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Australia are not expecting their Twenty20 group matches in Cape Town to be dominated by batsmen as the damp conditions could swing things back in favour of the bowlers. They are also still deciding on their starting line-up for the opening match against Zimbabwe, with concerns over Shane Watson and Michael Clarke.Tim Nielsen, the coach, said Australia’s warm-up games at Benoni and Centurion were useful but were not an accurate guide to how Cape Town would play in early-season conditions. The city had more than 100 millimetres of rain in August and showers were expected this week.”It’s going to be a heavy ground, heavy air and damp conditions,” Nielsen told . “You certainly notice how quick the ball comes off the bat up here [in Johannesburg] it just flies, so that will be different. And if it’s going to seam around and swing a bit it’s certainly going to put the balance in the favour of the bowlers so it will be a different game to what we’ve played over the last couple of days.”Australia beat New Zealand and lost to South Africa in their practice matches, although they were well below full strength with Ricky Ponting and Shane Watson only arriving on Monday, Clarke struggling with a lower abdominal strain and Matthew Hayden suffering back spasms. Although he is jetlagged Ponting is preparing to play against Zimbabwe early Thursday morning (Australian time) and Hayden is also expected to line up. Clarke remains in doubt and Watson’s hamstring injury might mean he is rested until the group stage is over.Nielsen said even in the shortest version of the game, all 11 players needed to be ready for action. “You’ve got to be ready for a couple of wickets to fall in succession,” he said. “Every now and again and you’ve got to be willing to hold your nerve and not panic at that time.”He said there might be advantages to batting second in Twenty20, although the key was keeping calm regardless of what stage the game was at. “It certainly gives you a clear idea of where you’re going when you’ve got a target to chase,” Nielsen said. “If you lose a few early wickets, you might overdo it a little bit when you’re batting first, thinking you need a bigger target.”

Tatenda Taibu, the former Zimbabwe captain, has made his debut for Namibia in the SAA Provincial Cup match against Limpopo in Windhoek.In recent weeks there has been speculation about Taibu’s playing future after an attempt to forge a career in South Africa hit problems. Discussions with Namibia have been ongoing for a couple of weeks and a few days ago the final parts of the agreement were confirmed.Francoise Erasmus, a spokesman for the team, told Cricinfo: “He will be with our squad for the remainder of the season. It is something we have been discussing for a while and Tatenda seems very excited by the situation.”His wife is moving over the join him next week and we are keen to make it a long term arrangement. It would be terrific to have someone of his quality.”However, any thoughts of an international return will still have to wait. Erasmus confirmed there are a number of ways Taibu could try and qualify, but it would take five years of living in Namibia for him to qualify to play international tournaments.Namibia are part of the SAA provincial Cup as an invitational side so the same qualification rules don’t apply meaning Taibu is eligible to slot straight into the team, a situation that has been agreed by Cricket South Africa. Taibu started with 21, batting at No.3, as Namibia eased to a 168-run win.

While rain made the fifth Ashes Test its biggest casualty, poor weather also tried to hamper the Australians in teams pushing for County Championship honours or fighting to avoid relegation. Lancashire managed to avoid any serious interruptions to seal promotion back into Division One, and with only two rounds until the end of the season David Hussey’s Nottinghamshire are favourites for the main trophy ahead of Sussex and Kent.Notts gave themselves a ten-point boost at the top of the table with impressive help from Hussey in a two-day innings-and-54-run victory over Gloucestershire at Trent Bridge. Hussey stroked 157 from 187 balls in a sparkling innings that included 27 fours and three sixes. It was Hussey’s third century of a season that has produced 1220 runs at 76.25, and his fine effort was matched by Mark Ealham, who twice knocked into Gloucestershire with nine wickets.Middlesex, who were without the Australia A bowler Stuart Clark in the draw with Kent, are battling with Surrey and Warwickshire to miss the three-team relegation. The demotions of Gloucestershire and Glamorgan have already been confirmed.Boosted by a two-pronged Australian contingent, Lancashire earned Division-Two promotion with an eight-wicket victory over Essex at Chelmsford. Symonds made 98 from 135 balls – his Championship scores since joining after Australia’s one-day series are 134, 45, 121, 146, 1, 37, 4 and 98 – and Law added 14 and 13 not out after Murali Kartik collected ten wickets for the match. Lancashire are the first team to be promoted while Durham and Yorkshire currently hold the crucial second and third spots.Ian Harvey grabbed three wickets and scored 11 as the weather hindered Yorkshire’s push against Worcestershire at Headingley. Only five overs were possible on the final day as Yorkshire desperately tried to haul in their target of 203. When the match was abandoned they were 2 for 125 from 25 overs.Rain ruined the Northamptonshire v Somerset match at Taunton after three innings with the visitors on top. Martin Love contributed 14 and Damien Wright 71 as Northants cruised to 574 with centuries to Usman Afzaal and David Sales, while the home side managed 396 and 4 for 163 before rain intervened to force an early finish. Wright had a memorable match with seven wickets to go with his fourth Championship half-century of the year.Derbyshire confirmed they would finish last with a draw against Leicestershire that was limited to two innings because of the weather. Jon Moss managed 14 as Derbyshire were dismissed for 190 chasing the opposition’s 6 declared for 552 at Grace Road.

