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Australia’s captain Steven Smith has levelled heavy criticism about how Mitchell Marsh came to be given out at a pivotal moment of the deciding Chappell-Hadlee Trophy match in Hamilton. His opposite number Brendon McCullum, however, disputed the view that there had been no appeal to force an umpires’ referral.Marsh’s squeezed stroke off the bat and boot rebounded to the bowler, Matt Henry, who claimed the catch and raised his hand while turning towards the umpire Ian Gould. After some delay, during which time the big screen at Seddon Park showed a replay that indicated Marsh was likely to be out, Gould and the other on-field umpire, Derek Walker, agreed to refer the decision.Smith, the acting coach, Michael Di Venuto, and the team manager, Gavin Dovey, confronted the match referee Chris Broad after the match, and were told that neither umpire had heard an appeal initially. After that discussion, Smith contended that the episode had been handled “pretty poorly”, even though he admitted the right decision was made.”I don’t think decisions should be made on the big screen, I don’t think that’s right for the game. I think better processes need to be put in place,” Smith said. “We’ve got a review system in place. You have 15 seconds to make your decision and I don’t think that was necessary for that to come up in that point in time.”Neither of the umpires heard an appeal so the game went on. Well it was supposed to go on. It was shown on the big screen that there was a half-appeal so they went upstairs. I was pretty disappointed with the whole process .. it was handled pretty poorly. New Zealand players genuinely believed it wasn’t out and, not until they saw it on the screen, did they change their mind.”The right decision was made – he was out, there’s no doubt about that. But if I get hit on the pad next time and it’s missing leg, do I stand there and wait until it shows that up on the big screen?”For his part, McCullum disagreed that there had been no appeal, but admitted to expressing a further opinion to the umpires that the right decision needed to be made despite the circumstances.”I saw a couple of the guys appeal,” McCullum said. “The right decision was made but the process was far from ideal. It’s disappointing from the Australian point of view. When it did come up on the screen, which is not ideal, I yelled out ‘what the … is going on’. The only thing I said was the right decision has to be made.”It is not the first time Australia and New Zealand have been embroiled in a television umpiring controversy. During the Adelaide Test, Nathan Lyon was given not out after a lengthy review in which the third umpire Nigel Llong misinterpreted the evidence in front of him. The decision turned out to be pivotal to the outcome of the match, and New Zealand sought clarification from the ICC in its aftermath.

After months of rumour and little information, signs of progress in the review of the USA Cricket Association’s constitution have finally emerged.In a letter to regional league presidents, John Aaron, the chairman of the USACA League Presidents Reconciliation Commission, has announced that a document will be sent out this week.Referring to the last few months, Aaron said that there had “been some minor victories, several stalling moments and political meanderings that saw the forward progress stumble, stop and start. It has been equally frustrating for the five league presidents of the Reconciliation Commission, as much as it has been frustrating for each of you, particularly in the absence of information emanating from our national body – USACA.”I have called for calm along the way, seeking your patience and cooperation, as we see participated in this renewed effort of getting cricket back on track. I appreciate the support you have given the commission and myself, and now seek your support in reviewing the constitutional document expected to be on the USACA web site within the next 24 hours.”Aaron said that Chris Dehring, the former World Cup organiser charged by the ICC with overviewing the process, was looking for three goals; the distinction between policy making and administration in the structure of USACA; the need to have true regional representation and responsibility in determining national policy; transparency and accountability in the governance of USACA.Feedback from the initial document will be considered with the intention that a final version would be circulated on November 1. Aaron said that the aim was still to hold fresh USACA elections before the self-imposed deadline of November 30.

