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As the curtain came down on a seven-week adventure that has put Irish cricket firmly on the world map, their outgoing coach, Adrian Birrell, warned that Ireland’s cricket administrators will need to take radical steps to ensure that their top players, many of whom are now contracted to first-class counties, are available for future international engagements. Birrell, who hands over this month to Phil Simmons after five years at the helm, believes that the only solution may lie in playing the bulk of Ireland’s fixtures outside the county season.Ireland’s ninth appearance of the World Cup ended in disappointment as Muttiah Muralitharan and Farvez Maharoof led a demolition job that was all over by the lunch interval, but the achievements of this squad has ensured that the coming season is set to be their busiest yet. In addition to their nine matches against county opposition in the Friends Provident Trophy, Ireland are set to take on Canada in the final of the Intercontinental Cup in May, a triangular one-day series with Holland and West Indies in mid-summer, and two further one-off games against India and South Africa at the end of June.But Birrell said that Ireland would struggle to match their recent achievements, let alone improve on them, without the services of key performers such as Niall O’Brien, who is contracted to Northamptonshire, Eion Morgan (Middlesex) and Boyd Rankin (Derbyshire). Another of their key players, the opener Will Porterfield, is in talks with Gloucestershire, while the captain, Trent Johnston, 32, who works in the textile industry, dropped a broad hint that he would soon be announcing his retirement. Given the unparalleled experience that this squad has enjoyed in recent weeks, he is unlikely to be the only one.”There’s got to be a strategic decision by Irish cricket to hold onto their players, and how they are going to do that I don’t know,” said Birrell. “I don’t see a solution other than playing out-of-season, where there’s no clash [with county cricket]. We are at a disadvantage playing in our season because we will never be at full strength – three or four of best players are playing for counties. Obviously players who are ambitious want to play cricket at the highest level, as in Test cricket. And it’ll be hard to stop them.”It’s a tricky one,” he added. “On the one hand you want to piggy-back onto the counties with their professional game, but on the other you want to have all your players available for every match. Going semi- or fully-professional is the route, but this is all new to us. We’ve only recently got into the Super Eights, and now the world rankings. All of these problems are good problems to have, but I’m sure the ICU will be attending to that very seriously.”In the interim, the solution being advocated by Birrell and Johnston was to postpone the Irish international season until the end of the English county season, with a view to playing fixtures in countries such as UAE, Bangladesh and Zimbabwe. If it sounded like an ad-hoc solution to an unexpected conundrum, that’s largely because it was – after all, it’s hardly a move that would establish the sport in the affections of the newly cricket-crazy Irish public. But the confusion reflects the maelstrom into which Irish cricket has been pitched. The road ahead is unlikely to be as full of fairytales as the past few weeks have been.

The BCCI’s next course of action in response to the Lodha Committee’s report is expected to be delayed as its state units have sought more time to discuss the recommendations. A BCCI official told ESPNcricinfo that president Shashank Manohar had informally suggested convening a special general meeting – effectively the board’s first official reaction to the report – on February 15, but it is all but ruled out as an SGM requires a 21-day notice period.It is understood that the BCCI’s legal committee, headed by PS Raman and comprising Abhay Apte and DVVS Somayajulu, is slated to meet on February 7, but with the state associations unlikely to put forth any concrete suggestions by then very little is expected to come out of the meeting. The legal committee had earlier met with Manohar and Thakur on January 17, but a source privy to the meeting said it was “inconclusive.””It was agreed at the meeting that there were issues that needed rectifying, and that we needed state associations to come on board,” the source said. He added the BCCI agreed with the Lodha Committee’s observations on transparency, proper upkeep of accounts and the need for election officers and an Ombudsman. “But there are other issues that needed to be discussed threadbare, and that’s why it is a time-consuming process. The president [Manohar] is very keen to resolve it, but at the same time there are logistical difficulties.”After the report was made public on January 4, BCCI secretary Anurag Thakur had asked state associations to convene their internal meetings and discuss the recommendations before January 31, but most of them have pointed out that a document of such wide scope and serious implications couldn’t be rushed. “Studying the report is at least a three-month job, if you aren’t doing anything else that is,” the BCCI official said. “We need to time to study, internalise and discuss without bias before adopting or rejecting it in toto, or adopting parts of it.”Some units like the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association have already conducted a meeting of its executive committee, but have given its members more time to present their thoughts on the recommendations. Mumbai Cricket Association, among the first state bodies to react to the report, said it would accept the recommendations “made for transparency and ethics,” but has subsequently not discussed it at its AGM recently.Officials of the MCA and Hyderabad Cricket Association have spoken of the need to have their legal experts study the report. “We need a good lawyer to go through it,” HCA secretary John Manoj said. “I have already informally asked Anurag Thakur for more time. We are having our EC [Executive Committee] meeting [today], and after that we will formally write to the secretary tomorrow requesting for a time of 30 to 45 days.” Other associations which haven’t made formal requests are expected to follow suit in the coming days.Rajesh Verma, secretary of the Jharkhand State Cricket Association, attributed a busy domestic schedule as another reason for the delay. “This is the time when all the tournaments are at their peak. There are zonal tournaments till the 31st in Ranchi,” he said. “We are also hosting the Sri Lanka women’s team for an ODI and T20 series, so we will form our own ideas and collectively look at the report soon.”However, Aditya Verma, secretary of Cricket Association of Bihar and the petitioner in the IPL spot-fixing case, has contended that the BCCI was deliberately trying to drag its feet on the issue. “Surely they are delaying it,” he said. “At present, why would BCCI want to implement these recommendations with the interests of many of its members at stake?”Verma has filed a petition before the Supreme Court seeking full implementation of the Lodha Committee report. A bench comprising Chief Justice of India TS Thakur and Justice R Banumathi has agreed to hear the plea.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details

