Bravo winds up against steyn

kiron Pollard Ducks under a fiery bouncer

All-round Lions crush listless Guyana

Lions brushed aside an uninspired Guyana in front of a healthy Johannesburg home crowd to boost their chances of making the semi-finals. After Guyana's batsmen showed a lack of nous, and put up an inadequate total, Richard Cameron and Alviro Petersen blunted their attack to pilot the Lions to victory with nearly five overs to spare. Guyana never looked like repeating the heart-warming run of Trinidad & Tobago, who powered their way to the final of the Champions League last year, and their slim chances of reaching the final four ended with this crushing defeat.

Guyana's batsman looked to thrash almost every delivery, and mistimed plenty of strokes, but never attempted to dab the ball around to rotate the strike when things weren't going their way. A late flourish lifted them from the depths of 88 for 6 to the relative respectability of 148, which still proved too trifling a target.

The express pace of Craig Alexander and the sideways movement extracted by some of the Lions other quick bowlers proved too much for Guyana. The trouble started in the very first delivery of the match when Travis Dowlin escaped an extremely close lbw call. His short stay foreshadowed the Guyana effort: filled with thrashes and flails for little reward, and one panicky piece of running before he fell in the second over.

Ramnaresh Sarwan is the most important batsmen in the Guyana line-up and he came out firing, cracking four boundaries in five deliveries to kickstart the innings. However, his performance was cut short in the fifth over by a spectacular diving catch by John Symes, at backward point, off Craig Alexander's first delivery. In the next over, their other experienced batsman, opener Sewnarine Chattergoon who had faced only three deliveries in the Powerplays, holed out to mid-on.

From 42 for 3, debutant Steven Jacobs stepped up to push Guyana forward. He was often beaten by the movement, and his timing was mostly awry, but he slipped in some flamboyant boundaries to take Guyana to 77 after 11 overs.

Lions were well on top soon after due to some muddled running that led to the run outs of Christopher Barnwell and Esuan Crandon. Jacobs also perished, one of his mistimed strokes finally carrying to long-off. Ethan O'Reilly bowled a pinpoint yorker and a low full toss to take out middle stump twice in the 17th over to end with career-best figures of 4 for 27 and put Guyana in further trouble.

Guyana somehow managed to push their total close to 150, thanks to some free-swinging from Lennox Cush who finished on 19 off 10 including a massive six over long-off.

The chase began brightly with both Petersen and Johnathan Vandiar picking a boundary each. Lions' only moment of bother was when Vandiar nicked Esuan Crandon behind in the third over, bringing together Cameron and Petersen who bludgeoned the weak Guyana bowling to bring up Lions' second win in three games.

Petersen sparked the innings to life after a quiet spell following Vandiar's exit by thumping Esuan Crandon over long-on for a 102-metre six and then cracking him past point for four. It was mayhem after that - only two of the remaining overs of the chase went for less than 11 runs as Cameron went into overdrive. Helped by a gift-wrapped bunch of short deliveries from the Guyana spinners, Cameron soon overtook his captain with a series of pulls and carves.

Petersen was content to let Cameron take most of the strike, and quietly moved to his second consecutive half-century. Cameron more than doubled this previous career-best of 36 before the victory was completed in the 16th over, keeping Lions firmly in the mix for a semi-final spot.

Innings Dot balls 4s 6s Powerplay 16-20 overs NB/Wides Guyana 51 15 3 42/3 47/3 2/3 Lions 35 12 8 44/1 1/0 0/6

Conspiracy to defraud Pakistan cricket - Ijaz Butt

In an extraordinary outburst, PCB chairman Ijaz Butt has pointed a finger at the English cricketers for their role in the batting collapse that cost England the ODI at Oval and said the board was investigating a conspiracy, involving "august cricket bodies", to defraud Pakistan and Pakistan cricket.

In a prepared statement read out to ESPNcricinfo - and repeated on Pakistan TV channels - a day after the ICC started a formal investigation into Pakistan's win in the third ODI at The Oval, he also launched thinly-veiled attacks on the ICC, some cricket boards and the media.

"This is not a conspiracy to defraud bookies but a conspiracy to defraud Pakistan and Pakistan cricket," Butt said. "We have taken it in hand to start our own investigations. We will shortly reveal the names of the people, the parties and the bodies involved in this sinister conspiracy and we also reserve the right to sue them for damages.

"There is loud and clear talk in bookie circles that some English players have taken enormous amounts of money to lose the match [the third ODI]. No wonder there was such a collapse."

When asked by this reporter whether the board had any proof of the allegations regarding English players, Butt responded with a question: "Did you ask the other people who made allegations against our players whether they had any proof? What did they say? We have thought about this properly and we have positive proofs here before us just like they say they have also."

Butt then concluded his statement: "We feel the media in certain countries is biased and not fair. We feel august cricket bodies are also involved in this conspiracy, which will damage the great game of cricket."

The statement is an extension of the one the board released late on Saturday indicating its unhappiness with the way the ICC handled the Oval allegations. Nobody in the Pakistan board was informed by the ICC that an official investigation was being launched; the chairman, the team manager and the captain only learned of it through media reports.

An ICC spokesperson told ESPNcricinfo they tried to contact Butt all through Friday but his phone was unavailable. "On Saturday morning [after the ICC press release was sent out] we came to know that Mr Butt was in Dubai. Haroon Lorgat [the ICC chief executive] sought out and met Butt in Dubai on Saturday evening and discussed matters of mutual interest," he said.

However, there is no indication that the ICC tried to contact anyone else in the PCB, nor tried to reach Butt - who was in New Delhi after meeting the ICC president Sharad Pawar - through any number other than his Pakistan mobile.

The PCB also seems unhappy with the official implication that Pakistan's batsmen were under the scanner. Though the ICC didn't point the finger at Pakistan in their statement - though The Sun did so in their report - the subsequent statement from the ECB confirmed that no English players were involved.

"One statement from a very august official of the ICC said no, only Pakistan players were involved," Butt said, though he refused to elaborate.

Butt also refused to give more details of the nature of the board's investigation, though he said it had already begun. "I will be revealing names of people and organisations who are involved in this, so I don't want to comment more on the investigations just now. Details will come out only once our investigations are complete."

Butt's comments may well signal the final nail in the coffin of the PCB's relationship with the ICC, if they have not completely broken down already. Under Butt's tenure, the two have clashed consistently. In 2009, the PCB threatened to take the ICC to court after Pakistan was removed as a venue from the 2011 World Cup, following the Lahore terror attacks on Sri Lanka in March. The dispute was resolved out of court but tensions have simmered consistently since.

They boiled over again in the aftermath of allegations of spot-fixing during the fourth Test at Lord's. The ICC provisionally suspended the three players at the centre of the scandal, Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir, after the Pakistan board refused to do so. At a press conference in Lahore soon after he returned, the board chairman expressed his unhappiness with the ICC's decision while a police investigation was still ongoing against the three.

Butt then went to Delhi to discuss the investigation and allegations with Sharad Pawar, the ICC president. He travelled on Saturday to Dubai, the ICC HQ, though it is unclear whether he has met with officials there. He said, however, that he would raise these issues at the next ICC meeting, on October 11.

Bravo, Tiwary neutralise Steyn burst

Royal Challengers Bangalore had out-thought, out-planned and out-executed Mumbai Indians until Anil Kumble dropped Dwayne Bravo off his own bowling in the 15th over, a catch that would have reduced Mumbai to 86 for 6. The game turned from thereon as Bravo and Saurabh Tiwary took 79 off the last six overs to keep the match in the balance.

That big Mumbai finish was exactly what Bangalore were trying to avoid when they held back Dale Steyn through the first 10 overs. As far as Steyn was concerned, he executed the plan perfectly. Charged up, he responded by inflicting a three-ball duck on Kieron Pollard, and generally pushed the batsmen back with ferocious pace and bounce on a lively Kingsmead pitch.

The plan did involve some risk, but the Kumars at Nos. 1 and 2 started its perfect execution. Praveen Kumar began with a maiden, R Vinay Kumar began tightly at the other end; both men extracted movement and bounce. Praveen's pièce de résistance was Sachin Tendulkar's wicket in the third over with slight away movement. Vinay followed it up with the loose-looking Ambati Rayudu's wicket.

Shikhar Dhawan and JP Duminy then got stuck, going from nowhere to nowhere. Many an ungainly shot was played, and Kumble got through seven overs from the Kumars for 42 runs. Around that seventh over, live poll results on TV showed 70% people thought Bangalore had made the right move by saving Steyn for Pollard. Pollard saw that too, and smiled.

His time was soon going to come as Duminy ended his painful stay by hitting Jacques Kallis to long-on. Mumbai made Bangalore wait by sending Saurabh Tiwary in. Steyn took matters in his own hands, getting Dhawan's wicket in the 12th over. Out came Pollard. In came slip and a short leg. Bouncer. Ducked under. Slower ball. Missed. Length ball, extra bounce, leading edge, gone.

