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It’s often said that the wicketkeeper sets the standards of fielding for ateam. If that is true, then this Indian team should do well in the comingyears for Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s glovework has been outstanding in recenttimes. It’s premature to suggest that the elevation to captaincy may haveplayed a part in this, but from someone who was seen as a batsman whocould keep wickets adequately, Dhoni has grown into a force behind thestumps.In Baroda, a city that has produced two of the best Indian wicketkeepersof the recent past, there was rich conversation about glovework,especially in the light of Dhoni winning the Man-of-the-Match award in thefourth one-dayer in Chandigarh. “Looking at his percentage of takingcatches it’s better than any of the other keepers we have had recently,”Kiran More, one of the former Indian wicketkeepers from Baroda, told. “He doesn’t miss when the chances come his way. He’sreally good at assessing situations and his temperament is fantastic. Hedoesn’t look good in the conventional sense in that he’s not a stylishwicketkeeper but his temperament under pressure sets him apart.”But it was not long ago that Dhoni was struggling in England, especiallyin the early part of the tour having to contend with the considerable movement after the ball crossed the batsman. This is something all keepers have to adjust to whenplaying in England. The other Baroda wicketkeeper, Nayan Mongia, pointsout that it was a flaw in technique that caused Dhoni problems in England.”He struggled in England because his technique was not right. He washalf-squatting and so could not always gather the ball,” said Mongia, “Butafter that he has done really well. He is improving with every match. Heis watching the ball, staying low and moving with the ball. Hence, hismistakes have come down considerably.”More too concedes that Dhoni struggled in England, but says that was onlyto be expected. “In England people criticised him but you shouldunderstand that wicketkeepers always struggle there,” said More. “To hiscredit Dhoni’s concentration level is very high. He has improved a lot.Look at one-and-a-half years ago and now. Look at his hand position. Hepicks things up quickly.”Mongia, who was an expert at keeping wickets on rank turners and evenunderprepared pitches where Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh made the ballexplode out of the rough, says Dhoni will be tested fully in suchconditions. “It is always difficult to keep in India because the ballkeeps low. But Dhoni is high on confidence and that is helping him dowell,” said Mongia. “When keeping to the pacers, he dives around tocollect the ball. If there’s one area in which he should improve, it is inhis sideways movement. He needs to be on his toes much more. That willgive him a chance to cover much more ground on both sides without needingto dive.”On the issue of leading the side, playing a role with thebat and keeping wickets – and the heavy burden this places on Dhoni -Mongia and More have slightly different takes. “I am worried that hemight have a lot on his hands in the coming days,” Mongia said. “As it is a keeper has toconcentrate more than others and as a captain, he will certainly have alot more to think about.”More struck a more optimistic note. “This guy is a little different. He can take the pressure of doing everything. He can prove lot of pundits wrong,” said More. “Keepingwickets and captaining is always difficult. But he loves thechallenge. That’s what I like most about him. That makes the best ofwicketkeepers. Standing back and waiting for things to happen is nevergood. Dhoni is the kind of guy who will create something and win matches.That’s the difference between Dhoni and other keepers.”

