Nasim Ashraf has been given a three-year extension as the chairman of the Pakistan board (PCB) by the country’s president, General Pervez Musharraf, who is also the PCB’s patron-in-chief. Musharraf also named eight members of the new governing board.”I hope to continue the voyage of good governance and transparency in this new set-up for the betterment of our cricket,” Ashraf told the , a Karachi-based daily. “I’m honoured that the president has kept faith in me and I will try my best to serve the game during my tenure.”Intikhab Alam and Ijaz Butt are the only former Test cricketers on the 15-member governing board, which will be headed by Ashraf. The board will announce the remaining six representatives – five from the various regions and one official from the departments. “I would want to have the inaugural meeting as soon as possible and am hoping that all of the Governing Board’s members will attend it,” Ashraf said.Ashraf’s primary focus as chairman would be on promoting cricket at the grassroots level, as well as preparing a squad for the 2011 World Cup.”We have to have a solid base at the schools and Under-19 levels if we are to excel at the international level in the coming years,” he said. “We are investing in grassroots cricket at the moment and will intensify our efforts in the coming years so that we can produce world-class players for the future. The 2011 World Cup is the most important assignment for us and we will take all possible steps to raise a squad capable of winning the title.”Ashraf had succeeded Shaharyar Khan as PCB chairman in October 2006.

The second Test between India and Pakistan in Kolkata, starting November 30, will not be rescheduled despite widespread violence in the city, the Board of Control for Cricket in India announced today. The Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) has in turn assured adequate security for the teams after a protest by a minority organisation led to riots, prompting the army to take control.”As far as the BCCI is concerned, the second Test will not be rescheduled,” Rajiv Shulka, the BCCI vice-president was quoted in the . “However, if the staging association (CAB) feels it’s not in a position to hold the match, we will take a decision at the right time.”India and Pakistan last met in a Test at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata during the Asian Test Championship in 1999. However, the match was marred by riots inside the stadium as the spectators started burning newspapers in the stands, hurled stones, fruit and plastic bottles on to the field when India were on the brink of defeat. The match was held up for over three hours as about 65,000 people were removed by police and security men. India fell short by 46 runs chasing 279.

In a surprise change of heart, Younis Khan has said he is now willing to lead the Test side if the Pakistan board asked him to do so.Younis has long shown a reluctance to lead Pakistan. He gave up the captaincy – and swiftly took it back – last year before the Champions Trophy, and then turned down the post again after the Caribbean World Cup this year.And he was again an unwilling stand-in captain after Shoaib Malik’s ankle injury ruled him out of the last two Tests against India. “If the board wants me to lead the team, I can do it. But first we [himself and the officials] need to sit down, discuss and finalise some things,” Younis told .Younis had been the official vice-captain for two years under Inzamam-ul-Haq and was widely expected to take over once Inzamam resigned. At the time of his refusal, he also stepped down from the vice-captain’s role, before surprisingly accepting for the tour to India.”I only agreed to be vice-captain for the Indian tour because of the importance of the series. If the matches had been against any other team I might not have accepted this responsibility.”But now if the board feels I can be a good Test captain, I am willing to do it but after talking to them,” he said. “If the team can do well under my captaincy I would be very happy but I am not asking anyone for the job. This is the board’s prerogative whatever they want to do.”The board has, however, responded by saying that Younis’s offer is too late and that they are happy with the incumbent. “Younis was our first choice as captain but he refused the responsibility,” Nasim Ashraf, chairman PCB, told . “Now we have appointed Shoaib Malik as our captain till December, 2008 and have complete faith in him which is why there is no need to change the captain,” he added.Ashraf said that Younis is yet to talk to him about his change of heart. “I’m not aware about Younis’s comments that he is willing to take up captaincy but even if he is, we already have a captain.”

