BCCI mulls ending CSA's stake in Champions League T20

Whatever happens between the BCCI and CSA, the South African teams' participation in the Champions League T20 is unlikely to be affected © Getty Images  Enlarge

Relations between the boards of India and South Africa are believed to have suffered a setback following the appointment of Haroon Lorgat as the chief executive of Cricket South Africa, ESPNcricinfo understands. At stake for CSA is its partnership in the lucrative Champions League Twenty20, and the hosting of a full series against India later this year.

The BCCI's concerns over Lorgat's appointment - formally announced on July 20 - were raised at a Champions League T20 meeting earlier this week, it is understood. The meeting in London, attended by representatives of BCCI, Cricket Australia and CSA, was not a pleasant one - one source said it got "very uncomfortable". The BCCI said it hadn't ruled out ending the CLT20 association with CSA, which like CA holds a stake, although South African teams' participation was to continue regardless.

When CSA announced Lorgat's appointment last week, it said it had been under BCCI pressure to do otherwise. Having gone ahead regardless, CSA and Lorgat said they hoped they could iron out their issues with the BCCI.

"We went to India and talked to the president of the BCCI and they raised their concerns about Haroon [Lorgat]," Chris Nenzani, the CSA president, said at that time. "We told them, 'We will not undermine your concerns but we will have to take decision based on the interests of CSA.' We have a long history of friendship and a good relationship with the BCCI, and we value that relationship. We have no reason to believe this appointment will jeopardise the relationship in any way."

Early rushes suggest CSA might have underestimated the BCCI's ire, which is believed to stem from Lorgat's promotion of DRS and his insistence on the implementation of the findings of the Woolf Report during his time as ICC chief executive.

CSA's next plan of action is to wait for a report on the meeting, which Naasei Appiah, the CSA CFO and its acting CEO in the London meeting, is preparing. It then hopes that Lorgat can salvage the relationship.

The BCCI's working committee, meanwhile, will meet on Sunday, and is expected to finalise its requirements regarding the schedule of India's tour of South Africa. Jagmohan Dalmiya, the acting president of the BCCI, told ESPNcricinfo that the board hadn't sent an alternative itinerary over to CSA yet, and was expected to do so only after the Sunday meeting.

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16:10

Babar takes Pakistan home off last ball

Pakistan 158 for 8 (Amin 47, Afridi 46) beat West Indies 152 for 7 (Pollard 49*, Babar 3-23, Hafeez 2-4) by two wicketsScorecard and ball-by-ball details

	Zulfiqar Babar, 34, had a dream debut for Pakistan © WICB Media  Enlarge

You get a chance to play international cricket at 34, becoming the second-oldest debutant for your country. You are hit for six second ball. What do you do? You dismiss three key batsmen for just 23 runs. You are then called on to finish the game. With the bat. Understandably, you are tied down. But with six needed off six, you loft over extra cover for four. You think you have more than pulled your weight as a debutant. You have, but it is not over yet. It comes down to the last ball. One run needed. Everyone is in the circle. No sweat. You go big over mid-off, so big that you clear the rope. Zulfiqar Babar, welcome to international cricket.

It should not have come down to the last ball the wayShahid Afridi sensibly steered the chase from 86 for 5. After that became 116 for 6, he did it with the tail for company. He made 46 off 27, but barring the 27th delivery, he hardly hit a desperate, reckless stroke. With eight needed off 11 though, he tried to seal it with a straight six, and mishit to long-on.

West Indies sensed a chance. Babar played out a few dots. Despite that early boundary in the last over, Saeed Ajmal was run out off the fifth with the scores tied, before Babar roared one final time.

The way they bowled and fielded, West Indies were lucky to have taken it down to the last ball. Shannon Gabriel took three wickets, but he crumbled under pressure each time he was called upon to deliver.Umar Amin, who played a blinder on T20 debut, took three fours off Gabriel's first over, with a flick and two pulls.

Amin then took Samuel Badree apart on a turning pitch. Never giving the ball a chance to spin, he repeatedly stepped out to loft Badree down the ground. When the bowler dropped it short, Amin pulled. When he overpitched, Amin drove. Even as Amin was toying with West Indies, the hosts were striking at the other end.

