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Steven Smith’s state captain Simon Katich is confident the legspinning allrounder will be ready for Test cricket if he gets his opportunity at Lord’s against Pakistan next month. Nathan Hauritz has been forced home from Australia’s tour with a foot injury and is unlikely to be fit for the Tests, which leaves Smith as the sole spinner in the squad.The Australian selectors are understandably excited by Smith, who at 21 already has four first-class centuries to his name, is a miraculous fielder and an improving bowler. The major question-mark over Smith as a potential Test player is the quality of his legspin, which has brought him 26 wickets in first-class cricket at an average of 48.84.They are hardly the sort of figures that will strike fear into Test batsmen. But Katich, who will be one of Smith’s Test team-mates if he is handed a baggy green at Lord’s, said Smith had taken major steps in his bowling last summer and his season-ending effort for New South Wales of 7 for 64 against South Australia at the SCG was a terrific sign.”He blew us all away with the way he knocked South Australia over on one afternoon of cricket,” Katich, who is in England playing for Lancashire, told Cricinfo. “At one stage they were cruising at 2 for 180 and then in an hour’s time they were all out and we’d finished the season.”It was phenomenal bowling and the way he was getting his wickets was great – big spinning legspinners caught and slip and bat pad and bowled – genuine wickets, not through bad shots or anything. He just went through them with great bowling. That was exciting to see him make a statement.”That display alone meant Smith had already bettered the first-class bowling best of Cameron White, to whom he is often compared as a useful legspinner and powerful batsman. White was chosen as a bowler in all four Tests on Australia’s tour of India in 2008, yet in 108 first-class appearances he has only ever taken two five-wicket hauls.Smith has spoken about the value of his one-on-one training with Shane Warne during the Australian summer, when he was first called in to the Test squad as cover. Since then he has firmly established himself in Australia’s Twenty20 squad and over the next few weeks has the chance to make his name as a one-day and Test player.”There’s been a lot of talk about who’s going to be the next big thing spinning-wise in Australia,” Katich said. “That’s a lot of pressure for the young guys coming through. The way he progressed through the summer, when he was in and around the Test squad at various stages and spent time with Warney … his bowling went to another level after those sessions.”He’s a confident player and he’s prepared to listen and learn. He’s got a very bright future in front of him. Whether he gets an opportunity or not [in the Tests] we’ll wait and see, but if the wickets are dry and they spin, then he could come into calculations. There’s no doubt that he’s gaining confidence being in and around the Australian setup. You can see his improvement all the time.”If Smith does make his debut next month, he will be the eighth spinner Australia have tried in Tests since the retirement of Warne just over three years ago. Of those, Brad Hogg and Stuart MacGill have retired, Beau Casson is struggling for a place with New South Wales, Jason Krejza has fallen away for Tasmania, Bryce McGain is performing solidly but is 38, and White rarely bowls for Victoria.

Sri Lanka A 1 for 17 trail Australia A 208 (O’Keefe 61, Senanayake 8-70) by 191 runs
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Ben Hilfenhaus scored 42 and bowled two overs at Allan Border Field•Getty Images

Ben Hilfenhaus’ bowling is the most important thing for Australia in this match but it was his batting that dug the A team out of a hole on the opening day against Sri Lanka A in Brisbane. The hosts were 7 for 103 when Hilfenhaus, who has been out since last year with a knee tendon problem, arrived to partner Steve O’Keefe and lift them to a more competitive 208.Sachithra Senanayake, the offspinner, completed a stunning day when he ended the 105-run partnership and also finished the innings to claim 8 for 70. The figures were his best in a first-class game and he started the damage by removing the first six batsmen as the hosts slipped to 6 for 92. Senanayake’s hopes for all 10 wickets were ended by Dammika Prasad, who removed Peter Forrest (12) on the way to 2 for 21.O’Keefe was knocked over by Senanayake for an innings-high 61 while Hilfenhaus fell to Prasad for a career-best 42. Sri Lanka finished at 1 for 17, with Hilfenhaus bowling two overs and O’Keefe taking the wicket of Tharanga Paranavitana for 3.

