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Wellington kept their hopes of reaching Sunday’s semi-finals alive with a 21-run victory over Central Districts in Palmerston North. Stephen Fleming’s 45 was one of many useful contributions from the Wellington batsmen, who were led by Neal Parlane’s attacking 65, which included seven fours and two sixes, as they posted 274 for 8. After being boosted by Ewen Thompson’s 5 for 45, the home side’s chase began well as they reached 89 for 1, but they lost three quick wickets before Mathew Sinclair (69) regained control with Bevan Griggs (74). However, they were unable to keep up with the required rate and were dismissed in the 48th over, with Iain O’Brien capturing 4 for 44 and Jeetan Patel closing out the game with 4 for 47. The result left Wellington in third on 19 points while their opponents have 18 with one round of group matches remaining.Auckland will finish top of the State Shield table and have a home final even if they lose to Central Districts on Wednesday after a tight five-run win over Northern Districts in Hamilton. The match was reduced to 49 overs and Auckland’s total of 278 for 7 relied on contributions of 77 from Richard Jones and 72 from Scott Styris, who warmed up for the important fourth ODI against England on Wednesday. Andrew Strauss put Northern Districts in a strong position with 106 from 127 balls and when he left Peter McGlashan took over, blasting 62 off 26, including five sixes. It was not enough and the home side, which is last, narrowly missed out on staying in the race for the finals.Rain in the lead-up to the game ruined the clash between Canterbury and Otago in Christchurch. The conditions were fine, but the ground was not fit for play due to the wet weather over the previous week. Both teams earned a couple of points, with Canterbury in second on 21 while Otago are tied on 18 with Central Districts.

Team	Mat	Won	Lost	Tied	N/R	Pts	Net RR	For	Against
Auckland	9	7	2	0	0	29	+0.377	2286/420.3	2217/438.1
Canterbury	9	4	4	0	1	20	-0.017	1882/375.4	1917/381.2
Wellington	9	4	4	0	1	19	-0.256	1872/379.5	1900/366.3
Central Dist	9	4	5	0	0	18	+0.040	2079/412.2	2130/425.5
Otago	9	4	4	0	1	18	+0.009	1913/384.3	1825/367.3
Northern Dis	9	2	6	0	1	10	-0.196	2071/399.0	2114/392.3

Sorry, mum, it didn’t hurt at first © Getty Images

Jacob Oram is willing to cut off his injured ring finger if it is going to prevent him from playing in the World Cup. Oram will try specially designed splints and pain-killers to ease the pain, but if the problem won’t go away he will consider an amputation.”If it means cutting the finger off, if that’s the worse-case scenario, if that’s the last resort, I’ll do that, there’s no way I’m missing this,” he told NZPA. Oram suffered the break during the first Chappell-Hadlee Trophy match and he will not test it until the New Zealand squad’s first practice session in Barbados on Saturday.However, Oram is unsure how his finger is healing under the protective strapping. “The plan is get to the West Indies, whip it off and assess the inflammation,” he told the agency. “We’ve got a couple of techniques in terms of taping and a couple of guards which are a lot thinner so they can fit into a batting glove. I’m confident it’ll be fine.”He is more worried by the prospect of another skyed catch after his doctors doubted he would be troubled by balls coming straight at him. Oram said the initial impact of the high chance at Wellington did not hurt and it was not until he looked down that he knew something was wrong.”You know when your finger’s not going straight it’s bad news,” he said. “I thought the worst straight away – two weeks out from the World Cup and your finger’s going at right angles. I’ve seen one replay where I look happy and then I’m swearing – it didn’t go down well with mum.”

Shoaib Akhtar will not steam in against the Indians on his home ground © Getty Images

