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The BCCI’s disciplinary committee has pushed to August 1 a decision on suspended IPL chairman Lalit Modi’s request for the removal of interim IPL chairman Chirayu Amin and BCCI vice-president Arun Jaitley from the committee. However, a BCCI statement said the committee did agree to provide Modi with several documents sought by his counsel.”The core issue of recusal of two members from the panel was debated,” Modi’s lawyer Mehmood Abdi said after the hearing in Delhi that lasted three and a half hours. “Our lawyers argued the case. The BCCI will be allowed to come out with a rejoinder.”Abdi was adamant that a neutral judge should be part of the panel. “A retired Supreme Court judge must be there in the committee. We have grave concern about the BCCI’s stance,” he said. “If they have already decided then what’s the point in all their meetings? Whosoever is doing this is hurting BCCI’s cause more.”The board agreed to hand over copies of the minutes from the special general body meeting held earlier this month at which the charges against Modi were ratified, and relevant extracts of two IPL governing council meetings (April 26 and June 25). Modi’s lawyers were also given a copy of the amended agreement between the BCCI and Sony-MSM on condition of the strictest confidentiality. Abdi had asked for these documents three days ago, saying they were “crucial to the proceedings”.The decisions were taken at the committee’s second hearing, which Modi skipped citing security concerns. “In the last meeting we had given reason to the BCCI about his (Modi) absence and the Board has accepted that,” Abdi said. “We feel his absence won’t affect the proceedings because I am here to represent him. It will be decided if he can come later depending on the situation.”A day ahead of the hearing Modi had denied that he was hindering the enquiry. “Rumours of non-cooperation from me are planted and irresponsible,” he tweeted. “If this is not a witch hunt, what is! Have always agreed to cooperate provided there is no witch hunt. Those concerned should be guardians of justice and the sport.”Modi has repeatedly demanded the removal of Amin from the panel, claiming he holds a grudge because Modi revealed he was part of a failed bid for one of the two new IPL franchises. Modi’s lawyers have also argued Jaitley should not be on the panel either because he had voted to ratify the charges against Modi at the board’s special general body meeting.The BCCI suspended Modi immediately following the conclusion of IPL 3 in April and charged him with financial irregularities relating to the bidding process for IPL franchises, the mid-over ad sales and the sale of theatrical rights. He was also charged with colluding to set up a rebel league in England.

South Africa fast bowler Dale Steyn has left the Titans franchise with immediate effect, and will now represent Cape Cobras in domestic cricket. Steyn is currently the No.1 ranked bowler in Tests and among the fastest in the world.”It was an honour to play for the Nashua Titans for so many years and my decision to leave them is purely a lifestyle matter as I relocated to Cape Town two years ago,” Steyn said.”I wish to thank the players and management most sincerely for everything they have done for my career. I know that I can approach them again should my situation change in the future. I also wish to thank the fans for their support during my time at SuperSport Park.”Steyn’s first season with the Centurion-based team was in 2003-04 and he has taken 114 first-class wickets and 48 wickets in limited-overs games for them. He leaves the franchise after winning a total of six trophies in various domestic competitions. His move to Cobras was anyway on the cards last season, when the South African coach Mickey Arthur confirmed the move.”Eight years ago, Dale arrived at Northerns as a promising fast bowler and now leaves us as the No.1 ranked fast bowler,” Vincent Sinovich, chairman of the Easterns Titans Board, said. “It is with much sadness that we say farewell to Dale. He has been a valuable contributor to the Titans setup.”