Shoaib Malik hopes Pakistan will put the miseries of 2007 behind them and bounce back with strong performances in the next 12 months.”Apart from a few positives the last year was not very good for us, but I am sure that the team will settle and do well in the new year, in which we have to play Australia and [compete] in various important tournaments,” Malik said.Pakistan had a year to forget, crashing out of the World Cup in the first round, where their coach Bob Woolmer also died. Woolmer’s death came a day after Pakistan’s loss to Ireland and overshadowed Pakistan’s premature ejection.The defeat prompted Inzamam-ul Haq to relinquish the captaincy and quit one-day cricket. Malik, 25, took over after first-choice Younis Khan declined to take charge citing personal reasons, while Mohammad Yousuf was not considered for the job.Malik led Pakistan to a one-day series win over World Cup runners-up Sri Lanka before his team reached the final of the Twenty20 World Championship held in September in South Africa. “Our series win over Sri Lanka and runners-up finish to India in the Twenty20 were the bright points and if we keep that sort of intensity we can also improve our Test performance,” he said.Pakistan lost all three of their Test series – two against South Africa (home and away) and to India in India late last year. They also lost the one-day series against South Africa and India and were relegated to sixth in both one-day and Test rankings.”It’s not that we lost one-sided contests, but the notable thing was that we made minor mistakes and if we have learnt from those mistakes, which I am confident we have, then we can do well in this new year.”Pakistan face Zimbabwe in a five-match one-day home series later this month before playing hosts to Australia – a series which Malik hopes will raise his team’s confidence. “Whenever you play against Australia your confidence rises because they are a world-class team and I hope that if we do well it will help us in the Champions Trophy later this year,” he said.Malik also played down fears that Australia could pull out of the tour after last week’s assassination of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto and the ensuing unrest in the country. Ricky Ponting said he was keen to play Pakistan, but at a neutral venue. “I don’t see the series being disturbed over security fears because things will settle down and the Pakistan Cricket Board and players like me will do our best to have this series on our grounds,” Malik said.

.Inclement weather forced the abandonment of the second one-dayer at the Khulna Divisional Stadium before a ball was bowled.Bangladesh Under-19 beat their counterparts from Nepal by 111 runs in the first match and lead the best-of-three series going into the final game on January 28.

Netherlands have appointed Peter Drinnen as their coach, replacing Peter Cantrell, who stepped down following last year’s World Cup.Drinnen, the former Scotland coach who resigned in July, has signed a contract until April 2009 subject to meeting the requirements of Dutch immigration law.”This is an important step towards the professionalisation of the Dutch national side,” Marc Asselbergs, the KNCB chairman, told . “We won’t be letting a single day go unused on our way to the qualifying tournament in spring 2009.”Drinnen, whose time at Scotland ended in controversy, is looking forward to the new challenge. “I’m a positive man who is able to motivate himself and who is keen both to set goals and to achieve them,” he said. “There is an energy and optimism within the team and board about the future and I am excited to be joining the KNCB at this time.”As with most smaller nations the remit is broader than just the national team and I am certainly looking forward to working across all ages.”

