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	The MCC, the umbrella body that oversees the Laws of Cricket, is opposed to changing the result of a Test, according to a report in the Times © Getty Images

The MCC has heavily criticised the ICC’s decision to alter England’s win in the forfeited Test against Pakistan at The Oval in 2006 into a draw, and will lobby for another reversal.The MCC is the body responsible for the Laws of Cricket, and secretary Keith Bradshaw felt the decision contravened the spirit of the game and its Laws. It is also reported that the MCC’s cricket committee is opposed to any alteration to Law 21, which states that the result should not be changed.”Cricket is the worse for this decision and it was opposed unanimously by the ICC’s cricket committee, on which I sit,” Bradshaw told the Times. Michael Holding, the former West Indian fast bowler, resigned from the ICC cricket committee following the verdict.The ICC ruling was termed as “unprecedented and dangerous” by Robert Griffiths, QC, who represented umpire Darrell Hair at his tribunal hearing against the ICC. “It had no power to do so under the Laws of Cricket and the decision is a nullity,” Griffiths, along with fellow barrister Stephen Whale wrote in the Times. “But it is deeply troubling that the ICC should take this unprecedented and dangerous step. It is historical revisionism of the worst kind.”Law 21(10) is unequivocal: once the umpires have agreed with the scorers the correctness of the scores, the result cannot be changed. The reasoning is vacuous. It was, officially, ‘based on the view that in light of the unique set of circumstances, the original result was felt to be inappropriate’. This is even though ICC board member witnesses admitted under oath at Hair’s tribunal that the umpires’ decisions were in accordance with the Laws.”The Test was awarded to England after Pakistan did not come out to field after tea on the fourth day, following accusations of ball-tampering. The result had off-field ramifications as well. Hair went on to be suspended from the ICC elite panel, and though that decision was overturned last year when he took his employers to the High Court in London, the initial decision formed the basis of Pakistan’s appeal for a change to the result.

KINGSTON – In the face of conflicting stories over the status of a recurring knee injury, Dale Richards revealed here yesterday that he was keen on playing in Barbados’ Red Stripe Bowl semifinal against Trinidad and Tobago on Friday.A determination of his fitness, however, will be made today after Barbados’ team management receives a final report from Dr Aksai Mansingh, a Jamaica-based doctor who has often been retained by the West Indies Cricket Board.Richards, converted to an opening batsman for this tournament, was unable to take his place in the Barbados team for the weekend’s back-to-back matches and it was suspected from as early as Friday that he would be returning home and would take no further part in the competition.Amidst all the uncertainty, the 26-year-old old NATIONSPORT yesterday that if it were left to him, he would walk out to the middle at Kaiser Sports Club come Friday."I am feeling alright and, most likely, I think I will be able to play," he said."The knee is feeling a little better than it was in the last two days. I am a bit stiff, otherwise I am feeling a bit better. Maybe the body wanted some rest."Richards first suffered a recurrence of the injury while batting against the Leewards XI at the Melbourne Club ground last week Sunday when he was run out for 81. It followed an unbeaten 121 in the opening match against the University of the West Indies at Chedwin Park two days earlier.He believes the knee is responding well to treatment from team physiotherapist Phyllis Burnett. The treatment includes daily icing and the use of an ultra-sound machine.This latest injury to Richards is on the same right knee that bothered him two years ago when he was forced to have an operation.There was some speculation here over the last few days that he might need surgery again, but it was too early to determine."I do not feel it is going to stop me, but we have to wait and see. It won’t be 100 per cent, but I will try," Richards added.Barbados manager Tony Howard was also upbeat that Richards would be available for this weekend’s matches."Initially, the idea was that if Dale couldn’t make it, we would send him home but we will get a final report from Dr Mansingh tomorrow [today] and see where we will go," Howard said."Dale is the kind of man that you would like to keep. He has to decide if he can make it. By Friday, it will be almost two weeks that he hasn’t played. The injury may be at a stage, in my personal opinion, where he might be able to say I can make this."

