Dav Whatmore, the Bangladesh coach, is dreaming of a golden future for his young side who edged out India for a place in the World Cup Super Eights. Bangladesh have made the second round for the first time and will face Australia, Whatmore’s own country, in their next match at Antigua on Saturday.”It’s terrific,” said Whatmore of his team whose average age is just 22. “We’ve got a couple of more experienced players, but the vast majority of them are under 25, which is absolutely perfect for an emerging team like us.”They now have an absolutely wonderful opportunity to play against seven of the world’s best sides and they will grow enormously because of that experience. I understand that we are still ranked number nine in the world and have a long way to go before we are consistently challenging the big boys.”But we’ve got the resources and talent to really progress and we will be going to the Super Eights to really enjoy ourselves. And from a personal point of view it’s great to be in a position where your team is playing well and your methods are being validated.”Whatmore is no stranger to World Cup sensations, having been at the helm when Sri Lanka won the title in 1996. Bangladesh made the second round with a win over India and a seven-wicket victory over Bermuda in the semi-gloom at Trinidad on Sunday.”I thought the game [against Bermuda] was an extremely difficult one and the boys did brilliantly to keep their focus,” said Whatmore. “I know we were only chasing a small total [96], but the ball was doing all sorts of things out there in the first ten overs, and it took a very brave batting performance from the middle order to get us through.”They’ve never really been in that situation before, with so much on the line and with so much to lose. This is very significant for us. It’s something we always believed we could do if we played to the best of our ability and had a little bit of luck.”We were the first team to arrive in the Caribbean and had a couple of extra matches in the conditions against Canada and Bermuda. We’ve only had one training session called off because of bad weather and in general our preparation has been as thorough and as focused as it possibly could be. People might think we’ve caused upsets’ but we knew deep down that we were capable of beating the best teams on our day.”

Former Zimbabwe coach Phil Simmons has spoken out about the state of cricket in country and called on the ICC to take action to investigate allegations of mismanagement.Simmons, who takes charge of Ireland after the World Cup, told cricket365.com that there were many things that needed looking into, with the most pressing being the unanswered questions about the whereabouts of the millions of dollars poured into the board in the last few years.”Where’s all the money gone? Because there’s no new infrastructure, no new grounds have been built. Where has the money gone?And he warned things were only likely to get worse. “If things aren’t run properly, it’s the players that you lose. They’ve lost so many players over the years and they’re going to lose a lot after this World Cup. A lot of these youngsters are disillusioned with what’s happening and they’re going to lose a lot of them straight after this World Cup because they’re fed up with all sorts of things.”I think that the ICC should get a full independent audit team to go in and go through all the books and find out where all this money went before they decide to pay the millions they’re meant to pay them now. Because all that’s going to happen is that those funds are going to disappear too. They should also make sure that everyone who they owe money is paid before any money is given to the organisation.”Simmons is owed more than US$100,000 by the board following his dismissal as coach in 2005, and several other players, including Heath Streak and Andy Blignaut, are believed to be claiming more than US$200,000. It is the manner of his removal that grates as much as the money. “Even before they told me that they were re-assigning me, Kevin Curran [the current coach] was down there to take over so it must have meant that they had spoken to him before they decided to re-assign me. They seemed pretty eager to get rid of me because players were still coming to me for advice.”They even tried to ship me out to Kenya, saying that Kenya wanted someone to run their academy. If you look now a lot of players are still coming to me and asking for advice.”Referring to reports that shortly after his dismissal almost all the Zimbabwe players had signed a petition asking for his recall and saying they did not want Curran, Simmons told cricket365.com: “Well, if you sign a petition saying that you don’t want someone as your coach it means you don’t have any confidence in him. And as far as I’ve heard from the players nothing has changed since then.”

