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Shoaib Akhtar has run into more trouble with the PCB after the board accused him of violating his contract by criticising team management in a television interview.”Akhtar has been served with a show cause notice as he violated the code of conduct,” director of operations at the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), Zakir Khan, told AFP.Shoaib was withdrawn from Pakistan’s squad for last month’s World Twenty20 after being diagnosed with genital warts. He claimed the team management was conspiring against him and slammed the PCB for revealing the nature of his ailment, saying he had considered taking legal action against them.Under the terms of his central contract, Shoaib is not allowed to give interviews without the PCB’s permission or to criticise the team management. He has till July 31 to respond to the notice.Shoaib is already embroiled in a legal battle over a prior code of conduct violation. In April 2008, he was banned by the PCB for five years after lashing out at the administration on being denied a central contract. The ban was later reduced to 18 months by a PCB-appointed appellate tribunal, though he was also handed a fine of Rs 7 million (around US $84,000). The ban was temporarily suspended when he appealed to the Lahore High Court, and the case resumed in court on Monday.He has not been a regular member of the Pakistan side of late due to fitness and disciplinary issues. Shoaib was left out of the squad for the Sri Lanka series due to uncertainty over his fitness and he was not considered for the 30-man Champions Trophy pool either.

Sri Lankan batsman Tillakaratne Dilshan is doubtful for the five-match ODI series against Pakistan after fracturing his right index finger and having several stitches above his left eye on the second day at the SSC.Dilshan, who has been keeping wicket in the series in Prasanna Jayawardene’s absence, suffered the finger injury when he caught Khurram Manzoor off Chaminda Vaas for 93. The team manager Brendon Kuruppu confirmed that Dilshan had suffered a fracture.However, Dilshan continued to keep for the rest of the day, as the injury wasn’t feared to be very serious. But Kumar Sangakkara took over the gloves during Pakistan’s second innings as there was swelling around the injury. Dilshan did not take the field when Pakistan resumed their first innings today.Dilshan was dropped down the batting order, to give him enough time to recover, but the steady fall of wickets during the second day meant that he had to come out and bat. Dilshan walked in at the fall of the sixth wicket and scored a courageous 44, but during that knock, he was hit above his left eyebrow when a top edge off the spinner Saeed Ajmal squeezed through his visor.”We are monitoring Dilshan’s progress carefully,” Kuruppu said. “He is bound to have some swelling around his eye by tomorrow after the stitches had been inserted. Our medical team will assess his condition before taking a final decision on his fitness.”At the moment he is doubtful for the first few one-dayers. He will bat in the second innings only if it is really necessary.”Dilshan was thrust into the wicketkeeper’s role after Jayawardene was ruled out of the first Test with a finger injury. Dilshan retained his position as wicketkeeper for the rest of the series despite Jayawardene being available for selection as the selectors did not want to upset the balance of the team.Sri Lanka have an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series.

Midlands, Wales, West Division

David Warner’s 50 helped Durham to an easy win over Derbyshire•Getty Images

James Hildreth and Craig Kieswetter’s fourth-wicket stand of 62 led Somerset to a confident seven-wicket win over Worcestershire at Taunton, chasing down a testing 177 with apparent ease to level points with both Northamptonshire and Warwickshire in a congested table. Stephen Moore smacked 40 from 26 while Moen Ali offered 36, but it was Ben Smith’s brutal 44 from just 24 balls which propelled Worcestershire’s total. On a typically flat surface, however, Marcus Trescothick got the home side off to a rollicking start with 34 from 17 balls, crashing four fours and two sixes, sharing in an opening stand of 61 with Justin Langer (44), before Hildreth (48 from 37) and Kieswetter, who scorched 31 from 17, powered them home.Kadeer Ali and Ian Saxelby held their nerve, edging Gloucestershire over the line to beat Northamptonshire by two wickets with one ball to spare Northampton. Chasing 134 Gloucestershire lost William Porterfield for a golden duck, and soon slipped to 86 for 4. Grand Hodnet held firm with 60 from 46, but Nicky Boje rattled the middle-order with two quick wickets leaving Gloucestershire tottering on 122 for 7. Ali remained calm, however, cracking a six and a four in his unbeaten 21. Ian Harvey was the mainstay of Northamptonshire’s innings with 43 from 36 at the top of the order, but the table-leaders were rolled for a disappointing 133.Jonathan Trott continued his impressive form, while Rikki Clarke cracked 24 from 21, as Warwickshire eased past Glamorgan by four wickets at Edgbaston, to create a fascinating three-way tussle at the top of the table with Northamptonshire and Somerset. Jamie Dalrymple (63) and Mike Powell (39) provided the bulk of Glamorgan’s innings, and the visitors made an early breakthrough in Warwickshire’s reply when Neil Carter fell to David Harrison for 12. Trott, however, cracked 33 from just 17 while Jim Troughton lifted three sixes in his electrifying 29 from 13 balls, leaving Clarke to do the rest with seven balls to spare.

