The issue of chucking divides opinions, but a clear verdict emerged from apanel of former cricketers instituted by Wisden Asia Cricket: five out ofseven members came out in favour of handing the matter back to the umpires.To the question whether a throw should be called by an umpire, there wasonly one categorical no and a conditional one.Eleven questions covering a range of issues relating to chucking were putto a panel comprising Greg Chappell, Peter Roebuck, Bob Woolmer, SidathWettimuny, Rameez Raja, Sanjay Manjrekar and a current international batsman, who spoke on the condition of anonymity. The answers, published in the June issue of the magazine, are amixture of the radical and the expected.Chappell, Manjrekar, and the current player were clear that if the transgression was obvious, the umpireshould call, whereas Wettimuny, while agreeing that “the umpire should beable to call a bowler who is clearly and purposefully breaking the law bythrowing”, said that the umpire should have access to technology todetermine a throw.Woolmer was categorically against the umpire calling. “The umpire has too muchelse to do,” he said and went on to suggest: “The bowler should be takenthrough a testing protocol [after being reported by the umpires] using adigital camera in the middle without his knowledge.”Chappell felt that there was a need to have a broader definition of whatconstituted a throw. Using an inverted argument Chappell said, “It may bebest to define what constitutes a fair delivery rather than what is athrow, and move forward from there.” While Woolmer agreed with Chappell, Roebuck and Wettimuny felt that thelaw was fine at the moment. “Unless there is any scientific evidence to thecontrary,” said Wettimuny, “there is no need for a change.”All barring Chappell were happy with the current reporting structure butmany felt that the rehabilitation process needed to be tightened. Accordingto Woolmer, “Rehab of older bowlers is tough and time-consuming, and oftenit falls down when the bowler resorts to his old action in the effort to geta wicket.” The current batsman was against the matter being reported to thehome board and said, “Home boards have a vested interest. It should go to acentral authority.”The question regarding whether the umpire must call the throw also evoked mixedreactions. Rameez was the only one who felt that itwas unfair to report the bowlers based on naked-eye judgement. “Technologyis there to be used. The technology saved Shoaib Akhtar because it spottedhis hyperextension. It showed that there was a problem with Shabbir Ahmed’saction.” But Manjrekar felt that a goodumpire would be able to spot a bowler taking unfair advantage.The panel was also asked what its take was on the number of bowlers shieldedby medical alibis. The current batsman said that having a physicaldeformity was no excuse. “If a batsman has defective eyesight, you don’tmake a special rule for him.” But Woolmer and Rameez were willing to make anexception for the cases that involved hyperextension. “I have no problem asthe arm bends back past the vertical. In the case of a thrower it is clearlydifferent, where the arm is jerked through.”Notwithstanding all the differing opinions, there were a few common threadsthat spanned the survey. All recognised the limitations of the currenttechnology for testing and were also critical of the law which allowed different tolerance limits for different types of bowlers. Chappell commented: “I would expect that the forces on the bowlingarm are not dissimilar for most bowlers so the tolerances should be thesame.”Wisden Asia Cricket

Herschelle Gibbs has emerged as a doubt for South Africa’s tour of Sri Lanka in August, after injuring his ankle in a training session on Thursday. “There is enough doubt for us to make preparations to call up a substitute,” said Eric Simons, South Africa’s coach, after Gibbs sustained the injury at the High Performance Centre at Tuks University in Pretoria.”We have spoken to the selection committee, and if necessary will call in a replacement. However, we are reasonably confident that he will be able to come with us on Monday.”South Africa are scheduled to play two Tests and five one-day internationals on their trip, which kickstarts another arduous season of cricket, which also includes the Champions Trophy in England, a two-Test tour of India in November, and the visit of England over Christmas and New Year.”We have a very big season, with many challenges, coming up,” said Simons. “Last season was very up and down. The team and some individual players enjoyed some great successes, but there were also a number of disappointments. We spent this week looking back and looking ahead, and I believe that in two or three seasons, we will look back on this week and see it as a major step ahead.””Conditions in the sub-continent are unique,” said Graeme Smith, South Africa’s captain. “When we travel to England or New Zealand, the conditions are similar to what we have grown up with here. But we have to do a lot of preparation for Sri Lanka. I have been doing a lot of reading about the conditions there, and I guess we have to be prepared to mix and match. We may even have some strange field settings.”

