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The shambolic organisation surrounding the issuing of visas for many of those traveling from Australia and New Zealand to the World Cup shows no sign of improving.Almost a fortnight after the scale of the problem first came to light, it seems that little has been done to alleviate the situation. Mike Agostini, who until recently was Trinidad and Tobago’s honorary consul in Australia, reported to Cricinfo that the Caricom Visa issuing offices in Sydney were “are still not operative, or, if so, just barely”.In a letter to Rose Blenman, who is in charge of the implementation of the controversial US$100 visa, Agostini wrote: “Are you intent on deluding the people wanting such visas, many of whom are continuing to complain, especially travel agents, about the failure of this Mission to provide proper assistance?”He also flagged that applicants from New Zealand faced an even more difficult problem because of the lack of appropriate information and also the fact that they had to pay for the additional costs of sending their applications and passports to Sydney as well as for their return.”I am as amazed as I am appalled at what is happening here and looks likely to become much worse, with the deadline for these visas being January 15, 2007 and the issuing office not fully operative and the time stated for issuing of visas and return of passports being still ‘up to three weeks’.”He warned that the whole exercise was set to become a “total debacle” unless the scheme was abandoned. “The impression here continues to be a money-making exercise and thus also a ‘rip-off’ which is the way it still seems to be, for which the reputations of all Caricom countries will suffer.”Cricinfo has tried to contact Caricom to ask for clarification of the situation but has received no response. We have also asked Cricket Australia whether it has taken up the issue on behalf of supporters but no response has been forthcoming.Chris Dehring, who is heading the organisation of the event, said: “”We believe the outcome of what Caricom has implemented … will be much appreciated by fans. The visa cost works out to US$10 per country which is not particularly high. Also, nationals of many Caribbean countries require a visa to go to Australia and in some cases they have to send their passports to Washington.”

Scorecard

Rikki Clarke had the Midas touch today and he will be sorely hoping his performance will mean a golden ticket into England’s one-day squad tomorrow. With four wickets and four sharp catches he could not have done more to help Surrey squeeze Leicestershire out for 251.Clarke’s tail was up throughout. Even in the last session he was still bouncing in like a golden labrador until, having worried Leicestershire throughout, he finished them off in his 16th over. On a picnic-perfect day, he fittingly grabbed the champagne moment, too, leaping to pluck from thin air John Maunders’ crashing thump to gully off Mohammad Akram (63 for 2).Maunders and Darren Robinson had been progressing quietly until Clarke thundered in to shatter Robinson’s stumps, and Maunders then fell on the same score. Bounding in with verve and aggression, Clarke also put paid to Dinesh Mongia, snapping up his checked drive after the batsman had been threatening to spoil Surrey’s picnic with Ackerman, adding 54 for the fourth wicket (147 for 4).But Mongia’s fall heralded a collapse: Leicestershire lost five wickets for 24 runs.Ian Salisbury spearheaded this charge from the Vauxhall End, taking three wickets, including the dangerman Ackerman for a clean-hit 58 and Paul Nixon four balls later. Both were trapped sweeping. Ackerman had threatened to cloud matters with a fast and furious fifty, and Claude Henderson was going great guns later until he was stranded on 46 not out, but this was Surrey’s day in the sun.Henderson did share a ninth-wicket stand of 60 with Stuart Broad which added some fizz. There was a bang, wallop moment, too, when Broad succumbed, swishing, to the inevitable Clarke. Showing the same spirit as his father, Chris, Broad bashed his bat down onto the ground in frustration and trudged off. He returned later with fire in his belly, bowling sharply but no wickets to show. Mohammad Asif grabbed the only Surrey wicket to go, a plumb Scott Newman.Newman is another man with England hopes, but it’s an older man, Clarke, who will be keeping a close eye out when the team is announced tomorrow.

