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Shane Warne will join Brian Lara in the Indian Cricket League if his conditions are met, however Warne’s manager conceded that such an agreement was still a long way off. Glenn McGrath has not ruled out his involvement and his manager said negotiations could progress in the next week.The ICL on Monday announced Lara as its first big signing, two months after his name was initially linked with the group. Warne’s manager James Erskine said he had been in talks with ICL officials including Tony Greig.”They haven’t offered what we have asked for, so negotiations are proceeding,” Erskine told the . “Provided the terms and conditions are right, Shane Warne will play, but it’s a long way off before we get the contract signed.” The paper reported that Warne’s proposed pay package was worth up to $2 million.McGrath’s manager, Warren Craig, said he had met with ICL officials some time ago and although there had been few developments since then, this week’s events were likely to speed the process up. “We certainly haven’t ruled it out,” Craig said.”Now Lara has signed, things might start to hot up a bit. Things could start to move over the next week or so.” However, Craig said the ICL had given no indication what salary it would offer to lure McGrath out of retirement six months after his final ODI appearance. The league wants to run its first Twenty20 tournament this October and November with six teams, each of which would ideally feature four international players and two Indian stars, with the rest made up of younger players.

In a mix-up over the interpretation of the eligibility rules, Kevin Stoute, the Barbados opener, has been withdrawn from the squad for all the remaining matches of the Stanford 20/20 in Antigua. He has been replaced by Rashidi Boucher, the 17-year-old Barbados youth team opener.Stoute was not in the 16-member squad originally submitted by the Barbados Cricket Association (BCA) to the board of directors of the tournament. This was pointed out to the BCA by Stanford officials, who made it clear that players away on West Indies duties at the senior or junior level are eligible to be included in the squad and the selection of other players will have to be approved by the tournament directors first.Last week, Stoute and Patrick Browne, the wicketkeeper, had replaced Ahmed Proverbs and Carlo Morris in Barbados’ 13-member squad for Friday’s quarter-final match against Grenada. Browne was away playing for the West Indies’ senior team on the tour of South Africa, which meant he was eligible for selection.A section of the tournament guidelines stated: “Should a country want to include a player not originally selected in its squad of 16, it shall be required to submit a written request to the Stanford 20/20 Board of Directors for its consideration. The decision of the Stanford 20/20 Board of Directors will be final and binding.”You will also at that time submit a new 16-member squad, indicating the players who will be replaced. Please be guided that this 16 will be your 16 for the tournament and those omitted will no longer be eligible for selection unless there is injury and an application sent to the committeealong with a doctor’s certificate.”Rollins Howard, the BCA’s operations manager, expressed regret over the mix-up.”It was a misinterpretation of the word “new” as it related to changes in the squad,” Howard was quoted in a report in the BCA’s website.In the same report, Roddy Estwick, Barbados’ chairman of selectors, said, “It was a very, very unfortunate misunderstanding pertaining to the ruling of the Stanford policy.”The information given to the selectors was that we were to pick a new 16-man squad so we selected Kevin Stoute, who was in our initial squad of 20, only to be told by the Stanford committee that he wasn’t eligible for selection based on the fact that he was not in the original 16. I will be apologising to Kevin personally and on behalf of the selectorsand all of the relevant parties.”Stoute said he had put the unfortunate events behind him and was now looking ahead to the remaining matches of the Carib Beer Cup.”With every disappointment, you can take some positives from it and something like this can only make you stronger,” Stoute told the . “There are three more Carib Beer games left, so right now I am focusing on them. If selected, I would be looking to give 100% for Barbados.”Revised squad – Dwayne Smith (capt), Sulieman Benn, Tino Best, Derick Bishop, Rashidi Boucher, Patrick Browne (wk), Jonathan Carter, Ryan Hinds, Alcindo Holder, Ryan Nurse, Dale Richards, Khalid Springer, Kenroy Williams

