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Andhra Pradesh have made a promising start in their vital Elite Group sixth round match against Rajasthan. By the end of the first day’s play at the Ukku Stadium, Visakhapatnam, the hosts, who are battling to avoid being relegated to the Plate Group, had managed to restrict the visitors to 195/8.It was quite a fall for Rajasthan, who were 120-2 at one stage after their skipper Rahul Kanwat won the toss and elected to bat.Openers Vineet Saxena and Gagan Khoda put on nine runs before Khoda was forced to retire with an injury.The veteran opener was, though, soon back in action following the dismissals Anshu Jain (10) and Nikhil Doru (1). If the injury had rattled him, Khoda showed no signs of it, as he and Saxena began to establish command. The duo guided their team to 120-2, when Khoda fell for a patient 56 off 131 balls.It was a dismissal that was to precitipate a collapse which saw the visitors lose another five wickets for 73 runs. Saxena, for his part, went on to make 64 off 201 balls with eight fours before becoming the fifth wicket to fall.For Andhra Pradesh, off-spinner Mohammed Faiq returned the best figures of 2-28.

NOTTINGHAM, England – Australian cricket captain Steve Waugh has brandedthose who threw a firecracker at one of his players during their 36-runday-night loss to Pakistan here tonight as “idiots”.It narrowly missed Australian speedster Brett Lee, but prompted Waugh tolead his team off the pitch, delaying the game for almost 20 minutesbefore they returned after being assured it would not happen again.Security at Trent Bridge had been stepped up for the game after previousugly scenes at Edgbaston and Headingley.A steward was detained in hospital in Leeds on Sunday after beinginjured during an invasion of supporters after Pakistan’s convincingvictory over England.Speaking after the game, Waugh said: “The stewards tried their best tocontain things but you can’t control idiots, can you?”I took the players off and until I felt reassured about their safety wewere not going to go back out there.”Today there was an improvement in the way things were dealt with but itwas still not an ideal situation.”They put up fences but I don’t think I would have been too keen if Ihad been a steward stood behind them.”There were 350 stewards on duty at Trent Bridge and plastic mesh wasused to try to prevent the crowd swarming onto the pitch.Australian team manager Steve Bernard told reporters that the problemwould never be truly solved until the England and Wales Cricket Board(ECB) received the legal backing they are urgently seeking from theBritish government.Britain’s new sports minister Richard Caborn, who consulted ECBofficials about security over the last two days, has for the time beingsidestepped the ECB’s call for legislation.ECB chief executive Tim Lamb has insisted that legislation to stoptrespassing is the only way to prevent a repeat incident.But, so far, the British government appears to be stalling on a positiveresponse.”We’ll talk to the ECB, no doubt,” Bernard said.”I’m sure the ECB are committed to making this as safe as possible forus.”But, as we’ve said before, the problem stems from the parameters inwhich they work.”There is no legislation in cricket here that allows them to take actionagainst people who come on to the field — it’s as simple as that.”So, at the end of the day, they’re trying all these other measureswhich, as good as they are, are never going to do the job which needs tobe done.”Pakistan coach Richard Pybus said: “If there had been a second incidenttoday, we would have been off the field and that would have been the endof the game.”But, after the initial incident, the crowd quietened down and I wouldlike to give credit to Notts County Cricket Club.”I thought their organisation was superb.”

Celtic winger Karamoko Dembele has been approached by the Ivory Coast, according to reliable reporter Mike McGrath.

The Lowdown: Dembele’s contract situation

Dembele has made a return from injury this month to make his first two appearances under Ange Postecoglou.

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The 18-year-old has made brief cameo displays from the bench against St Mirren and Dundee United, with his current Parkhead contract set to expire in the summer.

Fellow young Hoops attacker Ben Doak has been approached by Liverpool and now looks set to move to Merseyside, and Dembele may well be about to switch nationalities.

The Latest: McGrath’s post

McGrath took to Twitter on Monday afternoon to provide an update on Dembele.

He claimed that an approach has been made for the teenager by Ivory Coast, who want him to play against England later this month in a friendly at Wembley Stadium, outlining:

“Ivory Coast have made an approach for Celtic’s Karamoko Dembele to switch from England and play against Gareth Southgate’s team later this month. IC manager Patrice Beaumelle wants him for 2023 AFCON they are hosting.”

The Verdict: Club exit inevitable?

This update is an exciting one for Dembele, but with his Celtic contract running down, it seems as if a Parkhead exit is inevitable.