The Pakistan top order fell to miscalculated hits, but Amin's brilliance meant the asking-rate was always under control. That still didn't stop Amin from walking out to Samuels and getting stumped to make it 86 for 5.

Afridi took over now, striking Samuels first ball for six over long-off and drilling the third to the extra cover rope. Thereafter, he settled down into cruise mode, rotating the strike, picking the odd boundary and also lofting Sunil Narine to become the first man to reach 400 international sixes. He did everything right except the stroke on the ball he got out to, but then, it was to be the debutant's day in the end.

Babar, and the other Pakistan spinners, had shocked West Indies initially on the turner but the hosts recovered and then took apart the fast bowlers to post a challenging total. Dwayne Bravo and Kieron Pollardcame together at 42 for 4 and put on 56 before Darren Sammy cracked 30 off 14. Pakistan's slow bowlers did their job, taking 5 for 74 in 14 overs but the fast bowlers, missing the yorkers too often, disappeared for 1 for 73 in six. Mohammad Hafeez, who opened the bowling and dismissed the openers, gave himself just two overs.

Babar squared up and bowled Lendl Simmons with his fourth delivery and in his next over, found himself in the way of a powerful hit from Samuels, but managed to hold on. Samuels had been cutting Mohammad Irfan for boundaries amid all the wickets.

Bravo and Pollard, although not always in control, rotated the strike, a refreshing thing coming from a West Indies pair. Bravo was quick to hit with the turn through the off side, and Pollard made sure he put away the rare half-volleys for boundaries. Sammy went after the fast bowlers as he and Pollard looted 53 in four overs. As Sammy said after the game, 152 should have been defended on that pitch, but Babar was to have the perfect debut.

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16:08

Audition for India's next-in-line

Match facts

Wednesday, July 24, 2013
Start time 0900 local (0700 GMT)

	The series will also test Virat Kohli's captaincy, in MS Dhoni's absence for the whole tour © AFP  Enlarge

Big Picture

Zimbabwe and India were regular sparring partners in the mid to late nineties, but India have only visited the country thrice since 2000 and haven't invited the Zimbabweans over since 2002. For the hosts, the upcoming series could well be the marquee cricketing event of the year, and India also have their reasons to make the most out of this trip.

The presence of five potential one-day international debutants suggests that India are keen to try out a couple of new options, particularly with the ball, and the series will also allow Virat Kohli to add to his CV as the heir to the captaincy after mixed results at the helm in the Caribbean. These five games may not be entirely indicative of the future of the Indian team, but they will offer some enlightening clues.

They'll also serve as an early audition for an event of far greater consequence to India: their trip to South Africa at the end of the year. India's preparations for that tour also include a visit by the A side to South Africa in August. Despite the modesty of the opposition there's ample reason for the visitors to take these games seriously.

For their own part, Zimbabwe will be happy with the chance to test themselves against quality opponents, and also ease some financial pressures with the tour likely to turn a profit thanks to the lucrative television rights deals that India bring with them. Indeed, after the paucity of international fixtures last year, Zimbabwe are proving a far more popular destination in 2013 with Pakistan and Sri Lanka both visiting before the end of the year.

The Zimbabweans also won't have forgotten India's last tour in 2010, when an inexperienced touring group battled to compete with either the hosts or Sri Lanka in the tri-series and failed to make the final. Zimbabwe's squad has been training together for more than two months to prepare for these ODIs, and it's possible that they could register a rare win against elite opposition in one or two of the matches. The series opener could well be their best chance to do that.

Form guide

(most recent first, last five completed games)
India WWWLL
Zimbabwe WWLLL

In the spotlight

It's hard to believe it's taken this long for Cheteshwar Pujara to force his way into ODI contention for India, considering his eye-catching short format statistics - he averages 56.97 in List A cricket, with eight hundreds. Pujara has taken to Test cricket with instinctual ease, and if he moves as naturally into ODIs, his presence in the middle order could add significantly to Zimbabwe's worries.

	India train ahead of their first ODI against Zimbabwe

Where Pujara's statistics immediately and obviously mark him out as a successful batsman, Sikandar Raza's don't, at first glance, suggest a rare talent. But his laidback, friendly attitude belies a fierce dedication to the game, and Raza has earned his place in this team. He averaged 52.40 in the List A season leading to his debut against Bangladesh in May, but his results during that tour were modest and he'll be keen to make an impact.

