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Both Australia and South Africa have been told to ignore the possible distraction of the IPL and concentrate on their battle for the No. 1 one-day ranking. The rearranged Twenty20 tournament is preparing for its start and the international teams could run into some of the IPL franchises in Cape Town next week.However, Ricky Ponting, whose side took a 1-0 lead in the five-match series, said the moment any outside issues emerged they would be addressed. “I’d like to think that the guys have solely got their minds on what they need to have their minds on for the next couple of weeks,” Ponting told AAP. “The IPL will start up once our tournament is over. Whenever you are representing Australia, if you have a clouded mind on anything at all then you are not going to play your best cricket.”Ponting said he had not heard any talk within the team about the IPL. “We know that we’ve got a lot of guys coming out from Australia who will be arriving in South Africa very soon to start their preparations for the IPL,” he said. “The moment I hear any of that stuff creeping in, it will be addressed.”Australia are currently ranked No. 2 and will try to reclaim top spot in the one-day rankings over the next two weeks. “They will be the motivating factors for us, nothing to do with the IPL,” Ponting said. “All the money and contracts have been sorted anyway. Now it’s just a matter of representing your country the best way that you possibly can.”Graeme Smith’s men have a greater challenge to ignore the hype as the event is being staged in their backyard. “With the fact that it has come here to South Africa, it has impacted a lot more on the players at home,” Smith said. “They have had probably a lot more involvement in terms of information for the respective teams.”I know Rajasthan join in Cape Town in Monday. I have had an involvement in that. Our focus is now on South Africa for the next two weeks and making sure our performances are of top standard here. Ultimately South Africa comes first.”

Concerns over the state of the pitch at Harare’s CFX Academy ground have led to Zimbabwe Cricket moving the remaining Faithwear Cup matches scheduled to be played there.On Sunday, the game between Northerns and Easterns was abandoned after captains Elton Chigumbura and Hamilton Masakadza agreed the pitch was not good enough to play on. However, reports suggest that the umpires ruled that the game should go ahead after rain had delayed the start and were overruled by the captains.It is now down to ZC’s disciplinary committee to decide what punishment to hand down to the captains and their teams.Tuesday’s clash between Easterns and Westerns has been switched to the Harare Sports Club.

The ECB has announced a further clampdown against touts ahead of this summer’s Ashes.In the light of massive interest in the series, the ECB is upping the measures it takes to find the source of tickets appearing on the black market. It has warned that on match days, spectators may be subject to spot checks to ensure that the person entering the ground is the one who purchased the ticket.”We are committing considerable resource to the fight and have already succeeded in cancelling hundreds of touted tickets for the major events of this summer,” said ECB chief executive David Collier. “We have also introduced an electronic exchange system for the ICC World Twenty20 which provides supporters with the opportunity to dispose of tickets which, for genuine reasons, they can no longer utilise through an official channel.”Collier also called on the government to introduce tighter legislation if what he referred to as the “second market” did not police itself. This is believed to be a direct reference to the leading online auction site, eBay, where many tickets appear for sale, often only hours after they are released to the public and at inflated prices.The ECB has a team of people who scour websites searching for tickets being resold. All such tickets are traceable.”The ECB have previously proposed to the secondary market that they work with us to prevent touting abuses at the very top matches,” Collier said. “Unfortunately they have not agreed. We hope the clear statement of intent from the [government] makes them reconsider their actions.”