South Division

Middlesex reached their highest total of their dreadful defence of the Twenty20 Cup, but nevertheless fell to their seventh successive defeat, as Chris Tremlett picked up two vital wickets to hand Hampshire a 28-run win at the Rose Bowl. For once, Middlesex made a promising start. In pursuit of a sizeable 184, Billy Godleman, stroked and clipped his way to 57 – not only his highest of the season, but the first Middlesex fifty of their campaign. He reached the landmark with a thumping smash over deep midwicket for six as he and Owais Shah approached their 100-run partnership, but his wicket – trapped in front by Imran Tahir – spelled the end for Middlesex. Tremlett was brought back into the attack and removed Eoin Morgan, who briefly threatened with 18, and the big-hitting Tyron Henderson, who did not. Bowling fast and straight, Tremlett really tightened the noose, and with Morgan’s wicket Middlesex required 45 from 19, a task too great for a struggling side. Michael Lumb set up the hosts’ impressive total with 93 from 52 while Dimitri Mascarenhas made 23 from 16. Hampshire are hitting Twenty20 form at just the right moment, and have closed the gap on Sussex to two points with a game in hand.

North Division

Fifties from David Warner, the young Australia left-hander, and Phil Mustard helped Durham to a facile six-wicket win over Derbyshire at Derby. Stuart Law made 53 in Derbyshire’s underwhelming 153, but Warner and Mustard made light of it, flaying 96 for the opening wicket. He, Kyle Coetzer and Mustard all fell in quick succession, but Ian Blackwell’s 13 saw them across the line with two overs to spare, to keep Durham’s hopes of qualifying for the quarter-finals alive.

The Bangladesh players with the ICL have severed ties with the league and made themselves available for the national team. The players – who form the Dhaka Warriors side – are expected to visit the Bangladesh Cricket Board office in a couple of days.The exodus further undermines the ICL, which lost 79 Indians and several other foreign players after the national boards, led by the BCCI, announced an amnesty for players who cut ties with the league.Most players are believed to have written to the ICL on Thursday and Friday seeking a release; three team members – Mohammad Rafique, Aftab Ahmed and Mahbubul Karim – were expected to do so later on Friday. The former national captain Habibul Bashar became the first player to break away from the ICL on May 17th.Mohammad Jalal Yunus, a Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) member and chairman of its media committee, confirmed the exodus. “They did contact us and let us know about their decision,” Yunus told Cricinfo. “The players are expected to come to the board office in a day or two with the letters.”The board, he said, had reminded the players of the June 15 deadline for submitting NOCs from the ICL. “They have to submit the copy of the NOC to the cricket board,” he said. “Once everything is clear they can join domestic cricket.”The BCB has set December 31, 2009 as the cooling off period before the players are eligible for national selection. “Most of the players are still good,” Yunus said. “Once they prove their fitness and performance in the domestic circuit till December 31, they will be up for national selection. There won’t be any discrimination against them from us. Maybe they didn’t know the consequences then [when they joined ICL]. We welcome them with open arms. I am hopeful they won’t repeat their mistake.”Alok Kapali, one of those who joined the ICL, said it didn’t long for the players to come to the decision after the mass exodus by the Indians.”After the 79 Indian players left, it was an easy decision for us. We were left with an uncertain future with ICL and most of us are young and have a cricketing future to look forward to,” Kapali told Cricinfo. “Bashar left first, of course, and when the Indian players left, the rest of us had a meeting with each other and decided to get back to Bangladesh cricket.”We are looking forward to resuming our careers with Bangladesh and are happy that they have welcomed us back. Our average age is 24-26 and we were not sure where the ICL was going. We would like to play in the IPL and hopefully we will get a chance.”The Dhaka Warriors team was formed in September last year, before the 2008-09 season of the ICL. The BCB responded by banning all 13 players for ten years.The list of players who have left ICL is : Aftab Ahmed, Alok Kapali, Dhiman Ghosh, Farhad Reza, Golam Mabud, Mahbubul Karim, Manjural Islam, Mohammad Rafique, Mohammad Sharif, Mosharraf Hossain, Nazimuddin, Shahriar Nafees, Tapash Baisya.