South Africa A, inspired by Friedel de Wet’s 6 for 50, gained a first-innings lead of 251 over the New Zealanders but chose not to enforce the follow-on on day two of their four-day game in Potchefstroom. Instead they pushed to build on the lead and closed the day at 20 for 2.Resuming at the overnight score of 350 for 4, South Africa A batsmen Neil McKenzie and Morne van Wyk added 28 more before Daniel Vettori trapped van Wyk leg-before for 34. McKenzie looked set for his maiden first-class double-century when Jacob Oram had him caught behind for 182. The last three fell with only 11 added to the total, but McKenzie’s 224-run stand with Boeta Dippenaar on the first day had ensured that New Zealand were under enough pressure when they came out to bat.The pressure increased as Charl Langeveldt bowled Michael Papps for 1 in the third over. It got worse from there as de Wet and Lonwabo Tsotsobe removed the next five batsmen in 17 overs as New Zealand collapsed to 63 for 6. Vettori, who had taken three wickets in the first innings, prevented New Zealand from being bowled out under 100 as he hit 83 off 74 balls. He added 91 with Ross Taylor, who with 36, was New Zealand’s second-highest scorer as they were bowled out for 192.McKenzie was again at the crease when stumps were called along with Tshabalala, the nightwatchman, after Chris Martin dismissed the openers inside six overs.

