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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.”

Andrew Flintoff has unsurprisingly brushed off suggestions England will now be under more pressure going into next month’s Ashes series after losing to Australia in the Champions Trophy on Saturday.England’s chances of qualifying for the semi-finals virtually ended on Saturday when they crashed to a six-wicket defeat, their second successive loss. They will now clash with West Indies in their last league game at Ahmedabad on October 28.”We took this match in isolation,” he said, “as a must-win game for both the sides to stay in the tournament.” Regardless of Flintoff’s attempts to play down defeat – “In the build-up people were trying to link it to the Ashes,” he said, “but the Ashes start when we go to Australia” – the Australians will be boosted greatly by their victory in India.Flintoff did concede his young side needed to improve considerably if they wanted to give a good account of themselves in coming months. “It is an exciting time in one-day cricket. But we need to improve,” said Flintoff. “It is a young side. We have to step up as a team if we have the aspirations of doing well later in this winter.”

A number of those involved in the Super Test at Sydney have voiced their opinions about the increased use of referrals to the third umpire – and while a few welcomed the innovation, the overall view seemed to be that either it needed more work or things should be left alone.Rudi Koertzen, the South African umpire, was one who made it clear he was against the extended use of referrals to the third umpire for catches and leg-before decisions.”We all make mistakes and I think the players actually make more mistakes than the umpires do,” Koertzen said. “So they should leave it up to us to make the mistakes. We’ve got to live with that. That [Super Series] is only a trial. Who knows how far they’re going to take it? Hopefully not too far.”Simon Taufel, Koertzen’s colleague at the SCG, was in agreement. “For us as umpires, it’s all a little bit disconcerting,” he said. “There’s an extra decision-making process, working out whether we use the third umpire or not. A lot of stoppages have harmed the momentum. It’s nice to have it but I’m just trying to umpire normally as though the technology isn’t there. If I’ve got no idea about what took place, the help is obviously there but …”We’ll have a de-brief at the end of the series and see how it’s worked out. It’s only on trial. There is also the belief that increasing the technology will breed mediocrity among officials, where they take the soft option.”Perhaps the biggest fan turned out to be Ricky Ponting. “I think we are going to have to use it more before we get a really good idea on it,” he said. “When you are trialing the technology the way that we have here I think that you are expecting every decision to be perfect just because you are using technology and I think the way the game is and the subtleties in some dismissals can be very hard to pick up and determine, so that’s still going to be the case even though we are using this technology. I’ve been pretty impressed with the way it’s worked during the one-day series and certainly in this Test match.”Graeme Smith, the World XI skipper, was less impressed. “It’s another thing that needs to be looked at and fine-tuned. I think there’s so much doubt on the television for us. We look at things that we thought were out and it was given not out or we thought was not out and it was given out. You try to take the human element out of the umpires, but you are still giving it to the third umpire so I think there’s a lot of things that need to be looked at with the technology, I think it’s a long way from being at a level where it can be used.”And Glenn McGrath was even more against an extension of the trial. “I think it’s shown already that you are still going to make mistakes using it,” he told a Sydney radio station. “I would prefer to keep it the way it is. Just use it for the stumpings and run outs, the things that I think are clear-cut. It is a funny one. We’ve watched decisions in the rooms and we’re divided in the rooms. If the guys who have played the game can’t make a decision by what the evidence shows on TV, it’s going to be tough for the third umpire.”All the feedback will be assessed by the ICC. Malcolm Speed, its chief executive, was non-committal. “We will take a cautious approach with it,” he said. “It was a good opportunity for us to trial it here. We’ve taken that opportunity. We’ll see where we go from there.”Referrals during the Super Test

