Pakistan’s cricketers have reportedly demanded a pay rise ahead of their tour of England, expressing unhappiness with the current level of retainer fees on offer and the restrictions imposed by the contracts they have signed.A report indicated that the players will ask the Pakistan board to double their retainer fees or release them from their existing contracts, and it is thought that this request has already been verbally passed to the chairman of the board, Shaharyar Khan.”With the World Cup just nine months away, we are receiving several lucrative offers but we cannot sign them because we are tied up with the cricket board,” an unnamed player in the Pakistan team told PTI. “We are not trying to blackmail the PCB, but simply want that we get a pay-rise when the contracts are offered next month.”However, according to Abbas Zaidi, PCB director, nothing is likely to happen until the current central contracts expire in June, when they will be reviewed. Speaking to Cricinfo, Zaidi refused to confirm whether such a request had been made by the players but reiterated that nothing can be done till June.”Nothing can happen until June when the contracts expire. Once they have done, then we will – as every year – review the entire system. Maybe we need to drop some players, include others. But even the review doesn’t necessarily mean a revision of pay scales. If we feel it is due, we will give it to them, if not we won’t,” he explained, before adding, “I am not aware of any such requests, they might have been made in person but the reports are neither here nor there because nothing can happen until June.”Under the existing central contracts, cricketers contracted under Category-A get a monthly retainer fees of Rs200,000 ($3,333) while those in Category-B are paid Rs125,000 ($2,083) and players belonging to Category-C get Rs75,000 ($1,250).The players, according to PTI, point out that the PCB’s deal with Pepsi Cola, long-standing team sponsor currently due to remain until 2009, means that each player receives Rs1.4 million a year ($23,300) for displaying the company’s logo, while the board earns more than a million dollars.

Gordon Greenidge has been appointed as the new convener of West Indies selectors, following a meeting by the directors of the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) in Barbados. Greenidge, a former West Indies opening batsman, will be joined by Andy Roberts and Clyde Butts in the new selection panel.Roberts is the new face in the current panel, following Joey Carew’s resignation a few days back. Butts and Greenidge were already members of the old panel.The board also retained Lara as captain and confirmed that he is indeed a part of the panel along with Bennett King, the West Indies coach. During the recent series against India, Lara revealed that he was informed of his position as a selector just days before the final Test in Jamaica, causing resentment on his part. West Indies lost the Test and the series 1-0, and the circumstances made him reconsider his position as captain once the new selection panel is announced. Carew insisted that his decision to resign had nothing to do with Lara’s comments on team selection and quality of pitches in the Tests against India.

Jacques Rudolph and Andrew Hall were both confident that South Africa would be able to save the first Test against Sri Lanka in Colombo. The pair gave their team the ideal start towards drawing the match with a record opening partnership of 165 in 206 minutes that saw South Africa end the fourth day on 311 for 4. They still require a further 276 runs to make Sri Lanka bat again with six wickets in hand going into the final day tomorrow.”We are playing well the way we expected. The guys are positive and the way we are playing suggests it can be done,” said Hall who scored 64. “It is still a very good pitch to bat. If you compare the first innings, we had many soft dismissals whilst in the second we’ve worked hard with determination. We had better shot selection.”Rudolph who missed out on a hundred by ten runs was of the opinion that the first hour of the final day was crucial. “It was a big day for us and I feel tomorrow is important”, he said. “If we can get there and survive the first hour we will have a good chance of saving the game.”If we are to save this test we need a big partnership. Hally [Hall] and I have given our team the platform. To get out in the 90s was disappointing. Dilhara [Fernando] was bowling a good spell at that stage. This is my fourth score of 90 in Test cricket. I don’t want to make it a habit. I must admit I enjoy Sri Lanka very much.”Tom Moody, the Sri Lanka coach, said that he was very confident of getting the remaining six South African wickets tomorrow.”We knew it was always going to be difficult”, he said. “It would have been nice to have snapped one more wicket at the end of the day. But four wickets we are reasonably happy with. We have our work cut out tomorrow. But you’ve got to give credit where it’s due. They dug in which we knew they were going to do and played well.”Hopefully the wicket will deteriorate a little bit more. It hasn’t certainly deteriorated as much as what we would have liked. If anything, it’s probably got a little bit more placid. It’s turning, but turning very slowly. It nullifies the greatest spinner [Muttiah Muralitharan] the game has seen”Moody said that given the conditions of the pitch, they had to try something new to take wickets and that is why Muralitharan was given the second new ball, with which he took AB de Villiers’s wicket. “We have to give him every advantage as possible when the wicket is not doing a hell of a lot,” said Moody. “I think you need a little bit of an imagination and experimentation when you get into situations like this. Try something out of the ordinary.”Moody added that Mahela Jayawardene, the Sri Lanka captain, did the best he could in the field to apply the pressure. He was also confident that the players would be rejuvenated on the last day and take every chance that comes their way.”It makes all those wonderful achievements even sweeter when there is success. The boys know that. They’ll rest up well tonight and look forward to the challenge tomorrow. They will come out fighting for that victory.”

