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The ICC have confirmed the appointment of the Appeals Commissioner who will hear Sourav Ganguly’s case. Tim Castle, a New Zealand barrister, has been named in the role.Ganguly, the Indian captain, was suspended for two Tests by the ICC match referee Clive Lloyd for his team’s slow over-rate during Saturday’s one-day international against Pakistan, which breached one of the ICC Codes of Conduct. As this was Ganguly’s second such trangression of the year, he was handed an automatic ban and he will miss both Tests against South Africa if the punishment is upheld.Castle, meanwhile, has over 30 years’ experience in the areas of litigation, representative sport, national and international sports administration and management. He will have up to seven days to review a video of the match, Lloyd’s reasons for banning Ganguly, and also Ganguly’s grounds of appeal.If the decision on the appeal does take a week, Ganguly would be eligible for the first Test at Kanpur. But theoretically, a decision to uphold the suspension could be taken a day before the Test, which would leave Rahul Dravid with some last-minute reshuffling.

Matthew Elliott, after a wonderful season in 2004 with Glamorgan, has signed up with them again for the 2005 English season. Elliott, a 32-year-old from Victoria who would certainly have played many more than his 21 Tests had he belonged to a country with less depth of talent than Australia, was Glamorgan’s leading scorer last year in both the county championship and the totesport League.Michael Kasprowicz will be Elliott’s fellow overseas pro, having been signed up a few days ago. The next summer will be Elliott’s third season with Glamorgan – he first played for them in 2000.”It’s an exciting time to be involved and there was never going to be a problem for me in committing to returning next year,” said Elliott. “I’ve really enjoyed my cricket this summer and I’m delighted everything has been finalised. It’s been a fantastic year for Glamorgan. I think the club is really going places and there are a lot of young players coming through.”I look forward to returning in 2005 and making a contribution, not only in the first division of the Championship and totesport League but in the Twenty20 Cup and the Cheltenham and Gloucester Trophy as well.”Meanwhile Mike Fatkin, Glamorgan’s chief executive, said: “We are absolutely delighted that Matthew has agreed to return in 2005. He had an outstanding season with us and we look forward to his continued contribution next summer.”

Frizzell County Championship Division OneKent v Lancashire, Canterbury
Even though Kent and Lancashire have both yet to win this season, Lancashire start this tie as favourites, considering their better form in the Championship. Four draws out of four may not sound like an electrifying start, but all those games were disrupted by bad weather with Lancashire in a strong position, and as long as the skies stay blue, a win can’t be too far away. Kent have also had their fair share of rain, but they sit only three points off the bottom and desperately need a win for morale as well as points. Their captain, David Fulton, makes his first Championship appearance of the season after recovering from an eye operation which, at one stage, was feared could end his career. However, Amjad Khan (shin) and Min Patel (back) remain sidelined. Lancashire are boosted by the presence of Andrew Flintoff, who has recovered from a shoulder problem sufficiently to play – if only as a batsman. James Anderson is unavailable because of England commitments, and Kyle Hogg continues his recovery from a calf injury.

