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The general raison d’etre of any trade union or association is to act in the best interests of its membership. The recent behaviour of Dinanath Ramnarine, the president of the West Indies Players Association, appears to suggest that it does not adhere to that school of thought.Ramnarine’s own playing career ended prematurely when he quit after it was made clear his international future was bleak, and he quit to relaunch WIPA, originally set up in the 1980s, a little more than a year ago. The intention was admirable, and brought West Indies into line with most other countries in having a body representing their players.But fairly soon it became apparent that Ramnarine did not intend to workquietly behind the scenes and that he wanted a far more high-profilerole than that. The current contract crisis thrust him into the limelight,and his increasingly erratic behaviour has raised questions as to whoexactly he is representing.Those who have crossed him speak of him being a fiery and egotistical figure. In the infamous leaked report on the recent Australian tour, Richard Nowell, Digicel’s representative, described WIPA a “a terrorist organisation”. That was clearly over the top, but it highlighted just how much the association was perceived to be interfering and troublemaking.The behaviour of some individuals in Australia – and that relates to their contractual obligations rather than other non-cricketing incidents – made it clear to the board that it could not just ignore the Cable & Wireless situation and that it had to protect its new deal with Digicel. But rather than trying to broker a solution, WIPA just seemed to be out to fan the flames of unrest.It is now fairly obvious that six of the seven personal contracts with C&W – the exception being Lara’s which is a long-standing arrangement – were signed once it became clear that Digicel would replace them as the WICB’s sponsor. It was fairly blatent ambush-marketing in a bitter, pan-Caribbean battle between the two telecommunications giants.And the terms of those deals stipulated that they would be deemed void if the player was dropped from the side for two consecutive matches. C&W did not want the individual so much as a member of the West Indies squad, thus ensuring maximum potential for embarrassment.But WIPA have consistently backed C&W and those six players – often, it would appear, to the detriment of all its other members. WIPA has been instrumental in presenting the dispute as a clear battle: themselves and C&W in one corner, the WICB and Digicel in the other. Caught in the middle have been the very people that Ramnarine should be representing – players – and they have been treated little better than cannon fodder in an increasingly personal battle.It is widely reported that this week’s unrest and talks of strikes inside the West Indies camp have largely been engineered by Ramnarine. With cricket in the Caribbean in a far-from-healthy state, what is to be gained by a strike which would massively dent the game’s profile and cost the WICB millions? And all to supposedly back six players who signed deals to benefit nobody but themselves? One senior figure told me that “WIPA has been looking to lead rather than represent,” adding that Ramnarine had “done the players a great disservice”.And former West Indies fast bowler and now TV commentator Michael Holding was equally outspoken, accusing Ramnarine of “fighting his own private battles and using the WIPA to do so.”Just who Ramnarine represents is further clouded by reports that, last spring, he was acting on behalf of certain players in negotiations with potential sponsors, raising the question of whether he is a representative or an agent?Digicel’s deal with the board appears to be a good one, and will actuallyresult in the players receiving more from their central contracts. Commonsense suggests that a trade union would welcome that. So why haven’t WIPA?Today’s scattergun attack on the board, Digicel and the region’s politicians could be a rant too far from Ramnarine. It has made people sit up and ask what and who exactly is he speaking on behalf of. But an answer is unlikely to be forthcoming. While Ramnarine is willing to spout vitriol, he is less inclined to sit down and face more direct questioning.But his head has now popped too far above the parapet. He is in the sniper’s sights and likely finally to be called to account. People have a right to know just why the C&W contracts are deemed important enough to jeopardise the future of West Indian cricket, why the players were encouraged to strike, and exactlywho WIPA represents.