ScorecardRain denied Hampshire the chance to beat relegation rivals Essex after Ravi Bopara had lifted his team out of a potential implosion.Chasing a victory target of 328 in 75 overs, Essex were a perilous 16 for 4 until Bopara took control. In the end, the England man made 61 and Essex moved to 99 for 6 before the rain came with 24 overs remaining to spare them further loss.Hampshire began the day 235 for 6 in their second innings, captain Nic Pothas and Dominic Cork putting their team in a powerful position with a stand of 97 for the seventh wicket as Pothas completed a resolute 59. Pothas hit eight boundaries before calling in his players at 311 for seven in order to set Essex a tempting target.Maurice Chambers and Bopara each took two wickets but Essex were always struggling to contain the Hampshire batsman among whom veteran all-rounder Cork finished 41 not out at the declaration. Essex could not entertain any hope of a win of their own after a miserable start.Opener Tom Westley was bowled by James Tomlinson for one in the second over and in the next Cork knocked back Jaik Mickleburgh’s off stump. Essex slumped further when Matt Walker, who made 99 in the first innings, was caught in the slips off David Balcombe for three.And even worse was to follow two balls later when Ryan ten Doeschate was leg before to the same bowler. Only then did Bopara, showing his international pedigree, begin the recovery in a stand of 66 for the fifth wicket with James Foster.Bopara reached an imperious half century which he celebrated with a six off spinner Danny Briggs. But soon afterwards Briggs had his revenge when he trapped Bopara leg before with a delivery which kept low. Hampshire could sense victory at 99 when Foster, who had been dropped in the slips on seven, edged Sean Ervine into the same area where Jimmy Adams held the catch.Mark Pettini and Graham Napier was standing firm when rain intervened with Essex still 229 behind and facing a nervy spell to avoid defeat. Balcombe finished as Hampshire’s most successful bowler with 2 for 14 and there was a wicket each for Cork, Tomlinson, Ervine and Briggs. The premature end meant Hampshire had to be content with eight points, while Essex claimed the same despite their final-day struggles.

Peter Borren has been named the Netherlands captain for two ICC tournaments and an ODI. Borren will lead the team in the four-day ICC Intercontinental Cup in Deventer, Scotland, from June 10 to June 13, the ODI against Scotland on June 15, and the World Cricket League (WCL) Division 1 tournament, to be held in the Netherlands from June 30 to July 10.The team for the WCL includes two county players, Ryan ten Doeschate (Essex) and Alexei Kervezee (Worcestershire), whose participation is uncertain as the tournament clashes with the English county season.Intercontinental Cup squad: Peter Borren (capt), Wesley Barresi, Mudassar Bukhari, Bart Schilperoord, Tom de Grooth, Mark Jonkman, Maurits Jonkman, Muhammad Kashif, Ruud Nijman, Pieter Seelaar, Tim Gruijters, Eric Szwarczynski.WCL squad: Peter Borren (capt), Bas Zuiderent, Mudassar Bukhari, Atse Buurman, Tom Cooper, Ryan ten Doeschate, Tom de Grooth, Mark Jonkman, Maurits Jonkman, Muhammad Kashif, Alexei Kervezee, Bradley Kruger, Pieter Seelaar, Nick Statham, Eric Szwarczynski.ODI squad: Peter Borren (capt), Mudassar Bukhari, Atse Buurman, Tom Cooper, Alexei Kervezee, Tom de Grooth, Mark Jonkman, Muhammad Kashif, Bradley Kruger, Pieter Seelaar, Eric Szwarczynski, Ryan ten Doeschate, Bas Zuiderent.

In the midst of a career that started with Barbados almost a decade ago, lead to selection for West Indies, and on to stints with Sussex, Deccan Chargers, Mumbai Indians, and New South Wales it would seem that Dwayne Smith is a player in demand in the game’s shortest format.At 27, playing international cricket should be at the top of his priorities, but since his last appearance for West Indies in the tense, two-run loss to Zimbabwe in Guyana, Smith’s services have apparently not been required, and it is unclear when he may get a chance to boost his stalled international career.Asked by reporters what his standing with West Indies currently is, Smith could only reply: “If I knew I could tell you. I’m in the same position as you are. I’m still available but they’re not picking me. I haven’t heard anything yet so I’m still waiting to see what happens.”In the meantime, Smith has settled in at Sussex. So much so, in fact, that when his Kolpak status expired at the end of the 2009 season, he was signed as an overseas player for the county for 2010.”Here in England, for me, at Sussex, I love it here, especially when we play at home,” he said. “I have the crowd behind me, and the competition you have is probably at the same level [as the IPL], so it’s still good.”Although Sussex won their opening match of the Friends Provident t20, Smith failed in the game, falling to Murali Kartik for a first-ball duck and conceding 13 runs in his solitary over. But his contribution was vital to Sussex’s success in the format last year, and for the moment West Indies’ loss continues to be the county’s gain.