Team news

Zimbabwe are picking from a fully-fit 17-man squad, and coach Andy Waller confirmed that Ray Price is, in fact, in the group, but it's unlikely he'll play in the opening match. The host's nets session on Monday also suggested a settled top six, but there are nine bowlers bottlenecking into four slots down the order. A balanced attack seems the most sensible option, and Tinotenda Mutombodzi looked the best of the spinners during training.

Zimbabwe (likely): 1 Vusi Sibanda, 2 Sikandar Raza, 3 Hamilton Masakadza, 4 Brendan Taylor (capt & wk), 5 Malcolm Waller, 6 Sean Williams, 7 Elton Chigumbura, 8 Prosper Utseya, 9 Tinotenda Mutombodzi, 10 Kyle Jarvis, 11 Brian Vitori

Like Zimbabwe, India's scope for experimentation - at least in the series opener - is in their bowling group. Amit Mishra's experience will be valuable to the young attack, while the combination of Vinay Kumar and Jaydev Unadkat would add variety. The most open position is that vacated by R Ashwin at No. 8, and offspinning allrounder Parvez Rasool could be in line to become the first player from India's Kashmir valley to represent the national side.

India (likely): 1 Shikhar Dhawan, 2 Rohit Sharma, 3 Cheteshwar Pujara, 4 Virat Kohli (capt), 5 Suresh Raina, 6 Dinesh Karthik (wk), 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 Parvez Rasool , 9 Amit Mishra, 10 Vinay Kumar, 11 Jaydev Unadkat

Pitch and conditions

Winters in Zimbabwe are cold and dry and usually the pitches reflect this, favouring spin over seam and playing a little on the slow side. The track for Wednesday's game has been very well watered, however, and the groundstaff have left some grass on it to negate the potential for drying and crumbling. New ball bowlers may well profit in the first hour, with the games due to start somewhat early at 9am, but the wicket should have the pace to allow for shot-making.

Stats and trivia

• Despite some notable successes, such as at the 1999 World Cup, Zimbabwe have only beaten India in 10 out of the 51 ODIs they've played against them since 1983.
• The first obstacle for Zimbabwe's bowlers in a daunting Indian batting line-up will be the opening pair of Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma, who average 57.72 in partnership and have put together three century stands.
• Of Zimbabwe's current batsmen, captain Brendan Taylor has by far the best record against India in ODIs, with 184 runs at 46 against them in four games.

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00:50

Pattinson ruled out of Ashes series

James Pattinson's Ashes series in England is over © Getty Images  Enlarge

James Pattinson has been ruled out of the remainder of the Investec Ashes series in England after being diagnosed with a stress fracture of the lower back.

Pattinson reported "hip and back soreness" after the final day of the second Test at Lord's and subsequent scans, which he underwent in London on Monday, showed the early signs of a stress fracture.

He will travel with the squad to Sussex and then on to Manchester before returning home to Australia. His place was likely to have come under scrutiny ahead of the Old Trafford Test after two disappointing performances at Trent Bridge and Lord's, where he has taken seven wickets at 43.85.

This is the latest injury setback in Pattinson's career following a rib injury he picked up against South Africa last year and a foot problem he sustained against India the during the 2011-12 season.

Cricket Australia team doctor Peter Brukner said: "We had some scans done today in London that have identified an early stage low back stress fracture. Unfortunately he will not take any further part in this Test series and will commence a rehabilitation program with the aim to have him back for the Australian summer."

Pat Howard, the Cricket Australia team performance manager, added: "While we are obviously disappointed for James, the selectors have five bowlers fit and ready to perform in England, providing them with many options.

"It is also important to note that several players have been performing for Australia A and are available to be called up at any stage if the NSP required them. We've been well planned to have as many bowlers fit and available in the lead-up to this important series and while this set-back for James is disappointing, we are confident we have good fast bowling depth."

The other pace options currently in England, who weren't selected at Lord's, are Mitchell Starc, Jackson Bird and James Faulkner. The fast bowlers currently on duty for Australia A in Zimbabwe and South Africa are Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, Chadd Sayers, Nathan Coulter-Nile and Gurinder Sandhu.