Shoaib Akhtar will miss the second ODI against India at his home ground in Rawalpindi due to an ankle injury. He has been carrying the injury to his left ankle since the final Test against England in Lahore in December and missed the first ODI at Peshawar although it was unclear then whether it was because of the injury or Pakistan’s rotation policy.”Shoaib isn’t fit right now. He has carried the injury for some time and won’t play in Rawalpindi,” said Inzamam-ul-Haq. Reports suggest that the injury could be a long-term one, possibly causing him to miss more matches during the rest of the series. Inzamam added, “The physiotherapist says it could be a long-term injury. We are not sure about whether he will play in Lahore or not yet.”How much Shoaib’s absence will affect Pakistan is difficult to assess. They won ODI series in India and the West Indies convincingly in his absence. He came back in the series against England, playing in four of the five matches and ending with seven wickets at just over 26. The haul included a matchwinning spell of 5 for 54 at Lahore.Despite their narrow win at Peshawar and recent good form, Inzamam refused to make his side favourites for tomorrow. “You can’t say who is the favourite because it is a question of one day and who plays well on it. It is difficult to come back like we did in the Karachi Test as there is only one day to do it. The boys are playing very well at the moment. We need to improve in a number of key areas but we need to sustain this form.”Of the 26 matches Pakistan have won since Bob Woolmer became coach, half have been while chasing a target. Traditionally Pakistan have been poor at chasing but chasing big totals has become a recent hallmark. “To chase big scores you require mental toughness and you need to be able to handle the pressure. That is the key. There is so much ODI cricket these days that the boys are very experienced. Many games are now high-scoring and the boys are not scared of failure because to chase you need confidence andthey have it.”Of course, as Woolmer admitted after Peshawar, it would be easier not to chase such large totals in the first place. Taking wickets hasn’t been the problem but discipline, in terms of extras, has been an unresolved issue. Pakistan conceded 16 extras at Peshawar in a total of 328 but crucially, one of their six no-balls dismissed Sachin Tendulkar when he was on 20. He added 80 runs to his score after the reprieve. Inzamam admitted concernbut said, “we are trying to work hard on this weakness and we have to control it. It is difficult to chase big scores all the time. Our bowlers have to be more careful about allowing big targets.”Shoaib Malik’s role at the top of the order has been crucial in Pakistan’s chases in that period. He has scored nearly 1500 runs since June 2004 at an average touching 42 and of his 38 innings, only nine have been in a position other than one-down or number four. Imran Khan had recently questioned whether Younis Khan shouldn’t be playing further up the order, given his form against India, although he also admitted Malik had justified his position. “Shoaib Malik has been playing at No 3 or 4 over the last year and has scored over 1000 runs. The ODI batting order is not so set anyway. It has to shift according to team requirements. I have batted at different positions in my career and Malik has done very well for us from there,” argued Inzamam.

Rahul Dravid said that the Rawalpindi pitch is similar to Peshawar but Inzamam disagrees © AFP

But according to Inzamam, big totals might not be easily achieved on this wicket. Although Rahul Dravid said yesterday that the surface looked similar to the Peshawar pitch and the one India played on in 2004 (when they lost by 12 runs chasing Pakistan’s 329) Inzamam said, “This is not a wicket for big scores. It’s more a wicket where batsmen will have to graft.” Recent history bears out Inzamam’s prediction. The last two matches of the England series were played here in mid-December and both produced tense, low-scoring games. Pakistan defended 210 successfully in the fourth ODI before England beat them by six runs, defending 206 in the final game of the series.As happened during the England series, the spotlight will again be on the Powerplay and Supersub rules. Inzamam has been critical of Supersubs in particular and he reiterated his belief here. “I have long said either this rule should be scrapped or the player should be decided after the toss. As for Poweplays, it is an interesting rule but generally captainsare happy to use them all in the first 20 overs. After that, when the ball is old and fielders are in the circle, it becomes difficult to control batsmen whereas if you use them before it is easier to control them.”Pakistan have won 12 of 16 matches at the Pindi Cricket Stadium and tomorrow’s match, says Inzamam, will be important for the rest of the series. “This is an important game. We need to win to put pressure on the Indians for the rest of the series and it will be a big advantage to us if we win here for the rest of the series.”Inzamam refused to speak about comments he made earlier in the week in a newspaper column, where he accused the Indians of poor sportsmanship. Inzamam was dismissed obstructing the field after blocking Suresh Raina’s throw to the striker’s end. Inzamam said he wasn’t allowed to speak on the issue as per the instructions of the match referee.

Mahendra Nagamootoo: the leading wicket-taker in West Indies regional cricket© Getty Images

Mahendra Nagamootoo, the West Indies leg spinner, has been honoured by the Guyana Cricket Board for becoming the leading regional wicket-taker. Nagamootoo, who surpassed the record of 270 wickets, previously held by Clyde Butts,the Guyanese offspinner, in the fifth round of Carib Beer Series against Barbados, was presented with a trophy and the ball used to break the record, by Chetram Singh, the president of the GCB.Butts was also present to congratulate Nagamootoo on his achievement. Nagamootoo has represented West Indies in 5 Tests taking 12 wickets at 53. His regional first-class tally now stands at 284 wickets.

