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Brian Lara, the West Indies captain, and his team-mate Daren Ganga were the toasts at the 50th Annual Prize Giving and Awards Ceremony of the Trinidad and Tobago Cricket Board.Lara, who in November 2005 broke the world record for the most runs in Test cricket, walked away with the International Cricketer of the Year Award, while Ganga, the Trinidad captain, won the Senior National Cricketer of the year title.Ganga, who led Trinidad to their first ever double title in the regional competition, was joined by Rayad Emrit, Richard Kelly, Denesh Ramdin and Dave Mohammed as the five outstanding cricketers of the year. PowerGen Sports, winners of the Carib National League Division One competition, was adjudged Club of the Year.Gerard Ferreira, chairman of the Sports Company of Trinidad and Tobago, delivered the feature address and showered accolades on the administration of the TTCB for the efficient manner in which they were handling their affairs and for the several initiatives taken this year with respect to their youth development programmes.In his welcome address Deryck Murray, president of the TTCB, claimed that his organisation did exceedingly well this year and praised Trinidad for their outstanding success in this year’s regional series. Murray said that with the help of corporate sponsors and the Sports Company, the TTCB were able to wipe out the financial deficit which his executive met when they came into office.He said that apart from Trinidad’s success, he was very pleased with the several new youth development programmes which the board had embarked upon. These include the Star Programme, the High Performnace Centres for under-15 cricketers and three youth development tours.

Challenging light conditions and a system crash contributed to the unavailability of ball-tracking for an lbw appeal against Jason Holder late on the final day of the Boxing Day Test, the technology operators EagleEye have revealed.An ageing ball and stark shadows across the MCG were making it difficult for ball-tracking cameras to pick up the ball to a level that satisfied the technology’s handlers, causing them to state to the broadcast producer that they could not provide a ball-tracking model of the Holder lbw appeal immediately.When EagleEye operators then attempted to track the Peter Siddle delivery via Nine’s video footage – the secondary option – a system crash meant they were unable to do so in time for the DRS referral, though it was shown later to demonstrate the ball was missing leg stump.Such eventualities are accounted for in DRS protocols, with the third umpire Ian Gould duly compelled to return to the on-field umpire Marais Erasmus’ original decision of not out. Australia did not lose a review as a result of the course of events. Ian Taylor, head of the New Zealand company Animation Research that provides EagleEye for the broadcaster Channel Nine, said the firm took responsibility for the outcome.”The guys weren’t happy with the first data they got because of a lighting issue so they did a re-track from the video. Unfortunately when they did that the system crashed and they lost the video,” Taylor told ESPNcricinfo. “Doing the re-track without the video takes much longer.”They had to let the producer know they weren’t happy with what they had and advised him there was no useable track available at the time. That is part of the protocol and in that case ‘umpire’s call’ stands. They did retrieve the track in the end but it was too late to use, but they did put it to air.”I want to be clear this is our responsibility. We weren’t able to track this ball to a satisfactory standard and said so.”Taylor said this was only the third such occasion that EagleEye operators had needed to indicate they were unhappy with the data they were getting, in an association with cricket in Australia that dates back to the 2010-11 Ashes summer. By contrast, Taylor said that the Marlon Samuels lbw in the first innings of the match – considered by many to be out though tracking had the ball clearing the stumps – was not a source of consternation for the company.”They were happy with it,” Taylor said of the operators at the MCG. “Side-on showed he was on his tip toes and he was hit on the top of the pad. They felt happy with that tracking, based on what the side-on cameras showed.”There are ongoing discussions between technology operators and the ICC about how to further improve the system, including the advent of a specialist third umpires rather than the current rotation between on-field and off-field duty. It is believed that this concept is also supported by the umpires themselves, as they find it difficult to make the adjustment from the instincts required in the middle to the data analysis of the television review job.Taylor is also an advocate for a system of universal DRS training to be undertaken by umpires and technology operators alike, so all are accredited with the same knowledge base and thus have a greater degree of trust in each other. The Holder lbw was discussed between the match referee Chris Broad and officials from both teams following the conclusion of the Test. Australia’s coach Darren Lehmann said his team remained staunch supporters of the system.”You just want them to get it right, that’s all, make sure the technology is up to speed,” Lehmann said. “Everyone loves it, we’re pro it, it’s just making sure they get it right. It was missing leg stump, they handled it well from a match referee/ICC point of view, where we didn’t lose a review, got that back. Making sure it’s working 100% of the time is the key.”