Kieran Devlin has recently claimed that it is unlikely that the 18-year-old will pen new terms in Glasgow, and clubs may well circle over the coming months over a possible pre-contract agreement.

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A senior international debut may attract more interest in the Celtic youngster, so Parkhead chiefs may have their work cut out when it comes to keeping Dembele at the club.

In other news: ‘Hope it’s not true… ‘ – Celtic pundit fumes at ‘massive’ Parkhead news after insider’s reveal

	“Chris Gayle, for whatever reason, has been capable of uniting the team and getting them to play with a greater level of commitment and consistency than has been seen in recent times.” © Getty Images

This is not an issue worth agonising over. At a time when Caribbean societies are grappling with matters affecting the quality of life in our very small countries, engaging in heated arguments over the captaincy of the West Indies cricket team is both irrelevant, unnecessary and a complete waste of time and energy that should instead be devoted to finding solutions for the real problems of crime, violence, the rising cost of living and entrenched social inequalities.To cut a long story short, Chris Gayle, once fully recovered from his injuries sustained in southern Africa, should be confirmed to lead West Indies in the upcoming home series against Sri Lanka and Australia. Full stop. We don’t even need to have one of those bigging up-type letters of congratulation from the West Indies Cricket Board president.Just send out the press release confirming the appointment and spare us the mamaguile lyrics. Yes, there is a process to be followed, but if the selectors choose not to recommend Gayle after considering the manager’s and coach’s reports from the just-concluded tour, then Gordon Greenidge and his colleagues better just go and find something else to do.Likewise, should the WICB directors or executive or whichever relevant arm of this complicated organisation decide not to ratify that recommendation, it will merely confirm long-held suspicions that horse trading and settling scores are higher on their list of priorities than the best interests of West Indies cricket.None of this should be misconstrued as an attempt to elevate the 28-year-old Jamaican to the status of a Sir Frank Worrell (apologies to Julian Hunte, who, in one of his buttering up specials to Clive Lloyd, described the current team manager as the greatest West Indian captain ever). It’s just that the evidence in South Africa was blindingly obvious that Gayle, for whatever reason, has been capable of uniting the team and getting them to play with a greater level of commitment and consistency than has been seen in recent times.Of course, as with most issues in the public domain, merit and performance don’t count for much. It’s just about like or don’t like, based almost entirely on prejudices and perceived injustices.So the pretentious debate implies that some heinous injustice will be meted out to Ramnaresh Sarwan should he be overlooked for the captaincy in favour of this troublemaking Jamaican with no manners. To claim that race (we just can’t get away from it, can we?) has nothing to do with the issue is a blatant, unadulterated lie. As we see in our politics, we are still some distance away from reaching the level of societal maturity where the majority view is influenced primarily by performance on the job.But then we are not alone in that regard. Just wait until either Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton is confirmed as the Democratic Party’s candidate for the office of President of the United States and watch how all the colour or gender biases will come to the surface in the land of the free and the home of the brave.

	So the pretentious debate implies that some heinous injustice will be meted out to Ramnaresh Sarwan should he be overlooked for the captaincy in favour of this troublemaking Jamaican with no manners. To claim that race has nothing to do with the issue is a blatant, unadulterated lie. As we see in our politics, we are still some distance from the level of societal maturity where the majority view is influenced primarily by performance on the job

There are also those who try to mask their true feelings with the disingenuous claim that Sarwan is the incumbent as captain and only missed out on the tour of Zimbabwe and South Africa because of injury.Again, this ignores the reality that the WICB has always made such appointments on a tour-by-tour or series-by-series basis, at least since those bad old days when leadership was based on which territory the Test match was being played.In any case, what is the big hasikara about acknowledging that Gayle, for all of his many failings and occasional brushes with authority, has exceeded expectations as a leader? Is it so unbearable to concede that the hard-hitting left-handed opener, who always seems to be in a world of his own on the field, is actually well respected by his team-mates and therefore able to get his message across very effectively?As for the contention that this is tantamount to rewarding bad behaviour, just keep in mind that the very same was said at certain times during the careers of Worrell, Lloyd, Lara and almost every captain of note we have ever had. One man’s insubordination is another man’s refusal to accept stupidness, and it’s only with the passage of time that the true picture emerges.The point is that no decision is ever made in West Indies cricket with the benefit of universal acceptability. You do this, and one group feels slighted. You do that, and another segment starts to kick brass.So it’s up to the people in the decision-making positions to have the strength of their convictions, whatever the consequences, and be guided by the fundamental principle of seeking the best interests of the regional game.The perpetual state of flux that is the WICB suggests that such people are in critically short supply. Then again, the same can be said of most of our parliaments.Chris Gayle may ultimately prove to be a complete failure as captain, widening already existing divisions within the ranks and maybe even accelerating the decline into irrelevance. Yet all of that is speculation and supposition. What is fact is the noticeably different attitude and determination of the entire team (not just the Jamaicans) when he is at the helm.Just confirm the man as captain and let’s move on to the real issues of the day.

