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Boeta Dippenaar, the South Africa batsman, has announced his retirement from international cricket to concentrate on building a life beyond the sport.”Where my cricket career stands now, I have to make the tough call and step away,” he told on Tuesday. “I want to improve my qualifications for life after cricket. Even if I were in the national team now I would have announced my retirement at the end of the season.”Dippenaar, 30, made his debut in 1999 but it took him a further 12 months to register his first hundred. Soon after, he lost his place to Herschelle Gibbs – a batsman of complete contrast to Dippenaar, whose strengths were his sweet timing and orthodox defence.In spite of a healthy first-class record for Eagles and Free State, amassing nearly 9000 runs at 42.99, he couldn’t translate that same form into his international career, though he found some success in one-dayers with 3421 runs and four hundreds.Captain of the Eagles, who this week won the SuperSport Series title, Dippenaar will also play for Leicestershire in 2008.”Some people may question my decision but it is something that my wife and I have reached certainty about during the past year,” he said. “I am grateful for the opportunities I have had. I am grateful that I was able to represent my country and I wish the national team all the best.”Graeme Smith, the South Africa captain, said though Dippenaar’s retirement announcement had come as a surprise, he had always known Dippenaar to have looked at the other parts of his life.”He studied for a law degree and he’s been chirping me about his helicopter pilot’s licence for quite a while.”Smith said Dippenaar’s experience would prove useful in the domestic game. “It’s encouraging to have men like that in the franchise circuit. With the international squad being away so much the guys don’t get enough opportunity to interact with players who have played at the highest level. They can’t always wrack a Jacques Kallis’s brain or a Shaun Pollock’s brain, so it is really encouraging that a man like Boeta is retiring from international cricket, but will still be part of the domestic game.”Cricket South Africa (CSA) wished Dippenaar well and hoped he would continue to be a role model for all the younger players in the franchise system.”CSA wishes Boeta and his family all the best in this new chapter of their lives, and we thank him for his most valued input into South African cricket at all the many levels he graced so well,” Gerald Majola, the chief executive, said in a statement.

The two-man delegation from Pakistan has inspected the stadium in Mohali – the venue for the forthcoming first Test against India – after being shown around the ground today.According to Reuters, the Pakistanis – Zakir Khan, the general manager of the Pakistan Board, and Sohail Khan, the senior superintendent of the Lahore police – pronounced the ground and its facilities to be “excellent and very impressive”.Zakir told reporters that there was nothing sinister in his inspection, saying such visits were now commonplace and “a part of the cricket family system”.Sohail, meanwhile, claimed that reports that Pakistan were not keen on playing in Ahmedabad were only speculation. “It has all been generated by the press. We will talk to the local administration in Ahmedabad and the final decision will be taken by the two boards.”

A classy century from Simon Katich led NSW to a comprehensive seven-wicket win over Victoria in the ING Cup cricket match at Bradman Oval today.Katich, coming off his successful return to Test cricket last week when he made a half-century and took five wickets, opened the NSW innings and looked untroubled while making 131 from 129 balls.After electing to bat, Victoria slumped to 4-55 but 101 from Brad Hodge, who missed a $50,000 jackpot for hitting one of the sponsors’ signs by mere centimetres, pushed the Bushrangers to a respectable total of 9-244.Katich and Dominic Thornely (33) made a swift 77-run opening stand from 17 overs to send the Blues on their way.NSW captain Steve Waugh, receiving a standing ovation from the crowd of 5,000-plus in his first appearance at the famous little ground, hit 38 from 58 balls but Katich, who made 52 and took 6-65 for Australia against Zimbabwe at the SCG, was the standout.His ton came from 108 balls.Hodge was heading for a cash windfall when a six from left-arm spinner Aaron O’Brien flew straight towards the ING sign at mid-wicket. The crowd celebrated when they heard the sound of the ball hitting steel, but the ball had hit the posts supporting the sign and Hodge was denied the $50,000.Stuart Clark (2-35) and Don Nash (3-34) were the pick of the NSW bowlers.Stand-in wicketkeeper Nathan Pilon was razor sharp behind the stumps, taking five catches and fumbling nothing.

