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The fourth Test between England and Pakistan has been forfeited in favour of England, after an extraordinary day of rumour, speculation, and high farce that brought the game to the brink of one of the biggest crisis in recent memory. The decision was finally made at 10pm London time, in a makeshift press conference hall in the bowels of the Oval pavilion. It was the first such forfeiture in 129 years of Test cricket.Four long hours after play was called off for the day, and after protracted negotiations between the ICC, the ECB and the PCB, it was left to David Collier, the ECB’s chief executive, to read out a statement that will doubtless raise more questions than answers. Though both teams and their boards were keen for the match to continue, it was the umpires, Darrell Hair and Billy Doctrove, who were not willing to budge from their original decision.”It was concluded with regret that there will be no play on the fifth day,” read the statement. “The fourth npower Test match between England and Pakistan has therefore been forfeited with the match being awarded to England. In accordance with the laws of cricket it was noted that the umpires had correctly deemed that Pakistan had forfeited the match and awarded the Test to England.”It may have been the correct application of the letter of the law, but the decision made a mockery of a match in which Pakistan had made all the running from the very first morning, and had been bubbling towards a thrilling conclusion on the final morning, as England looked set to put at least a token target on the board.According to Surrey officials, 12,000 tickets had been sold in advance – all of which will now have to be refunded, along with 40% of today’s takings – a combined loss of about £400,000. And Pakistan will certainly not be content to return home with a 3-0 defeat to their name, not to mention the further implications of the forfeiture. As Bob Woolmer announced at the close of play: “The team is upset by the inference they have been accused of tampering with the ball and therefore cheating.” The ICC, in a separate statement, confirmed that Pakistan has been charged under Level two of the Code of Conduct, 2.10, which relates to changing the condition of the match ball.The initial incident took place in the 56th over, when umpires Hair and Doctrove deemed that the quarter seam on the ball had been raised and would therefore have to be changed. But the situation only really kicked off after tea, as the Pakistanis remained in their dressing-room in protest at the decision.After waiting in the middle of the pitch for twenty minutes, the umpires went to the Pakistan dressing-room to ask whether or not Inzamam-ul-Haq would lead out his team or not before they went out, took the bails off and left, thus awarding the Test to England.Bob Woolmer told Cricinfo that after Pakistan refused to come out after the tea break, both umpires, after waiting on the field, went to the Pakistan dressing room to ask whether or not they would continue to play. Inzamam countered by asking the umpires why they had changed the ball, which led to the Pakistan team protesting.”We are not here to answer that question,” Hair was reported to have said, and when Inzamam didn’t provide any reply to their initial query, they walked back out again. By the time Pakistan were eventually led out onto the field by Inzamam, the umpires had already walked on, knocked the bails off and gone back inside, refusing to come out again.The decision was made according to Law 21, regarding the result of a match, which states, “A match shall be lost by a side which in the opinion of the umpires refuses to play.” A further subsection adds, “If an umpire considers that an action by any player or players might constitute a refusal by either side to play then the umpires together shall ascertain the cause of the action. If they then decide together that this action does constitute a refusal to play by one side, they shall so inform the captain of that side. If the captain persists in the action the umpires shall award the match in accordance with above.”