Mohammad Asif, the Pakistan fast bowler, will not play the fourth Test against England starting on August 17 at The Oval. However, he will be available for the five one-day internationals that begin on August 30.Asif, who had fully recovered from his elbow injury last week, was scheduled to join the team along with Mohammad Hafeez, the offbreak bowler. But Shoaib Akhtar’s inclusion in the Test squad seems to have influenced the decision to hold Asif back. “The tour selection committee comprising coach Bob Woolmer, captain Inzamam-ul-Haq and manager Zaheer Abbas informed the PCB on Tuesday that they now require Asif just for the ODIs,” Saleem Altaf, PCB’s director of cricket operations, told . “Akhtar has now been inducted into the squad while other fast bowlers Shahid Nazir and Umar Gul have been bowling well.”Hafeez is still scheduled to play at The Oval and has already left for England. Pakistan lost the third Test by 167 runs and have thus lost the series 2-0 ahead of the final Test.

Mohammad Ibrahim, the right-hand batsman from Rawalpindi, will lead the Pakistan Under-19 team in two-four day matches against the touring India U-19 squad, as the Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) junior selection committee announced the 16-member squad on Friday.Ibrahim is one among two members of the squad which won the U-19 World Cup in Sri Lanka earlier this year, the other being Imad Wasim, the left-arm spinner. The squad for the one-day matches will be announced later, on the basis of the Inter-Regional Under-19 Tournament from September 5.India will arrive on September 4 and are scheduled to play their four-day matches in Rawalpindi and Peshawar respectively, followed by a four-match one day series.However, it has been reported that the second four-day match might be shifted to Abbottabad, due to ongoing work at the Arbab Niaz Stadium in Peshawar. While the levelling work has been completed, it is uncertain whether the work on the outfield will be completed in time.Anwar Zeb Jan, regional development manager of the PCB in North West Frontier Province (NWFP), said that Abbottabad would be ready to host the match.Pakistan Under-19: Mohammad Ibrahim (capt), Ahmed Shahzad, Syed Fawad, Shan Masood, Saadullah Ghori, Zeeshan Jameel, Ali Waqas, Behram Khan, Abdul Rauf, Raza Rehman, Rahatullah, Adil Raza, Mohammad Naveed, Immad Wasim, Nayeer Abbas, Shahzeb Khan