South Africa will not be playing a Test series against Pakistan in the near future, scuppering the Pakistan Cricket Board’s increasingly frenzied efforts to try and fill up an empty international calendar.Pakistan sent an official proposal to Cricket South Africa (CSA) yesterday, thoughlocal reports had revealed the proposal some time ago. Yesterday, some Urdu newspapers carried quotes from Nasim Ashraf, chairman PCB, claiming that South Africa had agreed to play a Test series in October, though the venue had yet to be agreed upon.But another PCB official told Cricinfo that the proposal was only sent yesterday and is unlikely whether CSA would have received it. “We are free during October and South Africa are also free, so we have proposed a three-Test series in that period, to be played in either Pakistan or South Africa,” Shafqat Naghmi, chief operating officer PCB, said. “We only sent the proposal yesterday so are not sure how they will respond.”A CSA official, however, said that no such proposal had yet been received and even if there is one, South Africa will not be available. “Statements in the media attributed to the Pakistan Cricket Board relating to a possible Pakistan vs South Africa Test series, are without substance,” a statement from Brian Basson, General Manager Cricket Operations, said.”Cricket South Africa is yet to receive a formal request from the PCB. Should a request of this nature come through from PCB, CSA would unfortunately not be in a position to accept such a proposal due to its intense tour schedule.”After the ICC Champions Trophy in September, to be held in Pakistan, South Africa are due to host Bangladesh in November, before heading off to Australia. Not only does the refusal come as a further blow to the PCB’s efforts to fill up its calendar, it will raise further questions about the method in which the board has approached the task.Since Australia pulled out of its tour for March-April, due to security concerns, Pakistani officials have scurried around trying to line up commitments in a calendar where they play six Tests between December 2007 and November 2009.They have succeeded only in inviting Bangladesh for a series of five ODIs in April and though Sri Lanka agreed to a similar series, a clash with the Indian Premier League (IPL) has temporarily sidelined that. Though the PCB denied that the IPL had anything to do with it, Cricinfo believes that alongside SLC, both boards agreed to not play the series as originally proposed between April 23 and May 5 as it would deprive the IPL of several big names from either side.The Pakistan board says the series could instead be played in June, but in the same breath mentions a possible tri-series in Bangladesh, also in the same month. June in any case is earmarked for the Asia Cup, due to be held in Pakistan for the first time. Additionally, the extreme summer temperatures make cricket impossible in most parts of the country, except Karachi.Earlier in March, board officials were ‘99%’ convinced that India would agree to play a three-match ODI series in Pakistan, a conviction never shared by the BCCI. The series with Sri Lanka, also apparently confirmed, seems unlikely to happen anytime soon. Now South Africa have refused a proposal before even receiving it, confirming perhaps that the PCB is approaching the problem with a series of knee-jerk reactions and ill-conceived proposals as opposed to a proper strategy.

R Ashwin, India’s No. 1 spinner, has said he is close to full fitness, which should come as relief to the team after losing both the T20I and ODI series to South Africa.”I’m close to full fitness and I’m confident of bowling well in the Test series,” Ashwin said at a promotional event in Chennai.Ashwin strained his side during the first ODI, played in Kanpur. When he pulled out of that game, his figures read 4.4-0-14-1 and had dragged India back into the contest after a fiery South Africa start. India missed Ashwin throughout the series.Over the last few seasons, India’s home Test cricket has gone back to revolving around spinners, especially with the whitewash of Australia in 2012-13. Ashwin was also Man of the Series in India’s last Test series, in Sri Lanka in August. He will be India’s main weapon against a side that has a well-earned reputation of being the best travellers in world cricket.Ashwin’s fitness becomes more important considering the uncertainty around legspinner Amit Mishra, who has been booked by Bangalore Police for an alleged assault on a woman. Mishra remains free to travel and should be eligible for selection, but it is unknown yet how the BCCI sees this. Or indeed what kind of mental space Mishra will be in should he play the Mohali Test in nine days time. The third spinner in the squad is Ravindra Jadeja, who returned for the South Africa Tests after being dropped for the recent tours of Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.About India’s performance in the ODIs, Ashwin said, “Ours is a relatively inexperienced side. We have just a few players who have played 100-odd games. We need to give some cushion and time to this side. They have players like AB de Villiers and Faf du Plessis who are very experienced players. We knew it was going to be hard-fought series. Had the last over in Kanpur gone our way, the result could have been different.”