After going at each other for the past two months, Australia and India clash in the first of three finals at the SCG on Sunday, and if recent encounters are any clue, expect some gripping cricket. Both have been involved in plenty of controversial moments on and off the field, adding to the entire drama which has made this last edition of the CB Series an enthralling affair.A look back at the league phase, which ended on Friday in Melbourne with Australia losing narrowly to Sri Lanka, indicates that though India had a much tougher time getting to the finals, both teams have had similar strengths and problems. Both the batting line-ups are yet to find fluency even after eight games, but their bowlers have been getting better with every match.In the four previous clashes against India in this tournament, Australia managed to win twice, in Adelaide and in Sydney, lost in Melbourne, while their first clash ended in a wash-out. Luckily for India they have had a valuable four-day rest after their previous game in Hobart, where they scored an emphatic victory against the Sri Lankans.After Australia’s defeat on Friday, Ponting admitted that the result has robbed them of some momentum going into the final, and Mahendra Singh Dhoni wants to ensure that India capitalise on that. “Australia look to dominate always so it’s important to put them under pressure and they have been under pressure,” Dhoni said at the SCG. “So I just hope we maintain that pressure.”Aware of the flat nature of the SCG wicket, both captains will not dither in batting first. Last time the teams met in Sydney, Australia piled on 317, the highest total in the tournament so far, and India, after a top-order collapse, scampered to within 19 runs of the target. Australia have maintained an almost unchanged team throughout, and their only likely alteration to Friday’s side is the inclusion of Matthew Hayden – who was rested on Friday – for Brad Haddin, with James Hopes slipping down to No. 7.For India, though, a few problems persist regarding team composition. Dhoni said there was still confusion about his final XI and the main concern remained the opening partner for Sachin Tendulkar. Tendulkar has opened with three different men in the eight games – five times with Virender Sehwag, twice with Gautam Gambhir and once with Robin Uthappa. India’s best start came in their second match, against Sri Lanka, when Tendulkar and Sehwag cracked a 68-run stand. The next best was 45 between the same pair in Canberra against the same opponents, but in the last four games India have had dismal starts of 18, 3, 2 and 20.

Apart from the 107-run opening partnership on Friday between Adam Gilchrist and James Hopes, Australia have faced the same problem at the top of the order. In the seven games when Gilchrist opened with Hayden, the pair managed a highest of 65, with a second-best stand of 33.A nagging concern has also been the form of two of their top batsmen, Ricky Ponting and Andrew Symonds, both of whom have flourished in just one game so far. Despite the wobbly nature of their middle order Australia have secured five victories and much of the credit goes to Michael Clarke and Michael Hussey, who have withstood the opposition bowling onslaught time and again to consolidate and push the side out of danger.Calling it right at the toss has also helped the Australians, who have preferred to bat first and then call upon their magnificent bowlers to strangle the opposition. On the two occasions when they have chased a target, it’s been hard work: in the series opener, against India at the Gabba, Australia were 3 for 51 in the eighth over when rain ended the game; on Friday they were 0 for 107 in the 15th over chasing 222, yet managed to lose by 13 runs.The success story for both teams has been their bowling attack. Ishant Sharma, Irfan Pathan and Harbhajan Singh have proved to be constant thorns for the opposition, while Brett Lee has been an outstanding spearhead for Australia. He has bowled throughout the summer with a hostility that no batsman has been able to consistently stand up to. Lee’s closing spell at the MCG when India were chasing a small total was one of the best of the summer, while Mitchell Johnson, Nathan Bracken and Hopes have offered excellent support.Just like in the Test series, the off-field banter has fueled the tension on the field. If it was the Harbhajan-Symonds clash that ignited the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, Matthew Hayden’s comments on Harbhajan and Ishant have ensured there will be no love lost between the two sides on the last leg of the season. Sydney is hosting its annual Mardi Gras celebration on Saturday, and the CB Series final couldn’t have come at much better time. On the field, though, it’s likely to be much more than fun and games.Australia (likely)1 Adam Gilchrist (wk), 2 Matthew Hayden, 3 Ricky Ponting (capt), 4 Michael Clarke, 5 Andrew Symonds, 6 Michael Hussey, 7 James Hopes, 8 Brad Hogg, 9 Brett Lee, 10, Mitchell Johnson, 11 Nathan Bracken.India (likely)1 Sachin Tendulkar, 2 Robin Uthappa, 3 Gautam Gambhir, 4 Rohit Sharma, 5 Yuvraj Singh, 6 Mahendra Singh Dhoni (capt, wk), 7 Virender Sehwag/Praveen Kumar, 8 Irfan Pathan, 9 Harbhajan Singh, 10 Sreesanth, 11 Ishant Sharma.

