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ScorecardMarcus North’s 101 helped Western Australia avoid defeat•Getty Images

Marcus North made a timely century in the lead-up to the Ashes but Michael Hussey failed again, as Western Australia salvaged a draw with South Australia. The Redbacks started the morning needing ten wickets to achieve an innings victory but despite a strong collection from Peter George, they were held off well by North and Shaun Marsh.The Warriors finished the match at 6 for 311, with Adam Voges unbeaten on 44 and Luke Ronchi on 23, as the hosts could not find a way into the tail. George ended up with 4 for 64 in his first match back at first-class level after his Test debut in Bangalore, and his victims included the struggling Hussey.After his golden duck in the first innings, Hussey was keen for a strong performance to silence his critics, but he fell for 3 when an inside edge onto his pad was snapped up in close by James Smith. The pressure was then on North, who had also failed in the first innings, and he was lucky to survive a very close lbw shout from George before he had scored.North made full use of the good fortune and combined with Marsh for a 163-run stand that left South Australia needing a string of quick wickets to achieve their goal. Marsh was eventually dismissed for 89, which continued an excellent match for him after he top scored in the first innings with 137.North departed for 101, but there was enough batting behind him for the Warriors to hold on. He will remain with Western Australia over the next few weeks in the lead-up to the first Ashes Test, while Hussey will fly to Melbourne for Wednesday’s first ODI against Sri Lanka.

Peter Siddle is set to play his first match for Australia in nine months after being named in the squad for Sunday’s Twenty20 against Sri Lanka at the WACA. The wicketkeeper Brad Haddin will also make his comeback after a long injury lay-off and will replace Tim Paine, while Michael Hussey and Mitchell Johnson have been rested.The 12-man squad for the first international of the home summer is made up entirely of Victoria and New South Wales players and features the spinner Steve O’Keefe, who made his debut for Australia in England in July. John Hastings, the Victoria allrounder who played his first ODI last week in India, has also been included for a potential Twenty20 debut.The non-selection of Hussey and Johnson is understandable, as they will instead warm up for the Ashes with a Sheffield Shield match for Western Australia against South Australia beginning this Friday. However, the same theory was not used for the Test opener Shane Watson, who will play the Twenty20 instead of a first-class outing for New South Wales against Queensland that begins on the same day.Watson, Haddin and the captain Michael Clarke are the only Test certainties included in the Twenty20 line-up, although every player will have the chance for at least one Sheffield Shield game before the first Ashes Test. Siddle is also aiming to re-establish his credentials after spending the winter laid up with a stress fracture in his back.Siddle, 25, had been a regular member of the Test attack until his injury struck, but he faces a challenge to force his way back in ahead of one of Mitchell Johnson, Doug Bollinger or Ben Hilfenhaus. His best chance might be if the selectors choose four fast men on a potentially seam-friendly Gabba pitch for the first Test.”Peter is a key bowler in all forms of the game and has made a return from injury and is now ready to take his place in this Australia Twenty20 squad,” the chairman of selectors, Andrew Hilditch, said. Siddle made his initial return for Victoria in the Champions League Twenty20, and is now playing in the Sheffield Shield match against Tasmania.Haddin is also on his way back after a lengthy period on the sidelines, having not played for Australia since May due to an elbow problem. His absence allowed Paine to prove himself an impressive option at Test and one-day level, but there is no doubt that Haddin will remain the No. 1 man for the Ashes.Hilditch said: “It is unfortunate for Tim Paine, having played so well for Australia recently, to miss out on this squad but Brad has made a very good recovery from his elbow injury and is an established member of our side in all forms of the game.”The squad also sees some of our best young talent continuing to increase their international experience and exposure. Players like Steve Smith, Stephen O’Keefe and John Hastings all have exciting all-round skills for Twenty20 cricket and it will be great to see them against a very strong Sri Lanka squad.”Daniel Christian and Nathan Hauritz, who were in Australia’s ICC World Twenty20 squad this year, were left out, while Ryan Harris and Shaun Tait were unavailable due to injuries. And there was no place for Brett Lee, who is in the early stages of his comeback after an injury-plagued year and had been keen to target the Sri Lanka series for an international return.”It would have been his plan to be ready for this but with only two one-day games after an extensive break we want to see him play a bit more domestic cricket yet,” Hilditch said. “Certainly there was a lengthy discussion even for this squad, but it really felt too early.”Australia squad David Warner, Shane Watson, Brad Haddin (wk), Michael Clarke (capt), Cameron White, David Hussey, Steven Smith, John Hastings, Steve O’Keefe, Peter Siddle, Clint McKay, Dirk Nannes.

