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Nottinghamshire have awarded AJ Harris a benefit year. Harris, 34, joined from Derbyshire in 2000 and helped them to the 2005 Championship with 47 wickets.He said: “It’s a great honour to have played for Notts for the past eight years and to be awarded a benefit is fantastic. The supporters and members of Notts have always been very kind to me – just as the Derbyshire fans were in my time with them – and I am looking forward to giving something back next season.”It will be a big year for me and the club as we return to Division One. I’m very focused on having a good season and will be spending the winter working on getting fit and ready for action. I’ve already been fortunate enough to enjoy a decent career and firmly believe I can play on for another three or four seasons.”Mick Newell, Nottinghamshire’s director of cricket, said: “This is a well-deserved benefit for the whole-hearted and dedicated service AJ has given us. He has always given 100 per cent for Derbyshire and Notts and played a major role for us when we won the Championship. I wish him all the best for next season and believe he still has a lot to offer us on the field for years to come.”Harris had an injury-hit season in 2007 but still helped the club win promotion in the Championship, as well as finish second in the Pro40. He has taken 406 first-class wickets in his career at an average of 31.32 and has twice passed 50 wickets in a season.His name also appears in the record books: he became only the third man in history to be dismissed ‘Timed Out’ against Durham UCCE in 2003.

Shaun Marsh has credited Western Australia’s decision to suspend him for two matches after a drinking session in November as the wake-up call he needed to set him on the path to his first tour with the national side. Marsh was chosen in Australia’s 14-man ODI squad that will visit the West Indies in June following his most prolific domestic season.The honour seemed a long way off when Marsh and his team-mate Luke Pomersbach were banned by their state after they were seen leaving a Fremantle nightspot in the early hours of a Sunday morning, when they should have been preparing for matches. “It was a big wake up call for me,” Marsh told .”I had fallen back into my old habits of going out. It was the turning point of my career I think. It was very disappointing to get dropped for that reason, and it is something I can look back on now and say was the turning point.”Marsh went on to finish the summer as the Warriors’ leading one-day run scorer with 318 at 39.75 and his Pura Cup collection of 663 at 60.27 was also impressive. He topped the competition run tally in the KFC Twenty20 with 290 at 58 and the efforts earned him the prize as Western Australia’s Player of the Year.Marsh, 24, celebrated his elevation to the national setup with his family, including his father Geoff Marsh, the former Australia opening batsman and coach. “It is a dream come true,” the younger Marsh said. “I have been dreaming about that phone call for a long time and to actually get it was an amazing feeling.”It has been a tough road, I have had to work pretty hard this season to get into the position. Dad was in as much shock as I was in, I didn’t believe it at the start – but the family were very happy and came round for a champagne.”Marsh spent plenty of time around the Australian dressing-rooms as a child and the experience gave him a glimpse of cricket at the highest level. However, he has also felt the burden of living with a famous name as he tried to establish his own position in the Western Australia top order.”I have had to live with it for the last seven years I have been in the state squad,” Marsh said. “But you learn with it and have to deal with it – it is not a problem now.”

Punjab U-14 humiliated Haryana U-14 by 323 runs in their North Zoneleague tournament at the Maharaja Aggarsain Stadium, Rohtak. Punjab,put into bat, made 198 in 77.3 overs in their first innings withopener K Goel being the top scorer with 91. For Haryana Pratik was themost successful bowler, and he scalped 4 wickets. In response Haryanawere dismissed for 81 in 47.2 overs in their first innings. Onlyskipper D Saini lasted for a long time at the crease by making anunbeaten 31.In the second innings Punjab declared at 295 for 8 in 80.1 overs withgood scores from opener A Vinayak (68), M Bhatia (82) and skipper TGupta (84). Needing 413 runs to win, Haryana in their final inningsmade 89 in 34.4 overs with only D Saini (28) and S Kumar (18) reachingdouble figures. New ball bowler Hardavinder Singh claimed threewickets for Punjab.In completing their victory, Punjab notched up 8 points.