Cummins, regularly billed as one of the brighest talents in Australian cricket, has played one Test and is being handled very carefully by Cricket Australia after he, too, suffered a number of injuries. Hazlewood, who has appeared in one ODI and one Twenty20, is another who has had fitness issues.

Sayers has played just 14 first-class matches but put his name in contention with an impressive 2012-13 season and showed eye-catching form when Australia A were in the UK ahead of the Ashes series. Coulter-Nile was part of Australia's squad for the recent Champions Trophy in England.

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00:49

T20 'chipping away' at Test skills - Gooch

Australia's top order has struggled to put runs on the board © Associated Press  Enlarge

Graham Gooch has spelled out something that no one at Cricket Australia is prepared to publicly say - Twenty20 is "chipping away" at the skills required of Test batsmen, and Gooch, England's batting coach, works every day to ensure his men are not eroded as Australia's have been.

In the aftermath of the Lord's Test, the England captain, Alastair Cook, spoke warmly of Gooch, a figure often derided in Australia for his travails during the 1989 Ashes series but an exemplar of diligence, patience and commitment to the art of run-making. Joe Root's pivotal 180 after Australia's batsmen had surrendered their first innings for a paltry 128 was a 21st century facsimile of many a Gooch innings, and the mentor said multiple formats had made it ever more difficult to foster such patience among young batsmen.

"There's three formats of the game now … the basis of Test cricket is that it's a hell of a long game, five times 90 overs is a long, long game," Gooch said. "So it's about skills in batting, about run-making, about the whole package of not only having the technical skills but having the attitude, the mental toughness, the discipline, and the concentration. Anyone can concentrate for 15-20 minutes, but to score Test hundreds you have to concentrate for a long period of time. Those skills I think worldwide are being chipped away at the edges by the amount of one-day cricket and T20 cricket.

"If you're a traditionalist and like Test cricket and think that's the pinnacle and the benchmark, you know you can see with the number of competitions that are popping up and the rewards that are available in terms of finance … the possibility of it chipping away at the edges of the traditional game, and that's the same for every country. You've got to work hard to try to keep your players on track and obviously try to educate them as well as you can on the skills and the mental skills that are necessary to bat long. It's a different type of skill."

While it is clear that at the present moment England are successfully developing batsmen of the requisite obstinacy and technical purity to survive for long periods, Gooch spoke of the need for eternal vigilance to ensure that the balance was not lost. He also mentioned the ability of the best players to differentiate between conditions, using the right "tools" for the variety of surfaces offered in England, Australia and the subcontinent.

	Graham Gooch's press conference

"Way after I finish this issue will still be alive and kicking," Gooch, who will turn 60 on Tuesday, said. "I'd hate to think that traditional skills get eroded and diluted because the specialist spinner, the specialist fast bowler, the skills of the batsmen are, for me, what make the game so great. Playing on a surface like here [Lord's], or the SCG or Brisbane or Perth where it bounces. A batsman to score runs needs different skills for different wickets, and as a batsman and run-maker you have different tools in the bag, but you don't take all the tools out every time you play."

As for the magnitude of England's victory, earning the hosts a 2-0 series lead that has only ever been overhauled once in the history of all Ashes contests, Gooch said some of his pupils would not fully appreciate it until later years. On the topic of Australia he was taciturn, but left ample room for the results to speak for themselves.

"I think we suffered quite a lot [in the past], I did manage to win the Ashes three times actually but I did suffer quite a lot," Gooch said. "I don't know how some of them would know the historical significance, some probably wouldn't. I think mainly they're interested in winning each match they come up against. Australia are giving it their best, it's not for me to comment on their performance, that's down to their management and their system. We try to get our players in the best possible condition to win."

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00:47

BCCI relationship Lorgat's top priority

Haroon Lorgat on the BCCI: "I don't like to be out of favour with someone I thought was a friend. I will do my best to understand the concerns" © Getty Images  Enlarge

Understanding the BCCI's concerns and improving his relationship with the Indian board is one of Haroon Lorgat's top priorities as he begins his tenure as chief executive of CSA. Lorgat was appointed on Saturday and will officially take over the role on August 1 for a term of three years. His unveiling ends a nine-month period of uncertainty for the organisation which has been without a permanent boss since Gerald Majola's sacking in October 2012.

