Simon Jones’ chances of playing against Pakistan are only 50-50, says the England physiotherapist Kirk Russell. Jones missed the final Ashes Test at The Oval after developing a bone spur on his right ankle, and had been a key component in England’s bowling attack all summer. With his ability to swing the new and old ball, conventionally and with reverse swing, the dry and dusty pitches of Pakistan ought to suit his style of bowling.But he continues to be troubled with his ankle injury, and is due to go for a scan on Friday. Speaking to , Russell conceded the Welshman is struggling: “It is very much 50-50 with him,” he said. “We have an England camp on October 17 and 18 at Loughborough; he needs to be bowling then for him to be declared fit to tour Pakistan.”If things continue to progress well, we will look to increase the amount of weight the ankle is bearing before Simon starts running again.”

The ECB has secured an extension to their sponsorship of the County Championship by Liverpool Victoria Friendly Society running up to 2009. Currently known under the name Frizzell, the Championship will now take the name Liverpool Victoria – the company’s main public brand.The deal is worth £1.2 million to the ECB over the four years and Ian Cordwell, Liverpool Victoria’s Group Marketing Director, said: “The sponsorship has been very successful for Frizzell and we now want to transfer the benefits of the media coverage and other exposure to our main public brand Liverpool Victoria, which is promoted to a wider audience. We believe there is a good match between cricket followers and our target audience, and the sponsorship will therefore allow us to reach a large percentage of our existing and potential customers.”The ECB’s Commercial Director John Perera says the new deal highlights the current strength of cricket. “We are delighted that Liverpool Victoria has decided to extend the sponsorship of the County Championship for another four years. This demonstrates the popularity and appeal of cricket to commercial partners at a very exciting time for the sport.”

Subscribe to Cricinfo’s Live audioRahul Dravid looked bored out of his skull as he said, “I’m very excited” as the first press conference of the Videocon Cup for the seven-match one-day series against Sri Lanka ended. True to form he gave away very little at the pre-match briefing, saying many words yet not showing his hand. What he did announce was that Gautam Gambhir and Rudra Pratap Singh were two members from the squad of 15 who were definitely missing out on tomorrow’sgame.Marvan Atapattu, for his part, did not even bother to name a short-list. He did clarify that Sanath Jayasuriya, who injured his shoulder in the practice match against a Mumbai Cricket Association President’s XI, was well on the way to recovery and that he was on track to play the first one-dayer. There was also some doubt about Muttiah Muralitharan, who bowled sparingly in the nets, but that was dispelled as swiftly. “It’s not how many balls you bowl the day before the match. Murali is fit and fine.”The pitchThe last international match India played at the Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium, a Test against Australia, was on an atypical Indian pitch, with live grass on the strip. There was plenty in it for the medium-pacers and Australia’s quick men exploited this to the hilt. There’s no chance of a repeat, though. The pitch looks to be on the dry side, and unless there is significant dew in the morning, it is likely to take turn in the second half of the day.Team compositionSri Lanka certainly have the edge when it comes to picking a playing XI, or twelve, to suit the conditions they are faced with. In Upul Chandana, Farveez Maharoof and Tillakaratne Dilshan they have three cricketers who can contribute handily with bat and ball. India don’t havesuch a luxury, and all indications point to two spinners – Harbhajan Singh and Murali Kartik – playing. Logic would then dictate that Suresh Raina will be the man to miss out while S Sreesanth is used as Supersub.Tendulkar’s returnSachin Tendulkar last played a one-day international on April 17, against Pakistan at Delhi. Since then his recurring tennis elbow has kept him out of the side. His return, even though still in some discomfort, was widely welcomed by both captain and coach. “It’s very positive for us tohave Sachin back in the side. He is very excited to be back again and is hitting the ball well,” said Dravid. “I concur with what Rahul said,” added Greg Chappell, “Not just cricketwise, it’s great to have him around the group as well.”PowerplaysPowerplays could play a crucial role in this series as this will be the first time they are used on pitches that are unresponsive to bowlers. In the one-dayers that have seen this new rule in force, captains have tended to get the second and third Powerplays out of the way as early as possible. That may not be possible here if teams get off to a good start. “Obviously it will be a test for captains to see how they can use Powerplays in this series,” conceded Dravid. “As the series unfolds I think both captains will get a better idea about how to use Powerplays.”Coaches asideFor Tom Moody, who came close to getting the Indian coaching job but lost out to Chappell, this series has special relevance. Deny it as he may, there is a bit of needle involved as his team has been on the improve while India are struggling. But he refused to be drawn into commenting on the Indian team or its coach. “It’s not a contest between coaches,” said Moody, “it’s acontest between players.”TeamsIndia (probable) 1 Sachin Tendulkar, 2 Virender Sehwag, 3 Rahul Dravid (capt), 4 Yuvraj Singh, 5 Venugopal Rao, 6 Mahendra Singh Dhoni (wk), 7 Jai Prakash Yadav, 8 Irfan Pathan, 9 Ajit Agarkar, 10 Harbhajan Singh, 11 Murali Kartik. (Supersub: S Sreesanth)Sri Lanka (probable) 1 Marvan Atapattu (capt), 2 Sanath Jayasuriya, 3 Kumar Sangakkara (wk), 4 Mahela Jayawardene, 5 Tillakaratne Dilshan, 6 Russel Arnold, 7 Upul Chandana, 8 Farveez Maharoof, 9 Chaminda Vaas, 10 Nuwan Zoysa, 11 Muttiah Muralitharan. (Supersub: Dilhara Fernando/Dilahara Lokuhettige)