Marlon Samuels has been dropped from the 15-man squad for the four-Test series in England which starts next week. There are few surprises in the choices, although there is no back-up wicketkeeper or specialist spinner in the side. Ravi Rampaul returns while there is an overdue call-up for allrounder Darren Sammy.Gordon Greenidge, the former opener and current convenor of selectors, put his faith in the side when he explained the selection. “The task has not been easy, especially given the fact that the performance for the recently-completed World Cup wasn’t as great as we had all hoped,” he said during the announcement on local television. “We feel that this squad should perform credibly. We feel we have a good mix, and we’re hoping that this mix will start the ball rolling as far as the redevelopment or the re-defining of West Indies cricket for the future.”Greenidge also said he would address the squad prior to their departure regarding reports of indiscipline during the World Cup.Former West Indies selector Joey Carew expressed some surprise at the squad. “I can’t criticise the selections. The fact that [Marlon] Samuels and [Pedro] Collins are not there is noticeable,” he told . “I thought they would have chosen a spinner, Dave Mohammed, but they may think he is not up to Test standard.”Ramnaresh Sarwan, the newly appointed West Indies captain, insisted that the team needed support. ” I think it is important that the team gets the support which it needs to take West Indies cricket forward,” he said, while indicating that the team would struggle in the absence of Brian Lara.”I think it is an opportunity, obviously Brian was a tremendous player for us and a tremendous player for the world. I think that it is an opportunity for the younger players to actually show their skills and what they are made of. I am sure that they will be looking forward to it. It is very important for us to play as a team, as I have said before, and it cannot be a one-man show. I am sure that we will be able to pull together as a team and that the other players will be able to mature on the tour.”In regards to criticism of his game, Sarwan said the captaincy was an opportunity to step up. “Obviously, I have got out in different fashions – playing rash strokes – and maybe this is a blessing is disguise to give me more responsibility and this is something which I think that I need. So it is something which I am looking forward too and I am going to try and make the best of it.”The side leaves the Caribbean on May 8 and plays one three-day warm-up match against Somerset before the Lord’s Test on May 17. The squad for the three ODIs and two Twenty20 matches which follow the Tests will be named later.West Indies squad Ramnaresh Sarwan (capt), Dwayne Bravo, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Corey Collymore, Fidel Edwards, Daren Ganga, Chris Gayle, Sylvester Joseph, Runako Morton, Daren Powell, Denesh Ramdin (wk), Darren Sammy, Devon Smith, Jerome Taylor, Ravi Rampaul.

Shahryar Khan, former chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), has denied reports that he made Inzamam-ul-Haq a dictator while expressing disagreement over the findings by the Performance Evaluation Committee (PEC).The PEC, formed by the PCB in order to dig into the World Cup debacle, released its report earlier this month and claimed that the former chairman had backed Inzamam during the Oval fiasco that made him a dictator and, in turn, led to Pakistan’s poor performance in the World Cup.”The PEC, in its proceedings, has discussed my tenure and criticised me, but its claim that I made Inzamam a ‘dictator’ is absolutely wrong,” Shaharyar told the daily . “I am not saying Inzamam was an ideal captain but he was a better choice. He had been performing well with the bat and as captain, too. There was not a single true cricket lover, who could say two years ago to change Inzamam as captain because he is a ‘dictator’ or more religious.””I believe Inzamam was Pakistan’s only reliable batsman during the critical period as Mohammad Yousuf and Younis Khan improved later to strengthen the middle order,” he said. “There are some shortcomings in Inzamam but his collaboration with coach, the late Bob Woolmer, had lifted Pakistan from seventh to the third spot in world rankings.”As a captain Inzamam has the right to make a demand to the PCB. But on many occasions I did not accept his demands. For example he wanted to retain Moin Khan in the team but we introduced Kamran Akmal and similarly the selectors had called up Yasir Hameed from the last tour of India, though Inzamam did not agree to that.”He dispelled the impression that he supported Inzamam, even after The Oval Test. “After the Oval flop, I did not support Inzamam,” Shahryar said. He also said that Inzamam was not only the team’s leader but their spiritual head as well.Shahryar resigned as PCB’s chairman last year. He was under pressure due to the handling of The Oval forfeiture and following Younis’s refusal to act as captain when Inzamam was unavailable for the Champions Trophy.