Nottinghamshire v Essex, Nottingham
Nottinghamshire and Essex slipped to within two points of each other after heavy defeats in the last round, so the incentive for victory will be even bigger than usual. Notts do have a victory to their name this season – against Warwickshire early on – while Essex, with four draws out of five, have yet to record a victory. Notts will be boosted by the presence of both Chris Cairns and Stuart MacGill, who will play together for the first time. Cairns returns to the side after missing the last two matches on international duty, but Chris Read is absent with a broken thumb. Essex are likely to be without Ronnie Irani, their captain, who is struggling with a knee injury, while Nasser Hussain is away with England and John Stephenson is out with a twisted ankle.Surrey v Sussex, The Oval
It’s first against third at The Oval as Sussex look to keep in touch with Surrey, the leaders – but it’s not going to be easy. Surrey demolished Essex in the last round with impressive allround displays from Martin Bicknell and Jonathan Batty, and after their win over Somerset in the Cheltenham & Gloucester Trophy, they will be hard to stop. Unsurprisingly, they have named an unchanged squad, with Alec Stewart and Mark Butcher in Durham for the second Test and Alex Tudor continuing his recovery from a knee operation. Rikki Clarke, today named in England’s ODI squad, faces the prospect of being 12th man again. For Sussex, Tony Cottey is doubtful after missing the C&G Trophy defeat by Middlesex because of a back problem, while Kevin Innes, who scored a first-innings century against Nottinghamshire last week before making way for James Kirtley, looks set to keep his place for the whole match this time.Frizzell County Championship Division TwoDerbyshire v Worcestershire, Derby
Only two points separate Derbyshire (4th) and Worcestershire (5th), but the momentum is with Worcestershire, who pulled off a spectacular win against high-flying Gloucestershire last week, while Derbyshire fell to the perennial whipping-boys Durham. Mohammad Ali and Lian Wharton are added to the Derbyshire squad after sitting out the C&G Trophy fourth-round victory over Glamorgan, with Ali expected to reclaim a place in the side. Whether Wharton, a left-arm spinner, makes the final XI depends on the state of the Derby pitch, although he and Tom Lungley are the most likely of the 13-man squad to miss out. For Worcestershire, David Leatherdale is overlooked for a third successive Championship game despite scoring 80 and taking 5 for 36 in his two most recent one-day outings. He is replaced by Anurag Singh, the only change to the team that beat Yorkshire by 67 runs in the C&G Trophy fourth round.Northamptonshire v Glamorgan, Northampton
If Northants could choose any side to play to claw themselves away from the bottom spot, then Glamorgan would probably be the one. Glamorgan have lost two out of their last three Championship matches, and like Northants, are floundering at the wrong at the end of the table and have yet to win. Kepler Wessels, the Northants coach, recalls Mark Powell, Carl Greenidge and Monty Panesar, with Michael Cawdron and Tony Penberthy making way. Meanwhile, Glamorgan’s coach John Derrick is sweating on the fitness of David Hemp and Adrian Dale, who are both unwell. David Harrison, who rarely features in the one-day team, returns to four-day action, while Dean Cosker is expected to play as a second spinner alongside Robert Croft.Yorkshire v Durham, Leeds
Yorkshire will fancy their chances of getting their season back on track when they take on Durham at Headingley. An early-season victory against Northants remains Yorkshire’s only win of the season, and Somerset and Gloucestershire are beginning to pull away at the top. However, they will be bolstered by Darren Gough’s third Championship appearance of the season following his recovery from a hamstring injury. Meanwhile, Durham can take some encouragement from their first Championship win for two years, against Derbyshire last week, but injuries to Martin Love (broken thumb) and Vince Wells (back), along with the effects of a dispiriting drubbing against Lancashire in the C&G Trophy, could spell another defeat.

Worcestershire meet Leicestershire at New Road in the first quarter-final of the C & G Trophy.It is the first time that Worcestershire have reached the quarter-finals of what was previously the NatWest Trophy since 1994, when they went on to beat Warwickshire in the final.They are currently top of the second division of the NUL, and desperate to put the disappointments of their B and H exit behind them.Warwickshire sent them crashing out of that competition with a last wicket partnership of 37, when victory had seemed assured.Graeme Hick is, as ever, the lynchpin of the Worcestershire batting but Phil Weston is also in good form. The bowling will be led by Alamgir Sheriyar – back to the form he showed in winning an A tour in 1999 – and Australian all-rounder Andy Bichel.Bichel is particularly keen to play in a showcase Lord’s final and insists that the team have learnt the lessons of their B and H exit.”We learnt a lot as a side in the Benson and Hedges Cup,” Bichel said. “Of course it was disappointing that we didn’t go into the quarter-finals, especially the way it happened.”We let ourselves down a little bit in a couple of games but in hindsight it was probably good for us to lose the way we did so that we could learn from those mistakes and I think we have rectified them.”We’ve improved in the one-day game and have been going about our cricket in a good manner. Our batting and bowling has been quite handy and steady.”Fielding has been the area which has let us down at certain times but everyone has worked hard to improve it. If we can field well in the one-dayers, then we have to be in with a shout in the Trophy.”Leicestershire meanwhile are boosted by the arrival of Pakistan player Shahid Afridi. He hit a whirlwind 70 against Kent in the NUL at the weekend, and is always capable of a match winning performance with bat or ball.The club are in good form in the one-day game, having won eight consecutive NUL games.England veteran Phil DeFreitas and Jimmy Ormond will spearhead the bowling attack for the visitors while in form Trevor Ward will be looking to cap his resurgence this season with a big match at Lord’s.Bichel is taking nothing for granted.”We have every respect for Leicestershire, who are doing well in the National League and have a lot of good all-rounders,” he continued.”But to play in a Lord’s final would be fantastic. I’ve had one experience of going there this season for the county game with Middlesex but most of it was rained off.”Lord’s is the home of cricket and to be involved on a major occasion would be special.”31-year-old Bichel, who has played five Tests and 17 one-day international games for Australia, has enjoyed his experience of county cricket, and believes he has been able to adapt his game to the different conditions in this country.”There is no doubt that you’ve got to bowl a fuller length over here,” Bichel confirmed. “The wickets are slow and you have to pitch the ball up more. It was one of the first things mentioned to me when I came to England.”It’s nice to get into a new batsman. You might want to bowl a few short deliveries just to unsettle him but in England the conditions don’t allow that. The ball just sits up. But I’ve felt I’ve adjusted quite well to the conditions and as a whole I feel I’ve done alright and it’s been nice to get a few runs as well.”I’ve always prided myself on my batting and when I was a youngster I was more of a batsman than a bowler and I enjoy every innings I play and try to contribute.”