Sceptical players felt the buzz of Adelaide’s biggest Test crowd since the Bodyline series but will reserve judgment on the pink ball and the day-night format until the end of a match that has already shown what is possible for cricket’s future.The gathering of 47,441 swelled notably as day bled into night, with the provision of $20 “twilight” tickets a major plus for spectators arriving after work. Both Peter Siddle and Trent Boult noted the momentous feeling of the day, but equally maintained the view that this is not Test cricket as they have known it, largely due to the behaviour of the pink ball.There was a marked contest in good conditions for batting across the day. The ball barely moved in the air in the afternoon but bent around corners in the hands of Boult and Tim Southee in the final session under lights. Boult said the game had panned out more or less as expected, with the ball closer in characteristic to the white variety than the red. He also said that with New Zealand already planning their own pink-ball Test for next summer, he wanted to see more of this match before finalising his judgment.”We need to see a bit more of it, to be honest,” Boult said. “It was a great buzz out there, everyone could see that and it’s amazing to be playing Test cricket in front of 50,000-odd people. We’ve got to see how this one goes and pans out, but it definitely is exciting for Test match cricket.”I’ve had a couple of hit-outs with it during the day and at night, and the findings are it does tend to change a lot under lights and in the last session, it definitely swung around a little bit with the new ball and there was still a shade of it with it 22 overs old now. It is a different game under lights and we’ve got to come back tomorrow and hope to put a bit more pressure on them.”For Siddle, the fact he took his 200th Test wicket with a pink ball rather than a red ball seemed insignificant next to the fact he had done it in front of such a large and enthusiastic crowd. “That was the exciting thing for the boys, the atmosphere was amazing,” he said. “I think from early on until the end of play there, the crowd was upbeat, especially when we were on a roll and getting a few wickets [and] especially walking down after the 200 down to the crowd on the boundary and the cheer.”It was exciting for everyone. The Adelaide Test match has always been one of my favourites and to play it with a crowd like that definitely surprised a few boys, I think. We haven’t spoken too much about it yet, in time through this Test match there may be a bit more spoken about it, maybe tomorrow morning and all that. But it was a great day, wasn’t it? I think everyone here that came and witnessed what went on will be very impressed just with the whole experience.”It [the pink ball] was slightly different to the red ball, you didn’t get much swing early on but there was a bit of seam movement throughout the day, so a lot of comparisons with how it is with the white ball, but cricket in general, it was supported well here, and I’m sure it would have been on TV and all over the world. I think for cricket it’s definitely been a great day.”

Yuvraj Singh has been fined 20% of his match fee for “showing dissent at an umpire’s decision” during the final ODI between India and Pakistan in Jaipur.Yuvraj was given out by umpire Suresh Shastri during India’s chase, after he miscued a pull off Umar Gul to the keeper. However, instead of walking, an upset Yuvraj stood his ground, and indicated the ball had hit his shoulder and not his bat or glove. Replays suggested that the ball had hit his shoulder.Though Yuvraj had been charged with “showing serious dissent at an umpire’s decision”, Roshan Mahanama, the ICC match referee, downgraded the charge to “showing dissent” after taking in to account the fact that Yuvraj, who pleaded not guilty to the charge, had apologised for any offence he may have caused and that it was his first appearance at a Code of Conduct hearing in eight years at the international level.”I took into account several factors in downgrading the charge, including the player’s previous excellent conduct, his apology at the hearing, the fact it was a spontaneous act out of character with his normal behaviour and that he did not appear to use foul or offensive language,” Mahanama said.”However, the fact remains that when the umpire raises his finger a player must leave the crease immediately and without question no matter what he may think of the decision.”That is one of cricket’s most fundamental principles and Yuvraj’s failure to adhere to that principle, especially given the message his action sends out to the millions of people watching at the ground and on television, merited some form of action.”

by 9 wickets – D/L method
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out

