Pakistan fast bowler Mohammad Sami has been ruled out of the forthcoming home series against Bangladesh with an ankle injury. Sami twisted his ankle playing for Kent and is expected to be out of action for up to six weeks.”Sami will be returning home soon to start treatment on his injury," explained Samiul Hasan, a spokesman for the Pakistan Cricket Board. "Although his contract [with Kent] was until August 10, he was available for the Bangladesh series.”Sami’s absence further weakens the side, with Shoaib Akhtar already haven been given permission to miss the series to enable him to fulfill his county commitments with Durham. However, even an inexperienced Pakistan should have few problems in overcoming Bangladesh.

Gloucestershire have announced that Ian Harvey will not be returning to the club next season. Harvey, who has been a key part in their one-day success for the past five years, rejected a new contract offer, saying, “I wish to take time to consider my future over the autumn and winter and may well take a break next summer.”Harvey was the Man of the Match in this year’s Cheltenham & Gloucester final in which Gloucestershire thumped Worcestershire by seven wickets. But after the game he hinted that he may not be coming back next summer among rumours of a change around at the club. He said, “If they want to go in a different direction, that’s fine. I have no idea if I’ll be back.”However, speaking today, he has not ruled out a return to county cricket: “Should I decide to play county cricket next season then I do feel I need a fresh challenge.”Tom Richardson, Gloucestershire’s chief executive, said: “We made Ian the best offer we could and we are extremely disappointed that he will not be continuing with us. However, being an allrounder all year round is extremely demanding and also we do understand if he needs the impetus of a new challenge. He has played magnificently for us on numerous occasions and we are extremely grateful to him for all he has done for the club.”Harvey follows John Bracewell, the coach, and Jonty Rhodes, their other overseas player, out of the door. Bracewell is to coach New Zealand while Rhodes has announced he will retire from first-class cricket at the end of the English season.

Jack Kyle, Past President of the CCA for 15 years and currently 1st VP-Finance, successfully underwent surgery Monday in Vancouver.We wish Jack a speedy recovery, good health and long life.Wthout doubt, the Canadian Cricket Community owes Jack a tremendous thank you for outstanding dedication and commitment to the fostering and promotion of the growth and development of Canadian Cricket.Jack is expected to spend four more days in hopsital, but he is alrady talking about and preparing for the next challenges.Best regards from the Canadian cricket community.

Steve Waugh was in belligerent mood when he came to answer questions at the end of an eventful first Test match against India. Much of his ire was directed against the local media which had skewered him in the wake of the first innings run-out involving Damien Martyn, though he also reserved praise for Sourav Ganguly and India, who made sure that what was expected to be a foregone conclusion finished up as a “50-50 Test match”. On who got more out of this Test: We both did. Our plan today was to take the four wickets, bat with some purpose, and then put them in for 20 overs. We batted really well on the first day, lost it a bit from there. But then, I though India batted pretty well.On whether Australia had underestimated India: They have some very talented players. And we know we’ll have to play quality cricket to win the series. This won’t be a one-sided contest, it’ll be a very competitive series. It’s going to take exceptional performances to win it.The positives for Australia: Today was a positive day for all of us. We wanted to finish strongly.Sourav Ganguly’s innings: He hit the ball very cleanly, made his runs very fast with a lot of boundaries. We’ve got to find a way to stop those boundaries. It was a gutsy knock considering the situation.The Australian bowling: Jason [Gillespie] and MacGill bowled well, and Nathan Bracken did well in patches. Bicks [Andy Bichel] gave it everything. I have no complaints. You can’t have a great day everyday.On whether India’s confidence have been boosted: Well, we had the tougher of the conditions when we batted. I’d have liked to have had a go at them when the pitch was green and seaming around. But like I said, I think both teams will go to Adelaide expecting a good contest.The Marytn run-out/sacrifice: I thought some of what I read about that was way over the top. It was a mix-up, these things happen in cricket. If you read the papers the next day, you’d think I’d committed a criminal act. Both of us were at fault, there was a mix-up, simple as that. There as a lot of finger-pointing, a lot of innuendo, and that’s not right. Let’s have some fair dinkum.On whether the emotional nature of his farewell tour could distract Australia ahead of the next three Tests: It’s not about me playing three Tests. It’s about Australia and India, and what should be three very competitive games.