Match Facts

Wednesday, May 5, Bridgetown
Start time 1700 (2100 GMT)

The Big Picture

Afghanistan have never faced a bowler as quick as Dale Steyn•AFP

Defeats against India have put Afghanistan and South Africa in sudden-death mode going into their floodlit clash in Barbados on Wednesday. Left to rue lapses in the field and a delayed surge with wickets in hand in St Lucia, South Africa now have an opportunity to set things right with a clinical performance and progress into the Super Eights.The conditions in Bridgetown, generally supportive of fast bowling, should encourage their seam-strong attack against an opposition whose weakness against the short ball was exposed by Ashish Nehra. Afghanistan impressed in small doses, but with just two batsmen reaching double-figures in a score of 115 they had little to fight for against the Indian batting line-up.Afghanistan’s struggles off the field, and their success against the odds on it, have contributed to a general eagerness among cricket fans to see them do well. In a tougher scenario, against a determined South Africa in a must-win game, they have another chance to win hearts, and they would want to do that with a more collective effort.

Form guide (most recent first)

Afghanistan: LWLWW
South Africa: LWLLW

Watch out for…

Dale Steyn: He was the best among South Africa’s bowlers against India, but didn’t use the bouncer too often. Expect no sympathy against an inexperienced Afghanistan, who have not faced pace as quick as what they will tomorrow.Shapoor Zadran: He bowled two overs for just six runs against India with good rhythm, getting the ball to move away and beating the Indian batsmen on occasion with his left-arm seamers. Containment seems to be his strength – he has an economy rate of 6.52 in Twenty20 internationals – but he’ll want to improve his wickets tally of just three in seven games.

Team news

Loots Bosman struggled to get going against India, and South Africa may think of replacing him with Herschelle Gibbs at the top. Rory Kleinveldt proved expensive, conceding 40 in his last two overs; Juan Theron, with a reputation of being a good death-overs bowler, could take his place.South Africa (possible): 1 Jacques Kallis, 2 Herschelle Gibbs/Loots Bosman, 3 Graeme Smith (capt), 4 AB de Villiers, 5 Albie Morkel, 6 JP Duminy, 7 Mark Boucher (wk), 8 Roelof van der Merwe/Johan Botha, 9 Juan Theron/Rory Kleinveldt, 10 Dale Steyn, 11 Morne Morkel.Afghanistan: (possible) 1 Karim Sadiq, 2 Noor Ali, 3 Mohammad Shahzad (wk), 4 Nowroz Mangal (capt), 5 Asghar Stanikzai, 6 Mohammad Nabi, 7 Raees Ahmadzai, 8 Samiullah Shenwari, 9 Hamid Hassan, 10 Shapoor Zadran, 11 Dawlat Ahmadzai.

Pitch and conditions

This is the second of the three floodlit games scheduled for this tournament. Barbados has traditionally boasted the quickest tracks in the Caribbean, and the batsmen can expect the ball to nip around as well as gain the extra bounce. There are scattered showers forecast for the day.

Stats and trivia

• Albie Morkel has hit the most sixes – 23 – for South Africa in Twenty20 internationals. Noor Ali leads the fours tally for Afghanistan with 15.
• The Kensington Oval in Barbados will be hosting its first floodlit game. Before Wednesday, the venue had hosted just one Twenty20 international, a truncated fixture between West Indies and Australia won by the hosts.
  

  Quotes

  “They have no fear and they have nothing to lose, which makes them dangerous.”
  Graeme Smith is not taking Afghanistan lightly.