In what turned out to be a low-scoring semi-final round, Tamil Nadu imploded for 59 to hand Bengal a 55-run win at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad.Chosing to bat, Bengal began poorly, being reduced to 8 for 2 in the fifth over. Coming in at No.4, captain Manoj Tiwary counterattacked, stroking five massive sixes in an innings of 69 off 44 balls. He did not find a reliable partner though, as wickets continued to tumble at the other end. The second highest contribution of the innings came from wicketkeeper, Wriddhiman Saha, with 19. Lakshmipathy Balaji was the pick of the Tamil Nadu bowlers, picking up two wickets at 4.50 runs an over.Chasing a target that required them to score at less than a run a ball, Tamil Nadu fell behind right away. Ashok Dinda was on a hat-trick in the first over of the innings, after bowling Anirudha Srikkanth and getting Ganapathi Vignesh to edge to the keeper for a golden duck. Tamil Nadu never recovered, losing three wickets with the score on 11, to be reduced to 11 for 6 in the seventh over. The only sizable contribution came from Arun Karthik, who was unbeaten on 35 off 26 balls when the innings folded on 59. Medium-pacer Sayan Mondal wrecked the middle order with four wickets and a run out.Bengal will meet Madhya Pradesh in the final at the same venue on March 16.Madhya Pradesh set up the final clash with Bengal, defeating Haryana by two wickets with one ball to spare in a thrilling second match of the day at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad.Being asked to bowl, Madhya Pradesh knocked over the top half of the Haryana line-up in a hurry, to leave them 23 for 5 in the seventh over. Cameos from Nitin Saini, Joginder Sharma and Amit Mishra made sure Haryana played out their 20 overs though, finishing with 115 for 9. Madhya Pradesh’s pace trio of TP Sudhindra, Anand Rajan and Amarjeet Singh shared the wickets around.Madhya Pradesh’s reply was built around a 47-run fourth-wicket partnership between Udit Birla and Harpreet Singh, after Sharma and Kuldeep Hooda made early inroads. There was no much resistance otherwise, but Madhya Pradesh did just enough to edge out Haryana in a nail-biting last over that included Birla’s wicket, a run-out and a first-ball boundary from No. 10 batsman Sudhindra to seal the victory.

Canada 274 for 4 (Qaiser Ali 73, Kandappah 62*, Dhaniram 58*) beat Namibia 271 for 5 (Williams 132) by six wickets
ScorecardCanada’s batsmen carried them to a six-wicket win over Namibia A in a warm-up match in Windhoek.What will worry the Canadians is that none of their bowlers were able to keep the Namibians in check. Craig Williams, a 23-year-old with a first-class average of 112, was the mainstay of the innings with 132 and with the exception of 17-year-old Sean Silver, who fell for 5 in the fifth over, all of the batsmen made reasonable contributions.Canada lost Aftab Shamsudeen, run out three balls into their reply, and then Abul Jabbar for a six-ball 14, but thereafter they batted sensibly in what was a well-paced chase. Trevin Bastiampillai and Qaiser Ali put them ahead of the clock and then some all-out attack by the veteran pairing of Arvind Kandappah and Sunil Dhaniram steered them home with six overs to spare.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out – South Africa
How they were out – India