Scorecard
Jason Dawes, the debutant seamer, with figures of 4 for 25, ripped through the Bangladesh Under-19s’ top order, as West Indies Under-19s claimed a 73-run win in the second ODI in Savar.Chasing 186 to win off 43 overs in a rain-curtailed match, Bangladesh lost opener Saikat Ali and Nadimuddin leg before in successive overs by Dawes. Nasir Hossain and Mithun Ali added 20 before Dawes struck twice again; Hossain was caught by Veerasammy Permaul, while two balls later, Rony Talukder fell for a duck. Bangladesh were in trouble at 36 for 4, and were never in the hunt from then on.Spin, which was introduced in the 12th over, reaped immediate rewards when Steven Jacobs bowled Ali for 17, and Suhrawadi Shuvo in consecutive overs. Mahmudul Hasan, the No. 6 batman, attempted a brief rearguard act with 30 off 48 balls, but he fell to the legspin of Sharmarh Brooks, who added two more wickets to his tally as Bangladesh were dismissed for a paltry 112.Earlier, West Indies rode on a patient 103-ball 66 from Horace Miller, the left-handed opening batsman. West Indies lost Adrian Barath and Kieron Powell to medium-pacer Dolar Mahmud for the addition of only seven runs, before Miller and Darren Bravo, the brother of West Indies allrounder Dwayne, added exactly 50 for the third wicket. After Bravo was run out for 55, Miller soon brought up his half-century during a 55-run fourth-wicket stand with Brooks.But West Indies lost the duo in quick succession; Brooks falling to offspinner Mohammad Shakil for 22, while Miller was run out by Talukder. West Indies, were in a spot of bother at 132 for 5, but their tail could not get going, with Mahmud finishing with figures of 4 for 26.

India’s fragile fast bowlers are the selectors’ chief concern as they meet in Bangalore on Wednesday to whittle down the list of 24 probables for India’s forthcoming tour of Australia. The focus is on Munaf Patel, whose fitness will be assessed before any decision is made.The selectors are likely to meet soon after the fifth day’s play of the final Test against Pakistan, and may name a 16-man squad for the four-Test series. At the moment it seems likely that India’s bowling attack will be led by three left-arm bowlers in Zaheer Khan, RP Singh and Irfan Pathan. Ishant Sharma’s five-wicket haul in Pakistan’s first innings has made him a shoo-in for the fourth fast bowling spot.It is for the final spot that there is some doubt. Should Munaf be cleared to play, he is likely to complete the set. If he is not fit, then VRV Singh, who was in the squad for the final Pakistan Test is the front-runner to take a place. The names of Pankaj Singh and Pradeep Sangwan are also doing the rounds, but the selectors are likely to go with VRV, who is more experienced than the other two, albeit not by much.The selectors also showed their hand when they called Gautam Gambhir into the squad in the final Test and he is likely to get one of the opening slots. With Wasim Jaffer having the time of his life with the bat, only one more opener’s slot is left to be filled. Dinesh Karthik has had a poor run in the series against Pakistan, but his performances in South Africa and England could ensure that he gets another chance to prove himself. The strongest contender for this spot is Parthiv Patel, who has been scoring heavily and consistently in domestic cricket. However, it is likely that the selectors will leave this borderline decision to Anil Kumble, the captain. So far Kumble has backed Karthik to the hilt, despite scores of 8, 9, 1, 1 and 28 in his last five innings.

The rest of the team picks more or less picks itself with Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, VVS Laxman and Yuvraj Singh making up the middle order. Mahendra Singh Dhoni will keep wickets and Kumble will have one spinner for company in Harbhajan Singh.The tougher question, of course, will come when it’s time to pick the playing XI for the first Test in Melbourne. Yuvraj, with his incredible innings of 169 in Bangalore, has made it virtually impossible to leave him out of the side. This leaves Kumble in the unenviable situation of having to drop someone from the middle order, or sacrifice a bowler, neither of which seem feasible. The one option ahead of Kumble is to use Dravid as an opener, playing only Jaffer as a specialist opener, in order to accommodate the extra batsman. But there is some time yet for that decision to be made.India’s Test squad for Australia (probable)
Wasim Jaffer, Gautam Gambhir, Dinesh Karthik, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, VVS Laxman, Yuvraj Singh, Mahendra Singh Dhoni (wk), Anil Kumble (capt), Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, RP Singh, Irfan Pathan, Ishant Sharma, Munaf Patel.

Queensland 0 for 8 trail South Australia 237 (Cleary 57, R Harris 55*) by 229 runs
Scorecard

South Australia relied on reviving half-centuries from the lower-order pair of Mark Cleary and Ryan Harris to take them to 237 against Queensland. The Bulls, who were 0 for 8, are trying to lift from the foot of the table and Ashley Noffke and Scott Brant gave them a chance with three wickets each.Until Cleary’s 57 and Harris’ 55 not out, the home team seemed destined to be dismissed for less than 200, but the tail-enders pushed them forward after another disappointing performance from the specialist batsmen. Graham Manou won the toss and batted and three of his batsmen went by lunch, with another four following in the second session as they limped to 7 for 100.A 76-run partnership between Cleary and Harris added some respect and Harris continued to build the total until Dan Cullen, the No. 11, went for 27. It was a strong fightback, but Queensland’s bowlers should have been happy, with Noffke taking 3 for 43 and Brant 3 for 53. Jason Gillespie, who announced his retirement during the lunch break, was one of Brant’s victims when caught by Martin Love for 1.