Northern Districts 185 for 7 (Orchard 53, Canning 4-33) v Auckland
ScorecardNew Zealand’s first-class season got off to a wet and subdued start after a southerly blast traversed the country over the weekend. The State Championship match between Northern Districts and Auckland only started at 2pm, but fine weather at Hamilton later in the day enabled the players to continue till well past the scheduled close, with Northern Districts scoring 185 for 7 in 70 overs.Auckland won the toss and chose to field. Northern Districts have revamped their line-up this year with the infusion of some new blood, but the batsmen who opened their innings were two of their more experienced players, and they got the team off to a fine start. James Marshall, who has taken over as captain after the retirement of Robbie Hart, and Nick Horsley put on 58 for the first wicket in nearly an hour before Marshall (25) became the first of Tama Canning’s four victims during the day.Horsley fell for 38 when the score was on 74. Mark Orchard and Matthew Hart were just getting into their stride when Hart was caught by Richard Jones for 16 to become Canning’s second wicket.Orchard batted for 200 minutes in scoring his 53 runs but he too eventually succumbed to Canning, who showed impressive touch in the season-opener. His 24 overs cost only 33 runs and fetched him four wickets. None of the batsmen were able to get on top of him. Aaron Barnes, a medium pacer, played a fine support act, taking 1 for 27 off 16 overs.Two other matches will start tomorrow – Canterbury will take on Wellington in Christchurch, while Otago and Central Districts will play in Queenstown.

England should concentrate on winning the World Cup in 2007, rather than worry about the next Ashes series, according to Rodney Marsh.Marsh, the Australian wicketkeeping legend-turned-England cricket selector, made his point after naming a provisional 15-man squad for England’s cricket academy. Marsh, who heads the academy, said that the team was selected with the accent on one-day cricket.In his opinion, a drawn Ashes series in 2005 would be a good platform from which England could build towards 2007. He was perhaps mindful of the England and Wales Cricket Board’s mission statement, which aims to establish England as the game’s premier Test and one-day power by 2007.Australia have won eight consecutive Ashes series since regaining the urn in 1989.

A timely captain’s century by Northern Districts’ Robbie Hart revived his side’s fortunes against Otago in the State Championship match at Carisbrook in Dunedin today.Hart’s century, the second of his 71-match first-class career, made a mockery of the collapses that affected both sides in the match, and he commented afterwards that it had been a great thrill to complete the achievement, especially under the circumstances he found himself in.The drama started for ND when David Sewell had Mark Bailey and Scott Styris out from consecutive balls after only one run had been added to the overnight score of 69/1, which was 146 runs short of Otago’s first innings total.The Marshall twins, James and Hamish were then at the crease with Hamish avoiding the hat-trick and they added another 40 runs before the mini-collapse when four wickets fell for 13 runs, leaving Hart batting with the tail in a bid to restore some respectability to the situation.They were 123/7 when he and Graham Aldridge set about a stand that finally provided 64 runs for the ND cause.But when Aldridge was out, Bruce Martin had a record-breaking 96-run ninth-wicket stand for ND against Otago. They rubbed out the 85 scored by Brendon Bracewell and Peter Neutze at Gisborne’s Harry Barker Reserve in 1989/90.Martin scored 45 runs and when he was out debut player Ian Butler helped Hart add 20 runs for the last wicket. Hart was on 91 when Butler joined him and Butler scored nine in which time Hart reached 102 not out, scored from 157 minutes and in 205 minutes.ND had the first innings points and a lead of 88 runs. Interestingly, even freakishly, the only two Otago bowlers to take wickets, Sewell and Evan Marshall, both took five wickets for 79 runs, the both bowled four maidens and Sewell bowled 27 overs and Marshall 26.Brendon McCullum gave Otago another good start when attacking to score 41 from 37 balls and in an opening stand of 63, Otago was well on the way to wiping out the deficit.However, an untimely loss of three wickets for five runs just before stumps saw Otago slump to 100/4, a lead of only 12 runs with six wickets left. Key batsmen Chris Gaffaney and Andrew Hore were out for 0 and four respectively, leaving Craig Cumming needing to find a solid partner to try and build a solid position for Otago to put the pressure back on ND.Styris did the damage for ND by claiming two wickets for four runs from six overs. His first victim was Robbie Lawson who was caught behind for 37 and then he trapped Gaffaney leg before wicket.