Ray Mali has been elected President of the United Cricket Board of South Africa. He was elected unopposed at yesterday’s annual meeting in Pretoria, and he becomes the fifth president since the boards were unified in 1992. Mali, aged 66, is currently president of Border, his native province, and has been a member of the UCB’s general council since 2000.Mali, the first-ever black African president, will have a two-year stint in the job and his election signals the end of Percy Sonn’s term in charge. Sonn, who attracted controversy by once pulling a player out of a Test at the last minute due to his colour, and allegedly being drunk during a World Cup match, now becomes vice-president of the ICC.On the new appointment, Graeme Smith, the South Africa captain, said: “We have great confidence in Mr. Mali and look forward to working closely with him. We believe this is a new era in the game and are fully committed to being actively involved in moving the game forward under Mr. Mali’s guidance.” He added: “It would be a great to be able to celebrate Mr. Mali’s appointment with a Test series win over England.”Along with Mali, three other black African administrators were elected to serve on the national council of the UCB: Peter Bacela, Tim Khumalo and Oupa Nkagisang.

It’s a fair assumption umpire Robinson will not be invited to the Black Caps’ Christmas party. New Zealand had made most of the running in the drawn third Test, and had it not been for the two umpiring errors they would have walked away with a series win. Unfortunately, rain and some sub-standard umpiring marred the whole series. To cap it all, Brett Lee was fined 75% of his wages for behaving badly. I wonder what Virender Sehwag has to say about this punishment? He had to miss out on two matches (one an unofficial Test and the other a ‘real’ one) after a show of mild resentment. I think it is high time ICC takes control of the situation and ensures that referees mete out fair and even punishment to players.

Mudassar Nazar Photo © CricInfo

While the New Zealanders came very close to clinching the series, they also showed the rest of the world that the mighty Australians are vulnerable in their own backyard. Australia did not play as well as they were expected to. Glenn McGrath seemed out of sorts all along and looked increasingly frustrated in the last game. Jason Gillespie seemed tired after the first Test. Maybe it was because the Australian Team has not had to endure too much hard work recently. It must feel strange to them to field for two consecutive days in a Test match. Brett Lee too has not performed as well as was expected of him in the last six months. A year ago he looked likely to beat the 100 mph barrier, but instead his pace has dropped, which must be worrying for Steve Waugh as he prepares to take on the South Africans. Shane Warne, who often bails his team out, was handled extremely well by the Black Cap batsmen. If Chris Cairns had bowled well in the last game, New Zealand would have won the series irrespective of the poor umpiring.

Allan Donald Photo © CricInfo

I have been watching Pura Cup (previously Sheffield Shield) games for the last two years, and can safely say that Australia’s dominance of the cricket world will come to an end within a year or so. The standard of play in the Pura Cup these days is not as high as it used to be. Being Australians, the players are still aggressive but the competition is not as strong and seems devoid of fast bowlers. Once the likes of McGrath, Warne and Waugh brothers leave Australian cricket it will be very hard for them to be replaced. In the past, Australia has comfortably overcome the loss of players like Lillee, the Chappells, Marsh and Border because enough class players were competing in their domestic tournaments. I guess Australia will be looking to their Cricket Academy for some talent. It will not be easy since their best coach, Rodney Marsh has already moved on.

Jacques Kallis Photo © CricInfo

South Africa, who arrived in Australia last week will give Australia a much tougher time. They are a class above the rest and have their best fast bowler, Alan Donald, fit and eager for a final assault on the Aussies. I know for a fact that Alan Donald would love to beat Australia in Australia and then happily retire from Test cricket. South Africa also possesses the finest all-rounder in the game today, Jacques Kallis, who is set to become one of the best all-rounders of his country, if not the world. His batting is a class act with only Inzamam, Tendulkar, Lara, Steve Waugh and Mahela Jaywardene to match him. He can also bowl quicker than Allan Donald and maintains a nagging off stump line. To top it all, he is brilliant in the slips and if he has a decent series in Australia, I can see his team returning triumphant. In either case, Australian players will have to raise their game to beat South Africa.After our trip to Bangladesh in January, the Pakistan team will be taking on West Indies at home. While it was heartening to see Brain Lara back in form it is also a warning to our bowlers to start planning and getting ready for the maestro. In prime form, Lara is the most exciting batsman in the world. As he showed against Australia a few years ago, he can win a Test match all on his own. West Indies are clearly rebuilding their team and rest assured will be very keen to do well in Pakistan after their dismal showing in Sri Lanka. They have some very promising players in their squad and it’s only a matter of time before they start performing. Apart from Lara, Hooper, Gayle, Sarwan and King, others too will have to play a major part if West Indies are to win in Pakistan.