A show-cause notice has been issued to Abhijit Kale, the cricketer accused of attempting to bribe two national selectors for a place in the Indian team.According to the , the three-member BCCI Disciplinary Committee went through the report submitted by DV Subba Rao, the inquiry commissioner, and “found a prima facie case against Kale and framed charges against him”, BCCI president Jagmohan Dalmiya told reporters. He said that the committee decided to “issue a show-cause notice to the cricketer”.To a query, a member of the BCCI’s legal team said Kale would be given 15 days’ time to submit his reply. Commenting on the court case filed by Kale, he said it was a different issue as the case had been filed challenging his suspension, whereas the Disciplinary Committee was considering the overall charge against him.Kale was accused by Kiran More and Pranab Roy of offering them a bribe of Rs 10 lakh [approximately $22,000] each, and then suspended from the game by the BCCI. The board then appointed Rao, chairman of the Bar Council of India, as inquiry commissioner to look into the matter.The three-member Disciplinary Committee was constituted after Rao submitted his report on December 5 following a day-long hearing at Visakhapatnam on November 29, during which he heard Kale, More, Roy and Sanjay Jagdale, a national selector from Central Zone.

Cricket Australia has agreed to postpone the Pura Cup game between the Victorian Bushrangers and the South Australian Redbacks in view of the tragic death of David Hookes yesterday. Both teams had requested that the match – which was scheduled to start on January 23 at the MCG – be moved back, and Cricket Australia took note, rearranging the fixture for February 8 at the same venue.The decision was taken as a mark of respect to Hookes and his family, and also in recognition of his iconic status in both camps. Hookes made his name as a hard-hitting batsman with South Australia, and as coach, he had led the Bushrangers to the top of the Pura Cup standings this season.The Redbacks were expected to return to Adelaide on Wednesday.

The South Australian Cricket Association (SACA), in conjunction with Cricket Australia, has today announced various tributes in honour of David Hookes to occur across all levels of cricket this weekend in South Australia.Tomorrow’s One-Day International between India and Zimbabwe will see the SACA’s president Ian McLachlan lead a minute’s silence before the start of play.Both India and Zimbabwe participated in a minute’s silence prior to their match on Tuesday (January 20), therefore the SACA requested this opportunity for a small tribute to David Hookes for the benefit of the fans attending tomorrow’s game.The One-Day International between Australia and Zimbabwe on Monday (January 26) will see the West End Redbacks join the two international teams on the Adelaide Oval, following the national anthem, to observe a minute’s silence.The Redbacks will wear their Pura Cup uniform and SACA red cap during the tribute.All Grade clubs, both men’s and women’s, will wear black armbands this weekend and observe a minute’s silence prior to the start of each match.Flags at the Adelaide Oval will continue to fly at half mast throughout the weekend.