Mohammad Yousuf shattered one of the longest-standing records in cricket © AFP

A typically elegant, clipped on-drive for four off Corey Collymore took Mohammad Yousuf from 44 to 48 on the fourth day of the final Test between Pakistan and the West Indies at Karachi. A modest raise of the bat acknowledged that the drive also took him past one of the longest-standing records in cricket, of most runs in a calendar year.Sir Viv Richards scored 1710 runs in 1976, a memorable run during which he hit two double hundreds against England in England and the closest anyone had come to it since was Ricky Ponting in 2005, with 1544 runs.By day’s end, Yousuf added another century to the eight he had made already this year. He told reporters at the end of the day, “God has helped me break this record and I am extremely happy and proud for my country because whenever the record is discussed now, it will be with the name of a Pakistani batsman.”The day began with Yousuf needing a further 47 runs to break the record and knowing it too. “I was under a little pressure in the morning,” he admitted. “I knew what had to be done and luckily I was able to do it in the end.”Yousuf’s final tally for the year is 1788 runs from 11 Tests, and 665 of them have come from the series against West Indies, the highest tally recorded by a Pakistani batsman in a three-Test series. He began his run with two hundreds in the home series against India. He only played a solitary Test in Sri Lanka, personally an unmemorable one, but a doublecentury at Lord’s sparked off a stunning second half of the year.Two more hundreds came from the remaining three Tests in England, including 192 at Headingley. He ended the year with three hundreds in three Tests against the West Indies at home.During the course of this magnificent run, a few more records fell. His first-innings hundred at Karachi meant that he had scored eight Test hundreds this year alone, going past the previous best of seven, held jointly by Richards and Aravinda de Silva. By scoring five hundreds in five consecutive Tests, he also became only the third man, along with Jacques Kallis and Sir Don Bradman (six hundreds in six Tests) to do so.Yousuf also had praise for Bob Woolmer, Pakistan’s coach, and Mushtaq Ahmed for the part they have played in his game over the last year. “I changed the way I practiced. Mushy really helped during the England tour and in India,” he said. “He made me practice with slabs to be able to play rising deliveries better and that has really helped.”Since Bob has been with us, he has really sorted out my balance. I used to have some problems with it before but he has really helped me set it properly now and it was a big change.”Comparisons with greats were avoided as deftly as bouncers have been over the last year. When asked to compare himself with Javed Miandad, Yousuf said only, “It is difficult to compare. You are either better or worse and anyway, it is for the media to decide. I can’t say anything about it. But he is my ideal.” And when the question of Sir Don Bradman’s record of six hundreds in six consecutive Tests reared its head, Yousuf replied, withsome cheek, “I have six in five Tests, so you decide.”Reactions to the record

‘Religion has played an integral part in his growth not just as a cricketer but as a person’ – Rameez Raja on Mohammad Yousuf © AFP

Bob Woolmer
It is a marvellous achievement. I have had the honour of playing againstViv Richards and coaching Yousuf. Both are very different in their styles,Viv was a lot more aggressive and Yousuf more sedate but to break Viv’srecord is really an outstanding achievement.Brian Lara
It’s excellent and slightly unbelievable what he has achieved. Ninehundreds in a year and that many runs is just magnificent. He is a verycommitted player and an excellent role model, not just for Pakistan butfor young cricketers everywhere. He’s had an amazing year, though the last600 runs that he has scored I haven’t really enjoyed.Sanjay Manjrekar
The most striking thing about Yousuf at the moment is that it is as if heis batting in a trance. He is so calm at the crease and that mental changeis the most striking change from last year. You know people will say thathe played on flat tracks, against weak attacks at times but that isneither here nor there. He still had to break a big record and he has doneit. What’s good to see, apart from the calm demeanour, is that he is, like all goodbatsmen, cashing in on good form and making the most of that period.”Nasim Ashraf
Pakistan is very proud of his achievements and he will be honoured by thePCB after the match.Hanif Mohammad
We are proud of what he has done and I hope this is the start of ofsomething great for him.Rameez Raja
He’s been absolutely brilliant this year and has done it against goodteams in India, England and the West Indies and has done it home and away.I don’t think he has made any technical adjustments as such, but he is so sound mentally now. Religion has played an integral part in his growth not just as a cricketer but as a person. I used to doubt his ability to see Pakistan through in situations before but he has rescuedPakistan from precarious positions through the year. A superb achievement.

The Barmy Army should find enough room at Rawalpindi © Getty Images

England’s raucous band of Barmy Army supporters began arriving in Pakistan on Tuesday, dismissing security fears and bringing smiles to the faces of hoteliers in the Test venue cities.One of the first to arrive was veteran supporter Phil Long and his three travelling companions Keith Smith, John Freeman and Jonathon Dyson. All were on their way to the Pindi stadium to watch England take on the Patron’s XI. “We’re the first batch,” Long told AFP. “It’s as important a tour as the Ashes for England, and beating Pakistan in their den could be even tougher than beating the Australians.”Hoteliers are expecting full houses in the three Test venue cities of Multan, Faisalabad and Lahore as England supporters descend on Pakistan. “It’s fun to be in Pakistan,” said Smith, who said he faced no security problems. “There are no fears and we’ve been well received [here].”