An astounding display of power hitting from Justin Kemp lit up Cape Town and utterly transformed what seemed like a disastrous day for South Africa into a glorious one as they thumped India by 106 runs to take a 2-0 lead in the series. Kemp blazed his way to an 89-ball unbeaten 100 – his first in ODIs – to lift South Africa from the depths of 76 for 6 to a daunting 274 for 7. Utterly demoralised by that battering – 113 came off the last ten, while the eighth-wicket stand between kemp and Andrew Hall yielded a record 138 – the Indians came up with a limp batting display, with only Mahendra Singh Dhoni (55) and Rahul Dravid (63) showing any fight.At the 20-over stage, it seemed the only team which could wrap up a comprehensive win in this match was India, as they fought back superbly after the drubbing at Durban. Zaheer Khan struck twice in his first over – with Smith perhaps disturbed by the pre-match altercation with Haroon Lorgat, the convener of selectors – while the rest of the top-order batsmen self-destructed quite spectacularly on a pitch which, though offering pace and bounce to the bowlers, was excellent for batting.Jacques Kallis, Loots Bosman and Herschelle Gibbs all fell to extravagant shots outside off, while Mark Boucher was run out. Zaheer bowled an outstanding first spell – his figures read 7-4-9-3 – while Anil Kumble, back in the one-day side after 13 months, sustained the pressure with his typically impeccable control, conceding just 12 from his first eight overs. With most of the recognised batsmen back in the hutch, there was little more India could have hoped for after losing the toss.The South Africans, though, are well known for the depth in their batting, and Kemp, along with Shaun Pollock, slowly began the rescue mission. The pair added 60, which stabilised the innings and allowed Kemp to settle in before launching into that incredible onslaught. The Indians showed plenty of generosity in the field as well, offering Pollock and Kemp early chances – Dravid dropped a tough slip catch off Harbhajan Singh to reprieve Pollock, while Sachin Tendulkar quite shockingly missed a regulation caught-and-bowled when Kemp was on 9.Kemp had 13 on the board after 40 deliveries, but that was only the proverbial lull before an onslaught of quite scary proportions. Hitting cleanly through the line of the ball with meaty power and immaculate timing, Kemp had the Indians scurrying for cover as the complexion of the game changed in a trice. Whether it was pace or spin, Kemp backed himself, simply making room and hitting through the line of the ball, which kept disappearing high over long-on and long-off.Harbhajan felt the heat first, being tonked for a six and four off successive balls, before Kemp turned his attention to the faster bowlers. Irfan Pathan disappeared for two sixes and a four in an over – all blasted straight down the ground – while Zaheer took a fearful battering too, being clobbered for consecutive straight sixes. Kemp took most of the honours, but he received excellent support from Andrew Hall, who kept the momentum going with a quickfire 47-ball 56. The punch-drunk Indian bowlers threw in the towel – Pathan continually bowled length balls, while Zaheer’s attempt at yorkers regularly threw up full tosses. Both were meat and drink for Kemp and Hall, who added an amazing 76 in the five overs between 43 and 47.

Battered into submission in the field, the Indians needed a powerful start to have any chance, but Shaun Pollock snuffed those hopes with an impeccable new-ball spell in which he nailed Virender Sehwag, Tendulkar and Mohammad Kaif – Sehwag, for the umpteenth time, skied a cut to third man, while Tendulkar and Kaif both fell playing the pull.The only encouraging passage of play was when Dhoni joined Dravid and blasted four sixes on the way to an entertaining knock which briefly offered India a glimmer of hope. Enjoying the pace and bounce on the track, Dhoni clobbered Makhaya Ntini for six off the third ball he faced, and then continued in similar vein, adding 85 for the fifth wicket with Dravid at nearly a run a ball. Dhoni even had the pleasure of briefly giving Kemp a taste of his own medicine, carting him for a six to bring up his fifty, but when he fell soon after to a magnificent catch at the square-leg boundary, the match was as good as over. Dravid required treatment for dehydration and battled on to his 73rd ODI half-century, but he was only delaying the inevitable.