Although still beset by general inconsistency and the technical deficiency of their batsmen, West Indies emerged from their third series in South Africa stronger than when it began.They won an overseas Test over established opposition for the first time in seven years, an entirely unexpected result, and an antidote to the defeatism that had enveloped West Indies cricket as a whole, in spite of their subsequent reversals. In Chris Gayle, holding on while Ramnaresh Sarwan regained fitness, they found a captain by chance, an unlikely leader with the indefinable quality of getting the best out those under him.Clive Lloyd, himself such a skipper in the glory days of the 1970s and 1980s, felt that Gayle has “got the sort of charisma that’s been lacking in the past”. “I believe he can become the hub of a team that is only a player or two short of becoming very good,” he said.The difference between the on-field performance when Gayle was in charge and when he was missing was marked. He must surely now retain the position with Sarwan, when he returns for the demanding home contests against Sri Lanka and Australia, as his deputy.South Africa’s captain Graeme Smith noted that this team showed “a lot more discipline, a lot more character” than he had experienced in his two previous series against the West Indies, home and away. Their coach, Mikey Arthur, was even more fulsome in his comments. Their defeats in the second and third Tests were by the irrefutable margins of seven wickets and an innings and 100 runs. They were the kind of results that had been widely anticipated prior to the series yet Smith said his team had “to work very hard” to draw level.John Dyson, the new head coach, acknowledged that South Africa had improved after their loss in the first Test and that they were the better team. Even so, West Indies were considerably handicapped by injury and illness. In the second Test, Fidel Edwards limped off after 4.5 overs with a strained hamstring, only to return to bat with a runner. It instantly removed the bowler whose pace had been a major factor in completing the first Test triumph a few days earlier.Gayle bravely came in last in the second innings with his own hamstring problem and a fractured thumb, effectively forcing him to bat on one leg and with one hand. Yet he still smashed three sixes and four fours in 38.His absence from the decisive Test was an incalculable setback but not the only one. Dwayne Bravo, an apprentice in such a role, had to fill the breach as captain without the services of one of the game’s most feared opening batsmen to take on the opposition’s loaded fast attack but, carrying a side strain, also without his own bowling. One was as serious as the other since there was no more likely wicket-taker in all conditions than Bravo with his controlled and varied medium-pace swing and cut.Nor was the misfortune at an end. There was no way back from a first innings deficit of 417 but, in ideal batting conditions, no one was more certain to make the South Africans sweat than Shivnarine Chanderpaul. Instead, he was the one doing the sweating, under several blankets as a debilitating flu prevented him from batting. Marlon Samuels filled his role, closing a series in which he finally affirmed himself as a Test batsman with a hundred, only his second in 27 Tests and seven years.This was a born-again cricketer, not the strokemaker who had infuriated all who recognised his ability with flashy cameos. He batted as long, all told, as the adhesive Chanderpaul, just over 17 hours, and actually received more deliveries, 674 to 662. Yet it didn’t curb his flair. His 46 fours were more than by anyone on either side.There were other advances. Jerome Taylor, pacy and probing, seldom had a poor spell and his batting prompted Dyson to encourage him to pay more attention to it. “He really should aim to become a genuine all-rounder,” Dyson said. “His batting is certainly good enough for it.” Denesh Ramdin, whose wicket-keeping was immaculate throughout, was another Dyson felt was worth more with the bat. “We’ve worked on Denesh’s technique just to tighten his defence,” the coach noted. “He’s got a good range of shots and a good head. He certainly has it in him to give us more runs at No.7.”Shortcomings remain. An opening partner for Gayle, bowlers not only with pace but with control and, according to Lloyd, a left-handed all-rounder who bowls decent spin are required to make the team competitive against the best. For his experience, Daren Ganga’s continued selection was understandable but no longer. Devon Smith couldn’t get a run, far less a game and Brenton Parchment didn’t look the part on debut.Opportunity knocks for someone not yet tried. Sarwan’s return to No.3 will be an obvious boost. Runako Morton, a 100 per cent trier, was given the awesome, almost unfair, task of filling the position once occupied by the likes of George Headley, Everton Weekes, Rohan Kanhai and Viv Richards but was never going to be up to it. As Edwards, Taylor, Bravo and Daren Powell dispatched the South African top-order cheaply in both innings in the first Test, a dangerous fast bowling axis seemed to have formed.Edwards and Powell are the quickest but their inconsistency was evident in the later Tests when they repeatedly pounded the ball in short and were just as repeatedly hammered. It was futile bowling that accentuated their already unflattering statistics and obliges selectors to look to other contenders. They, and all those who deal in speed, should have taken note of the formula for success of the Man of the Series, Dale Steyn – very fast, straight, with a little movement and the odd bouncer. The West Indies once produced Steyn equivalents by the score. They could do with one now.

Daniel Vettori, the New Zealand captain, feels Stephen Fleming may not be easily swayed out of thoughts of an early retirement. Fleming, a former captain, was tipped to quit Tests after the forthcoming tour of England but recent reports have suggested he could retire sooner, after the third Test against England in Napier next month.”If you know Stephen, he doesn’t get his arm twisted on too many things,” Vettori told the . “Stephen has always been strong in his thoughts and decisions. I don’t think it will be my place to try and twist his arm. It’s his decision. We’d love to have him as long as we can.”People at 34 or 35 start reflecting on their careers and other things they may want to do. We’ll just sit tight and wait for Stephen’s decision.”It was reported that Fleming’s decision was prompted by family reasons, with his wife expecting their second baby in June. He quit one-dayers after the World Cup last year and was relieved of the Test captaincy in September. He is also one of the contracted players of the lucrative Indian Premier League (IPL) set to commence in April.Though yet to confirm the retirement plans, Justin Vaughan, New Zealand Cricket’s chief executive, confirmed he was in discussions with Fleming on his future.”We all know he’s coming to the end of it,” Vaughan told the paper. “We are discussing exactly where he draws the line. Obviously he has made a fantastic contribution.”Fleming’s exit would be the latest in an exodus of senior players over the last year, with the likes Nathan Astle and Craig McMillan quitting all forms of the game. Scott Styris recently quit Tests to focus on his limited-overs career and question marks still remain over fast bowler Shane Bond’s future after signing up with the Indian Cricket League, a league not sanctioned by the ICC or cricket boards across the world. As a result, Bond lost his contract with the New Zealand board.Vettori, however, put a positive spin on things and said New Zealand only had everything to gain, with opportunities aplenty for the youngsters, echoing coach John Bracewell’s comments recently that it was time to look to the future.”And the guys who’ve come in so far, like the Jesse Ryders and Tim Southees, do give me a lot of excitement for the future,” Vettori said. “And it’s not just going to be us rebuilding all the time, we’ve actually got players who can compete at international level.”