Ed Cowan is set to make his New South Wales debut after being named in the squad for next month’s ING Cup clash with Western Australia at Perth, according to the Australian Associated Press.Cowan, 22, has been in impressive form for his Sydney grade side Sydney University this season, scoring 398 runs at an average of 99.50 in just five games. However, he already has experience of playing against professionals: in 2003, he was an exchange student to Oxford Brookes University, and after playing against English counties for the Academy side twinned with Oxford, he was selected for the British Universities, and scored an unbeaten 137 against Zimbabwe in the opening match of their tour.Simon Katich, NSW’s captain, and Stuart Clark, the fast bowler, who is recovering from a leg injury, return to the line-up for the Perth game, which starts on January 2. Greg Mail and Aaron O’Brien, both batsmen, and the offspinner Jason Krejza have all been left out of the side which lost to South Australia earlier this month.New South Wales squad
Simon Katich (capt), Doug Bollinger, Nathan Bracken, Shawn Bradstreet, Stuart Clark, Ed Cowan, Brad Haddin (wk), Phil Jaques, Stuart MacGill, Matthew Nicholson, Matthew Phelps, Dominic Thornely.

Dominic Cork looks set to be relieved of the captaincy at Derbyshire, after a miserable season in which they have been rooted to the bottom of the second division of the County Championship.Derbyshire’s chairman, Trevor Bowring, has been canvassing opinion among the county’s 14-man committee, and Cork is likely to find few supporters, especially as a comprehensive shake-up of the playing staff is in the pipeline. Cork, who is believed to earn £80,000 a year, is unlikely to want to remain at Derbyshire, if and when he is reduced to the ranks.While Cork seems to be on the way out, the former Zimbabwe captain David Houghton is almost certainly on his way in. He has been offered the role of director of cricket, having cemented his reputation as a good leader during a spell as coach with Worcestershire in the mid-1990s. He is currently involved with Sky TV, and is keen to remain in England, rather than return to Zimbabwe.

Sharing 196 runs for the fourth wicket, Sridharan Sharath and Hemang Badani took Tamil Nadu to a strong position at the end of Day Two in their Ranji Trophy match against Karnataka at Bangalore.Losing opener Sridharan Sriram early in the day, Tamil Nadu’s fortunes revived with a mini-stand between Hemant Kumar and Badani. Karnataka dismissed the former just before lunch, but Sharath and Badani then combined for their mammoth partnership. Sharath made 113 off 173 balls, while Badani struck 124 off 234 balls. At the end of the day, Tamil Nadu were 357/5, with skipper Robin Singh and TR Arasu at the crease.In the other South Zone match, Venkatapathy Raju brought Hyderabad surging back into their match after being dismissed for a low first-innings total by Kerala. Raju returned figures of 23-9-42-6 as Kerala collapsed for 125, with only Sunil Oasis (47) showing any resistance. At stumps, Hyderabad were 124/2, with Vanka Pratap and Anirudh Singh unbeaten on 23 and 17 respectively.At Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh were comfortably placed at the close of play on Day Two. Bowling Goa out for 270 in their first innings, with Tanveer Jabbar making 107, Andhra Pradesh ended the day on 184/1, with skipper MSK Prasad unbeaten on 74 and LN Prasad Reddy on 28.