Ryan McLaren, the South Africa allrounder, has been called in to replace the injured Albie Morkel for the two-match Twenty20 series against Zimbabwe over the weekend. Morkel picked up a side strain while playing for Chennai Super Kings in their run to the Champions League Twenty20 title last month.”We are anticipating that Albie will be fit in time to take his place in the three-match ODI series that starts next week,” selection convener Andrew Hudson said.McLaren, 27, was part of the side during their last Twenty20 assignment – two matches during the tour of West Indies in May, and took a five-wicket haul in the first of those matches. He was surprisingly overlooked when the squad for the upcoming Zimbabwe series was announced.Since he made his international debut last November, McLaren has fared well for South Africa, being named the Newcomer of the Year at the 2010 SA Cricket Awards in July. He gave up his Kolpak status last year, thus making himself available for national selection. He was called up for South Africa’s ODI squad to face Kenya and Bangladesh in October 2008 but English county Kent refused to release him.

The three Pakistani players provisionally suspended by the ICC on allegations of spot-fixing began the process of clearing their names by filing replies to the game’s governing body on Tuesday.”Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir have filed their replies to the notice of charge that the ICC had placed upon them,” Taffazul Rizvi, the PCB’s legal advisor, told ESPNcricinfo. Though the trio are back in Pakistan, the replies were filed through their London-based lawyer Elizabeth Robertson.The three players were served notices on September 2 after the ICC felt they had “a case to answer” and had two weeks – till the coming Thursday – to respond.ICC officials, however, offered no comment on receiving the replies from the three Pakistan players. “The ICC will not rush into any sort of decision,” a source close to the investigation said. “It might take a lot of time and nobody really knows how much before anything is decided,”ESPNcricinfo understands that the players have entered a plea of not guilty and have asked for the provisional suspensions to be lifted. It is likely that the players are seeking both extra evidence and time on the matter; the request for more time is a result of the PCB and players’ concern that the Scotland Yard investigations are still on and if the ICC pursues the investigation as well, the players may end up being punished twice.Since the players have filed their replies, the ICC can go ahead and form its tribunal to hear the case. Otherwise the governing body would have had to wait until the actual charge sheet was placed before the disciplinary committee and punishments were handed out. The three-member tribunal is chosen from the members of the Code of Conduct Commission, and generally includes the chairman, currently Michael Beloff QC.The three players were questioned twice by police in London before returning to Pakistan, firstly in the immediate aftermath of the original story breaking then again a week later at Kilburn police station in north London. No charges were brought at any stage and the three flew back to Pakistan on Friday , but with an agreement with Scotland Yard that they would return at any time for further questioning.

The West Indies Cricket Board has announced the complete list of all approved cricket within its jurisdiction, with a view to protect the integrity of cricket in the region.”The WICB takes very seriously it’s responsibility in overseeing cricket in the West Indies and as such we are making public the list of approved cricket so that there can be no doubt by any stakeholder as to what matches or events are approved by the WICB,” the board’s chief executive Ernest Hilaire said. “There is a complete list of not only approved cricket but what is deemed ‘pre-approved cricket’ and we have worked closely with all the territorial boards to put together a thorough listing for all stakeholders to be with.”As the custodian of cricket in this part of the world, the WICB – like other boards around the world – must be proactive and exercise diligence in protecting the integrity of the game and one way to do this is to ensure that all the information pertaining to the approval of cricket is widely available.”Applications for approval of a cricket match or event – outside of what is detailed in the List of Approved and Pre-approved cricket – must be made in writing to the WICB at least 30 days prior to the start of the event.”We certainly expect that there will be applications forthcoming and we look forward to working with all those who have the best interest of West Indies cricket at heart in an effort to improve the quality of the game in the region,” Hilaire said.The approvals, effective from August 1, are in accordance with applicable ICC regulations.