James Anderson has been fined 50% of his match fee for shoulder-barging Runako Morton during the second one-day international at Edgbaston.The incident occurred during the closing stages of West Indies’ innings when, after finishing an over, Anderson dropped his shoulder into Morton as the batsman completed a run. Morton reacted to the incident by pointing his bat at Anderson and Brian Jerling, the umpire, had to step in to keep the players apart. When Morton was dismissed, Anderson gave him a send-off to the pavilion.Both players appeared in front of match referee Mike Procter on Wednesday night and, while Anderson was hit with the penalty, Morton was found not guilty of breaching the code of conduct.”I have no problem with players being aggressive on the field because our game is all about passion and commitment,” said Procter. “But, at the same time, they have to recognize they are role models watched by people all over the world.”Cricket is, after all, a non-contact sport and when players fail to recognise that fact and engage in needless nudges, the type of which we saw yesterday, then that is where we have to draw the line.”Anderson’s 10-over spell went for 78 runs, his most expensive analysis in ODIs, and his last four overs cost 50 against a fired up Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Marlon Samuels.Following the match England captain Paul Collingwood said: “To be perfectly honest, I don’t mind the boys getting stuck if they need to get stuck in. I don’t mind that at all. That’s cricket. Simple as that.”Chris Gayle, his opposite number, also shrugged off the incidents, insisting there was nothing personal at stake. “These guys have been playing cricket against each other for quite some time now,” he said. “We were just trying to get on top of them as early as possible and they did the same thing, so it was a little bit of give-and-take. I hope no-one takes it too seriously.”It was a heated encounter throughout with Daren Powell also becoming involved in verbal exchanges with the England batsmen.Stuart Broad was also found to have breached clause 1.1 of the code, which concerns the ICC logo policy, and was handed a reprimand. Broad wore a visible white garment under his playing shirt on Wednesday, something not permitted under clothing regulations. West Indies won by 61 runs to level the series.

Kyle Mills says he was disappointed not to make New Zealand’s Twenty20 World Championship squad but conceded it was best for his injured knee if he delayed his return until the start of the domestic season. Mills had been hoping to ease back into international cricket in South Africa in September, in the shortest form of the game.However, he was not named in the 30-man preliminary squad as he continues to recover from the left knee problem that has kept him out of action since January. “My initial thoughts were that [I should have gone],” Mills told the . “Twenty20 format, four overs a game, every second day – I thought it would be ideal really.”The selectors had to convince Mills that it would be risky to throw him into the frantic pace of Twenty20 cricket. “It might have been the worst environment to make my comeback in,” he said. “It’s going to be pretty intense as it is and trying to ease a knee recovery through that, while the batsman’s trying to smash you out of the park each ball, it might not have been the ideal situation.”The other aspect of it is diving around in the field. So, even though I’m as keen as to get back into it, I’ve got to take the view that there’s more to it than the next three or four months.” Mills is three weeks into his rehab programme and has started bowling off a half run-up. He hopes to be available for the start of New Zealand’s domestic tournaments.

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Last week, in a twist that few predicted, Sharad Ghai, the former chairman of the Kenyan Cricket Association who left office in 2005, started on the comeback trail. From almost nowhere he re-emerged as one of the three delegates representing the Nairobi Gymkhana club at the Nairobi Provincial Cricket Association’s Special General Meeting held on Saturday July 7 to discuss, among other matters, the long-overdue overhaul of the NPCA’s constitution.The meeting followed an acrimonious Annual General Meeting of the NPCA held on June 20 at which it transpired that the NPCA executive had, in breach of its existing constitution, failed to convene any general meetings involving its member clubs for over two years. Both the NPCA acting chairman’s report and the treasurer’s report were rejected by the members. Following this meeting, 10 of the 14 member clubs of the NPCA who attended signed a petition of no confidence in the NPCA executive. The three delegates representing Nairobi Gymkhana subscribed to the petition.The Nairobi Gymkhana chairman, Bharat Shah, disapproved of his own club delegates’ stance and promptly replaced them, drafting himself, Ravindra Patel (the club secretary) and Ghai to represent the club in their place at the July 7 meeting.Cricinfo had heard that Ghai had been in contact with several clubs, but given what happened when he was involved in the old Kenyan Cricket Association, few believed the rumours were anything more than that.But it now emerges that he has received backing from two surprising sources.Firstly, the Gymkhana club, who were owed a large sum of money by the old KCA. In 2004 they had a dispute with the board and threatened to prevent any official matches being played at their ground. Only the personal intervention of Ghai staved off a showdown, but, even so, the club was left out of pocket when the KCA was wound up.The second ally is even more eyebrow-raising. Sukhbans Singh, the acting chairman of the NPCA, was one of leading figures in attempts to remove Ghai and the old KCA executive between 2002 and 2005. But it now seems that Singh, under fire from his own clubs, and Ghai have struck up a relationship. It is the most unlikely of alliances.That Ghai has regained a foothold in Kenyan cricket will surprise many. When he left office in 2005 Kenyan cricket was a shambles. The board was broke – Samir Inamdar, who replaced him as board chairman, estimated that he inherited debuts of US$500,000 – and virtually all the High-Performance money from the ICC was gone. The national side was in chaos – it had played only two ODIs in the previous two years and for six months the bulk of the national team had been on strike over non-payment of monies owed. There were no major sponsors willing to be associated with the game, and other international boards gave Kenya the cold shoulder. The KCA executive had fallen out with many stakeholders, and even the minister of sport had had enough and stepped in to dissolve it.In the intervening two years the finances have been put back on an even keel, sponsors are beginning to come back and the board has done a six-year TV and marketing deal. On the field, the side has played 28 ODIs and in February they won the World Cricket League which means they will take part in the Twenty20 World Championship in September. Internally, there has been a period of relative peace and development. There is still a long way to go but things are heading the right way.At this stage, Ghai is only one of three representatives for one of 17 registered Nairobi clubs. But there will be many who remember Kenya cricket’s recent past who will be watching events with interest. Some of them are already expressing the view that the Gymkhana post may the springboard for a tilt at something bigger, perhaps even a challenge to Inamdar in 2008.As things stand, Coast and Rift Valley provinces, who would both strongly oppose Ghai, muster enough votes to be able to prevent him succeeding. But there is talk that Centrals, who were booted out by Cricket Kenya last month after it became apparent that, to all intents and purposes they did not exist as a viable province, may be set to mount a challenge to that decision. Centrals was the creation of the old KCA.It all might be a storm in a teacup. A Ghai comeback would be one of sport’s most remarkable stories but stranger things have happened. It could be an interesting few months.