Group A

An 87-run partnership between Ammar Mahmood and Imran Ahmed enabled Faisalabad to reach a respectable 243 for 8 after being put into bat by Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) at the Iqbal Stadium. Adopting a defensive strategy against the bowlers, both batsmen took their time scoring and it was only a late flurry of wickets – Faisalabad losing 3 wickets without any addition to the score – that left them struggling to reach the 300-mark against a disciplined WAPDA bowling attack. Kashif Raza, the right-arm medium pacer, was the pick of the bowlers, grabbing three wickets while Azharullah and Aqeel Ahmed grabbed a brace each.Reaching 34 for 1 after skittling out Hyderabad for 227 in their first innings, Sui Southern Gas Corporation (SSGC) ended the opening day with the upper hand as they trail by only 193 runs here at the Iqbal Stadium. The home side never really recovered after losing their first wicket without any score as Sohail Kahn (4 for 68), with useful contributions from the other bowlers, created pressure that brought regular breakthroughs. Although Pir Zulfiqar and Kashif Bhatti did add a valuable 81 for the eighth wicket, SSGC’s smart bowling changes paid dividends in dismissing their opponents cheaply.A five-wicket haul by Mohammad Wasim, Sialkot’s young fast-bowler, restricted Karachi Whites to a modest 242 for 8, a total only possible due to grinding knocks by Javed Mansoor (72 off 168) and Test-discard Asim Kamal (62 off 99) at the UBL Sports Complex in Karachi. With half the side back in the pavillion for only 78 after Mohammad Sami won the toss and elected to bat, Kamal added 67 for the sixth wicket and Mansoor’s unbeaten 74-run ninth-wicket partnership with Misbah Khan took the hosts past 200 after three quick wickets. Wasim, playing only his fourth first-class match, picked up three of the first five wickets to fall and returned to capture two more to place his side in a driving position.Thirteen wickets fell in just under 65 overs at the Lahore City Cricket Association Ground as Lahore Ravi finished on 61 for 3, only 51 runs being Pakistan Customs’ first-innings score of 112. Junaid Zia inspired a late-order collapse that saw the visitors lose their last four wickets for only five runs as none of the batsmen managed to make any impact. Asif Iqbal top-scored with a patient 27 as Zia captured 6 for 34 to leave Customs in dire straits. The tourists, however, did hit back to have Ravi’s opener dismissed without scoring. Two late wickets by Sajjad Hussain alowed his side a mini fightback as they defend their paltry total on the second day.Multan were left ruing their decision to field first at the Gymkhana Ground as centuries by Rashid Riaz and Naumanullah guided National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) to a healthy 307 for 1. A solid opening partnership for NBP saw Riaz add 60 with Nasir Jamshed but after Jamshed’s dismissal for 37, Multan failed to pick up any more wickets even as they tried eight different bowlers. With the likes of Shahid Yousuf, Naved Latif and Mansoor Amjad to follow, Abdur Rauf, Multan captain, has a massive job on his hands to restrict NBP to a first-innings total that his team can match and avoid a huge loss.

Group B

Former internationals Abdul Razzaq and Mohammad Khalil tore through the Islamabad batting lineup and skittled the hosts out for only 95 in only 28 overs at the Diamond Club Ground. Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited, in reply, scored 118 for 5 at close, a lead of 23 on only the first day of the match. Islamabad’s innings got off to a disastrous start as both openers fell without scoring after Razzaq won the toss and elected to field. Razzaq (4 for 38) and Khalil (6 for 45) bowled unchanged throughout the Islamabad’s innings and sparked a collapse that saw the hosts all out after being well-placed at 53 for 2 at one stage. Rauf Akbar and Shehzad Azam hit back with two wickets apiece later on in the day but Islamabad will need a huge effort from all its bowlers to have any chance of salvaging a draw, or a win, in the match.A late-order fightback by Mohammad Hussain and Ali Raza allowed some respectability to Lahore Shalimar’s total against Khan Research Laboratories (KRL) at the Gadaffi Stadium as they reached 201 for 6 at close. Hussain (50*) and Raza (62*) came together at the score of 92 as KRL enjoyed its decision to field first after winning the toss. The tourists employed eight different bowlers to capitalise on the good start given by Yasir Arafat and Jaffar Nazir but Hussain and Raza mixed aggression with defence to guide their team past 200, a total that looked impossible at one stage in the innings.An Inamullah-inspired collapse helped Peshawar dismiss Pakistan International Airlines for 229 – the tourists were well-placed at 194 for 4 at one stage – at the Arbab Niaz Stadium. A couple of minor collapses did set back PIA’s progress early on but a century partnership between Shoaib Khan (68) and Fahad Iqbal (54) set them up for a huge total before Inamullah initiated a flurry of wickets. Peshawar openers safely negotiated the seven deliveries before close and scored two off it to get their reply underway.An aggressive 255-run partnership between Shoaib Khan and Nasim Khan guided Quetta to 355 for 4 against Abbottabad at the Bugti Stadium. Coming together at 100 for 4 after a decent performance by the touring bowlers, Shoaib (165*) and Nasim (135*) flayed the same bowlers to all parts of the ground as they hit 33 fours between them. Abbottabad tried eight bowlers to unsettle the partnership but failed to add to the four early wickets as the home side look all set to build a huge first-innings total.Saleem Mughal and Khurram Shehzad added 118 runs for the fifth wicket as Sui Northern Gas Pipelines reached 249 for 4 against Rawalpindi at the KRL Ground. Umar Akmal (61 off 83) led his side to to 119 for 3 before Yasir Ali picked up two quick wickets to leave the northerners in a state of bother. Mughal and Shehzad, however, safely played out what the Rawalpindi bowlers offered to place their team in a driving position at close.