An efficient bowling effort was followed up by a couple of confident half-centuries as India rolled along to a thumping nine-wicket win in the rain-affected one-off one-dayer against Ireland at Belfast. It was a comprehensive way to start a three-month-long tour and a victory that would provide them a boost ahead of the three-match series against South Africa, starting in three days’ time.Ireland’s innings never really got going – the top-order fell to swing, the middle to wrist-spin – and it took a fighting half-century from Niall O’Brien to prop them up to 193. Showers interrupted play exactly at the halfway point, costing more than two-and-a-half hours and leading to the target being revised to 171 off 39 overs, but an effervescent 163-run stand between Gautam Gambhir and Sourav Ganguly sped India to victory.Gambhir and Ganguly were the expected opening combination but Tendulkar walked out early, for the first time in a one-dayer since early December last year. The move didn’t pay off, though, with Tendulkar lasting just three deliveries: not accounting for swing, he attempted to flick a full ball from off to leg, leaving the gate wide open. Roger Whelan, on his one-day debut, couldn’t have imagined a better start.It meant Gambhir, coming off a century on India’s recent tour to Bangladesh, was in as early as the second over, slapping and flashing to anything wide of the stumps. He’s always liked width, backing himself with those jabs, but there were other strokes too: a delectable straight-drive off medium-pacer Trent Johnston and a crackling pull when Kevin O’Brien dropped it short.At the other end, there was more left-handed class on show. Ganguly struggled with his timing and placement early on but soon unfurled the gorgeous strokes, lacing silken drives on the up and giving the cover fielders no chance. The events of the 11th over, from Kevin O’Brien, encapsulated his innings: second ball, full and outside off, driven to cover; third ball, full and outside off, driven to cover; fourth ball, outside off, driven between mid-off and cover for four; fifth ball, full and outside off, driven to cover; sixth ball, full and outside off, advances down the track and drills it emphatically past mid-off for four. Uncertainty followed by certitude followed by dominance. He rarely blinked thereafter and stamped his authority with a straight six off Whelan towards the end.

The base was laid by the bowlers earlier in the day, in conditions that were ideal for fielding first. Sreesanth and Rudra Pratap Singh, bowlers with contrasting styles but similar curving deliveries, posed the early questions. Ironically, it was a straight delivery that produced the early breakthrough: Kenneth Carroll driving away from his body only for Dinesh Karthik to leap to his right and pull off a delightful catch.A scratchy yet consolidating partnership followed until Dominick Joyce drove loosely away from his body, getting a thicker edge that flew to Ganguly’s right at third slip. Ganguly surprised himself, and the sparse gathering that had turned up, with an athletic take, one that resulted in his 100th catch in one-dayers. William Porterfield managed an adhesive 46-ball 16, an innings which went well with the sleepy settings provided for this game and equally one that ensured that Ireland didn’t lose their way completely.Things got worse with the introduction of the 18-year-old legspinner, Piyush Chawla. Not the conventional sort of legspinner but one who relies on a flatter trajectory and a majority of googlies, Chawla had the Irish middle order in knots. A delightfully flighted topspinner undid Gary Wilson, who played around a full ball and was castled, before a googly lured Kevin O’Brien into a slog sweep, one that struck the top edge and got only as far as RP Singh at deep midwicket. Andrew White was flummoxed by a conventional legbreak that bounced a little extra and struck the outside edge.The situation was dire at 83 for 5 but Niall O’Brien produced a fighting knock, his fourth half-century in one-dayers. He wasn’t frustrated by the dot balls – a massive 224 of them in fact – and hung in there when wickets fell at the other end. Johnston’s was the more entertaining knock, cracking two sixes and a four towards the end, and boosted the total to close to 200 and set up some sort of a contest. Tendulkar’s early dismissal caused a few flutters but Ireland had little to cheer from then on.

Michael Clarke has joined the growing list of players willing to battle through the pain barrier at the World Cup. He was forced to miss the Chappell-Hadlee series with a hip problem and admits he still hasn’t fully tested the injury.”I’ve had a couple of batting sessions and I haven’t been getting anywhere near as much pain, I should say,” Clarke told . “So I’m feeling good. Fingers crossed. But I haven’t done too much running, so I’ll have to do a bit of running over the next couple of days and see how it pulls up. But I’m pretty confident it’s going to be fine.”Clarke is slated to bat at the vital No. 4 position and his importance to the line-up grows with the concerns surrounding Matthew Hayden (toe) and Andrew Symonds (bicep). His form varied during the Commonwealth Bank series, but he has fond memories of the Caribbean.Clarke made 170 runs at 85 during the one-day series in the West Indies in 2003 and knows there is no bigger arena than the World Cup. “It’s the No.1 stage for one-day cricket,” he said. “That gives every individual an opportunity to step up on such a big stage.”Hopefully I’ll get the chance to stay batting at No. 4 and there’ll be plenty of opportunity, I would imagine, to get out there and score some runs. So I’ll be working my backside off over the next couple of weeks to make sure I’m ready to go for the first game.”Clarke’s left-arm spin will also prove useful to the Australians, who struggled to find a reliable fifth and sixth bowler in New Zealand. He will expect to take some of Andrew Symonds’ overs while the allrounder is recovering from his arm injury.In 101 ODIs Clarke has taken 30 wickets at 36 with an impressive best of 5 for 35 against Sri Lanka at Dambulla. Australia’s first warm-up match is against Zimbabwe on March 6 before they face England on March 9 in the lead-up to their opening group match, against Scotland, on March 14.