Nothing was strange about the team selections. Ramnaresh Sarwan was the obvious replacement for the injured West Indian batsman Shivnarine Chanderpaul, while England gave themselves every option by selecting all four of their faster bowlers, Dominic Cork, Darren Gough, Andy Caddick and Craig White, plus the off-spin of Robert Croft. Since Graeme Thorpe was returning and had to be selected, the other Graeme, Hick, was omitted.The first strange decision came when the West Indies captain, Jimmy Adams, won the toss and confounded most by electing to bat first, despite the overcast conditions, the fact that England had bowled the West Indies out for 54 the last time the two teams had met, the pitch not being properly prepared because of the persistent rains and the final fact that the pitch was only cut moments before the delayed start. All of these suggested that the West Indies should have fielded first, having won the toss. The decision to bat first soon backfired.Roger Harper, the West Indian Coach, after the day’s play, suggested:”We thought that the best thing to do was to bat first, since it could well have been that the pitch could break up somewhat in the latter stages of the game. Obviously, with us closing at 87-4 at the end of Day 1 , a bit of a disappointment, we will now have to work really hard, as a score of at least 250 should be had on this pitch. I would not say that the conditions did not really get the batsmen out. The batsmen simply failed to negotiate the bowlers well.”Sherwin Campbell, the West Indian vice captain, would have had some say in the decision to bat first, but he was the first to go. Graeme Thorpe, much fitter and obviously at least still as agile, if not more so, took a tremendous catch low to his left in Darren Gouch’s second over. Campbell gone for 02, the West Indies 3-1.Adrian Griffith soon elected to “pad out” an in-swinging almost half-volley from Andy Caddick. Griffith could well have given himself out LBW without even looking up at New Zealand Umpire Doug Cowie, as the ball would probably have hit the middle stump. Griffith out LBW for 02, the West Indies 12-2.Brian Lara looked out of touch, but determined, while Wavell Hinds looked very much in touch, but was again out of luck. After the pair had fought to get the score to 49-2, both fell at that score. Hinds was adjudged to have hit a swinger from Cork, the supposed resulting edge gladly taken by Alec Stewart, playing his 100th Test match. Television replays suggest that Hinds was, for the third time in succession in this Test series, somewhat unlucky to have been given out for 26.Lara, on the other hand, played a bit away from his body, Graeme Thorpe, at third slip, again taking a good, but somewhat easier catch this time. Lara’s uncomfortable stay had ended after 88 minutes at the crease for just 13.Jimmy Adams, on 16, and Ramnaresh Sarwan, on 17, and looking rather mature, managed to take proceeding to the end without any further loss, but certainly the first day of this resumption Test match, after about a month of one day cricket, was in England’s bag. Nasser Hussain lost the toss, perhaps a blessing in disguise, but easily won the day, thanks to the only three bowlers used so far, Darren Gough, Andy Caddick and Dominic Cork.Duncan Fletcher, the English Coach, was generally pleased with his charges’ efforts. However, from his comment afterwards, he must be a very hard task-master, a tough professional:”I would give our team maybe 7-8 out of 10 for the day’s work”, said Fletcher. “Perhaps the West Indies made 10-15 runs too many in the time allowed to play (42 overs). Overall, though, we had a good day, considering that it was something of a surprise that the West Indies batted first, having won the toss. I would have thought that with their strengths being their world class fast bowlers, the West Indies would have fielded first”Nasser Hussain and Duncan Fletcher must be counting their blessings, courtesy of Jimmy Adams. Except for winning the toss, the West Indies lost Day 1 of Test 3. England will certainly try to capitalize on Day 2. The West Indies, through, ironically their captain, would have to try to consolidate. A very pulsating day is expected on Day 2 after about 252 minutes were lost in Day 1. It could be a fun Test match yet.

Ian Bell has been named as captain of the MCC side to take on Yorkshire in this year’s Champion County match in Abu Dhabi. Bell, who still hopes to add to his tally of England caps, was handed the Warwickshire captaincy last month.The four-day first-class match between an MCC XI and the reigning county champions, traditionally the season’s opening fixture, will begin on March 20. Unlike previous years, when the match has been used to trial the pink ball, this time it will be played during daylight hours with a red ball, at Yorkshire’s request.It could be the first of several duels with Yorkshire for Bell, as he attempts to lead Warwickshire to the Championship title they last won in 2012.”This match is perfect for me to get some time in the middle ahead of the new season and I’m very grateful to MCC for offering me the chance to both play for and captain the team,” Bell said.”It’s a nice opportunity for some practice in warm weather, and it will of course be a privilege to represent MCC again. Yorkshire’s team is full of top quality players so it will be great for myself and the rest of our guys to test ourselves against them, and hopefully I can contribute to an entertaining match.”Bell, 33, has previously played for the MCC in 2004 and 2009 but this will be the first time he has done so out in the UAE, which is hosting the Champion County match for the seventh time. The team for this year’s fixture has yet to be announced.John Stephenson, MCC’s head of cricket, said: “Ian Bell is one of the best England cricketers of his generation and I’m delighted that he has agreed to captain MCC for this year’s Champion County match. It’s an ideal opportunity for him to gain match practice ahead of the new season, and I’m sure his experience will prove beneficial for our squad too.”