Spectators at the Gabba will not be evicted for shouting no-ball when Muttiah Muralitharan bowls in the first Test but they will be removed immediately if they start monkey chants. Andrew Symonds was subjected to the animal taunts during the one-day tour of India last month and while Cricket Australia does not expect any reprisals it has adopted strong anti-racism measures for the series against Sri Lanka and India.Comments from Ricky Ponting about poor crowd behaviour will be shown on big screens at the Gabba and 70 closed-circuit television cameras will be used to monitor the spectators. A “dob in a yob” programme is also available for fans to report any offensive actions, but that won’t include screaming no-ball at Murali, who was called for throwing at the MCG in 1995.Mahela Jayawardene, the Sri Lankan captain, said he was not aware of any racist behaviour directed at the Sri Lankans on his previous tours. “Crowds have been tough on certain players, but we’ve never had an incident,” he said. “Racism is something I firmly believe is not part of cricket. People should have the freedom to express themselves in the middle no matter their background or religion.”Peter Young, Cricket Australia’s anti-racism officer, said players “expect to cop an earful” from the crowds in Australia. “It’s what happens in any major sport here,” he said. “But we’re not expecting a problem with racism.”Cricket Australia has met with Sri Lankan officials and adopted the stance following discussions with the ICC. “There is no place for racism in cricket,” Young said, “and we are implementing a global policy.”

Brad Hodge and Shane Harwood return to Victoria’s Pura Cup side for the match against Western Australia which starts on Friday in Melbourne. Hodge is back from Australia’s tour of India, and he will take the place of the allrounder Andrew McDonald, who has had a shoulder operation.Harwood slots in for Peter Siddle, who bruised his heel during last week’s FR Cup match against South Australia, in which Harwood captured five wickets to take Victoria to the 16-run win. Siddle’s loss is a blow as he impressed in the Pura Cup match, bowling sharply to take seven wickets, including five in the second innings.Hodge has a few points to prove following a less-than-impressive display for Australia. He averaged 9.83 in six one-day innings, with a top score of 20. “I’ll be looking to get my own form back on track after a disappointing Indian tour,” he said, “and can’t wait to play a four-day Pura Cup match and build on the Bushrangers’ impressive first-up win last week.” Victoria beat South Australia by 270 runs.Victoria squad Michael Klinger, Robert Quiney, Brad Hodge, David Hussey, Nick Jewell, Cameron White (capt), Matthew Wade (wk), Gerard Denton, Bryce McGain, Shane Harwood, Dirk Nannes, Allan Wise.

China will be taking part in the Asian Championships in Malaysia this July – a first such women’s tournament organised by the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) – along with Nepal, Hong Kong, Thailand, Bangladesh, Singapore, UAE and the hosts. Rashid Khan, the former Pakistan fast-medium bowler who the ACC brought on board to train players in China, was surprised by the potential that Chinese women showed in playing cricket.”The girls in Asia seem almost the same,” Khan told the . “It’s not like the boys, where India and Pakistan are too strong for China to catch up in a short time. I want to give them my experience. That is my main focus here. They are playing cricket for the first time and they play in such a good manner. They are very talented.” With regard to men’s game China is cricket’s next big destination. But the spurt of interest among women in the country is unexpected though heartening.The Chinese Cricket Association (CCA), which joined the ICC and the ACC in 2004, hopes to set up a women’s national team soon and has slated Khan as the head coach of the side. “From my point of view, few countries are developing well in the women’s cricket,” said Liang Guanghua, the director of the Business Cooperation Committee of CCA. “The situations in India, Australia and England are a bit better.”Khan will hold a 40-day training camp at Shenzhen to prepare for the Asian Championships in July. “For me, every match is like I want to win the championships,” said Khan. The foremost thing that players needed to work on, Khan felt, was their batting.In November 2006 Khan was appointed by the Pakistan Cricket Board to train young cricketers in China. The move was part of a joint effort by the ICC and the ACC to give a fillip to cricket in the country and the ACC teamed up with the ICC to provide US$400,000 to build the cricket infrastructure.A sign of cricket’s growing popularity among women in China is that there are 19 teams in the women’s National Championships this year as opposed to only six last year when the tournament was launched. Khan provides more evidence of the same saying that girls in China are keener to learn sports than boys. “They are very tough. In the physical side, they are better than Pakistan’s girls,” he said. Khan coached the China Under-15 in the ACC Trophy in December the same year and was previously junior selector and manager of Pakistan’s U-19 teams.Guanghua and Khan have an ambitious ten-year plan to make the women’s team internationally competitive. “It is a good chance for us. Most of the countries are at the same starting line.” But first there are obstacles that need to be removed. “There aren’t enough facilities here. CCA has to work hard to solve this problem,” said Khan.Guanghua added that more schools had to be encouraged to set up cricket teams and join the ICC’s promotion programme. “What has delighted me in the past years is that students are showing unexpected interest in the sport. I am sure in the next year we will see more schools in the national tournament.”