Pakistan’s convincing win against Sri Lanka means their match against Australia – their first game of any kind against them for two and a half years – on Tuesday could well decide which team takes top spot in the group. Australia have bounced back superbly after their shock defeat against Zimbabwe, but that was hardly unexpected, considering the quality in their team. Pakistan’s comprehensive win against Sri Lanka was an unexpected result, and it sets up Tuesday’s game perfectly.Australia have the momentum, and usually in important tournaments they’ve shown a tendency not to let go once they get on a roll. Pakistan, on the other hand, tend to blow hot one day and cold the next. Anything less than a near-perfect performance won’t be enough.Bat play: Pakistan’s openers continue to be a worry, and while the team recovered in style against Sri Lanka, it might be more difficult to come out of a poor start against the Australians. The good news is Younis Khan and Shoaib Malik have run into form, and Misbah-ul-Haq has shown himself to be breathtakingly innovative and consistent at the same time. And perhaps the better news is Pakistan have done well without a significant contribution from Shahid Afridi.Australia, meanwhile, have had two games where most of their batsmen haven’t needed a hit. Matthew Hayden and Adam Gilchrist have been in terrific form, but there could be questions asked of the rest if the openers fall early.Wrecking ball: Both teams have an impressive bowling attack. Mohammad Asif and Umar Gul have proved themselves in the past, but Sohail Tanvir has been the surprise package. He troubled the Indians with his awkward action and his ability to swing the ball away from the right-hander, and Mahela Jayawardene admitted the Sri Lankans had trouble picking him too. Add Shahid Afridi to the mix and Pakistan have a more than competent bowling line-up.The same can be said for the Australians as well. Brett Lee is fresh from a hat-trick against Bangladesh, while Stuart Clark has succeeded in staunching the runs and taking wickets. In his 12 overs in the tournament so far, he has figures of 5 for 59.Keep an eye on: Ricky Ponting. He is a big-match player, and can be expected to seize the moment and the game.Shop talk: Clark’s statements on the eve of the game showed the frame of mind the Australians are in. “I don’t think the Australian cricket team fears anyone. They [Pakistan] are a very good team with very good players, [but] we’re starting to get into a bit of a rhythm. We’re enjoying it and the guys’ skills are slowly getting better.”Pakistan have lost more than one World Cup game against Australia, and Salman Butt, their vice-captain, admitted that they’d be up against a better team than Sri Lanka, who they beat so convincingly.Pitch talk: If it’s Johannesburg, it has to be a belter. The bowlers could be in for another tough day in the office.Australia (probable): Adam Gilchrist (wk), Matthew Hayden, RickyPonting (capt), Andrew Symonds, Brad Hodge, Mike Hussey, Michael Clarke, Stuart Clark, Brett Lee, Nathan Bracken, Mitchell Johnson.Pakistan (probable): Salman Butt, Imran Nazir, Mohammad Hafeez, Younis Khan, Shoaib Malik (capt), Shahid Afridi, Kamran Akmal (wk), Misbah-ul-Haq, Mohammad Asif, Umar Gul, Sohail Tanvir.