The final of the Busta International Shield got underway on Thursday at the Sabina Park, Jamaica, but the home crowd had little to cheer about as batsman after batsman got a good start and then squandered it, mostly to Mahendra Nagamootoo.Guyana skipper Carl Hooper won the toss and elected to field first, but a 102-run stand for the first wicket threatened to make him regret his decision. The fast bowlers were wayward and expensive, as was the wicket-keeping. As many as 20 byes and 14 no-balls contributed towards an abysmal tally of 48 extras in the 99 overs that were bowled on the day.Chris Gayle, having made 41 off 104 balls with two fours and a six, was the first to fall, caught by Ramnaresh Sarwan off the bowling off Nagamootoo. His partner, Leon Garrick, departed seven runs later, caught by Hooper off the very same bowler for 36.After Wavell Hinds stuck around for 76 balls to score 17, Jamaica were in desperate need of a solid partnership. Keith Hibbert and skipper Robert Samuels provided that in part with a 66-run stand, although Jamaica could have done with a lot more. Hibbert ground out 44 in 168 balls with two fours, while Samuels’ 34 came at a marginally quicker pace, off 87 balls with four fours.The partnership was broken when Nagamootoo trapped Samuels in front in the 84th over. Just four balls later, the leggie removed the dangerous Ricardo Powell for a duck.Hibbert’s resistance ended when Reon King had him caught by Neil McGarrell in the final over of the day. Jamaica ended the day on 229 for six, with Gareth Breese (eight off 51 balls) and Ryan Cunningham (one off two balls) at the crease.The star bowler for the visitors was Nagamootoo, who took four for 71 in a marathon performance of 32 overs. His efforts on a slow pitch made up for waywardness elsewhere in the Guyanese bowling attack, and he will be Hooper’s trump card in Jamaica’s second innings as well.

The United Cricket Board has refuted a demand made by Hansie Cronje’s lawyer Leslie Sackstein that no South African cricket officials attend the funeral of the former South African captain Hansie Cronje in Bloemfontein on Wednesday.According to United Cricket Board spokesperson Bronwyn Wilkinson, Sackstein made the demand in a fax to UCB chief executive Gerald Majola on Monday. In the fax, Sackstein, who claimed to be acting for Cronje’s widow Bertha and the Cronje family, asked Majola to see to it that no UCB executive member nor World Cup executive director Ali Bacher attends the funeral.Sackstein represented Cronje during his appearance before the King Commission of Inquiry into Match-Fixing and his subsequent appeal against his life ban in the Pretoria High Court.However, Wilkinson said that the UCB had been assured by a representative of the Cronje family that anyone was free to attend the funeral. She said that several UCB members intended to pay their respects to Cronje and that a number of Cronje’s former South African team-mates, including captain Shaun Pollock who is to fly to South Africa from England, were expected to attend the funeral.Cronje died in a plane crash on Saturday.