Pakistan Under-19s allrounder Hasan Mohsin was named the Man of the Match against Afghanistan Under-19s in Sylhet for his swing-bowling display. Against Sri Lanka Under-19s on Wednesday, Mohsin exhibited his batting prowess too, something he didn’t get a chance to do when Pakistan chased low totals in the first two league games.The side batted first and lost two wickets within nine balls and, despite a comfortable start, suddenly found themselves 70 for 3 in the 20th over. Mohsin is not the most technically correct batsman in the side and neither is he the most elegant. But he is effective, assesses situations well and thinks on his feet. Had it not been for his run-a-ball 86, Pakistan would have probably have been bundled out for much less than 212.”My approach was to safeguard my wicket as well as keep the runs flowing because our batsmen at the top got out really early,” Mohsin said. “So when Umair Masood was playing with me, our discussion was to build a partnership and save our wicket as well.”Mohsin, who also opens the bowling, is primarily a batting allrounder. He has batted at No. 5 so far in the tournament and explains that he prefers the middle order because of a liking for spin.”I like batting at No. 4 or 5 because I believe I play spinners better,” he said. “At whichever position I bat, I always try to pull my team out of difficult situations and do well for them.”In the beginning, Mohsin took his time to get his eye in, despite a drop in the run rate. He made sure he stalled a collapse by seeing through spells of Sri Lanka’s left-arm spinners and was on 5 off 19 balls before collecting his first boundary. Once he opened up, he started rotating the strike more easily and soon brought up his fifty off 65 deliveries. He used his hands and supple wrists to target the leg-side boundary initially and it seemed like he didn’t prefer the off side much. Soon, however, he was using late cuts and punches, and was finding gaps cleverly with timing and placement.In the last 10 overs, he unleashed a beautiful inside-out cover drive and surprised everyone in the 47th over with a de Villiers-like scoop from well outside off that got him four runs fine on the leg side. Did he see the fine-leg fielder coming in?”Yes. The situation was such that I had to, because the field was such,” he said. “The fast bowler was bowling and to hit straight wasn’t easy. So I thought I’ll sit down and [play that shot].”It was difficult conditions for batting. I was just playing it all on merit.”Mohsin looked at ease against the ambidextrous bowler Kamindu Mendis and said he got over the initial surprise. He scored 12 runs off 12 balls against Mendis and the spinner was soon out of the attack.”Yes, it was surprising. But for me, left-arm spinners I believe I can play them easily – whether he’s bowling an arm ball or break.” Would it have troubled Mohsin had Mendis switched to right-arm offspin against him? “No, offspin would’ve made it easier. Pakistan’s wickets are such that we way play spinners well.”Mohsin started out as a batsman and legspinner when his father took him to an academy in Karachi in 2008. Several years later his coach Mohammad Masroor, also the Pakistan team coach right now, advised him to switch from legspin to swing bowling. He was singled out as one of the side’s main allrounders by the management before the World Cup.In his team’s successful defence of a below-par score, Mohsin provided the spinners a perfect platform by removing the Sri Lankan openers in his first spell. Some accurate outswingers helped remove Avishka Fernando in his first over and a nagging line to left-handed Kaveen Bandara induced an outside edge in the sixth over to leave Sri Lanka at 21 for 2.”I always try to bowl line and length, wickets come by themselves,” he said. “My aim is always to stay on one type of swing at the start and keep bowling line and length. So when I contain the batsmen, I get a wicket.”Slightly shy, Mohsin opens up once you start talking about his game and tactics. Will he open himself to the world of T20 leagues, such as the PSL? “It is natural that everyone would want to play big cricket. If some team gives me an offer, surely I will play.”