In Trinidad & Tobago, there must be saying that if Pollard doesn't get you, Bravo will. Especially if you drop Bravo, as Kumble did when he was on 1. Bravo thanked Kumble by hitting him for two fours in the same over, and then launching him for two sixes and a four in his next. There is a risk of understating Tiwary's performance, who didn't look intimidated at all, and slapped a Steyn bouncer for a flat six, and followed it up with back-to-back fours.

A high full toss in the 19th over ended Bravo's 17-ball 29, but that didn't slow Mumbai down as Harbhajan hit three boundaries in his 6-ball 14.

Impossible to clean cricket completely - Hayden

atthew Hayden, the former Australian opener, has said it is practically impossible to completely eradicate corruption from the game of cricket.

"The investment the game places in protection strategies to mitigate against corruption is minuscule compared to the vast geographic areas the game is played in and the level of illegal gambling activity," Hayden told the Hindustan Times. "It really is a runaway train."

Hayden said the only the way to counter the threat of gambling was for every individual player and administrator to decide to personally uphold the integrity of the game. "We play a great game, and as players we are honoured to uphold its integrity as a product."

Former Pakistan wicketkeeper Rashid Latif, who testified against some of his team-mates before Justice Qayyum's commission, said the ICC's Anti-Corruption and Security Unit (ACSU) was a toothless body that could not be counted upon to uncover fraud within the game. "The ACSU does not have the right to conduct raids or arrest people, what they only do is to ask players to avoid suspicious people."

The ACSU was formed in 2000 in the wake of the match-fixing scandal that ended former South African captain Hansi Cronje's career. Its main purpose was to help ensure there would be no repeat of the Cronje case but Latif says it has largely failed in this regard.

"These ex-policemen [ACSU officials] may have been very good in their field, but cricket is a different ball game altogether and only a cricketer can see an irregularity during a match."

Cush century takes USA to title triumph

USA won the Division 4 title in emphatic fashion, demolishing Italy by eight wickets in Pianoro courtesy a Lennox Cush century that came in only 55 deliveries. The two teams had secured promotion to Division Three on Friday.


Chasing Italy's modest 185 for 9, Cush and Orlando Baker were in a hurry as they rattled up a 102-run stand in only 11 overs. Cush was dropped by Dilan Fernando off his own bowling off the first ball of the fourth over. He responded by pulling the next ball to the fine-leg boundary. A six over midwicket followed off the fifth ball and USA were on their way. Fernando was hit out of the attack, conceding 26 runs in three overs. The other bowlers did not fare better as Cush and Baker kept the onslaught going. Cush took 18 runs off a Hemantha Jayasena over, hitting him for a four and consecutive sixes.

Baker was dismissed by Peter Petricola after making 40 off 34 deliveries with six fours and a six. But there was no stopping Cush as he brought up his hundred in the 17th over. He was finally dismissed with the score on 166 after smashing 101 off only 57 deliveries with 14 fours and four sixes. Captain Steve Massiah was unbeaten on 28 off 26 deliveries, steering USA to victory in 21.4 overs.

Italy, who had chosen to bat, had started poorly, as Kevin Darlington struck twice to reduce them to 16 for 2. Adrian Gordon then removed the middle order taking 4 for 35, and Italy were reduced to 116 for 8 despite Petricola's fighting 42. Gayashan Munasinghe and Roshendra Abeywickrama added 51 runs in a ninth-wicket stand that enabled Italy to reach a fighting total. However, given the mood Cush was in, the target of 186 was never going to trouble USA.

Meanwhile, USA wicketkeeper Carl Wright has been reprimanded by the ICC match referee David Jukes for breaching the ICC Code of Conduct. Through his admission, Wright was found to have breached Article 2 Section 2.1.4 of the ICC Code, which relates to "using language or a gesture that is obscene, offensive or insulting during an International Match". "I hope Mr Wright has learned that there is no place for this type of behaviour anywhere near the game. I also trust that in future, he will be more courteous and pay others the respect they deserve for their efforts," Jukes said.

Nepal crushed Tanzania by 10 wickets in the third-place play-off in Medicina, dismissing them for 73 and then knocking off the runs in 12.3 overs.

The only thing that went right for Tanzania was the toss, and they chose to bat. A disciplined Nepal bowling attack kept up the pressure throughout, wickets fell at regular intervals - including the last five for three runs - and Tanzania were bowled out for 73 in 39.3 overs. All the bowlers were among the wickets and Shakti Gauchan was the most successful of them with 3 for 10 off nine overs. Issa Kikasi was the only Tanzanian batsman to put up some resistance, top-scoring with 32 off 72 deliveries.

The Nepal openers made short work of the chase, Anil Mandal smashing an unbeaten 47 off 40 deliveries with four fours and three sixes while Mahesh Chhetri remained unbeaten on 24 off 35 with three fours and a six.

Cayman Islands won the fifth-place play-off in Navile, brushing aside Argentina by seven wickets after having restricted them to 182 for 9.

Opener Ramon Sealy set up the chase for Cayman Islands, top-scoring with 60 off 57 deliveries with seven fours and three sixes. By the time he was out, only 81 runs were needed with 33 overs remaining. Saheed Mohamed and Ryan Bovell needed only 75 deliveries to knock off those runs. Mohamed was unbeaten on 42 off 44 deliveries while Bovell remained unbeaten on 33 off 37.

Argentina had earlier struggled to 182 for 9, having elected to bat. Opener Carlos Gibson steadied the innings with a patient 45 off 116 deliveries but Argentina were badly hit after he had to leave the field due to an injury. Three run-outs didn't help their cause either. Several batsmen got starts but failed to convert as Cayman Islands kept things tight.

de Villiers displaces Dhoni as No. 1 ODI batsman

South African batsman AB de Villiers has displaced India's captain MS Dhoni as the top ODI batsman according to the latest ICC ratings. de Villiers, who averages 43.56 in 101 ODIs, had a prolific season that took him to 805 points in the ratings, nine clear of Dhoni. Michael Hussey, the Australian batsman, was third on the list with 792 points.

de Villiers amassed 667 runs in his last 10 ODIs, which included four centuries and two fifties against top opposition. Three of those centuries came in consecutive games, in Gwalior, Ahmedabad and Antigua. Though de Villiers did not play in August, Dhoni's patchy form in the Sri Lanka triangular series, where he scored only 140 runs in five outings, led to the swap at the top.

"My ultimate aim is always to do well for the team and to help South Africa win trophies but it is nice to be acknowledged in this way," de Villiers said. "Two years ago I said I wanted to be the best batsman in the world and it is pleasing to see that I am starting to get results." He is also keen to move up from his No. 11 position in the Test ratings.

de Villiers had ankle surgery during the off-season and was to continue his rehabilitation during a conditioning camp with the senior team. "It [the ankle] is coming on nicely and I can't wait to pick up my cricket bat again."

Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara was at the top of the Test batting table with 874 points, 15 ahead of Virender Sehwag. Dale Steyn and Daniel Vettori maintained their respective positions at the head of the Test and ODI bowling charts, while Jacques Kallis and Shahid Afridi remained the top allrounders in the two formats.

Test cricket's last-minute arrival

One hundred and thirty years ago this week the first Test in England took place at The Oval. But it was a hastily arranged affair at the end of a long and largely derided tour by an Australian team, and was staged at The Oval rather than the more obvious location of Lord's, because of the lofty attitude of the MCC towards the "colonials".

Although what we now recognise as the first Test took place in Australia in March 1877, when the Australians toured England the following year, the MCC, which ran the game then, refused to offer them any games against a representative England XI. That sniffy attitude was undermined when the tourists beat a strong MCC side at Lord's, skittling them for 33 and 19, but the seeds for the 1880 Test at The Oval were sown when, a week later, 35,000 over two days watched the Australians' game against Surrey.

The seriousness with which Australian tours were taken was best highlighted by the then influential Lillywhite's Cricketers Annual, which in 1879 noted, with disapproval, that visits were treated as a virtual joke.

An English tour to Australia under Lord Harris in 1878-79 had not helped relations when a riot marred a game against New South Wales at the SCG. Many felt it was too soon after that for an Australian side to return and feared they would receive a hostile welcome if they did.

Nevertheless, plans were put in place for an 1880 tour under Billy Murdoch. However, a dispute between the Victorian and New South Wales boards meant the trip was not finally confirmed until April, by which time counties had arranged their fixture lists and had no intention of altering their plans.

James Lillywhite, acting as agent for the Australians, failed to secure any matches on major metropolitan grounds. At every turn he was curtly rebuffed. In January the Surrey committee declined a plan for a game against the county, claiming the "season was too full". Lillywhite countered by offering to play for charity but the committee, while split, again declined.