Gosport Borough have won all five games they’ve played since late June, but it’s not been quite enough to propel them into the Southern Electric Premier League, Division 3 promotion frame.Purbrook and St Cross Symondians went into today’s final round of matches as firm favourites to claim the top two places.Andy Mengham’s side needed ten points from Ventnor’s visit to The Heath to go up as champions, while five bonus points from Havant II would have been enough to secure the probable runners-up spot for St Cross, who just missed out last term.But, after a modest four wins out of eight return from the opening two months of the season, Gosport will probably be well pleased with a probable third spot.Queenslander Nathan Collins, who becomes a naturalised Englishman for the purposes of SPL regulations next season, has once again led the way for the Borough.He’s bagged 38 wickets so far and, unless Alton’s Julian Ballinger picks up eight or more victims at Redlynch & Hale today, is virtually assured the Premier 3 bowling award for the second consecutive season.But Gosport have also done pretty well with the bat – Mike Rees, Stuart Magee and Pete Robson all homing in on a 400-run aggregate before today’s finale with Flamingo.Gosport’s fifth successive win came after a run chase at Ridge Meadow, where they cruised past Hambledon’s 248 (Leigh Burns 65) for the loss of five wickets – Collins showing his batting prowess with a neat 74.Hambledon’s season has been in complete contrast to that of Gosport, who inflicted their fifth successive defeat – a sequence of results which is set to leave them in third from bottom position.Winning or losing five games on the trot seems to be a regular occurrence in Premier 3 these days.Take Alton, for example.Top of the pile with seven wins out of eight at the start of July, their fortunes dipped dramatically with five straight defeats – a run they finally arrested with last weekend’s 62-run win over Portsmouth II.Alton must have thought promotion was theirs for the taking when they bowled over Purbrook and St Cross Symondians in late June.But, just like last season, it all went horribly wrong for Julian Ballinger’s side.They completely lost their way – being skittled for a meagre 50 by Gosport two weeks ago – and went to Redlynch today still searching to finish in a top six slot.Alton’s long overdue eighth win came at the expense of Portsmouth II – Michael Heffernan hitting a maiden century he must have feared was always to elude him.Four times previously the eldest of Paddy’s two cricketing sons had perished in the nervous 90’s, but as Alton ran up 245 against Portsmouth, so Michael notched his maiden 100.And what an appropriate time to do it – with all four members of the Heffernan clan in the Alton side !Rumour has it that Paddy’s wallet took a pounding last Saturday night …..But Heffernan’s celebrations will pale into insignificance alongside those at Purbrook Heath tonight, should Andy Mengham’s side lift the championship.Purbrook took a massive step nearer the title with a thrilling one-run win at Hursley Park – an absorbing match in which South African Willem Prozensky underlined what a talent he has.While partners came and went with regularity, Prozesky struck a quite superb 125 to take his season’s run aggregate to 924, over two-thirds of which (652) have come in boundaries.Purbrook’s 268-8 was trimmed, leaving Hursley Park a target score of 215 – which they almost got on the back of the day’s second splendid century by Paul Edwards, who was run out as the Park finished on 214-9.It was a terrific game that neither side deserved to lose.The win all but wrapped things up for Purbrook, who expect to be accompanied by St Cross into Premier 2 next season.Symondians almost tied things up themselves with an eight-wicket win over Hook & Newnham Basics (171) – Kiwi Mark Parker hitting an unbeaten 75 to ease the visitors home.Havant II pair Simon Greenfield, with an unbeaten 110, and Jon Owen (88) led a 275-2 run spree against severely weakened Flamingo, while a five-wicket spell by Fred Smith (5-21) and punchy 75 from Neil Westhorpe carried Ventnor to an 83-run win over Leckford.New Milton christened their new Fernhill HQ with a low-scoring three-wicket win over Waterlooville, but Redlynch & Hale sank to a hefty 176-run defeat at Hartley Wintney, where the village bowlers took a 280-run pounding.Paultons scored a timely late win, John Robinson hitting 66 in a 226-run total against Bashley-Rydal II, who faded after Steve Latimore’s bright beginnings and dipped to 200-9 at stumps.