“They are keen to learn,” Khan said. “They are very much looking forward to cricket in China. The development is not very good yet, but they are hard working and there are many committed people.”The country is being looked as a potential golden goose and the ICC and ACC expect great returns on their investment. “Global revenues for cricket will increase by 30-40% in my estimation once China becomes an established cricketing nation, either as a venue, a participant or a breeding ground for future cricketers in the decades ahead,” said Syed Ashraful Huq, the ACC chief executive.Meanwhile, Malcolm Speed, the ICC chief executive, foresees China playing the World Cup in 2015. “I have seen 15-year-olds in Beijing who, if given every chance to continue their progress, will become very good cricketers,” Speed said.

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

Magnificent half-centuries from Shoaib Malik, the captain, and Younis Khanpropelled Pakistan to a formidable total and a miserly three-wicket spellfrom Shahid Afridi then choked the life out of the Sri Lankan chase asthey romped to a facile 33-run victory at the Wanderers. Sri Lanka hadstarted superbly, with Dilhara Fernando producing an impeccable spell of 2for 17, but their subsequent nightmare was best summed up by the plight ofthe legendary Sanath Jayasuriya, pummelled for 64 in his four overs andthen knocked over for just five.Malik and Younis added 101 at a tremendous clip after Pakistan werestruggling at 33 for 3. Once again, they gotno sort of start, with Salman Butt and Imran Nazir failing to make animpression yet again. Nazir pulled Fernando for a six behind square, butwas utterly clueless about a slower ball from Chaminda Vaas that he gentlybunted to cover.Butt got another start, but was cleaned up by a tremendous delivery fromFernando that was timed at 144.5 km/hr. And after Mohammad Hafeez had comein and clipped Vaas for two fours, Fernando delivered another scorcher, ayorker that crashed into leg stump at searing pace.But with Vaas bowling out and Fernando taken out of the attack after threesuperb overs, the pressure eased. Younis got going with a pull for fouroff Lasith Malinga, and Malik greeted Jayasuriya’s entrance with a hugeswipe that just cleared the man at long-on. Even then, Pakistan hadreached just 69 at the halfway stage, scarcely the sort of total thatwould have given Mahela Jayawardene too many headaches.It started to unravel for the Lankans after that though, with GayanWijekoon and Jayasuriya repeatedly lofted through or over midwicket as therun-rate mounted alarmingly. Younis struck a couple of meaty sixes overmidwicket on his way to a 32-ball 50, and Malik followed suit in just 27deliveries courtesy some scorching strokes down the ground and through theleg side.Both men departed lofting Malinga into the deep, but there was still timefor a 17-run cameo from Afridi, and a crisp contribution fromMisbah-ul-Haq, who followed up his splendid knock against India will twomighty sixes in Jayasuriya’s final over.Sri Lanka’s pursuit of 190 started in disastrous fashion, with UpulTharanga top-edging Mohammad Asif to third man before he’d opened hisaccount, and there was further drama in the opening over when a Jayasuriyamiscue was dropped by Sohail Tanvir at short fine leg.Tanvir redeemed himself in the best possible fashion though, yorkingJaysuriya with his very first delivery. That left Kumar Sangakkara andJayawardene to rebuild the innings, and Sangakkara set about it with amagnificent six over backward point off Asif. His defiance didn’t lastthough, and an unfortunate dismissal – bowled off the arm while going forthe pull – really appeared to have put the skids on Sri Lanka.