Although Lorgat was considered the frontrunner for the job even before he applied late last year, when CSA's board restructure was completed, a major hurdle to his appointment was the BCCI's objection. The Indian board is believed to harbour dissatisfaction with Lorgat from his time at the ICC, where they clashed with him over issues ranging from the FTP and DRS to the corporate governance review.

They informed CSA of their unhappiness and there was even talk India would cancel its upcoming tour to South Africa. CSA's president Chris Nenzani confirmed officials from South Africa met with the BCCI in February to discuss, among other things, Lorgat. The board is satisfied they have not put either the India tour or their relationship with the BCCI at risk despite giving Lorgat the top job.

"We went to India and talked to the president of the BCCI and they raised their concerns about Haroon [Lorgat]," Nenzani said at a press conference at the Wanderers. "We told them, 'We will not undermine your concerns but we will have to take decision based on the interests of CSA.' We have a long history of friendship and a good relationship with the BCCI and we value that relationship. We have no reason to believe this appointment will jeopardise the relationship in any way."

	Haroon Lorgat: ""We have to respect India and it's up to me to fix up anything that needs patching"

Nenzani said he had received "no information the tour will not go ahead", while Lorgat confirmed the two boards are still in talks about the itinerary. CSA released a schedule for two T20s, seven ODIs and three Tests to be played between November 21 and January 19 but the BCCI want some adjustments that could see the Tests played first.

By the time India arrive in South Africa, Lorgat would have completed three months in office and hopes to have gleaned thorough knowledge of the BCCI's reservations about him, reassured them and gained their trust. Lorgat admitted he is "not too sure" exactly what the BCCI's point of contention is but conceded they bumped heads at the ICC and the ethics officer was called in to mediate. All complaints against Lorgat were dismissed thereafter and Lorgat thought the matter had been put to bed.

"I am saddened by these inferences and I did not expect such a poor relationship to have formed. I don't like to be out of favour with someone I thought was a friend. I will do my best to understand the concerns," he said.

	If I need to sit across a table, to go to India, whatever it takes to smooth things over, I have to put CSA first. When the issues come out, if it means I have offended someone and I need to apologise, I will.Haroon Lorgat

But it does not end there. Not only does Lorgat want to comprehend, he also wants to reconcile and he is willing to go the extra mile to ensue that happens. "If I need to sit across a table, to go to India, whatever it takes to smooth things over, I have to put CSA first. When the issues come out, if it means I have offended someone and I need to apologise, I will."

Lorgat's deference to India may seem at odds with CSA's bold decision to choose him despite India's unhappiness, but Lorgat explained he is not seeking to further ruffle feathers. "We have to respect India and it's up to me to fix up anything that needs patching," he said.

Asked if he thought India was too powerful and used that might to exert their will, Lorgat was diplomatic. "I think in anything too much dominance of one person is not good. But I also think we should not begrudge strong people. We should aspire to be as strong as they are."

Over the last two years, while South Africa's Test team has gained the highest stature in world cricket, its administration has lagged far behind. The bonus scandal and revolving door of acting presidents and acting CEOs led to what ESPNCricinfo understands was a loss of respect at higher levels.

Lorgat's other aim is to restore the standing CSA once had, both in the eyes of other boards and its own public, whose trust was dented in the aftermath of the Majola affair. "What's happened in the past was not what anybody wanted to see," Lorgat said. "I am confident the reputation will improve. I am impressed by the new board and I think we have good people who will ensure corporate governance."

He also thanked his predecessor Majola, despite the manner in which he was dismissed, for "leading the organisation for almost a decade." Under Majola, South Africa hosted ICC events such as the inaugural World T20 and 2009 Champions Trophy and even stood in to put on the IPL in season 2.

Ironically, staging the Indian event led to Majola's downfall. Bonus payments from that event which did not pass through the board were the main reason for him being fired. But that South Africa were willing to bail India out in their hour of need was indication of the closeness of their relationship and Lorgat hopes to begin restoring that as soon as he can.

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00:47

Delhi Police files chargesheet in 2000 fixing case

Hansie Cronje has been named accused 11 years after his death © AFP  Enlarge

Hansie Cronje is the only cricketer named in the chargesheet filed by the Delhi Police relating to the match-fixing case of 2000. The chargesheet was filed in a trial court on Monday, more than 13 years after the scandal broke.