Ireland have virtually retained the same squad that won the recent World Cup Qualifiers tournament in South Africa, with the only changes being the inclusion of Jeremy Bray and Paul Stirling in place of Andrew Poynter and Eoin Morgan.Ireland coach Phil Simmons has again opted for experience, a policy which served him well in their triumph last month, with one notable exception, 18-year-old Paul Stirling. “Paul has been in such good form in the Friends Provident Trophy, with two exceptional knocks,” Simmons said. “It’s not just been the fact that he’s scored runs, but the manner in which he has played. He’s been confident, powerful and dominant. It’s hard to believe that innings of such maturity come from one so young. He looks the part and has a great attitude to the game which will stand him in good stead in years to come.”For Stirling, who’s still a student at the Belfast High School, the call-up was a dream come true. “It’s unbelievable really. This is my last official day of school, as I start sitting my ‘A’ levels next week,” Stirling said. “They don’t finish until June 4, so I’m free for the tournament, but may miss the warm up games. I’m looking forward to playing against some of the world’s greatest players, and am relishing taking on the defending world champions, India. The Bangladesh game is one which we’ll be targeting for a win. We’ve beaten them before, and in English conditions, there’s no reason why we can’t do it again.”Simmons also revealed that Andre Botha will undergo a fitness test as he continues to recover from a damaged ankle. “Andre will undergo rigorous testing on his ankle in two to three weeks time, and we’ll make a final decision then,” Simmons said. “He definitely won’t bowl in the tournament, but I’d be very confident he can play a major role with the bat. We have struggled a bit with the ball in the current Friends Provident campaign, but we’ll have a lot of experience coming back in Trent Johnston and Alex Cusack, as well as big Boyd [Rankin].”Ireland have been drawn in Group A and will face Bangladesh on June 8, and India on June 10, with both fixtures taking place at Trent Bridge, Nottingham.Squad: William Porterfield (capt), Andre Botha, Jeremy Bray, Peter Connell, Alex Cusack, Trent Johnston, Kyle McCallan, John Mooney, Kevin O’Brien, Niall O’Brien (wk), Boyd Rankin, Paul Stirling, Regan West, Andrew White, Gary Wilson

Samit Patel, the England allrounder, has admitted to facing some “difficult truths” after he was dumped from the one-day squad to tour West Indies for failing to reach a suitable level of fitness.Patel was withdrawn from the limited-overs team after the England management decided he hadn’t heeded earlier warnings about his fitness. He remained with the Lions squad in New Zealand, but was told in no uncertain terms that improvements were needed if he wanted his England place back.Since the harsh reality hit home, Patel has been working hard to reach the required levels both with the Lions and now back with Nottinghamshire in the build-up to the county season. He is desperate to learn from the tough experience and come back a better player.”I was desperately looking forward to pushing for a place in the side to face West Indies in the ODI series and it was a big disappointment to miss out,” he said. “I have had to accept some difficult truths from people in the game that I have a lot of respect for and I don’t want to be in a position ever again where I miss out on selection because of a lack of fitness.”I have worked hard to improve my fitness and I am looking forward to playing a part for Nottinghamshire and England in an important summer of cricket.”The selectors showed faith in Patel, who burst onto the international scene late last season with some impressive displays against South Africa, by naming him in the 30-man World Twenty20 squad and the performance set-up. He also received the support of Mick Newell, his county coach, who saw at first hand a player working flat out to earn a second chance.”Samit has been pretty full-on with his fitness work and he’s trained either end of the day as well as playing in our pre-season games,” Newell said. “He will still have to reach fitness targets laid down by the ECB, but there is no reason why he can’t achieve them.”Samit is still very highly rated as a player and he knows the area where he has to improve. It was important that he made the 30-man squad for the ICC World Twenty20 and he is capable of getting in the final 15 which I hope he does.”