Virender Sehwag Photo © CricInfo

Pakistan have an excellent chance to try out some young players on their tour of Bangladesh and then give them an extended run in the home series against West Indies so that they have enough time to establish themselves in the team. It will be very difficult for us to try new players against Australia in September and apart from anything else, it’ll be too close to the World Cup. The key to winning the World Cup would be to have a settled and well-knit team.I was relieved when the impasse between India and ICC was over as I feel it was unnecessary and rather silly. While Mike Denness might have been a bit harsh, it was India’s duty to accept it and get on with the rest of the tour. They could easily have played under protest. The only person who lost out in this affair is young Sehwag who had to sit out an extra game.

International batsmen Aaron Finch and Cameron White have both been left out of Victoria’s squad for the opening round of the Sheffield Shield season, starting on Wednesday. Opener Travis Dean has been included for a likely debut in Victoria’s match against Queensland at the MCG, which like all games in this round will be a day-night fixture using pink balls.White was dropped towards the end of last summer and Finch played only two Shield matches due to his ODI commitments. After the retirements of Chris Rogers and David Hussey, they might have been considered likely inclusions for this season’s opener, but instead Finch’s fellow World Cup-winner Glenn Maxwell took one of the spots made vacant after the Shield final and Dean was preferred for the other.Dean, 23, has grabbed every opportunity handed to him by the Victorian selectors this year, and is coming off 217 not out and 63 in the Futures League match against Western Australia last week. He played two Futures League games late last summer and scored centuries in both of those as well, 187 not out against Tasmania and 116 against Queensland.”We contracted him after a big year he had in Premier Cricket and at the next level in Futures League,” Victoria’s chairman of selectors Andrew Lynch said. “He’s obviously in good form in and he really deserves a shot in the top order where we think he can do well for us.””Cam is a bit unlucky but with our full complement of players to choose from there just wasn’t a spot for him. If Finch had been selected it would have been as an opener and on this occasion Dean has been selected ahead of him.”White’s immediate future in the Victoria outfit is now unclear, after he was also dropped from the one-day side towards the end of the recent Matador Cup campaign. He was part of Australia’s ODI side as recently as January. Finch remains a key man for Australia in the shorter formats but is yet to transfer his skill to the first-class arena, where he averages 29.92 from 49 games.Legspinner Fawad Ahmed has been included after failing to make Victoria’s squad for the Matador Cup, where left-arm spinner Jon Holland was their preferred slow bowler. Holland ended the tournament with a sore shoulder and is expected to be available for selection again in a fortnight, giving Fawad an opportunity in the Shield after he topped the competition wicket tally last season.In other squad announcements on Tuesday, Tasmania named 18-year-old batsman Jake Doran for a possible first-class debut against Western Australia in Hobart, while there was no room for opener Jordan Silk after he had a quiet Shield season last year. Mark Cosgrove and Kelvin Smith were named in South Australia’s side to take on New South Wales in Adelaide after both missed selection for the recent Matador Cup.New South Wales, Queensland and Western Australia all named their squads on Monday.Victoria squad Matthew Wade (capt), Fawad Ahmed, Scott Boland, Daniel Christian, Travis Dean, Peter Handscomb, John Hastings, Glenn Maxwell, James Pattinson, Rob Quiney, Peter Siddle, Marcus Stoinis.Tasmania squad George Bailey (capt), Alex Doolan, Jackson Bird, Xavier Doherty, Jake Doran, Ben Dunk, James Faulkner, Andrew Fekete, Evan Gulbis, Dom Michael, Tim Paine, Sam Rainbird.South Australia squad Travis Head (capt), Tom Cooper, Mark Cosgrove, Callum Ferguson, Jake Lehmann, Tim Ludeman, Joe Mennie, Kane Richardson, Alex Ross, Kelvin Smith, Daniel Worrall, Adam Zampa.New South Wales squad Steven Smith (capt), Sean Abbott, Doug Bollinger, Ed Cowan, Josh Hazlewood, Moises Henriques, Nathan Lyon, Nic Maddinson, Peter Nevill, Steve O’Keefe, Mitchell Starc, David Warner.Queensland squad Usman Khawaja (capt), Cameron Boyce, Joe Burns, Ben Cutting, Peter George, Chris Hartley, Scott Henry, James Hopes, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Reardon, Mark Steketee, Jack Wildermuth.Western Australia squad Adam Voges (capt), Ashton Agar, Cameron Bancroft, Jason Behrendorff, Marcus Harris, Michael Hogan, Mitchell Johnson, Michael Klinger, Simon Mackin, Mitchell Marsh, Shaun Marsh, Joel Paris, Sam Whiteman.