Meanwhile, the MCC briefly entertained a proposal for a game at Lord's, submitted by WG Grace, who offered to raise an XI himself. But the Australians could not rearrange their schedule around the date offered and the idea lapsed.

Grace's involvement was not entirely altruistic. At the start of the summer he noted the tour was "a doubtful experiment" as there was "a growing prejudice against speculating and travelling teams". But by July he appreciated there was money to be made from a high-profile contest at Lord's, not least by him, and for the remainder of the tour he was an active advocate of such a game taking place.

As the tour limped on it was largely ignored by the press and appeared to be on the way to being a public relations and financial disaster. At one stage Lillywhite had to take out advertisements seeking any opposition willing to play the side, and by mid-July only Yorkshire and Derbyshire of all the counties and serious representative teams had been played, and even then not on a major ground. By the end of the four-and-a-half month trek only eight first-class matches had been played alongside 45 other games.

In late July, at the sixth time of asking, the Surrey committee agreed to stage a game against the Australians at The Oval on September 6, 7 and 8, one of only a handful of matches the tourists were to play in the south all summer. The question of raising a strong England XI remained.

Charles Alcock, the Surrey secretary and one of the leading administrators in cricket and football in both sports' early days, began a month of frantic travel around the country to persuade the top players to take part. He began with a visit to Canterbury to try to convince Lord Harris to captain the XI; aided by the persuasiveness of Grace, who was playing in the festival against Harris, Alcock achieved his hardest goal. With Harris signed up for the venture, he knew others would follow.

From there Alcock went to Hove to ask the Sussex committee to cancel a game Lillywhite had arranged with them on the same three days in September, and again was successful, his argument aided by compensation of £100. After that he travelled extensively to recruit leading players, and all but three - Emmett, Ulyett and Hornby - who had been involved in the Sydney riot, agreed. Harris later wrote that he "had to bring a lot of pressure to bear on several prominent amateurs… to play". By the time of the match a good-strength side had been assembled.

As news spread that a representative side would play the Australians, interest in the tour in general took off. The huge crowds that flocked to The Oval suggested the lofty attitude of the authorities was hopelessly out of synch with those of the public.

Although the actual attendance is uncertain, Wisden reported "20,814 persons passed through the turnstiles on Monday, 19,863 on the Tuesday, and 3751 on the Wednesday". The game itself was a thriller and the dismissive attitude towards Murdoch's Australians was forgotten as the establishment congratulated itself on such a fine venture.

Alcock, exhausted but delighted, wrote: "In the eternal fitness of things… the game was in every way worthy of an historic occasion."

A hundred years later England hosted the Centenary Test. It was a sign of the times that it was played at Lord's rather than The Oval, purely for financial reasons: Lord's could hold more spectators and guarantee greater revenues. And it was ironic the hosts, and the organisation that made a healthy profit, was the MCC, the very club that had done so much to obstruct the Australians at the dawn of international cricket.

Is there an incident from the past you would like to know more about? E-mail us with your comments and suggestions.

When Cush comes to shove

When Guyana take on Royal Challengers Bangalore on Sunday, there will be a tremendous amount of support from fans back home on the northern coast of South America. But because of one player in the team, they'll have support stretching across the Caribbean to North America as well.

Lennox Cush, a senior member of the Guyana squad, is the only player participating in the Champions League who plays for the USA national team. While he came up through the Guyana system as a hard-hitting batsman and still plays in the top order for the United States, he has demonstrated all-round skills by morphing into an attacking offspin bowler for Guyana in Twenty20. In a squad with an average age just under 27, Cush's versatility, experience and spirit are a definite plus for the captain, Ramnaresh Sarwan.

"Obviously we use him as a bowler, but of course I think he's one of the individuals that's very focused, very fun," said Sarwan. "He always brings a certain type of spirit to the team and everyone welcomes him because he's so funny. I think it's always good to have someone like that in your team."

There have been a few bumps on Cush's road to playing in front of a worldwide audience, but he's managed to hold on to his big smile all this time.

He was brought up in Georgetown with his four sisters by a single mother. "It was a mess," says Cush. "It was kind of tough because our mother was left to fend for us. Things turned out well, but at the end of the day she's the one that should be taking all the praise." Sadly, Cush's mother died from kidney failure only a month after he made his first-class debut against Windward Islands in 1996.

"When it had happened, he took it very hard, like, I think, every other person would," reflected Sarwan, who has known Cush very well for more than 15 years. "His mum was such a loving and caring person, and she was such a good mum to him. She taught him the right things in life. Obviously she wasn't there to see him play on a consistent basis, but I think it kind of motivated him to try and see what he can achieve. Even when we're playing cards sometimes, he brings up his mother's name. It shows obviously that he still thinks about her and he holds her very close to his heart."

Cush started to achieve more in 1998 during the domestic one-day competition. In the Red Stripe Bowl Final, he took a catch that dismissed Leeward Islands captain Stuart Williams, before taking 4 for 37 to bowl Guyana to the title.

After some solid batting performances playing league cricket in England during the summer of 1999, he was looking forward to building on his success for Guyana and pushing for a place in the West Indies side when a freak accident curtailed those plans.

"I was just kidding around with a little relative of mine in New York and he ran behind me," says Cush, motioning to show how his right knee wound up being dislocated. He points to the sizeable surgical scars that trace the outside of his knee. "I didn't know the seriousness of it. I just told him to pull it, turn it back into place. You can imagine that. I blacked out two times in five minutes."

All of his ligaments had been damaged and he wound up needing two surgeries three months apart and missing the entire 1999-2000 season.

"I think he was very close," surmised Sarwan when asked if Cush could have made it into the West Indies team had he not suffered such a devastating injury. "His knee, that was a big setback for his career."

A few years after recovering, Cush reached his best form with the bat during the 2001-02 season, scoring two centuries while averaging 39 in the domestic four-day competition. But it wasn't enough to crack the West Indies side and by 2005 he had played his last four-day and one-day games for Guyana.

The following year he had qualified to play for the USA. He had become a permanent resident, having met the woman who would become his wife in New York and married her there in 2001. He was selected to play for America for the first time at the 2006 ICC Americas Division One Tournament held in Canada.

The emergence of the Stanford Twenty20 competition, though, breathed life back into his Guyana career. In the second edition, held in 2008, he was the second highest wicket-taker in the tournament, with eight in three games, and he was drafted into the Stanford Superstars team. However, he sustained another knee injury during the training camp, this time to his left anterior cruciate ligament. He gave it a go against Middlesex, but when it came time for the grand finale against England, he failed a fitness test and didn't get to participate in the Superstars' ten-wicket romp.

Almost two years later, it appears that Cush is finally going to get his chance on a big stage. So far he has been having a golden summer. It started with his performance in July at the Caribbean T20, where he formed a potent spin combination with Devendra Bishoo to help Guyana win the title. Cush was the leading wicket-taker in the tournament, with 11 in four games, including a hat-trick against Combined Campuses and Colleges.

Three weeks later he helped USA win the ICC World Cricket League Division Four in Italy, where he was named Man of the Match in the final against the hosts. He opened USA's chase and rampaged his way to his first century in a red-white-and-blue uniform, notching 101 off 57 balls with 14 fours and four sixes in his team's eight-wicket victory.

It may have been a 50-over game but he was already prepping himself for Twenty20 mode in the Champions League. He'll be batting down the order for Guyana, but his team should feel confident that he's capable of scoring runs if needed.

"I think we've got a very strong batting line-up and he's being picked mainly for his bowling in this team," said Sarwan. "But I think it's important that because we have a few experienced guys and a few inexperienced guys, we want to try and spread them out and allow everyone to be able to handle situations. I think Lennox batting at that position, if we were in trouble, I think he would be a good player for the situation and probably guide us through it."

Cush hopes that he will serve as an inspiration for players from the USA to strive for bigger and better things in the future and hope that they too might get to stand toe to toe one day with some of the biggest stars in the game. "I think knowing that they can be there sometime or at some point is an added motivation for them, and me playing there, I think that will help them to even play harder to get to that level and bring US cricket to that level," says Cush.

In the meantime Sarwan is just happy to have Cush healthy and with a smile on his face and believes that he will be a key ingredient for a successful two weeks in South Africa.

"My mindset is to enjoy myself, give it my best and just enjoy the cricket," says Cush on his mental approach to the tournament. "Whatever I'm doing - batting, bowling or fielding - just enjoy it, take the pressure off of myself."

Fans on two continents are hoping that mindset will lead to triumph for Cush and Guyana in the Champions League.

Save the game or lose it

Fixing, whether it be of the spot or match variety, is a major challenge for cricket. Only prompt and firm action can hope to resolve the issue.