Several reporters arrived in Nagpur with their heads full of dramatic thoughts about pitch at the Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium and it would have been understandable had they sued for anti-climax. Reports about the greenness of the pitch had nearly toppled the little big man’s tennis elbow as the main story in the sports pages. When the reporters saw it for themselves, there was grass, but it was straw-coloured, not green.Cricket associations in Indian regard the playing square as a nuclear installation and every reporter is deemed a security threat. But from adistance, the pitch looked normal: it was boringly rectangular and the distance between stumps at either end a predictable 22 yards. What’s more, there were no cracks wide enough to drop keys into, nor did it seem likely that devils would arise from beneath it on the third day.In this series so far, the pitches have come under severe scrutiny. Butapparently, the pitches haven’t been made privy to the plot, and accordingly, they have belied expectations. The earth at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore was riddled with cracks, provoking predictions that Anil Kumble would make short work of Australia. Australia ran up 474 in the first innings and pitch stayed firm till the last day. Then, on the supposedly flat MA Chidambaram stadium pitch, Kumble did take a seven-for on the first day.And now, in Nagpur, just the slightest touch of grass on the pitch has settongues wagging. The pitch looks far from frightening. There aren’t tufts ofgrass, or a consistent carpet, that could give a cricket ball, – even hurledat great speed – the exaggerated movement, vertically or horizontally, thatwill force a false shot.But what of those reams of newspaper and gallons of ink spent describing thepitch? Was it all smoke, no fire? One former Indian cricketer said, “This isa not a wicket, but might well pay like one.” A ,for the uninitiated, is a pitch that makes bowlers weep, while batsmen notchup best-ever scores and rack up records like statisticians were being bannedovernight. Even a man who will be forced to bat in the next few days laughedwhen the possibility of the pitch being green was raised. “Green-top? If youjust got your eye in, even you would make 30-40 on this pitch,” he said.When a cricketer concedes that a journalist may make the odd runon a pitch, you know that there’s nothing to fear for the real batsmen.Bring on the mullet-haired fast men. Bring on the record-breaking spinners.This is Nagpur, the city of oranges. You can eat a Jaffa here. But servingone up will be an entirely different matter.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has rejected the ICC’s offer to speak directly to the Indian players regarding the Members Participation Agreement (MPA).David Richardson, the ICC general manager, cricket operations, had suggested that the ICC be allowed to deal directly with the Indian players regarding issues concerning them.”It has been made clear to the ICC that they cannot deal directly with the Indian players,” Niranjan Shah, the BCCI secretary told PTI. “They have to come through the board.”Shah added that the Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh cricket boards expressed similar reservations on the ICC dealing directly with players.”Not only the BCCI, but Sri Lanka Cricket, the Pakistan Cricket Board and the Bangladesh Cricket Board have said at the recent ICC meeting that on any issue related to the players, the ICC has to approach the boards first. As per norms in international cricket administration, any issue that concerns a player has to addressed through the respective board. Similarly, any relevant matter raised by the players is communicated to the ICC by the board concerned.”The MPA lays down guidelines and restrictions that the players must follow for ICC events, including those that deal with ambush marketing. While almost all the other ICC members are ready to sign the MPA, the BCCI announced last week that it would not do so it in its present form because it affected its commercial interests.Percy Sonn, the ICC president, had cautioned India that its chances of being the co-hosts of the 2011 World Cup could be jeopardised if they refused to comply with the MPA but hoped that an agreement would be reached. However, Shah said that the BCCI wasn’t very concerned, as the event is still five years away. He added that a letter had already been sent to the ICC, detailing India’s stand on the MPA.