Liam Keen has given his reaction to some news that has now emerged involving Wolves’ upcoming FA Youth Cup semi-final tie against Manchester United.

The Lowdown: Semi-final booked

The Midlands club advanced to the semi-final of the Cup thanks to a 3-1 win at home to Brighton and Hove Albion, in what will be the first time that the youngsters have reached this stage since 2005.

Fans will now be able to watch the game for free, while there will also be subsidised coach travel, with the £3 paid donated to the Feed Our Pack project (The Express & Star).

The Latest: Keen reacts

Taking to Twitter, journalist Keen has now given his reaction to the news, claiming that it is an ‘excellent’ idea from the Molineux faithful:

“An excellent idea to get as many fans down as possible to Old Trafford next Wednesday.

“A big day for an exciting group of young players.”

The Verdict: Thinking about the fans

This initiative from the Wanderers shows that they are clearly thinking about the supporters, which they should be appreciative of.

It gives them a chance to see who exactly is excelling from the Academy, and who has a chance of being promoted to the first team under Bruno Lage – perhaps one or two of those participating in Manchester will follow the path set by Luke Cundle in recent months.

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Nonetheless, it presents a chance to get to the final of the competition and boast some silverware for the club, and so the team will need all of the support that they can get on the day in order to help them push through.

In other news, find out what WWFC update has left Tim Spiers delighted here!

Victoria return to the scene of their recent Twenty20 triumph this Saturday with the chance to steal a march on the FR Cup table. They have three games left in the competition – more than any other team – and victory against bottom-placed Western Australia would push them to second.Brad Hodge and David Hussey will catch an early flight to Perth on Saturday morning after Friday’s Twenty20 international at the MCG, while right-hander Aaron Finch has been added to the squad.Paul Davis, the left-arm fast bowler who plays for Mount Lawley, could make his Warriors debut. He has taken 26 wickets in the grade competition, at an average of 21.85 in 12 matches. He has also been a regular member of the WA Second XI this summer.Davis, Justin Langer and Matt Johnston come into the team that played New South Wales in last Wednesday’s Ford Ranger Cup encounter at the SCG. Brett Dorey and Sean Ervine have been left out.Johnston is in line to play his first State game since breaking his jaw in the FR Cup match against South Australia at the Adelaide Oval last November.Western Australia Justin Langer, Luke Ronchi (wk), Shaun Marsh, Luke Pomersbach, Adam Voges, Marcus North (capt), Theo Doropoulos, Aaron Heal, Steve Magoffin, Matt Johnston, Paul Davis, Ben Edmondson.Victoria Aiden Blizzard, Michael Klinger, Brad Hodge, Rob Quiney, David Hussey, Cameron White (capt), Andrew McDonald, Adam Crosthwaite (wk), Aaron Finch, Bryce McGain, Clint McKay, Darren Pattinson, Peter Siddle.

Centuries from Otago’s Aaron Redmond (121) and Neil Broom (101) negated the follow-on and a five-wicket haul by Northern Districts’ Graeme Aldridge, the right-arm fast-medium bowler, to help their side to 408 for 8 on the third day at Hamilton’s Seddon Park. Aldridge’s 5 for 75 assured State Championship leaders ND first-innings points, but a declaration put them back in to bat before stumps. When bad light ended the day’s play early – already delayed by rain – ND were 47 for 0, an overall lead of 162, with one day to play.Richard Jones, Auckland’s captain, hit his second hundred of the match but rain halted his team’s follow-up innings against Central Districts at the Eden Park Outer Oval. Jones hit 120 as Auckland made 274 for 4 before rain intervened for the final time on an interrupted third day’s play. Rob Nicol (51 not-out) was at the crease with Auckland 364 runs ahead going into the final day of the match.Grant Elliott and Stu Mills added 118 for the sixth wicket to give Wellington an outside chance to clinch first-innings points on day three of their match against Canterbury at Christchurch. In reply to Canterbury’s 613 for 7, Elliot hit an unbeaten 73 and Mills and unbeaten 54 as Wellington recovered from 193 for 5 to 316 without further loss. Hamish Bennett, the right-arm fast bowler, and Todd Astle, a part-time legspinner, picked up two wickets to slow Auckland’s process from an overnight 55 for no loss.