When the issue first came to light, Delhi Police had charged the then South Africa captain Cronje with fixing his team's ODIs against India in March 2000 for money. Cronje had confessed to accepting money from bookmakers in June that year, while being cross-examined by the King Commission in Cape Town, and was banned for life in October. On June 1, 2002, Cronje was reported to have died in a plane crash near George in South Africa's southern Cape.

"There are six accused in this case, three of them are on bail while two are abroad," Inspector Keshav Kumar, the investigating officer in the case, told the court. "The sixth is Hansie Cronje, who is dead."

The others are bookmakers and gamblers Rajesh Kalra, Krishan Kumar and Sunil Dara, who are all out on bail, and Sanjeev Chawla and Manmohan Khattar, who are overseas.

Delhi Police have alleged that Cronje persuaded some of his teammates to agree to underperform in a one-day match in 2000. Batsman Herschelle Gibbs and bowler Henry Williams were both banned for six months and fined by South African authorities for their admissions in the scandal, which broke when the police, working on an unrelated extortion case, tapped a telephone conversation between Cronje and Chawla. He is believed by the police to be in the UK and they hope to seek his extradition now that the chargesheet has been filed.

"We will now request the court to grant approval to seek extradition of Chawla from the UK to India," Ravindra Yadav, additional commissioner of police (crime), told AFP. "The UK government does not allow extradition without the chargesheet. We are almost sure Chawla is in England.

"This is criminal conspiracy. People went to the ground to watch the games thinking they would be played in the true spirit. They did not know the outcome was fixed. That's why we have filed the charges."

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00:46

Tail better than top three - Border

Allan Border, the former Australia captain, has spoken of his bewilderment at how the vastly talented allrounder Shane Watson is skating desperately close to a failed career, in a Test match team where the bowlers looked more capable of batting time than the batsmen.

Having experienced the enormous pain of Australian cricket's troubled times during the 1980s, Border paralleled the current team's lack of performance and good fortune with the teams he led so valiantly three decades ago. A horrid defeat by 347 runs at Lord'shanded Australia their sixth Test match loss in a row, a streak not seen since 1984, when Border inherited the captaincy from a tearful Kim Hughes.

Seldom known for expressing opinions that are any less than guarded, Border was particularly frank in his assessment of the batting he saw at Lord's over the past four days. "Our major concern right now is the performance of the top six. I could honestly say the nine, 10 and jack looked more competent than our one, two and three," Border wrote for Cricket Australia. "If that was me in the top three I'd be embarrassed. We need to settle on our best 11 and stay with it. I'm a believer in the pick and stick method, so we need to find our best 11 suited to the conditions and stick with it."

Whether or not that best XI includes Watson is a matter of increasing debate, given the frequency with which he is getting out for infuriatingly handy scores, and now also falling in a remarkably similar manner in each innings. After watching Watson fall lbw for the third time in four turns at the crease this series, Border said he could not fathom how a player this talented could keep making the same mistakes.

"We all know what a wonderful player Shane Watson is. He looks like a million bucks when he's firing. What is worrying though is that he keeps getting out in the same fashion. Now who is to blame here? Is it Watson for not adapting? What about the coaches?" Border wrote. "In an era where we've got a thousand coaches and psychoanalysts and dieticians and sport scientists it defies belief that a player can be making the same mistakes. Whether it is a technical thing or a mental thing I don't know.

	James Anderson trapped Shane Watson lbw in the second innings at Lord's © Getty Images  Enlarge

"Is Shane not listening, or are people saying bad luck, you got a good one? We need to find out what the best is for Shane. Is it opening the batting? Or maybe batting at six and making him a genuine allrounder? Whatever it is we need to find out soon or Shane's time will have come and gone and we won't have seen the best of him. The buck stops with Shane and he needs to figure it quickly because it will be a real shame if he doesn't fulfil his potential."

Australia's coach Darren Lehmann has said that Watson is well aware of the technical problems revolving around the prominence of his front pad, and credited England's bowlers, most recently James Anderson, for repeatedly finding it.

"We've talked about it many times. I actually think it was a pretty good ball to be fair from Anderson. It nipped off a length and cut back," Lehmann said. "The first innings he played across his pad but this innings I thought he played pretty well. We would love him to make big runs as everyone would but he is just one of the top seven who has to do it."