Adam Gilchrist’s final international batting performance was so short, the supporters who were a minute late returning from dinner missed it. Instead of going out with a bang, Gilchrist disappeared in three balls and the closest he got to an explosion was when he was crowded by photographers as he tried to exit the field.Australia’s nine-run loss in the second CB Series final marked Gilchrist’s retirement at the age of 36. He contributed 2 before playing back and edging Praveen Kumar, finishing with 9619 runs in 287 one-day internationals. During a quiet game by his ultra-high standards, he did not add to his 472 dismissals.As the Indians celebrated their 2-0 success, Gilchrist hosted a party in the dressing room for family and friends to mark the end. “To the team and all the support staff, it’s been a magic ride,” he said. “It’s not a fairytale ending tonight, but it’s been a fairytale career. To be involved with you guys is something I’ll hold dear in my heart for the rest of my life.”Ricky Ponting was disappointed the side was unable to send Gilchrist off with a victory. “It’s a really sad day as the day has come that I’ve played my last game with Gilly,” he said. “That’s a pretty sad moment, especially when it’s a losing game as well. We’ve had so many good memories over the years and shared some amazing times.”With 322 runs in the series, Gilchrist was Australia’s best-performed batsman and he left the spectators in Sydney and Melbourne, where he scored half-centuries, with lasting memories. In Perth his home fans were rewarded with an unforgettable 118 against Sri Lanka and it was the highlight of his final one-day campaign.Gilchrist averaged 32.20 and operated at a strike-rate of 98.17, numbers which hovered near his career returns. Australia will miss his output even more following a summer of inconsistent batting performances and their life without him will begin either in Pakistan at the end of this month or the West Indies in May.The loss of Brad Hogg, who took 156 wickets in 123 games, will also be significant even though he wasn’t used in Brisbane. His final day with the squad was spent running drinks and supplying a pair of shoes for Brett Lee after four fast bowlers were preferred.

Pool A

Khan Research Laboratories (KRL) tied their second game in three but managed to qualify for the semi-finals nonetheless. They scored 272 in the 47 overs possible after bad weather forced the Sheikhupura game to be shortened. Rawalipindi Rams lost nine wickets in reaching par score in the same number of overs.Saeed Anwar jnr, KRL’s opener, top scored with 93 off 104 balls and added 122 runs with Mohammad Wasim for the third wicket. Azhar Ali (47) and Bazid Khan (34*) chipped in at the middle order. Rawalpindi lost their first three wickets with only four runs on the board. Usman Saeed (77) led the recovery, helped by Naved Ashraf (30) and Adnan Mufti (32). But Rawalpindi had lost eight wickets when they needed another 79 to win. Yasir Ali and Mohammad Rameez, Nos. 9 and 10, pushed towards the target in quick time. Yasir hit five fours in his 46-ball 51 and Rameez gave him company with a 30-ball 31. But KRL held their nerves and ran out Yasir off the last ball as the ninth-wicket pair scrambled for a winning single.Despite half-centuries from Tariq Aziz and Bilal Khilji Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) could not avoid a 50-run defeat for at the hands of National Bank of Pakistan in Lahore. National Bank have qualified for the semis as well.With an 85-ball 80, Kamran Akmal managed to push National Bank’s total to 240. But the target proved to be more than enough as the nine other WAPDA batsmen scored 60 runs in all.

Pool B

Habib Bank Limited will be National Bank’s semi-final opponents after they lost only five wickets in chasing Pakistan International Airlines’ (PIA) 211 and wrapped up the game with over eight overs remaining at the National Stadium in Karachi.Shoaib Malik, the Pakistan captain, top scored for PIA with 63 off 49 balls but received virtually no support from the other batsmen – the next highest score of the innings was Fahad Iqbal’s 29. Abdur Rehman, the Pakistan left-arm spinner, picked up 4 for 51.Habib Bank lost their first two wickets for 12 runs but Rafatullah Mohamand (57) and Aftab Alam (76) directed the chase with a 130-run stand. After the two were dismissed – by Malik – within 15 runs of each other, HBL lost only one more wicket before reaching the target.Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) bowled out Lahore Eagles for 144 and sealed a semi-final spot with a 128-run win in . Umar Akmal (81) and Misbah-ul-Haq (68) propelled SNGPL to 272. Waqas Ahmed took 3 for 43.Lahore were never in the chase, losing four wickets for 37. Their ninth-wicket partnership for 40 was the highest of the innings. Ashraf Ali top scored with 35. SNGP will now play their semi-final match against KRL in Karachi on Monday.

