The Barmy Army’s woeful start to the Ashes series has continued, mirroring the fortunes of their countrymen on the field. After threatening a boycott of the series because of what they said was unfair treatment by Gabba security staff, the group of supporters has come under fire from the England board for alleged copyright breaches on merchandise.The reported the ECB had started legal proceedings to stop Barmy Army Ltd from selling items such as polo shirts and t-shirts bearing references to the Ashes and carrying the ECB’s logo of three lions and a crown. The board denied legal action had been started but said it was a possibility in the future.The ECB spokesman Colin Gibson told the board had written to the Barmy Army querying the use of the logo and the term “Ashes” on merchandise. “We have written to them pointing out breaches of our IP [intellectual property] and are waiting for their response,” he said. “No one wants legal action if possible.”The Sports HQ, the company that produces the merchandise, said the ECB had only made applications for The Ashes trademark. “The Barmy Army have used The Ashes mark since 1994, so they have a prior claim to it which potentially prevents the ECB from using it,” Simon Millington, a partner of The Sports HQ told the .”The shame is that the Barmy Army do a wonderful job in organising supporters and supporting grass roots cricket. The ECB should try to work together instead of making spurious claims.” Millington plans to speak to the ECB next week.

Group A
Faisalabad Wolves, one of the favourites for the title, got themselvesup and running in the competition with a 24-run win over Lahore Eagles. And as in their two-run loss in their opening game, it was skipperMisbah-ul-Haq once again leading the way. He followed his 53 withanother cultured innings, an unbeaten 60 that led the Wolves to a parscore of 162. The Eagles never soared, losing Ashfaq Ahmed off thesecond ball of the innings. No one scored more than 29 as Shahid Nazir(two for 26) led a strong Wolves attack to consign the Eagles to theirfirst defeat.Group B
Farce, controversy, Duckworth and Lewis conspired to produce a two-runwin for defending champions Sialkot Stallions against the KarachiZebras. Being bundled out for 106 was no way for champions to starttheir defense, with only Rana Naved-ul-Hasan’s 28 denying Malik Aftab (4for 17) and Danish Kaneria (3 for 11). But when the Zebras came out tobat, Mohammad Asif and Naved-ul-Hasan reminded everyone just why theStallions remain favourites this year. Together they reduced the Zebrasto 69 for five, despite a clever partnership between Faisal Iqbal andHasan Raza that ended with both batsmen throwing their wickets away. Atthat stage, 69 for five, the match was wide open but a floodlightfailure meant that no further progress could be made. The umpires chosenot to wait too long for a potentially exciting climax, whereuponentered Duckworth and Lewis.Group C
In a match studded with superstar comebacks, it was the unheraldedleg-spin of Imranullah Aslam that led the Multan Tigers to a 21-run winover the Islamabad Leopards. Aslam took five for 17 as the Leopardscrashed chasing 148, only Bazid Khan making an impression, with 53.Shabbir Ahmed did his continuing rehabilitation no harm, supportingAslam with three wickets. But the one player all eyes were on didn’tdistinguish himself: Shoaib Akhtar, leading the Leopards, ended withnone for 30 from his four overs, including 20 off the last. Instead, itwas team-mate Azhar Mahmood, whispered off as a potential returnee forthe World Cup, with three for 17, who did much of the damage.Group D
Mohammad Wasim did as all good openers do, carrying his bat through 20overs for Rawalpindi Rams, as he led them to a comfortable 20-run winover Quetta Bears. Wasim, a former Pakistan Test opener, made 86 but itwas only a sixth-wicket partnership with the feisty Yasir Arafat, whomade 43, that led the Rams to 172. No one could replicate Wasim’scontribution for the Bears, a number of batsmen like Shoaib Khan (44)getting off to a good start but not finishing. Emblematic, ultimately,of the Bears finishing close, but not close enough.