An elated Glenn McGrath is completely satisfied with his fitness and has declared himself “ready to go” for the first Test series against Sri Lanka. McGrath had gone into the tour game, between the Northern Territory Chief Minister’s XI and the Sri Lankans, under plenty of pressure after a less than satisfactory performance in the one-dayers in Zimbabwe.Though McGrath finished with modest figures of 1 for 25 in his 14 overs in the second innings, he was happy with the rhythm that he found. “I’m a lot more confident now than what I was before this match here. That’s the best my ankle has felt and the best I’ve hit the crease for the last two-and-a-half years and to me that was the secret to me bowling well.”McGrath also added a bit about his confidence levels, which seemed to have shot up exponentially. “My confidence is, yesterday morning compared to now, it’s 500% better. I’m so much more confident and couldn’t be happier at the moment.”Justin Langer, who captained the Chief Minister’s XI, revealed that he spoke a lot to McGrath before the game and adviced him to be a little patient. “I was really keen to encourage him and just tell him to be patient because he has got a bit down on himself. Again he is human and he probably hasn’t played much in 12 months. His confidence is down a little bit which happens to everyone, and probably never really happened to him throughout his whole career.”Langer termed McGrath’s performance as “fantastic” for most of the game, and said he would believed it wouldn’t be long before he was back to his best. “It’s like a Rolls Royce,” he added, “you’ve got to be a bit patient, get the oil going, I thought he just looked fantastic for this almost the whole game.”And he even suggested that McGrath should be given the new ball by adding, “If I was [Ponting], I’d give him the new ball. The boys get here tomorrow so no doubt we’ll talk about it. I just thought he looked as you always expect Glenn McGrath to bowl.”

Lt-Colonel John Stephenson, the secretary of MCC from 1987 to 1993, died yesterday at his home in Salisbury, Wiltshire. He was 72.Stephenson, tall and ramrod-backed, started at Lord’s as assistant secretary in 1979 after 28 years in the army. He soon became a familiar sight marching around on the outfield during weather interruptions, either sheltering under a vast MCC umbrella or poking the turf suspiciously with it. In his early days he would arrive at the ground, immaculately dressed, on an improbably small bicycle.He took over as secretary at a difficult time, when his predecessor Jack Bailey (with whom he had been at school at Christ’s Hospital) was manoeuvred out at an early stage of MCC’s bicentenary celebrations in 1987. "The Colonel", a genial fellow, was seen as a safe pair of hands, and his outgoing personality helped mend many fences, both outside Lord’s and within, given MCC’s often-frosty relationship with the Test & County Cricket Board (now the ECB).Under his stewardship Lord’s became a more friendly place, although he was a stickler for tradition in the right place. Some of the staff wished they had seen a little more of him, but this may have been because of the endless stream of meetings – which he cheerfully loathed – that he was expected to attend. Initially he was secretary of the International Cricket Council as well, and oversaw its transition into a completely independent body, also housed within the confines of Lord’s.He took particular delight in the achievements of the MCC Young Cricketers, and captained them with enthusiasm during the annual Cross Arrows season in September. As a bowler, the term "military medium" was particularly appropriate in his case.Stephenson was supposed to retire at 60 in 1991, but the committee was persuaded to let him carry on for two more years (he himself had rather hoped for five). After his eventual retirement he served briefly on MCC’s committee, but was disappointed that no other companies seemed terribly interested in using his expertise.His obituary in The Times pointed out that he was "not a man of great intellect", but more charitably observed that he made up for that with common sense: "By his natural courtesy and charm he did wonders for [MCC’s] public relations. He would talk to anyone, from the man on the mower to the most exalted committee member. Media critics inclined to prickle at the traditions of Lord’s and the perceived stuffiness of a club that had once ruled the game were disarmed by his frankness and charm."He was married to his wife, Karen, for 41 years: they had two daughters and a son, who followed him into the army. He was appointed CBE for services to cricket in 1994.