Darrell Hair’s case against the ICC for racial discrimination suffered a major blow when Billy Doctrove, his colleague during the infamous Oval Test in 2006 and the chief witness for the defence, failed to appear on the third day at the London Central Employment Tribunal.Doctrove was expected to take a flight from his home to London yesterday but it now seems he never did so. The hearing was told that he had been unable to leave Dominica “for personal reasons that are too confidential to explain”.There were also further doubts whether Pakistan’s Inzamam ul-Haq would appear. “Mr ul-Haq has not formally said that he will attend – to answer questions, give a statement or attend,” the court was told. “I must be fair to him and everybody else … he has mentioned difficulty in this respect to his position being picked for the Pakistan team and Ramadan.”In the morning ICC associate board member Prince Tunku Imran of Malaysia told the hearing by phone he had been “concerned” because Hair was apparently the man who stood in the way of the match resuming. “I thought that Darrell had exercised bad judgement on that day by failing to consult with the match referee,” he said.

Ireland’s Niall O’Brien has been banned for one ICC Intercontinental Cup match after being found guilty of breaching the ICC Code of Conduct and has been warned over his future conduct.O’Brien, the Ireland wicketkeeper, was found guilty of a Level 2 offence during Ireland’s ICC Intercontinental Cup match against Scotland in Aberdeen last month.He expressed dissatisfaction with the conditions of the pitch to the groundsman, Ken McCurdie, after heavy overnight rain got under the covers and prevented a restart in play on the third day of the match.David Jukes, the match referee, found him guilty of clause 2.8, which refers to “Using language that is obscene, offensive or of a seriously insulting nature to another player, umpire, referee, team official or spectator.”The heavy rain that ruined a fascinating match was a cause of frustration for everyone concerned but that was no excuse for Mr O’Brien’s outburst,” Jukes said. “Mr O’Brien let himself and his team down and, although he has since apologised, he and all other players need to be aware that such inappropriate conduct has consequences.”As one of the few fully professional cricketers taking part in the match Mr O’Brien should have been setting an example rather than behaving in this manner.The charge against Mr O’Brien was lodged by ICC Chief Executive Malcolm Speed and the hearing took place via teleconference. Ireland’s next ICC Intercontinental Cup match is against the UAE next February. In addition to O’Brien, his captain Trent Johnston, the Scotland captain Craig Wright and Peter Drinnen, the Scotland coach, were all charged with the Level 1 offence of “Public criticism of, or inappropriate comment on, a match related incident or match official.””Public criticism of officials undermines the fundamental principles on which the game has been built,” Jukes commented. “They include the fact that the umpires are the sole judges of fair and unfair play and that it is against the spirit of the game to dispute a decision by word, action or gesture.”

Shane Warne was disappointed with the behaviour of some team-mates during his one-year drugs ban. Warne, who returns from a broken thumb in the first Test against New Zealand at the Gabba on Thursday, said he “worked out who my real friends were” after learning at the 2003 World Cup that he had tested positive to a banned diuretic.”Of all the team-mates I play with at Victoria, Hampshire and Australia, I was disappointed with a few of them,” Warne told Inside Cricket. “Very disappointed with them. Most were very supportive.”Warne also denied that there were rifts between him and Adam Gilchrist, who said Warne would have to fight to get some fans back on side, and Steve Waugh. “‘Gilly’ and I get along fine,” Warne said. “We have had a few disagreements over a few things. But just because of that doesn’t mean we don’t get along or that we are not friends. That’s press talk. There were rumours during the 1999 World Cup that myself and Steve Waugh were at loggerheads as vice-captain and captain and I don’t know where that came from. We are fine too.”Warne, who was dumped as Test vice-captain in 2000, said he still wanted to lead Australia, although that appears unlikely after his list of indiscretions. “I would liked to have done it and I think I would have done a pretty good job,” he said. “It’s not like I lie awake at night harping on it.” But Warne said Ricky Ponting has done a great job and he was 100% behind him.

The third league game of the Videocon Cup, between Pakistan and Australia, was abandoned because of rain. This meant that Pakistan and Australia were through to the final, and India would miss out. None of the Australian bowlers had managed to get a bowl in the tournament, but it was a moot point whether their lack of match practice would help Pakistan’s batsmen in the final – it had to stop raining first.