If England thought their tour could not get any worse after two monthswithout a victory, they were wrong. Kevin Pietersen, the one batsman whohad challenged the Australia bowlers throughout the Ashes and in the firstone-day match, is flying home with a broken rib, further reducingEngland’s chances of breaking their winless streak.Pietersen was on 73 when he advanced down the wicket to a short ball fromGlenn McGrath and missed his attempted pull. The ball cannoned into hisribs and after a couple of minutes of regaining his breath and attentionfrom the physiotherapist, he batted on to reach 82.But in one last show of determination, a clearly uncomfortable Pietersenfought the pain to face questions about his tour-ending injury. Sittingin an awkward, rigidly upright position and speaking softly, Pietersendescribed his feelings at missing out on the chance to help England fightback in the CB Series. “Distraught. Absolutely distraught,” Pietersensaid. “It’s not how I planned it out. I’m just distraught to be leavingthis trip without any victories.”Although the official word was the fracture would keep him out for five tosix weeks, Pietersen was hopeful of recovering faster and insisted therewas no chance it would keep from playing in the World Cup. “I just have tobide my time,” he said, “but I’m a pretty quick healer and I’ll get myself as fit asI can as quick as I can.”Pietersen added that, although he had been hit several times in the ribs,this parting shot from McGrath hurt the most. “When it hit me I couldn’tbreathe for a couple of minutes and I knew it was a little bit moreserious than the previous times. It restricted my breathing and strokeplay.”But asked the injury might prompt him to rethink his tacticof charging fast bowlers, Pietersen’s reply was blunt and emphatic. “Idon’t think it’ll stop me in the future.” He even spoke toMcGrath on the field at the end of the game to thank him for the challengehe had presented during the Ashes.Although Pietersen’s part in the England show is over for now, he wasconfident the team could push on without him and even had the temerity tosuggest England would be a threat to Australia in the World Cup. “It’s nota one-dimensional team at all and I’m sure the guys who take my spot willdo a great job,” he said. “If we can pick up little key things thatimprove our game 10, 15, 20% … the World Cup is a knockout competition.”

Bermuda’s 15-man squad for the World Cup was along expected lines, as they retained all but one of the players that contested the ICC World Cricket League (WCL) competition earlier this month – Oliver Pitcher, a batsman who missed the WCL because of injury, has been included ahead of Arthur Pitcher Jr.Most of the players virtually picked themselves and have occupied spots in the team ever since Bermuda gained a place in World Cup two years ago. Irvine Romaine will captain the side with wicketkeeper-batsman Dean Minors as his deputy.There is also room in the squad for left-handed batsman David Hemp. Born in Bermuda, the 36-year-old Hemp is currently the captain of Glamorgan. The squad also includes South Africa-born allrounder Saleem Mukuddem, and 17-year-old allrounder Malachi Jones, whose selection will make him one of the youngest players to appear in the tournament.Bermuda are making their first appearance at the World Cup and have been slotted in Group B, where they face Sri Lanka, India, and Bangladesh. The Bermudians play warm-up matches against England and Zimbabwe in St Vincent on March 5 and 8.Squad
Irving Romaine (capt), Dean Minors (wk), Delyone Borden, Lionel Cann, David Hemp, Kevin Hurdle, Malachi Jones, Stefan Kelly, Dwayne Leverock, Saleem Mukuddem, Steven Outerbridge, Oliver Pitcher, Clay Smith, Janeiro Tucker, Kwame Tucker.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details