With that in mind, it was disturbing to read suggestions that 18-year-old fast bowler Mohammad Amir, if found guilty, could avoid a life ban if he gives evidence against his Pakistan team-mates. What sort of message does that convey? That you'll be excused if you claim you're too young to decipher right from wrong?

What message does it send the crooks? Be sure to "groom" young players and then your "investment" has a greater chance of paying long-term dividends. And doesn't it tell an honest player, "You're a fool. You should've grabbed the money"?

The honest players have already suffered enough just from playing in an era tainted by the fixers.

If he's guilty, in a roundabout way the ICC would do Amir a favour by banning him for life. If he were guilty and was to be reinstated a couple of years down the track, he'd still be in the clutches of the crooks. Any outstanding debts or threats to him or his family would still be hanging over his head. The only way you escape the clutches of these unsavoury characters is the same as the mafia exit strategy: in a wooden box. At least with a life ban from cricket, the youngster escapes their clutches and can get on with what remains of his future.

And if he's forgiven there's the not-so-minor matter of how he'd be accepted by the Pakistan team. Self-interest is never a great team-spirit builder, and ratting on your mates, no matter how devious they might be, is not the way to ingratiate yourself.

If you think that's melodramatic then consider the crooks' background. In many cases they will have built their tainted fortune on such nefarious activities as gun- or drug-running. They have no scruples. Once that's understood you begin to comprehend the enormity of cricket's problem.

Fixing is not a Pakistan problem; it has the power to bring the game to its knees.

Cricket has already missed a golden opportunity to send a strong message to crooks, players and administrators. Pakistan should've been suspended from competition the moment the Lord's Test was completed.

"Can't do it," you say, "it'll ruin the game."

Well, if fixing isn't eradicated then there'll be no game of any consequence to ruin.

How can they play the current ODI series between England and Pakistan?

	The administrators have to assume once a player is in the clutches of the crooks, it's a lifetime deal. That's why Pakistan's refusal to heed the strong warnings issued by Justice Qayyum in his illuminating 1999 report have come home to roost

Mr Fixit in London said he has seven Pakistan players in his pocket and they'd agreed to "throw" two of the ODIs. Three of the Pakistan players are currently under suspension. That leaves four possibly still playing in these matches. Will those players refuse to do the dirty deed because of all the publicity?

Cricket shouldn't have taken that chance. After all, it's not the players who decide the fix and when it'll occur. The administrators have to assume once a player is in the clutches of the crooks, it's a lifetime deal. That's why Pakistan's refusal to heed the strong warnings issued by Justice Qayyum in his illuminating 1999 report have come home to roost. The game is still littered with former players named by Qayyum, cricketers he suggested should never hold positions of responsibility in the game.

Rather than send a strong message, the game has averted its eyes. It's not surprising that 15 years after the initial strong indications the game wasn't clean, we still have evidence of widespread corruption. Given that the Qayyum report was largely ignored and player bans overturned it's not surprising the crooks don't feel threatened.

Like all of cricket's major problems, fixing can't be properly addressed until the issue of the ICC's flawed structure is resolved. There can be no excuse now for not addressing this issue with great resolve and integrity. The game's future is on the line.

The honest players and the fans deserve a concerted effort to clean up the game. If drastic action isn't taken to eradicate fixing it won't be a matter of the administration gambling with the game's future; they'll be delivering it a death sentence.

Afridi wants to regain respect

Shahid Afridi believes his Pakistan team can emerge from their scandal-hit tour of England with respect. He has backed the side to build on their improved display in the first one-day international at Chester-le-Street and give the hosts a serious challenge in the remaining four matches.

Although Pakistan lost by 24 runs in Durham - a considerable margin in a game reduced to 41 overs - they didn't roll over as had been the case during the two Twenty20 internationals in Cardiff when the batting, especially, was awful to add to the woes of the spot-fixing controversy.

On Friday Kamran Akmal managed his first half-century of the tour, Umar Akmal hit 43 off 33 balls and Asad Shafiq, who had only arrived 48 hours previously from the A-team tour of Sri Lanka, took Tim Bresnan for four boundaries to threaten a tighter finish.

These are all aspects Afridi is clinging to in the hope that Pakistan can return home with their heads held high despite all the allegations that have been thrown their way since the spot-fixing story broke two weeks ago during the Lord's Test.

"We all want to go home with respect," he said. "We want to play some good cricket and get some victories. I know it's very important for the team. Yesterday the performance was much better, not 100% but I was quite happy with the efforts from the boys and that's what I'm expecting in the next game as well.

"We all know we are playing in a very tough situation but we are trying to forget everything that is going on. The players should focus on the games and as captain I'm trying to keep the morale high. We all know how important this series is for our team and our country."

Even though the three players at the centre of the spot-fixing storm - Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir - are now back in Pakistan, that doesn't mean the issue has moved away from the tour. Wahab Riaz, the left-arm quick who took five wickets on his Test debut at The Oval, will be questioned by police in London next week although Afridi insists he is coping with the pressure and available to play.

"At the moment he is feeling fine," he said. "Let's see what happens when the police investigate him. I really don't know what is going on. I just heard the police want him. But he's feeling okay."

Afridi also asked for the supporters back home to remember that no-one has yet been found guilty of any offences. "The guys are still not guilty and we are waiting for the results. We are good cricketers and want to maintain our respect and that is gained by playing good cricket. The PCB and ICC will take some action if things happened."

Raina gets out of the way of a bouncer

Cheerleaders In ICL Opening

Badrinath, bowlers seal emphatic win for Chennai

Chennai 151 for 4 (Badrinath 52*, Anirudha 42, Bracewell 2-28) beat Central Districts 94 (Bracewell 30, Balaji 3-20, Bollinger 2-10, Muralitharan 2-15, Ashwin 2-28) by 57 runs

S Badrinath led a strong counterattack after early losses to guide Chennai to 151, a score that their varied bowling attack defended easily under lights to launch their side's Champions League Twenty20 campaign with a win. Chennai's batsmen recovered from 48 for 3 at the halfway mark of their innings, looting 103 runs off their last 10 overs, nine more than Central Districts managed in their entire chase. Chennai's bowlers maintained control from start to finish, in the process taking a small step towards questioning the theory that IPL teams would struggle in this event.

The game was always going to be decided by how well Central Districts' batsmen would stand up to Chennai's world-class bowling arsenal. And the answers came soon enough: R Ashwin and Suresh Raina dropped chances early in the piece, but even that failed to level the playing field. Doug Bolliner hustled away with a heady mix of pace, bounce and movement. Albie Morkel began the procession, coaxing Peter Ingram into an impulsive pull that went nowhere. Lakshmipathy Balaji then settled into an impressive spell, bowling legcutters at will to outclass the top order, and produced the first maiden of the tournament. Then the spinners came on, and Central Districts' misery was complete.

Ashwin, denied the new-ball role that he relished in IPL 2010, foxed Jamie How with a carom ball that sped past his tentative prod. Muttiah Muralitharan, sporting the 800-number jersey, then sent back Mathew Sinclair and Kieran Noema-Barnett in his opening over. Five down for 36 in the eighth over and no escape routes in sight. Chennai made good use of the remainder of the game, correcting the early blips on the field, led by Matthew Hayden who plucked a couple of screamers in the slips.

The margin and manner of defeat were both long shots given the way Central Districts' seamers started. MS Dhoni's decision to bat on a fresh pitch was tested immediately by sharp movement and spongy bounce. M Vijay poked nervously at the first ball of the innings, edged the second short of slip and sparred uncertainly at the third, all outside the off stump. Matthew Hayden did not learn from Vijay's travails and top-edged a pull off the last ball of the over to continue his miserable run from the IPL.

Suresh Raina succumbed to a vicious bouncer from Adam Milne that he could not evade in time. The pressure was on Chennai and Vijay was clueless against the swing, and more obviously, the bounce. He kept committing to shots early, edging into vacant areas, before Doug Bracewell removed him with a brute that took the shoulder of his bat on its way to the slips.

In conditions that were not cut out for flashy strokeplay, Badrinath, arguably Chennai's most correct local batsman, took control. Brendon Diamanti grassed him at point in the fifth over, but otherwise his innings was chanceless. Srikkanth Anirudha, who got a promotion ahead of Dhoni, was reprieved early as well, Michael Mason dropping a regulation offering at deep midwicket. Soon, Central Districts were left ruing their two blemishes in an otherwise impressive fielding effort.

Badrinath's plan initially was to pick singles and settle in. With the wicket losing its early spice, he opened up in the tenth over, drilling Mitchell McClenaghan off the backfoot for four. Unlike his colleagues who struggled to handle the bounce, Badrinath repeatedly used it to his advantage, cutting and pulling bumpers for sixes.

Anirudha, at the other end, hit the ground running, and soon Central Districts were leaking runs at both ends. He hung deep in the crease, converting full-length balls into half-volleys and gaining extra time to handle short balls. The result was a flurry of boundaries through the off side, the best being an inside-out carve for six, off Mason in the 15th over.