Western Australia 233 and 2 for 40 need 235 runs to beat Tasmania 261 and 246 (Marsh 60, Knowles 3-60)
ScorecardDaniel Marsh’s 60 gave Tasmania a strong lead to set up a tense finish•Getty Images

Western Australia must score the biggest total of the match to overtake Tasmania after they were set 275 for victory at the WACA. The Tigers were dismissed late on the third day for 246 and the Warriors knocked 40 from their target in 16 overs but lost both openers to Adam Maher.Liam Davis edged to third slip on 13 shortly before stumps and Wes Robinson (20) went lbw in the second last over. The nightwatchman Nathan Coulter-Nile and the captain Marcus North will start again on the final morning.Both teams want a win to keep the pressure on the leaders Victoria and Queensland, but Tasmania were battling in their second innings until Daniel Marsh arrived with a crucial contribution of 60. Marsh lifted the pace after Tim Paine (27) and Xavier Doherty (0) departed quickly and surged them forward from the trouble of 6 for 135.A six came off Steve Magoffin and Marsh also found the boundary eight times before he fell to Luke Pomersbach just before tea. Adam Griffith added 25 before he was bowled by Brad Knowles and Brendan Drew extended the lead with a valuable 39. Knowles led the hosts with 3 for 60 while Coulter-Nile and North chipped in with two victims each.Tasmania, who earned a 28-run lead on first innings, resumed on 1 for 31, and lost Alex Doolan (10) when he offered no shot to Magoffin. George Bailey managed a single in his 37-ball innings and there was further trouble when Ed Cowan left with 41 after chipping a catch back to the bowler North.The Warriors are fifth on 12 points, one behind Tasmania, and eight from the second-placed Bulls. A tense final day on a pitch still being kind to the bowlers will determine which side stays in contention.

Match facts

Sunday, March 14
Start time 2000 (1430 GMT)The Mongoose bat could make its IPL debut on Sunday•Mongoose

Big Picture

The 24th of May, 2009, was the last time Deccan Chargers celebrated a victory. After the highs of that Wanderers final, they endured the humiliation of bowing out of the Champions League Twenty20 a few months later, winless in front of their home fans, and on Friday, conceded a game they should never have lost.The team may be missing a couple of key overseas players in Fidel Edwards and Ryan Harris, but still have enough quality on paper to produce results. Poor death bowling was an area of concern in the defeat to Kolkata Knight Riders but the more disturbing issue was the batting, losing wickets to a rash of reckless shots. A clear plan wasn’t evident during the chase; it will need the captain Adam Gilchrist to set an example for the rest, since he bats right at the top.It’s all the more crucial they sort out the batting because their opponents tomorrow, Chennai Super Kings, are one of the tournament’s batting powerhouses. Matthew Hayden, MS Dhoni and Suresh Raina are the team’s Holy Trinity, and there’s a wildcard entry for a fourth member – the Mongoose bat.They will play their opening home game in front of a sellout crowd and the spruced up MA Chidambaram Stadium is gearing itself up for some big hits. Chennai’s bowling isn’t the strongest in the tournament and this could test Dhoni’s captaincy skills in how effectively he shuffles them around. Though Muttiah Muralitharan isn’t in the best of form, he will still be vital to Chennai’s plans, even if he focuses more on keeping the runs down, instead of going for wickets.

Team talk

Chennai did not practice the whole of Saturday and will make do with light training and warm-ups shortly before the game begins. They played a few warm-up matches and word has it that Dhoni has been giving the organisers a pleasant headache by regularly slamming the balls out of the ground.Chennai will be without at least three overseas players for tomorrow’s game – Michael Hussey, Makhaya Ntini and George Bailey. Ntini, who played the Pro20 final for the Warriors against Lions on Friday, will not arrive in time for the game. Bailey will also arrive in due course from New Zealand, where he joined the Australian squad for the ODI series which just finished. Justin Kemp, one of the newcomers to the IPL, had a lengthy session at the nets and took some time adjusting to the bounce and most of all the humidity.VB Chandrasekar, the team’s director of cricketing operations, noted in his blog that Kemp had a “harrowing time” facing Murali, losing his stump a few times. Bathed in sweat, Hayden teased the South African allrounder about his “dip in the pool.”Deccan, having arrived on the eve of the game, will take a call on their final XI only later.