CloseCanterbury 499 and 247 for 6 dec (Fulton 113*, Wiseman 35*, Patel 3-106) drew with Wellington 393 and 291 for 7 (Jones 82)Canterbury will regret batting on to leave Wellington a target of 354 runs on the final afternoon of their State Insurance match at the Basin Reserve. As it turned out, Wellington held out, seven wickets down, for the draw.Memories of being caught short before might have been on Chris Cairns’s mind as he delayed his declaration. The pitch was good enough for a strong Wellington team to chase on, but so far in this year’s series, Wellington have not always put a good performance together.Realising that they were on course to take no points out of the match, if they didn’t win, Wellington at least made a genuine effort for victory, but in the end the target was too steep. Richard Jones attacked and scored 82 off 122 balls before being caught at the wicket by Brendon McCullum from Paul Wiseman’s bowling.At one stage Wellington were 263 for 3, but time for an improbable victory was running out and the Wellington lower-order, with two experienced hands, Chris Nevin and James Franklin, holding out, Canterbury were denied.Earlier, Canterbury had the benefit of another century to Peter Fulton. It was his second of the season and when the declaration came he was unbeaten on 113, scored off 174 balls. Paul Wiseman, who scored 75 in the first innings, was also not out on 35 when the declaration came, having added 60 runs for the seventh wicket.Jayesh Patel, the Wellington offspinner, came in for some punishment, conceding 108 runs off his 16 overs, but he did pick up three wickets – those of Craig McMillan, Chris Harris and Cairns, when the chase was on for quick runs.

Neil McKenzie, the South African Test batsman, has been released by Easterns and will now play for the new Highveld Lions team. McKenzie, 28, has scored 2028 runs in his 41 Tests, with two centuries.McKenzie had not been selected for the Titans in their first two Standard Bank Pro 20 matches, Brandon Foot, Easterns’ chairman, explained that he had been released by the franchise to further his career. He said: “Neil has indicated to me that, as a national player striving to achieve recognition in the limited-overs version of the game, it is important to him that he play as many Pro 20 matches as possible. We have elected not to stand in Neil’s way, but to afford him the opportunity of competing for the Highveld Lions, in the best interests of his career. This is, of course, also in line with the decision of the UCBSA to reduce the number of professional teams competing in South African domestic cricket and to ensure that playing strength is spread evenly amongst all the franchises in the country.”Dave Nosworthy, the Titans’ coach, said it was obviously a blow to lose a player of Neil’s calibre. “Neil has served Northerns well and is a player of quality. We wish him all the very best for his future career.”McKenzie concluded: “I would like to thank Northerns Cricket Union for all that they have done for me. Northerns is a truly professional set-up from their administration right down to the change-room attendant. I believe other unions can take a leaf out of Northerns’ book, who always allow cricket to prevail. I am sad to be leaving the Nashua Titans and will always be grateful to them for having afforded me the opportunities necessary, to allow me to be selected for South Africa. I wish them well in the future.”

Australia 235 and 150 for 4 (Gilchrist 49) lead India 376 (Kaif 64, Patel 54, Warne 6-125) by 9 runs
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details