Anirudha departed after a stand of 73 in 8.1 overs, but despite Dhoni's continued absence at the crease on account of a flu, Morkel ensured a strong finish. Badrinath did not get much strike in the end overs, but he had already played his part. An upper-cut for four, off Milne in the final over, took him past fifty and Chennai had completed a strong recovery. At that stage it seemed like Chennai's bowlers had been given something to work with. Around a hour-and-a-half later later, their ruthlessness on the field made even that score look superfluous.

Mumbai will bounce back says Duminy

The shocking defeat at the hands of local side Highveld Lions in the Champions League Twenty20 opener notwithstanding, Mumbai Indians batsman JP Duminy said the IPL side has the firepower to bounce back in the tournament.

Coming into the match as underdogs, Lions stunned a star-studded but sloppy Mumbai by nine runs last night to register the first upset of the Twenty20 tournament at the Wanderers.

But Duminy said it was just an off day as captain Sachin Tendulkar's 42-ball 69 could not save the day for his side.

He insisted that Mumbai would roar back into the tournament in their next match against South Australia Redbacks in Durban on September 14.

"It is the first game of the tournament and obviously we would have loved to start the tournament on a winning note.

But we are not yet out. There are three more games to go and we definitely have the side to make a comeback," the left-handed South African batsman told reporters at the post-match press conference.

"He (Tendulkar) played exceptionally well but in the end cricket is a team game and all of us needed to chip in," Duminy said.

Duminy said fielding remains a concern for the Mumbai team and lauded the Lions bowlers, especially Shane Burger who accounted for the crucial wickets of Tendulkar and dangerman Keiron Pollard, for their exemplary display at the death overs.

"I think we played pretty well but our fielding was not upto the mark and we need to address the issue in the coming games. But hats off to Lions bowlers. They bowled brilliantly at the end," Duminy said.

Meanwhile, Lions captain Alviro Petersen said Tendulkar and Pollard's wickets were the turning points of the match for his side.

"If they (Tendulkar and Pollard) were there, they could have won the match for Mumbai. So both the wickets were crucial," he said.

He said coming into the match as underdogs, the home side could not have asked for a better start.

"It's a great start. That's what we have been looking for. I quite like the underdog status because there is no pressure on us. We wanted to enjoy and we did it. But I don't call ourselves underdogs, it is the media which has given us the name.

"But whether we play against Tendulkar or any other player we will play with the same intensity."

Like Duminy, Petersen also said he would have preferred to chase if he had won the toss.

"We obviously wanted to bowl first because our strength is batting and we also prefer to chase. But after we were sent into bat, our only target was to get a good score, something around 170. But 186 was a winning total on this wicket," he said.

He also credited his bowlers for restricting the Mumbai Indians to 177 for six in their alloted 20 overs.

"On paper Mumbai Indians are definitely stronger than us but our bowlers came through beautifully in the end," Petersen said.

Super Kings, super show; Stags who?

Mahendra Singh Dhoni has a love affair with South Africa. This is where he started Team India's resurrection in September 2007 after the team had earlier in the year been knocked out of the World Cup in the Caribbean. And he wasn't going to let the Stags disturb that equation.

Just as expected, the Super Kings gave the Stags some cricketing lessons. For better or for worse, the IPL every year brings an ensemble of mercenaries playing for their outfits, who are often challenged by a group of domestic players who are used to playing with each other right through the year and therefore are thought to gel better as a unit.

But of course gelling as a unit is never enough to win a game and the Super Kings yet again showed just why they are amongst the top two teams in the Champions League to stake a claim to the title.

Everything went according to plan for the Super Kings, who won the toss and elected to bat. Even though the exaggerated nip and bounce did them in initially, they are a team too full of talent and experience to be rattled by these early reverses. S Badrinath led a brilliant counter-attack and was ably supported by Srikkanth Anirudh and Albie Morkel as the Chennai team lifted themselves to 151, with 107 runs coming off the last 10 overs.

The three treated the Stags' bowlers with utter disdain and sent their fielders on a leather hunt. And once the score was up, Chennai's specialist bowlers - Doug Bollinger, Muttiah Muralitharan, R Ashwin, L Balaji and Morkel did the job with ease. MSD's captaincy was spot on. He stuck with his bowlers, gave them the field they wanted and didn't experiment for the heck of it.

The skipper didn't come out to bat because of a flu, and the rapid pace at which his bowlers cleaned up the Stags was probably a result of his directive that they must finish the game before the effect of his dose of medicine goes away. And what a taste of medicine did they give to the Stags!

We had said a day ahead of the game that the Stags will think themselves lucky if they could walk off the field with just their heads held high. Too bad, Jamie 'who' How and his men ran into MSD's demolition team!

Badri was impressive, so were bowlers: Dhoni

Chennai Super Kings captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni was all praise for Subramaniam Badrinath for his superb unbeaten 52 which set up his side's victory over Central Districts in Champions League Twenty20 match here on Saturday.

"We lost early wickets and that put us under pressure. But Badrinath and Anirudha batted really well. These are the conditions where technique does matter. If those who have good technique perform up the order it is easier for those who have lesser technique to slog later," Dhoni said.

"Badri has a good technique and so good to see him perform," said Dhoni after CSK's 57-run win over Central Districts.

Dhoni also have words of praise for the bowlers. "All the bowlers bowled well. Balaji bowled well to pick up three wickets. The two spinners were superb as conditions here were not that well assisting them," he said.

"Muttiah Muralitharan is a great bowler and it is great to have him in the team. He just varied his deliveries and the same was in case of R Ashwin also," he added.

He said CSK will have to win two more matches out of remaining three to make sure they qualify for the semifinals.

"Well of course it is really good to start such a tournament with a big win. It is important to get momentum when you start off with a win. We want to win all the remaining three matches but at least we have to win two," he added.

Central Districts captain Jamie How rued his side's batting failure.

"To restrict Chennai to 150, I thought the boys bowled really well. The bowling and fielding were the positives, but we didn't really turn up with the bat. We will be looking to bounce back against Victoria," How said.

Man-of-the-match Badrinath, whose counterattacking 52 from 42 balls was mainly responsible for taking CSK to 151 for four after being 48 for three at halfway mark, was happy that he could come out good in difficult condition.

"I am really happy with the innings. To be able to see the team through to the end. It wasn't easy to start off with, but once I got in I made sure I made it count. Totally different conditions to what we get in India, so really happy that I could do well here.

Chennai maul Stags by 57 runs

Chennai Super Kings stamped their authority on the Champions League at the St. George's Park on Saturday when they romped home by 57 runs against the champions from New Zealand, Central Stags, thanks to S Badrinath's 52 and the Chennai bowlers who bundled out Stags for just 94.

The day began on a sorry note for CSK after MS Dhoni won the toss and chose to take first strike. Mathew Hayden began his second Champions League stint with a golden duck against the Central Stags when his first-ball aggressive intent landed straight into the hands of deep square leg.

Things got worse when Hayden's wicket in the first over was followed by Suresh Raina's in the second, leaving Chennai reeling at 5/2.

A partnership of sorts ensued between Murali Vijay and S Badrinath but could go only as far as 35 runs, when a snorter took an edge off Vijay's bat straight into the slip fielder's hands.

Chennai innings, though, found an unlikely hero in Anirudh Srikkanth who took off like a man on mission and even rubbed off his aggressive intent onto Badrinath.

Boundaries started flowing and soon transformed into sixes and the Chennai innings moved from stable to a healthy state. A 50-run partnership turned into 73 but that's when Srikkanth's 29-ball cameo of 42 runs came to a standstill, with an attempted slash over point taking his bat's edge en route to the wicketkeeper.

In came big-hitting local sensation Albie Morkel, but he could only partially succeed in doing what's always expected off him: hit it hard and long. Credit for that must be given to the Stag's bowlers who held their nerves and kept varying their pace.

The last two overs didn't bring the desired runs but just enough to help Badrinath reach 52. And with Albie Morkel's small cameo of 26 off 15 balls, CSK notched up a challenging 151 runs.

Now it was up to the Murali-led CSK spinners and Bollinger to bowl their heart out and defend a total that Stags must have felt was gettable.

Dhoni's comrades beganDhoni's comrades began in the best possible manner by keeping a tight leash on the proceedings, subsequently resulting in wickets.

While Morkel and Balaji took care of Ingram (6) and Worker (4) respectively, Murali and Ashwin's introduction struck Stags like lightning.

The highest Test wicket-taker took care of Mathew Sinclair (10) and Noema Barnett (0) in his first over while Ashwin foxed Jamie How (13).

That left Stags reeling at 44/6, which was followed by a 38-run face-saving partnership but once that was over, the remaining batsmen fell like ninepins and the Stags got bowled out for a paltry 94, giving CSK a comfortable 57-run victory.