Group A

A five-wicket haul by Kashif Raza sent Karachi Whites crashing to 133 against Water and Power Development Authority in the opening day at the National Stadium. WAPDA however, didn’t end the day in a very secure position either, finishing at 87 for 4. Karachi’s decision to bat backfired after they were reduced to 28 for 4, a position from which they never really recovered. Ali Asad showed some fight with an unbeaten 67, which featured seven fours. Raza, the right-arm seamer took the opening two wickets and later cleaned up the tail to finish with 5 for 44. WAPDA were jolted by Tanvir Ahmed’s early strikes, which reduced them to a precarious 3 for 4. He struck again to remove Bilal Khilji for 30. Ali Azmat and Ahmed Said pushed the score from 43 to 84 and were unbeaten at stumps.After a disappointing showing in the ODIs against Sri Lanka, Sohail Tanvir bounced back with an eight-wicket haul to help Khan Research Laboratories (KRL) rip out Pakistan International Airlines for 152 at the Mirpur Cricket Stadium. After Khurram Manzoor and Kamran Sajid added 50 for the opening wicket, Tanvir struck in quick succession, leaving them in trouble at 53 for 4. Sarfraz Ahmed resisted with a quick 37 off 42 balls before he was dismissed by Yasir Ali, the only other wicket-taker. Tanvir cleaned up the tail to finish with 8 for 54, his best first-class figures. KRL were well-placed at 82 for 2 in their reply, with Zulfiqar Jan scoring 43.It was another low-scoring day, at the Sheikhupura Stadium as Sui Southern Gas Pipelines Limited (SSGPL) were shout out for 135 against Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL). Imran Ali, the right-arm seamer, led SNGPL’s domination with 5 for 31 and he was supported by Samiullah Khan (2 for 54) and Yasir Shah (3 for 37). The trio kept chipping away at the wickets and didn’t allow any major partnerships to develop. SNGPL lost three wickets in reply but had the experienced pair of Mohammad Hafeez and Misbah-ul-Haq unbeaten. At stumps, SNGPL were at 109 for 3.It was practically a one-man effort by Lahore Shalimar as Ghulam Mustafa, the left-arm spinner, took 6 for 97 but it didn’t stop Pakistan Customs from piling on a score of over 300, at the Lahore City Cricket Association Ground. Pakistan Customs built their innings on a strong opening stand of 136 between Rameez Raja and Rameez Aziz. Mustafa struck twice in quick succession to leave them at 144 for 3 before the middle-order recovered. Raja and Zahoor Elahi, the former Pakistan international, fell short of their respective tons, making 87 and 81 respectively. Both Mohammad Naved and Mustafa bowled 33 overs each and were the only wicket-takers, with Mustafa claiming six as Customs ended at 317 for 7.A four-wicket haul by Rao Iftikhar Anjum restricted a strong National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) batting line-up to 225 at the Gaddafi Stadium. NBP opted to bat against Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited (ZTBL) but didn’t get off to a good start, losing three wickets for 43. Naumanullah scored 56 but NBP couldn’t stage a big enough recovery as Anjum pegged away at the middle order. NBP’s best phase was a stand of 89 for the sixth wicket between Qaiser Abbas (55) and Kamran Akmal (48). Anjum finished with 4 for 56 while Azhar Attari took 3 for 54. ZTBL lost the wicket of Afaq Rahim before ending the day at 40 for 1.

Group B

Peshawar took control on the opening day at the Multan Cricket Stadium, ending on 300 for 4 against hosts, Multan who were made to toil after opting to bowl first. Naved Khan and Mohammad Idrees both hit half-centuries and were involved in a stand of 122 for the second wicket. Naved hit nine fours in his 70, while Idrees hit eight in his 63. Mahfooz Sabri strengthened Peshawar’s position with an unbeaten 57 and had the captain Akbar Badshah for company at stumps on 33. The Multan bowlers were guilty of indiscipline, conceding 27 no balls, with Ansar Javed contributing 13.Bottom-placed Quetta’s bid to open their account in the tournament dealt another blow as they were bowled out for a disappointing 164 against Abbottabad in Islamabad. Quetta were tottering at 3 for 7 as Armaghan Elahi and Asif Afridi struck early blows. The only substantial stand was that of 50 for the fifth wicket, with Ata-ur-Rehman leading the way with 47. Noor-ul-Amin, the left-arm spinner, chipped away at the lower order to finish with 4 for 58. In reply, Abbottabad ended on a more steady 73 for 2 with Hammad Ali unbeaten on 45.In an astonishing display of lower-order resistance, Rauf Akbar scored a hundred at No.9 to rescue Islamabad from 73 for 7 to 258 against Hyderabad at the Niaz Stadium. Rauf’s 116 came off 187 balls with 12 fours and two sixes and he couldn’t have got there without the support of the tail, with whom he shared stands of 63, 73 and 49. The early damage was done by Lal Kumar, the left-arm seamer, who took 4 for 52 while the legspinner, Aslam Sattar, took 3 for 54. They lost the initiative when Rauf and Imad Wasim (33) took control. Rauf had already scored nine half-centuries at the first-class level and today he finally converted one to three figures. Hyderabad, in reply, ended at 22 for now loss.An unbeaten 147 by Awais Zia helped Rawalpindi to 289 against Karachi Blues at the Khan Research Laboratories Ground. Zia’s contribution stood out as only fours others managed to cross three figures, the next highest being 33 by the captain Naved Ashraf. Tabish Khan, the right-arm seamer, was the chief wicket-taker with 5 for 57. The last two wickets supported Zia well as they added 96 in total with him. Zia hit 18 fours and a six in his knock. Karachi batted out two overs and were yet to open their account.An eighth-wicket stand of 73 between Ali Raza and Waqas Ahmed helped Lahore Ravi recover to 270 for 9, after they were in trouble at 178 for 7 against Sialkot at the Jinnah Stadium. Sohail Ahmed, the opener, top scored with 68 but the middle order failed to convert their starts. The debutant right-arm seamer, Bilawal Bhatti, took 4 for 73 but it wasn’t the most disciplined performance as he conceded 15 no balls. Raza was unbeaten on 40 at stumps.