Television stations have been providing summer filler entertainment for years and this season the Australian cricket team has got in on the act as well. With five weeks between Sri Lanka’s visit and the Boxing Day Test against India, Australian fans starved of action will get their first December fix with a Twenty20 match between Australia and New Zealand on Tuesday.Both sides will use the game to plan for the future, but while New Zealand are looking several days ahead, Australia’s strategy can be measured in years. New Zealand’s focus is shedding their miserable form as they prepare to defend the Chappell-Hadlee Trophy; Australia’s aim is to blood untried players and a potential future captain.At 26, Michael Clarke will become the youngest man to lead Australia in an international since Kim Hughes, who was 25 when he was first handed the reins in a Test. It might be a sneak-peek at Australia’s next full-time skipper, although such talk is premature with Ricky Ponting nowhere near retirement.Nathan Bracken believes Clarke will be an excellent captain, albeit only for a three-hour contest. “He is going to add something fresh to the side,” Bracken told . “If he keeps bringing everything he has brought through the last two or three years of international cricket that I have played with him, he will give us something else.”Clarke’s promotion gives a clear indication of how Australia view their home Twenty20 matches – it’s a testing ground. A game against India in January will give them another chance to assess future talent but they have no plans to add extra Twenty20 fixtures to their summer schedules.Last year Australia trialled Ben Hilfenhaus and Shane Harwood in the Twenty20 match against England. This year the less familiar faces in the squad are Adam Voges, the Western Australia batsman, and Ashley Noffke, Queensland’s in-form fast-bowling allrounder.By resting Ponting and Matthew Hayden, Australia have continued their relaxed attitude towards the new format and limited-overs contests with New Zealand. Ponting and Adam Gilchrist skipped February’s Chappell-Hadlee games but John Bracewell, the New Zealand coach, swears he is not offended by a team he calls “world leaders in planning”. He said if New Zealand had enough depth they would use a similar policy.Their form, however, proves they cannot afford to field an under-strength side. New Zealand were humiliated in their Test tour of South Africa and they managed one win in the limited-overs series that followed.Their best source of comfort will be their Twenty20 record, which is remarkably similar to that of Australia. They contested the first international in 2004-05; they have each played 12 games, Australia have six wins and New Zealand have five; they were both knocked out in the semi-finals at the World Twenty20; and they were each defeated in their only match since then.The teams have not met in a Twenty20 since Australia’s win in Auckland and while New Zealand want to make it 1-1, a victory would be important for other reasons. Jeetan Patel said the squad needed to gain some momentum ahead of Friday’s opening Chappell-Hadlee match.”The guys are really raring to go,” Patel said. “If we get over the line [on Tuesday] then it boosts morale again, and we can hopefully push home that advantage in that first [ODI] in Adelaide.”However, Ponting and Hayden will return for the 50-over games as Australia seek to add the Chappell-Hadlee Trophy to a near-complete set of prizes in their bulging cabinet. The Twenty20 contest might be New Zealand’s best chance of a triumph in Australia.Australia squad Adam Gilchrist (wk), Brad Hodge, Michael Clarke (capt), Michael Hussey, Andrew Symonds, Adam Voges, Brett Lee, Ashley Noffke, Nathan Bracken, Stuart Clark, Mitchell Johnson, Shaun Tait.New Zealand squad Brendon McCullum (wk), Lou Vincent, Ross Taylor, Scott Styris, Jamie How, Mathew Sinclair, Jacob Oram, Daniel Vettori (capt), Kyle Mills, Mark Gillespie, Jeetan Patel, Chris Martin.

