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Michael Vaughan has admitted that he was disappointed with Indian appeal which led to his unusual handled-the-ball dismissal. The Yorkshire right-hander, who made an otherwise faultless 64 on day one of the third Test, said he was simply trying to help the short leg fieldsman.Vaughan’s attempted sweep at rookie spinner Sarandeep Singh struck his pad and was still spinning when Vaughan trapped the ball and tossed it back to the short-leg fielder. The bowler, along with Deep Dasgupta and Virender Sehwag, offered a muted enquiry, which left Umpire Jayaprakash with no choice but to give the batsman out.Although there has been no approach to the ICC match referee, Vaughan made his own feelings plain. “There was no way it would have hit the stumps. I was just disappointed that [they] appealed. Maybe they will look back and think they shouldn’t have appealed, but that’s hindsight,” he said. Vaughan fully accepted however, that the umpire was right to give him out under the laws of the game.Vaughan stopped to speak to Mark Ramprakash on his way back to the pavilion,clearly staggered at what had happened. His dismissal led to a mini-collapse, with Flintoff and Ramprakash falling to Sarandeep soon afterwards.Vaughan is the seventh batsman to be dismissed in such a way in Tests. The other Englishman was Graham Gooch, who palmed a delivery from Merv Hughes away from the stumps in the 1993 Ashes series.

Saudi Arabia inningsPlaying at the National Stadium Karachi, Saudi Arabia won the toss and elected to bat. Fahad Hameed the opener and Basit Butt, batted confidently raising the score to 40 when Fahad was bowled by Indran for 12. Basit Butt, who was run out after playing an enterprising innings of 41 in 41 balls, including 6 thrilling boundaries, followed him. Mudassar Farooq was the other batsman who contributed a useful 26 with four hits to the boundary. In 20 overs Saudi Arabia was 94 for 5.Rabea Zubair who came in to bat played a tremendous innings punishing the bowlers all over the field till Vickneswaran bowled him. He played a splendid innings of 55 runs scored in 62 balls with the help of 5 boundaries. Bilal Qureshi who kept his company at the crease was run out after scoring an exciting 39 in 34 balls with 5 hits to the boundary.Saudi Arabia was all out for a handsome total of 213 in 43.3 overs, Junaid Hasham remaining not out with 20. S. Vickneswaranwho launched the bowling attack for Malaysia ended up with a haul of 4 for 23.Malaysia’s inningsFacing a competitive target of 214 runs, Malaysia lost the 1st wicket at 22 when the opener Sathiswaran was run out after scoring 11 runs. His partner Hairul Ameer ud Din (17) was the next to go at the total of 59. B. Indran, however, faced the Saudi bowling with some confidence scoring 23 runs in 47 balls before he was out. Vickneswaran played real adventurous innings by scoring 23 runs in 24 balls. In 24 overs Malaysia was 95 for the loss of 4 wickets.The batsmen who followed could not face the accurate and penetrating bowling of Bilal Qureshi and were out one after the other. Except for Abdul Aziz (10) and Maroof Mohammad (14), the others did not face him with confidence. Malaysia was 128 for 8 in 32 overs.With the game fallen in the hands of tail enders, it was a tough march to the target of 214. The 9th wicket also fell with the addition of only 1 run. It was now a matter of touch and go. Malaysia was finally all out for 132. With 4 for 27 Bilal Qureshi was responsible for routing Malaysia. Saudi Arabia defeated Malaysia by 82 runs.

When West Ham United parted ways with Darren Randolph back in the summer of 2017, with the goalkeeper joining Middlesbrough in what was a £5m deal, very few Hammers fans would have expected their club to resign the 34-year-old shot-stopper just two and a half years later.

However, this is exactly what West Ham did, paying the Championship side £4.23m for the goalkeeper in January of 2020, handing the former Republic of Ireland international a three and a half year deal on £42k-per-week.