John Reid is in the wars again.The tough-talking, and acting, International Cricket Council referee, and former New Zealand cricket captain and all-rounder has drawn the continuing ire of the Pakistan Cricket Board who have taken exception to his appointment as match referee to the Pakistan-Bangladesh Asian Test Championship match.As soon as the appointment was announced, the PCB announced it would be protesting against Reid.In the past, in his role as match referee Reid has been involved in fining and suspending Pakistan fast bowler Waqar Younis for ball tampering while Azhar Mahmood had been fined and warned on similar charges.Reid was also involved in acting on the reports of umpires concerned at fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar’s bowling action. He sent the umpires report to the ICC for action by the ICC’s bowling committee which agreed with the umpire.Reid said today he had no comment to make on the Pakistan protest although he did say he was disappointed by it.Reid said that despite the protest he was still available to go to the match and do the job he had been appointed to.The issue is an important one for the ICC and raises questions on its administration of the world game.The Pakistan view is that the ICC created a precedent for an official being challenged after Sri Lanka successfully sought the removal of Australian umpire Darrell Hair from their games in the 1999 World Cup. Hair had been involved in calling Sri Lankan off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan for throwing on a tour of Australia.Since that time however, the ICC has toughened up its governance in order to seek more control of its member countries, especially in the wake of match-fixing controversies.ICC president Malcolm Gray said from Melbourne today that all he knew about the Pakistan complaint was what he had seen on CricInfo on the Internet and would be talking with ICC chief executive Malcolm Speed tonight to see if a protest had been received.

Kane Williamson looked a leader long before last week, when he took New Zealand to a series win in Zimbabwe, long before last year, when he took them to victory over Pakistan in the UAE, and even before July 2012, when he headed up their humbling in the West Indies. It was earlier that year, on a windy and wet Wellington afternoon, when he saw off an increasingly vicious Morne Morkel, survived being struck everywhere it hurts – his arm, his shoulder, his box – and forced a drawn Test against South Africa that Williamson first made his claim as a future captain.

‘Captaincy helps my batting’ – Faf du Plessis

While Kane Williamson compartmentalises captaincy and batting, his opposite number Faf du Plessis combines them to form a complete package. Du Plessis took over as South Africa’s T20 captain in February 2013 and believes the extra responsibility has enhanced him as a cricketer.
“I really love captaining. It makes the game feel a little bit easier for me because I am thinking of all the aspects and I feel it also helps my batting because I am a cricketer that relies on being smart when I bat, that carries into my captaincy,” du Plessis said.
“I’ve played under really good leadership and I think I have matured a bit more than I was two years ago. Even though I have always enjoyed captaincy, the more you do it the more you mature and you understand what makes people tick. In that sense I’ve grown the most.”