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Graeme White’s first five-wicket haul took Nottinghamshire up to second place in the Clydesdale Bank 40 Group C as Scotland suffered a second defeat in as many days in Edinburgh. Half-centuries from Alex Hales (69), the recalled Matt Wood (60) and former England allrounder Samit Patel (61) set Championship leaders Nottinghamshire up for a big total of 256 for 6 after they won the toss at the Grange. Scotland were 213 all out in 35.3 overs in reply, to lose by 43 runs.Thrashed by Kent by nine wickets yesterday, the home side got off to a flying start chasing down Notts’ total and were keeping pace with the run rate until left-arm spinner White (5 for 35) intervened with four wickets in less than eight overs.Home captain Gavin Hamilton (42) was the first to fall in the 13th over when he was caught and bowled by the 23-year-old after helping his side reach 83 without loss. George Bailey (12) followed in identical fashion in the 19th over, with White striking again four balls later when he had 18-year-old debutant Freddie Coleman caught behind by former England wicketkeeper Chris Read.Former Scotland captain Ryan Watson was White’s final caught-and-bowled victim, departing in the 20th over having struck 48. The home side had fallen well below the required run rate and continued to ship wickets as they attempted to up the pace.Neil McCallum made 19 before being removed by Steven Mullaney and Majid Haq contributed just six, falling to Andy Carter (1 for 28). Richie Berrington, batting at No. 5, was providing decent, if futile, resistance as he edged towards a half-century.But batting partners continued to desert him, keeper Marc Petrie (6)succumbing to Paul Franks, Gordon Drummond (1) undone by returning England World Twenty20 hero Ryan Sidebottom and Goudie (11) by Mullaney. Berrington, who top-scored with 54, was last to fall when he was stumped by Read off White.Notts’ 250-plus total was down to a real team effort with the bat but Hales was the star with nine fours and a six in his 51-ball innings. His was the second wicket to fall in the 18th over after fellow opener Neil Edwards departed for 11 inside seven overs.Their scalps were claimed by Drummond and Ross Lyons, respectively, but Goudie proved Scotland’s star with the ball, taking three of the next four Notts wickets to finish with 3 for 56. His victims included Wood, former England international Ali Brown (4) and Mullaney (23). Captain Read was unbeaten on 22 alongside Franks (1).

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Suzie Bates’ aggressive 43-ball 50 set the tone for an imposing total of 154 for 7, and an evetually easy win for New Zealand•Getty Images

New Zealand’s women booked their place in the semi-finals of the World Twenty20 with a comprehensive 47-run victory over Sri Lanka at Basseterre.After winning the toss and batting first, the mainstay of New Zealand’s performance was the opener, Suzie Bates, whose aggressive 43-ball 50 set the tone for an imposing total of 154 for 7. In reply, Sri Lanka started brightly, adding 32 inside the first five overs, but lost momentum to finish well adrift on 107 for 8.Bates and Aimee Watkins (20) added 54 for New Zealand’s first wicket, before Sara McGlashan raised the tempo with two fours and two sixes in a 23-ball 31. At 112 for 4 with four overs remaining, Elizabeth Perry and Nicola Browne put the seal on a comprehensive performance with scores of 19 and 20, each from 12 balls.The one Sri Lankan bowler to keep New Zealand in check was the seamer, Chamani Seneviratna, who claimed 4 for 21 in her four overs, including three in four balls at the very end of the innings. It wasn’t, however, enough to keep Sri Lanka in the hunt. Chamari Atapattu made 21 from 14 balls and Suwini de Alwis 26 from 24, but only one other batsman managed double-figures.

List of centrally contracted players

Category A
Umar Gul, Salman Butt, Danish Kaneria, Abdul Razzaq, Mohammad Asif, Shahid Afridi, Kamran Akmal
Category B
Umar Akmal, Mohammad Aamer, Saeed Ajmal, Faisal Iqbal, Misbah-ul-Haq, Imran Farhat
Category C
Fawad Alam, Yasir Arafat, Mohammad Hafeez, Wahab Riaz, Abdul Rehman
Stipend
Asad Shafiq, Junaid Khan, Aamer Sajjad, Naveed Yasin, Azhar Ali, Khalid Latif, Khurram Manzoor, Tanveer Ahmad, Sarfraz Ahmad, Zulqarnain Haider, Umair Khan, Mohammad Talha, Shahzaib Hasan, Azeem Ghumman, Hammad Azam, Babar Azam, Raza Hasan, Sarmad Bhatti, Usman Qadir