In a survey conducted by the ICC, technology has found favour with most international captains, who believe that it will result in better decision-making by umpires. While some aspects of already existing technology were questioned, the general opinion was that umpires needed to have a load taken off their shoulders. Incidentally, the ICC’s recent experiment with no-ball calls at the Videocon Cup was given a thumbs-up by the umpires.The two dissenting voices came from Australia and Zimbabwe: Tatenda Taibu believed that "what’s already there is enough", while Ricky Ponting felt that decisions were best left to the umpires.Michael Vaughan was more vocal in its support, but also suggested that existing technologies needed to be looked at again. He also felt that the role of technology should not overshadow the role umpires played."In general, I am in favour of using new technology to assist the umpires as they only have a split second in which to make a decision which can be analysed over and over again," Vaughan said. "So I don’t believe they should be the sole judge of all appeals.""But I have reservations about the use of certain types of technology. I am not convinced, for example, that Hawkeye is always 100 per cent right on lbw decisions because the umpire in the middle is still the person who is best placed to judge how the pitch is behaving and what the ball is doing."That said, I do like the idea of using technology to highlight the wicket-to-wicket area on a pitch so the umpire can get a better idea as to whether the ball has pitched inside or outside the line of leg stump. I think that would really help eliminate some of the more obvious bad decisions when a batsman is given out when the ball has pitched outside the line of leg stump."Inzamam-ul-Haq agreed with the idea of removing some load off the umpires, for they were prone to make tiny errors, and in international cricket, even small mistakes made a difference. "Yes, I’m very much in favour, because the game of cricket has become very professional, small errors have been affecting results. So much cricket is being played and umpires have been under tremendous pressure due to the heavy workload on them."Graeme Smith, Stephen Fleming and Marvan Atapattu were a few of the other captains who favored more technology.

Brian Lara’s position as West Indies captain has come under fire in recent months. Several disgruntled former Test players – most notably Sir Viv Richards – have attacked him for West Indies’ failures. Lara’s team has struggled to arrest a steady slide, and at times the strain of leading a team that regularly under-performs shows on Lara’s face. Ahead of their first match in this year’s Champions Trophy Lara reconciled himself to the criticism.”The expectations are always great,” he said at the Rose Bowl today. “You have to remember that just two decades ago the West Indies were invincible. People got accustomed to that style of cricket and the winning ways. We do understand how emotional people are about cricket in the West Indies. I feel it is a tough ask of a young and inexperienced team – one that has been chopping and changing not only because of bad performance but injury as well. We’ve been losing really badly to some of the top sides, and people want to see us show a bit more fight and that’s what we’re trying to instill in the guys.”But that fight has not been forthcoming often enough, and this has led to repeated calls for Lara’s removal as captain, and scathing criticism of the team. “People are entitled to their opinion. We’ve got to take our ability and our talents and get it going in the right direction,” admitted Lara. “We’ve got to accept the fact that people are disappointed. Some people put pen to paper and express themselves. We have to galvanise ourselves, and we can’t spend too much time thinking about what the critics have to say.”One of the problems for Lara is that his team comprises people from several countries. The West Indies exists as an entity only when it comes to playing cricket. This often makes it hard to bind a disparate group of cricketers into one fighting unit. But the team has worked towards being more united. “We spent some time in Grenada after the England tour. We got the guys together and team gelling. It wasn’t much cricket there,” explained Lara. “We’ve been here ten days now and we’ve been trying to get the guys together. The spirit is very good. We have some experienced guys coming back in [Mervyn] Dillon and Wavell Hinds, and these guys should help in that area.”More than once Lara has publicly called on his players to show more pride in the maroon cap, but they have seldom responded with positive action. When asked if he was happy with the way his team responded to him, Lara said: “I don’t like the results. The players accept the fact that the problem is within the team, and that we have to sort it out. I don’t think it matters that much who is leading the team – if you don’t play good cricket you’re not going to win.”West Indies have traditionally done well against South Africa in big tournaments such as the World Cup. This, combined with the fact that South Africa’s victory over Bangladesh ended a terrible run of ten consecutive defeats, has led to suggestions that West Indies are favourites to top their pool. Lara, however, shrugged off the “favourites” tag. “I think in recent times South Africa have had the upper hand against us. I know for a fact that losing ten straight games is going to hurt them. They’re going to come out fighting. I don’t think the West Indies could be labelled favourites in the pool.”Either way, we’ll find out soon enough, with tomorrow’s game against Bangladesh providing an insight into the state of the West Indian team.