Previously

The teams finished even with a win each in 2008, both by seven wickets. In fact, Chennai were beaten quite easily the last time they met at the MA Chidambaram Stadium. In South Africa, Deccan won the first encounter by six wickets but in the return match, crashed to 100 and lost by 78 runs. The match was remembered for Shadab Jakati’s four wickets and Dwayne Smith’s blinding 49.

In the spotlight

Mongoose: It resembles a rowing paddle, but don’t be deceived by its appearance. The revolutionary bat, with a much longer and flexible handle, is designed to increase power by 20% and bat speed by 15% than conventional bats. Its brand ambassador, Matthew Hayden, is all set to unveil it this IPL, so don’t snooze in your seats. Hayden’s biffing itself is a sight to behold and this bat promises to offer even more.
Hayden’s opening partner: Parthiv Patel did decently in 2008, scoring 302 runs at 27.45 but his stocks dipped the following year, scoring only 142 runs at 15.77. He has mostly played a supporting role to Hayden, but if Chennai want to force a change, they could bring in M Vijay, who now has a handful of Test appearances under his belt.
Vaas v Chennai top order: The experienced Sri Lankan inaugurated the tournament with a double-wicket maiden, including a first-baller. If he could repeat that against Hayden and Co, the Chennai crowd will be silenced.

Prime numbers

• Suresh Raina has a total of 855 IPL runs in 30 games.
• Chennai will look to improve their home record, having lost four and won three.
• Andrew Symonds needs another 44 for 1000 domestic Twenty20 runs.

The chatter

“It is a great honour to be back in mainstream cricket and I am looking to be a part of this league. But I don’t think I can fit into Flintoff’s shoes; they are too big for me.”

Iqbal Qasim has tendered his resignation as Pakistan’s chief selector following the side’s disastrous results in Australia, where the team was whitewashed in both the Test and ODI series in one of Pakistan’s most dispiriting campaigns in recent years. The PCB has turned down the resignation and asked Qasim to carry on till the Twenty20 World Cup in April but he appears adamant on his stand.”I am standing by my decision”, Qasim told Cricinfo.Earlier, on a day of fast-moving events, Qasim explained the reasons for his decision. “We made this team and it was the best possible team, but their performance has been really poor, unbelievably poor,” he said. “I had two options after this. One was to stick on, evaluate and analyse the performance or step down. Anyone would do a post-mortem so I thought it my moral responsibility to do this.”The move came within minutes of Pakistan’s two-wicket loss in Perth, sealing only their second-ever 5-0 blanking in ODI cricket. The statistic, in particular, hurt Qasim. “I have been very disturbed by it and it has really hurt. Everyone has a conscience and so with that in mind, I have stepped down. Clearly major surgery is required on the side,” he said.The PCB, though, was not playing ball. “The chairman has not accepted the resignation and asked him to continue till the World Twenty20,” Nadeem Sarwar, PCB’s media manager, told Cricinfo. However, it now seems a formality and the resignation, when accepted, will end a very short tenure for Qasim and likely bring in a third head of the selection committee in the PCB chairman Ijaz Butt’s tenure. Qasim took over in July last year, after Abdul Qadir had left the post claiming interference in his duties from external influences. His only assignments were the Champions Trophy, in which Pakistan reached the semi-final, and the the Test and ODI challenges against New Zealand and Australia.During this tour, on a couple of occasions disagreements with Mohammad Yousuf, the captain, cropped up, notably over the call-up of Misbah-ul-Haq in New Zealand and the request for Younis Khan for the Tests in Australia. That is not believed to be a factor behind the decision, however.Qasim was a member of the selection committee until the 2007 World Cup and had been appointed in an honorary post, continuing as a senior employee with the National Bank of Pakistan (NBP). As such, his honorary post was a break from recent practice, where the chief selectors were full-time, paid employees of the board. It is believed that at least one other member of the seven-man committee – who are paid selectors – is considering his future as well.The move is likely to spark an escalation in the tumult permanently surrounding the country’s cricket. Changes in the coaching set-up are expected after the series, as well as a change in the captaincy. Shahid Afridi led the side in the fifth ODI in Perth, after Mohammad Yousuf pulled out with what team officials said was a “stiff knee.” But reports in the local press claim that Yousuf chose not to play after disagreements with the team management over the final playing XI.Yousuf had reportedly been asked to rest from the side by the team management the night before the match, but initially refused. Ultimately disagreements over the team XI – Pakistan brought in Khalid Latif, Shoaib Malik and Sarfraz Ahmed – led Yousuf to sitting out, apparently in protest.