Saqlain Mushtaq – His off breaks might have done it at Lord’s! Photo © CricInfo

Saqlain, Saqlain and Saqlain…! His name is cropping up like an SOS signal for the Pakistan team.The cricket world and the critics appear to have gone into a fit about Saqlain. Screaming, had he been included at Lord’s the result of the match would’ve been different. How, so ask I?Pakistan conceded 391 in the first innings. This certainly wasn’t a mammoth total then, though it later proved to be more than enough. Let’s assume Saqlain were in the side, according to the wishes of all and sundry, England would perhaps have made 350 ± 10. And I’m sure, the way they played, Pakistan would still have lost, perhaps with a smaller margin. One can quibble that they might have avoided an innings defeat but most likely lost by 9 or 10 wickets.Thus, I question, does a 10-wicket defeat hurt less than an innings defeat? We all know a defeat is after all a defeat; surely, if the losing team hasn’t put up a fight then a loss by even one wicket is just as disgraceful.Now who would’ve made way for Saqlain? In all probability Azhar Mahmood. Looking at the pre-match scene, he was the surprise choice (irrespective of how he fared in the match or what his figures read afterwards). Moreover, this Pakistani all-rounder has never been thought of as a first choice inclusion in a Test side while Abdur Razzaq, his closest rival, is around. Notwithstanding past injuries, Azhar had only appeared in a test match way back in 1999 when Pakistan visited Australia.So, if Saqlain had been there would he have matched Azhar’s miserly figures of 4 for 50 in 26 overs? Highly improbable, when one considers the nature of the pitch at Lord’s and the few overs of insipid spin seen. It simply wasn’t a spinner’s wicket.If Wasim, Waqar and Shoaib didn’t succeed, it does not mean the pitch held nothing for seamers, and instead had ‘everything’ for spinners. If that were the case the hosts would not have gone out without a regular spinner and Gough and Caddick would have been just as ineffective as the Pakistani pacers.I am left wondering at my fellow writers’ ‘bias’ in evaluating things. In assessing England’s innings, most have focused only on the way Pakistan bowled, ignoring the naked truth that England batted brilliantly. They applied themselves to the task and grafted their innings with a lot of maturity – a fact overlooked by almost every other Pakistani batsman. And, did anyone bother to analyse how Saqlain would have countered such brilliance?Now let’s look at it in another way. Pakistan did bat terribly, true! But their performance was not as poor (sic) as the performance of English bowlers and fielders was superb – again an aspect generally ignored by almost everyone. It’s like one’s view about a half a pint in a pint mug – some think of it as half-full but others say it’s half-empty.All this boils down to one thing. Apart from Caddick and Gough’s thunder and lightening and a few complaints about umpiring generosity (without which, the outcome would only have been delayed), the real reason for Pakistan’s humiliation was very fragile batting.I feel no embarrassment in admitting that Pakistanis played club-level cricket. There was no maturity whatsoever in their shot selection, no visible game plan and almost all of them found it hard to negotiate balls pitched on and outside the off stump. Most ended up offering catches behind the stumps, and the English fielders made absolutely no mistake in grateful acceptance.Absolutely no enjoyment for Pakistani fans while their English counterparts, must have relished it and, more so, the England fielders loved the early season catching practice. While Saeed Anwar, Inzamam and Yousuf Youhana fell to poor shot selection, perhaps fair evidence of over-confidence, Saleem Elahi, Azhar Mahmood, and Razzaq simply had no clue to cope with Caddick and Gough’s precision.

Saqlain Mushtaq – A handy lower order batsman Photo © AFP

Saqlain fans add he would have proved handy in the lower order but this is a silly argument when one thinks and realizes that to rely on a few late runs after the top had been decimated could have changed the result. Admittedly, his record bears evidence to some good rearguard innings, like his recent maiden century at Christchurch. I’d only say if one has to judge someone on his past record, then what about Inzamam and Saeed’s 45 plus averages in test cricket.Despite all my nationalism, reading the writing on the wall does not allow for a beautiful fantasy: Saqlain batting seven or eight down and hitting centuries in both innings, saving Pakistan!