Hamilton Masakadza, who hasn’t played Test cricket for more than two years, has been included in Zimbabwe’s 16-man squad to tour Bangladesh later this month.Masakadza made a hundred on his debut against West Indies in 2001, when aged 18, but stopped playing serious cricket at the end of 2002 when he started at university in South Africa. He was a surprise inclusion in the one-day side which recently played England but, after struggling for any form, he came good in the final match with his maiden one-day half-century.The rest of the squad is fairly predictable, with only Terrence Duffin and Graeme Cremer new to a set-up which is beginning to look more settled after the shake-up earlier in the year. However, the omissions of Vusi Sibanda, Alester Maregwede, Tawanda Mupariwa and Blessing Mahwire might raise a few eyebrows.The Test series in Bangladesh is a real watershed for both sides. For Bangladesh, it represents a chance for them to prove that they have what it takes and end their dismal record of 29 defeats and no wins in 32 Tests. Zimbabwe need success to prove that the new-look side is not a threat to the integrity of Test cricket, as critics have claimed.Zimbabwe squad Dion Ebrahim, Hamilton Masakadza, Brendan Taylor, Barney Rogers, Stuart Matsikenyeri, Mark Vermeulen, Tatenda Taibu (capt/wk), Elton Chigumbura, Tinashe Panyangara, Edward Rainsford, Douglas Hondo, Christopher Mpofu, Mluleki Nkala, Graeme Cremer, Prosper Utseya, Terrence Duffin.

Stephen Fleming
On what went wrong
The turning point was yesterday when the game was well balanced. We had Australia five down and if we could have bowled them out for parity, or for 50 to 100 runs ahead, we could have looked to set them a target. But that period in the afternoon gave them an advantage and that last partnership took the game away from us. The team that turned up today probably had a hangover from that.On what was most disappointing
Today is extremely disappointing, but I think yesterday was more disappointing.On some unlucky decisions
We’re working with pretty small margins against a pretty good Australian side. We need things to go our way and when they don’t it makes it hard. It hurt us at times during this game, but it’s not why we lost.On the tension between the teams
There’s nothing more than usual. I’d be disappointed if it was all cuddles and handshakes.On the McMillan and Gilchrist disagreement
I was interested in how it finished when I saw that conversation in the middle of the field. Craig said it was sorted and I take his word for that. He seemed pretty relaxed about it.On the walking situation
Just because one or two guys are on a crusade doesn’t mean it changes the way of 95% of the other cricketers. We all like the game played in the best spirit, but if individuals don’t it has to be respected either way.On a team agreement
I’m not going to put a blanket on my side that says they must walk or follow every gentlemanly agreement. It’s still international sport and some guys are playing for their livelihoods. It’s been happening for too long to be changed overnight, and putting pressure on players to do it is wrong.On the side’s batting
Today’s batting was poor. In the first innings, to have No. 7 get us through to a score is becoming too much of a trend for my liking, and the top order have to improve. To get 350 is a par score … just.On any mental damage
I don’t think it damages us too much because I think you expect the best to come out.John Bracewell
On more technology coming into the game for decisions
Clearly Hawk-Eye has been shown to be inadequate throughout this match. Some balls were hitting the stumps or not hitting the stumps, and the umpires, who aren’t wrong, were in difference to that. Clearly the technology is not up to it yet, and shouldn’t be used.On changes to the team for Adelaide
Everybody except James Franklin is fit in the squad. We will be looking at the surface first, and obviously the history. Losing James could have made some difference for us here.On the bowling
Chris Martin was magnificent for long periods, and it was good to see him get the snap back that he lost in our winter. Dan [Vettori] bowled beautifully and to a plan for several batsmen coming in. A number of these [Australian] guys are great cricketers, they are establishing records of greatness, and there are very small windows of opportunity.On how they dealt with the Australian batsmen
Perhaps only Martin, of the quicks, had bowled against them before, and the counter-attacking may have become a little bit too much for them.