That day Williamson impressed not by virtue of his runs – and he made 102 of them – but by his resoluteness. He could not be broken because if he was, his team would break with him and that, more than the individual feat, was the most important part of being an international cricketer to him. He said so that day; he said so again today.”That’s a lot of what we talk about: playing for the right reasons, playing to move the team forward and being able to somewhat remove too many selfish endeavours – which can be a challenge in the game. There’s so many stats around that they can come into individuals’ mindsets but the biggest thing for us is that when we play for the team the obligation is purely to help the team and move the team forward.”New Zealand’s kumbaya culture of cricket has multiplied manyfold since that day. Now it’s not just Williamson that believes in taking one for the team, but all of them. Close your eyes and attend a New Zealand press conference and you will think they keep bringing the same man to the microphone, because they all say the same thing, but unlike the rehearsed corporate speak of professional sport today, New Zealand actually sound sincere.It helps that when they’re on the field, they walk that talk too. Just think of the World Cup. New Zealand represented true team culture. They were having what Brendon McCullum called “the time of our lives,” and we couldn’t help having it with them.”It was a lot of fun. We had a great time. It was just a fantastic time to be playing cricket; to have it in our own country, it really changed the way the country looked at the sport,” Williamson said. “In New Zealand, rugby is No.1 but during that World Cup we might have taken that spot for a brief moment in time, which it made it all that more special.”No regrets over not going that one step further? None, it seems. “It would have been nice to go all the way but still, we played the cricket we wanted to play. Someone had to lose in that final and it was us,” Williamson said. “Now the World Cup’s over, that’s cool, and we are still looking to improve.” Because next year there is another major trophy to play for and New Zealand want to win as much as anyone else.A serious challenge on their part will likely require a Williamson in top form, even though he will not admit it himself. “It is about playing for the team in any situation. I am a believer that sometimes results or figures that you try and reach can be a distraction to achieving it. My focus is contributing playing a role that I’m given and if you are able to pass milestones along the way, thats great.,” he said.Captaincy is one of those milestones. Williamson is not likely to lead because McCullum will be back but Williamson’s seniority and the experience he gains as captain on this trip will come in handy. He has admitted this trip is challenging him in different ways, with demands of both bat and brain but he has come up with a way to handle them.”I think captaincy is separate to batting. In the field, it’s applying yourself more in terms of thinking, whether it’s bowling changes, fielding positions, the whole lot. And it’s an enjoyable challenge, particularly in T20 cricket where there’s so much happening and things happen quickly so you need to stay on your toes,” Williamson said. “It’s enjoyable and a challenge as well with a new-look side.”The newness of the New Zealand side should, in theory, increase the pressure on Williamson to perform with the bat more often but he insists it hasn’t. The responsibility is shared by old and new players, who Williamson said will always put the team first. “It’s more about looking to contribute to a team performance, a team win, and that’s where we want people playing their games. Whether that means one or two guys consistently perform and hold a position that great but ultimately we want a bunch of guys that are going to be giving to the team and moving the team forward.”

Usman Khawaja believes his hamstrings are stronger than they have been for three years, after he spent a month on the sidelines recovering from a strain to his left hamstring. Khawaja suffered the injury in the second Test against New Zealand in Perth and is set to return for the Boxing Day Test against West Indies, after proving his fitness with a BBL hundred at the MCG on Sunday night.Khawaja batted through the Sydney Thunder innings and showed his remarkable form had not diminished despite missing Australia’s last two Tests. He has been working with staff at the National Cricket Centre in Brisbane since sustaining the injury and was able to bat in the nets for most of that time. On Monday, he said he had recovered well after his unbeaten 109 of the previous evening.”I’m stoked I got some batting time,” he said. “To score a hundred in a T20 game is not an easy thing to do, so I’m just very happy with how things are working out. But there’s still a lot of work to do so I’m trying to keep my head down. I feel really good, just normal, general soreness … I pushed myself pretty hard, in terms of my hammy rehab, in terms of my running, in terms of my conditioning work.”My hamstrings are definitely stronger than they have been in the last three years. The last testing I had to do on Friday was a hamstring strength test and my hamstrings came up stronger than they have been in the last three years. I did a lot of hard work in the last four weeks. The trainers up at the NCC pushed me pretty hard. That’s what I needed to do. That’s all I can control.”Khawaja has now scored centuries in his last three games – the Brisbane and Perth Tests against New Zealand, and the T20 match on Sunday. He appears a certain inclusion against West Indies for his first appearance in a Boxing Day Test, which will leave Australia’s selectors with the difficult decision of whether to drop Shaun Marsh after his 182 in the Hobart Test, or opener Joe Burns.Burns scored a century against New Zealand at the Gabba and while he made starts in all three Tests since then, he has not passed fifty since that innings. That means there is a strong chance that Khawaja will be asked to open with David Warner on Boxing Day. Khawaja said coach Darren Lehmann had wanted him to push himself to his limits in the BBL game to replicate as best as possible the wear and tear he would face in a Test.”I just needed to go out there and play as I would any other game,” he said. “I couldn’t go out there and try to nurse it or not go 100% because I know that’s not what Boof wants. I knew I’d done all the hard work so I was always going to go hard no matter what.”In Twenty20, you’re sprinting every ball. In Test match cricket, you’re not sprinting every ball so it’s a little bit different. Five-day cricket is a different type of fatigue. I’m really glad with the way I’ve pulled up after this game. It’s a good indicator of how I would pull up after a five-day game.”Australia’s squad gathers in Melbourne on Tuesday and will have their first training session on Wednesday ahead of the Test, which starts on Saturday. Some of Australia’s squad members have played BBL matches over the past week, while West Indies spent the weekend playing against an under-strength Victoria XI in a two-day match in Geelong.