Dilip Vengsarkar, India’s chairman of selectors, has sounded out a warning to the senior players following the team’s second consecutive defeat to Australia in the seven-match series.Vengsarkar made it clear that the seniors needed to raise their game, especially in the wake of the World Twenty20 triumph engineered by a young side. “There are many players like S Badrinath and Suresh Raina who are performing with the India A side,” Vengsarkar told , a Mumbai-based tabloid. “These guys are waiting for their chance and you cannot ignore them. It’s a professional set-up and nobody can take their place for granted.”India made one change for the fourth and fifth one-dayers, bringing in left-arm spinner Murali Kartik for offspinner Ramesh Powar. Powar bowled only 11 overs in the first two ODIs, failing to pick up any wickets and conceded 7.27 runs an over.Vengsarkar justified the move. “If you get picked as a frontline bowler, then you have to bowl 10 overs. Plus, if your fielding is found wanting and you do not contribute with the bat, the team is obviously at a disadvantage. Ramesh has to get fitter and field better. He also has to improve his bowling.”Vengsarkar also justified Kartik’s selection over promising Hyderabad left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha. “Ojha is very young, just 21. It is not fair to unleash him against a side like Australia. We need to groom youngsters. Kartik is experienced and offers us better variation than two offspinners.””We are not a great fielding side anyway,” he said when asked for an assessment of the series so far. “Australia saved about 25 runs on the field. If we had fielded that way, the match would have been much closer.”

The West Indies Players Association (WIPA) has issued a release stating that it is greatly concerned about recent decisions taken with regard to Dwayne Bravo and Brian Lara.Recently, the WICB announced that retainer contracts were being given to seven players including Lara, but not Bravo. The board had excluded Bravo because of a contract he recently signed with TSTT, a competitor with the board’s sponsors Digicel. The WICB took a decision to ignore Lara’s personal contact with Cable & Wireless because it was signed prior to the WICB’s contract with Digicel.WIPA is contending that the recent ruling by the ICC allows Bravo and other players to pursue their personal sponsorship deals, regardless of who sponsors the WICB.”We say this against the background of a FICA/ICC ruling on the issues pertaining to the respective commercial and promotional rights and obligations of players, the WICB and its major sponsors, a ruling the WIPA and the WICB agreed would be binding on both parties,” WIPA’s release said.

South/West Division

Chris Benham blasted Hampshire to their first win of the season as they chased down a mammoth total with three balls to spare against Gloucestershire at the Rose Bowl. Alex Gidman’s career-best 105 helped guide the visitors to a towering 350 for 5 and Hampshire’s hopes of opening their account were looking slim. Marcus North belted 85 from 73 balls, while Hamish Marshall (64) and Christopher Taylor (53 off 23) contributed to the carnage. The tall target was reduced to 240 from 30 overs after rain affected Hampshire’s innings, and Michael Carberry got them away to a strong start with 60. A 98-run stand between Benham and Nic Pothas pushed them closer but when Pothas fell for 43 from 32 balls the victory was far from secured. Jon Lewis chose to bowl the final over himself, a decision he might regret as he finished with an unflattering 0 for 49 from 4.3 overs as Benham ended up unbeaten on 54 from 27 balls and Greg Lamb clubbed 8 from three deliveries.Glamorgan survived a late scare from Steffan Jones, who clattered 42 from 36 to nearly take Somerset to an unlikely win at Taunton, but the visitors crept home by 19 runs with more than three overs to spare. Glamorgan’s 221 was set up by a fine 95 from David Hemp, including 11 fours, but there was little else from his team-mates apart from Mike Powell’s 32. Somerset struggled in reply, with Marcus Trescothick (15), Craig Kieswetter (18) and, crucially, Justin Langer (7) all falling cheaply. Ian Blackwell muscled 42 from 36, but when Somerset slipped to 163 for 9, there appeared little hope for the home side. Jones, though, gave them genuine belief with a blistering 42 – lifting three sixes – before he was last man out to David Harrison.

North Division

A career-best 75 from Navdeep Poonia was not enough for Scotland who fell to Derbyshire by six wickets in a rain-affected match at Derby. Charl Langeveldt collected 4 for 28 and troubled Poonia’s team-mates, none of whom passed 16 as Scotland battled to 169. Chris Rogers, who recently lost his Cricket Australia contract as he was not considered a one-day player, guided Derbyshire’s chase with 57 from 73 balls while his opening partner Steve Stubbings laboured for 53 deliveries for his 24. And although both fell, Dominic Telo (15*) and James Pipe (4*) took Derbyshire home with 14 balls to spare.Click here for John Ward’s report from Old Trafford where Lancashire pulled off a stunning win over Durham.