Mickey Arthur, the South Africa coach, has said that it is important to be No. 1 in the one-day rankings after blanking Bangladesh but added that what his team really wants is to beat India in the three-Test series starting in Chennai on March 26.”We have achieved one of the goals we had set out for the team. And being No. 1 is absolutely great. But it will be better still if we are No. 1 next year too because that would mean we would have beaten Australia in two series,” Arthur told Cricinfo.”We will go all out to win the series in India,” Arthur said. “The Bangladesh win has set us up nicely for the India series. Frankly, we always saw this (Bangladesh) tour as pre-India tour preparation where we got our game and gameplans right for the big one. It’s going to be a fantastic Test series simply because India is a huge team to beat in their own country, and we are not prepared to be just another ordinary rival.”Arthur also spoke of setting high standards for the team, which he admitted will be tested in India. “Not many teams go to India and win, so that’s one of our main goals for the year.”Arthur also said that he has appealed to fast bowler Andre Nel, who was replaced for the India tour by Charl Langeveldt under Cricket South Africa’s transformation policy, to play on for the country. “We have spent a lot of time with him because we believe strongly that he is a vital cog as we go forward, especially against England and Australia who are on our calendar this year. So I hope he decides to stay on with South Africa. But ultimately, it’s his decision because only he knows what’s best for himself.”Nel is believed to be in talks with the unofficial Indian Cricket League (ICL) after being dropped in tune with a CSA selection policy that mandates at least six players of colour in a 14-man squad.South Africa swept the two-Test series against Bangladesh and wrapped up the one-day series 3-0 with a seven-wicket win in Mirpur on Friday. The team will leave Bangladesh on Saturday and is scheduled to fly out from Johannesburg for Chennai on March 21.

John Buchanan believes the ICC should consider turning world cricket into a franchise-based system where players could choose which country to represent, in an effort to make the game more competitive. Buchanan spent eight years as Australia’s coach, finishing after the World Cup in April, and he thinks Australia’s dominance is hurting international cricket.”This equality debate keeps bubbling to the surface and means that there is a serious issue there,” Buchanan told the . “I think it mightn’t be a bad thing if the ICC looked at some rule relaxations, which might allow a more even distribution of players around the world.”Most young cricketers in Australia grow up wanting to play for Australia, but I’m sure there would be quite a few who, when they get to about 25 or 26 and realise they probably won’t get a chance to wear the baggy green, would still be happy to play international cricket anywhere. The problem at the moment is that there is a long qualification period and, by the time that’s up, the player and the other country probably lose interest.”Buchanan said the ICC’s current rules were too strict, with players needing to spend at least 183 days a year for four consecutive years in their new country before qualifying to play a Test. However, he believes turning Test nations into franchises could lead to a greater flow of players between countries, and a more competitive international scene.”Countries should look to recruit young players from Australia, and places like India, to increase their depths of talent,” Buchanan said in the . “Those players would enhance the domestic competition and, hopefully, go on to play Test cricket for the country they move to. We don’t want cricket to become like a horse race when the favourite wins all the time. No-one will want to watch.”Barry Richards, the former South Africa batsman, agreed that there was a serious problem with Australia’s dominance – Ricky Ponting’s team won their 13th consecutive Test when they beat Sri Lanka at the Gabba on Monday and Australia have not lost a World Cup match since 1999. “Australia plays international cricket, the rest just play cricket,” Richards said.”I have lost interest in it because I know the result before they start playing. Until you get strength against strength, nothing is going to happen. In England, they have 18 counties and they call it first-class cricket and it’s absolutely useless.”Buchanan’s replacement as Australia’s coach, Tim Nielsen, told the the franchise plan was not the answer and other nations needed to keep striving to catch Australia. “We’ve got to keep trying to raise the bar,” he said, “because, as always, we are the ones being chased and people are looking to what we are doing and trying to replicate it.”

The Queen’s Park ground in Invercargill is set to host some of Otago’s matches this season after nearly a decade of being overlooked in favour of the University Oval in Dunedin. But now, with the University Oval being used for New Zealand’s first Test against Bangladesh in January and for an England tour game in March, Queen’s Park will get finally a slice of the domestic pie.Following a multi-million-dollar renovation of the ground and facilities, Queen’s Park was inserted into the fixtures list for an Otago State Championship match against Wellington in March and a State Shield game against Northern Districts in February next year. Apart from those two matches, Queen’s Park will also host a women’s two-day game and a Twenty20. If Otago qualify for a State Shield home semi-final, Queen’s Park will be booked for the playoff.Richard Hoskins, the executive officer of the Southland Cricket Association (SCA), said it was expected Queen’s Park would get high-quality fixtures this season. “We are delighted and now we just have to make sure the wicket continues to play well and we host some good fixtures,” Hoskins told the . “It’s really positive.”According to the report, the SCA was also hoping to rope in Chris Cairns and Nathan Astle to play invitation one-day and Twenty20 games at Queen’s Park in December.Queen’s Park last hosted a first-class game in February 1998 as part of the Shell Trophy when Canterbury beat Otago by seven wickets. The last State Shield one-day match at Queen’s Park was in January 2002 when Central Districts beat Otago by 99 runs.