An intriguing day’s play where punch was met by counter-punch and strategy was defied by grit set the second Test up perfectly going into the fourth day. Parthiv Patel and Mohammad Kaif stretched India’s lead on to a healthy 141 and then Australia, with Adam Gilchrist showing the way at No. 3, scrambled to 150 for 4, with a slender lead of 9.The Indian lead of 141 does not sound like an awful lot, but it was enough to put pressure on Matthew Hayden and Justin Langer. The two began shakily, but managed to get the ball away often enough to bring up the 50-run partnership before Langer’s flash outside off fell in Rahul Dravid’s lap at first slip. Langer had made 19, but it was ironic that he was the first to be dismissed, for Hayden had been the one flirting with danger. He was dropped twice by Patel behind the stumps, first when he hadn’t yet opened his account, off Zaheer Khan, and later on 21, off Anil Kumble.Eventually, though, Hayden fell on 39, but not before he had reverted to the tactic that brought him 549 runs at an uber-Bradman average of 109 on Australia’s last tour here. Hayden’s lusty sweeps were effective, but eventually caused his downfall on 39, when one ball climbed, took the edge and ballooned up for VVS Laxman to latch onto gingerly at mid-on (76 for 2).Gilchrist then showed why he was in at No. 3, sweeping Kumble, Harbhajan and Virender Sehwag for powerful boundaries in quick succession. Simon Katich, looking to be more aggressive in this innings than he had earlier in the series, reached 9 before being trapped in front of the stumps by a sharp reverse-swinging delivery from Zaheer Khan (121 for 3). Gilchrist galloped along, reaching 49 swiftly, but after a sluggish phase in sight of the half-century, was bowled around the legs by a Kumble googly (145 for 4). Only two balls before that, Patel had chalked up his third dropped catch in under 47 overs, when Gilchrist gloved Kumble down the leg side.But Patel’s day was not all about misses. Earlier, with Kaif, he proved that it was possible to bat long on this Chennai pitch. Kaif, curious stance on display – feet close together, buttocks stuck out, hands spread on the bat handle – took his guard outside the crease, and used a straight bat to great effect against the medium-pacers. Patel, waiting and watching the ball till the last possible moment before choosing his stroke, ensured that he was able to take toll when the opportunity arose.Both batsmen had just about blunted the seamers when Gilchrist turned to spin, and Patel cashed in with two quick boundaries – a pull off Katich and a heave to midwicket off Shane Warne. The partnership reached three figures and Patel had brought up his half-century.

Kaif’s selection for this Test, his first in three years, proved to be an inspired decision. His 64, coming when it did, pulled India away from Australia after Virender Sehwag had laid the foundation. Kaif’s half-century, his first in Test cricket, meant that the score had moved from 233 for 6 to 335 for 7. The partnership was broken when a delivery from Warne bounced a bit more than Patel expected, and he gloved it to the Gilchrist behind the stumps. In keeping with the spirit of this game Patel walked before David Shepherd could make up his mind.Then there was a moment of confusion as Kaif dehydrated and cramped up badly. Having dashed off the field in urgent need of relief at the stroke of lunch, Kaif remained in the dressing-room, temporarily retiring hurt. Anil Kumble (20), who had batted well in the reassuring presence of Kaif, was bowled by one that drifted and turned and Harbhajan Singh popped a return catch to Warne, as he finished with 6 for 125.Kaif (64) returned to the crease with Yuvraj Singh as a runner, but did not last too long. He came down the wicket and lifted Warne over mid-on for one glorious boundary, and ran himself out shortly after in dramatic fashion. Having reverse-swept one to the short third man region, Kaif forgot about his runner and instinctively set off down the pitch. Then he slipped and fell on the pitch clutching his leg and couldn’t make it back before the bails were whipped off. By then, though, he had done his bit.

Brad Hodge has been recalled to the Australian squad after a hamstring injury ruled Darren Lehmann out of the fourth Test.Hodge, 29, had been heading home from India, but he had only made it as far as Mumbai – which, conveniently enough, is the venue of the fourth Test – when he learned of Lehmann’s plight.”When I left the boys yesterday, the last place I expected to be in 24 hours’ time was Nagpur,” said a bemused Hodge, who has yet to make his Test debut.Lehmann struck 70 on the opening day at Nagpur, but he needed a runner late on in his innings. Lehmann’s Test place had been in jeopardy after he failed in the first two matches. After Michael Clarke hit 151 on his Test debut at Bangalore, Lehmann reportedly offered to step aside to make room for Australia’s captain, Ricky Ponting.And Ponting could yet step in to Lehmann’s shoes for the fourth Test, if he receives the all-clear after breaking his thumb.