Watson gave some indication that he was trying to combat the problem by taking a leg-stump guard in the second innings at Lord's, and Lehmann said there would be more tinkering to try to ensure he scored the runs that his talent has continually hinted at without ever quite delivering.

"Particularly here at Lord's with the slope and it coming back in, he made that adjustment, but that may be different at Old Trafford, it depends on where you are playing , they are going to target that," Lehmann said. "We know that. We know we are going to bowl to their batters, they know how they are going bowl on our bowlers. We just have to make technical and tactical decisions - at the moment we are not coming up with the right ones and the right results."

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00:45

Ford wants consistency from Sri Lanka

Graham Ford: "Angelo Mathews has taken on the role of Sri Lankan captain really well and he leads by example" © AFP  Enlarge

The lack of consistency in the Sri Lankan middle order has been a concern for some time and head coach Graham Ford believes it is one area they need to keep improving on to become a successful one-day side.

"There have been some good moments and we have beaten some really good teams but we are not quite consistent enough," Ford said. "Sometimes we haven't finished off our batting innings as well as we would have liked. That does come with experience as players get more time at this level. Something we've just got to keep working on."

Ford was confident that with time the younger players who are expected to fill the shoes of senior cricketers like Tillakaratne Dilshan, Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara in the future will be up to the task.

"At this stage we are still in the phase of the younger guys developing and learning from the seniors and that's why it's crucial that we strike up a balance," he said. "Hopefully, as they continue playing around the seniors, it won't be long before they are performing equally as well."

Sri Lanka thrashed South Africa in the first ODI on Saturday by 180 runs after Sangakkara made a career best 169. Jayawardene and Upul Tharanga had also chipped in with 42 and 43 runs respectively.

Ford, who as South Africa's coach between 1999 and 2002 helped them secure eight out of 11 Test-series wins, said he is well aware of the threat the visitors would pose for Sri Lanka.

"I don't want to go public about my thoughts on South Africa but we are fully aware that they are a very powerful one-day unit," he said. "South African teams are much better at playing on foreign conditions nowadays than they were some ten years ago. We can expect a very tough series."

Ford was happy with the way Angelo Mathews has handled the side since his elevation to the captaincy in February. "He's been fantastic. He has taken on the role really well and he leads by example. It hasn't been easy, he's had some very tough cricket but he's handled it exceptionally well," he said.

Ford, who has been the Sri Lanka coach since January 2012, highlighted the team's fighting spirit as a particularly heartening aspect of their cricket.

"The team has gelled well and there's been some stability in the roles that they have been asked to perform," he said. "What's impressed me the most is the fighting spirit amongst the group. We try to be really proud of that and to make sure we are a group of fighters. That has shown on a number of occasions. When times have been tough the boys have stuck together."

Ford is contracted by Sri Lanka Cricket till the end of January 2014.

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00:44

Hussey joins Thunder, Warne retires as BBL season grows

Michael Hussey won't be at Perth Scorchers next summer © Getty Images  Enlarge

Cricket Australia has shelved its plan to tighten the BBL schedule this summer, instead expanding the time-frame from the opening match until the final by two weeks. The fixture for the 2013-14 tournament has been released and although the competition will start later in December, in order to allow Sheffield Shield cricket to be played until the end of the third Ashes Test, it has ballooned at the back end and will not finish until February 15.

All the regular season matches will be played during the school holiday period, with the semi-finals and final to be contested across two weekends in early February. The tournament will last 58 days compared to last season's 44 days, with the 32 regular season games played across 38 days.

"The later start to the season means that families will have a greater opportunity to come to the BBL as part of their school holiday summer entertainment," Mike McKenna, Cricket Australia's executive general manager operations, said.

In other BBL news on Monday, two widely-expected announcements were confirmed: the retirement of Melbourne Stars captain Shane Warne, and Michael Hussey's decision to sign with Sydney Thunder. Hussey's defection from Perth Scorchers is an attempt to revive the fortunes of the struggling Thunder outfit, which has won only two matches over the past two seasons.

Hussey will captain the side in the absence of the nominal Thunder leader Michael Clarke, who is likely to miss most of the campaign due to national team commitments.