But after Jayawardene clipped Tanvir for a beautiful six over square leg,Chamara Silva concentrated his energy on Asif’s final over. A pull and acut started it, and when Asif bowled a no-ball, the free hit was hookedfor six over fine leg. With Shoaib Malik watching frustrated, Asif wasrather harshly called for another no-ball. This time, Jayawardene edgedthe free hit for four as 22 came from the over.Chamara Silva greeted Mohammad Hafeez with a sweep for four, but it wassoon apparent that the slow bowlers would be Pakistan’s trump card. BothHafeez and Shahid Afridi gave next to nothing away, and the pressurefinally told when Jayawardene mowed an Afridi delivery to Umar Gul at deepmidwicket. He had made 28, adding 53 with Silva.Silva was the last hope, but after heaving and then deftly cutting Afridifor two fours to move to 38, he was flummoxed by a full delivery thatcrashed into the stumps. Jehan Mubarak and Gayan Wijekoon both failed totrouble the scorers, and the Pakistani tactic of saving Gul for the endwas amply justified as the match was efficiently closed out.Tillakaratne Dilshan took three sixes from the penultimate over bowled byHafeez, but that was of no more than nuisance value after an emphaticstatement of intent from Malik’s men. For Sri Lanka, it was a rude wake-upcall, and they will now most likely have to beat Australia to make thelast four.

To pull or not to pull? It is one of the more intriguing questions batsmen face. By choosing to take on the short ball, the intent is admirably purposeful. Never the shy, retiring type, Viv Richards said of the hook, a first cousin of the pull, “The fast bowler is testing your courage and your speed of reaction and you are trying to hit him either to, or over the boundary. You are telling the bully with the ball that you are not scared of anything he can send down at you.”It’s a fair point, for batsmen would much rather be accused of being compulsive hookers or pullers than being known for shuffling away to square leg when confronted by a short ball. Richards also likened hooking to riding a “roller coaster of risk,” and it is that risk which was rammed home to Pakistan today.Pakistan weren’t blown away by a short-ball barrage, as many had feared they might be. But they were hustled out by a judicious use of it. Three batsmen fell playing poor pulls, two of whom had been at the crease long enough to know better.Yasir Hameed and Younis Khan are not the two Y’s who normally put on big third-wicket partnerships for Pakistan but they had batted serenely enough to disentangle their side from a tricky position. As always, Younis let everyone know he was there; he clapped his own partner, nodded at bowlers who beat him, cheerily acknowledged fielders who athletically cut off his strokes and acknowledged his own shots, too.Hameed it was who appeared changed. It’s been 18 months since he last played a Test for Pakistan and longer since he was a regular. Not all of it was his own fault, for he was once dropped the match after scoring two fifties as opener in a Sydney Test. He had faults sure, chasing outside off with a relentlessness not seen since Smokey followed the Bandit. Gone was the urgency, the of his early years, replaced instead by an unsmiling grimness. If his shots weren’t so pretty, you’d be tempted to call him a grinder. But the timing remains, evidenced in a drive or two and a ridiculously good flicked six over square leg.Both knocks ended badly, as did Faisal Iqbal’s short stay immediately after, the three taking Richards advice gleefully, though not perhaps balancing it with that element of risk the great man pointed out as an afterthought.Mind you, the wickets weren’t pure freebies; they were just reward for the hosts. South Africa lacked a little fizz, perhaps understandably hungover from the monumental effort required to beat India. Nobody could blame them for that Test ended less than a week ago and by the time this one ends, it will be their fourth in a month.Bob Woolmer rightly complained about ‘nonsensical’ schedules which allow sides little time to acclimatize but South Africa might also back up the grievance in a different context: there just isn’t enough time for fast bowlers to rest. Shaun Pollock and Makhaya Ntini bowled over a hundred overs each in the series against India and Andre Nel would have done comfortably had he played the last Test. Allan Donald advocating resting one or two key bowlers at some stage is increasingly sounding like sound, sagely advice.Yet, as you would expect of bowlers as wholehearted as this trio, they collectively muscled through the day, bowling 56 overs between them. Ntini hustled, Nel bristled and Pollock plotted, to lesser degrees than you might expect admittedly, but they eventually turned what could have been a long, flat day into a surprisingly profitable one. Run-rates never got out of hand, even during the afternoon session when no wickets fell, the fielding rarely lagged and the day ended just about in even balance.Pakistan, though, might rue not finding a balance between the bravado Viv Richards trumpeted and what another decent bat once suggested. Swaying out of the way, David Gower once wrote, avoiding the short ball can often “be more disconcerting to the bowler than attacking him…you commit the bowler to a growing sense of frustration, a loss of temper or control, or a change of tactics, which must work to your advantage.”