Match facts

Sunday, January 18
Start time 10.00am (23.00 GMT)

The Big Picture

A committed South African chase provided serious excitement at the start of the five-game series as the visitors sneaked to a three-wicket success in Melbourne on Friday. After Australia posted a confident 8 for 271, Johan Botha’s men recovered from being 3 for 90 and 7 for 221 to end their sequence of three defeats in a row.If South Africa win in Hobart on Sunday it will leave Australia needing to take the final matches to claim the series. Australia have threatened their opponents regularly during the home summer, but the number of times they have let them escape has become a major concern. Ricky Ponting’s men have to eliminate those crucial lapses if they want to be a high-performing outfit.

ODI form guide

Australia – LWWWW
South Africa – WWWWW

Team news

The 22-year-old opener David Warner is back after leaving the team briefly when Michael Clarke was passed fit prematurely from a nagging thumb injury. Warner, who has played two Twenty20s and no first-class matches, will open with Shaun Marsh, allowing Michael Hussey to head back to the middle order. The offspinner Nathan Hauritz has travelled the country with the team over the past week without playing, but is likely to get an opportunity at Bellerive Oval, where Tasmania have used three spinners at times this season. James Hopes, who had 0 for 51 off 10 overs in Melbourne, looks like the vulnerable one.Australia (probable) 1 Shaun Marsh, 2 David Warner, 3 Ricky Ponting (capt), 4 Michael Hussey, 5 David Hussey, 6 Cameron White, 7 Brad Haddin (wk), 8 Nathan Hauritz, 9 Nathan Bracken, 10 Ben Hilfenhaus, 11 Shaun Tait.Dale Steyn seemed to have some problems with a shoulder while fielding in Melbourne and the South Africans are intent on rotating their bowlers, so it won’t take much for Steyn to go and Makhaya Ntini to come in. AB de Villiers is still waiting to return from his bruised hip and if he is cleared Vaughn van Jaarsveld – he dropped two catches, took one and was run out for 4 on debut – could make way. Neil McKenzie, who played his first ODI for five years, would normally be squeezed out, but he showed some form with a valuable 63.South Africa (probable) 1 Herschelle Gibbs, 2 Hashim Amla, 3 Jacques Kallis, 4 AB de Villiers, 5 JP Duminy, 6 Neil McKenzie, 7 Mark Boucher (wk), 8 Albie Morkel, 9 Morne Morkel, 10 Johan Botha (capt), 11 Makhaya Ntini.

Watch out for …

Ricky Ponting heads back to his home state knowing he needs a big performance to show his fresh team how to recover from tight defeats. Ponting now lives in Sydney, but he remains a huge figure in Hobart and has 208 runs in six ODIs at the ground. Following a difficult summer in the Test team, he now faces another tricky encounter against a formidable opponent.Albie Morkel, the older brother of Morne, stole the match – and the show – from Australia in Melbourne with a calm and brutal 40 from 18 deliveries. Hitting confidently straight down the ground, he also worked the strike and was unflustered as he and Botha sealed the win. A man who can open the bowling and do the work of a batsman is a treasure in any game.

Pitch & conditions

The pitch is traditionally batsman-friendly at Bellerive Oval, but in first-class matches this season it has offered considerable help to the bowlers. Fine conditions are predicted for the match, with a top temperature of 23C.

Stats and trivia

• The end of the tri-series format means South Africa will face Australia for the first time at Bellerive Oval. In four previous matches against other visiting teams they have two wins and two losses
• Australia have played 13 games at Bellerive Oval for nine wins, three losses and a tie with Pakistan in 1992-93
• Tasmania is Australia’s smallest state and has 159 cricket clubs and 14,308 registered cricketers

Quotes

“Overall, it was probably the one that got away from us. We’ve got another game on Sunday and we’ve got to learn from what we have done tonight and make sure we are better in some of the areas we were deficient in.”
Ricky Ponting after the MCG defeat“If we play really well in Hobart and we go two-up, then it’ll be massive pressure. But if after this weekend it’s one-all then it’s all-square again. Then the pressure is on both teams. Sunday is going to be a huge game for us.”
Johan Botha