On a day of slow cricket, Karnataka made a fitting reply toHyderabad’s first innings total of 302 on the second day of theirSouth Zone (under-19) Cooch Behar Trophy game at the Chinnaswamystadium in Bangalore on Tuesday. A watchful unbeaten 48 by DeepakChaugule saw Karnataka finish the day on 126 for four off 60 overs.Karnataka in fact lost three wickets for 60 before a fourth wicketpartnership of 63 runs off 32.4 overs between Chaugule and C Raghu(23) saw the side go into a position from which they could challengethe Hyderabad total on the final day on Wednesday. Chaugule, by closehad faced 119 balls and hit two boundaries. Keeping him company wasStuart Binny who failed to open his account after facing 19 balls.Earlier, Hyderabad, resuming at 239 for five, were all out shortlybefore lunch. The overnight batsmen Ibrahim Khaleel and Abhinav Kumarboth did not last very long, being dismissed for 73 and 43. A watchful35 by Ahmed Qadri, who was last out, saw Hyderabad getting past the300 mark. Opening bowler Steve Lazarus and Keerthi Bhat took twowickets each on Tuesday and finished with five for 108 and four for 63respectively.

The KSCA has been denied permission to host Vijay Hazare Trophy matches at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru by the state government and police due to safety and security concerns, forcing the games to be moved to the BCCI’s Centre of Excellence (CoE) on the outskirts of the city.The tournament opener between Delhi and Andhra, which is expected to feature Virat Kohli and Rishabh Pant, will be played behind closed doors – without spectators – at the CoE. The KSCA was informed of the development on Tuesday by Karnataka’s home ministry, after which both teams were told ahead of their training session.The Chinnaswamy Stadium has not hosted any matches since eleven people died in a stampede outside the venue during RCB’s IPL victory celebrations on June 4. Following that tragedy, a report compiled by Justice John Michael D’Cunha termed the venue “highly unsafe” for large gatherings and recommended that the KSCA comply with several directives to make the Chinnaswamy Stadium suitable for spectators.Related

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Since Venkatesh Prasad took over as KSCA president earlier this month, there has been frenetic activity around the Chinnaswamy Stadium, and several meetings have been held with government officials about the possibility of top-flight cricket, including the IPL, being played at the venue. While the KSCA accepted the government’s decision on permissions, it is hopeful that the situation will change in the near future.”KSCA understands that the decision on permission is linked to the implementation of the recommendations of the Justice Cunha Committee,” the KSCA said in a statement on Tuesday. “It has come to the attention of the present administration that earlier communications from the police Department since August 2025, concerning implementation of the Justice Cunha Committee recommendations, did not receive the desired level of follow-up from the previous managing committee. In contrast, the newly elected managing committee of KSCA, under the leadership of former international cricketer Venkatesh Prasad, which assumed office on 8 December 2025, has been proactive and responsive, engaging swiftly with all concerned government departments and statutory authorities within a short span of less than two weeks.”The present committee has actively reached out to seek guidance, inputs, and approvals required for the conduct of matches and has initiated all necessary steps to align KSCA’ s actions with the expectations of the authorities … The association looks forward to receiving the detailed inputs, observations, and recommendations from the authorities forming part of the review committee and assures that all such recommendations will be implemented in a structured and time-bound manner.”KSCA remains fully committed to implementing all practicable safety, security, and infrastructure-related measures at the earliest. With this proactive approach and full compliance with the recommended measures, KSCA is confident that the necessary permissions for conducting Vijay Hazare Trophy matches at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium will be granted in the near future.”The KSCA had earlier moved the Vijay Hazare Trophy matches involving Kohli and Pant from Alur to the Chinnaswamy Stadium due to logistical and security challenges. The association was also hopeful that it would be able to open two stands, which could have seated 2000-3000 spectators.On Monday, a committee constituted by the Karnataka government comprising officials from police, public works and fire safety department inspected the Chinnaswamy Stadium and submitted a report, after which the directive was issued to move the games away from the venue.