ScorecardUSA Women have qualified for next year’s Women’s Cricket World Cup Qualifer with an emphatic nine-wicket win over Canada in the second game of the three-match series being played at the Maple Leaf Cricket Club in King City. Canada were bundled out for a paltry 135, before Monique Mathee’s 70 guided USA home easily.The Canada openers got off to a steady start, adding 33, before the seamers took control and they were backed by clever field placements. Canada lost three wickets for five runs and were struggling at one stage at 76 for 7. Doris Francis, the right-arm seamer, cut through the middle order with 3 for 16 off ten overs. The 16-year-old Mikaela Turik was the top scorer with 32 and she was supported by No.10 Helene Gaffney, who made a run-a-ball 27.USA lost just the one wicket and chased down the target at a steady pace. Mathee remained unbeaten on 70 with seven fours while Indomatie Goordial-John made 36.

Simon Katich is back home getting ready for a busy summer that will include the Ashes and the birth of his first child. Katich, the best Australian batsman in the drawn Pakistan series, will be 35 by the time England visit but he is not planning to wrap up his career.”I haven’t looked at an end date, the last couple of years have probably been my best,” Katich said in the Sydney Morning Herald. ”I don’t want to say, ‘geez, this could be all over in a year or two years’. Who knows? I just want to keep enjoying playing cricket.”Katich has not spoken to Ricky Ponting or Michael Hussey about the situation – all three will be 35 when the Ashes starts. “I don’t know whether they’ve got the same opinion as me but I’ve really enjoyed being back in the team these last two years,” he said. “I’ve cherished every opportunity.”In the second Test at Leeds, which Pakistan won by three wickets, Katich ended his streak of at least a half-century in nine consecutive matches. He was the most complete batsman during a disappointing series for Australia, scoring 187 runs, including two 80s, in four innings. Despite his recent success, he is trying not to look too far ahead.”The way I’ve treated it in the last couple of years is that I treat it one series at a time, even one Test at a time,” he said. ”I don’t want to look too far in front because the problem with this game is that if you look too far in front, all of a sudden a couple of bad Tests, and next thing you know you feel the pressure.”Katich’s baby is due in January and with him not being part of the one-day side, he will be able to spend a lot of time at home while his team-mates are at the World Cup. ”It’s an exciting time, it was nice to get that news before the [Pakistan] Tests and then go out there and play some cricket,” he said. “I guess it will give a different perspective on life when it does arrive, there’s no doubt things will change.”

ScorecardJaidev Unadkat launched his first-class career in spectacular style, running through West Indies A with a spell of penetrative fast bowling to finish with figures of 7 for 41 on the second day at Grace Road. West Indies were shot out for 144 and then India’s batsmen ensured they cashed in on the bowlers’ performance, to finish the day on top, with a lead of 39 and eight wickets intact.After the first day was lost to poor weather, Unadkat’s spell on the second morning seemed intent on making up for lost time. Devon Smith perished in his second over, edging to Manish Pandey for five to begin the procession. Omar Philips and Kraigg Braithwaite followed soon after, leaving West Indies stuttering at 26 for 3. Kirk Edwards pitched tent, contributing one run in fifty minutes of defence, and adding 37 runs with Andre Fletcher, before Unadkat intervened in dramatic fashion. Edwards was caught in front and Chadwick Walton’s castle was breached first ball to complete Unadkat’s five-for. In between the strikes Dhawal Kulkarni got rid of Fletcher and West Indies were staring down the barrel again.David Bernard, Imran Khan and Andre Russel managed to take them past three figures, but 144 still seemed woefully inadequate, and India’s top order ensured the advantage was driven home. Abhinav Mukund and Ajinkya Rahane struck fifties, and the latter was unbeaten at stumps as India surged into the lead. Giving him company was Cheteshwar Pujara who had rushed to 34 off 37 balls with five fours, and the pair look good for more runs on day three.

