the match by six wickets. Unsurprisngly, Punoo was named Man of the Match.Canada beat Bermuda by 99 runs
Originally planned as the championship decider, this contest took a new meaning with USA already securing the Championship Trophy all the winner could hope for was the silver medal.Canada won the toss and surprised the crowd by electing to bat on a damp wicket , and that decision looked dubious as they slumped to 65 for 5. Then Trevin Bastiampillai was joined at the wicket by Waqas Junaid and the pair put on the best batting display of the tournament with a 142-run sixth-wicket partnership. Junaid fell for 43 but Bastiampillai carried his bat through the innings for 110 not out, the first century of the tournament. The Canadians finished on 239 for 8.From the moment Bermuda lost their Captain O.Bascome to the first ball of their innings, they were never really a threat. Rodney Trott (30) and Dickinson (42 not out) were the only two batsmen to offer some fight. Gunraj Patel 7.5-2-18-3 and Krunal Patel 6-2-21-3 made certain that Canada gained the silver medal.For his fine innings Trevin Bastiampillai was the obvious Man of the Match. There was further gloom for Bermuda who lost out on a medal as they tied with Cayman Islands in the points table, but the Cayman Islands had a better run rate.

Gautam Gambhir has been named the captain of the Rest of India squad to take on Railways, the Ranji champions, in the Irani Trophy to be played from October 1 to October 5 at the Karnail Singh Stadium in Delhi. Gambhir is currently playing the first Test against Zimbabwe in Bulawayo.Despite India not having any international assignments at that time, the selectors decided to not include the big stars and go for untested talent instead. Ramesh Powar, the offspinner from Mumbai, and Ramakrishnan Ramkumar, the left-arm spinner from Tamil Nadu, were the two spinners included. VRV Singh, the fast bowler from Punjab who had an impressive debut season, will get an opportunity to showcase his skill.A surprise omission from the squad is Dinesh Mongia, who had led the side last year. Parthiv Patel will get another chance to prove himself with the gloves while Venugopal Rao returns to the team as the vice-captain, after a disastrous one-day series in Zimbabwe.Rest of India squad:Gautam Gambhir (capt), Dheeraj Jadhav, Shikhar Dhawan, Robin Uthappa, Y Venugopal Rao (vice-capt), Suresh Raina, Niraj Patel, Parthiv Patel(wkt), Ramesh Powar, Ramakrishnan Ramkumar, RP Singh, Sreeshanth, Ranadeb Bose, Amit Bhandari, VRV Singh

With just one day to go for the annual elections of the Board of Control for Cricket in India it is still unclear whether Ranbir Singh Mahendra will have any opposition or not. Sharad Pawar, the man who opposed Mahendra last year and lost by the narrowest of margins in an acrimonious election, has refused to confirm or deny his intention to stand for the post of president. The constitution of the Indian board allows for candidates to enter the fray even as the annual general meeting gets underway.”I know there are quite a few well-wishers in the cricket board, but I am waiting for them to meet me first,” Pawar is quoted as saying in the . Pawar, who was in Delhi meeting various heads of state cricket associations believed to be opposed to Jagmohan Dalmiya, former board chief, and therefore Mahendra, also said, “Till Wednesday I am busy with my ministerial work, but on Thursday (the day of the election) I may go to Kolkata.”In all this Pawar refused to give a clear-cut answer on the question of his contesting for the post of board president. “I have not decided yet. But that does not mean I am not contesting. I am waiting for the court cases to reach a solution, then we will see how things pan out.”At the moment there are several cases pending that could have a direct impact on the election. Netaji Cricket Club in Chennai, now more famous for the number of cases they have filed against the BCCI than for their cricket, had asked the courts to appoint a presiding officer to conduct the elections. In response, the Calcutta High Court has appointed Justice Suhas Chandra Sen, a retired judge of the Supreme Court, as the observer for this election.There are other cases where the validity of certain members’ representation of the state associations of Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh are being questioned.In fact, Dalmiya told the Press Trust of India, “I am totally confused. Press reports say that elections are on. But the elections depend on the outcome of the cases” .In another development, the Madras High Court has restrained the board from holding the polls till 12.30pm tomorrow.Another factor that could give Pawar reason for pause is that the next year (2006 AGM) will usher in the turn of the West Zone to nominate a candidate for the presidency. At the moment it is the turn of the North. Mahendra, who will complete one year as president tomorrow, has a chance to extend his term by another year. In case he does win the election, he could also seek a 12-month extension at the 2006 AGM.Therefore, if Pawar is to contest, he has to be nominated by a state association from the North Zone. Last time around it was Punjab who put him up. “We haven’t yet received a request (for nomination) from Mr Pawar, but if he does seek our help our administrative committee is going to take a decision,” Inderjit Singh Bindra, president of the Punjab Cricket Association, was quoted as saying by . It has also been suggested that Pawar could seek nomination via Jammu & Kashmir. But Farooq Abdullah, the president of the J & K cricket association, is away in Scotland at the moment, and no concrete information was available on that front.The one thing that is certain, however, is that the term of SK Nair, who has served as secretary of the board for three years, has come to an end. He is likely to be replaced by either Gautham Dasgupta, if the Mahendra faction wins, or Niranjan Shah, if the Pawar camp comes through. Dasgupta is currently a joint secretary of the BCCI while Shah is secretary of the Saurashtra cricket association.