And, while the £900k-rated ‘keeper was undoubtedly a very decent backup option to Lukasz Fabianski at the time, especially with West Ham’s then number two, Roberto, enduring a disastrous season, the club have since brought the £138k-per-week Alphonse Areola to the club to deputise for the 36-year-old first-choice – seeing Randolph become David Moyes’ third inline between the sticks.

Indeed, since his return to the club two years ago, the Irishman has made just nine first-team appearances for West Ham, with only five of these outings coming in the Premier League.

And, when taking into account the fact that Randolph has so far cost the Hammers roughly £4.6m in wages over the 110 weeks since his return to the London Stadium, in addition to his £4.2m transfer fee, this means each appearance the goalkeeper has made for the Irons has cost the club just shy of a whopping £1m.

As such, while the player who the former Middlesbrough manager, Jonathan Woodgate, dubbed an “outstanding” talent between the sticks may well be exactly this, considering just how little the 34-year-old has featured for the club, it would very much appear as if the decision to resign the veteran was an extremely strange one.

Indeed, the third-choice position is typically one held by one of the club’s up and coming prospects, affording a promising youngster a chance at gaining some valuable first-team minutes.

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However, with Randolph not only remaining at the club, but Moyes reportedly unwilling to extend the goalkeeper’s current contract, it would appear this pathway is closed to the young goalkeepers in the West Ham academy, yet another reason why the Irishman’s position within Moyes’ side makes very little sense.

In other news: West Ham receive huge injury boost ahead of Wolves clash, Moyes will be buzzing

New Zealand fast bowler Mitchell McClenaghan has been ruled out of the forthcoming one-day series against Australia, after the fracture above his left eye was diagnosed to be more serious than initially thought.”It’s certainly going to take at least a couple of weeks for him to recover,” coach Mike Hesson said. “It appears that the fracture is a little worse than first thought. Hopefully he will be available for selection for the World T20. He has done really well for us in the T20s.”McClenaghan will undergo cosmetic surgery today, though New Zealand Cricket had initially said it would take place on Friday. “It’s a concern when anyone has an operation,” Hesson said. “We’re confident that Mitch is in good hands.”The fracture had been sustained during the final over of New Zealand’s innings on Monday. He was batting on 31 from 17 when the penultimate ball of the innings – from Anwar Ali – squeezed between the visor of his helmet and its grille to strike him flush on the left eye. McClenaghan was floored by the blow, and was seen bleeding from the eyebrow, but he walked off the field. He also received stitches above his eye in hospital that evening.New Zealand play three ODIs against Australia between February 3 and February 8. A two-Test series follows, but McClenaghan has not recently been a part of the Test squad.The World T20 begins on March 8 but New Zealand’s first game is only on March 15, in what is officially the second round of the tournament after a qualifying first round.

Anil Kumble will captain Karnataka in this year’s Ranji Trophy © AFP

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

The Indian management have decided to play it safe and have rested Munaf Patel, the fast bowler, for tomorrow’s one-day international at Cape Town. Munaf did not take part in a practice session yesterday owing to a sore left ankle, and his absence brings Anil Kumble and Sreesanth into the equation.Rahul Dravid confirmed that Munaf was not fit enough to take the field, and hoped that Virender Sehwag, who missed out at Durban with a finger injury, would be fit for tomorrow’s match. “We are hopeful that Sehwag would be alright,” he said. “But you can never say how a player pulls up on the morning of the match particularly after a practice session.”