Midlands Division

HD Ackerman’s 103 and a fine all-round performance Jim Allenby took Leicestershire through to a comfortable 39-run win over Ireland at Grace Road. Ravi Rampaul, Ireland’s recently-signed overseas player, couldn’t inspire his new team-mates – conceding 49 from his 10 overs – but he bowled Dillon du Preez late in the innings for 3. Ackerman dominated his opening stand of 103 with Tom New (31) before he and Allenby put on a further 87 for the second wicket. Chasing a sizeable 252 Ireland slipped to 68 for 5, with Garnett Kruger picking up two early wickets, but Andrew White (52) and Gary Wilson (58) staved off Leicestershire’s march to victory with a fine sixth-wicket stand of 109. However, once Allenby removed Wilson, the rest folded quickly and Allenby ended with 4 for 44.Nottinghamshire had the better of a rain-affected day at Trent Bridge, where Darren Pattinson helped them account for Northamptonshire in a Duckworth/Lewis result. Pattinson, the Victorian fast bowler, picked up 3 for 39 from ten overs in his first one-day match for Nottinghamshire as the visitors struggled to support Stephen Peters, who made 90. They wobbled to 64 for 5 before Peters finally found some support from Lance Klusener, who made 60 from a very un-Klusener-like 109 deliveries. Northamptonshire ground out their 50 overs to reach 189 for 7, but later rain meant the home side’s target was reduced to 143 from 30 overs. Nottinghamshire’s other Australian player, Adam Voges, completed the six-wicket win with 42 from 40 balls after Will Jefferson set the platform with 36.

South East Division

Click here for Brydon Coverdale’s report on Surrey’s win over Middlesex at Lord’s.Kent won a nailbiting match against Sussex at Hove, with Justin Kemp (68*) and Ryan McLaren (17) squeezing them home to a four-wicket win with one ball to spare. Sussex’s 246 was set-up by four thirties from Matt Prior, Chris Adams, Luke Wright and Carl Hopkinson, with Michael Yardy making 50 from 78 balls. Kent began solidly, with Joe Denly making 43 and Martin van Jaarsveld cracking 58 from 55, but Wright hit back with three quick wickets to check Kent’s run-chase. Geraint Jones and Azhar Mahmood both fell in the dying overs, but McLaren held his nerve and smacked 17 from 14 balls to help Kemp and Kent through to victory.

Despite trouncing England with some awe-inspiring batting in the recently concluded Test series in Pakistan, Inzamam-ul-Haq wants to play county cricket in the country of cricket’s birth.”I would like to play once in county cricket; that is something I have not done as yet,” Inzamam, the Man of the Series in Pakistan’s 2-0 Test series win, told ABC Sport. “Last year there was an offer from a county but I was not in a position to accept it.”Inzamam, 35, has been in prolific form this year, hitting 1,000 runs in his last eight matches at the superb average of 83.33. Against England, he scored fifties at Multan, two hundreds in Faisalabad – breaking Javed Miandad’s record of 23 Test centuries for Pakistan – and a crucial 97 in Lahore to see Pakistan clinch a thriller.”I have always said that I don’t plan ahead, I go step by step and series by series,” Inzamam added. “But playing in the World Cup is an ambition and so is playing for some county.” It is probable that he is eyeing a rest period in May of next year, following Pakistan’s tour of England in which they will play four Tests and five one-day internationals.A number of Pakistan cricketers have played county cricket in 2005 – Younis Khan, Mushtaq Ahmed, Saqlain Mushtaq, Rana Naved-ul-Hasan, Azhar Mahmood and Danish Kaneria. In the past, former greats such as Imran Khan, Javed Miandad, Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis, Zaheer Abbas, Mushtaq Mohammad and Asif Iqbal enjoyed long stints playing county cricket in England.