Three former Pakistan captains – Younis Khan, Mohammad Yousuf and Shoaib Malik – along with fast bowlers Rana Naved-ul-Hasan and Shoaib Akhtar have been excluded from the list of those handed central contracts by the Pakistan Cricket Board.Younis, Yousuf, Malik and Rana were not considered after the PCB banned them – two indefinitely and two for a year – last week in the aftermath of the Australia tour. Shoaib has not played for Pakistan in any format since May last year.”Naturally we did not consider the names of Yousuf and Younus because of their bans and there can be a review if their bans are lifted,” PCB chief operating officer Wasim Bari told “PCB has awarded central contracts to the players after consultation with chairman selection committee Mohsin Khan and these contracts will be effective for one year starting from January 1, 2010,” Bari said.No such penalty has been handed out to the three other players who were punished, Shahid Afridi, Kamran and Umar Akmal. Afridi was handed a Rs3 million fine for the ball-biting incident by the board but has retained a category A contract. The Akmal brothers also paid hefty fines but Kamran remains a category A player, while Umar comes straight into category B.Fast bowler Mohammad Asif, who was ignored last year due to a ban imposed for a failed drug test in the IPL, and former ICL player Abdul Razzaq have also been given Grade A contracts. There was a Grade B contract as well for another former ICL player Imran Farhat. Mohammad Aamer, one of Pakistan’s most impressive debutants last year, has also been rewarded with a category B contract.In its list of 37 players announced today, the board also introduced a special stipend category for the top performers in the domestic season and budding Under-19 and other players. A PCB media release said the contracts would be effective for one year starting from January 1, 2010.Asad Shafiq, Junaid Khan, Aamir Sajjad, Naveed Yasin, Azhar Ali and Tanvir Ahmad were handed stipends for being the top performers domestically, while Azeem Ghumman, Hammad Azam, Babar Azam, Raza Hasan, Sarmad Bhatti and Usman Qadir were rewarded similarly after helping the Pakistan U-19 team reach the final of the World Cup held in New Zealand in January.The pay scales remain unchanged from last year. Players in the top category will earn Rs250,000 per month, while ‘B’ and ‘C’ category players earn Rs175,000 and Rs100,000 per month. The stipend payment is Rs50,000.The PCB had earlier delayed awarding annual central contracts to its players until the inquiry report into the team’s dismal performance on their tour of Australia was released. A six-man evaluation committee was set up by the board after Pakistan were thrashed 3-0 in the Test series, 5-0 in the ODIs and beaten in the only Twenty20 match.

Kyle Jarvis has been ruled out of the remainder of Zimbabwe’s tour of the Caribbean after suffering a stress fracture in his lower back. Jarvis played in Zimbabwe’s warm-up match against the UWI Vice Chancellor’s XI but had been struggling with a painful back throughout the first week of the tour.”Kyle went for an MRI scan in Guyana during the second match against the West Indies and the stress fracture was clear,” said team physiotherapist Amato Machikicho. “There are still several diagnostics to be done so we can’t be certain of the extent of the injury or the prognosis, but he will certainly be out of cricket for a minimum of three months and probably longer.”Jarvis, 21, was understandably disappointed but vowed to return from the injury. “I’m not the first fast bowler to have this sort of injury and I won’t be the last,” he said. “I know it will take a lot of work to regain fitness but I’m determined to get back to playing international cricket as soon as possible.”Though Jarvis had not featured in any of the three international games on the tour so far, his departure leaves Zimbabwe’s pace bowling reserves looking a little thin. Chris Mpofu leaked 30 runs in four wayward overs during West Indies’ win in the second ODI, and although Shingi Masakadza held his nerve in a tense final over in the first game in Guyana he too proved expensive.

