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Merissa Aguilleira will lead West Indies’ 15-member squad at the Women’s World Cup in Australia in March 2009. The selectors trimmed five players from the 20-member training squad named last month.The squad includes five players from the 2005 unit, Pamela Lavine, Cordel Jack, Kirbyina Alexander, Anisa Mohammed and Juliana Nero. Lavine, Jack and Lewis return after missing the tour of Sri Lanka.Shemaine Campbell, Pearl Etienne, Debbie-Ann Lewis, Tracey Miller and Gaitri Seethal are the players cut from the training squad. The experienced Nadine George had also been named but she retired last month.Sherwin Campbell, the former West Indian opener, continues as coach.West Indies will face defending champions Australia, New Zealand and South Africa in the first round of the eight-team tournament. The top three will move to the Super Six stage.Squad: Merissa Aguilleira (capt), Kirbyina Alexander, Shanel Daley, Deandra Dottin, Afy Fletcher, Geneille Greaves, Cordel Jack, Stacy-Ann King, Pamela Lavine, Anisa Mohammed, Juliana Nero, Shakera Selman, Danielle Small, Charlene Taitt, Stefanie Taylor.

The player auction for the second IPL is expected to be a much more cerebral and focused exercise than last year’s inaugural event, with franchise officials saying they would enter the bidding hall in Goa on February 6 with a maximum of four or five players on their list and hope to take home a maximum of two.Like the first auction, allrounders are expected to be the most valuable picks but the big difference this time is that the focus will be on players who have shown Twenty20 form in the last season.IPL rules specify that teams can have only a maximum of ten foreign players – Delhi Daredevils have already reached the limit with the signing of Dirk Nannes, the Victoria fast bowler. With most of the franchises having around eight players each from the last auction apart from a sprinkling of uncapped foreign players signed this year, even officials are expecting only about 15 players to attract any serious interest next month.However, a preliminary list – accessed by Cricinfo – of players who would be available at the auction shows that almost 70 players are in queue for the US$16 million that the eight franchises are eligible to spend together. The list is now being pruned and updated by IPL officials, who hope to ideally have around 50 players in the mix.As expected, Kevin Pietersen and Andrew Flintoff are two players who will be auctioned though the eligibility of England players is still a matter of discussion between the ECB and the IPL, which wants a two-year availability commitment. The preliminary list also includes 15 Australians, including seven internationals, and five players from South Africa including JP Duminy, who is being seen as a ‘hot pick’ after his recent performance in Australia.There are 14 Sri Lankans listed too, two from Pakistan, five from the West Indies, including Andre Fletcher, who starred in the Stanford Super Series, and nine from New Zealand (see box for select names). Shakib-al-Hasan, No 1 on the ICC ranking for ODI allrounders, tops the list of seven from Bangladesh and his outstanding performance against Sri Lanka has meant that franchise officials now value him “at around US$500,000”.No Indian players figure on the list but some of the Under-19 players who were picked up on one-year contracts last year may be made available, though most of them, like Rajasthan Royals’ Ravindra Jadeja and Bangalore Royal Challengers’ Virat Kohli, have already been snapped up again.According to IPL officials, the deadline for franchises to send their nominations for players to be put for the auction is January 28 – February 1 for English players at the latest. This would give the IPL just enough time to get clearances from various national boards and sign player consent forms by February 5, the auction eve.