Durban – Shrugging off the nightmare trauma of the last 72 hoursSouth Africa forgot the recriminations of Hansiegate for anevening and concentrated on beating Australia at Kingsmead in theopening match of the Challenge Series.It was a remarkable four-wickets victory against the World Cupchampions: just what a packed Kingsmead, and perhaps SouthAfrica, needed in a time of internal crisis.With Gary Kirsten digging deep in a hallmark display ofleft-handed batting grit, synonymous with the Kirsten name,during a well-paced innings of 97, South Africa went on to take a1-0 lead in the three-match series.In some small way it avenged the two defeats during the World Cupin England last year as the side, shaken by the Hansie Cronjescandal focused their minds on the game and pulled together in adisplay of true character. The success coming with 12 balls tospare.After Kirsten and Jacques Kallis had laid the foundation with awell executed partnership of 129 for the third wicket, JontyRhodes arrived and an audacious pull off a short delivery fromBrett Lee ended the game with a four. It was an entertainingflourish and as flamboyant as any innings we have seen.Yet Kirsten”s innings was full of purpose and merit: it was as ifhe wanted to win this match so much he was not prepared tosurrender his wicket at any price. The pity that he edged aslower delivery from Brett Lee into his stumps.Not surprisingly he won the man of the match of award andadmitted that the way to beat the Australians was to buildpartnerships. His partnership with Kallis did much to give theSouth Africans a touch more confidence lower in the order.Their partnership did much to contain the man they have named theWoollongong Whizz, Brett Lee, and the old adversary Shane Warnealong with Damien Fleming.If Kirsten, whose last visit to Kingsmead resulted hisTest-equalling score of 275, was prepared to take South Africa”sbatting cause on his shoulders, he found willing support in hispartnerships with Kallis and 67 with Rhodes.What was interesting is Kallis batting at four in the order.Perhaps South Africa have found the top five positions they wantfor the series with Neil McKenzie at three, a position filled byKallis, whose strokeplay showed he was on top of his game and thesix was as authoritative as any during the game.As for Rhodes there was no mistaking his intentions from thestart of his innings. His calm, assured approach and neatfootwork showed that South Africa have a middle-order batsman whocan take the tough pressure exerted by the visitors. They know atrick or two and so does Rhodes.Not that scoring the 241 need was going to be easy although at120 for seven at the start of the 27th over, Shaun Pollock, inhis first serious role as captain, must have thought chasing atotal of 150 was well within his side”s sights.Only Australia”s ability to dig deep into their batting reserveswith a couple of quality partnerships at least put a brave smileon the face of the visitors” first batting effort in South Africathis century. As Martyn eased his way along with an entertainingarray of eloquent strokes, he did not shield his lesser partners.There was the distinct impression that the other two Cobbers inthe middle, Fleming and Lee, had to dig in and provide a few runsthemselves as well as help build a partnerships to prop up theinnings. Not at all easy when the top and middle has surrenderedsome of the initiative.Mark Waugh might feel a touch miffed about his lbw decision whichseemed to drifting down leg and Matthew Hayden, the victim of oneof those superb run out efforts from an airborne throw from thecovers, the victim of circumstances.At 11 for two in the fourth over South Africa could feel wellsatisfied with their efforts. Gilchrist was batting with the sortof style which makes him look more of an executioner in theKlusener mould than the elegant style of Mark Waugh.They way he punched the ball around made Kingsmead look a lotsmaller than it really is. The venue may be a touch bigger thanSt George”s Park and Newlands, and about the same size as theSinhalese Sports Club in Colombo but his effusive style was anindication of wrist and foot co-ordination as well as timing.For those who enjoy such tactics it was good to watch and the wayhe smashed the ball for six gave the Aussie camp a sense ofconfidence.What undid the middle-order, Martyn apart, was the way thatNtini, bowling as well as he did in Sharjah and certainly muchbetter than his domestic performances, skidded the ball through.His four wickets were all well executed catches behind byBoucher.The inter-action between these two was entertaining as it wasskilfully executed, as if it was part of a well crafted script:three of the catches were under-edged shots along with the bigprize, Steve Waugh”s wicket for two.After the agony of that 120 at Headingley in Leeds in the SuperSix match and the 56 in the semi-final at Edgbaston, to get ridof the gritty, determined Steve Waugh for only two was a bonus.For Ntini it was the start of a particularly rewarding spell.Acknowledgement too for the way Pollock handled the young man whorewarded his captain also with the wickets of Michael Bevan,Andrew Symonds and Warne. Not at all a bad haul for the23-year-old Border bowler”s first game at home for his country intwo seasons.What was interesting as the Aussie dug deep was how first Flemingand then Lee put together career best scores. Fleming managed 29off 45 balls and Lee 24 off 29 balls. It was the partnershipswith Martyn of 65 and 56 which lifted Australia”s total to 240two runs being added when one of Gilchrist”s three sixes waschanged from a four.