In a well contested game, Gujarat defeated Saurashtra by 24 runs inthe West Zone Ranji Trophy one day match at the GSFC ground in Barodaon Friday.Put in to bat, Gujarat thanks to valuable knocks by opener AmrishKotecha (42), Kiran Damani (45) and Bhavin Mehta (38) scored 218before being all out in 49.4 overs. Wickets fell at regular intervalsthanks in the main to some good bowling by Niraj Odedra who took fourfor 50 off ten overs.Saurashtra started well and were 55 for one in the 14th over. ButLalit Patel and Tejas Varsani caused a collapse and Saurashtra were107 for six. A seventh wicket partnership of 64 runs off 11.4 oversbetween Hitesh Parsana (39) and Sudip Mehta (42) revived Saurashtra’shopes but the late order succumbed meekly and Saurashtra were all outfor 194 in 47 overs. Lalit Patel (3 for 35 off ten overs) and Varsani(2 for 26 off nine overs) caused the main damage.

Ireland have announced a squad of 13 for their opening fixture in the Friends Provident Trophy against Nottinghamshire at Clontarf this Sunday (April 27).As expected, William Porterfield has been confirmed as captain for the game, taking over from Trent Johnston. Nineteen-year-old James Hall makes his first appearance in the squad, while 17-year-old opener Paul Stirling retains his place, giving the line up a youthful look.Ireland haven’t named an overseas player for the match, and coach Phil Simmons explained: “It’s been difficult to get the right player because of the IPL. I hope however to be in a position to confirm a signing on Tuesday, and he will be available for the seven other games in the competition.”It’s hard when you lose players of the calibre of Trent Johnston and Dave Langford-Smith, but it does give some of the other players a chance to make a name for themselves, and cement a place in the team. It’s a new era, and captain, William Porterfield will be able to assert his style on the team.”Ireland squad William Porterfield (capt), Andre Botha, Alex Cusack, Phil Eaglestone, Thinus Fourie, James Hall, Gary Kidd, Kyle McCallan, Kevin O’Brien, Paul Stirling, Reinhardt Strydom, Andrew White, Gary Wilson.

Sourav Ganguly, the former Indian captain, has applauded the man-management skills of the current Indian coaching staff and was pleased that the tour has proceeded without any “hiccups”.Ganguly, who had some major differences with former India coach Greg Chappell, was happy with the current atmosphere in the dressing room, adding that the team did not need a “professor” to coach them at this level.”The youngsters have enjoyed themselves,” Ganguly told Cricinfo when asked about the dynamics in the team. “It’s been a lovely dressing room, a free dressing room. No hiccups, not many controversies off the field, not too much rubbish going around, which has been good. It’s been fantastic.”Did he think the lack of a head coach had affected the team in any way? “We have coaches – Robin [Singh] and Venky [Prasad] have been superb,” he said. “They’ve been nice, their man-management skills have been worth watching. Chandu Borde has been nice. Lot of people said he’s 73 when he got appointed. He may not be the most active because of his age but thebatting ideas he gives – stands behind in the nets, watches every ball – that’s all you need.”You don’t need a professor at this level. You don’t need to treat international players like students. What are you going to teach Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid or Anil Kumble? What are you going to tell them? [There are] minor things which you notice in the nets you come and tellthem, ‘This is what I feel, this is how you can do it better’. And Mr Borde does it perfectly.”After India’s Test series triumph at The Oval, their captain, Dravid, had also acknowledged the efforts of Prasad, Robin and Borde. However, when asked about the lack of a coach before the first game of the one-day series, he was guarded with his stance. “We’ve had some goodsuccess on this tour, but it will be too simplistic to say it’s because we haven’t had [a coach],” he said. “There are other factors that have gone into us playing well. You can’t just focus on the coach.”Sometimes you’re in the team and looking at it from one perspective. People from outside can look at a team and see the direction it’s going in. They must provide some intelligence and input as well.”

Jayantha Dharmadasa, the chairman of Sri Lanka Cricket, has expressed disappointment at the withdrawal of Rumesh Ratnayake as assistant coach of the Sri Lankan team.Ratnayake, the former Sri Lankan fast bowler, had signed a four-year contract with Sri Lanka Cricket nearly a month ago to become assistant coach, replacing the outgoing coach Trevor Penney. But in a complete u-turn Ratnayake has stated in a letter that he is unable to accept the position due to family commitments.”I am very disappointed with Rumesh’s decision. We have been trying to get his services for the past two years and when he decided to sign with us to become assistant coach we were extremely happy,” said Dharmadasa. “We have been criticised for not contracting former cricketers for the job of coach. This is what we get in return when we try to open the doors for them.”Dharmadasa said that he had great difficulty in getting Ratnayake released from his present position as development officer of the Asian Cricket Council of which Dharmadasa is the chairman. He said that Trevor Bayliss, who has signed a two-year contract with SLC to become Sri Lanka’s next head coach, will be given the opportunity to find a suitable assistant.