The final of the inaugural Twenty20 competition between New South Wales and Victoria will be played at the North Sydney Oval on Saturday January 21. Tickets for the clash, which are expected to be snapped up fairly quickly, go on sale today.”More than 115,000 people have attended domestic and international Twenty20 matches in the past week, and we expect the final of the KFC Twenty20 Big Bash to be just as popular,” James Sutherland, Cricket Australia’s CEO, told reporters. “Australians have responded incredibly to the Twenty20 Big Bash and the excitement that comes with this new format of the sport.”Matthew Nicholson, the NSW captain, welcomed the announcement. “The atmosphere at our last game at North Sydney Oval was awesome. The players are really enjoying playing this form of cricket and that comes back to the atmosphere at the game and the noise and interaction between the players and the crowd. That has got the players pretty pumped.”Cameron White, his opposite number, was equally bullish. “The players enjoy Twenty20 cricket just as much as the fans and we can’t wait to put on a great show.”Tickets available through ticketek on 132 849 or via www.tickettek.com.au

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details2:39

Manjrekar: India should have eyed 350-400 on this pitch

Considering they were effectively operating with a three-man attack, South Africa did incredibly well to take seven wickets on a pitch that was better for batting than the one in Nagpur. However, the surface was not docile enough to afford India the luxury of facing an inept fourth bowler, and the lack of support for South Africa’s frontline meant the batsmen could score freely when the first-choice bowlers were taken off or were tiring.India ended the day on 231 for 7, the highest total of the series, but they might have struggled to make 200 had Imran Tahir not been in awful form. The two new bowlers in South Africa’s XI, offspinner Dane Piedt and seamer Kyle Abbott, were incisive and displayed impressive stamina, taking four and three wickets apiece, and though Morne Morkel did not strike he offered control. Tahir, however, was bowled for only seven overs on the first day because he conceded 36 runs, serving up a buffet of full tosses and long-hops. The real damage to South Africa was in the overs Tahir could not bowl, because the rest were less threatening to face and easier to score off as they tired: Piedt bowled 34 overs, Morkel 17, and Abbott 17 for only 23 runs.The only Indian batsman good enough to battle through the hard periods and cash in on the good times was Ajinkya Rahane, who achieved his maiden half-century in India in his seventh innings and was approaching a fifth Test hundred, when bad light ended play six overs before stumps. His brisk partnership of 70 with Virat Kohli steadied India after a top-order wobble, and his rear-guard stands with Ravindra Jadeja and R Ashwin ensured India survived the day. A first-innings total of 250 will prove challenging on this surface, especially if a team has four reliable bowlers to defend it.Batting was difficult in the morning, when the ball was new and there was some moisture in the pitch, but Shikhar Dhawan managed to anchor India through the first session for the loss of only one wicket. He took 18 balls to score his first run. India scored only 6 in the first 30 minutes, and 16 in the first hour.Abbott had figures of 8-3-11-0 in his first spell; the variable bounce made facing him trickier. One good-length ball to Dhawan passed the off stump a little above the knee. Another short-of-a-length delivery climbed on M Vijay and was collected by wicketkeeper Dane Vilas at head height, but the ball immediately after kept low, forcing a crouching defence from the batsman. Vijay was later smashed on the right elbow by one that rose from a length, and wrung his hand in pain.Abbott had Vijay caught at slip in the 12th over but he had over-stepped, his foot erring by the smallest of margins. Vijay scored only two more runs, though, before he nicked a delivery from Piedt that drifted away from him but did not spin, to Hashim Amla at first slip.In the third over after lunch, Piedt broke Dhawan’s resistance with a classic one-two combo. The first ball drew Dhawan forward and