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

A red-hot spell from Sohail Tanvir during which he took 6 for 14 – the best figures in official Twenty20 cricket – decimated the Chennai Super Kings for 109 at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur. That reduced what was a clash for top spot in the Indian Premier League into a one-sided rout as the Rajasthan Royals chased down the smallest target of the tournament to win their fifth consecutive game, with eight wickets in hand.Tanvir exploited the seamer-friendly conditions, there was swing and bounce, and gave Rajasthan a perfect start, nailing both openers for ducks in the first over. Parthiv Patel played across the line and missed an incutter first ball and Stephen Fleming fell in similar fashion four deliveries later. Both those wickets were to balls that came into the left-hander but Tanvir picked up his third with the one that went away and induced an outside edge from S Vidyut in his second over. Chennai were reeling at 11 for 3 and Rajasthan’s dominance was emphasised by a rare sight in Twenty20 cricket – a slip cordon populated by three fielders.Fourteen runs came off the fifth over, bowled by Siddarth Trivedi, and when S Badrinath played an orthodox square-drive and a flick to get take boundaries off the sixth, Chennai seemed to be recovering. However Watson, who used the bouncer effectively, took a simple return catch after Badrinath top-edged a miscued pull. Chennai had been pushed further back just when they were taking half a step forward.With Suresh Raina and Mahendra Singh Dhoni, the two highest run-getters in Chennai’s line-up, batting together a competitive total was gettable. However, Rajasthan captain Shane Warne further dented Chennai’s hopes when he won the battle against his opposite number Dhoni: his first ball pitched outside leg and spun right across Dhoni’s off stump and two deliveries later, a flighted leg break took the outside edge to Graeme Smith at slip.Rania and Albie Morkel staged a recovery of sorts after Chennai were reduced to 44 for 5. After having played out a few economical overs, Morkel slog-swept Warne for two fours through square-leg and swatted a straight six in an over that cost 17. Yusuf Pathan even dropped a sitter at long-on to give Raina a reprieve but the batsman didn’t capitalise, holing out to Tanvir at long-off soon after.Just as in his first spell, Tanvir struck with the first delivery of his second as well, this time Morkel was bowled as he slogged across the line. The tail found Tanvir’s skiddy pace and immaculate line too hard to negotiate and Chennai were dismissed in the 19th over, a drastic fall in batting fortunes after the departure of Australians Matthew Hayden and Michael Hussey.If Chennai were to make a match of it, they needed to take every chance coming their way. Joginder Sharma, though, spilled a simple chance at mid-off when Makhaya Ntini, after starting off with a maiden, had Smith miscuing a pull. Twenty one extras, the second highest conceded in the tournament, didn’t help their cause either.Swapnil Asnodkar, full of confidence after his Man-of-the-Match performance on his IPL debut in the previous game, pummelled his first ball straight back down the ground for four and slammed Manpreet Gony for consecutive boundaries in the fourth over during a fluent 32.At the other end, Smith was skipping down the track and muscling boundaries square of the wicket, and when a wayward seventh over from Morkel cost 14 runs, Rajasthan had raced to 58 for no loss. It wasn’t until this stage, after the horse had bolted, that Chennai brought on their best bowler, Muttiah Muralitharan, but the task of bringing Chennai back into the contest was beyond him. Rajasthan lost a couple of wickets but, with the help of some lusty blows from Pathan and Watson, the target was overhauled with 5.4 overs to spare.After winning their first four matches, this was Chennai’s second consecutive loss and the huge margin of defeat meant that they slipped to fourth place in the space of two days.