A career-best 85 from opener Melissa Bulow set the platform before a composed seventh-wicket partnership helped Australia clinch a last-ball thriller against India in what was a virtual semi-final at Chepauk. Set 231, Australia needed more than six an over in the last five overs, with only the tail to come, but some poor Indian fielding allowed them to get home without losing any more wickets.Like they’ve done throughout the tournament, India fumbled in the field and couldn’t convert run-out chances as the pressure mounted in the last 10 overs. Cathryn Fitzpatrick and Jodie Purves took advantage of India’s clumsiness and added a nerveless 47 in the last 43 balls to ensure Australia’s victory. This was after India had reached a competitive total thanks to half-centuries from Karuna Jain and Hemlata Kala.It was Bulow’s 91-ball 85 that set up Australia’s successful chase. Her half-century partnerships with Leah Poulton and Karen Rolton allowed Australia to whittle away 100 runs from the target. Bulow routinely cut the opening bowlers, Rumeli Dhar and Jhulan Goswami to the point boundary and managed boundaries behind the wicket as well. She took Amita Sharma out of the attack, smashing 12 off her opening over. Sharma had a forgettable match with the ball – returning to concede seven in her next over and not making much of an impact at the death.But India fought back through a rare show of athleticism on the field, with Mithali Raj dismissing Poulton, the opener, with an inspiring lunge. Poulton had driven hard but Raj, the Indian captain, dived to her left and took a catch off the ground, breaking the first-wicket partnership. Rolton was the next to go, driving straight to Kala in the covers and then soon after Lisa Sthalekar reverse swept a Nooshin Al Khadeer offbreak to the wicketkeeper.Khadeer also got the wicket of Sarah Edwards as she tried to go for the runs once Bulow had been dismissed. Purves joined Fitzpatrick at the crease at the fall of the sixth wicket and the duo calmed the nerves with a sensible stand. Fitzpatrick scored the occasional boundary to keep the run-rate at six an over and the two were allowed to rotate the strike thanks to India’s lethargy on the field.India were slightly slow to get off the mark with the bat as well. They’d slumped to 49 for 2 at the 15-over mark. The Australian bowlers restricted India’s scoring in the early half of the innings and had dismissed the in-form Jaya Sharma and Raj. However, Jain, the opener, Kala, the middle-order batsman, made considerable amends with half-centuries. The pair clung on even as Kirsten Pike and Emma Sampson got them to edge and at times be beaten by their medium-pace deliveries. Jain got off the mark with a four over midwicket off Fitzpatrick and repeated the shot through her innings, lucky to see it fall between fielders each time.Anjum Chopra, who returned to the side after being dropped for the two previous matches, also chipped in with an energetic 41. She too had some luck in the first part of her innings as edges off her bat beat the slips to reach the boundary. The two added 68 for the third wicket before Jain was trapped leg before by Sthalekar. Dhar was then bowled off the first ball she faced and when Kala joined Chopra at the crease, India were 118 for 4.Kala punished the spinners, Sthalekar and Nitschke, and even the otherwise economical Sampson and pushed the total towards 200. Some last-over hitting by Khadeer finally took India to their second-highest total of the tournament. In the end it proved a little too short and India can now only hope for a third place finish in the Quadrangular tournament. Australia will now play New Zealand in the final while India will take on England for a third place play-off on March 5.

Sri Lanka 294 for 7 (Sangakkara 81, Jayasuriya 77) beat Scotland 135 by 159 runs
Scorecard

Sri Lanka’s veteran batsmen proved too strong for Scotland’s bowlers in their warm-up match at the 3Ws Oval in Barbados, as Kumar Sangakkara and Sanath Jayasuriya rattled up an imposing total of 294 for 7 with a pair of brisk half-centuries. With Upul Tharanga anchoring the innings with a composed 70 from 114 balls, Scotland’s resolve crumbled as they were bowled out for 134 in reply.Sangakkara top-scored with 81 from 57 balls, but it was Jayasuriya – inevitably – who provided the turbo-charged start to Sri Lanka’s innings. He thumped four fours and five sixes in a 62-ball 77, with the captain, Craig Wright, coming in for special punishment: his solitary over was clubbed for 20 runs.Farveez Maharoof applied the finishing touch to Sri Lanka’s innings with 28 from 14 balls, including two fours and two sixes, and got in on the act with the ball as well, as he dismissed the dangerous Ryan Watson for 17. Scotland were never in the reckoning from the moment that Chaminda Vaas and Lasith Malinga grabbed three wickets for nine runs.Jayasuriya also enjoyed himself with the ball, taking 2 for 7 in two overs as Scotland’s innings ebbed away. After the game Sri Lanka’s captain, Mahela Jayawardene, said he was satisfied, but they can still raise the bar.”We had a great day out and we are pleased with the result at the end of theday,” he said. “We still can get better and we will be working on ourintensity. There were times today when we slackened of a bit, so we knowwhat we have to do come Friday.”Scotland’s captain, Wright, summed up the game as a “a great learningexperience” and said his players would come back stronger in the other matches.He praised his seamers John Blain, who took 2 for 51, and Dougie Brown (2for 52) for their discipline and smart use of the change of pace. He alsonoted that left-hander Gavin Hamilton played well for his 25 off 59, whichmanaged to keep out Muttiah Muralitharan.