Jhye Richardson could make his first Test appearance in four years with Australia locking in an all-pace attack for Boxing Day, on an MCG pitch described by Steven Smith as “quite furry, quite green”, while Usman Khawaja has retained his spot after being a last-minute replacement in Adelaide.Australia will wait until the morning of the game to make the final call on the composition of quicks. It will come down to two from Richardson, Michael Neser and Brendan Doggett, with offspinner Todd Murphy being omitted from the trimmed-down 12-man squad named by Smith, who also returns from illness, on Christmas Day. Josh Inglis has also been left out from the side that played in Adelaide.It means for the second time in the series – and third time in their last five Tests – Australia won’t have a specialist spinner on a surface that still had 10mm of grass the day before the game, with the match also set to start under cool, cloudy conditions.”I dare say it’s going to offer quite a bit,” Smith, captaining again in place of Pat Cummins, said. “Particularly, I think tomorrow’s similar conditions to today, quite cold and overcast. I dare say there’s going to be quite a bit of movement in that surface.”Smith added that even if Nathan Lyon, who injured his hamstring in Adelaide, had been available, there would still have been a discussion about not playing a spinner.”I think a lot of the wickets we’re playing on at present are certainly more seam-friendly than spin-friendly,” he said. “Last week [in Adelaide] was an anomaly. We saw some rough and we saw Nathan come in to play big-time last week. It’s a tricky one. You’ve just got to play what surface you’re presented with.Todd Murphy will have to sit out•Getty Images

“This one out here looks like it’s going to offer a fair bit of assistance for the seam bowlers. The weather throughout the week looks conducive for that, too. I think if Nathan was here, we’d probably still be having the same conversation as well.”It’s certainly nothing to do with Todd’s skill. We know he’s a quality bowler. He’s played some games for Australia and done really well. It’s great to see him here this week. I’m sure he’s going to be a pretty good chance to play next week in Sydney.”If Richardson plays, it will be his first Test since the 2021-22 Ashes. He was part of the squad a year ago for the corresponding match against India but shortly after that opted for shoulder surgery to correct a long-standing problem. In recent weeks, he has increased his workload across Cricket Australia XI and Australia A fixtures against England Lions and it was confirmed he wouldn’t be under any workload restrictions if selected.”He’s just got a great set of skills,” Smith said. “Swings the ball both ways, seams it, accurate. [He’s] a bit more skiddy than some of the others, he’s a little bit shorter, bowls decent pace. We’ve seen that when he’s had the opportunity at this level, he’s been outstanding. If he gets his opportunity tomorrow, I’m sure he’ll be extremely excited.”It’s been a long lay-off for him and he’s done all the work to get back. He’s been around the group for a couple of weeks now getting his loads up and he’s in a good spot.”Meanwhile, Khawaja will bat at No. 5 as Australia continue with the Jake Weatherald-Travis Head opening combination, but Cameron Green has been demoted to No. 7 below the in-form Alex Carey as he endures a difficult series with the bat and could be playing for his place. It means that Inglis loses his place after not being able to convert the starts he made in Brisbane and Adelaide.There was some thought Green could be squeezed out by Beau Webster but the selectors have shown faith in Green, who caused Smith a few problems in the nets.Cameron Green has endured a difficult series with the bat•AFP/Getty Images

“He’s bowling nicely,” Smith said. “Obviously picked up a key wicket in the last game with Harry Brook with a nice ball. Gave me a couple of those yesterday, actually. They were pretty similar.”I think in terms of his batting, he probably hasn’t got the output that he’s wanted so far. He’s had a couple of really good starts where he’s looked nice and comfortable at the crease. It’s about just making those starts and turning them into bigger scores.”We’ve seen how talented he is [and] seen what he can do in the game with bat, ball and in the field. He saves a truckload of runs at gully there with balls that no one else is going to stop. Hopefully he can make some runs this week.”Australia have made frequent changes through the series – some forced by injury, others tactical such as playing all-pace attacks – and have so far made the right call at every turn.”I think everyone who’s come in has done a great job,” Smith said. “And I think the beauty of this series so far, it hasn’t just been one or two players, it’s been a whole group of players standing up at different times and taking on the responsibility.”I think individuals, Starcy’s been magnificent leading the attack in all three games. Alex Carey behind the stumps and with the bat, outstanding. Travis Head, outstanding. It’s not about one or two individuals just standing up all the time, it’s everyone chipping in at stages. I think we’ve been able to do that in the big moments.”Our fielding has been outstanding as well. Some of the catches we’ve taken have really been able to turn the game and could have been the difference between the two sides at this stage.”