India fast bowler Varun Aaron has urged young campus cricketers, competing in the Red Bull Campus Cricket World finals in Dehradun, to believe in their abilities and remain focused, in order to realise their dreams of making the senior-national squad in the future.The 25-year-old has struggled with injuries in his short career thus far. He has 35 Twenty20 wickets from 38 matches at an economy-rate of 8.”It’s extremely important to enjoy the game,” Aaron said. “Believe in yourself and if you think you are cut out for the tough cricketing world, if you know that cricket is your passion, then definitely pursue it in spite of the hardships. I have seen a lot of young talent in my school and college go down the drain due to lack of self-belief and direction. If you are certain of your talent and abilities, don’t let it go to waste.”The format is a great way for young college students to play the game they love. T20 has attracted a lot of young players and it is a great platform for students. Many guys who come from families that are unable to support their dreams can actually come into light with T20. KL Rahul, for instance, played Red Bull Campus Cricket which was a big boost for his career. It presented him with a wonderful opportunity to fulfil his dream and now he is scoring hundreds for India.”Dehradun is hosting eight of the top campus-cricket teams from around the world in the World Finals, which is being played at the Abhimanyu Cricket Academy from October 19 to 24.Teams from India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, England, South Africa, Australia and UAE are competing in the annual T20 competition. The participating teams have qualified for the finals after winning their respective national tournaments.”The format is fast and a game ends in a span of four hours. It is important to believe in yourself and give your 100 percent,” Aaron said.”All three formats are different and require different skill sets. While T20 is great, Test cricket is the ultimate form of cricket and a lot of hard work and effort has to be put in to succeed at that level.”The latest edition will be the first time UAE will participate in the tournament, having replaced West Indies in the line-up.Red Bull Campus Cricket started in 2012 with the aim of finding the best cricketing talents from colleges around the world. This initiative has been started with the aim of funnelling the best grassroot cricketers and preparing them for the bigger stage.

Did New Zealand take too long to declare? Had the pitch broken up enough to make batting in the fourth innings as hard as it was forecast? Was this Kane Williamson’s final Test at home?Doubt filled the air as an absorbing series eased into its final day and then dissipated in the wake of a West Indies collapse. Eight wickets fell for 25 runs after the morning drinks break with Jacob Duffy (5 for 42) taking over Sir Richard Hadlee’s record for most wickets in a calendar year for the Black Caps – and bumping Trent Boult off the top spot for damage done over a single home series.West Indies went from 87 for 0 to 112 for 8 to 138 all out with Shai Hope exemplifying their state of mind – out to a full toss without playing a shot on 3 off 78.The Bay Oval is unique. It houses the only surface in New Zealand that is better to bat at the start and turns increasingly treacherous. The wear and tear was so profound that instead of a single solid block, it turned into a mess of broken plates, wobbling about under the light roller or even simple touch. It fascinated everyone, including the home team’s players. Daryl Mitchell was even moved to do that thing most people do to check and see if something is real – he pinched it and it was proven he wasn’t dreaming.Related

• 'Cross those bridges as we come' – Williamson on his international future

So the spinner they brought in specifically for this Test match was offered centre stage. Ajaz Patel, so often peripheral to the team’s needs at home, was generating 15.8 degrees of turn. That was part of why Hope thought he was safe against a ball delivered from well wide of the crease. Ordinarily it might have pitched harmlessly and spun away harmlessly but the cross wind caught hold of it – as Ajaz had intended, because all game he was looping it up at 70kph or so – and it careened into the right-hander’s front toe.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