Dates for the second Ol Pejeta “Cricket in the Wild” tournament in Kenya have been confirmed – the competition will begin on Friday September 28.The three-day event is designed to raise funds to support the Ol Pejeta Conservancy – a 90,000 acre wildlife park at the foothills of Mount Kenya – which, it is hoped, will help with the development of schools and other local facilities.Each of the eight teams, split into two leagues, is required to raise a minimum of KSh200,000 (USD 2900) – usually by sponsorship – to secure their place in the tournament. The cricket itself will be 10:10 (10 overs per side) with eight-ball overs.The winner receives a trophy, and there will be a special prize for the most humorous sledge, at the umpire’s discretion.

Dinanath Ramnarine, the West Indies Players’ Association (WIPA) president and CEO, has rebutted Bruce Aanensen, CEO of the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB), on his version of how the arbitration process had gone to date on the issue of the England tour, stating that some facts were misrepresented in a WICB media conference on Friday.After giving the players the go-ahead to sign up for the controversial tour yesterday, Ramnarine disputed Aanensen’s version of why the resolution for the controversial England tour had arrived at this juncture.The failure of the regional administration to deliver their supporting documents by an extended May 4 deadline set by an arbitration panel led by the Barbados Chief Justice Sir David Simmons forced Simmons to give a new deadline of May 7, 10.30am, for the WICB to submit their case and supporting documents.”If this time frame is not kept, the panel may have to consider proceeding to determine the issue on such documents as it has at the time,” Simmons said.The Chief Justice’s warning follows Aanensen’s claim that the board had submitted their case to the arbitration panel last Tuesday, a statement that was in contradiction to the one made by Aanensen in Friday’s WICB media conference that was broadcast throughout the region from the Queen’s Park Oval in Port of Spain.”All the documents have been submitted to him,” Aanensen said in a CMC [Caribbean Media Corporation] interview last week. “He [Simmons] says he needs time to study them and that he doesn’t believe there is any way that they can have this arbitration prior to the team leaving on the 8th.”However, in Friday’s media conference, Aanensen explained the discrepancy in his earlier disclosure by saying the WICB could not be expected to have supplied their supporting documents and written submissions because they were only informed about the terms of reference on May 1.The terms of reference are whether the tour to England is within or outside the ICC Future Tours Program.”So how could Ramnarine say that the WICB did not meet the deadline of April 27 for submitting documents when the terms of reference were only known on May 1?” he asked, before adding that the Simmons-chaired panel would rule on the matter on May 15.However, documents seen by the Sunday Express showed no mention of a resolution by May 15, the panel only advising that if the need for oral argument arises, that would be facilitated on Wednesday (May 9) and Thursday (May 10) this week.Simmons had also attempted to extend the deadline to the WICB to May 4 but was advised by the board’s lawyers they would not be ready due to previously-pending matters.”In the circumstances I must insist that I have WICB’s case and documents no later than 10.30am Monday May 7,” the Simmons insisted.The Sunday Express understands that after the April 22 stalemate between WIPA and the WICB that sent the issue to arbitration, the Players’ Association issued both their supporting documents and written submissions to Simmons on April 27. The WICB are yet to issue theirs.If the WICB are tardy, the arbitration panel said it will be forced to issue a ruling without data to support the board’s case. Asked about other matters still outstanding from previous arbitrations, Ramnarine said he was concentrating on the England tour issue and would deal with those matters subsequently.