The Lions have a 236-run lead against the Cobras going into the final day in Johannesburg. Their position was built around an undefeated 136 seventh wicket partnership between Matthew Harris (83) and Eugene Moleon (51) to end the day on 262 for 6. Earlier Herschelle Gibbs set the Cobras up for a big total with 149, but the lack of partners saw them bowled out for 325. The Lions attack shared the spoils with Gerhard de Bruin taking 4 for 64.In Port Elizabeth the game is delicately poised with the Eagles taking a 106-run lead into the last day with seven wickets in hand. Replying to the Eagles first innings of 391 the Warriors reached 350 with Carl Bradfield top scoring on 86. A feature in the innings was the 50 extras given away by the Eagle bowlers. Roger Telemachus came out on top of the bowling, taking 6 for 85. The Eagles second innings did not start as planned with three wickets going down for 65.For the third day in a row bad light stopped play early in Durban with the Titans in a commanding position. Having bowled the Dolphins out for 199 they increased their lead to 321 with five second innings wickets standing. Andre Seymore, who fell nine runs short of a deserved hundred, set the innings up for the Titans. The Dolphins will do well to share the spoils in this encounter.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Monday awarded Air Sahara, part of the Sahara India corporation, the sponsorship rights of the Indian team.Air Sahara has been confirmed to have signed a four-year, $70 million deal that will come into effect January 1, 2006. This deal is set to raise the BCCI’s net worth to $550 million once all the tenders, advertising and sponsorship deals are finalised. The previous sponsorship deal with BCCI had been struck by Sahara India Parivar for $52 million.Sahara’s logo will be carried on the chest and leading arm of each Indian jersey. Sponsorships for the other arm and individual kits remain open for bidding. Lalit Modi, the BCCI vice-president, has stated that the board would name the kit sponsor on December 23 in Mumbai.The sponsorship covers a minimum of 44 Test matches and 110 one-day internationals the Indian team will play over the next four years, starting with the tour of Pakistan from January 6. “Team India is a brand on the rise and very popular with sponsors,” Niranjan Shah, the BCCI secretary, told AFP. “We are very satisfied with the deal.”According to BCCI officials, Air Sahara outbid Idea Cellular, Reliance Infocomm, and Indian Oil Corp to win the sponsorship of the national team. Hero Honda, a major automobile company, is said to have withdrawn at the last minute. Abhijit Sarkar, the Sahara India spokesman, said the company was delighted to renew its contract with the Indian team. “Sahara today is synonymous with Indian cricket,” he said. “We got value for money during the deal that is coming to an end now.”New tenders will be floated for the telecast rights which include rights for satellite, terrestrial, DTH and radio rights. As part of the process of de-monopolising the sponsorships encouraged by the new board regime, the official media partner, official airline, and official hotel amongst others will be decided separately. For ensuring increased transparency in the bidding procedure, the BCCI had appointed two Cricket Australia officials as observers.Air Sahara would be the sponsor for all the India matches at home and away. The ICC-backed tournaments like World Cup and Champions Trophy will, however, entail new bidding.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details