Close of play
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out
Uttar Pradesh ended the third day with a massive 416-run lead after Rizwan Shamshad paced his innings thoughtfully – playing the percentages when the bowlers were disciplined and exploding in the third session when he could manage some leeway. But despite the advantage UP currently enjoy the result is far from a foregone conclusion.When UP started batting today, the plan would have been simple. Put runs on the board at a fast clip, set up a target and push for a declaration in the last session. The plan was well under way in the pre-lunch session when Suresh Raina bolted off with a feisty fifty – 147 runs were rattled off in 35 overs – but hit a speed-breaker in the second session when they were pegged back by some niggardly bowling. But, post-tea, UP raced off again, thanks to the Shamshad show, to a position of strength from where they can apply pressure on the visitors.Never hurried into his shots, Shamshad, playing in his 105th first-class game, imposed himself in the last session in a serene manner, cutting and pulling Sarfraz Ahmed who didn’t hit the right areas. With one eye on the declaration, he dismantled Sarfraz before proceeding to tear apart the medium pace of Tahir Mughal. A fierce cut and a caressed cover-drive – he never looked ungainly even when going for the broke – was followed by a spanking pull as the runs leaked from both ends. Earlier, in the second session, when his partner Ravikant Shukla was strangled by the bowling, Shamshad had chosen to jog at an easy pace. Of course, there was a pull here, a lofted drive there, but for the main he chose to play quietly. Maybe, the plan was to run the bowlers to ground, preserve wickets and go for it in the last session. Jyoti Yadav was the ideal partner, rotating the strike with singles and slipping in a few biffed-hits to the fence. Shamshad fell, 12 runs short of what would have been his 20th first-class ton, to a very good tumbling catch by the substitute fielder Satvinder Singh, the local under-22 cricketer who had to take the field as Sialkot camp was hit by injuries, at square-leg when he top-edged a pull.The positive intent that Shamshad revealed in the last session was evident through the first session when UP came out attacking. Even, and especially, when a wicket fell, they counter-attacked. Rohit Srivastava took charge when Shiva Shukla fell after an innings that promised many more than what he ended up with, and when Srivastava departed, Raina imposed himself. Sadly, for a match named after Mohammad Nissar, the express Indian bowler of yore, Mohammad Asif, easily the best fast bowler on view, couldn’t showcase his bowling prowess due to a shoulder niggle. That not only would have disappointed the cricket romantics but also hurt Sialkot.Raina, who reached his 15th first-class half-century in the 42nd over of the innings, took time to settle down before the Srivastava dismissal sparked off the aggressive instinct in him. He waltzed down the track to the left-arm spinner Abdur Rehman and swung him over wide mid-on for two consecutive fours. But Rehman had the last laugh, dismissing Raina, at the stroke of lunch, by holding back the length when the batsman ran down the wicket and the ball spun to beat an intended flick shot.Shukla looked to be in a hurry right from the start. After a few airy wafts – he edged one past the slips in the first over of the day – he began to middle his shots. The straight drives and cover-drives were unfurled, and, just when it seemed he had the measure of the bowlers, Mughal produced a peach of a delivery to send him packing. The ball landed on a length on the middle and appeared to be heading straight on before veering away at the last minute. Srivastava took over with a vengeance – he dispatched Mughal for four fours in the space of eight deliveries. A fierce cut past point, just a ball after the Shukla dismissal, set him rolling and, in a blink, three pull shots were unleashed. However, he fell, going for yet another pull.After the aggression in the morning Sialkot attempted to come back in the game with a disciplined bowling performance in the afternoon. Although wickets didn’t fall in a heap, the run-rate slowed down. Sarfraz Ahmed harassed Ravikant Shukla with his probing line in the corridor of uncertainty. Time and again, Ravikant was beaten by the movement, once edging it short of second slip, as he kept playing away from his body. However, luck continued to favour him – he might well be tempted to buy a lottery ticket after the day’s play – as edges fell either short or were, when they carried, put down. Sarfraz dropped a dolly, when Ravikant was on 28, at mid-off in the first over upon resumption while another chance went down in the slips after he had gone past his fifty. To his credit, Ravikant didn’t let all this affect him and reached his half-century before he fatally flirted at a delivery outside the off stump.Going into the final day the match is intriguingly poised. Sialkot have the firepower of Imran Nazir, who dazzled in the first innings, and the experience of Shoaib Malik, who can either force or slow the pace as the situation demands, and would be quietly confident of saving the game and, maybe, even pulling off an unlikely victory. UP seems to be aware of this potential danger as evident by their decision not to declare even after Shamshad fell in the 88th over of the innings. Following Shamsad’s dismissal UP eked out only 35 runs in the 10 overs that were possible.There were two options for the hosts, either dangle the carrot of a possible chase or bat the other side out of the game and hope the task of playing for a draw proves an unbearable burden. Clearly they have chosen the latter. But with the wicket likely to break further on the last day, if UP can prise out some early wickets, they could be in business.