The BCCI’s shambolic efforts to find a national coach took an embarrassing turn today when it was revealed that Graham Ford, the former South African coach who’s now director of coaching at Kent County Cricket Club, had turned down the offer to coach the national side. Ford had been chosen last Saturday after a seven-man committee listened to presentations from him and John Emburey, the other candidate to be invited to the meeting in Chennai.It was no secret that Ford was the players’ choice, with the grapevine suggesting that the move for him had been initiated by Rahul Dravid, the Indian captain. After Greg Chappell’s tenure, characterised by off-field controversy as much as anything on the field, Ford – who has a reputation as a back-room facilitator rather than an outspoken disciplinarian – was seen as the perfect choice to heal the fissures within the Indian team.The news will come as a severe blow to the BCCI, who didn’t have any other noteworthy candidate lined up once Dav Whatmore was ruled out by the committee. The top officials are currently in Bangalore, in parleys with senior players over contracts, and this development will force them to send out fresh smoke signals for what was once seen as one of the more prized assignments in international cricket.Soon after that meeting, N Srinivasan, the board treasurer, spoke about the decision. “We have received a communication from Graham Ford that he cannot accept our offer at short notice because of his commitments to Kent. He has said he’s withdrawing as candidate for the position.” Srinivasan added that the matter would be discussed at the working committee meeting in New Delhi tomorrow.Sunil Gavaskar, a member of the committee that interviewed Ford, said he was unaware of the reasons behind Ford’s decision. “We are back to square one, that is a fact of life”, he said. “I don’t know what the BCCI’s thinking is, whether it will start the process [of appointing a coach] all over again or make a short-term appointment as it did for the Bangladesh tour.”There is also the possibility that it will fall back on Emburey. When contacted by Cricinfo, Emburey said: “I haven’t heard anything from the BCCI, I understand they are trying to contact me but haven’t heard yet.” However, Times Now, an Indian television channel, reported that Emburey had turned down the offer as well.A media release issued by Kent quoted Ford as saying: “I am very grateful to the club for allowing me to go to India to find out more about the job of coaching the Indian Team. I have had a chance to reflect on the offer made by the BCCI and their urgency to fill the vacant position.”After careful consideration, I have decided to continue my work here at Kent. This has been a really difficult decision. I am honoured that India have shown such interest in my capabilities, but feel that this is the right decision for me and my family.”Kent were understandably delighted by Ford’s decision to stay. Graham Johnson, the club chairman, said: “This is really great news for Kent cricket. We are delighted Graham has decided to stay with us. I would like to say how much we appreciate the way Graham has handled the last few days.”I know that all in the business at Kent, the playing staff, the coaching staff and all our administrators will be thrilled by his decision. It also says much about the future vision we have for Kent, the way we conduct our business and how we all play a part in the delivery of that vision, not least through what we do on the field.”

Subhash Dixit, a former India Under-15 captain, died after falling from the sixth floor of a building in Kanpur on June 9.Dixit, a resident of Kanpur, had left home for practice at the Green Park stadium; he went to a nearby shopping complex, from where he jumped. Dixit, 22, is believed to have been frustrated by his inability to make the Uttar Pradesh team for the Ranji Trophy.Dixit was captain of the Indian team during the Under-15 World Cup in 2000. He had also captained the Uttar Pradesh Under-15 and Under-19 teams. He was unemployed at the time of his death and came from a poor family. His father and one of his two sisters suffer from mental disability.Following his death, friends and fans of Dixit held protests in the city on Monday, demanding a compensation of Rs 10 lakh for Dixit’s family. According to PTI, the protestors blocked traffic by putting the deceased cricketer’s body on the road, and only relented when police and civil officials reached the spot. They handed over a memorandum to the Additional City magistrate.Placards criticizing the UPCA (Uttar Pradesh Cricket Association) were on display. The protestors alleged that none of the Association’s officials met Dixit’s family to express their sympathy.A group of people also attacked Shashikant Khandekar, a former selector for the Uttar Pradesh side, at his residence on Sunday evening.The UPCA announced a cash relief of Rs 1 lakh for Dixit’s family. In addition, the association said it would name the state Under-17 cricket tournament in his memory.