The last time Kolkata Knight Riders were in South Africa was during their disastrous IPL 2009 campaign when they finished at the bottom of the table. Since then, they went for a multi-million dollar overhaul and changed the entire machinery starting with their captain. Out went an old, weary and confused lot and in came a leaner, more efficient and cohesive Knight Riders version 2 and the change had an immediate effect.The Champions League will be a different beast though. Knight Riders have the tough task of leading the IPL flag in markedly different conditions. The other challenge for the team will be to hit the ground running in the two-week long tournament, as their won’t be many chances to make a comeback after a bad start.So, to avoid all that good work between 2009 and this trip, Knight Riders will need their leading lights to show the way. That includes the captain Gautam Gambhir, Jacques Kallis, Brett Lee and Sunil Narine, who played a key role in his team’s IPL triumph, and the only remnant of the 2009 trip, Brendon McCullum.Though Gambhir was the chief aggressor and one of the leading run-getters in IPL this year – he scored 590 runs at a strike rate of 143.55 – his current form could be a concern. Therefore, the responsibility of leading a talented, but young, batting brigade will rest on McCullum and Kallis. The South African pitches will also suit their games.Knight Riders’ bowling fortunes will still largely depend on Narine – the second highest wicket-taker in IPL 2012. But their support cast was impressive as well. L Balaji’s performance this year didn’t escape the eyes of the national team selectors, while Rajat Bhatia’s canny medium-pace fetched him 13 wickets. The team also includes two of the world’s best allrounders in Kallis and Shakib Al Hasan.The tournament is also an opportunity for some Indian players – like Manoj Tiwary and Yusuf Pathan – to impress the new national selection panel. Tiwary has waited for a year with his foot in the door and a good showing in South Africa could add weight to his CV. For Yusuf, a performance true to his reputation could bring him back in the reckoning for an India limited-overs spot.

How they qualified

Knight Riders are the current IPL champions. After coming second to Delhi Daredevils in the league stage by one point, Knight Riders beat Daredevils in the first playoff to qualify for their maiden final, in Chennai. There, they beat Super Kings by five wickets.

Key Player

Gautam Gambhir has instilled aggression into the team with his captaincy. His batting has reaped the benefit of his approach, as he rose from being an accumulator to destroyer. In this year’s IPL, Gambhir scored six half-centuries, slammed 17 sixes and collected 64 boundaries – well ahead of the next batsman in the team. Some of these runs came on the slow Kolkata track on which others found it hard to get going. Despite his recent form in international cricket, his resilience will still hold the key for Knight Riders.

Surprise package

Just when Chennai Super Kings had thought they were on track for another IPL title, Manvinder Bisla proved to be the jack-in-the-box with a brutal and nerveless 48-ball 89 that won the Knight Riders their first IPL title. That innings represented 42% of Bisla’s batting contribution in the tournament, but it also showcased his talent as he easily outscored Kallis at the other end.

Weakness

Gambhir was inspiring with his batting earlier this year and fortunate to have ideal bowlers for the tired, slow and low pitches in India. However, all those plans will need a rejig on fresher pitches that retain some moisture. Gambhir, the captain, could be susceptible to the bounce himself and the movement, and his failure could drag the team along.