Moin Khan will captain Karachi Harbour as he bids to regain his place in the Pakistan side © AFP

Moin Khan, the former Pakistan captain, has been named the captain of Karachi Harbour in the Silver League of the Quaid-i-Azam Trophy, which starts later this month. Khan, 34, last played for Pakistan against Sri Lanka almost a year ago.Moin’s task, aside from endeavouring to recapture his place in the Pakistan team, will be to help Karachi Harbour win the Silver League – or the second division in the newly bifurcated Quaid-i-Azam Trophy – so that the city qualifies for promotion to the more lucrative Gold League for the 2006-07 season.Karachi Harbour were known until last season as Karachi Whites, and were led by Faisal Iqbal, ex-Test player and nephew of Javed Miandad. Moin took over during the season and the veteran retains the post this season.Karachi has traditionally fielded two teams in the competition; last season’s Karachi Blues are now to be called Karachi Urban and will be led by Hasan Raza. Last season, the team were led by another Pakistan wicketkeeper, Rashid Latif, but he has been surprisingly left out of the squad this season. The city has won Pakistan’s premier domestic competition a record 17 times, including a run of seven consecutive wins between 1958-59 and 1966-67.This year, seven teams have been placed in the Golden League, including holders Peshawar and last season’s second-placed side Faisalabad. The other outfits are Rawalpindi, Sialkot, Multan, Karachi Urban and Lahore Shalimar.The six teams in the Silver League are Lahore Ravi, Karachi Harbour, Hyderabad, Quetta, Islamabad and Abbottabad.Junaid Zia has been appointed captain of Lahore Shalimar while Imran Tahir, the former Pakistan U-19 legspinner, will lead Lahore Ravi. Quetta have named Faisal Irfan, a fast bowling all-rounder as captain and another fast-medium bowler, Sajid Shah, will captain Abbottabad. Hyderabad, meanwhile, will look to Faisal Athar, a prolific middle-order batsman, to lead them during the tournament.The Quaid-i-Azam Trophy begins on October 16, and the winners of the Gold League can expect to receive Rs1,100,000 (US$18,500).

Inzamam-ul-Haq has looked to his batsmen to put on a better show© Afp

The National Stadium in Karachi suddenly seems a less impregnable fortress. Sri Lanka won the first Test at Faisalabad after starts of 9 for 3 and 0 for 1, to continue their unbeaten series run in Pakistan. It seemed as if Pakistan’s problems needed more than a change of coach, and not even their golden history at Karachi could be relied on.Sri Lanka have lost every Test they’ve played at Karachi – as has nearly every other team – but Pakistan’s record of only one loss in 50 years there is unlikely to bother a team firmly on a roll. Barring Marvan Atapattu and Romesh Kaluwitharana, every player scored runs or showed signs of form. Even Muttiah Muralitharan’s absence didn’t seem to hurt much any more. There was a man for every crisis, and chances were clutched with the desperation of a team hungry for victory.Until Sanath Jayasuriya took charge on the third day of the first Test, the contest was balanced. Thereafter, Pakistan bungled it on the fourth day, and fell away on the fifth. After the match, John Dyson commended his side’s spirit, comparing it to Australia’s, while Inzamam-ul-Haq announced that Moin Khan had been given plenty of chances and was being dropped. To some, it was a knee-jerk reaction. Others believed Kamran Akmal’s inclusion was the right move for a side in transition.Sri Lanka are unlikely to change their side for tomorrow. Pakistan, on the other hand, will have to field an inexperienced new-ball attack after Shoaib Akhtar withdrew with a shoulder injury a few hours after Mohammad Sami pulled out with a groin strain. Inzamam confirmed that Pakistan would go into the game with two fast bowlers new to Test cricket: Rana Naved-ul-Hasan, who has played a few ODIs, and the uncapped Riaz Afridi.Shoaib should only miss a couple of weeks, but there are longer-term fears for Sami, who is doubtful for the forthcoming trip to Australia. Though Sami did not strike in the second innings at Faisalabad, his four-wicket haul in the first played a large part in limiting Sri Lanka to 243.But Pakistan have more pressing issues to deal with: Jayasuriya, for one. He played with a nonchalance depressing for Pakistan, and, with a large total to defend, the bowlers had their way. The second – and this was pivotal – was that the batsmen lost wickets in clumps after rapid starts, with few inclined to stay at the crease. It was this very thing Bob Woolmer said he would try to stop when he spoke of “skinning the Pakistani cat” as he took over the team. The results showed in one-dayers, but his side was outdone by a more determined team in the last Test, where the attack, led by Shoaib Akhtar, was inspirational and then flat, but the batsmen had no sustained phases of success.When it came, the win seemed easy. By then, Sri Lanka had not only scored more runs and taken wickets for less, but had deflated Pakistan’s spirit. After it, Inzamam spoke of survival and Atapattu spoke of winning abroad. Their words spoke volumes.Pakistan (probable) 1 Imran Farhat, 2 Yasir Hameed, 3 Asim Kamal, 4 Inzamam-ul-Haq (capt), 5 Yousuf Youhana, 6 Shoaib Malik, 7 Abdul Razzaq, 8 Kamran Akmal (wk), 9 Riaz Afridi, 10 Rana Naved-ul-Hasan, 11 Danish Kaneria.Sri Lanka (probable) 1 Sanath Jayasuriya, 2 Marvan Atapattu (capt), 3 Kumar Sangakkara, 4 Mahela Jayawardene, 5 Thilan Samaraweera, 6 Jehan Mubarak, 7 Romesh Kaluwitharana (wk), 8 Chaminda Vaas, 9 Rangana Herath, 10 Dilhara Fernando, 11 Lasith Malinga.