Ricky Ponting wants Shaun Tait to contain as well as take wickets © Getty Images

Ricky Ponting has told Shaun Tait to take some time getting his line and length right before letting rip with his fastest deliveries. Tait, who took 2 for 45 from eight overs in Australia’s World Cup opener against Scotland, has been asked to think about how he can contain batsmen as well as claiming wickets.”Early on in the overs, I can get carried away and bowl too fast,” Tait told . “Ricky said to me take it easy, have a couple of deep breaths and get your line right before you try and bowl 160kph and rip your shoulder off the bone. He just wants me to be pretty free and bowl like I bowl.”Tait is likely to take the new ball, bowl during powerplays and return at the death during Australia’s title defence. However, the small dimensions of Warner Park, the St Kitts venue for Australia’s group matches, mean he has little margin for error.”If you get some unlucky nicks through third man or fine leg, it is pretty hard to cut off because they are such small boundaries,” he said. Tait has used short-pitched deliveries effectively but realises he cannot afford to become predictable against quality opposition.”You can’t just keep coming in and bowling bouncers and going for heaps of runs,” he said. “I have to be able to contain as well. The last couple of [warm-up] games I have done it OK. Through the middle period, I have done OK. From what I have seen so far, the inswinging yorker with reverse swing can be a good ball.”

‘My mind was wandering the whole tour [Ashes]’ – Jason Gillespie © Getty Images

Jason Gillespie has backed himself to earn a spot in the Australian team set to tour South Africa. “I think I am a real show for the Test tour [of South Africa],” said Gillespie, who recently had an hour-long chat with Trevor Hohns, the national selection chairman.Rubbishing the critics who cite his age as a reason to keep him out, Gillespie said, “It’s funny … I hear comments in the press that they are searching for a new generation of quicks yet they are picking guys that are older than me or the same age. That makes me laugh. Pidgey [Glenn McGrath] is 36. I’m not too old at 30. Kasper got picked again at 32. Andrew Bichel played his last game at 34. Age shouldn’t come into it at all”.Expressing confidence about his form he said, “I feel I am bowling really well. I haven’t bowled quite as well in the ING competition but the four-day competition I am really pleased how they are coming out in the four-day game. I know I am good enough to play Tests. It is only a matter of time”.Gillespie believes his experience of South African conditions – he took 22 wickets in six Tests at an average of 26- will be an asset and weigh in his favour. “I have been to South Africa two or three times before and I know what it needs to play Test cricket. I have played a few of them now.” But he also added that he didn’t see himself in the contention for the ODIs. “I am not getting my hopes up about selection. I have always said I was more of a chance to go for the Tests. I didn’t think I was a chance for the one-dayers.”Gillespie has found support from Darren Lehmann, his former team-mate. “If Glenn [McGrath] doesn’t go to South Africa Jason [Gillespie] is a must,” Lehmann said. “He has been there twice before and done well. If they don’t take him then I think it’s the wrong mix. They need some experience there. Brett [Lee] has held up magnificently but if Glenn wasn’t there you would need some experience.”Looking back on a disastrous Ashes series Gillespie believed he slipped in the mental department and admitted to a lack of focus. “If I had my time again I would think about the game more and pay attention to detail. I am not making any excuses but my mind was wandering the whole tour. My wife told me at the start of the tour we were going to have a baby and I know now I wasn’t switched on to play cricket.”The Australian one-day side leave for South Africa on February 20 and the Test side will be selected at the end of the five-match ODI series.