KwaZulu-Natal went top of the Super Sixes table, thanks to the first-innings bonus points they captured against Western Province. And Maurice Aronstam ground out a nine-and-a-half-hour double-century for Northerns against Boland:Super Sixes – 3rd day:Western Province 311 and 287 for 3 (Bassage 61, Ferreira 100,Prince 75*) lead KwaZulu-Natal 332 by 266 runs
ScorecardA first-innings deficit of 21 was quickly wiped out after Western Province bowled KwaZulu-Natal out for 332 at Newlands. Natal nonetheless collected enough bonus points to go to the top of the table. A far more docile pitch awaited the WP batsmen today, and they put on 287 for 3 before stumps was drawn. Derrin Bassage helped himself to 61, Lloyd Ferreira passed 3000 first-class runs in the course of his hundred, and Ashwell Prince, back from international duties in New Zealand, was left not out on 75. WP are 266 ahead, and we could be in for a close finish tomorrow.Free State 267 and 139 for 3 (Liebenberg 72) lead North West349 (Jacobs 164) by 57 runs
ScorecardDavey Jacobs must know every blade of grass at Potchefstroom’s North West Stadium after spending six hours at the crease for his 164, which helped his side to a lead of 82. Free State, batting for a second time, ended the day on 139 for 3 after Gerry Liebenberg put together a neat 72. Bad light once again brought an early end to proceedings – bad news for Free State, who need a win to stay in touch with the leaders.Shield – 2nd day:Northerns 451 for 7 dec (Aronstam 201*, Groeneveld 4-49) lead Boland 97 for 4 by 354 runs
ScorecardMaurice Aronstam, 23, marked only his second first-class appearance with a masterful double-century as Northerns amassed 451 for 7 at Boland Park. His marathon innings took nine and a half hours, and he hit 19 fours and four sixes. Aronstam and Pierre Joubert (48*) equalled Northerns’ eighth-wicketpartnership record of 131*, set by Neville Alistoun and Trevor Rolfe against Natal B at Berea Park, Pretoria, in 1968-69. With Alfonso Thomas taking three wickets, Boland struggled to 97 for 4 by the close, still 354 behind.Gauteng 34 for 1 v Eastern Province
ScorecardOnly half-an-hour’s play yesterday … and none at all at the Wanderers today as overnight rain and persistent showers forced an abandonment.

India’s planned tour of Bangladesh in July has been indefinitely postponed, with the Indian board citing a “cramped schedule” as the reason. Despite this, the side will travel to the Netherlands in August for a tri-nations warm-up with Australia and Pakistan, ahead of their one-day matches against England and the ICC Champions Trophy.India were due to play two Tests and three ODIs in Bangladesh. Announcing the decision, SK Nair, the BCCI secretary, said that he hoped that the series could be rearranged for 2005.”The board was very keen to send a full-strength team to Bangladesh, but have decided against it as we don’t want our cricketers to suffer burnout before an important four-match Test series against Australia in September,” Nair explained. “Our cricketers will get hardly a month’s break after the Pakistan tour. Major tournaments this year include the Asia Cup in June-July, the tri-nation tournament in Amsterdam from August 22-27, followed by three one-day matches in England before the Champions Trophy.He added that South Africa are likely to tour India to play seven one-day matches in November this year. “If the South African Board agrees then we will invite them for a Test series in the beginning of next year.”

Australians 151 for 1 (Langer 79*, Hayden 61) are level with Zimbabwe A 151 (Sibanda 48, Gillespie 4-25)
Scorecard

The Australians cruised through the first day of their two-day warm-up game in Harare, bowling out for Zimbabwe A for 151 then finishing up level, reaching the total for the loss of only one wicket before bad light brought an early close.Zimbabwe A struggled against the probable Australian Test attack. Jason Gilespie was the pick of the bowlers with four wickets, but Michael Kasprowicz and Shane Warne took two apiece, and there was a welcome comeback wicket for Glenn McGrath, who nipped one through the opener Eric Chauluka’s defences in the first over. McGrath looked spritely in his 11 overs, and finished with 1 for 23.Only Vusi Sibanda, the Test opener, resisted the Aussies for long, making 48 before he was trapped lbw by Warne’s fellow Victorian legspinner Cameron White. Sibanda and Wisdom Sibiza (22) put on 69 for the second wicket – but after they were separated the last eight wickets tumbled for 56.When the Australians replied Justin Langer, who hit 11 fours, and Matthew Hayden put on 138 untroubled runs for the first wicket before Hayden swung Rangarirayi Manyande to deep square leg.The Australians are rotating 13 members of their squad in this match, which is not first-class.