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The Bangladesh Cricket Board has attempted to restructure its domestic league to make it more competitive. Each of the six participating divisional teams will now have its own selection panel and coach.When the Seventh National Cricket League kicks off on November 19 across the country, Rajshahi Division, one-day victors, are expected to play five home matches in a row. While Rajshahi enjoy the benefit of being based at home for the first half of the tournament, defending first-class champions Dhaka Division too start off their first four games at home, hosting Sylhet to begin with.Shahriar Nafees, the Bangladesh opener, will make his National League debut as captain of a young Barisal side. Barisal, seen by many as the weakest side in the competition, will be hoping to rebuild after losing bowlers Mohammed Sharif and Mosharraf Hossain to Dhaka. Shahriar Hossain, the former national cricketer, will return to the southern division after the gap of a year.Like Barisal, Dhaka will also have a new captain in Mohammad Ashraful, Bangladesh’s talented middle order batsman who struck a fantastic hundred to defeat Australia in this summer’s Natwest Series in England. Ashraful was chosen by Khaled Mahmud, the former allrounder and current selector, as Dkaha opted for a change in leadership. For Sylhet, Alok Kapali will become vice-captain under Rajin Saleh, the newly appointed captain.Teams
Dhaka Division: Mohammad Ashraful (capt), Javed Omar (vice-capt), AlShahriar, Sanwar Hossain, Mohammed Rafique, Khaled Mahmud, Mehrab HossainOpee, Talha Jubair, Shahadat Hossain, Anwar Monir, Rashedul Haque, MohammedRiyad, Arafat Sunny, Mosharraf Hossain, Mohammed Sharif, Sajjad Kadir, AnwarHossain, Mahbubul Alam, Kamrul Islam and Ashraful Khan.Sylhet Division: Rajin Saleh (capt), Alok Kapali (vice-capt), GolamRahman, Golam Mabud, Moniruzzaman, Enamul Haque Jr, Nazmul Hossain, HasibulHossain, Golam Mawla, Ejaj Ahmed, Rezaul Haque Nayeem, Siddiqur Rahman,Zakwan Ahmed, Rana Mia, Imtiaz Hossain, Ashiqur Rahman, Junaid Siddiqui,Saif Mahmud, Golam Mortuza and Tapash Baisya.Rajshahi Division: Khaled Mashud (capt), Hasanuzzaman Rosel(vice-capt), Naeem Islam, Jahurul Islam, Farhad Reza, Anisur Rahman,Mushfiqur Rahman, Shamimul Haque, Kamrul Islam, Saifullah Khan, RezwanulIslam, Jubair Ahmed, Moniruzzaman, Nuruzzaman, Shafaq Al Jabir, MohammedShahjada, Sumon Saha, Alamgir Kabir, Farhad Hossain and Rafiqul Islam.Khulna Division: Habibul Bashar (capt), Manzarul Islam (vice-capt),Tushar Imran, Sajjadul Hasan, Hasanuzzaman, Monirul Islam, Salahuddin Ujjal,Shafiul Alam, Jamauddin Babu, Abdur Razzak, Mashrafee Bin Mortuza, SyedRasel, Ziaur Rahman, Manjurul Islam, Mohammad Salim, Sahagir Hossain, AlAmin, Debabrata Pal, Rezaul Islam and Shamsur Rahman.Chittagong Division: Akram Khan (capt), Nafees Iqbal (vice-capt),Aftab Ahmed, Nazim-uddin, Faisal Hossain, Gazi Salahuddin, Masumuddowlah,Dhiman Ghosh, Tarek Aziz, Gazi Alamgir, Waiskarani Palash, Waseluddin Ahmed,Shabbir Khan, Yasin Arafat, Saju Datta, Moha-mmed Rabbi, Habib Moballik,Niaz Morshed and Ilias Sunny.Barisal Division: Shahriar Nafees (capt), Hannan Sarkar (vice-capt),Shahriar Hossain, Nasiruddin Faruque, Imran Ahmed, Raqibul Hasan, HumayunKabir, Prasenjit Bose, Nadif Chowdhury, Ali Arman, Tariqul Islam, ArifHossain, Mohammed Shahin, Ashikul Islam, Golam Rabbani, Anisur Rahman,Ishraq Sonnet, Sajid Islam, Arafat Salahuddin, Towhidul Islam.