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out

Shakib Al Hasan tried his best to lift Bangladesh, but his single-handed efforts – 108 and 1 for 34 – couldn’t inspire an otherwise woeful team as Pakistan equalled their most successful streak in ODIs, winning their tenth in a row to take a 4-0 lead in the five-match series. Shakib’s innings lifted Bangladesh from a dire 109 for 8 to a respectable 210, but Pakistan’s top order barely broke a bead of sweat in knocking off the runs, achieving the target with seven wickets and 5.3 overs to spare.Shakib gave Bangladesh a fighting chance, but the game was settled when Butt and Akmal blitzed 97 for the first wicket in less than 17 overs. Both had scored hundreds in the previous game, and the good form showed as both oozed confidence, caressing fours through the off side and flicking wristily to the midwicket and square-leg boundaries whenever the bowlers erred even marginally.Bangladesh had one opportunity to break the stand before it had reached dangerous proportions, but Mahmudullah made a mess of a chance at extra cover when Butt drove airily at Shahadat Hossain. Butt had made 16 in a total of 25, and he made Bangladesh – and Hossain – pay dearly in his next over, creaming three glorious drives through the off side, two of which found the boundary. Akmal then joined the party, flicking the last ball of that over – which leaked 15 – for four, and then belting Mashrafe Mortaza for two more fours. Fifteen more came off that over, and after nine, Pakistan had sped to 65.Mohammad Ashraful was forced to turn to spin in the tenth over, and while the slow bowlers reduced the boundaries, both openers milked singles and twos, with the occasional boundary ensuring that the run-rate stayed above a run a ball. Akmal lofted Shakib over long-on for the first six of the match in the 13th over, but fell while trying to repeat the stroke four overs later.The arrival of Bazid Khan significantly slowed the scoring-rate, as he struggled to get the ball off the square against the slow bowlers, giving Bangladesh a chance to regroup. His first 23 deliveries fetched just two runs, and also led to Butt losing his patience and his wicket, dashing down the pitch for a non-existent single.The excitement for the crowd dried up as Mohammad Yousuf joined Bazid – there was a 67-ball boundary-drought at one stage – but Bazid finally broke the shackles in emphatic fashion, blasting Mahmudullah over midwicket for six, and gradually grew in confidence thereafter. Yousuf, meanwhile, played a typically fluent innings, guiding the ball into the gaps, cutting and flicking with characteristic elegance, and scoring at a fair clip despite the lack of fours and sixes. The asking-rate was always within control, and the result was a foregone conclusion long before Yousuf swept Abdur Razzak to seal the deal.That Pakistan required 44.3 overs with the bat was itself a surprise, for at one stage it appeared the game would be over before the artificial lights came into play. After winning the toss on a hot and sunny afternoon, and on what looked like a flat pitch, Bangladesh made a complete hash of ideal batting conditions. Umar Gul struck twice in his first over, inducing edges from Junaid Siddique and Aftab Ahmed, while Mohammad Asif – playing his first international match in nearly six months – had Tamim Iqbal cutting straight to point. Ten for 3 became an even more depressing 16 for 4 soon after Shakib walked in, as Mohammad Ashraful became another victim of Gul’s nagging line around off.Shakib, coming off a fine 75 in the third ODI in Lahore, continued from where he had left off, gauging the pace of the pitch in a trice. Gul was cut and pulled for two fours in three balls while Asif was creamed through the covers.Through the early part of his innings, though, it seemed his resistance would just be a minor irritant for a marauding Pakistan, as they knifed through the rest of the batting. Sohail Khan helped himself to a couple of wickets, while Shahid Afridi and Shoaib Malik took a wicket apiece as well.Mortaza, though, turned out to be an excellent foil for Shakib. Where other top-order batsmen had thrown it away, Mortaza showed fine temperament, turning the strike over and allowing Shakib the luxury of a solid partner. The first signs of a significant partnership came when Gul returned for a second spell. Shakib pulled him crisply and then struck him through extra cover in the same over – the 33rd – scoring 12 off it, the most expensive of the innings. Fawad Alam’s harmless left-arm spin was milked away for ones and twos, while Malik’s offspin met a similar fate as well. Never hurried in attack or defence, Shakib finally got to a richly deserved hundred in the 47th over, and the 97 he added with Mortaza was the highest ninth-wicket stand for Bangladesh in ODIs. That incredible rearguard effort gave Bangladesh some hope; sadly for them, though, Pakistan’s top order showed just how badly Bangladesh had bungled earlier in the afternoon.