"I'm extremely excited about joining the Sydney Thunder and having the opportunity to be part of a young, energetic side that will represent the west of Sydney with pride," Hussey said. "The team and the area have enormous potential and I hope that I can bring my experience to help get the best out of the side and develop the talented playing group that we have.

"It was not an easy decision to leave the Scorchers, but the challenge of helping a young team grow was one I couldn't pass on. I look forward to working closely with coach Chandika [Hathurusinghe] and Michael Clarke to make sure that the squad are ready to go once the season starts."

Cameron White will again take up the captaincy of the Stars after Warne confirmed that he would not be back for another summer. Warne, 43, struggled for impact last season with the Stars and collected four wickets at 39.75.

"I think the time is right for me to hang up my Big Bash boots - juggling business, family and commentary commitments across two continents is not easy," Warne said. "I've always loved the game but now it's time to observe. I wish Cameron and rest of the lads all the best for the BBL|03."

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Desolate Clarke points finger at batsmen

Michael Clarke managed a fifty on the fourth day but he, like many of his colleagues, fell to a poor dismissal © Getty Images  Enlarge

If there was optimism in Michael Clarke's voice after Trent Bridge, it had turned to utter desolation at Lord's. On the receiving end of Australia's sixth consecutive Test defeat, a sequence last experienced in the grim days of 1984, Clarke was clearly upset by a hiding that has all but ended the team's hopes of regaining the Ashes in England.

Speaking frankly of the team's myriad batting problems and the pressure that has placed on the bowlers, Clarke also conceded the defeats were taking a heavy toll on him, and said his own vision of what the Australian team should be had been shaken by a succession of losses that is now the equal of the run that ended Kim Hughes' captaincy when repeatedly humbled by the West Indies.

"Every team I've been a part of that's lost - it's obviously been extremely tough and you probably take it more personally when you're captain of the team as well," Clarke said. "Our performance with the bat in the first innings was unacceptable. The wicket was very good for batting, we had a great opportunity and we let ourselves down.

"The reason you play any sport is to try and win - that's the way I have been brought up. But half of my problem I guess is that I walked into such a great Australian team that won as a habit and that was something I became accustomed to and used to. I don't want that to change. At the moment we are not performing as well as I would like. We are letting everyone down at the moment with the way we are batting. Our bowlers are fighting hard, we are making them bowl every single day because we are not putting enough runs on the board."

Clarke tackled the matter of Australia's batting and the terminal lack of application and patience that has repeatedly hindered the team's efforts to build match-shaping scores. In seven Test matches since January only two hundreds have been made by Australian batsmen - Matthew Wade against Sri Lanka in Sydney and Clarke himself in Chennai.

"We've got plenty of experience in our top seven, we've seen already in this series that guys can score runs against this attack," Clarke said. "Our shot selection was poor and we just didn't have the discipline that England had. England were willing to bat for long periods and graft through the tough times - and we certainly weren't in that first innings."

"I don't want anybody in our team to not play their natural game and not back their natural instinct. You have to do that 100 per cent. But like it or not, when you're playing against good opposition there are going to be tough times in your innings as a batsman and you've got to find a way to get through that. In my career, the way I've tried to get through those periods is with my defence."

	Michael Clarke's post-match press conference

Causes for Australia's lack of consistent run-scoring have been debated for some time and Clarke has commented strongly by his own choice of career path, shelving international Twenty20 duty to better prepare for Test matches and ODIs, while also skipping several domestic T20 tournaments in order to preserve his fragile back.

"I think you learn that defence at the age of 10," Clarke said. "Obviously there are three different formats we now play and there's times through your career in T20 cricket, or one-day cricket where you make a 50 off 25 balls or a hundred off 50 balls, that's a great innings. But I know in Test cricket, some of the best innings I've ever seen in my career are guys making a hundred off 350 balls. So there's a time and a place.

"I love all three forms. My reason to retire from T20 was to focus on ODI and Test cricket. I felt my game had to improve in certain areas to stay in the team. I try to use the time that I'm not playing T20 to improve my game. Everyone is in a different boat and different age and stage of life. I can't make decisions for other people. There is room for all three formats in the game but you must be a very good player to perform at all three formats."

The player who has best met the demands of all three formats of the game is the now retired Michael Hussey. It cannot be a coincidence that over the past 12 months Australia are yet to win an international match overseas without him.

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