Scorecard
A third successive defeat, with Friday’s game against Bangladesh Under-19 washed out, resulted in South Africa Under-19 being knocked out of the triangular tournament being held in Pretoria.South Africa needed to beat India Under-19 to have a chance of going through to the final, but the hosts suffered a six-wicket loss. Tanmay Srivastava was once again instrumental in thwarting South Africa; he had scored a century in the previous round-robin encounter between the two teams, and though he scored only 50 in this game, his three wickets had helped his team restrict the hosts to 223 from their alloted 50 overs.Wayne Parnell, the South African captain, opted to bat and his team made a brisk and steady start, with 56 runs being added before the first wicket – of JJ Smuts – fell on the last ball of the tenth over. Opener Pieter Malan top scored for his side with 57; South Africa were looking good at 105 for 2 off 22.3 overs before Srivastava struck to remove Malan.The remaining South African batsmen failed to carry on the momentum, with a few failing to capitalise on starts. A 47-run seventh-wicket stand between Parnell and Sybrand Engelbrecht ensured the team went past the 200-mark, with South Africa completing their 50 overs at 223 for 9. Srivastava finished with 3 for 42 while Iqbal Abdulla, the left-arm spinner, had impressive figures of 3 for 29.Parnell took two quick wickets as India faltered to 16 for 2 in their chase, but the ensuing 111 runs added by Virat Kohli and Srivastava put the reply on track. Srivastava was out hit wicket to Parnell for an even 50, which came off 76 balls. Kohli’s 71 was the game’s highest score, but when he fell with India at 160, South Africa still had a sniff of a chance.Unfortunately for the hosts, an unbroken 66-run stand between Saurav Tiwary (53) and Manish Pandey (26) saw India through with 18 balls to spare.India take on Bangladesh on Sunday, a dress rehearsal for the final, which will be played on Tuesday.

It was a struggle to get out of St. Johns Wood station this morning, with a frenetic scramble for tickets clogging Wellington Road. Spectators were willing to pay ten times the actual amount and Lord’s was the place to be in London.All the excitement culminated in the most anti-climactic end to a competitive series. The one-sided contest seemed even more flat after the humdinger at The Oval. The freedom and expression that the teams displayed on Wednesday was rarely seen; instead there was attrition, a feature typical of when too much is at stake. Suddenly the teams appeared to have woken up to how big the prize was.Before we get into the nitty-gritty of this forgettable decider, let’s get the big picture out of the way. England were the better side through the series and deserved winners. They were more consistent with the bat, aggressive with the ball, and far more athletic on the field. India played an important part in converting a long series into a cracking one but their weaknesses – especially in the field – were bound to be exploited over seven matches.Now to two issues that were the talking points of the match. Today’s was the sort of toss that’s supposed to be a “good one to lose”. Rahul Dravid won it and batted but soon found out that bowling might have been a better option. In similar conditions at Southampton and Edgbaston he’d chosen to bowl but realised that batting might have been better. The problem may lie with his tendency to win tosses but with seven batsmen you’d expect to counter conditions and put up a decent score.India’s problem might have arisen from a need to change their mindset – and the eventual failure to do so. They needed to switch from the throw-the-kitchen-sink-at-everything approach that was on display at The Oval to a knuckle-down-and-get-a-competitive-score here. Instead Sourav Ganguly, in the most torturous innings all summer, flayed as if in blindfolds and the rest attempted too much too early. A more grafted approach could have got them to 240, a total which could have proved tricky later in the day.The second point of contention needs to be taken more seriously. Sachin Tendulkar, for the third time on this tour, was at the receiving end of a contentious decision. Actually it was quite a howler. It happened at Bristol, when he was sawn off on 99, and it happened here, at a critical juncture of a vital match. He’d just backed away and walloped Andrew Flintoff over cover, not once but twice, and promised more. He’d got his eye in and gauged the pitch. And then Aleem Dar, probably going on sound rather than sight, gave him caught behind when the bat had merely clipped the pad. Of course Dar is human, like the rest of us, but was this the time to reiterate that truism?It was a point from which India never recovered. England gathered momentum and didn’t look back. Chasing 187 was going to be tricky at the most and when Kevin Pietersen, for the first time all series, started reading Piyush Chawla’s legbreaks it was time to draw the curtains. India’s fielding inadequacies came to the fore and their part-timers weren’t effective. If this was the one match you watched in the series, you’d have wondered how India had managed to win three games before today. Credit to India for overcoming their weaknesses to setup a classic finish but the weaknesses were so evident that they ultimately caught up.