England and Pakistan players have visited Pakistani earthquake victims and announced donations to help them recover from the disaster.Michael Vaughan and Marcus Trescothick travelled to the quake-hit Bagh district of Pakistan-administered Kashmir and distributed relief goods and medicine on Sunday. The pair were so moved by their visit two days ago to the Pakistan Institute of Medical Science hospital in Islamabad that they asked if there was something more they could do. As a result, they were allowed to join the crew of a Chinouk helicopter delivering aid to the thousands of survivors made homeless by the disaster.”They were so affected by what they saw on Friday that they want to see what is happening themselves,” a spokesman for the England board told reporters. “But this is not a tourist trip. They will be loading and unloading as much aid as they can.”England’s players and officials are aiming to raise £100,000 towards the relief operation by a number of means, including a golf day and donating their match fees from an ODI.Separately, Pakistan’s cricket team visited earthquake victims in two hospitals and said they would donate their match fee from one of the upcoming Tests against England to help rebuild houses in affected areas.Inzamam-ul Haq, Bob Woolmer and 13 other players visited Rawalpindi General Hospital and Islamabad Hospital Complex for more than two hours. Shoaib Akhtar, who was reported to be unwell, missed the trip.

“This is our mission to bring smiles back to affected people especially children,” said Inzamam. “Our heart goes out for the victims and it’s painful to read the death toll and see the injured after such massive devastation.”Inzamam also announced that the Pakistan side would donate part of their match fees for the next year. “All the players will donate their full match-fee from the Multan Test (around 1.5 million rupees or $25,000) and will continue to donate five percent of match fees for one year. We are also donating all the expenses for building 100 houses in affected areas.”Inzamam added that his team would visit the now razed town of Balakot in North West Frontier Province as soon as they had time.

On the pitch and conditions for the game
It looks a good one, and lots of runs should be scored. We’re used to this type of heat in South Africa but not the humidity. But the boys have had time to acclimatise.On the rain ruining practice today
We had a good run yesterday and we’re not too worried about that. We’re ready to go out there and give our best.On re-jigging the batting order
We have a lot of options, and whichever team we pick should be able to bat all the way down to No.10. This is a small ground, and I see a lot of runs being scored. It could well be a runs v runs game. Our strategies had allowed us to stay unbeaten for 20 games before Bangalore. We’ve just had a tinker here and there, and one loss certainly won’t affect the way we think.On whether the end of the unbeaten run increases pressure to start another
Our goal when we arrived in India was to win the series. The unbeaten run was just a bonus. Nothing’s changed … we’ll still be going all out to win the series.On Charl Langeveldt’s fitness
He’s a lot better than he was in Bangalore, but because of the weather today, we couldn’t assess his fitness. We’ll make a decision tomorrow.On whether he expected more slow pitches
When we came here, we expected the tracks to turn. But in Bangalore, it was very dry and turned a hell of a lot in the first innings. I’d say it was like a green seaming track in South Africa where you bowl a team out for 160 or 180. But we’ve learnt from that. If they don’t get it right here, on a small ground, we have the batsmen who can send the ball a long way.On AB de Villiers’s poor run of form
He had a terrific first year in international cricket, but is going through a rough patch like everyone does at some stage. He’s working very hard in the nets. It’s inevitable that someone or the other will be going through a run like that, and we just have to keep faith and help him through it. He’s a good enough player to get through.On Sachin Tendulkar
It’s difficult to say anymore than has already been said about a player of that calibre. To have played so many games is just a massive achievement. He’s been a world-class performer and a great team guy.On Ashwell Prince
We’d be struggling to find someone who could fill the void left by Jonty [Rhodes]. Since the England series, Ashwell’s done really well for us. He can control an innings, work the singles and push hard at the end. He’s also very quick between wickets and a real asset for us in the field.On whether he was perturbed by conditions playing such a big role in the series
The dew factor will play a very big role, and that makes the toss so important. You have to ask why we’re playing day-night matches in such conditions. But we’re good enough to handle it.On whether they would consider an allrounder – even Jacques Kallis – as Supersub
Well, I doubt we’d use Jacques as supersub. But we have several allround options. [Robin] Peterson could come into the reckoning, and we also have Albie Morkel and Andrew Hall.Rahul Dravid

On team tactics for the game
Again, we won’t decide anything until tomorrow. We’ve got some strategies planned. What happens with the weather is not in my hands. But if the sun comes out, we should get a good game. It looks a good track.On whether the rain had affected preparations
We’re all professionals, and one day’s lack of practice won’t make a difference. We’ve been playing cricket for a long time, and are mentally prepared.On what tactics might be in a rain-curtailed game
We’d be happy to have 50 overs, but if that’s not the case, we’ll have to think and decide accordingly.On Sachin Tendulkar becoming the most-capped player in the history of ODI cricket
He’s a champion, both on and off the field. He deserves it because he’s worked so hard.On whether another slow-and-low turner could be expected
We can play in all conditions. We’re prepared to play anywhere.On whether there has been a momentum shift after Bangalore
I don’t like thinking in such terms. The teams are level, and well-matched. I don’t think results on a day will depend on past performances.On Harbhajan Singh
He’s been a matchwinner for us, and has been doing a great job in the middle overs.