Rahul Dewan, the Haryana batsman, who contributed significantly as a part-time offspinner to give North Zone victory in the Deodhar Trophy final against West Zone in Vadodara, is keen on developing his bowling to become a full-fledged allrounder.”After this performance [in the final], I’ll probably have to take my bowling a lot more seriously,” Dewan told . “You never know, maybe I could model myself into a decent allrounder.”Opening the innings, Dewan contributed only 15 runs, but snared 4 for 18 in four overs in the face of a fierce onslaught from Yusuf Pathan, to win the game for his side along with Mukesh Sharma who picked up a five-for. Dewan, though, played down his spell and credited the spinner-friendly pitch for his success.”It was a spinner’s track and the ball was turning square, all I had to do was to control the wrist and not get carried away,” Dewan said. “To the left-handers I bowled stump-to-stump so that the ball moves away from them, and that’s how I got Ravindra Jadeja, Parthiv Patel and Iqbal Abdulla.”Despite his success in domestic tournaments, Dewan is dejected by the fact that an IPL contract has eluded him since the first season, when he was with the Delhi Daredevils. “Maybe the franchises think I am too technical but that is only because I put a price on my wicket,” Dewan said. “I had a really good season but none of the teams got in touch with me. It is disappointing to not have a contract.”I got a one-year contract for the first season with Daredevils. Once the tournament came to an end they told me that they would follow my performances and get back to me. I had a good season back then also but there was no follow-up from them.”Dewan had a fruitful domestic season for Haryana, and was the fourth highest run-scorer in the Ranji Plate League, with 418 runs. His team did well to qualify for the Ranji semi-finals as well as the 2011 Super League, an achievement that pleased Dewan.”It is incredible that Haryana made it into the Super Elite group from the Plate division. Earlier, the differential treatment was evident, as even great performances from our team used to be sidelined because we were in the lower division.”Last season, our target was to make it into the big stage but we were unable to make it. This season, we came in with a single-minded focus and we are all really happy that we managed to reach our goal.”With the domestic season winding to a close, Dewan looks forward to a short break before returning to action. “I am going to take a few days off and rest my sore body, but after that it’s back to concentrating on my game,” Dewan said. “But this time it will be a little different. Apart from my batting, I will also give my off spin a lot of attention and of course, root for my favourite IPL team – the Delhi Daredevils.”

Netherlands showed one of the beauties of Twenty20 cricket when the famously beat England, at Lord’s, last year and want to ensure they have a chance of pulling off another upset at the next event in the Caribbean with success in this week’s qualifying tournament. However, Netherlands’ leading player knows they are still a long way from competing consistently with Test nations.”It’s exciting times. This qualification will be a massive boost for the popularity of the sport,” Ryan ten Doeschate, the Essex allrounder, told Cricinfo. “The Irish model is the one to follow by getting more guys to play at a higher level, but to be perfectly honest I don’t see it happening at the moment when I look at the quality of fringe players coming through.”That isn’t changing and that will be a big indication we are moving in the right direction when there is a competition for places. That needs to be addressed, but the tools to market the game are there and there is a chance to take the Dutch game forward.”When Stuart Broad hurled this throw past the stumps at Lord’s ten Doeschate and Edgar Schiferli scampered the second run that set off wild scenes of celebration. Although Netherlands didn’t progress in the tournament, following a heavy defeat against Pakistan, their performance showed the value of Twenty20 cricket to Associate nations. With passage to the next 50-over World Cup assured their attentions are now firmly fixed on another 20-over bash.”I think the element that is most valuable is that it expands the brand and if you are looking to grow a game like cricket it’s the best tool to use,” ten Doeschate said. “It’s exciting and people like to watch it so it must be used as a marketing tool for the sport and coupled with that there is the greater chance of teams creating an upset. It’s short, explosive and the game can change quickly.”Schiferli, the Netherlands opening bowler, agreed with his team-mate that Twenty20 is the ideal vehicle for Associate nations and believes the team is capable of repeating days such as they experience at Lord’s.”That victory gave us a lot of confidence and was a very special day,” he said. “We have a lot of young guys in the team and knowing we can pull off wins like that really helps them.”Twenty20 gives Associate cricket the chance to show the world what we are made of. Playing 50-over matches it is harder for us to beat Full Member nations, but this is a good format for us to try and narrow the gap between us and the major teams.”As a county player ten Doeschate is Netherlands’ key man with his ability to score rapid runs and take key wickets with his medium pace. But, with an eye on the future, he hopes that other players take their chance to shine in the qualifying tournament and will be quite happy to not to hog the limelight.”At the moment I feel this won’t be a tournament that is all about me,” he said. “We have some new faces in the team and I’ve a feeling it is a time when we will see some different names shine. I’m pretty comfortable in my role and during the preparation it was nice to see other guys score runs and take wickets, so I’m not feeling much pressure about being a professional player.”