It took an age for New Zealand to review. Only one second was left on the clock when Tom Latham was reminded that the ball hit Hope on the full, which means from the point of contact, the projection becomes a straight line. With Ajaz’s angle from around the wicket and no shot offered, there was a chance lbw was on. Ball-tracking took another age to come up but when it did it showed three reds.New Zealand had engineered that dismissal with smart field placements as well. They crowded Hope. Slip in. Two silly points in. Two short covers in. They had already seen him defend full tosses so were encouraged to bring their field up and make the batter worry that even a firmly hit defensive shot could end up going to hand. That’s why Hope chose to leave. He thought he was being sensible. He didn’t realise he’d been cornered. No idea why because New Zealand had made it explicit. “This is hallway cricket,” they chirped as the walls closed in.Brandon King made an enterprising half-century but from there West Indies’ scorecard gave way to eight straight single-digit scores, including Roston Chase’s 5 off 26. The captain ends the tour with 42 runs at an average of 7. He might not have been able to protect himself even if he had been in form because his wicket – caught fending at second slip – was the work of an accurate bowler generating vicious bounce off a length. Duffy was the perfect weapon for New Zealand. They’d wised up to him only in August and four months later here he is, with more than twice as many wickets as his nearest competitor in this series (23 vs 10).And it wasn’t just that he was bunging it into the pitch and waiting for it to misbehave. Alick Athanaze’s wicket highlighted that Duffy has the smarts to lead this attack. He began by testing the West Indian’s back foot play and bringing natural variation into play. There was plenty of up and down bounce to worry the batter. But that wasn’t how he wanted him. Just where. Duffy had pinned Athanaze to his crease and having accomplished that, he snuck in the fuller delivery and nicked him off on the move.Duffy and Ajaz bowled nearly 70% of New Zealand’s overs in the final innings. The left-arm spinner went unchanged from the moment he was introduced into the attack on the fifth day (29-18-23-3). Together they were undeniable.New Zealand took the series 2-0 and climbed to second place on the World Test Championship table. Later in the evening, they’ll part ways with Williamson who has already said without saying that he won’t be with them in January in India. “There’s a pretty large block away from the group as well, and there’ll be more conversations had,” he announced on Sunday. On Monday, he celebrated a hard-earned Test win. On Thursday, he’ll enjoy Christmas with his family. Beyond that, his future appears unknown. He might already have played his final Test match at his home ground.

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.

In the 1975 World Cup, West Indies clashed with Sri Lanka for the first time in an ODI. The Sri Lankans were greenhorns then, and they played according to the script, being bundled out 86 in 37.2 overs as West Indies romped home by nine wickets with 236 balls to spare. Thirty-one years later, the Sri Lankans returned the favour in spectacular fashion at the Brabourne Stadium, clinching victory by an identical margin with 220 balls remaining.The advent of so many minnows into one-day cricket has meant many more one-sided games, but taking into account only matches involving the top eight teams (excluding Zimbabwe, Bangladesh and the other non-Test-playing teams), today’s margin of victory – in terms of balls remaining – was the third-highest ever in ODIs. Only England and Pakistan have suffered more crushing defeats, and incidentally, West Indies were the side that inflicted that Cape Town hammering to Pakistan in 1992-93.

West Indies’ 80 all out was their second-lowest total in ODIs, next only to their 54 against South Africa, again at Cape Town. Click here for a list of West Indies’ lowest totals in ODIs.While it was day of dismal lows for West Indies, Sri Lanka, and Farveez Maharoof, had plenty to celebrate. It was their 17th ODI win against West Indies in 42 matches, and while they have lost 24 times, the gap is gradually narrowing – in the last nine matches, they have won seven.Maharoof, meanwhile, recorded his best figures in ODIs, and became only the fourth Sri Lankan bowler to take six wickets in a one-day international. (Click here for the best bowling performances by Sri Lankan bowlers in ODIs.) Only Anil Kumble has conceded fewer runs while taking six wickets in an ODI – Kumble took 6 for 12 against West Indies in the final of the Hero Cup in Kolkata in 1993-94. The table below lists the five most economical six-fors.