Shiva Shukla c Khalid Mahmood b Tahir Mughal 36 (57 for 1)
Rohit Srivastava c Mahmood b Shehzad Malik 33 ( 95 for 2)
Suresh Raina b Abdur Rehman 55 (165 for 3)
Ravikant Shukla c Majid Jahangir b Tahir Mughal 64 ( 238 for 4)
Rizwan Shamshad c Majid Jahangir b Mansoor Amjad 88 (326 for 5)
P Kumar c Majid Jahangir b Tahir Mughal 1 (336 for 6)
Piyush Chawla c&b Majid Jahangir 8 (361 for 7)

Cricket Australia warned fans that “idiots” would not be tolerated at the upcoming Ashes series.South African players complained about being racially abused by crowds while touring earlier this year and Cricket Australia chief executive James Sutherland said he wanted spectators to be well-behaved during the Ashes. “Action will be taken against anyone who fails to show respect for the people around them,” he said.New initiatives for the eagerly-anticipated Ashes series, which begins at Brisbane on November 23, include a mobile-phone text-messaging system to warn venue management about anti-social behaviour and extra security. There will also be increased closed-circuit television monitoring of crowds and announcements from pre-recorded appeals from Australian players for good behaviour during matches. Australian grounds already sell low alcohol beer at international cricket matches following crowd problems in previous years at one-day matches.Sutherland said Cricket Australia wanted to create a family atmosphere for genuine fans to enjoy watching England and Australia do battle. “No doubt there will be some idiots over the summer who do the wrong thing but we can assure fans that we will do all we can this season and in subsequent seasons to make their day the best it can be.”The rivalry between fans is expected to be intense during the sell-out series, with the tourists receiving vocal backing from the Barmy Army and the home fans itching to avenge last year’s defeat in England.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
SA how they were out
India how they were out

For the third match in a row India’s batsmen caved in under the floodlights against a relentless pace attack, surrendering to a 80-run defeat in the fourth ODI at Port Elizabeth. Herschelle Gibbs’s controlled 93 set up South Africa’s thumping win before the pace attack sealed the deal, giving them an unassailable 3-0 lead in the series with one match to play.India’s was a much-improved performance on the field – a fine start with the new ball was complemented by disciplined spin bowling in the middle, their fielding was sharper, and their bowlers finally got it right at the death. But, just when they appeared to be turning a corner, a rash of poor shot selection ended their chances. Irfan Pathan’s battling 47 was the only bright spot as India slumped to their 11th defeat in their last 15 games (two games didn’t have results).Having sustained their intensity for the entire first half, unlike at Cape Town when they allowed South Africa to break away, India had a chance to pull one back. But a combination of Makhaya Ntini’s blistering pace and Shaun Pollock’s nagging accuracy left India with nowhere to hide. Some reckless shot-making didn’t help matters and none of the top-order batsmen showed the gumption to hang in there and bide his time.The slide began in the sixth over of the innings when Jaffer flashed away from his body – not a stroke he would even imagine attempting in the Test matches. Sachin Tendulkar, batting at No.3 for only the eighth time in his career, was unsure about whether to play or leave and fell to Pollock for the ninth time (Chaminda Vaas is the only other bowler to have managed it so many times). The two dismissals seemed to rattle Sehwag, who soon scooped a full ball to midwicket and watching Loots Bosman pull off a superb diving catch. Mohammad Kaif and Dinesh Karthik found runs difficult to come by and succumbed to a silly run-out. Karthik set off but stopped after a few steps and there was little Kaif could do but carry on running back to the pavilion.The support cast refused to let up on the aggression that Ntini and Pollock had displayed. Andre Nel, who missed the previous game, generated lift and hit the splice hard while Jacques Kallis troubled the batsmen with movement off the pitch. Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s brief blast, including four spanked fours and a pulled six off Kallis, ended in an over-ambitious swing while Dinesh Karthik and Ajit Agarkar gave it away after they were set. Pathan, however, stood out. He managed to score at close to a run a ball and showed that he could attack as well as defend with his solid technique. He even managed to blitz the fiery Nel for two huge sixes – one drilled over long-off, the other lofted over cover.