Defeating Pakistan by 77 runs Sri Lanka emerged as the legitimate winners of the ARY Gold Cup. The way they toyed with Pakistan in the grand final was a treat to watch and exciting too. Sri Lanka’s triumph can be called a victory of `fielding and determination’, the most important elements in the game of cricket. Pakistan’s miserable fielding and distressing catch droppings that allowed Sri Lanka to pile up a mammoth 297 runs. In contrast, Sri Lanka’s marvelous fielding and flawless catching brought them to the victory stand.In hindsight, had the Pakistan fielders held their catches the situation may well have been different. With a lesser quantum of pressure Pakistan would have batted with more confidence to achieve the target. Though Saeed Anwar displayed the courage of a lion to fight the lone battle, the target was rather too tall to achieve without equal support from the other end. He was out after scoring a defiant 62 and his departure signaled the end of any hopes of Pakistan’s survival.One must give Sri Lanka the credit it deserves for such a fabulous victory. Putting defeats in the league matches behind them, they rejuvenated to face a high riding Pakistan outfit, eventually defeating them in all departments of the game.Winning the toss could be a good omen for Sri Lanka because the Pakistan team was not good at chasing the target. Pakistan got the 1st break through when opener Romesh Kaluwitharana was run out with the total at 8. Waqar Younis and Abdur Razzaq bowled well to restrict the score to 33 after 10 overs.During the next 5 the batsmen broke the cordon by hitting a few fours. Jayasuriya delighted the over-flowing crowd by punishing Razzaq for two mighty sixes in one over. The rate of scoring jumped, with 15 overs yielding 64 runs and Jayasuriya and Atapattu were now in full flow.Pakistan suffered the 1st blow when Waqar Younis dropped Jayasuriya, trying a flying shot to the boundary. He survived a 2nd chance when keeper Humayun Farhat failed to hold a flick. Jayasuriya hoisted his 50 with 3 sixes, while 100 of the innings came in 23 overs.After playing a fabulous innings of 70 Jayasuriya finally offered an easy catch to Inzamam off Shoaib Malik and Sri Lanka were 122 for 2. Having scored 47 runs, his highest of the tournament, Marvan Atapattu tried a reverse sweep but was dropped. After completing his 50 a little later, he again skied a ball, which Inzamam failed to hold. With such liberal dropping of catches it did not look to be Pakistan’s day.Taking full advantage of Pakistan’s poor fielding Atapattu and Jayawardene were on the rampage scoring runs on almost every ball. They hit a flurry of fours, sixes and even reverse sweeps. In the rush of things Jayawardene was dropped by Saqlain taking the tally of dropped catches to 6. Pakistan’s fielding was simply atrocious.To the joy of a very enthusiastic crowd, the tempo of the game kept rising, 64 runs coming off 6 overs and the 200 of the innings in the 41st over. Pakistan bowlers and fielders who had been under severe punishment from the batsmen got a sigh of relief when Atapattu was run out after scoring a stormy 89 and Sri Lanka was 233 for 3.When Sri Lanka reached 245 in 46 overs, runs started coming at jet speed. After smashing Waqar Younis for two mighty sixes, Jayawardene made his way out after scoring an invaluable 67. The gamble of bringing in off spinner Saqlain Mushtaq paid off when he made short work of Jayawardene and Chaminda Vaas in one over, bringing down Sri Lanka to 276 for 6 but with a late flurry by Zoysa, Sri Lanka reached a massive 297 for 7. With a 3 wickets haul Saqlain was the leading bowler.Facing the mountain like target, Pakistan lost openers Shahid Afridi and Imran Nazir for only 13 runs in a desperate and panicky start, going for runs. Humayun Farhat was sent to stem the rot. Guided by Saeed Anwar he did a wonderful job of holding the other end and scoring runs at a brisk pace.After playing an excellent innings of 39 Humayun fell victim of a superb catch taken by Muralitharan at point. Pakistan lost the 3rd wicket at 86 scored in 10 overs. Saeed Anwar was still holding the fort with 27. Inzamam did not stay for long and Younis Khan joined him in the pavilion a little later. Abdur Razzaq came and went rendering Pakistan to a hopeless 108 for 6.Succumbing Sri Lanka’s marvelous fielding and sensational catching ability Pakistan was in serious trouble. While Saeed Anwar held his ground with courage the procession continued from the other end. In a late partnership with Shoaib Malik he took the total to 159 in 22 overs.Fighting a lone battle Saeed hoisted his 39th 50 in one-day cricket but departed after scoring a valiant 62, rewarding Jayasuriya with his 200th wicket in one-day matches. Down to 159 for 7, Pakistan had a lot of overs in the kitty but no match winners left among the tail-enders.Although Shoaib Malik scored a defiant 44 while Waqar contributed 20. Pakistan was all out for 220. Sri Lanka won the final of the ARY Gold Cup by 77 runs. Chaminda Vaas was the highest wicket taker with 3 victims.Man of the Match was Marvan Atapattu and of the Series was Inzamam-ul-Haq.

An ageing team? A crisis on the cards?