Anil Kumble will lead a 15-member Karnataka squad to take part in the Ranji Trophy Super League.Rahul Dravid’s presence in the squad, along with those of veterans Sunil Joshi and Yere Goud – who joined Karnataka last season after 11 years with Railways, is expected the bolster the squad. All eyes will be on Dravid, who has an opportunity to regain his form after being dropped for the first two ODIs against Pakistan.The selectors decided to stick with experience – C Raghu, B Akhil, Barrington Rowland and Thilak Naidu retaining their places in the squad. The player to watch out for will be KP Appana, the left-arm spinner. He had a successful tour to Sri Lanka with the India Under-19s and has taken 21 wickets at 24.66 in six first-class matches.Vijay Bharadwaj, the former India player, will coach the team after Rajesh Kamat, the original appointee, had joined the Indian Cricket League. The squad were part of 35 probables who had a 13-day conditioning camp at the Infosys campus in Mysore from October 13.Karnataka open their Ranji Trophy campaign by taking on defending champions Mumbai in a four-day match at the Wankhede Stadium starting on November 3.Karnataka squad
Anil Kumble (capt), Rahul Dravid, Yere Goud, C Raghu, Sunil Joshi, Barrington Rowland, NC Aiyappa, B Akhil, KP Appanna, Srinivas Dhananjaya, Thilak Naidu (wk), Devraj Patil, KB Pawan, Sudhindra Shinde, Vinay Kumar
Coach: Vijay Bharadwaj

England 351 (Muralitharan 5-116) and 250 for 3 drew with Sri Lanka 548 for 9 dec (Jayawardene 195, Vandort 139)
Scorecard
How they were out

England eased to safety on the fifth and final afternoon at Colombo, thanks to a trio of half-centuries from Michael Vaughan, Alastair Cook and Ian Bell, a sensible fourth-wicket stand of 46 between Kevin Pietersen and Paul Collingwood, and a tea-time deluge that wrote off a potentially tricky final session. With grey clouds lurking all day, the draw had always been the odds-on result, but until the rains finally came, England could not rest easy. Their lead at tea was a meagre 53 with seven wickets standing, and when Muttiah Muralitharan is involved, no cause can ever be entirely written off.England’s progress in the first two sessions was serene but Sri Lanka never sensed that the task of victory was beyond them, largely because each of the top three gave their wickets away when well set. Vaughan and Cook resumed with England on 48 for 0 overnight, and duly went on to post their second century stand of the match – the first time it had been done by the same English opening combination since Boycott and Edrich at Adelaide in 1970-71. But as in the first innings, neither man could push on to record a century of his own, and in fact England have now made 10 fifties in the series, but a highest score of 87.Despite the threat of rain, Vaughan and Cook did not bat as if they had one eye on the heavens. Instead they set about eating into their 197-run deficit with calculated aggression, and Vaughan set the tone from the very start of the day, lacing Lasith Malinga for four fours in his first two overs. The first was a touch streaky, as it sped along the ground through the slip cordon, but the next three were shots of the highest class – two clips off the toes followed by a sumptuous and trademark drive through the covers.Vaughan continued to bat with complete fluency and as long as he was at the crease, England’s survival was assured. But, on 61, Dilhara Fernando served up a full-length slower ball, which Vaughan popped straight back into the bowler’s midriff. He was aghast as he trudged off the pitch but his replacement, Bell, started with equal confidence. He cracked two fours in an over from a subdued Chaminda Vaas, and signed off the morning session in style with a lofted drive over mid-on against Muralitharan, just to demonstrate that England were not going to be cowed on this final day.Cook, whose first-innings 81 had been a laborious but essential performance, chugged along to 62 not out at lunch. His morning’s work was interrupted by a 20-minute rain break, but he seemed happy once again to play the anchor role. His most attacking moment came with consecutive driven boundaries in Vaas’s opening over. But, with the first ball after the resumption, Cook reawakened England’s anxieties as he steered a gentle legbreak into the hands of Mahela Jayawardene at slip. The bowler was none other than Chamara Silva, whose only previous international bowling experience had come at the Twenty20 World Championship.