With this MS Dhoni - who was not at his 100 per cent due to a mild flu - has made a strong statement that his team means nothing but business in the Champions League.

ICL T20 warm-up: Red hot RCB beat Stags

Vijay Mallya-owned IPL franchise Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) began their Champions League preparations in style, beating the champions from New Zealand - Central Stags - by 22 runs in a practice match at the High Performance Centre in Pretoria on Tuesday.

The Bangalore team were too hot to handle in a one-sided affair in which the Stags elected to bowl after winning the toss. An opening partnership of 71 between Manish Pandey (40) and Rahul Dravid (38) put aside any apprehensions about how Indian teams would fair on hard, bouncy tracks here.

Robin Uthappa's 53 not out must have banged the national selectors' door again, who must be looking over their shoulder for an opener as the team struggled in Sri Lanka in the absence of Sachin Tendulkar and Gautam Gambhir.

Uthappa's fireworks were intensified by Cameron White's who came in to propel RCB to a formidable 172/2 with his 36-run whirlwind knock.

For the Stags, only George Worker and Seth Rance kittied wickets. Batting too looked pretty lethargic, with the skipper Jamie How struggling to just five runs in a 26-ball inning. Only Peter Ingram could add some momentum to the chase with his 63 runs.

In the absence of any support from the other end, Ingram couldn't win it for Stags against a backbreaking spell of 4 wickets for 9 runs in three overs by RCB all-rounder Dillon du Preez. The local player used the home conditions to his advantage by running through the Stags' top and middle order.

Continuous stutters prevented Stags from presenting any challenge and in the end, they could muster only 150/5, giving RCB a comfortable 22-run victory.

Kings lock horns with Stags

One team is loaded with star power, the other with commoners. One boasts of specialists who pride in demolishing the opposition, the other has six players who can bat and bowl. One is led by a T20 World Cup winning skipper, the other who has not even played five T20 international games.

It's an unequal battle and Jamie How and his Central Districts Stags would do well on Saturday if they can walk off the field with just their heads held high against the MS Dhoni-led Chennai Super Kings at Kingsmead, Durban.

A look at the team composition is enough to give Chennai the winning points. Now it's just a matter of going out there and carving out a nice Net Run Rate. Even with six all-rounders, the stags just don't have enough fire power to challenge the Chennai batting line up that boasts of the likes of Mathew Hayden, Murali Vijay, Suresh Raina and the skipper himself.

Stags' pacer Michael Mason, Peter Ingram and captain How have limited experience at the top level, while another batsman Matthew Sinclair has sparked only in the longer version of the game. Their most influential player, Ross Taylor, changed his loyalties at the last moment and decided to represent Royal Challengers Bangalore instead of the home team. Clearly, he knows which team to back!

If Chennai win the toss, Dhoni is sure to elect to bat first on a Durban wicket known to help the batsmen in the early stages and the bowlers later as the ball gets old. The ball, however, may get battered before getting old with the burly Hayden determined to prove that his 'mongoose' bat is just the weapon of choice.

Vijay could be equally destructive at the top but with a more sober approach than Hayden, while Raina - who has gathered most of his runs with a big heave over the mid-wicket in the recent past - will be itching to demonstrate his skills again.

Skipper Dhoni, too, won't mind hitting a few lusty blows and S Badrinath will be the perfect foil to take the innings forward just in case the side loses a few quick wickets.

With Doug Bollinger, Albie Morkel, Muthiah Muralitharan, and all-rounder Justin Kemp in the side, Chennai has the potent bowling attack to defend any total their batsmen set during their outings in the middle.

This game is a sure-shot win for the Super Kings. All that the Stags can do is run for cover.

Middle-order props up CSK innings

A gutsy innings by S Badrinath saved the sinking ship of Chennai Super Kings to a certain extent after they got off to a dreadful start as their opener Mathew Hayden went for a golden duck while Suresh Raina too could not control a rising delivery and gave a simple catch in the slips in their opening game against Central Stags at Kingsmead, Durban on Saturday.

Earlier, the toss went in favour of Mahendra Singh Dhoni who had no hesitation in batting first.

The Chennai team will bank on it's powerful batting lineup to win their first match of the Champions League against a Kiwi team that has a lot of bits-and-pieces players who can spring a few surprises for the Indian champions.

TEAMS:

Chennai Super Kings: M Vijay, M Hayden, S Raina, S Badrinath, J Morkel, MS Dhoni (c/wk), S Anirudha, D Bollinger, R Ashwin, M Muralitharan, L Balaji

Central Stags: J How (c), P Ingram, G Worker, M Sinclair, B Griggs(wk), B Diamanti, K Noema-Barnett, D Bracewell, A Milne, M McClenaghan, M Mason

The dark horses of Champions League 2010

Central Districts

When Peter Ingram - also a rugby player until he broke his jaw during one of the trials - is not playing cricket, he teaches New Plymouth kids how to mould objects out of metal. When he needs to relax, Ingram picks up his gun, acquired six months ago, and hunts down pigs. "Once you shoot them, you cut them all the way down to the gut, cut off the head and carry it, and then skin it," he says. "It's beautiful to eat, it is very lean and has no fat. It relaxes me. Sometimes cricket can be pretty tough." Cricket shouldn't ideally be so tough for this right-hand opener, for his model is the master of minimalism, Virender Sehwag. Having reduced excessive feet movement, after watching Sehwag bat, Ingram has "averaged about 65 and scored heaps and heaps of runs". Five days younger to Sehwag, Ingram is known to be a clean hitter who turns his starts into massive scores, which are similar traits. He is yet to display those in his short international cricket, and the Champions League cannot be a bad time to start.

Guyana

Jonathan Foo is the latest addition to the list of exciting talent to emerge from Berbice. The lower order dynamo of Chinese descent became an instant hero during his first domestic event, the Caribbean T20 tournament. He warmed up to the format in his first two games, sealing tense chases with quickfire, unbeaten 20s. He lasted only five balls against Trinidad and Tobago, but managed to hit two sixes in a game of close margins. His best came in the decider where he lashed 42 off 17 balls, with three sixes and four fours, lifting Guyana from 85 for 8 in the 17th over to chase 135. His exploits have already evoked comparisons with Kieron Pollard, and if Foo can have the kind of impact the T&T allrounder created last year, West Indies cricket would have found its next hero.

South Australia

Tom Cooper has been around the world to play for South Australia in the Champions League. He's originally from New South Wales, but switched to the Redbacks and has just finished his first season with Holland. He could end up as more than a journeyman if his aggressive batting clicks consistently. The 160 he struck in a 50-over game against West Indies in 2008-09 is still being talked about.

Mumbai Indians

Ambati Rayudu is just 24 but he has already seen plenty of twists and turns in his brief cricketing career. At 16, he was touted as the next great Indian hope after he blasted 177 for India colts against England. At 21, he was almost finished as he chose to play in the rebel Indian Cricket League. In 2009, he returned to mainstream cricket when he accepted the BCCI's amnesty offer and he starred in the last year's IPL . Sachin Tendulkar empowered him with the responsibility of batting up order, ahead of the likes of Dwayne Bravo and Kieron Pollard, and Rayudu delivered on numerous occasions.

Lions

Ethan O' Reilly's stature doesn't create the impression that he can generate a lot of pace but deception is his biggest advantage. A short, small-built right armer, O' Reilly moved from Eastern Cape to join the Lions last season, where he's clocked respectable speeds of 140-plus kilometers per hour. He took 11 wickets in eight matches during the Standard Bank Pro20 to help the Lions to their first final in three seasons. O' Reilly usually opens the bowling but he is often given at least an over at the death because of his ability to bowl full when it's most needed. His best performances of the season came against the Lions' arch rivals, the Titans, where he took 3 for 27 in the round-robin match and 2 for 18 during the first leg semi-final. The 24-year old has a good bouncer and knows how to make the ball swing and as a relatively unknown prospect could prove dangerous for the opposition.

Warriors

The name Ashwell Prince is not often associated with limited-overs cricket in a positive light, but he has worked hard to change that. The most significant sign of that can be seen in his strike rate. Prince has scored at rates of 109.80, 112.04 and 97.18 in his last three limited-overs series. They were all domestic competitions with the last two being forty-over versions, but Prince's aggressive intent has been clear. In the South African MTN40, he played four matches, scored 186 runs with a highest score of 128. That match-winning century came in the final of the competition against the Dolphins. He also scored a century for Lancashire in the Clydesdale Bank 40 and in the Standard Bank Pro20 he scored 112 runs in four matches with a top score of 69. Since his disappointing World Cup in the 2007, Prince has been regarded as a Test player but with the new-found confidence, experience and the ability to remain calm under pressure, Prince may prove to be the Warriors' knight in shining armour.

