Pedro Collins, Ramnaresh Sarwan and Narsingh Deonarine have come back into the West Indies squad for the Twenty20 World Championship in South Africa next month. Collins, the left-arm bowler, said his return was “long overdue” while Sarwan was named captain after leaving the tour of England early with a shoulder injury.Collins, who has played 32 Tests and 30 ODIs, said he had a “point to prove” after not being picked for West Indies since July 2006. “I think my recall was long overdue,” he told Reuters. “I was being overlooked and I was wondering why. I was waiting my turn to play for the West Indies again and now my turn has come. I’m delighted to be back in the team.”Deonarine, the 23-year-old Guyana batsman, was selected for the first time in two years. He has played four Tests and four ODIs and will push for a long stay in the side during the two-week tournament starting on September 11.”We saw performances in the last Stanford 20/20 tournament but performances in that tournament was not really a big consideration because we do not think that anything much has been done for the those players after that competition in terms of remedial and developmental work,” Gordon Greenidge, the chairman of selectors said. “There were recommendations but very little is being done for player development which is a critical area if the players are to be successful at the highest level.”The format was taken into consideration and we tried to get a blend of youth and experience since the game is fast-paced and requires a bowler bowling no more than four overs,” he said. “We believe that we have arrived at a reasonable balance.”West Indies squad Ramnaresh Sarwan (capt), Dwayne Bravo, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Pedro Collins, Narsingh Deonarine, Fidel Edwards, Chris Gayle, Runako Morton, Darren Sammy, Marlon Samuels, Devon Smith, Dwayne Smith, Daren Powell, Denesh Ramdin (wk), Ravi Rampaul.

Orthodox and effective
India had just been buoyed with the early wicket of Lou Vincent, but Brendon McCullum pushed them right back with three outstanding shots in the very next over, from Sreesanth. The first one was a classical straight drive, with the bat making a clean, crisp sound as it hit the ball. Next was a mere push to the covers, but with such precise timing and placement that the ball sped to the boundary. The next one was full and slightly wide, and this time McCullum creamed it between cover and mid-off. Three balls, three glorious orthodox shots, 12 runs on the board. Who said Twenty20 cricket was only about slogging?Bull’s Eye
You know the India are really getting into stride when direct hits earn them wickets. They had missed a couple of opportunities earlier in New Zealand’s innings, but Yuvraj Singh got it just right when he charged in from midwicket, swooped down on the ball, and picked it up and threw down the non-striker’s stumps in one clean motion. Scott Styris was on his way, and the huge Indian contingent in the stands had another reason to celebrate.McMillan the mauler
After 15 overs, New Zealand badly needed someone to take charge of an innings that was going nowhere, and Craig McMillan was the man for the moment. He first turned his attention on Yuvraj, smashing a six and a four, before turning his attention on Sreesanth: a slower ball was clubbed straight over the bowler’s head for a 94-metre six, and in the next ball, with Sreesanth bowling from round the wicket, McMillan got his left leg out of the way and sent the ball soaring high over midwicket. A snarl, a pumped fist, and a roar followed.Clever Dhoni
Knowing that the batsmen would be dashing for a run even if they missed theball in the last over, Mahendra Singh Dhoni cleverly had the big wicketkeeping gloves off from his right hand even as the bowler was delivering the ball. When Mark Gillespie missed and McMillan dashed off towards the striker’s end, Dhoni was ready, without his glove, and his throw at the stumps was accurate. He repeated the act off the nextball and managed to win a run-out at the non-striker’s end.Bond dismantled…again
After going for just four in his first over, things fell apart again for ShaneBond, who had leaked 45 in four overs against Sri Lanka on Saturday. GautamGambhir started it off with an outstanding stroke, swinging a good-lengthdelivery high over midwicket for six. Two lovely cover-drives and aslashed four followed in the same over, which cost New Zealand 18 and putIndia on track.Canny Vettori
With Irfan Pathan looking for quick runs, Daniel Vettori knew exactly whatwould do the trick: varying his pace quite magnificently, Vettori slippedin the quick arm ball which completely befuddled Pathan, who backed awaybut was far too late on his stroke. The off stump knocked back and the was gamealmost in the bag for New Zealand.

Zaheer Khan, who missed the ICC World Twenty20, says he has recovered from a bruised ankle and is looking forward to the one-day series against Australia.”The break was critical for me. I bowled a lot during the England tour and I needed that break and it has gone well for me, ” Zaheer said.The series begins on Saturday and Australia have come without players like Michael Hussey and Shaun Tait but Zaheer said their absence did not concern the Indians. “We have to focus on our strengths and it depends on how we perform,” he said. “We have done well and should continue to do well.”Zaheer also expressed confidence about performing on the flat and unresponsive Indian tracks. “A bowler always stands a chance to earn wickets in any conditions and in any format of the game,” he said. “We still have to bowl well and on any track you have to give your best.”Robin Uthappa, a member of India’s Twenty20 squad, appeared bullish about the series ahead and said the pressure was on Australia. “We will fight fire with fire,” Uthappa said. “The pressure is not on us; we have done exceedingly well and we are raring to go.”Uthappa said he was amazed by the grand welcome accorded to the Indian team in Mumbai yesterday. “I have not seen anybody getting such a welcome,” he said. “It was nice to see people from all parts of the country joining together to welcome us. That made us realise how much the game meant to them and how emotional that win was. There were people of all age groups, and people were waving and blowing kisses from windows and balconies, I will cherish that forever.”