The Rajasthan Royals, winners of the inaugural IPL, will take on the Cobras, champions of South Africa’s Pro20 series this season, in two Twenty20 matches ahead of the second season of the IPL. The two games are scheduled for April 11 and 12 and have been billed as the “Clash of Champions”.The Cobras have a strong line-up with several players with international experience, including Herschelle Gibbs, JP Duminy, Charl Langeveldt, Justin Ontong and Monde Zondeki.Rajasthan will make Cape Town their base during the run-up to the IPL’s second season, which runs from April 18 to May 24, following a strategic partnership with the Cobras and Western Province Cricket association, owners of the Newlands Stadium.”We are delighted to be working with the Cobras at Newlands during our IPL tournament preparation. It’s a great venue, and the “Clash of the Champions” over the Easter weekend will be an exciting contest,” Manoj Badale, chairman and co-owner of Rajasthan, said. “It is the first time the Royals have played since winning the IPL tournament and it will be great to see the team back in action.”Both teams have also agreed to work together on future cricketing and sponsorship opportunities to further sporting links between India and South Africa. In addition to the two matches, the partnership will also include player exchange to develop young talent.

Start as you mean to go
Yuvraj Singh flicked the first ball he played today – the second of the day – off his pads towards square leg. Martin Guptill misfielded and allowed it to go to the boundary. That stroke kickstarted a flurry of fours from the batsmen – seven in all – in the first four overs of the day. Even before they had warmed up, New Zealand were facing the heat.Fat men can dive
Chris Martin managed to cramp Sachin Tendulkar, who was shaping to play the cut, for room. But Tendulkar created space by arching his back and then opened the face to guide the ball towards point.. It seemed a certain four, but Jesse Ryder dived full-length to his left from backward point and cut it off. Is Adam Parore watching?Walk on
When Mahendra Singh Dhoni cut a wide delivery from Iain O’Brien, Ryder pulled off another athletic effort at gully, diving to his right this time, and claimed a low one-handed catch. Dhoni refused to walk, and was told by the crowd to “walk mate”. Replays showed the ball might have touched the ground before reaching Ryder’s hand. Dhoni was booed when the not-out decision was finally made. Three balls later, he went for a hook, gloved it, and walked right away. This time he was cheered.Zak gets lucky
The boundary at the City End was Zaheer Khan’s luckiest part of the ground. While batting at the Members End, he got his first reprieve when Martin didn’t account for the wind and ended up dropping an overhead catch which he initially seemed to have judged properly. Then Zaheer slashed while batting at the City End and the ball soared towards third man. Daniel Flynn was late to run in and could not reach a regulation chance. Zaheer finished unbeaten on 51.Four for all
When Munaf Patel went down on his knee, and swept Daniel Vettori with one hand to the square-leg boundary to get off the mark, he became the eighth Indian batsman in the innings to start scoring with a boundary. Tendulkar Yuvraj Singh and VVS Laxman started with one, two and two respectively.Do your job, watchman
In the last over of the day, Kyle Mills, the nightwatchman survived a close lbw shout, saved by the inside edge, and wanted a single to fine leg. But Daniel Flynn, the specialist batsman, reminded Mills of his job – to shield the batsmen – and refused the single. The next four balls were hell for Mills as he survived another close lbw thanks to another inside edge. But finally on the last ball, Munaf managed to hit the pad before the bat and got his man. Mills’ job, theoretically, was done.