All the Australian team talk was right and the doubters were wrong. In the most unbelievable turnaround Ricky Ponting’s men up-ended Pakistan on a swinging day to wrap up the series at the SCG and earn smug smiles and wild celebrations.Under Ponting the Australians have secured a handful of unthinkable wins, but Ponting rated this at the top, given the self-inflicted circumstances and the huge amount they were behind. There were many reasons why they shouldn’t have won by 36 runs: Ponting shouldn’t have won the toss and batted; Pakistan shouldn’t have given up a 206-run first-innings advantage; Kamran Akmal shouldn’t have dropped Michael Hussey three times; and Australia shouldn’t have been able to escape from eight-down on the final morning with a lead of 80. They don’t matter now.Ponting believes in his team at every position and on days like today everyone can see why. “What we have read over the last couple of days and what we have seen on the news has probably just steeled us all a little bit,” Ponting said. “It’s just made us want to fight the game out as much as we can and prove that we are never out of the contest.”They did this sort of thing in Adelaide in 2006-07, when the second Ashes Test was drifting to a draw before Shane Warne intervened. A year later it was Michael Clarke’s three wickets in the last over that did for India at the SCG, and on the same ground 12 months ago Mitchell Johnson bowled the injured Graeme Smith just before time ran out. In those games Australia were in charge, racing to seal the victory they deserved.This time they stole it from Pakistan by completing an outrageous comeback on a ground the local players now believe they can do anything on. “I think this is the most satisfying one [of the SCG wins] because I don’t think anyone in the world apart from all the blokes inside our dressing room thought we could win,” Ponting said.Australia’s current unit is not jammed full of world-beating talent, but it is crammed with desire, and will suffer for their captain. Nathan Hauritz picked up a bleeding finger and a bruised chest from his caught-and-bowled off Mohammad Yousuf’s stinging straight drive, the key wicket of the final innings, and walked off with his second five-for in two Tests.Peter Siddle carries a sore shoulder from his career-best 38, an innings as important to the victory as Michael Hussey’s 134, which pulled Australia from depression. Shane Watson’s smooth 97 was also invaluable and Mitchell Johnson slid through on his captain’s backing with two wickets in his opening over before tea. That reduced Pakistan to 3 for 51 in their previously comfortable chase of 176, but they were quickly being tortured. Ecstasy was soon the only emotion for the locals who were jigging, jumping and dancing on and off the field.Results like these can change the course of history. In 1992 in Colombo, Australia were faced with a similar situation, surging back from a 291-run first-innings deficit to dismiss Sri Lanka for 164, 17 short of victory. Warne was the hero in the final stages of that game and was soon drenched in match-winning aura as the team shot to the top of the world. In this one Hauritz got in the road of Pakistan to leave with 5 for 53, the best return of his 12 Tests.Ponting was heavily criticised from the first day for his decision to bat on a juicy surface that set up Australia’s fall for 127. By the end his logic was satisfyingly sound. “I backed us at the start of the game to make more runs in the first innings than what I thought Pakistan could make in the last innings,” he said. “As it turns out we got 120-odd and bowled them out for 139 in the last innings of the game.”At one stage during his post-mortem a relaxed Ponting teasingly asked all those in the press conference who had doubted his decision to raise their hands. All the Australian journalists’ arms went up. “I feel better now,” he said. He smiled, knowing that when it comes to Australia’s Test team he knows best. “It comes down to results and we’ve got a great result here,” he said. “So I look like a genius where I didn’t a couple of days ago.”