The Indian Cricket League has announced that its next tournament will feature international sides, as first reported by Cricinfo. The event called ICL 20s World Series 2008 is a Twenty20 tri-series that will have a team comprising Indian players, one with Pakistan players and a World side taking each other. Previous ICL competitions have all been contests between city-based sides.The ICL 20s World Series 2008 lasts for a week starting from April 9 and will be held at the Lal Bahadur Shastri stadium in Hyderabad. The competition, the fourth to be conducted by the ICL, involves seven matches, with each team playing against each other twice, followed by the finals.Inzamam-ul-Haq, currently captaining the Lahore Badshahs, will lead the Pakistan team while Chris Cairns will captain the World team. Moin Khan, John Emburey and Steve Rixon will coach the Pakistan, World and India sides respectively.Kapil Dev, chairman of the executive board of the ICL, said the Indian squad will be selected after the semi-finals of the ongoing Twenty20 tournament. The captain of the Indian team is also yet to be announced.

Queensland have suffered another setback with Jimmy Maher ruled out of the FR Cup match against South Australia on Sunday with a hernia. Maher, who will be replaced by James Hopes, hurt himself during an optional training session and his withdrawal is untimely as his side struggles following heavy first-class losses.”I guess it is a one-off at this stage with Jimmy and Chris Simpson unavailable but it should be a good experience,” Hopes, who will lead the state for the first time, said. “I’ve had a bit of captaincy experience but I’ll be keeping a close eye on Ricky Ponting today to see what tips I can pick up in the meantime.”The Bulls have been boosted by the return of Hopes, who is playing in the final game of the Chappell-Hadlee Series in Hobart. They need some spark after suffering another severe Pura Cup loss on Monday, leaving them last on four points after six matches. Queensland are better placed in the one-day competition and are desperate to hold on to second spot.Hopes comes into the side for the medium-pacer Chris Swan and Ashley Noffke is back after missing the loss to New South Wales while debuting for Australia in the Twenty20. Simpson was not considered after breaking his finger in the Pura Cup defeat to New South Wales.Lee Carseldine will continue his strong season as Maher’s replacement and he has also been picked in the squad for the New Year’s Eve Twenty20 against Victoria in Townsville. Carseldine, who has scored more than 500 grade runs, can add the representative honours to his FR Cup appearance last month. South Australia named an unchanged team after Matthew Elliott’s century put them on track for the win over Western Australia on Wednesday.Queensland FR Cup squad James Hopes (capt), Shane Watson, Clinton Perren, Craig Philipson, Aaron Nye, Nathan Reardon, Lee Carseldine, Ashley Noffke, Chris Hartley (wk), Michael Kasprowicz, Scott Brant, Grant Sullivan.South Australia FR Cup squad Matthew Elliott, Daniel Harris, Mark Cosgrove, Dan Christian, Callum Ferguson, Cameron Borgas, Nathan Adcock (capt), Graham Manou (wk), Ryan Harris, Jason Gillespie, Dan Cullen, Paul Rofe.Queensland Twenty20 squad Shane Watson, James Hopes, Clinton Perren, Jimmy Maher (capt), Craig Philipson, Aaron Nye, Chris Simpson, Michael Buchanan, Lee Carseldine, Nathan Reardon, Ashley Noffke, Chris Hartley (wk), Michael Kasprowicz.