“This year, it is about consolidating the squads,” Joy Bhattacharya, team director, Kolkata Knight Riders, said. “All the other bits are in place and the auction might provide me with what is the last bit that needs to be put in place.”Last year each team was trying to get 13 to 14 players, including Indian cricketers, from the auction. This year, there might be a maximum of two players each team will take. Between the eight franchises, I will be very surprised if more than 15-16 will be chosen. There will be 80-90 odd players in the auction but only 15 will be actually chosen, so it will be a bizarre auction.”Apart from “dual-role cricketers” who have proven Twenty20 records, franchise officials say there is still space for an outstanding cricketer who can bring in the eyeballs. “There will always be space for cricketers who apart from performance will bring with them the aura and the brand image from a sponsorship point of view,” Tim Wright, chief executive, Deccan Chargers, said. “Like Kevin Pietersen.”But another franchise official said this definition would apply to only two cricketers in the current scenario – Pietersen and Andrew Flintoff. “It is unlikely that a Jacques Kallis kind of deal will happen this time,” the franchise official said. Kallis, who is yet to find his feet in the Twenty20 format, was bought by Bangalore for $900,000, purely on his international stature. The South African failed to create an impact and his team, led by Rahul Dravid, finished seventh.Pietersen is being actively sought by Bangalore this time and is expected to fetch around US$1.5m. Mumbai and Chennai are in the fray for Flintoff, the other big draw. A Bangalore official admitted that they would go for Pietersen “because the team right now needs a maverick and a star in the dressing room”.Rajasthan, the inaugural champions, credit a major share of their success last year to a conscious auction strategy of going for performers, rather than big names. “The rest of the franchises have learnt this the hard way and we won’t be surprised if they follow our path this time,” a Rajasthan official said.Interestingly, Rajasthan has considered reversing their strategy this time and go big on one player, possibly Pietersen, who has close ties with the franchise team management, including Shane Warne, the captain, and support staff Darren Berry and Jeremy Snape. But as of now, it is being projected as an “unlikely outcome”.”The ideal case is to have one Englishman to start the season and pick an Aussie who will finish off,” Kolkata’s Bhattacharya said. “Also Pakistan are likely to play an ODI series against Australia between April 20 and May 10. So Pakistan players can start and return to finish the tournament. These are some of the options.”Amrit Mathur, the chief operating officer of Delhi Daredevils, admitted teams would go into the auction with a “limited requirement” as most of the slots were filled last year. “There are two things driving the auction. One is basic team need. The second is if somebody is attractive in terms of sponsorship and who can be sold for a higher price next year. It is like getting someone like David Beckham – he may not play but he has an appeal beyond the field of play. Otherwise, I would go for a promising youngster and make some money on him.”Deccan’s Wright agrees the auction will more focused than last time. “Teams and coaching staff have had time to scrutinise the performances over the last year,” Wright said. “Teams clearly have one or maybe two or a maximum of three components left to fill in. Hence, the focus will be on Twenty20 statistics in terms of strike-rate and so on, rather than a big name.”

Kevin Pietersen has said he will spend some time out of the spotlight before responding to the recent events which led to him quitting as England captain, although his representatives said he remains fully committed to the tour of West Indies.Pietersen arrived back from South Africa on Thursday morning, a few hours before Andrew Strauss was officially unveiled as captain. He had released a statement yesterday, shortly before boarding his flight in Durban, announcing his decision to step down after just five months in charge but will wait before making any further comments.”In light of recent events between the ECB and myself, I’m going to take some time out to reflect on the situation and spend time with family and friends,” he said in a statement. “I will be responding to the current press speculation in due course.”Strauss said he had already spoken to Pietersen a few times since agreeing to take over as captain. “He wished me well. KP has been very supportive so far. Clearly, it is a tough situation for him and I’m sure he has his own side of the story.”