Matthew Hayden’s international retirement makes him available for the entire second edition of the IPL. Hayden’s IPL franchise, the Chennai Super Kings, said they were pleased to have the Australian opener for the full season.Hayden was available for only four of Chennai’s 14 league games in the first season due to his commitments with Australia. “It’s sad that his international cricket had to end the way it did but he was a great player for Australia and I am glad that he would continue playing for us,” VB Chandrasekhar, Chennai’s director of cricket operations, said. “His [Achilles tendon] injury [last year] put him out of action for a while and that affected him.”As for us, it would be great that he would be available for entire tournament. If only we had him in the end stages last year, we could have won the trophy. He leads by example and is a great motivator for the youngsters in the side.”Chennai, captained by Mahendra Singh Dhoni, finished second in the tournament, losing in the final to the Shane Warne-led Rajasthan Royals. Hayden, who was purchased for US$375,000 at last year’s auction, scored 189 runs at an average of 63 and strike-rate of 144.27.Chandrasekhar said the franchise did not know that Hayden was going to retire from international cricket. “His future with IPL was never in doubt as he had already made it clear before that he will play for Chennai.”S Badrinath, one of Hayden’s team-mates at Chennai, spoke recently about how he had learnt from Hayden. “He is such a positive player, just the way he speaks during meetings and his preparation methods are so perfect.”

Gary Kirsten, the India coach, says the England tour must go on once the security experts have given the all-clear. The England squad flew out of Heathrow on Thursday for Abu Dhabi, where they will remain while waiting for the clearance from ECB officials. Kirsten returns to India this weekend from Cape Town, having received security assurances from the BCCI.”I have had a lot of things to weigh up and it’s obviously a concern with my family in South Africa,” Kirsten told the . “But I am very much part of the India set-up, I enjoy working there and I want to keep the momentum going from the good work we have done recently.”Opinion has been divided over whether England should return to India for the Tests starting next week, but Kirsten felt the tour must go on once the security experts have given the all-clear. “There is no way that security can be guaranteed wherever you are in the world. But you can’t keep saying no. There are terrorism threats everywhere, even the UK is not immune from them,” he said. “But if the professional security people who are paid to make these assessments have given the go-ahead then I think you have to go with it.”However, he said he understood the pressures and concerns of the England players. “They have been given the best advice, it is now a case of whether as an individual you feel comfortable with it,” he said. “Some players will be concerned that if they don’t go then someone else will go instead and so their place will be under threat.”England’s players are scheduled to have two full practice sessions in Abu Dhabi on Saturday and Sunday before a potential trip to India on Monday. Another two sessions would take place in Chennai but there is no time for a warm-up match before facing world cricket’s in-form nation.

India must use its growing power in world cricket to keep the game on the right path rather than becoming obsessed with short-term issues like code-of-conduct hearings, James Sutherland, Cricket Australia’s chief executive, has said. He said there was little the rest of the cricketing world could do to match India’s power, so Indian administrators needed to take greater responsibility for the game’s welfare.Sutherland was speaking in Melbourne in the lead-up to the Nagpur Test, before India confirmed that their starting line-up would not include Gautam Gambhir, who was suspended for one Test for elbowing Shane Watson. It was unclear whether Gambhir was in the side or out of it – even India’s captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, on the day before the match, said he was “almost sure” he wouldn’t be playing.Sutherland said it was clear India viewed such behavioural issues differently from Australia.”They tend to look at these sorts of issues and code of conduct decisions in a different sort of light,” Sutherland said. “We have seen in the last probably five years, at least four times where they have tried some sort of approach to appeal and, where the appeal hasn’t been successful, taken it to another level.”In January, India were seriously considering whether to continue with their tour of Australia after Harbhajan Singh was suspended for allegedly racially abusing Andrew Symonds – a ban that was later overturned on appeal. And in 2001, India refused to accept Virender Sehwag’s suspension and named him for a Test against South Africa. The match was stripped of its Test status when the teams agreed to lock the match referee Mike Denness out of the stadium.Sutherland said “you can always argue” that India had too much power over the sport and compared their influence in the ICC with the role the United States plays in the United Nations. However, he felt the other cricketing countries could do little but accept the status quo.”The power that India has is obviously connected a lot to the financial contribution that they make to the game,” he said. “Something like 70% of cricket revenue is generated out of India and to that end it means that I think they have, in recent times, come to realise that with that they can influence more than perhaps they have done in the past.”With that ability to influence obviously comes power and, as someone once told me, with wealth comes responsibility. That’s something that ideally you would like to see India continue to take a leadership role in helping the game to be better rather than focusing on taking these sorts of issues that we’re talking about today, with Gambhir, down the wrong path.”