India will do well to pick up a few lessons from Gibbs, who shelved his attacking instincts in the face of disciplined bowling. His innings could have been terminated on 2, when he pulled a short one straight to Sehwag at midwicket, but Sreesanth overstepping the mark allowed him to fight on. He waited for the loose deliveries, while effectively collecting singles against the spinners, and acted as a glue to ensure that the innings didn’t fall apart.He shared three vital partnerships – 69 with Kallis, whose aesthetically-conceived 49 was gorgeous in its execution, 61 with Mark Boucher, who nudged his way to 29, and 61 with Shaun Pollock, who’s promising 37 was cut short by a needless run-out. Kallis’s knock was the most aggressive of the lot, leading a superb counterattack from a precarious 7 for 2, after Zaheer Khan had removed Smith for the third successive game in a row.Things South Africa couldn’t manage a boundary between the 29th and 39th overs – a phase during which Tendulkar and Sehwag applied the brakes. Pollock’s busy approach, including two crisply-struck sixes, allowed him to motor to a 43-ball 37 but a reckless bit of running from Gibbs – when he was concentrating on the ball driven to mid-on rather than Pollock running three quarters of the distance – cost him his wicket. Zaheer and Sreesanth cashed in on that moment. Managing full-length deliveries on a consistent basis, the duo conceded just 28 in the final four overs, providing a suitable denouement to the good work from the rest. India’s batsmen, though, undid it all.

Strained friendship of the day
Shane Warne and Kevin Pietersen didn’t look like bosom buddies after Warne threw the ball back to Adam Gilchrist and narrowly missed the batsman. Pietersen’s response was impossible to lip read incorrectly and included two short, sharp, one-syllable words. It wasn’t their only conversation.Lowlight of the Day
Andrew Strauss falling to his second poorly timed cross-bat shot of the game. As the vice-captain, he sent a poor message to his team-mates when he holed out off Stuart Clark in the first session.Injury of the day
Ricky Ponting’s back complaint got him out of fielding after he set England a modest 648 for victory.Shot of the Day
Paul Collingwood’s uppercut off Lee was special. The ball was short, fast and directed over the boundary in line with the first slip. A Gabba staff member took a smart catch.Ball of the Day
Warne’s second-up slider to Ian Bell, England’s mini-hero of the first innings. Just when it seemed he’d shaken off his bunny status, Warne nailed him with the straight one.Chant of the Day
“Give us our ball back!” demanded most of the eastern side of the stadium after a particularly heroic beach ball was finally captured by the fun police after evading questioning for a full 20 minutes. Sadly it was found guilty of trespass.Rumour of the Day
Started by the locals, perpetuated by , and clung on to by all England followers, there is apparently a severe thunderstorm ready to strike sometime tomorrow afternoon. Apparently.

Uganda kick of 2007 with a tour to Kenya in January where they will play a select Nairobi Provincial Cricket Association (NPCA XI) side, Kenya, Canada and Bermuda.The Ugandans will take on the NPCA select side on January 24, play the hosts Kenya or Kenya A on January 26, Canada on January 27 and conclude the tour with a match against Bermuda on January 28.”We have lined up some of the ICC’s top Associates because they will also use the games as warm up ties for the ICC World Cricket League tournament that runs at the same time,” said Cricket Kenya’s CEO, Tom Tikolo.In a few months Uganda travel to South Africa to prepare for Division Three of the World Cricket League in Australia, in June.”We shall use the trip to expose more of our players ahead of the Australia tour,” Robert Kisubi, Uganda’s chairman of selectors told . “I am optimistic the boys will learn a lot playing against big sides.”Schedule
Uganda v NPCA XI (Jan 24)
Uganda v Kenya (Jan 26)
Uganda v Canada (Jan 27)
Uganda v Bermuda (Jan 28)