Australia and South Africa’s boards have both leapt to the defence of their players after the ICC singled out the teams in a warning they issued about inflammatory remarks. On Sunday the ICC called for players to cut down on their verbal sparring or risk disciplinary action, with its head Malcolm Speed specifically referring to the upcoming series between Australia and South Africa.”Unfortunately, since the Ashes there has been a spate of code of conduct offences committed by players which have resulted in a series of penalties being applied, including suspension,” Speed said. “There have also been a series of comments by players and former players ahead of the Australia v South Africa series that I believe make it necessary to remind the players of the importance of playing within the spirit of the game ahead of this series.”It is presumed that what prompted the ICC to target the upcoming series is Graeme Smith’s comments about targeting Australia’s middle order. “Australia’s top three batsmen are their strength, so being able to knock them over is important. That exposes their middle order, which has experienced pressure in domestic cricket but maybe not in Tests [as much]. If we get things right, we will be putting Adam Gilchrist under pressure at No.7 too.” Shane Warne later sledged that South Africa “might need [a psychologist] by the time we’ve finished with them.”But whatever it was that prompted the ICC to single out the series, the South African Cricketers’ Association (SACA) have fired a broadside, saying that the comments are unwarranted and demeaning to the players.”This South African team plays hard and fair and is full of experienced cricketers who have for years conducted themselves in line with the spirit of cricket” said Tony Irish, the SACA’s chief executive, in a statement. “Australian players have done likewise.”I am amazed that the ICC sees fit to warn players, and even past players, in the media. If there are genuine concerns that players may offend the spirit of the game then this should be taken up with them directly and not in the form of a public lecture. Everyone is looking forward to the heat of the rivalry which accompanies a series between South Africa and Australia. The verbal exchanges are a part of this and they simply add to the build up.”Cricket Australia told The Age newspaper that in fact it had nothing but praise for its players’ conduct since the introduction of the spirit of cricket code which they committed to two years ago.”The banter that goes with the game, that’s fine, that will always be part of the game,” said the board’s spokesman, Peter Young. “Clearly, there is no love lost between Australia and South Africa but there is no love lost between most sides and that’s fine as long as they get the balance right.”During the Ashes, a lot of words were exchanged but the series was played in a competitive and sportsmanlike spirit. The exhortation to our players it to play the game hard but fair, and by and large, we think they’re getting that right. There will always be the odd bad day and the odd mishap because of the nature of the game … and because they are red-blooded human beings.”James Sutherland, the board’s chief executive, said that there was no harm in banter between the players. “Cricket needs personalities in the game, there is no doubt about that. Characters add an air of excitement and individuality, which attracts and engages the public’s interest.”Irish went on to say that the ICC should be concentrating its efforts on Zimbabwe instead. “It is also difficult to understand why the ICC has chosen to publicly focus on the conduct of players at a time when there appear to be serious problems with the conduct of certain administrators from Boards affiliated to the ICC. In Zimbabwe cricket is in tatters. Surely we should instead be hearing the ICC’s voice in relation to the standards and behaviour of those administering the game in that country?”His comments echo those made by Tim May earlier this week. May, the chief executive of the Federation of International Cricketers’ Associations, backed Malcolm Speed’s call for everyone to support the ideals of the Spirit of Cricket – but also criticised the ICC’s inaction over the crisis in Zimbabwe. He said: “Players, particularly those in Zimbabwe, or those forced to play there, will find it difficult to fully accept Speed’s call when the ICC has not seen the need to intervene, or been unable to investigate, serious allegations about the games administration.”The ICC’s latest comments have also prompted criticism from former Australia team-mates Jeff Thomson and Terry Alderman. “You have got to have a bit of gamesmanship, that is what it is all about,” Thomson argued earlier this week. “It’s highlighting things that aren’t worth highlighting. They are the biggest bullshitters in the world. What a waste of space.”Alderman added: “They are putting the cart before the horse, they are almost saying there is going to be problems because of what has been written and said by players. Well, that is ridiculous. Let the game be for goodness’ sake.”

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Latest weather satellite image
How they were out

A stunning England fightback, with Andrew Flintoff leading from the front, and bad light were the major players on the fourth day at The Oval. With another 56 overs lost England are edging near to regaining the Ashes, but just as no day this series has seemed complete without a contribution from Flintoff the same can be said of Shane Warne. Australia were given one final sliver of hope to cling to as Warne removed Andrew Strauss in his first overRicky Ponting had been forced to turn to his spinners early, but even with them operating England were offered the light on two occasions. Unsurprisingly Marcus Trescothick and Michael Vaughan nearly jogged back to the pavilion on both times. The Australians did not make a great deal of fuss but were not enamoured by the decision. On the resumption after the first stoppage the players tried to make their point by all wearing sunglasses as they walked to the pitch.But that was a rare moment of humour in another seriously competitive day, the majority of which brought a thrilling bowling performance from England. Flintoff operated for the remaining duration of the Australia innings and his total spell, taken from yesterday evening, lasted 18 overs. It was a spell of sustained, hostile pace bowling which none of the Australia batsmen were comfortable at facing. After Flintoff took his fifth wicket Hoggard ran through the tail as England claimed a completely unexpected six-run lead.With the weather playing such a significant part in this match Australia were relieved when play started on time following torrential overnight thunderstorms. However, their progress suffered an early blow when Flintoff removed Damien Martyn in his second over. Flintoff charged in from the Pavilion End and cramped Martyn for room with a short ball, which looped out to square-leg for Paul Collingwood to hold onto the catch.