Two of Mumbai’s home IPL matches – on May 14 and 16 – are likely to be shifted from the DY Patil Stadium to the Wankhede Stadium, following speculation that the Mumbai Indians were unhappy with the commute from the team hotel to the venue in addition to the practice pitches at the new ground.The DY Patil Stadium, located in Navi Mumbai, involves a commute of roughly 40 km from the team hotel. The venue, allotted five of the seven home matches, hosted its first match on April 27. However, the franchise owners, Reliance Industries Limited (RIL), fell short of confirming the move.”We cannot confirm or deny the move at the moment,” Kaushik Roy, president, branding, at RIL, told Cricinfo. The decision will be jointly made by the franchise and the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA).A Mumbai team official has also pointed out that the standard of the practice wicket at DY Patil ground was not similar to the actual wicket, something that the team was not happy with. It could’ve been one of the reasons why the team chose to practise at the Bandra Kurla Grounds on Saturday, instead of the actual venue.The DY Patil Stadium will, however, host the clash against Delhi Daredevils tommorow and the forthcoming match against Rajasthan Royals on Wednesday.This could be the second instance of a venue change in Mumbai, after the Cricket Club of India (CCI) backed out as hosts. The CCI, which houses the Brabourne Stadium, were apparently unhappy with an agreement between the IPL authorities and franchise owners that meant the franchise would acquire 80% of all seats, including those in the clubhouse. A bulk of the matches then had to be shifted to the DY Patil Stadium, with the Wankhede Stadium hosted the opening match. Since the Wankhede is currently under renovation for 2011 World Cup, the MCA said the stadium was not in a position to host ten matches along with the two semi-finals and the final.

Surrey have signed Usman Afzaal on a three-year contract. Ufzaal, 30, left Northamptonshire by mutual consent last week.Afzaal started his career at Nottinghamshire, making three England appearances during the 2001 Ashes. He moved to Northamptonshire in 2004 where he was consistent, and this season he scored 570 runs at 35.62 in eight Championship matches.”I want to continue to learn more about myself and my game and feel a new challenge, in a new environment will help me achieve this,” Afzaal said. “To learn from and play with the likes of Alan and Mark Butcher and Mark Ramprakash will be an honour and something I’m looking forward to.”My dream is to play more cricket for England and I see this move to Surrey – where I will be under pressure to prove myself in a quality side – as a stepping stone to being recognised by the English selectors once more.”Alan Butcher, Surrey’s cricket manager, welcomed the addition to his squad. “With some of our top batsmen nearing the end of their careers, it was important for us to acquire a proven and experienced player approaching his prime. I believe Usman to be ambitious, both for himself and for the club and think that he has vital parts to play as the rebuilding of the team continues.”

Bermuda’s allrounder Saleem Mukuddem announced his retirement from international cricket following his country’s disappointing World Cup campaign.Mukuddem was one of the few players to emerge with credit, taking 3 for 19 in the final match against Bangladesh. He finished with five wickets at 13.80.But in an email to the Royal Gazette and Gus Logie, the coach, he explained his decision was brought about by the decision to suspend him for the second match of the competition after he reportedly missed a social engagement.”The handling of a recent off-field event has convinced me that this is the right time for my decision,” he wrote. “I have lived the dream and have enjoyed most of it valuing the friendships I have made along the way the most. Like most journeys I have reached my destination and I look forward to new challenges. I am looking forward to spending more time with my family and resuming my professional career.”Dean Minors has also hinted that he will retire and it is expected he will confirm this to the Royal Gazette shortly.

Click here for the wagon wheel depicting Ian Bell’s 71.