Victoria

Bryce McGain will always be associated with his unforgettable Test debut in Cape Town. But don't think that he can't bowl. While his hammering was an unfortunate end to his international ambitions, he remains a huge threat on the domestic scene with his thoughtful legbreaks. Depending on the situation, he can tease with flight or tie down with control. Attack him at your peril.

Wayamba

Jeevantha Kulatunga, Wayamba's big-hitting opener and occasional medium-pacer, had to wait 17 years after his first-class debut to make it to the Sri Lankan team. Two failures in a low-profile Twenty20 tournament in Canada and he was tossed back to the domestic circuit. That hasn't discouraged him, though, and he has been a key ingredient in Wayamba's successive triumphs in the domestic Twenty20s. Kulatunga was at his best in this year's Interprovincial Twenty20 tournament, bludgeoning 277 runs at 152.19 to bag the Player-of-the-Series award. He smashed the fastest Twenty20 century made in Sri Lanka, and his combination with Mahela Jayawardene at the top of the order proved to be the cornerstone of Wayamba's success. It earned him a place in the preliminary squad to the World Twenty20 in the West Indies but the presence of Jayawardene and Tillakaratne Dilshan meant there was no space for him to make an international return.

Chennai Super Kings

Shadab Jakati used the IPL ticket to get out of cricketing anonymity. His career might start and end with the IPL but he has been one of the pleasant surprises that the tournament has thrown up to the cricketing world. A left-arm orthodox spinner, Jakati excelled in the South African pitches, and was crucial to Chennai Super Kings' surge in the middle stages of the 2009 tournament. He announced himself with four-fors in back-to-back games, a remarkable achievement in Twenty20s. He was also a key figure in Chennai's winning campaign the following year, taking 13 wickets.

Bangalore Royal Challengers

Dillon du Preez is not extremely fast. He is not a glamour boy. In fact he was not even a permanent fixture in the Eagles team in his first three seasons. 2007-08 changed all that; he grabbed 55 wickets and stormed into public imagination. In 2008, he signed with Leicestershire as a Kolpak player. In 2009, he joined IPL and made a dream debut. He started with that rarest of Twenty20 beasts - the double-wicket maiden, and it included the scalp of Sachin Tendulkar. And when he removed JP Duminy in his next over, his figures read: 1.2-1-0-3.

Adaptability will be key in CLT20 - Kumble

Anil Kumble the Royal Challengers Bangalore captain, has said the speed at which teams adapt to the pitches in South Africa will be crucial to their success in a short tournament like the Champions League Twenty20. He also said it was too late to bring in Kevin Pietersen, who has no international commitments during the Champions League after being dropped from England's limited-overs squads.

The tournament will be played from September 10 to September 26 in South Africa. In most countries except England, the cricketing season usually kicks off in September or October, which means many sides will be rusty.

"It is the first tournament for a lot of teams," Kumble said after an interaction with more than 50 Bangalore fans on the eve of the team's departure from India. "In South Africa, it is the beginning of the season and it is the first game of the season for some of the players in RCB as well. The biggest challenge is how quickly you acclimatise to the conditions and the need to start well in the tournament."

Bangalore reached the finals of the IPL in 2009, when it was held in South Africa, and the team's coach and several players come from that country, giving them an advantage over other overseas teams. "We can take some confidence going to South Africa having done well there in IPL 2. Our coach Ray Jennings also understands the South African conditions well. With Jacques Kallis and Dale Steyn around, those conditions should suit our bowling as well."

The team's batting is bolstered by heavy-hitters such as Ross Taylor and Cameron White, but they will miss the services of World Twenty20 Man of the Series Pietersen, who was their big-ticket signing last year. "It's a bit too late," Kumble said. "We had to announce our squad about a month ago, which we did."

Most IPL players signed three year contracts in 2008 that come to an end after the Champions League. It has been nearly two years since Kumble, who will turn 40 in October, announced his international retirement and he was unwilling to commit on how much longer he would continue to play the IPL.

"Once you retire, you have to take it one step at a time," he said. "So you don't plan and say that I am going to play for the next three years. Hopefully I will be in good shape for the six games this month and we come back victorious. That will be a great motivation to get into the next year. To think of the next year is very premature."

A week ahead of the Champions League, the cricketing headlines are dominated by the spot-fixing controversy in London. Kumble was confident the right steps would be taken to avoid such episodes during the tournament in South Africa. "Every tournament, every international match that happens is under a perceived threat," he said. "I don't think we need to be worried about these things but we can't close our eyes. ACSU is there to deal with it."

CLT20 a chance for youngsters to shine - Jamie How

the Central Districts Stags captain, has said the Champions League Twenty20 is an opportunity for the youngsters in his side to stake claims for higher honours.

"It gives them the chance to show what they're made of on the international scene and perhaps if they perform well, they might even have a chance of being picked up for one of the IPL teams," How said ahead of the tournament that gets underway on September 10. "Both individually and as a team, we have a chance to pit our skills against the world's best, which is a very exciting prospect."

Central Districts qualified for the event by winning the 2009/10 edition of New Zealand's domestic HRV Cup. How was wary of the competition his side will encounter in the Champions League which features the top domestic Twenty20 sides from around the world. "Every team here is here on merit. The fact that they're here means that they are very good teams, winning or finishing near the top of their individual competitions. Each of the teams has its strengths and weaknesses and we just have to be able to deal with those."

The team will miss the services of two of their key players - Ross Taylor, who will turn out for his IPL side Royal Challengers Bangalore, and Jacob Oram who is out with a knee injury. How admitted his side would be hampered by their, and the injured allrounder Graham Napier's, absence. "Ross is certainly a big loss for us. He's one of our best players, and along with missing Jacob Oram and Graham, it's been a big loss, but it also gives someone else an opportunity to step into their big shoes."

How looked forward to the event and felt the youngsters in his side would enjoy playing in South Africa. "It's a wonderful experience for the younger guys who haven't been here, because it's a great country to tour. There are really great cricket facilities and exciting places off the field. And we're doing quite a bit of travelling - we play in Centurion, Durban and Port Elizabeth - so we'll see quite a bit of the country."

Efficient Warriors seal easy win over Wayamba

Juan Theron could do with a better nickname. He was anything but Rusty, taking two wickets in the first over of the match, and one in his first over back, hurting both Wayamba's start and comeback. On St George's Park's flat pitch, and with short boundaries, 154 proved to be a comfortable chase for an efficient Warriors side, who made it two in two for South African teams in Champions League Twenty20. The required run-rate, never a threatening proposition in the first place, fell under six in the 14th over.

Theron, with his efforts at the top and the end of the innings, provided the game-changing moments, reducing Wayamba to 2 for 2 and then ensuring only 43 came off the last six overs. Jeevantha Kulatunga, Wayamba's hard-hitting journeyman opener, counterattacked, scoring 49 off his team's first 69 runs, but missed support from the other end and the innings failed to get a fillip after he got out for 59, in the 15th over.

Warriors didn't need any solo heroics in the chase as Davey Jacobs, Colin Ingram, Justin Kreusch and Mark Boucher all made contributions. From the moment Ashwell Price walked across to the fifth ball of the innings and flicked it past midwicket for four, boundaries kept coming at the right times, either through improvisation or through correct hits straight down the ground.

After Prince's dismissal, Ingram and Jacobs added 52 risk-free runs in 34 legal deliveries. Left-hand batsman Ingram's high elbow and straight hits stood out, and so did Jacobs' square-cuts off Mendis. Those shots involved slight risk as Jacobs had to create room to those long hops. Two boundaries were followed by one that found its way through to the leg stump. Kreusch came in and hit the sixth and seventh balls he faced for boundaries through the on side. That brought the target down to 68 off 62, but a tight over from Rangana Herath produce a false stroke from Ingram.

Wayamba tried to create pressure, conceding just seven off the next two overs. With 54 required off seven overs, it seemed Wayamba were starting to slip their foot in the door. Kaushal Lokuarachchi then got one over too many, and Boucher slammed the door shut, hitting two massive sixes in a 21-run over.

A mark of the efficiency of Warriors's effort was that they hit seven sixes fewer than Wayamba, but played 17 fewer dot balls too. Kulatunga, though, was not responsible for the middling Wayamba innings, which got off to a poor start.

The Mahelas, Jayawardene and Udawatte, were both troubled by swing in the first over. Jayawardene edged the second ball he faced to second slip, Udawatte did the same to the third ball he faced but it fell short. He lobbed the next delivery, a short one, to midwicket, giving the Warriors a dream start. But Kulatunga was about to jolt them into action.

It started with a short and wide delivery from Lonwabo Tsotsobe. It was dealt with a powerful cut, with no effort to keep it down. Anything with a hint of width was going to be dealt with similarly. After two such boundaries, Tsotsobe overpitched, and was lofted straight down the ground. When he tried to cramp Kulatunga up with a short ball into his body, the pull shot nearly went out of the ground. Tsotsobe to Kulatunga: four balls, 18 runs, and Wayamba were 28 after 3.3 overs.