Everybody’s talking about sledging these days. In recent times Dennis Lillee, Kapil Dev, Sunil Gavaskar and Sourav Ganguly have all commented on the issue. All of them have a point.Sledging has been happening in cricket for a long time. It has become a concern now because TV viewers and listeners can hear what players are saying via stump microphones. This has resulted in the recent past in some players getting disciplined – such as Glenn McGrath, Shahid Afridi and Darren Lehmann. Even I was incorrectly accused during the 2003 World Cup of wrongful sledging, although everyone knows I am not a particularly vociferous person on the field.A most amazing incident happened in grade (club) cricket in Australia in March, when the batsmen walked off after incessant sledging by the opposing fielders and bowlers.Many people say sledging is against the spirit of cricket. In my mind, not all sledging is bad. Most things in the world have both a negative and a positive side to them. That’s just the case with sledging.Negative sledging, I would say, falls into the category of Abuses and Insults; positive sledging consists of Challenges and Humour. There is, of course, a fine line between insult and humour, and it’s often a matter of perception.Abuses and Insults are against the spirit of the game. They usually begin when despite trying their hardest, players are not getting what they want. They then lose their composure, become desperate and resort to negative sledging by using foul and insulting language. They need to be reined in, and that responsibility falls first on the captain. The onus for determining when the limit has been crossed falls on the match referee.Challenges and Humour, on the other hand, are an affable part of the game. Basit Ali once told me that when he used to go into bat in the initial few matches of his career, Javed Miandad used to ask him to dare the fast bowlers by saying, “Let’s see if you can hit me.” This is like throwing a challenge to the opponent and is good gamesmanship. In boxing, we all know how Muhammad Ali is still admired worldwide for similar behaviour in the ring. Glaring and making unpleasant faces towards the opponents is all part of the aggressiveness in the field and is not unconstructive, as long as no bad words are exchanged.Qasim Umer indulged in some hilarious sledging against West Indies way back in the semi-final of the Benson & Hedges World Championship of Cricket in Melbourne in 1985, when he started to make faces similar to Malcolm Marshall and Winston Davis. He even held out his bat as if he was holding a gun. The World Cup of 1992 will always be remembered for Pakistan’s win in the final against England – and Javed Miandad jumping up and down against India after the consistent chattering of their wicketkeeper, Kiran More.These days when people talk of sledging Australia come immediately to mind. Let us, thus, examine sledging and nationality. The West Indians, considered the friendliest cricket team, never sledge. On the field they play aggressive cricket, talk among themselves and buck up each other, but they rarely get entangled in heated exchanges with their opponents. They rarely lose their composure – though they have done so in the past because of bad umpiring, which is nevertheless not reason enough.For Australia, on the other hand, sledging has been a part of their cricketing folklore – as epitomised by Yabba, a person sitting near the boundary at Sydney throwing encouragements, challenges and insults to players. Australian players on the field have now adopted the role of Yabba. As long as the modern-day Yabba does not use ugly language and is only sending out healthy challenges, it should be fine. In fact, it is good for the game, and adds to its competitiveness.The most popular sport on this planet is soccer. Nobody tries to ban sledging and body contact in this sport. In cricket, with the batsman separated by 22 yards, body contact is irrelevant and undesirable. But positive sledging increases the thrill of the game – just as it does in soccer.As a player, one needs to be mentally tough and able to adapt to the prevailing sports environment. And the ultimate weapon to counter sledging is one’s cricketing skill. VVS Laxman’s exquisite 281 against Australia at Kolkata in 2001 was one example of this, as was Shoaib Akhtar’s 5 for 25 at Brisbane in 2002. At the end of the day, it should all come down to the cricket.