Kevin Pietersen has said England don’t need to change too much for the second Test in Mohali, starting on Friday. England, he said, had performed creditably enough in Chennai to claim 70% of the Test and push India hard.”I don’t see a reason to change much,” Pietersen said on Wednesday. “We played fantastically well and if a few things had gone our way on the final day we would have won that Test and been 1-0 up so I don’t think there’s cause to start trying to change too much.”We have to look at the fact we won 70% of that fixture and then unfortunately got pipped at the post.”India were set to chase 387 and reached the target comfortably after tea on the fifth day, losing only four wickets in the process.Some personnel changes can still be effected in England’s line-up, with Monty Panesar, the left-arm spinner, under pressure to hold his place after going wicketless in India’s second innings despite the pitch taking turn. The more seamer-friendly conditions in Mohali could prompt the inclusion of either Stuart Broad or the uncapped Amjad Khan.Given the circumstances which nearly led to the tour being cancelled over security fears, Pietersen was delighted with the spirit with which the team played and the challenge posed to the home side after a 5-0 thrashing in the ODIs.”Everyone probably wrote us off before we came out here but the boys have been very special in terms of the way they all jumped on the plane and how much they are really putting in,” he said. “You can always look in hindsight but we tried everything we could.”You’ve got a freak of a bloke (Sachin Tendulkar) who bats at No.4 for India, and a freak who opens the batting (Virender Sehwag).”It was disheartening but the boys are raring to go again now and training with a real purpose. It hasn’t been a great start to the winter and we want to level this series and we want to try to end it on a positive note.”England need to win in Mohali to square the series 1-1 and return home with a moral victory and they can turn to the Mumbai Test in 2006 for inspiration.

Haroon Lorgat, the ICC chief executive, has said the cricketing fraternity must rise above the threat of terrorism and urged England to go ahead with its Test tour of India if the security situation is deemed safe. Lorgat said security concerns would be on the agenda at next weekend’s ICC chief executives’ meeting in Cape Town and there is a strong possibility the 2011 World Cup, due to be held in the subcontinent, will be discussed in this context.England put off their final two ODIs against India after the terrorist attacks in Mumbai, and there are doubts over their players returning to India for the two-Test series, though the second Test has been shifted from Mumbai to Chennai.”If safety and security allow then I would urge the England Test tour of India to go ahead and if it does so then representatives of the ICC will be there to show solidarity with the competing teams,” Lorgat said, in a message condoling the tragedy in Mumbai. “And if those Tests are played I would also urge supporters of the game to attend them … to send a message to those who seek to disrupt our way of life that we will not be prevented from doing what we want.”Lorgat said he would take up the issue of security concerns at the Cape Town meeting, which will be attended by chief executives of the ICC’s 10 Full Members, as well as three Associate Member representatives, the ICC president, vice-president and himself.One of those attending will be James Sutherland, the Cricket Australia chief executive, and he said security concerns over the 2011 World Cup were likely to come up for discussion. “It hasn’t been talked about but that may well have changed out of this Mumbai incident but one would hope the World Cup and other events that are planned for various places in the sub-continent can go ahead as planned,” he told the .There is some speculation that standby hosts could be identified for the 2011 tournament but Sutherland said he did not know if another country had been put on standby and was non-committal when asked if Australia would have enough time to prepare for the event should it be switched.”I don’t know the answer to that. It’s something that down the track would need to be looked at, but we are very keen for it to go ahead where it has already been allocated,” he said. “Let’s see how things settle down after the tragic events of Mumbai.”ICC spokesman James Fitzgerald said there had yet to be any discussions about shifting the tournament. “A decision would have to be made soon if that was to happen because we need a good run in to get the World Cup ready on time.”

Graeme Swann is hoping that a return to the subcontinent will bring a change of fortune for him as England begin their tour of India. Swann is part of both the one-day and Test squad, but although he isn’t guaranteed a starting place in either side he is hoping conditions will be in his favour.He played a key role in England’s one-day series win in Sri Lanka last year, taking seven wickets in four matches, but has since struggled to maintain his place in the team. He hasn’t played an ODI since June and against South Africa he was sidelined by the emergence of Samit Patel. However, he was selected for the final two matches in the Stanford Super Series and with conditions likely to favour spin he could partner Patel over the next month.”I am really excited, I can’t wait to get out there because I did well in Sri Lanka last year, the wickets obviously suit spin bowling more than other parts of the world,” Swann told the . “So I hope to play a big role in both the one-dayers and the Test matches.”The tour includes seven one-day internationals, starting in Rajkot on November 14, followed by two Tests before Christmas. The last time England toured India they lost the one-day series 5-1, following an impressive drawn Test series, and Swann knows it’s vital that the squad begin strongly this time around.”The start of this tour is the most important couple of weeks we have got left in this year because if we start well and get off on the right footing then it sets you up for the whole trip,” he said. “The last thing you want to do when you are on a tour like India and you’re travelling, it’s hectic and you’re not in places that you’re familiar with, is lose the first couple.”Suddenly it can seem like a whirlwind, flying around, playing games but never having time to prepare. On the same basis if you are winning, you just can’t wait to play again.”England had 12 hours in London after arriving back from Antigua before departing for Mumbai and Swann said the team has already moved on from the disappointment of missing out on a million dollars each.”I was a lot less bothered than I thought I’d be,” he said. “Even though it was a big week in terms of publicity, it still ranks low in the grand scheme of England cricket.”The journey back after the match was very English. There was a lot of mickey-taking and Paul Collingwood came out with ‘don’t worry lads, at least we got to the final’.”