Bangladesh have announced their squad for the Under-19s World Cup in February, adding batsman Amit Majumder to the squad which completed a tour of South Africa this month.Bangladesh U-19s returned from South Africa where they drew the two-Test series 0-0. They qualified for the final for the tri-nation tournament that followed, including South Africa U-19s and India U-19s, but lost to India by 137 runs.Bangladesh U-19s will host Nepal U-19s, who arrive on January 22, for a week-long tour in the lead-up to the World Cup. All three one-day matches will be played in Khulna. The West Indies U-19s will visit after Nepal for four one-day matches, three of which will be held at the Shaheed Chandu Stadium (SCS) in Bogra and the other at the Fatullah Cricket Stadium.The World Cup begins on February 17 in Malaysia with the final on March 2 at the Kinrara Academy Oval in Kuala Lumpur.Squad: Suhrawadi Shuvo (captain), Dolar Mahmud, Marshall Ayub, Subashis Roy, Rubel Hossain, Golam Kibria, Rony Talukder, Mahmudul Hasan, Nasir Hossain, Mohammad Shakil, Nadimuddin, Mithun Ali, Saikat Ali, Amit Majumder, Ashiqul Islam

“What you are saying about pressure, I am hearing this for the first time.”Mehedi Hasan, the Bangladesh Under-19 captain, had a straight face while saying this, but quickly broke into a giggle. Either he hid the sarcasm of the comment well or cloistered himself from social and mainstream media over the last few weeks.The moment, though, captured the unusual pressure and expectations on Bangladesh for an age-level tournament. Bangladesh may be buoyed by home advantage, but the fans expect the team to go past the quarter-finals at least.Bangladesh’s training session on the eve of their opening match against South Africa bubbled with energy and excitement. In between the serious stints of batting and bowling, they played around with attempts to take boundary-line catches. They even involved their team consultant Stuart Law in their horseplay. The players were admonished by their head coach Mizanur Rahman a couple of times, but it was all in good fun.The Under-19 World Cup is essentially a springboard for players to make it to the biggest level. While Bangladesh are keen to express themselves through their well-trained skills, they also face the challenge of dealing with heightened expectations.Mehedi has expressed happiness at people considering Bangladesh as contenders and hoped to “fulfil the expectations.””I like the fact that everyone thinks we can reach a good position,” Mehedi said. “Everyone is expecting that we will be on top, and beat the big nations. We know our standard, so we will try to fulfil the expectations. We just have to play our normal game. The team is very excited because we have prepared for this tournament. The real test starts tomorrow. If we can do well tomorrow, our hard work will be rewarded.”Mizanur, though, played down the pressure and expectations, and reckoned that Bangladesh’s record against South Africa held them in good stead for the tournament opener. Bangladesh had defeated South Africa 11 times out of 14 attempts in Youth ODIs in 2015.”There is no pressure around us,” Mizanur said. “We have been working towards this tournament for the last 18 months. We just don’t want the players to lose focus now.”We know everything about them. Our bowlers will know where to bowl to their batsmen. We hardly knew anything about England apart from the general information. So playing against South Africa will be easier. We beat them 5-2 in their conditions and 6-1 at home. We will be ahead in terms of mentality and preparations.”South Africa captain Tony de Zorzi, meanwhile, has said that his team is in a “good space.” The defending champions have also roped in former India batsman Sridharan Sriram as a batting consultant to counter spin. Sriram, who had served as a coaching consultant with the Australia A team, will work with the senior team in the upcoming World T20 in India.”We are very comfortable,” Zorzi said. “We are in a good space as a team and quite confident. They [Bangladesh] are a very talented side, as are we. They have to play well to beat us and I think they know that.”We have played couple of warm-up games and we have [former India batsman] Sriram helping us as batting consultant against spin. Lot of the guys have adapted to the conditions having played here before. There’s no fear of playing spin.”Five members of the Bangladesh team, including Mehedi, had played in the 2014 World Cup in the UAE, but this is set to be a different challenge and experience.