Ian Bell made his fourth half-century in nine innings this series, but once again failed to go on to a hundred, as England were made to struggle for their runs on the first day of the fifth Test at Sydney. He fell for 71 to Glenn McGrath, as England reached 4 for 234 on a weather-shortened day.”It has been a little bit frustrating,” admitted Bell afterwards, “but today I got a pretty decent delivery so I can’t grumble. McGrath and [Stuart] Clark bowled exceptionally today, and generally as a unit they put the ball in really good areas. It was really difficult out there.”On a pitch kept lively by early-morning rain and an overcast evening, run-scoring was no easy task. “The wicket had enough in it all day, and as a batter there was always a delivery that just beat the bat,” added Bell. “[Andrew Flintoff and Paul Collingwood] did well to bat through the last hour and get us into a decent position.”For Bell, it was another mini-milestone on the road to becoming a fully-fledged international cricketer, and he felt afterwards that he had improved “unbelievably” from the wide-eyed rookie who had made seven single-figure scores in ten innings in 2005, saying: “I can’t really compare myself to what I was last time.”Even so, it was McGrath once again who accounted for him, for the fifth time in eight Tests. “It’s just a matter of patience really,” said Bell. “I know what he’s trying to do to me. The ball that got me out was his delivery, the one he wants to bowl to me the majority of the time. He’s always trying to get my outside-edge or [bowl me] through the gate.”There was not a lot to hit out there,” he added. “It’s easy to say we weren’t scoring at a great rate, but unless the ball was right under your nose you couldn’t drive a lot. There was more bounce here than at Melbourne so leaving is easier, and a lot of balls you had to let go.” Though he was tempted to adopt Kevin Pietersen’s approach of disrupting the bowlers’ lengths, he added: “That’s not in my game as much as KP’s.”Nor does Bell enjoy the verbals quite as much either. “I don’t try and say anything to Warne at all,” he admitted. “He’s always going to have the last word in the way that bowlers do, by getting you out. But I enjoyed it out there, and I can take some positives from it. At times it wasn’t too pretty but sometimes you’re going to get runs when they don’t look great.”This is an important game for England,” Bell added. “We don’t want to go down 5-0. We are taking every game very seriously in the run-up to the next Ashes.”

Rest of South Africa 255 for 8 (Rudolph 72*, Morkel 57) beat Indians 218 (Dravid 79, Steyn 5-22) by 37 runs
Scorecard

The Indians’ tour of South Africa got off to an embarrassing start earlier this week when they were forced to set off without any official tour kit, and it hardly got any better when they lost their tour warm-up, going down to a Rest of South Africa side by 37 runs at Benoni.While the loss only three days before the opening match of the five-ODI series was not the ideal start, the real concern was the manner of the defeat. Only a face-saving seventh-wicket stand of 82 from 105 balls between Rahul Dravid and Irfan Pathan saved India from humiliation as they slid to 82 for 6 in reply to the home side’s 255 for 8.The damage was done by Dale Steyn, a fast bowler who the Indians are likely to see much more of before the tour is out, who took 5 for 22. Although he is earmarked as a Test specialist, he bowled at up to 150kph and sent a clear message to the selectors. In his first spell he removed Sachin Tendulkar and Wasim Jaffer – Jaffer only played in place of Virender Sehwag, who needed stitches in a hand after misjudging a catch in fielding practice shortly before the game.In his second two-over spell Steyn dimissed MS Dhoni and Suresh Raina in three balls and his pace was too much for both. He softened up Dhoni with a short ball then trapped him leg-before with a fuller delivery before Raina could only fend a lifting delivery to short leg. In his final spell Steyn bowled Dravid, who was ninth man out after a solid 99-ball 79.Steyn has played in only four one-day internationals and was dropped after the tour of Australia last season because he was too expensive. However, he conceded only 12 runs off the bat, with seven wides and three no-balls making up the rest of the runs against him.Apart from Dravid’s innings, there was encouragement for the Indians in the form of Anil Kumble and Zaheer Khan on their returns to the one-day team. Both were easily the most impressive Indian bowlers. Zaheer, whose most recent one-day international was against Pakistan in February, took 3 for 44 in ten overs. Kumble, who has been out of one-day international cricket since playing for Asia against Africa in South Africa in August 2005, took 2 for 31.

He grabbed two wickets with successive balls as the Rest slipped to 116 for 6 in the 31st over before Jacques Rudolph (72*) and Albie Morkel (57) lashed 96 off 100 balls for the seventh wicket. Morkel skied a catch off Zaheer, but Rudolph carried on hitting out as another 43 runs were scored off the final 19 balls of the innings.Morkel had been due to be 12th man for the Rest but got his chance to play when it was agreed before the match that both sides could use a dozen players, although only 11 could bat or be on the field at any time. The decision enabled the Indians to field an extra player to get match practice ahead of the ODI series. It meant that the match would not have official List A limited-overs status – and also enabled the home side to finish with a much better total than might have been the case.The Indian bowlers took some heavy punishment in the closing overs with Munaf Patel conceding 36 runs off his last two overs and Sreesanth being hit for 44 off his final four.Steyn ensured that India were never in with a realistic chance of winning, even though Dravid and Pathan gave them a glimmer of hope.”There are areas where we can get better,” Dravid said afterwards. “We’re a pretty young side. Some of the young batsmen and bowlers are learning. It’s not an easy place to play cricket, especially if you come straight from India. It is just the start of the tour and there will be better performances as the tour goes on.”Ashwell Prince, who led the Rest of South Africa, was delighted. “We wanted to give them a tough game,” he said. “They have found it tough touring here in the past and we wanted to make sure we didn’t give them any freebies early in the tour.”