As Michael Clarke and Ricky Ponting sat together after the first day in Hobart, contemplating their 231-run stand, they looked happier than they have for some time. There was banter, they interrupted each other with witty quips, and they both sat back in their chairs with the satisfied air of men who can look back on their work and be proud of their accomplishments.Australia’s captain and vice-captain have guided the developing side through a successful summer but for each of them, there have been individual hurdles that weren’t overcome until today. Ponting has struggled against the short ball and his 137 not out ended an uncharacteristically long period without a century, which stretched back to early in the Ashes tour.Clarke’s problems have included more personal issues – a scathing tabloid newspaper article at the start of the summer called him a tosser and criticised the way he was perceived, and he was unfairly branded as over-rated. On the field, runs didn’t flow as freely as they had during his productive Ashes series. For the man who will be Australia’s next captain, two fifties early in the season weren’t enough of a return to satisfy him and he conceded he had been lazy on several occasions this summer.”I’ve played some undisciplined shots, I guess, over the last few games,” Clarke said after his unbeaten 111. “I thought I batted pretty well against West Indies. I was a little bit lazy a couple of times there as well. I don’t really know. I would say I’ve been a little bit lazy, but I’ve been working hard, I’ve been training hard throughout the summer, so it’s good to finally get threefigures.”There was no doubt about his work-rate at Bellerive Oval, where overcast conditions, a slowish surface and quality bowling from Pakistan made the first session hard going. Clarke was beaten outside off stump several times and took a little while to get moving but unlike Ponting, who was dropped from his fourth ball, Clarke didn’t offer a chance and helped Australia recover from 3 for 71 to 3 for 302 at stumps.”That’s your job when you bat No. 5,” Clarke said. “The guys in front of you generally do the hard work and you come in when the ball is pretty old and pretty flat, and cash in. But on days like today there was a little bit in the wicket and I had to work hard early. Any time you make a hundred for your country it’s very satisfying.”Although Clarke insists he isn’t fazed about staying down the order, he is clearly enjoying the seniority involved with the vice-captaincy. His innings featured typical Clarke footwork against the spinners and his Test average ticked over 50 during the day.When he reached his hundred he kissed the crest of his helmet, and he later joked that Ponting, who did the same for the first time in his career, “copied me – good boy!” Ponting took the jibe good-naturedly. By stumps, nothing could bother either of them.

Gordon Drummond will lead Scotland’s 13-member squad for the ICC Intercontinental Cup match against Kenya to be played in Nairobi from January 25 to 28. In the absence of some experienced players, the team will wear a youthful look in Kenya. Simon Smith returns from shoulder surgery to take his spot as the wicketkeeper.The selectors named a different squad of 14 for the ICC World Twenty20 Qualifiers that will be held in UAE in February. Six new players will feature in a series of Twenty20 matches in Kenya against the hosts and Uganda before the UAE leg begins.Drummond will relinquish the leadership role to Gavin Hamilton for the shortest format. Hamilton will also have the services of Fraser Watts, Ryan Watson, Neil McCallum and Jan Stander. Navdeep Poonia will also join the squad at this stage.The full squads for each leg of the tour are as follows:Intercontinental Cup: Gordon Drummond (capt), Richie Berrington, Kyle Coetzer, Euan Chalmers, Stewart Chalmers, Gordon Goudie, Majid Haq, Douglas Lockhart, Ross Lyons, Dewald Nel, Mathew Parker, Qasim Sheikh, Simon Smith (wk).Twenty20 warm-ups in Kenya and ICC World Twenty20 Qualifiers: Gavin Hamilton (capt), Richie Berrington, Kyle Coetzer, Gordon Drummond, Gordon Goudie, Majid Haq, Ross Lyons, Neil McCallum, Dewald Nel, Navdeep Poonia, Simon Smith (wk), Jan Stander, Ryan Watson, Fraser Watts.Coaches: Peter Steindl and Tony JuddManager: Dick Auckinleck