Brooke Walker was retained as captain of the State Auckland Aces today asseventeen players were named in the first training squad to prepare for the2003/04 season.The squad, chosen by the panel of Mark O’Donnell (convener), Rowan Armour,Richard Irving and Austin Parsons, includes eight international players.Two players – Heath Davis (Cornwall) and Lou Vincent (Takapuna) – were notconsidered as both are in Australia. They will join the squad upon theirreturn. Vincent will join fellow international players Mark Richardson,Kyle Mills and Paul Hitchcock on the forthcoming tour to India.”This forms the base of a highly competitive squad that should be tough toknock over in both forms of domestic cricket this season,” said O’Donnell,who is the State Auckland Aces coach and also convener of selectors.Other players will be involved in the State Auckland Aces pre-seasontraining programme when required. On Walker’s retention as captain, O’Donnell said the leg-spinner had aproven record as captain and was well organised and very determined.”Brooke is very clear on what he wants to achieve, and what he wants othersto do.”Walker was pleased the selectors had shown faith in his captaincy.”We’ve moulded together a team in the true sense of the word. I’m lookingforward to building on the positive culture that’s been created both on andoff the park,” he said.The 17 players named in the initial squad are:Brooke Walker (captain – Howick Pakuranga), Andre Adams(Takapuna), Aaron Barnes (Cornwall), Tama Canning (Suburbs New Lynn), Paul Hitchcock (Takapuna), Matt Horne (Grafton), Llorne Howell (East Coast Bays), Tim Lythe (Auckland University), Tim McIntosh (Parnell), Andy McKay (Howick Pakuranga), Kyle Mills (Howick Pakuranga), Rob Nicol (Cornwall), Craig Pryor (Grafton), Mark Richardson (Parnell), Gareth Shaw (Papatoetoe

Durham quick bowler Stephen Harmison returned match figures of 7-120 as the ECB National Academy XI beat their Australian counterparts by an innings and 31 runs in Adelaide earlier today.In reply to the ECB National Academy’s total of 601-8 declared, the CBCA were bowled out for 386 in their first innings with Harmison finishing with 4-78 and Yorkshire’s Steve Kirby taking 4 -100.Harmison then picked up 3-42 as the CBCA were dismissed for 184 in their second innings after following on.Chris Tremlett (2-27), Ian Bell (2-27) and Graeme Swann (2-31) were the other wicket-takers as the ECB National Academy XI made it three wins out of three this winter.The ECB National Academy XI’s next fixture is a four-day match against the Victoria Cricket Association 2nd XI starting on Jan 21st. The squad is scheduled to return home for the Christmas/New Year period on December 15th before flying out to Australia again on January 12th.The ECB National Academy is funded by Sport England and sponsored by Vodafone.