Nepal have qualified for next year’s Under-19 World Cup in Malaysia after defeating a spirited Afghanistan side by 48 runs in the final of the Asian Cricket Council Under-19 Elite Cup at the Kinrara Oval. Nepal successfully defended a modest of 172 to bowl out Afghanistan, who lost their last four wickets for three runs in 11 balls.The tournament also served as the Asian qualifier and by virtue of winning it, Nepal joined Papua New Guinea (from the East Asia-Pacific region), Ireland (from the Europe region), Bermuda (from the Americas region), the ICC’s 10 Full Members and hosts Malaysia at the 16-team World Cup to be played from February 17 to March 2, 2008.Deciding to bat first, Nepal found the going tough against the disciplined Afghanistan bowlers who continued to take wickets at regular intervals. The only partnership of any substance was for the sixth wicket between Sagar Khadka and Aakash Kumar Gupta who added 61 runs after Nepal had slumped to 60 for 5 in the 22nd over.Khadka scored a painstaking 32 from 79 balls with one four while Gupta scored run-a-ball 48 with six fours and a six. Captain Paras Khadka was other notable run-getter with 28. For Afghanistan, Asghar Hussain, Obaidullah Kunari and Aimal Wafa took two wickets each.Afghanistan began in similar style and fell to 67 for 5, but couldn’t produce the same sort of fightback. Shir Shirazi and Shabir Noori tried to stabilise the innings, however, Shirazi’s departure opened floodgates as Afghanistan lost their last five wickets for 16 runs.Roy Dias, Nepal’s coach, was delighted with the success of his team which also gives him the unprecedented honour of appearing at his fourth U-19 World Cup. “These kids have shown that they are tough and can come through against any opposition and in any conditions,” he said.”We were not given any realistic chance of qualifying this time because we could hardly practice in Nepal because of rain. However, we were rescued by Sri Lanka Cricket who funded our week-long tour [in August]. And although we lost a couple of matches, it was a big tour in terms that the boys got match practice and managed to fine-tune their talent.”Dias felt the key stage of the final was the sixth-wicket stand between Khadka and Gupta. “I think that was the turning point because that partnership made sure we had enough runs on the board. And once we picked up Afghanistan opener Sajed Khan very early in the innings, we knew we had the match under control because bowling was our strength and we showed tremendous discipline in that department throughout the tournament.”

The Cobras have allowed five of their players, who are currently in India with the South African squad, to stay on for the IPL instead of returning home for the domestic Standard Bank Pro20 tournament. Jacques Kallis, Graeme Smith, Herschelle Gibbs, Mark Boucher and Ashwell Prince will thus remain in India after the third Test in Kanpur, which starts on April 11.Lalit Modi, the IPL chairman, indicated that the Titans might also follow suit and allow three of their IPL players who are in India – AB de Villiers, Albie Morkel and Dale Steyn – to miss the domestic tournament. He also said that talks were on with the franchises of the three other South African players who are involved in the IPL – Eagles (Loots Bosman), Dolphins (Shaun Pollock) and Warriors (Makhaya Ntini) – to grant exemption to these players.The Pro20 Series, South Africa’s domestic 20-over tournament, involves seven teams, including Zimbabwe, and concludes on April 25. With the IPL starting on April 18, this means the Cobras’ players will not miss the first week of the tournament. The IPL franchise which benefits the most from this decision is the Bangalore Royal Challengers, who have Kallis, Steyn and Boucher in their ranks. Gibbs is with the Deccan Chargers, while Smith has been signed up by the Rajasthan Royals.