ScorecardLeft-arm spinner Zulfiqar Babar’s seven-wicket haul helped Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) snatch a thrilling four-run win against State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) in a see-saw battle in Faisalabad. The continuous shift of momentum was apparent in SBP’s chase of 165 as in the entire match. After being in a position of control at 93 for 3, SBP lost six wickets for 36 runs, then managed a 33-run last-wicket stand to raise hopes of victory, but in the end, they fell five short of the target.Neither team created a position of clear advantage throughout the contest. However, WAPDA, led by seamers Junaid Khan and Azhar Attari, had a slight edge over their opponents midway, as they took a 46-run first-innings lead.But that was nullified by a poor second innings by them. Spinners Adnan Rasool and Hasan Mahmood ran through the entire batting order, taking nine wickets between them to bowl WAPDA out for 118. Only lower middle-order batsman Mohammad Ayub resisted their onslaught with an unbeaten 32.The chase began poorly as opener Rameez Raja fell with five runs on the board. His partner, captain Kashif Siddiq, with other top-order batsmen, took them to a position of apparent safety at 93 for 3, before a collapse ensued.
ScorecardAt the Khan Research Laboratory Ground in Rawalpindi, the home team, Khan Research Laboratories (KRL), claimed a comfortable seven-wicket victory against Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) with the help of big centuries from middle-order batsman Shoaib Ahmed, and a combined bowling performance in the second innings.After being asked to bowl, KRL took wickets regularly to bowl PIA out for 268. Although only lower-order batsman Tahir Khan scored a half-century, PIA were helped by small but productive partnerships to go past the 250-run mark. The seventh-wicket stand of 58 was the highest, but there were five other partnerships all worth over 30. Left-arm seamer Rahat Ali took four wickets.But the total was overhauled by KRL, with a knock of 177 from middle-order batsman Shoaib. Off the other batsmen, only Saeed Anwar jnr scored a half-century, as they were bowled out for 343. Shoaib’s innings featured 21 boundaries and three sixes.The deficit of 75 was erased by PIA, but three wickets apiece by Yasir Ali and Ali Khan restricted them to 194. Sarfraz Ahmed, with an unbeaten 53, and Faisal Iqbal were the chief contributors to that total. The target was quickly achieved by KRL, courtesy of an aggressive 54 from opener Tayyab Riaz.
ScorecardA potential winning opportunity was spurned by Habib Bank Limited in their chase of 139 as they drew against Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) in Islamabad. After gaining a 61-run lead in the first innings, Habib Bank, through seamers Ehsan Adil and Abdul Ameer, bowled SNGPL for 199. But they couldn’t chase down the small target in 36 overs, and had to be content with three points from the game.SNGPL, after choosing to bat, lost a couple of wickets early, but a 75-run third-wicket partnership, and four other smaller stands took them to 232.Habib Bank’s reply was dominated by their first three batsmen. Openers Imran Farhat and Shan Masood put on 119, with both scoring half-centuries and No. 3 Ahmed Shehzad scored 94. But from 220 for 3, they collapsed to 293 all out.SNGPL managed a more productive second innings than their first. Opener Azeem Ghumman scored a half-century, but of the other batsmen, no one scored more than 24. Ehsan Adil, who had taken two wickets in the first innings, took four this time. A target of 139 in 36 overs appeared achievable and Habib Bank began their chase positively too, but they lost four wickets quickly, and ultimately, ended the game at 73 for 5 with a draw.

Journalist Tim Spiers was left hugely unimpressed with Wolves’ defending in their crazy 3-2 defeat at home to Leeds United on Friday evening.

The Lowdown: Wolves stunned by Leeds

Bruno Lage’s side suffered a damaging loss in the Premier League as their European hopes took an almighty hit at Molineux.

Wolves led 2-0 at half-time after well-taken efforts from Jonny and Francisco Trincao, only for Raul Jimenez’s red card to turn the game completely. Jack Harrison, Rodrigo and Luke Ayling all found the net to complete a sensational comeback for Leeds, with the Old Gold left to rue a missed opportunity.

The Latest: Spiers unhappy with Wolves’ defending

Taking to Twitter after the match, Spiers couldn’t hide his disappointment at Wolves’ defensive collapse.

He lamented: “Mental game of football. Wolves 2-0 up when Jimenez sent off for a 50-50 foul he was trying to avoid making. But the fact is Wolves’ defending after that was absolutely atrocious.”

[freshpress-quiz id=“388797″]

The Verdict: Fell to pieces

Spiers makes a fair point, with Wolves simply not defending well enough from the moment that Jimenez was sent off, even though playing with a one-man disadvantage was certainly not ideal.

The hosts managed the game poorly, not taking time out of the game when they needed to do so, and the manner of all three of Leeds’ goals were chaotic.

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The hope now is that this defeat doesn’t completely knock the stuffing out of Lage and his players between now and May, with the international break arguably coming at a good time, allowing them to reset ahead of the season’s run-in.

In other news, Spiers has also bemoaned a key Wolves-related update regarding one player. Read more here.