Geoff Boycott has called Duncan Fletcher “a hypocrite” for his comments about Andrew Flintoff’s drinking habits on tour. Flintoff’s father has also complained about Fletcher’s new book and says his son is “not a happy man” after the revelations surrounding his behaviour in Australia and the Caribbean over the past year.Fletcher wrote Flintoff attended a fielding session while drunk and the former coach also had doubts before naming him as captain for the Ashes. Boycott, who was also targeted in Behind the Shades, was unimpressed with Fletcher.”After the stuff he has come out with in the last couple of days, I find it ironic that he spent his eight years with England spouting on about loyalty and keeping everything within the team,” Boycott told the . “There he was, taking the moral high ground at every opportunity. And as soon as he finishes, what does he do? He gets stuck into Flintoff.”I have no problem with cricket people writing books, telling the truth, and making some money. I have done it myself. Fine. But it seems a bit rich coming from someone who has made such a big deal about not “talking out of school”. Fletcher is a hypocrite and he should be ashamed of himself.”Colin Flintoff said his son felt betrayed and was upset with Fletcher for speaking out. “The golden rule is that what goes on in the dressing room stays in the dressing room,” he told the Guardian. “Fletcher has betrayed Andrew’s confidence. I am upset that he has done this for the sake of his book.”There is no bigger team player than Andrew. These comments have really upset him. I have spoken to Andrew about this and he is not a happy man.”Paul Nixon, who was part of Flintoff’s one-day squad in Australia and at the World Cup, supported his former captain by saying he did not have a drinking problem. “Freddie’s such a competitive guy and a passionate guy, he wants to win every game ferociously for England,” he told BBC Radio 5 Live. “I think that the hiding they got in the Ashes really affected him more than people realise.”Alastair Cook also added his support for Flintoff. “All I know is when I was playing under Freddie for England, he was my leader,” he told . “He gave everything for England and I just wish him successful rehab on that ankle.”It’s his third time, which must be tough, but we hope he gets back as soon as possible because a fully-fit, firing Freddie Flintoff is what we need for English cricket.”He said he had not read the book. “It is just a book isn’t it? We are not bothered about what people are writing. We have moved on. Everyone is entitled to their opinions but personally I am not bothered what he has written now because we are under Peter Moores.”It doesn’t affect the squad as a whole and we are more worried about how we are going to play against Sri Lanka in two weeks’ time.”

Andrew Caddick’s last Test appearance came at Sydney back in January 2003, but even at the age of 38, he still feels that he would be worthy of a place in the England squad to tour Sri Lanka, which is set to be announced at The Oval on Friday morning.Caddick took 234 wickets in 62 Tests, having made his debut against Australia during the 1993 Ashes. But his form in county cricket for Somerset has remained remarkably consistent, and this year he was shortlisted for the PCA Player of the Year along with three fellow veterans – Mark Ramprakash, Mushtaq Ahmed and the eventual winner Ottis Gibson – after picking up 75 first-class wickets at 23.10.Caddick is not a realistic prospect for an England recall but his former 1990s team-mate Ramprakash is very much in the frame after passing 2000 runs in consecutive seasons for Surrey – rightly so, in Caddick’s opinion. “I don’t care what age you are,” he said. “If you’re getting thousands of runs and taking hundreds of wickets, you should be knocking on the door of these youngsters.””There have to be rewards for players who play to the best of their ability on the county circuit,” he said. “If you’ve got players who are bowling well, batting well, they should be pushing on the door of those who are playing international cricket and not doing well.”Although England’s former coach, Duncan Fletcher, was never a fan of county cricket, his successor Peter Moores has been keen to build bridges between the domestic and international circuits, with the likes of Ryan Sidebottom and Graeme Swann earning their rewards for consistency.Caddick himself was briefly in line for an astonishing comeback in August, when he was put on standby for the decisive third Test against India at The Oval, after Chris Tremlett reported an injury in training. “I spoke with Geoff Miller [England selector] up at Derby and told him what I could bring to the fold,” said Caddick. “It’s still up to the selectors to decide whether Andy Caddick should still be involved in English cricket.”

Cricket Kenya will be holding a meeting of leading stakeholders on December 1 and 2 at Nairobi’s Parklands Sports Club.Those invited to attend include representatives of clubs and associations, sponsors, cricketers, and the media. CK has also invited both the African Cricket Association CEO Cassim Sulliman and ICC high performance manager Richard Done to attend.High on the agenda will be discussions about the ongoing crisis affecting the Nairobi Provincial Cricket Association, as well as planning the way ahead for Kenyan cricket in general.