The Professional Cricketers’ Association, the body that supports players in England, is continuing to push for a reduction in the number of overs bowled in Championship matches.Players have given their full backing to the proposal to cut the amount of play in a Championship day from 104 to 96 overs, which would also reduce the length of playing time from six and half to six hours. There is also a move to allow the new ball to be taken at 80 overs, bringing the domestic game in line with Test cricket.These proposals have been discussed throughout the season and again at the PCA’s AGM, held at the Belfry on Monday.The standard of second eleven cricket was also debated and the players acknowledged that it was a vital part of the domestic game, providing a feeder system into the first-class arena. However, there is a serious concern about the level and standard of the matches with many second team games played on poor pitches and small outgrounds.Amongst other topics discussed were general employment concerns with regard to minimum wage levels and the implementation of a standard appraisal policy across all counties.A statement added: “The PCA will be working closely with the ECB on the future structure of our domestic game prior to the next broadcasting agreement, and all stakeholders on the issues discussed, to ensure our game continues to move forward positively and in order that our national team remain at the forefront of world cricket in all formats.”

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

Muttiah Muralitharan became the second bowler in history to claim 600 Test wickets during the third afternoon of the Bogra Test as Sri Lanka seized control and paved the way for a certain 2-0 series win. Set a modest 120-run target after a disciplined allround display in the field, Sri Lanka finished on 77 without loss when, bizarrely, the umpires left the field for bad (but not dangerous) light with seven overs still to be bowled.When Sri Lanka return on Saturday morning, Upul Tharanga (48 not out) will aim to follow his marathon first innings century with another half-century, having unleashed a string of beautifully timed offside strokes in the final session. For the third successive night, he walked off the field unbeaten. His partner, Michael Vandort, was more crabish and uncertain on 22 not out when the umpires called it quits.As was the case in the Chittagong Test, Bangladesh wilted in the second innings having conceded an 82-run lead – not mountainous but useful on a pitch offering the kind of pace, bounce and turn that makes Muralitharan almost impossible to hold at bay. When the day started, he appeared destined to join Shane Warne’s 600 club and the only surprise was that he claimed only two more scalps to his five in the first innings, finishing with 7 for 141 in the series.His latest milestone came after lunch as Khaled Mashud (6) top-edged a sweep to Lasith Malinga at deep square leg. Muralitharan watched the ball like a hawk and then broke out into the widest of smiles as his team-mates – well-versed when it comes to the celebration of Muralitharan milestones – engulfed him. Muralitharan appeared delighted but not psyched. His jubilation at ending the Bangladesh innings, allowing him to put his feet up, was perhaps even more pronounced.Muralitharan’s bowling efforts (2 for 62) were overshadowed by the bowling of the new ball pairing, Malinga and Dilhara Fernando, both of whom finished with identical figures (3 for 51). Malinga Bandara, as he has throughout the tour, provided a steady supporting hand with two important wickets after lunch to break through the middle order and into the tail.