With a team reduced to 44 for 4, anyone might blame the top-order batsmen, but Mehrab Hossain jnr, one of Bangladesh’s rescue men today, did not shy from praising his team-mates for sticking to their job. Mehrab and fellow half-centurion Mushfiqur Rahim shared an unbroken 139-run stand, a fifth-wicket record for Bangladesh, and said they were only “executing the plan”, like the batsmen before them.”We never looked at the scoreboard and just stuck to the team plan,” said Mehrab. “We did not want to give away wickets to the new ball and I thought the first three batsmen did that job pretty well in the first session. The focus then was to wait for the loose balls and not press the panic button if runs didn’t come freely.”Bangladesh’s top four had scores of 18, 0, 20 and 2, but played out over 40 overs, easily taking the shine off the new ball. Mehrab, though, said Bangladesh need much more. “We can’t say that we are safe. We are 183 for 4 and need to bat like this tomorrow also,” he said.Playing his second Test – his first was in June 2007 – Mehrab was not worried about getting the remaining 21 runs for his first Test century. “I think I’ll get good sleep tonight,” he said. “I’m really tired.”His unbroken stand with Rahim sapped the energy out of the opposition bowlers. “They [New Zealand] looked tired. It is really hot out there and I could see frustration creeping in, especially in the pacers when we were playing them easily,” said Mehrab. “It is hard work playing out there in that heat.”[Jeetan] Patel’s balls were coming on to the bat nicely and it was difficult for Daniel [Vettori] to get much purchase out of the wicket on the first day. I thought their pacers, Iain O’Brien in particular, bowled very well.”For the first half of their innings, Bangladesh crawled at a run an over in their innings, scoring 44 in 43 overs with four batsmen out. Mehrab felt the pitch was playing nicely. “The wicket is pretty flat and we realised that pretty soon. From then on it was just a case of playing the ball on its merit.”

Chennai Superstars clinched a low-scoring thriller against Chandigarh Lions off the penultimate ball of the match in Bangalore. Chasing a target of 126, Chennai scored 129 for 5 in 19.5 overs. Their top three batsmen got starts but failed to convert them and it was left to Rajagopal Sathish, who scored an unbeaten 38 off 40 balls, to guide the team home. Sathish had also taken 2 for 21 in four overs to help restrict Chandigarh to 125. Ganapathi Vignesh was Chennai’s best bowler, taking 3 for 23, while Jamaluddin Syed Mohammad took 2 for 12. Opener Chetan Sharma top scored for Chandigarh with 38.Delhi Giants scored a last-over victory over Royal Bengal Tigers in Hyderabad. Bengal were reduced to 44 for 3 after a couple of run-outs and lost wickets to slump to 136 for 7 in 20 overs. Rajiv Kumar’s 35 was the highest score while Asif Murtaza and Abhishek Sharma took two wickets each. Delhi’s openers were not at their best, but Jai Prakash Yadav and Abbas Ali scored 38 and 27 respectively to set up the victory. Pritam Das, who took 3 for 10 in four overs, and Abu Nechim, who had 2 for 24, were the only wicket-takers for Bengal.Ahmedabad Rockets made short work of Hyderabad Heroes’s total of 124 and reached the target in the 17th over with seven wickets in hand in Hyderabad. Sumit Kalia took three wickets to reduce Hyderabad to 77 for 4 after which Rakesh Patel struck twice to restrict them to 124 for 7. Ahmedabad lost Pallav Vora in the sixth over but the other top order batsmen – Sachin Dholpure, Bhima Rao, and Sridharan Sriram – made useful contributions and ensured victory.