Scorecard

New South Wales jumped back to the top of the Pura Cup table with a crushing 260-run win over Queensland, who lost seven wickets in one session on the final day. The Bulls have had a horror start to their season and their fourth defeat was confirmed just before lunch when Matthew Nicholson collected his third victim of the innings.The Bulls began the day on 3 for 79 chasing an unlikely 412 and it seemed that Brisbane’s stormy weather forecast might be their only salvation. But they lost 7 for 72 in less than two hours and especially struggled against Nicholson and Doug Bollinger, who each finished with 3 for 25.Queensland’s bleak day began to unfold when Jimmy Maher (12) was bowled by Bollinger on the overnight total. Not even their allround hero Ashley Noffke could save them and he fell to Grant Lambert for 8.A brief 38-run stand between Chris Hartley and Daniel Doran followed before Hartley was caught behind off Stuart Clark for 23 and Nicholson had Doran (15) also caught behind in the next over. Nicholson finished the job by removing Michael Kasprowicz for 1 and the Blues breathed a sigh of relief that the weather would not ruin their party.Queensland have some major concerns in the Pura Cup, where they are now winless from their opening six matches this season. Their promotion of Shane Watson to open continued to be a failure – he made 13 and 0 in this match – and their coach Terry Oliver predicted he might move back down the order for the next game.

In a new twist to the Sachin Tendulkar retirement story it has emerged that he is yet to make an official statement on the issue. A news agency quoted Tendulkar on Thursday as saying he had not thought about retirement but the Indian team’s administrative manager, Rajeev Shukla, confirmed on Friday that the quotes were not from the player.”That was my statement on Tendulkar’s behalf,” Shukla, also a vice-president of the Indian board, said while referring to the denial. “Tendulkar hasn’t spoken officially to anyone. It was wrongly reported as Tendulkar’s quotes.”Tendulkar’s statement sought to end speculation over his retiring from one-day cricket after India’s home engagements against Australia and Pakistan later this season. It followed a story reported by Cricinfo on Wednesday, quoting sources close to Tendulkar, that he was inclined to announce his retirement on this tour of England but had been persuaded by friends to do so at home.The confusion also stemmed from the post-match press conference at The Oval. Rahul Dravid was asked to comment on reports that Tendulkar had planned to retire and had been talked out of it by his team-mates. His answer was brief: “False reports.”

England players face missing an entire summer if they choose to play for the Indian Cricket League, after the England Cricket Board tightened up regulation to prevent county players from signing up the unauthorised Indian Cricket League.The board said that while any action would not be retrospective, any players who turn out in the ICL would be refused registration for a year. “A cricketer who has played in an unauthorised event in the 12 months leading up to 1 April in any given year will not qualify for registration,” a spokesman said. Although the ECB did not mention the ICL by name, referring to “events which are not authorised by the ICC and its members” the implication is clear.”Counties and the Professional Cricketers’ Association have sought clarity concerning this complex situation,” said the ECB chief executive, David Collier. “The [legal] advice received has informed the steps that the board has taken and the board stands ready to discuss the detail and impact of these steps with counties and individual players potentially affected.”The position with overseas players remains as before. The ECB maintains that such cricketers need a No Objection Certificate from the board of the country they are qualified to play Test cricket for, as per ICC instructions. “Without an NOC a cricketer is not entitled to registration,” the spokesman said. “The ECB will not exercise its discretion in favour of a cricketer who has contracted with an unauthorised event, save in the most exceptional circumstances.”That means that players such as Mushtaq Ahmed (Sussex), Jason Gillespie (Glamorgan) and Shane Bond (Hampshire), who have all signed with the ICL, will be prevented from taking up their positions with their counties. Although the ECB statement implied that no action would be taken against such players “who are already registered with the ECB, and who have already contracted with an unauthorised event,” without the NOC from their respective boards, they will be unable to proceed.But what seems apparent is that Kolpak players fall through the net. They do not need registration as with England players, but nor do they need NOCs from their home boards. “Kolpaks still have to abide by the regulations as set out by ECB, same as any other cricketer,” said an ECB spokesman. What that appears to mean is that it is relying on the counties to fall into line with the overall policy.