Senior BCCI functionaries, including Shashank Manohar (president) and N Srinivasan (secretary) met the top brass of IMG in Mumbai on Monday to seek clarifications on their role in the various allegations related to the IPL. The meeting was described by Andrew Wildblood, IMG’s senior vice-president, as “brief, friendly and constructive.”IMG, one of the top global sports management firms, has been a key part of the IPL since its inception, primarily involved in areas such as formulating the franchise bidding, player contracts and auctions, the media rights issues, the broadcast rights and especially the day-to-day running of the league. Its role in the running of the league has come into question since the suspension of Lalit Modi as the IPL chairman. It was expected that the board would clarify whether IMG was aware of Modi’s alleged misdemeanours, including the charges related to rigging of the initial bids for a couple of franchises in 2008.The IMG team in Mumbai also included its senior legal counsels Paul Manning and John Laffhagen, the latter having drafted the player contracts.Manohar had seemingly pointed fingers at IMG immediately after the IPL governing council meeting on April 26, saying the council trusted Modi and the IMG to run the league in a professional manner. He was responding to a query about the culpability of the council in the IPL mess.”An institution functions on trust,” Manohar had said. “If you are expecting every governing council member to come here every morning at 10 and leave at 10 in the night to look at what is happening everywhere, then we don’t need the other staff which is there. Then we don’t need to pay IMG Rs 27 crore [approx $6 million] and we don’t need a CEO to run the IPL. It is their job to do all these things.”This is not the first time IMG has been caught in a web of controversy. The board was unhappy with the original deal signed by the IPL with IMG which involved a management fee of 10% of tournament revenue. IMG was paid Rs 43 crore after IPL 1 and Rs 33 crore after the tournament was shifted to South Africa in 2009. The board then asked IMG to submit a revised proposal but the latter failed to do so within the stipulated deadline and hence the contract was terminated in 2008. Eventually the contract was re-negotiated and both parties settled for a figure of Rs 27 crore as annual payment from the third season.Apart from the IPL controversy, the board was also expected to question IMG’s role in the proposed “parallel IPL” in the UK, a charge that was pressed by Giles Clarke, the ECB chairman recently. Clarke alleged that Modi was trying to induce counties to set-up a rebel Twenty20 league that would undermine the ECB. The reason IMG got dragged into the imbroglio was because of the presence of two of its senior officials – Wildblood and Peter Griffiths (director of operations) at the March 31 meeting, where Modi met representatives from Lancashire, Warwickshire and Yorkshire.IMG vehemently denied their role in setting up any such league and clarified through a statement that they had just facilitated a meeting between Modi and the counties. The BCCI issued a second show-cause to Modi in the Clarke affair, asking him to submit his reply in 15 days. The deadline expires on May 21.

Scorecard
Former England Under-19 international Mark Footitt delivered a reminder of his talents by claiming four wickets to help Derbyshire dismiss Northamptonshire for 220 on the first day at Wantage Road.Footitt, who was tipped for senior England duties as a youngster, was released by Nottinghamshire last year but returned figures of 4 for 78 off his 17 overs. The 24-year-old was ably supported by Tom Lungley and former South Africa international Robin Peterson, who took three wickets each.Northants captain Nicky Boje top-scored for the hosts with 54 but David Sales and Andrew Hall both gave their wickets away on 33. And opening duo Wayne Madsen and Chris Rogers smashed 57 runs from 13 overs before the close of play to leave Derbyshire trailing by only 163 runs.Northants won the toss and chose to bat but were struggling on 25 for 2 after nine overs thanks to Derbyshire seamer Lungley. He first trapped Vishal Tripathi lbw for 13 before Alex Wakely went for a third-ball duck when Lungley clipped the top of his off stump with a slower ball.Stephen Peters made it to 32 off 58 balls before he smashed Footitt to Rogers, who took a good low catch at mid-off. Footitt struck again when he ripped through Rob White’s off stump with a superb quick delivery, the batsman going without troubling the scorers after facing six balls.Resuming on 98 for 4 after lunch, Hall lasted another seven overs before being caught by wicketkeeper Lee Goddard off Footitt after making a bright 33 off 41 balls. Northants lost Sales, who also made 33, in the next over when his attempted drive off spinner Robin Peterson flew straight to Madsen at extra cover.Lungley claimed his third wicket when Paul Harrison edged him limply to Goddard for a simple catch. Boje and James Middlebrook took no chances as they tried to salvage their side’s innings before tea with a gritty 32 off the afternoon’s remaining 20 overs.Boje reached his half century in 97 balls in the fourth over after tea. His total included four fours and one six smacked straight down the ground, but he did not last much longer as the 37-year-old went to drive Footitt in the next over but only found Madsen at point.Peterson then ended the Northants innings by first bowling David Lucas (13) then Jack Brooks, who faced just two balls without scoring before being caught by John Sadler at short leg. Derbyshire made a strong start to their reply, to be 163 runs behind with 10 first-innings wickets in hand.