spun away from the left-hander from around the wicket, passing the outside edge. The next delivery slid on with the arm, beating Dhawan’s inside edge as he played for the turn, trapping him lbw. Abbott then found the gap between Pujara’s bat and pad, the delivery angling in to uproot off stump after grazing the inside edge. India had gone from 60 for 1 to 66 for 3.In the middle period of the second session, however, Rahane and Kohli batted superbly, putting away loose deliveries and taking frequent singles to ensure pressure did not build. Their 50-run partnership came off 67 deliveries and they looked set to cash in on South Africa’s weak support bowlers, when Kohli suffered a freak dismissal.Kohli slog-swept Piedt, making clean contact. Instead of racing to the boundary, though, the ball thudded into the thigh of the fielder at short leg and lobbed back up towards the pitch. The wicketkeeper Dane Vilas reacted quickly and dived forward, taking the catch at full length and ensuring that Temba Bavuma, who was hopping about in pain, had something to celebrate.That wicket resulted in two more in quick time. Rohit Sharma was dropped at slip by Amla off Abbott on 0, but two balls later he tried to slog Piedt over deep midwicket, and got a leading edge to Tahir at long-on. Abbott then bowled Saha off the inside edge in the final over before tea, reducing India to 139 for 6. Rahane went into the break on 31 off 62 balls, having scored only one run off the 20 balls he faced since Kohli’s dismissal.India’s best session was the one after tea, during which they scored 92 runs for the loss of Ravindra Jadeja. Rahane and Jadeja added 59 for the seventh wicket, and scored freely against a tiring Piedt. Rahane slog-swept and pulled the offspinner for a six and a four in one over to pass 50, while Jadeja punished loose deliveries from Tahir and Duminy.South Africa had two moments of misfortune, too, after Jadeja was caught deftly by Dean Elgar at midwicket for 24. Ashwin was given not out when Piedt appealed for a bat-pad catch though the ball had brushed his glove, and then Rahane, on 78, was dropped by Amla at slip, capping a frustrating day in the field for the South African captain. Both those moments deprived Piedt of a fifth wicket, and allowed India to end the day in a far better position than they should have been.

Injury worries plagued both North Zone and Sri Lanka A ahead of their clash in the Duleep Trophy final at Kolkata tomorrow. VRV Singh, the Punjab fast bowler, has been ruled out with a viral fever while Malinda Warnapura, Sri Lanka A’s star batsman, and Upul Chandana, their legspinner, are unlikely starters.Warnapura, the only Sri Lankan batsman to score a hundred in the tournament, injured his shoulder during a fielding drill, while Chandana pulled a hamstring. Neither Warnapura or Chandana have been ruled out of the match and a decision will be taken tomorrow, according to the medical staff. The back-up options for both players are Jeewan Mendis, a left-handed batsman, and Rangana Herath, the left-arm spinner with international experience. Ishara Amerasinghe and Kosela Kulasekara, both right-arm medium pace bowlers, are the other bowling options.The two captains, Mithun Manhas and Thilan Samaraweera, reckoned it was a good pitch to bat on after inspecting it during practice. “Its firm and should not break in five days,” said Manhas. “Gautam [Gambhir] and [Ashish] Nehra didn’t practice because they were yet to arrive, but we have no worries.”Sri Lanka A, in their Duleep Trophy debut, brushed aside West Zone by 195 runs before staging an improbable comeback, thanks to a battling lower order, against South Zone at this same venue. Samaraweera felt his side had the advantage. “We’ve been here [in Kolkata] longer than North Zone have, and we’ve played here before,” he said. “We’ve got contributions from everybody yet not many big scores from the top order. On such a pitch like the one here, it’s a case of getting runs on the board.”Sri Lanka A are the first foreign team to compete with the Indian zonal sides – after England A, Bangladesh Academy XI and Zimbabwe A had been completely outclassed. But they will need something special if they’re to upstage North Zone, a team with a record 16 Duleep Trophy titles.