Scorecard

Mumbai Champs lost their second match in a row after T Kumaran struck with 6 for 21 to hand Chennai Superstars a 38-run win.After winning the toss, the Superstars were given a powerful start by Ian Harvey, who hit six fours and four sixes in his 41-ball 63. He added 78 with Chris Read before Read was trapped leg before by Nathan Astle for 34. But Harvey stuck into Astle in the 13th over, hitting two sixes and a four off the first three balls before he holed out to fine leg off the last ball. The over had cost 18 runs and the Superstars were at 109 for 3. After Harvey’s dismissal, the Superstars steadily lost wickets and only added another 48 in the next seven overs. Their total of 157 is the highest so far in the tournament and Harvey’s 63 is the highest individual score so far.The Champs began the chase positively with Dheeraj Jadhav flicking three fours off Harvey in the first over. But by the halfway mark of the innings they had lost their openers and were at 56 for 2. But the Champs had Astle and Johan van der Wath at the crease to counter the required run-rate that was steadily climbing. Kumaran, though, having snapped up Jadhav for 30, was planning a counter-attack of his own. In the 15th over he bowled Astle and had a defensive van der Wath caught off Russel Arnold. Though Brian Lara was at the crease, the chase had more or less slipped out of the Champs’ hands. In fact, over the last six games, only one team has won while chasing.Kumaran further dealt crushing blows when he dismissed Lara, Shreyas Khanolkar and Subhojit Paul in the same over. By then the Champs needed 45 off 12 balls and with only two wickets remaining. They lost those in the penultimate over, handing an easy victory to the Superstars. The Champs are the only side to remain pointless this far into the tournament.

It’s ironic that a year that began with India celebrating a new openingcombination has ended with them grappling over the choice of their top two. Anage-old problem appeared to be sorting itself out but now it’s exploded into theirfaces.The New Year Test in Cape Town sawDinesh Karthik open for the first time and, with six 50-plus scores in six Tests,took up the role like a duck would to water. Karthik was India’s highestrun-getter in the series in England and, along with Wasim Jaffer, went aboutsetting the base for tall totals. Often it wasn’t just a platform, it was aterminus.Karthik’s poor form during the Pakistan series caused a few ripples before YuvrajSingh’s magnificent 169 in Bangalore caused what Anil Kumble termed a”happy headache”. After precisely one more Test that’s looking more like amigraine right now.A lot has happened over the last month or so: Karthik fell cheaply in his fourinnings as opener against Pakistan, Yuvraj cracked hundred, Virender Sehwag, in poor domestic form, was picked in the squad toAustralia on a hunch, Rahul Dravid, going through a lean phase, was asked to open,Dravid endured an agonising first innings at Melbourne, didn’t score much in thesecond dig, and, India lost heavily. To add to their worries Wasim Jaffer, whokept scoring through all the early turbulence, also fell early in both his chancesin Melbourne.”If you look at our batting order then all seven of them are batting well,”Kumble said of the line-up picked for the first Test, “and the other two openers, whocould have possibly taken someone else’s place, weren’t really getting runs. It isa difficult position for me. If Viru and Dinesh Karthik were in great form thenthe choice would have been easier.”It’s a hard choice for a captain but it’s a strange statement too. Karthik hasbeen off-colour since the Pakistan series and Sehwag has made more headlines forhis failures rather than successes on the domestic circuit. Both were picked, it’sbeen suggested, thanks largely to Kumble’s backing. As a captain he would haveexpected this situation.Neither were played in the tour match – probably because the first XI was decidedby then anyway – and were largely left to face the bowling machine. India wereleft with no choice but to push Dravid up to open. Kumble said as much. “WhenYuvraj is playing so well and we don’t pick him, you say why not? Then when we putRahul up the order and then make way for Yuvraj, you say ‘no you shouldn’t havedone that’. There are always ifs and buts, but for me personally I need to lookat the team dynamics and who is batting well.”Back-to-back Tests mean the team has little time to brainstorm. The SCG pitchappears to hold the key to their opening plans. Mitchell Johnson spoke about a”slow” pitch he had played on “not too long ago” but also added that he doesn’texpect a similar pitch for the Test. There has been talk of the surface being abit bouncier than normal, allowing the Australian pace bowlers an advantage.If India see some good pace and carry on the surface, there would be a temptationto play Sehwag. It won’t be a decision based on any logic but an outrightshoot-in-the-dark gamble. It might be a spectacular flop but could, with chunks ofluck, turn into a masterstroke. Kumble, who is normally known to be one to coverall bases, isn’t someone who has relied on a gambler’s instinct. He might still wantto play it safe, hoping for the same seven to fire, but he would surely be temptedto attempt the punt. You wouldn’t bet on it but a new year is supposed to beabout surprises.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out