There was a major upheaval in Ugandan cricket when William Kibuuka Musoke was ousted as chairman of the UCA by Dr Kato Sebbaale at a feisty meeting in Lugogo.Musoke has been a controversial figure and it was obvious from early on that he was in trouble, as a succession of speakers lined up to attack his tenure. “We have struggled with this game for long,” said John Naganda, who opposed Musoke’s re-election. “Seeing someone destroy it hurts. Those who are anti-cricket should go to hell,” He also moved a motion to suspend discussing the accounts because they were received late.The UCA was also attacked by Jasper Aligawesa, the general secretary of the National Council of Sports. “You must improve UCA’s public image,” he said. “You should also bring an end to divisions in cricket.”When it came to the vote, Musoke and his committee were sent packing. Kampala’s New Vision described him as possessing an ability “to divide all that stood before him”.

Multan defeated Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC) in a thriller by a three wickets margin, on the final day of their fifth-round match, at the Multan Cricket Stadium on Friday.Multan required a mere 116 to win but they made heavy weather of the task at hand. They lost seven wickets before they got home. The first four wickets fell with just 23 on the board, then the total was taken to 94 but three more wickets were lost. Naved Yasin, with an unbeaten 27, was joined by skipper Rauf, who made 20 not out and the two took their team to an exciting win.SSGC medium-fast bowler Shakeel-ur-Rehman from Peshawar had meanwhile bowled his heart out in bringing his team near a difficult triumph. Shakeel took five for 64 yesterday, that gave him a match haul of 10 for 162. In the end, though, his was a futile effort.Multan with 18 points from five matches have now jumped up to sixth place in the 11-team ranking, from their previous eighth spot. SSGC are down to number seven from the fifth positon, with 18 points from four appearances.Wasim Khan took five wickets and offspinner Irfanuddin chipped in with three to power National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) to a eight-wicket win against Karachi Whites at the NBP Sports Complex Stadium on Friday.Resuming at their overnight 97 for 3, still 29 runs behind their opponents, Karachi Whites managed only a modest 202 in their second innings. That left National Bank a small target of 78 runs, which they achieved with ease.The only Karachi batsman to show some defiance yesterday was Daniyal Ahsan. He batted just over four hours and faced 156 balls in scoring 63 runs that included five fours. For National Bank, first innings centurion Nasir Jamshed was again in good form in the second, making an unbeaten 40 off 57 balls with six fours and two sixes.In five matches, National Bank have now taken their points tally to 36, but remain at second place behind Habib Bank in the 11-team Group A ranking. Habib Bank too have 36 points to their credit, but in only four appearances, and they also have a superior net run-rate. After five matches, of which they have won two and lost two, Karachi Whites remain stuck at 21 points.Islamabad returned to the top of the Group B ranking after registering an emphatic nine-wicket win over Karachi Blues at the Diamond Cricket Club Ground on Friday.Having resumed at 87 for one, requiring only a further 59 runs, the second-wicket pair took the score to 149 for one as Islamabad emerged victorious comfortably. The unbroken partnership was worth 140 runs: Umair Khan hit 68 not out off 93 with 13 fours while Farrukh Hayat achieved the first half-century of his first-class career, making an unbeaten 51 off 107 deliveries.Islamabad, who had slipped to number three in the 11-team Group B table following a defeat at the hands of Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited (ZTBL) in the fourth round, are now back on the top. They have won all their other matches for a tally of 36 points.
At the Bugti Stadium Quetta, Khan Research Laboratories (KRL) went from eighth place to sixth when they beat Quetta by five wickets. They had needed only 144 runs to win and they did so for the loss of five wickets. KRL, however, collected only six points as they had earlier surrendered a nine-run first innings lead to Quetta..