Kulatunga responded to the fall of his captain, Jehan Mubarak, with another counterattack, a six off Nicky Boje in the same over, taking Wayamba to 58 after nine overs. His solo received semblance of support from Kushal Perera, the left-hand wicketkeeper-batsman, who hit sweetly timed sixes in the 11th, 12th and 13th overs. Kulatunga responded with one in the 14th, taking Wayamba to 110, and a big score looked on the cards.

The game was about to turn, though. Tsotsobe earned a sense of redemption, removing Kulatunga with his first ball back. Theron came back too, getting Kushal with a slower ball. The two allrounders, Thisara Perera and Farveez Maharoof, holed out looking to hit Makhaya Ntini for sixes, and it was obvious then that Kulatunga's effort wouldn't be enough.

Balaji included, Chennai elect to bat

MS Dhoni stuck to his IPL strategy of batting first in Chennai's first Champions League Twenty20 fixture against the New Zealand domestic champions Central Districts.

It was a plan that worked well for Chennai during their victorious 2010 IPL campaign, especially in the semi-final and final where their bowlers defended modest scores. They did away with their three-spinner attack though, leaving out left-arm spinner Shadab Jakati for Lakshmipathy Balaji. Doug Bollinger, Matthew Hayden, Muttiah Muralitharan and Albie Morkel were the four overseas picks.

Dhoni's decision played into Central Districts' hands, their captain Jamie How revealing his side wanted to bowl first. They picked four seamers on a pitch that is likely to do a bit early on, after being under the covers in the morning. Despite the absence of Ross Taylor, who is playing for Bangalore in this tournament, How's side boasted of some international talent, including Mathew Sinclair, Michael Mason and Peter Ingram.

Central Districts: 1 Jamie How (capt), 2 Peter Ingram, 3 George Worker, 4 Mathew Sinclair, 5 Bevan Griggs (wk), 6 Brendon Diamanti, 7 Kieran Noema-Barnett, 8 Doug Bracewell, 9 Adam Milne, 10 Mitchell McClenaghan, 11 Michael Mason

Chennai Super Kings team: 1 M Vijay, 2 Matthew Hayden, 3 Suresh Raina, 4 S Badrinath, 5 Albie Morkel, 6 MS Dhoni (capt & wk), 7 Srikkanth Anirudha, 8 Doug Bollinger, 9 R Ashwin, 10 Muttiah Muralitharan, 11 Lakshmipathy Balaji

Davies sets England up for comfortable 24-run win

England's winning momentum showed no signs of abating as they took the opening one-day international at Chester-le-Street by 24 runs, but at least they were made to work a little harder by Pakistan. Steve Davies led the batting effort with a powerful 87 off 67 balls, his first international half-century, and was backed up by a composed 69 from Jonathan Trott as England piled up 274 for 6 in a match reduced to 41 overs by a wet outfield. For once the visitors' batting didn't implode as some spirited contributions kept them alive but they couldn't find the major stand required.

There are 12 ODIs between now and the start of the World Cup for England to finalise their plans but conditions in Durham during early September are a million miles away from anything they'll face in India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. However, this is a strong one-day unit being put into place and one of the few areas still containing some uncertainty, the wicketkeeper-opening batsman, was a success here with Davies' impressive effort.

His only previous ODI came as an emergency replacement for Matt Prior at last year's Champions Trophy when he faced Australia in the semi-final at Centurion. Here he timed the ball beautifully all around the wicket and was especially strong square through the off side whenever he was offered width during a lively 37-ball fifty. Unlike Craig Kieswetter, who often looked hyperactive at the crease and lost control of his shots, Davies remained still and composed until he fell cutting at Saeed Ajmal.

In their current frame of mind it would have taken a monumental effort from Pakistan to chase down the runs, but they at least gave themselves half a chance. Mohammad Hafeez and Kamran Akmal added 62 for the first wicket, Pakistan's best opening stand in any international since the Headingley Test against Australia, before Graeme Swann's usual party trick of a first over wicket when Hafeez was well caught at deep-square leg.

Despite all the allegations circulating in recent weeks players have insisted the matches will be played in the right spirit, but for a moment tensions nearly boiled over during Stuart Broad's second over. Kamran pulled out of his stance and pointed angrily towards Trott at mid-on then Andrew Strauss became involved before Billy Doctrove stepped in. The heated moment appeared to pass by the end of the over, but feelings were clearly running fairly high.

England's fielding wasn't quite at its best as Kamran was given two lives in two balls when he was missed by Strauss at point and Trott at long-off. This time the home side had breathing space, but Andy Flower and Richard Halsall, the fielding coach, will have noted the errors. Michael Yardy reasserted England's control when he had Mohammad Yousuf lbw coming too far across the crease and Swann won his duel against Kamran when the wicketkeeper couldn't clear long off having made his first half-century of the tour.

Umar Akmal hit 43 off 33 balls before trying to scooping Broad over the keeper and Asad Shafiq showed some spirit as he clubbed Tim Bresnan for four boundaries. But Shahid Afridi could barely middle the ball during a painful 25-ball innings and when he carved to cover it really was the end for Pakistan's slim chances.

It was England's efficient batting display which set up the victory and they'd been led off in style as the new opening duo of Davies and Strauss who added 78 in 12 overs. Mohammad Irfan's much-anticipated introduction into international cricket didn't quite go to plan as his first over was dispatched for 15. However, it was still a touch harsh when he was whipped out of the attack after one over and his replacement, Umar Gul, didn't do any better as his two-over burst cost 22 and he finished with 67 off six overs.

Shoaib Akhtar was the only paceman to offer any control and was unlucky not to claim success in an opening five-over burst that cost just nine runs. He received very little support, however, and despite his parsimonious efforts England had 63 on the board at the end of his opening spell. Davies was dropped at short cover on 21 when Afridi could hold a stinging drive and Strauss continued to show impressive intent - no doubt aware that scoring heavily off the spinners will be key in the World Cup - as he launched Ajmal over long-on for his second six, Ajmal, though, claimed revenge when Strauss missed a mighty sweep and he was given a send-off by the bowler for his troubles.

With Trott playing himself in and working the ball for ones and twos the onus was on Davies to keep the tempo high which he did successfully until he tried to cut Ajmal 13 short of his hundred. Pakistan were unlucky not to strike again shortly afterwards when Doctrove failed to spot Trott's edge off Ajmal on 26 and then lost the services of Irfan who limped off midway through his sixth over.

Paul Collingwood fell trying to take advantage of the batting Powerplay and Eoin Morgan edged a cut off Afridi, but Trott registered his first boundary off his 54th delivery when he back-cut Shoaib.

Trott then brought up his fifty from 64 balls and immediately stepped on the gas with the confidence of a man who is in the form of his life. A few lusty blows from Ravi Bopara ensured the momentum was all England's and they never really looked liked losing. It says everything about the last two weeks that there was even a sense of gratefulness just for something resembling a contest.

Suspended Pakistan trio return home

A couple of hundred protestors were at Lahore airport when the three Pakistan players at the centre of the spot-fixing scandal returned home on Saturday morning. Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Asif and Salman Butt left through a back exit away from the people carrying banners and waving shoes.

There was also support for the players inside the terminal with one sign saying: "Long live Salman Butt." As reported by ESPNcricinfo on Thursday, their return does not, however, mean they are cleared from the ongoing criminal investigation. Pakistan's interior minister Rehman Malik said the government of Pakistan would provide a written assurance that the players be made available if needed for further investigations.

"We have spoken to Scotland Yard, and the [Pakistan] high commissioner to the UK, Wajid Shamsul Hasan, has also been in talks with them and they have agreed that the players can return to Pakistan," Malik told ESPNcricinfo.

The trio were provisionally suspended by the ICC last Thursday and were quizzed by police the next day for their alleged role in bowling deliberate no-balls during the fourth Test at Lord's between England and Pakistan; an undercover sting operation by the tabloid News of the World apparently revealed that they had done so at the behest of Mazhar Majeed, an agent to the players. Majeed was arrested but released on bail while the players had their mobile phones confiscated. No charges have been pressed against them yet.

On Thursday, the PCB chief revealed that Wahab Riaz, the left-arm fast bowler, will be the fourth player to be interviewed by the police in relation to the scandal. Ijaz Butt sounded confident in his press conference at Gaddafi Stadium earlier that the three players would return to Pakistan soon and though he indicated that the criminal case against them might not be as strong, he did not say they would be cleared. The PCB's legal advisor Taffazul Rizvi confirmed to ESPNcricinfo that investigations will continue.

The players also have to respond to the suspension notices served to them by the ICC for which they have one more week left. That investigation and process is separate to whatever conclusion police officials reach.