The ECB has confirmed that Michael Vaughan won’t be selected for the Test series in India, the squad for which will be announced on Monday.Vaughan, who was awarded a central contract earlier this month, stood down as captain after the penultimate Test of the summer and chose to miss the last match at The Oval. He had been looking to regain his form playing for Yorkshire, but in four Championship innings he managed only 41 runs.”Michael has not been selected for the tour of India because his place in the Test squad cannot be justified based on recent form,” said national selector Geoff Miller. “Our view is that it will be to England’s benefit if he takes a break from international cricket in the period leading up to Christmas and spends time working on his game.”We have discussed the situation with Michael. He fully understands the reasons for the selectors’ decision and has made clear to us that he is fully committed to winning back his place in the England Test side.”Miller, though, offered Vaughan hope of a return, possibly on the tour of West Indies early next year, and the ECB is putting a schedule together to help him find some cricket. He could follow a similar path to Andrew Strauss and Steve Harmison last winter, when they played in New Zealand and South Africa respectively prior to tours. Strauss is the best comparison, as he was then recalled for the New Zealand tour after being dropped for the Sri Lanka trip.”Like all centrally contracted players Michael will be given a clear programme over the next six months which will include training and match practice over the winter period,” Miller added. “With a busy period of international cricket on the horizon, we would like to stress that he remains very much part of our plans over the coming year.”When Vaughan stepped down as captain, following the third Test against South Africa, he said he still wanted to extend his career. “I believe the best thing for me is to try and get back to being best batsmen I can be. I’ll still have all the experience and knowledge to pass on and I hope to be a valuable player for both my county and the England team.”Vaughan opted out of Yorkshire’s final match against Sussex at Hove – a game they went into needing to win to guarantee staying up – and there has been increasing speculation that he is looking at other options.

Shoaib Malik has defended his 14-month tenure as Pakistan captain amid speculation that a leadership change could be in the offing after the resignation of Nasim Ashraf as chairman of the PCB.”I did not tell anybody to make me captain,” Malik told the Karachi-based . “I was chosen to lead Pakistan and I have been doing the job in the best possible manner.”Malik highlighted Pakistan’s successes during his time in charge. “We did well in the World Twenty20 [where Pakistan reached the final], and remember, Pakistan also won 12 consecutive one-dayers with me as captain.”Bangladesh and Zimbabwe were whitewashed in a couple of bilateral series, results which are primarily responsible for Malik’s 20-10 win-loss record in ODIs. “A record is a record,” he said, “and the opponents we play is not under my control.”Pakistan went on to win the Kitply Cup, a tri-nation tournament in Bangladesh, but doubts about Malik’s captaincy persisted when they failed to reach the final of the Asia Cup, which was held in Karachi. Pakistan also lost their two Test series when he was in charge, first against South Africa at home, and then in India.However, Malik’s deputy, Misbah-ul-Haq, said he had no aspirations to become Pakistan captain. “Obviously, leadership brings extra load of responsibility and I am enjoying my present status of vice-captain in the team,” he said. “I know it is a great honour to be the captain of the team but I feel content where I am.”Malik’s comments come a day after Intikhab Alam, the former Pakistan captain, criticised his leadership abilities. “I don’t think he has the ability to keep players together,” Alam told the on Tuesday. “Malik is not impressive at all and it’s better the PCB should start looking for a new captain to lead the side against India at home.”