That wasn’t the only surprise that Jayawardene sprung as he strived for the breakthrough. He even dusted off his own offbreaks, after a two-and-a-half year hiatus, presumably as a reaction to Muttiah Muralitharan’s appeal for spin-bowling support. But predictably, it was Murali who made the next breakthrough. Bell had batted with consummate class all throughout this series, but he simply cannot convert his starts at the moment. Since the start of the Ashes last November, he has made 11 fifties in 14 Tests, but converted only one of them to a hundred. Today was a gilt-edged opportunity to notch up a red-inker, but instead he hoisted Murali straight to Michael Vandort at mid-on. The intent was plain, but the execution flawed.England at that stage were effectively 7 for 3 with more than three hours of the match still scheduled, but Pietersen and Collingwood knuckled down for the rearguard. Pietersen as ever was the dominant partner with 45 from 79 balls, including a swatted six over midwicket off Silva, while Collingwood was ever circumspect for his unbeaten 23 from 67. Then the clouds burst on the stroke of the interval, and that was emphatically that.

Sachin Tendulkar has said he was not yet fully recovered from his groin injury, leaving him a doubtful starter for the Mumbai Indians’ opening IPL match on April 20.With just three days left for Mumbai’s first match, Tendulkar said he was still following a rehabilitation regime and was not 100% fit yet. “I am a little disappointed that I was not able to play in the two important matches against South Africa. I am yet to recover fully from the injury,” he told reporters.”The physiotherapist and the doctor had earlier advised me rest and now they have given me the exercises and I am following their advice,” he said. “There are two more days for the match. No decision has been taken as yet [whether he will play or not]. It will be decided before the 20th.”The Bangalore franchise has also been hit with a few injury concerns, with Anil Kumble set to miss their opening match on April 18. Nathan Bracken, the Australian left-arm seamer, has already been ruled out for at least four weeks and it would make the selection of the final XI a tricky process.Bangalore’s opponents for the first match of the IPL – Kolkata Knight Riders – have announced a 14-member squad for the opening match. The side, led by Sourav Ganguly, includes five foreign players – Ricky Ponting, David Hussey, Brendon McCullum, Chris Gayle and Mohammad Hafeez.The second match of the tournament features Chennai taking on Kings XI Punjab in Mohali. Yuvraj Singh, the captain of the Punjab side, has already spoken of the mini-battle that the contest is likely to throw up between him and Mahendra Singh Dhoni, the captain of the Chennai franchise.”It’s a good way to build the hype (around the competition) by pitching it as Yuvraj versus Dhoni contest,” Yuvraj said. “Maybe, I will share a joke with him after the game.” Dhoni, however, will play in the side as a specialist batsman with Parthiv Patel set to keep wicket. “Dhoni has bruised fingers. We’ll see how things shape up in the next couple of days, but with Parthiv there, we don’t want to put unnecessary pressure on the Indian captain,” said Kepler Wessels, the coach of the Chennai franchise.

Sourav Ganguly has brushed aside notions of Twenty20 being a young man’s game, pointing out how seniors players have thrived in the Indian Premier League.”It’s fashionable to talk of age, but I’ve always maintained that class and performance matter,” Ganguly said ahead of Kolkata’s clash against Mumbai. “If you look at the IPL, almost everybody who has got a hundred is over 30 … Sanath Jayasuriya is almost 39 … I myself missed a hundred narrowly.”Ganguly had revealed his hopes of a one-day comeback after Kolkata’s win against Delhi – “I hope the selectors are watching” – and went one step further here. “I’m sure my turn will [again] come in ODIs,” he said. “What I feel bad about is that after 13 years, I still [need to] surprise people.”Ganguly was controversially dropped from the one-day side earlier this year and has gone on to hit out against the selectors. Dilip Vengsarkar, the chairman of selectors, though, didn’t rule out the possibility of Ganguly coming back.”He has done extremely well,” he said in an interview to . “Yes, we have been watching him, especially his brilliant fielding, with great interest.”Sachin Tendulkar has also dismissed the perception of Twenty20 being unsuitable for senior players. “This tournament is the biggest proof that age doesn’t matter,” he said. “It’s performance … this IPL should stop such questions …”Brendon McCullum, 26, is the only IPL centurion who is below 30 years of age. Michael Hussey, Andrew Symonds, Adam Gilchrist and Jayasuriya are all on the other side of 30.