Nathan Hauritz

It may have been a popular refrain 12 months ago but predictions of Australia’s impending decline don’t really look like materialising right now.More to the point, the legion of critics who pointed back then to an apparent lack of emerging Australian talent seem to have been decidedly out of order.Tasmania’s Shane Watson is already beginning to take great delight not only in dismantling such theories but also in providing the prospect that Australia may now have the kind of all-round asset it has not possessed in 40 years.New South Wales batsman Michael Clarke, South Australian paceman Paul Rofe and Tasmanian wicketkeeper Sean Clingeleffer are others among a rising crop of youngsters who look destined for outstanding careers.And, given that the most successful off spinner in the country’s international history played his last match a century ago, it might be argued that the rapid development of Queensland’s Nathan Hauritz bears as much significance as any.Having just been included in a senior national squad for the first time in his career, Hauritz is about to embark on a journey that will see him join Watson and another 13 of his countrymen in South Africa and Zimbabwe for impending limited-overs tours.And, while his base of only seven first-class and 16 domestic one-day games may seem a shallow pool of experience upon which to draw, he looks an outstanding selection. For he already carries with him a cool persona, resourceful skills as a lower order batsman, and a repertoire of deliveries that imply that the future of Australian slow bowling might well be in safe hands.Right now, Hauritz offers living cricketing proof that a lot can happen in a short space of time. Quite apart from helping confound those expectations about Australian cricket’s future, he has even surprised himself in bypassing the low-key introduction to elite level cricket that he had expected.”Never in my wildest dreams had I thought about playing for Australia for about the next five years. Just to listen to it all (and) to take in the idea that people are talking about me playing for my country has been great, very exciting,” said Hauritz to CricInfo earlier this season.”But I don’t want to get too far ahead of myself. Shane Warne only came on to the scene when he was around 23 and spinners always seem to mature later than other players.””I’m conscious of the fact that Queensland generally hasn’t produced a lot of top-line spin bowlers over the years as well.”Through it all, 20-year-old Hauritz still appears remarkably settled for a young cricketer. Particularly one coming off a stunning domestic limited-overs season that yielded 18 wickets at an average of 21.16 and culminated in a haul of 4/47 in last month’s ING Cup Final.Delightfully, he still regards himself, in his own words, as “a nobody” and as being very much in the midst of a journey of discovery.”In the one-dayers with Queensland, I’ve found my role’s been made fairly realistic for me and therefore reasonably simple to perform so far. I’ve needed to bowl accurately and at the stumps and change the pace. But I haven’t really needed to spin the ball a lot in those games.”My patience still needs to be improved; that’s probably my biggest problem at the moment.”In junior cricket, you tend to look at picking up a wicket every five or ten overs; when you get to this level, you’re up against much better players and they just wait for the bad ball.”Though keen not to overplay his triumphs, Hauritz’s list of accomplishments at junior level offers a powerful indication of what might await. Remarkably, he was a member of state underage sides in every year that followed his 12th birthday and he quickly became a regular in a range of Australian under-17, under-19 and development squads too.He also enjoyed stints as the under-19 captain of both his state and his country, winning the respect and admiration of players, coaches and administrators alike with his acumen as a leader. Any spectator who witnessed the imaginative, attacking declaration that helped land Queensland an unexpected victory in the final of the national under-19 championships in 2000-01 is just as unlikely to have been left with anything but a favourable impression.”Things took off once I made a Queensland under-13 team. The year before, I had an ok year but I didn’t make the side I wanted to make. From then on, I guess it’s kept going and going and going,” he says of the developments that lie behind his graduation to a post at the head of a dynamic new pack of spinners in Australia.”I think it’s really good, really healthy, now that a lot of young spinners from similar age groups are all starting to break through into the first-class scene at around the same time.”Obviously, there’s a lot of focus on Cameron White because he’s a leg spinner from Victoria but there are others like Xavier Doherty and Aaron O’Brien also starting to make their way into teams now.”It’s very exciting for the future of spin bowling in Australia.”Almost from the moment of his domestic debut at this time last year, Hauritz’s approach has been all about building on his early successes. And making a seamless transition between youth and senior ranks in the shift away from the pinnacle of underage cricket toward the mountain that leads to international selection and potential stardom.Also in focus has been the idea of adding a harder and more practical edge to his game. To help him, among other things, more easily find and beat the edge of the bat. Learning to outwit batsmen has been one of the primary areas of concentration; another has been imparting greater turn to his deliveries.”During my junior career, I was never a big spinner of the ball. (Queensland coach) Bennett King said to me ‘listen, it doesn’t matter how accurate you are, you’ve got to be able to spin the ball when you get to the next level’.”So I’ve been doing a lot of work on learning to spin the ball further. As well as keeping it accurate.”This year is when that’s all started to come together for me.”Over recent months, the reward for his toil has been reflected in his rise to the status of a permanent fixture in Queensland’s first eleven. For the last fortnight, he has additionally been the owner of a much-coveted berth among the company of the nation’s very best limited-overs players.Like former state and national underage teammate Watson, the quietly-spoken Hauritz also owes his first appearance in a senior Australian squad to the foresight of his country’s selection panel and its new, unshakable belief in youth.Though the doomsayers’ clarion cries may suggest he doesn’t have it in him to make it to the top, it seems reasonable to assume that his talents will speak even more loudly than is hoped.