Following a break from international cricket – five weeks is something of a luxury these days – Sri Lanka are back on Australian shores, this time for a one-day series, the CB triangular also featuring the hosts and India. They were last here three months ago for a two-Test whitewash that proved a handy catalyst for bouncing back to beat England in the subsequent home series.They returned this weekend in Sydney and their coach Trevor Bayliss immediately promised that his side won’t let the race controversy between Australia and India concern the team. “It looks like those two teams have got over it,” Bayliss told the Sydney Morning Herald. “It’s one of those things that happen in cricket every now and then and is pretty quickly forgotten.”He added that there was no tension with Australia in the Tests in November. “Certainly not, quite the opposite actually. The two teams got on well and from my point of view I made an effort for our blokes to go into the change rooms after Test matches to get to know some of the Australian guys.”While their forthcoming opponents were still facing each other in the much-publicised four-Test series in Adelaide, Sri Lanka took to the nets in a low-key manner in Sydney. Bayliss was happy not much fuss was made of their arrival. “The other two teams can have all the attention and hopefully that will allow us to play good cricket.”Their first challenge will be on Wednesday when they face the Prime Minister’s XI, who will be captained by Victoria’s Cameron White. It will be good practice for the Sri Lankans, who haven’t played an ODI since the middle of October when they lost 3-2 to England at home. They have just the one spinner, Muttiah Muralitharan, in a squad with six fast bowlers.The CB Series kicks off on February 3 with Australia playing India in Brisbane; Sri Lanka have their first action two days later when they will face India, also at the Gabba.

Robert Key has been given a golden opportunity to enhance his case for an England recall, after being named as captain of a strong England Lions squad to face New Zealand in their final four-day warm-up at the Rose Bowl on May 8.Key dominated the Kiwi attack at Canterbury on Monday, milking them for an unbeaten 178 out of a first-day total of 324 for 1, which follows on from the twin centuries he scored against them on their last tour of England in 2004. He was also named as England A captain in the 2006 home season, when he scored a hundred against Pakistan.”Robert Key enjoyed an excellent season for Kent last year, was recently named in the England Performance Squad and he will bring his experience of leading his county to the captain’s role,” said England’s selector, Geoff Miller.Key’s goal is a place in the first Test at Lord’s on May 15, but first he must overcome the claims of Owais Shah and Ravi Bopara, both of whom toured with the Test team this winter, and who have also enjoyed flying starts to their summer. They have been named alongside him in a strong 12-man squad, which also includes two up-and-coming batsmen in Hampshire’s Michael Carberry and Sussex’s Luke Wright.The bowling front is no less competitive. There is no place for Steve Harmison, but Matthew Hoggard has forced his way back into the reckoning with his eight-wicket haul for Yorkshire against Hampshire this week. Also included is the Hampshire seamer Chris Tremlett, who came close to an England recall in New Zealand this winter, but pulled up injured after a five-over spell in the Test warm-up fixture in Dunedin.”Matthew Hoggard was left out of the last two Test matches in New Zealand but he is a fighter and he will not want to give up his England place easily,” said Miller. “He has started the season with a strong performance for Yorkshire and this will be another chance for him to show what he is capable of against an international side.”The wicketkeeper for this fixture is another recent England reject, Matt Prior, who was ruthlessly axed following the tour to Sri Lanka in December. He impressed with the bat on that trip, and came close to saving the first Test at Kandy in a bold rearguard, but his glovework proved too fallible for the selectors’ comfort. Nevertheless, he has started the season strongly for Sussex, and has a prime opportunity to restate his credentials.”In choosing this squad we were keen to show consistency by giving further opportunities to players who were involved with either the Test or one-day squad during the winter or the England Lions,” said Miller. “There is intense competition for places in the senior squad at present and all of these players will be keen to make an impression on the selectors ahead of the international season.”One notable absentee is Andrew Flintoff, who has been bowling with pace, accuracy and intent since the start of the season, and also found a hint of form with the bat in the Friends Provident victory over Scotland at the weekend. But he is not being risked just yet, as he continues his rehabilitation from a fourth bout of ankle surgery.England Lions squad
Robert Key (Kent, capt), Ravinder Bopara (Essex), Michael Carberry (Hampshire), Matthew Hoggard (Yorkshire), Steven Kirby (Gloucestershire), Matt Prior (Sussex, wk), Graham Onions (Durham), Adil Rashid (Yorkshire), Owais Shah (Middlesex), Graeme Swann (Nottinghamshire), Chris Tremlett (Hampshire), Luke Wright (Sussex)