Shivnarine Chanderpaul would be looking to restore some pride in Caribbean cricket© Getty Images

Amid the sponsorship imbroglio surrounding Caribbean cricket, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, the newly-appointed West Indies captain, is upbeat about his new role in the side and positive about the team playing to its ability in the first Test against South Africa which starts on March 31. Chanderpaul was named the captain after Brian Lara choose not to accept the invitation by the West Indies cricket board to join the team, owing to the omission of other players.”I’m feeling ok and I have done some captaincy for my country and also on tours for West Indies so it’s nothing strange to me,” said Chanderpaul to the Caribbean Media Corporation. “It’s just that it’s my first time in Test cricket, which might be a little different, but it shouldn’t be so much of a difference. It’s all cricket so I’m not worried too much about it.”Chanderpaul, who has led Guyana on several occasions, was also appointed the vice-captain for the VB Series in Australia. The selectors have named three debutants in the squad for the first Test in Guyana: Narsingh Deonarine, Dwight Washington and Donovan Pagon. “I’m positive, we all are positive and once we play to our abilities – and all the guys are very talented – and once we can play to that and play better than South Africa we will win.”West Indies have a poor record against South Africa, having won just two of the 15 matches played between the two teams. However, Graeme Smith, the South African captain, has expressed his concerns about facing a newly shaped team. “It is an issue in some ways that we are not too aware of what we are coming up against, but we have to find out as much information as we can on the guys,” said Smith to . “I think it boils down to ourselves. If we really concentrate on performing well, getting our things right, our game right, it will be beneficial to us.”So we really should be concentrating on our own game and making sure we are a 100 per cent ready by the time we get into that Test match and thinking on our feet out in the middle is another crucial point.”

The ICC has refused to comment on the latest match-fixing scandal to hit international cricket. In a press release, Malcolm Speed, the ICC chief executive, said that it wouldn’t be proper to comment on the letter which was allegedly written by Lord Condon, director of the Anti Corruption Unit (ACU), to the Pakistan board hinting at underperformance by Pakistan in two one-day international tournaments in Morocco and Kenya.Commenting on the report which appeared in , a Pakistan daily, Speed stressed that any correspondence between the ACU and a cricket board was private and confidential. “It is not appropriate for the ICC to make a comment one way or the other on these letters or any other issue in relation to potential operational matters for the Anti-Corruption and Security Unit.”However, he insisted that the ICC was determined to eliminate match-fixing. “What I can say is that the ICC is committed to ensuring that the game is never again tainted by corruption and that through the Anti Corruption and Security Unit, it now has in place a professional security and investigative team with the resources to deal with this threat.”

Former New Zealand cricket coach Warren Lees was amazed at England’s failure to make the most of their opportunities on a limited first day of their three-day match against Otago at Queenstown today.Lees coached the New Zealand team during their highly-successful 1992 World Cup campaign and the following drawn Test series with Australia in New Zealand before he was dropped as coach.Now involved in the game as a comments man on radio he was surprised at the basic approach employed by the English who finished the rain-shortened day on 82/6.”What they wanted from today was to have a net. They needed everyone to bat for 50 minutes to an hour and 20 minutes and at the end of the day for everyone to feel they had enjoyed a good net.”But their top three (Marcus Trescothick, Mark Butcher and Mark Ramprakash) failed.”The next batsmen up needed to say, ‘Hold on, we’ll now bat for two hours,’ but they didn’t. They just kept batting the same way.”When the Otago bowlers bowled a wayward ball they never let it go, they kept playing at it,” he said.Lees added that the side’s captain and coach would be pretty disappointed at the end of the day.”They are playing in a holiday venue, and they played holiday cricket.”What they should do when they come tomorrow is decide to play some good cricket, and I am sure we will see some different batting,” he said.Lees said that of the batsmen Butcher looked out of touch, and that was to be expected having come straight from the English winter, but the players who had been here for the one-day series had been guilty of still playing one-day cricket.

Fears are growing that England batsman Graham Thorpe could miss the start of the Ashes series because of his injured calf.Thorpe suffered the injury warming up before the first NatWest Series game against Pakistan.It was hoped that he would return during the series but, in fact, missed the entire competition and has now been ruled out of Surrey’s CricInfo Championship game against Lancashire tomorrow.Of the 12 centrally contracted players, only Thorpe, Matthew Hoggard and skipper Nasser Hussain, who is aiming to get some games under his belt after breaking a thumb in the First Test against Pakistan last month, were given permission to play for their counties tomorrow. Hussain’s side Essex entertain the Australians at Chelmsford.Even if Thorpe manages to shake off the injury in the next few days, it would give him little time to prepare for the First Test against Australia starting next Thursday at Edgbaston.An ECB spokesman said: “It won’t necessarily rule him out of the Test match; he is just not fit to play in a game that starts tomorrow.”The England selectors announce their squad for Birmingham on Saturday and could name an extra batsman in the squad as well as Thorpe, thus giving the Surrey man extra time to prove his fitness.