The only substantial Bangladeshi resistance was provided by Habibul Bashar, who led from the front, following his first innings 69 with another skilful and positive 73. Mohammad Rafique, a loyal servant for Bangladesh cricket with his complete commitment and allround skills, raised the spirits of the crowd with a swashbuckling 64 from 78 balls – a hard-hitting display that included three sixes and heavy punishment for Muralitharan.Unfortunately, for Bangladesh, Bashar and Rafique’s budding partnership of 52 was cut short by a poor lbw decision – not quite as bad as Sangakkara’s the previous morning but still sliding down the legside. The pair, after the fall of the prodigiously talented Mohammad Ashraful, were Bangladesh’s last realistic chance of setting a competitive target. Despite some late Rafique fireworks, they duly ended well-short of what was needed.Earlier, Bangladesh needed to dismiss Sri Lanka early in the morning and they did just that as Malinga fended off a nasty Shahadat Hossain bouncer to short leg. The breakthrough ended what had been a frustrating 42-run ninth- wicket stand for Bangladesh. It also enabled Shahadat to end with a five-wicket haul, the first by a Bangladesh fast bowler in Tests. Tharanga’s long vigil came to an end shortly after as he glanced down the legside and was acrobatically caught one-handed by a diving Khaled Mashud. Tharanga finished with 165 from 304 balls having hit 19 fours and two sixes.Back in the field, Jayawardene used Fernando instead of Farveez Maharoof with the new ball, adding extra teeth to the attack and putting the Bangladesh openers under early pressure. But it was Malinga, swinging the ball away, that struck first as Nafees Iqbal gloved a lifting delivery. Javed Omar was also surprised by the extra bounce and was caught down the legside.Muralitharan needed only two warm-up overs to take wicket- number 599 as Shahriar Nafees, for the second time in the match, threw his wicket away with a wild legside hoick, a dreadful shot that would have left his coach, Dav Whatmore, fuming back in the dressing room.After lunch, Ashraful edged low to slip where Jayawardene took a sharp reflex catch – the 100th of his career. Two balls later, Sangakarra clung onto a thick edge after a juggling act to dismiss Mushfiqur Rahim for a duck. Muralitharan was then drafted back into the fold, quickly taking his 600th scalp. After that, it was just a matter of time before Sri Lanka polished off the lower order.

Sri LankaLasith Malinga c Iqbal b Hossain 12 (305 for 9)
Upul Tharanga c Mashud c Hossain 165 (316 for 10)
BangladeshNafees Iqbal c Sangakkara b Malinga 2 (15 for 1)
Javed Omar c Sangakkara b Fernando 13 (29 for 2)
Shariar Nafees c Maharoof b Muralitharan 6 (46 for 3)
Mohammad Ashraful c Jayawardene b Banadara 13 (95 for 4)
Mushfiqur Rahim c Sangakkara b Bandara 0 (95 for 5)
Khaled Mashud c Malinga b Muralitharan 6 (110 for 6)
Habibul Bashar lbw Malinga 73 (162 for 7)
Shahadat Hossain b Fernando 8 (187 for 8)
Enamul Haq c Sangakkara b Fernando 3(198 for 9)
Mohammad Rafique c Muralitharan b Malinga 64 (201 for 10)

South Africa announced a packed international and domestic 2007-08 season, which includes as many as seven international tours for the national team, the inaugural World Twenty20 Championship as well as the regular domestic calendar.The season begins with South Africa’s first tour to Ireland, which begins this week, for a series of ODIs against the hosts and India. The squad, captained by Jacques Kallis, includes a number of new players.Subsequently, there are tours to Pakistan, Zimbabwe, India and Bangladesh, while New Zealand and West Indies are due to visit South Africa. In September, before the tour to Pakistan, they host the first Twenty20 championship.Gerald Majola, CEO Cricket South Africa, said, “This is going to be a bumper season for South African cricket, both domestically and internationally. The new season, which kicks off with the tour to Ireland this month, will include seven international tours and the hosting of the inaugural World Twenty20 South Africa in 2007.”We believe that the Twenty20 format is going to bring in a new audience for cricket, and we believe this interest will spread to other forms of the game. On the international front, we will be using this season to increase the pool of Proteas players so that we can meet the challenges of this busy 2007/8 season.”

A fighting century by Asim Ijaz prevented an early finish to the National Junior (Under-19) Grade-I Cricket Championship final between Lahore Blues and Karachi Whites at Multan Cricket Stadium here Thursday.Asim’s gallant 107 helped Lahore Blues recover from 106 for five to 288 all out in their second innings on the penultimate day of the four-day clash.Speedster Tabish Khan was the day’s other hero. He captured six for 82 in 32 overs and a match haul of eight for 130.Karachi Whites, needing 155 for an outright victory, were 12 for no loss at stumps.Having already conceded a first innings lead of 134 Wednesday, Lahore Blues ran into early trouble this morning after resuming at 54 for two. They lost three wickets for the addition of 52 runs to Tabish.But then a resilient sixth-wicket stand between Asim and Shahnawaz produced 75 runs with the latter contributing 45.Asim found another useful ally in Azhar Ali, top-scorer in the first innings, who helped him put on 54 for the seventh wicket. Azhar made 23.