	Graeme Smith’s match-winning fourth-innings centuries against England and Australia have both won nominations for the year’s best Test knock. © Getty Images

Graeme Smith, Virender Sehwag, Sachin Tendulkar, Ajantha Mendis and Dale Steyn were the cream of the crop in the nominations for the Cricinfo Awards, which recognise the best performances in Tests and ODIs in 2008.South Africa were clearly the best Test team of the year with a 11-2 win-loss record, and that dominance is reflected in the nominations, with four out of ten shortlisted batting performances. Their captain leads the way: Smith has been nominated for both his match-winning centuries in fourth-innings run-chases – an unbeaten 154 against England at Edgbaston and 108 against Australia in the astonishing Perth win. JP Duminy, who showed remarkable skill and poise in scoring 166 in Melbourne, and AB de Villiers are the other two South Africans. Virender Sehwag is the only other batsman with two nominations in this category, for his double-hundred in Galle and the utterly spectacular 83 against England in Chennai, the only non-century in the shortlist.With 74 wickets in 13 matches Dale Steyn towered over the rest of the bowlers in Tests in 2008, which is reflected in the nominations: he gets two mentions in the shortlist of 11, including one for the fiery burst which destroyed Australia in Melbourne. Bangladesh lost all their Tests except one this year, but they did have individual performances to celebrate, and two of those – Shahadat Hossain’s 6 for 27 against South Africa and Shakib Al Hasan’s 7 for 36 against New Zealand – make the cut.If South Africa lorded the Tests, then India were arguably the best ODI side of 2008, winning 19 games, including series wins in Australia and Sri Lanka. Four of the 11 batting nominations, and three out of 10 bowling ones, belong to them. Tendulkar’s 117 and 91 in back-to-back finals of the CB Series are both in the list, as are Yuvraj Singh’s two hundreds in successive games against England. Among the bowlers, Mendis steals the show with two nominations, including one for his extraordinary spell in the Asia Cup final, when his 6 for 13 ripped out a strong Indian batting line-up. Overall, India lead the way with 11 nominations, while South Africa, England and Sri Lanka have six each.The 11-member jury, which includes Ian Chappell, Tony Greig, Darryll Cullinan, David Lloyd, Ramiz Raja and Sanjay Manjrekar, will vote on these performances to decide the winner from each category. The final results will be declared next week.The Cricinfo Awards for best performances in a year were introduced in 2007. In its inaugural year, Kumar Sangakkara and Zaheer Khan won the Test awards in batting and bowling, while Adam Gilchrist and Lasith Malinga were the ODI stars.The full shortlists: Tests: Batting | Bowling ODIs: Batting | Bowling