Ravi Bopara has said he struggled to stay awake during the opening day ofEngland’s tour match against Barbados Cricket AssociationPresident’s XI, but is ready to return to Test cricket if recalled forthe fourth Test on Thursday after hitting an attacking 124.Bopara only arrived in the Caribbean on Saturday afternoon from New Zealand and lessthan 24 hours later was out in the middle at Windward Park trying toimpress the management as they weighed up their options for replacing the injured Andrew Flintoff. “I woke up at about 3am and didn’t get back to sleep,”he said. “I got a bit sleepy at the start of the game, but the physiotold me to stay awake and sleep later tonight.”Andy [Flower] came in last night to have a chat with me and said youare going to be playing tomorrow and that it doesn’t give you muchtime to prepare,” he added. “But I guess you just have to shrug thosethings off. I had no choice, and really I went in today and didn’tthink too much and just tried to enjoy myself.”Bopara hopes to have fully shaken off the effects of his 41-hourjourney, taking in four flights and an eight-hour stop in Los Angeles,well before the Test begins. “I’d have no choice. I’m a little on myway already because I didn’t sleep so that would have helped,” he said.”When I go back I’ll have my food and hopefully nod off at around 10o’clock and wake up around seven.”He is aiming to earn his fourth Test cap after being dropped followinghis debut series in Sri Lanka in 2007-08 where he managed just 42 runsin five innings. Since then he has struggled to maintain a regularplace in the one-day team, but handsome performances for Essex havekept him in the frame. He was in the squad for The Oval Test against SouthAfrica before being overlooked for the Test series in India and the WestIndies.”Getting the hundred today gives me a massive boost and anopportunity,” he said. “I wouldn’t say I’ve been frustrated. The waySri Lanka went I was going to have to work hard to get my place back.I’ve been looking for the opportunity, but I wasn’t just going to get it because of the players that are about these days. I’m glad because the best way to do it is to work hard and when I do get the chance I will take it.”Bopara’s recall depends on the type of side England opt for inBridgetown. If Matt Prior isn’t called away to attend to his pregnant wife thenhe could bat at No. 6 ahead of five frontline bowlers. In that case the seamer Amjad Khan, who also flew in from New Zealand (leaving the England Lions squad), could benefit with his first Test cap.Bopara joked that after spending so much time sitting next to other, they neededsome space. “I was so bored of him after a while,” he said. “Picking up a couple of (late) wickets went down really well as he’s a close mate of mine.” After 41 hours inthe air they must be really close.

New Zealand 218 for 7 (Tiffen 64*, Sthalekar 2-40) beat Australia 214 for 9 (Sthalekar 72, Rolton 62, Bates 3-40) by 4 runs
Scorecard

Half-centuries to Lisa Sthalekar and Karen Rolton could not stop Australia falling to a second defeat to New Zealand as the hosts held their nerve in the final stages of a tense contest. Australia appeared to be on track chasing 218 for 7 after reaching 4 for 191 in the 45th over, but Suzie Bates stepped in with two wickets as the visitors crashed to a four-run defeat.New Zealand, who lead the five-match Rose Bowl series 2-0, captured five breakthroughs in the final 32 balls with Bates collecting 3 for 40 with her medium pace. Australia were in early trouble at 16 for 2 in their chase before Rolton and Sthalekar regained control during a 113-run partnership.Rolton, the captain, was first to go when she was dismissed for 62 by Bates. Sthalekar, who finished with 72, continued to push towards the total but her departure started a nervous collapse.Bates, who had already removed Rolton and Sthalekar, also picked up Ellyse Perry and there were two run-outs in the scramble to the finish. Australia needed 11 to win off the last over but Erin Osborne and Emma Sampson, who was stumped from the final ball, could manage only six.Haidee Tiffen’s 64 bulked up New Zealand’s total as the top seven all reached double figures. Three wickets were lost within the first 15 overs, with Bates giving her side an early push with 28 at almost a run a ball.Tiffen arrived with the team 3 for 60 and carefully built on the score during her 103-ball innings, which included three fours. She batted through and found useful assistance in the latter stages from Amy Satterthwaite’s 20 and Lucy Doolan’s unbeaten 29 off 21. Both Satterthwaite and Doolan also played key roles during the opening victory on Sunday.