Glamorgan have had to cancel their Twenty20 match against Bangladesh A, provisionally set for June 13 2005 at Sophia Gardens, because of the tourists’ heavy schedule. The ECB had liaised with their counterparts in Bangladesh to work out a solution, but the match will not take place.Mike Fatkin, Glamorgan’s chief executive, sympathised with fans. “This is obviously disappointing to us and to our members, who would have enjoyed seeing Glamorgan taking on the tourists in a Twenty20 floodlit game,” he said. “However, we do have the pleasure of hosting the Australia/Bangladesh NatWest Series one-day international in Cardiff the following Saturday, June 18, and all cricket fans in Wales will be looking forward to welcoming the Bangladeshi team for that game.”Bangladesh A are also scheduled to play a three-day match against Glamorgan in the last week of July, but a venue has not yet been finalised, although Swansea had been earmarked. Fatkin explained: “The St Helen’s Balconiers, the body responsible for generating the funds which allow Glamorgan to continue playing in west Wales, has decided not to accept the offer of the Bangladesh A game.”

One man’s misfortune is another man’s fortune, as Robert Key will readily attest. Ever since he stood in for the injured Marcus Trescothick against India in 2002, Key has been waiting in the wings as England’s first reserve, and has notched up 13 Tests in a stop-start career. But now, following the unfortunate wrist injury that has forced Mark Butcher to fly home early, Key believes the time has come for him to cement a permanent place in the Test team."That’s been the story of my Test career so far," admitted Key during a break from England’s nets session at the Wanderers in Johannesburg. "Every time bar none I’ve got in the side, it’s been through someone else’s injury. But now’s the time to take my chance. There should be two decent wickets [at Jo’burg and Centurion], so I need to get some proper runs, not just a 40 here or a 60 there, and then we’ll see how it goes."Ironically, the only thing that seems likely to stop Key from retaining his slot at No. 3 is another injury – this time to Andrew Flintoff, whose torn rib muscle will undergo another scan on Wednesday morning. Flintoff may yet play as a specialist batsman only, which would badly unsettle the balance of the side, and would necessitate the inclusion of an extra bowler, either James Anderson or, conceivably, Paul Collingwood.For Key to miss out in that manner would be a cruel blow. He looked to have cracked Test cricket against West Indies last summer, when he made 221 at Lord’s on his return to the side, followed by a matchwinning 93 not out at Old Trafford. But he was then omitted for the start of South Africa series to allow Butcher to reclaim the place he had forfeited through injury. "I had a good time of it last year," Key admitted. "To make that one big score takes a massive weight off your back, and I felt more at home in the Test arena."I never felt hard done by," he added. "It was disappointing, but I could see the other angle. It’s not all black and white – I should play or I shouldn’t play. It was a big decision, and if I was a selector, I wouldn’t have wanted to have to make it. I didn’t begrudge the decision, but I was gutted. Sitting around watching others play is not the most enjoyable thing."Consequently, when Butcher’s wrist injury flared up on the morning of the Cape Town Test, Key’s last-minute return to the side was his first first-class outing since September. Understandably enough, he scored a duck in England’s first-innings collapse, but second-time around he showed glimpses of Test form with a battling 41, which was England’s top score until the No. 11 Steve Harmison took the long handle to the bowlers, when there was nothing but pride to play for."I couldn’t tell you much about that [first] innings, to be honest," said Key. "I didn’t feel too bad with the bat, but it’s hard to recreate that Test experience. I came in after tea, there was an air of expectancy from South Africa’s fans, and the ground was pumping. It was all happening so quickly and that did for me a bit. Ideally, I’d have liked to slow things down and get in for a couple of overs, and then it would have flowed back."He didn’t have to wait too long to make amends, however, as Trescothick was dismissed in Shaun Pollock’s opening over of the second innings. "Second-time around I felt I had a better tempo," said Key. "I’d literally just put my pads on and I was out there batting, but being an opener, the new ball’s not something that worries me. It was unfortunate for the team, but for me it was better to get in than sit around wondering what’s going to happen."The eventual mode of Key’s dismissal was a big disappointment, however, as he gave Nicky Boje the charge and was stumped by a distance. "That hit me quite hard," he admitted. "I was feeling in decent touch again, and I was starting to enjoy batting again, which was probably part of the problem. He wasn’t really turning it, so if it had been a county game, I’d have been charging every other ball. But I was caught in two minds by the pressure situation of the game. In the end, it looked terrible and I got slated for it."Key is not averse to the odd careless dismissal when well set, however. In Australia two winters ago, he was removed by the medium pace of both Damien Martyn and Steve Waugh, and with the current pressure for places in England’s middle-order, he accepts that the errors will have to be cut out. "There are quite a few spots going to come up in the next couple of years," he said, "and a lot of guys will put in a claim. So it is crucial to take your chance when it comes.”