When Vaughan opted for the new ball the umpires consulted about the light but, this time, the Australian batsmen opted to stay on rather than lose more precious time. That belated show of aggression was then followed by an attempt to push along the scoring rate as Matthew Hayden and Michael Clarke started to play their shots.Clarke received a life when he edged a booming drive off Hoggard to Flintoff at second slip, who proved he was human after all by dropping the chance, which he attempted rather casually. However, Flintoff put that miss to the back of his mind and continued to charge in. Although Hayden appeared more comfortable against England’s other bowlers, his discomfort against Flintoff was clear as he refused to push forward.This ultimately cost him his wicket when Flintoff seamed a ball back into him which would have crashed into middle stump. Hayden knew his fate and was almost walking before the umpire raised his finger, as was Simon Katich two overs later. Katich received an almost carbon-copy ball, after a series of deliveries slanting across him, and this time replays showed leg-stump would not have been standing.Clarke, after his early life, was hanging on grimly, using all his efforts to try and see the ball amid the gloom and repeatedly played-and-missed at Hoggard’s probing outswing. Adam Gilchrist came out and played the only way he knows – by taking on the bowling, but his series has been characterised by rapid twenties. Flintoff’s line outside off stump has certainly troubled him, but so has Hoggard’s inswing. Gilchrist played across the line to what became the last ball before lunch – in a manner very similar to his second innings at Trent Bridge – to become the third lbw victim of the session.

The collapse continued after lunch when Hoggard also trapped Clarke in front – ensuring that another missed catch by Geraint Jones did not prove costly for England. Warne then top-edged a pull to Vaughan at mid-on and despite a juggle the catch was pouched as Flintoff gained worthy reward for another stunning display of aggression. Hoggard then took his cue to mop up the tail by dismissing Glenn McGrath for the first time this series and Brett Lee holed out at deep mid-wicket as he attempted to slog some late runs.Australia had lost eight wickets for 90 runs, but the celebrations from the crowd did not last long before Warne brought a dose of reality back to the day. With his fourth ball he forced Strauss to get an inside-edge to short-leg, dismissing the left-hander for the sixth time in the series.Vaughan played two flowing square cuts off McGrath, during a brief period when the light was good enough for the seamers, and only Warne caused many alarms. He spun a couple of deliveries past Vaughan’s edge while also finding considerable help from the footmarks. Warne is determined to finish his last Test in England on the winning side and although time is now against him he has the knack of pulling off the miraculous. England are now in the position of needing two sessions of batting to seal the Ashes and half those overs will be bowled by Warne.With this in mind, the cheer for the bad light was almost bigger than for any of Flintoff’s wickets on a day when the quirks of cricket were demonstrated to their fullest. A crowd who had paid considerable money to watch play were deliriously happy when they were watching nothing. Most of them want England to win the Ashes and they aren’t too bothered how they do it.

AustraliaDamien Martyn c Collingwood b Flintoff 10 (281 for 3)
Matthew Hayden lbw b Flintoff 138 (323 for 4)
Simon Katich lbw b Flintoff 1 (329 for 5)
Adam Gilchrist lbw b Hoggard 23 (356 for 6)
Full length, swinging back, would have hit leg stumpMichael Clarke lbw b Hoggard 25 (359 for 7)
Shane Warne c Vaughan b Flintoff 0 (363 for 8)
Glenn McGrath c Strauss b Hoggard 0 (363 for 9)
Brett Lee c Giles b Hoggard 6 (367 all out)
EnglandAndrew Strauss c Katich b Warne 1 (2 for 1)

Resuming the innings on 219-2 after the tea interval, Lancashire lookedintent on building a big score quickly.Flintoff smashed his way to a half century off only 59 balls whilst Crawleywas playing the anchor role at the other end. Flintoff’s ability to hit hardand straight lofted drives featured strongly in his innings which was fullyappreciated by the spectators.His innings came to an end when he was caught at silly mid-off off a thininside edge. A wicket was desperately needed by Leicestershire at this point and once again their leading wicket taker this season, Anil Kumble, duly obliged.This brought Ganguly to the crease and he did not find life easy at thebeginning. Infact, he faced 17 balls before scoring.Leicestershires troubles seem to be mounting as not only were they missingtheir opening bowler Jimmy Ormond for most of the day through injury, butPhil Defreitas then pulled up in a delivery stride and did not bowl for therest of the day.With Lancashire now only a few runs behind it will be interesting to see howthey will play this game tomorrow. Their overall run rate per overthroughout the day was 3.6 and they should look to maintain and improve onthis from the start tomorrow.