Thilan Samaraweera’s return to Sri Lanka’s one-day squad after a three-year absence was the only notable change as Sri Lanka announced their ODI and Test squads for their forthcoming series against Bangladesh.Samaraweera, now 28, was one of nine batsman picked in a 15-man ODI squad as the selectors rested Nuwan Zoysa due to fitness concerns and left out Lasith Malinga from the victorious India Oil Cup squad. Avishka Gunawardene was the other batsman to have been recalled; Sri Lanka now have four specialist opening batsmen. Samaraweera, who last played one-day cricket in the VB Series in Australia just prior to the 2003 World Cup, has a Test average of over 47 and has been seen as less of a one-day prospect. Zoysa’s surprise omission was due to general physical fitness concerns. According to Lalith Kaluperuma, the chairman of the selectors, he was “rested”.Sri Lanka will face Bangladesh in three one-dayers, starting on August 31, before playing two Tests from September 12-16 and 20-24. Bangladesh, coached by former Sri Lanka coach Dav Whatmore, arrive on Wednesday and will warm up for the one-day series with a practice match against a Sri Lanka President’s XI in Moratuwa on Sept 28.One-day squad
Marvan Atapattu (capt), Mahela Jayawardene, Sanath Jayasuriya, Upul Tharanga, Kumar Sangakkara (wk), Russel Arnold, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Chaminda Vaas, Upul Chandana, Farveez Maharoof, Muttiah Muralitharan, Avishka Gunawardene, Dilhara Fernando, Dilhara Lokuhettige, Thilan Samaraweera.Test squad
Marvan Atapattu (capt), Mahela Jayawardene, Sanath Jayasuriya, Kumar Sangakkara (wk), Thilan Samaraweera, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Chaminda Vaas, Farveez Maharoof, Rangana Herath, Muttiah Muralitharan, Lasith Malinga, Russel Arnold, Gayan Wijekoon, Dilhara Fernando, Shantha Kalavitigoda.

Pakistan’s obsession with Shoaib Akhtar’s fitness and commitment, increasingly a pre-series ritual, has once again got underway. Bob Woolmer, the Pakistan coach told Cricinfo in an exclusive interview that he still has concerns over the fast bowler’s fitness.”I understand that Shoaib Akhtar runs thirty metres to bowl and he puts a lot of effort into it. He bowls very quickly and is a massive asset to any team. But in order to do that you have to be a lot fitter than he is at the moment.”Shoaib has not played for Pakistan since January this year; he missed the tour to India with a strained hamstring and was overlooked for the subsequent Caribbean tour on the grounds that he wasn’t fit enough. Since then, he has played a handful of games at county level, the Afro-Asia series where he looked impressive and two ODIs in the recently concluded Super Series against Australia. He wasn’t included in the World XI Test squad for the one-off Test at Sydney, although Graeme Smith, the captain, was at pains to point out it wasn’t due to lack of fitness.Woolmer and the Pakistan board are keen that Shoaib proves his fitness before the England series. His largely unimpressive performance in the Super Series ODIs have not been reassuring on this count.Shaharyar Khan, the Pakistan board chairman, too has sought assurances from Shoaib about his commitment to the team and fitness, and set both down as a condition for a comeback.Shaharyar told the Karachi-based daily, , that he had spoken long and hard to Shoaib during the Super Series and explained to him exactly what he needed to do to get back into the team. Shoaib, according to Shaharyar, guaranteed him his full commitment.Woolmer expects Shoaib to play in two games before the England series, including the four-day practice game between a Pakistan XI and Lahore, in Lahore from October 26. A source close to the Pakistan team told Cricinfo that nothing short of sustained spells of fast bowling, in these conditions, over a few days, will convince the management of Shoaib’s fitness levels.Woolmer said, “He’s coming to the training camp on the 21st and he’s playing on the 26th in the practice game in Lahore so I want to see him get stuck in. We have a very important series coming up against England and it’s not about Shoaib Akhtar or Bob Woolmer.”Given that, for the first time in over a year, Pakistan have considerable depth in the fast bowling department – Mohammad Sami and Umar Gul are fit again, Shabbir Ahmed has been allowed to resume bowling and the likes of Mohammad Asif, Najaf Shah and Mohammad Khalil have also impressed recently – there will be added pressure on Shoaib to prove his fitness.Woolmer added, “The only thing I believe Shoaib has to consider is that he must get himself fit if he is to bowl consistently fast for the rest of his career. He’s 30 now so his fast bowling career has probably four years left. It doesn’t take two years to get fit, it takes two months; he has an opportunity to do that.”Woolmer also touched on problems relating to getting the message across to Shoaib, saying that he might be receiving advice from people outside the game of cricket. “It’s a major problem if you have contrary advice; either you listen to the cricket coach or you listen to people who don’t know anything about cricket. If Shoaib wants to do it his way and if he doesn’t fit the bill, he has to understand he might not get selected.”