Earlier this week, Mohammad Ashraful told Cricinfo that he didn’t “want to think about captaincy for another five years at least”. But Ashraful, 20, is going to have to address the issue rather sooner than that – he has been named as captain of the Bangladesh Cricket Board XI that is taking part in this season’s Duleep Trophy tournament in India.Ashraful has been put in charge of a squad which includes only two non-Test players – the left-arm spinner Abdur Razzaq (who has played in six ODIs) and the wicketkeeper Sahagir Hossain Pavel.The selectors originally asked Naimur Rahman, the offspinner and former Test captain, to join the tour, but he declined, telling the Daily Star Sport: “I think I’m not mentally ready to play at this level at the moment. If I start now, I’ll have to begin from zero. Having been out of international cricket for three years, I’m not looking forward to a return to the national side. Besides, I’ve recently started my own business so that has made it difficult for me to concentrate on cricket.” Naimur, 30, who played the last of his eight Tests in December 2002, added that he was also suffering from a knee injury which needs further treatment.The BCB XI’s campaign in the tournament, whcih also includes the five Indian zonal teams, begins with a match against East Zone at Jaipur, starting on February 25. They then take on Central Zone at Jaipur (March 1). The six teams have been split into two groups, and the five-day final between the two group winners will be played at Indore later in March.Bangladesh Cricket Board squad
Al Shahriar, Rajin Saleh, Nafees Iqbal, Aftab Ahmed, Mohammad Ashraful (capt), Alok Kapali, Manjural Islam Rana, Sahagir Hossain Pavel (wk), Abdur Razzak, Talha Jubair, Nazmul Hossain, Tareq Aziz, Anwar Munir.

Matthew Hayden will play in the first Test against New Zealand on Thursday after recovering from a shoulder injury suffered two weeks ago at Christchurch. Hayden was passed fit after completing four net sessions over the past two days and will open with Justin Langer at the same ground in the match starting on Thursday.”He’s pulled up well without too much discomfort, and is now set to play,” Alex Kontouri, the team physiotherapist, said. Hayden strained the AC joint taking a diving catch from Chris Cairns on February 22 and the slow-healing injury forced Australia to keep Mike Hussey on the tour once the one-day matches finished.Hussey will return to Brisbane to play in Western Australia’s vital Pura Cup match against Brisbane at the Gabba on Thursday. Brad Hogg, who was part of Australia’s 5-0 series victory, has also been selected in the Warriors squad. Hayden’s recovery clears up one place in the order, but there is still doubt over the make-up of the bowling attack with Jason Gillespie, Brett Lee and Michael Kasprowicz battling for the two spots alongside Glenn McGrath.