The Mohammad Nissar trophy match, a four-day first-class contest between the domestic champions of Pakistan and India, will be played at the National Stadium in Karachi from September 8 to 11.The final will be contested this year by Karachi Urban, winners of the 2006-07 Quaid-e-Azam Trophy and Mumbai, the current Ranji Trophy champions. In a sense, it is as fitting a cross-border match-up as there can be; both teams are, historically, the most successful in their respective competitions.The inaugural Nissar Trophy match was played in Dharmasala in September last year, Uttar Pradesh comfortably beating Sialkot by 316 runs.With Amol Muzumdar, Mumbai’s captain last year, making himself unavailable for selection, Wasim Jaffer, the Indian Test opener, has been picked to lead the side. Muzumdar, currently playing in the Durham league, has been replaced by left-arm spinner Nilesh Kulkarni while Omkar Gurav, yet to play first-class cricket, will keep wicket in place of Vinayak SamantHasan Raza has been named to lead the Karachi Urban team in the match against Mumbai, the Karachi City Cricket Association (KCCA) announced.The following cricketers, who played for Karachi Urban during the last season, have been asked to confirm their participation in the match.Hasan Raza (captain), Faisal Iqbal, Asim Kamal, Agha Sabir, Khurram Manzoor, Asif Zakir, Saeed Bin Nasir, Afsar Nawaz, Mohtashim Ali, Imran Javed, Amin-ur-Rehman (wk), Malik Aftab, Tanvir Ahmed, Tahir Khan, Azam Hussain and Nauman Alvi.Mumbai Wasim Jaffer (capt), Sahil Kukreja, Vinayak Mane, Prashant Naik, Ajinkya Rahane, Vinit Indulkar, Hiken Shah, Abhishek Nayar, Omkar Gurav (wk), Nilesh Kulkarni, Avishkar Salvi, Rajesh Verma, Iqbal Abdulla, Vikrant Yelligatti.

Damien Martyn has become the first Australian to sign up for the Indian Cricket League, according to the . Martyn also flagged the possibility of playing under Shane Warne’s leadership, although Warne has not yet confirmed if he will join the group.Martyn, who retired from cricket midway through the Ashes series last December, has been linked to the ICL for two weeks but his manager initially said that the league was “not for him”. However, Martyn said he had reached agreement with the ICL bosses on Friday and he was excited about playing alongside the league’s first international signing, Brian Lara.”It’s a chance just too good to miss,” Martyn told the paper. “It’s a chance also to play in a team captained by Warney.” Both Warne and Glenn McGrath initially expressed interest in playing in the ICL but neither has committed.Martyn shocked Australia with his retirement from all forms of cricket amid a form slump during the Ashes. After four weeks of silence, he finally revealed the reasoning behind his departure and said he had “never been comfortable with the whole celebrity stuff that comes with the game, I found [it] hard to deal with,” while adding that he can “now go and live life and enjoy it”.He insisted, however, that the ICL would have minimal impact on his personal life. “It’s only six weeks each summer,” he said, “which wouldn’t have the same burdens of playing for long periods of time away from home.”