ScorecardSean Ervine produced a fine all-round performance as Hampshire continued their push for the Pro40 title with an eight-wicket win against Warwickshire. Ervine and Michael Lumb rushed the home side towards the target of 197 after Warwickshire collapsed from a promising position following Jonathan Trott’s 90.Lumb and Ervine batted to within six runs of the target, adding 147, as Hampshire cruised to the win with more than 10 overs to spare. Lumb faced 73 balls for his 82, striking 12 fours and a six, while Ervine also moved along at better than a run-a-ball.Ervine’s bowling had also been crucial in causing a Warwickshire collapse from 134 for 1 to 195 for 8. Kumar Sangakkara chipped a catch to midwicket to start the slide and Shaun Udal removed Trott and debutant Vaughn van Jaarsveld in an economical eight-over spell.Trott, who was recently dropped from the Warwickshire side, was never particularly fluent during his innings and struggled to increase the tempo before being bowled. Warwickshire managed the meagre total of 10 boundaries and a six in their 40 overs; Ervine and Lumb managed more on their own.

Following England’s eight-wicket win at Trent Bridge the final match of a long international summer has plenty riding on it at Edgbaston. A shared series for England would represent a fine comeback, while being an equal disappointment for Pakistan.For one England player the match will have added significance, as Paul Collingwood’s international career comes full circle with his 100th ODI cap on the ground where he debuted, against Australia, in 2001.”I really don’t think I’ll really appreciate what it’s all about until I finish my career and look back at it all,” Collingwood said on the eve of the match. “You don’t realise what sort of company you’re in until you look at it properly. When you mention names like Gooch, Gower and Botham it makes you very proud to be in that sort of company.”It was a far from easy start for Collingwood as his four appearances in the 2001 Natwest series resulted in 20 runs and 7.1 overs costing 49. In subsequent years Steve Waugh, who was then captain of Australia, said he’d seen some qualities he liked in Collingwood, but the player himself admits he had major doubts.”It took me a hell of a long time to get used to international cricket. It was a shock to the system and I’ll always remember it. At the end of that first series I had a realisation that I probably wasn’t good enough and it was a massive dent of confidence to believe that.”It was a very hard series to go into against Pakistan and Australia, but I still wondered whether I was good enough – to do well after that meant a lot to me because I’m sure there were a few doubters about my ability.”However, since then he has established himself as a key member of England’s often changing one-day outfit. His highlights include hitting an unbeaten 112 and taking 6 for 31 against Bangladesh, at Trent Bridge, last year – the first player to score a century and take five wickets in an ODI since Viv Richards in 1987.Even though England have broken their one-day duck for the summer, they may still tweak with their side for the final match. Abdul Razzaq laid into the closing overs with devastating effect at Trent Bridge and Graham Onions could win his first ODI cap at the expense of Sajid Mahmood.Bob Woolmer, the Pakistan coach, is backing his team to finish the tour on a high despite signs in the last couple of matches that they have lost their edge.”I would be very disappointed if they didn’t have the energy and enthusiasm,” he said. “When you lose you tend to learn more than when you win and after what has happened here we would like to win.”This [the defeat at Trent Bridge] might be a way of reminding them: we bowled badly, both sides of the wicket, either too full or too short and we didn’t bat as well as we should have done.”Woolmer also played down the controversial incident from Friday night when Andrew Strauss stood his ground following a low edge to slip. Inzamam-ul-Haq believed he’d caught the ball, but Strauss gained the benefit after TV replays.”Inzamam thought he caught it and Strauss thought it bounced and there’s always going to be an impasse in that situation. Someone has to make a decision and that is why the umpire is there.”If they are not sure they have to ask and the benefit goes to the batsman. I think Strauss, if he thought it hit the ground, had every right to stay there, quite frankly.”England (probable) 1 Andrew Strauss (capt), 2 Ed Joyce, 3 Ian Bell, 4 Kevin Pietersen, 5 Paul Collingwood, 6 Jamie Dalrymple, 7 Michael Yardy, 8 Chris Read (wk), 9 Jon Lewis, 10 Stuart Broad, 11 Graham OnionsPakistan (probable) 1 Mohammad Hafeez, 2 Shahid Afridi, 3 Younis Khan, 4 Mohammad Yousuf, 5 Inzamam-ul-Haq (capt), 6 Shoaib Malik, 7 Abdul Razzaq, 8 Kamran Akmal (wk), 9 Rana Naved-ul-Hasan, 10 Shoaib Akhtar, 11 Mohammad Asif