Records continued to tumble at the Gaddafi Stadium as Virender Sehwag and Rahul Dravid led an emphatic Indian response to a mountain of a total on a start-stop fourth day of the first Test at Lahore. Blasting his way to the second-fastest double-hundred of all time, Sehwag propelled India to 403 for no loss, all but certain of leaving with a draw and starting afresh at Faisalabad. Dravid, overshadowed but essential, cruised to a masterful century himself, his first as captain, and played his part in getting 77 adrift of the follow-on mark.What Pakistan did on the first two days, India showed they could match and a 50-year-old record, for the best opening partnership of all time, came under threat. Zooming along at an astonishing run-rate of 5.4, India’s openers, thriving in batting paradise, engineered a thunderous reply undergloomy skies. Sehwag produced an off-side masterclass – only nine of his 46 fours came on leg side – while Dravid, factoring in the controversy surrounding the opening dilemma, offered stupendous support. Yet, a look at the scoreboard would reveal that India hadn’t even avoided the follow-on in what must surely rank as one of Test cricket’s most famous batathons.Mild overnight rain and gloomy skies meant that more than an hour of play was lost this morning – 185 minutes were lost all day – and the only highlight of a brief two-over session that followed was Sehwag muscling his way to his hundred, his first in nine months and the fastest by an Indian opener. Once lunch was out of the way, he didn’t even have to worry about the elements. Starting this game with a Bradman-esque average of 98.2 against Pakistan, he pounded his way to his second successive double-hundred against them, as blinding strokeplay blended seamlessly with cheeky strike rotation.For Sehwag, the key is in the simplicity – minimal footwork, maximum balance. When short, slash; when full, drill; when pitched on a good length, slap; when flighted, loft; when short and wide, carve; when fast, biff; when slow, bash. This isn’t cryogenics; just an art he makes look soeasy. He was dropped twice – once by Inzamam when on 125 and then by Shoaib Malik, a tough one, on 199 – and wasn’t given out when he gloved to Kamran Akmal when on 150. He missed a few but rarely did any of this matter. Shoaib Akhtar was blunted; Mohammad Sami, spanked; Rana Naved-ul-Hasan, dismissed; Danish Kaneria, destroyed; and the rest scattered. This was Mohammad Yousuf and Shahid Afridi in one body; a controlled blitz on a gloomy day.Dravid’s was an innings in contrast – absorbing the pressure before opening up with style – but it should be gauged on the controversial events that went before. Opening for the ninth time in a Test, he displayed supreme composure against the faster men, brushed off repeatedstoppages for bad light and soon unfurled an array of gorgeous strokes. The 124-ball fifty was a lesson in solidity but the second fifty, off 78 balls, was a treat for its controlled aggression. Finding the angles to a tee, he gently threw the bowlers off rhythm and then capitalised on theloose offerings, several of which were directed on his pads.The duo surpassed the record for the highest opening partnership for India against Pakistan, bettering the mark made by Sunil Gavaskar and Krishnamachari Srikkanth at Madras in 1986, and were 11 away from beating the world-record 413 by Pankaj Roy and Vinoo Mankad in 1956. If the light holds for the rest of the game, statisticians could have a tough time keeping up with the run flood on a chappati-flat pitch and both teams could already be keeping on eye on the surface at Faisalabad.

Scorecard

Andrew Hall and Johan Botha shared six wickets between them to help South Africa ease to a 46-run win over Queensland Academy of Sport at the Allan Border Field in Brisbane. Earlier Jacques Kallis laid the foundation, top-scoring with 80 off 106 balls helping South Africa along to 7 for 234 in 50 overs.Queensland Academy got off to a bad start losing their first four wickets for 38 runs thanks to Andrew Hall and Shaun Pollock. Chris Simpson,the captain, offered some resistence scoring 55 at more than a run a ball, with three sixes. After his dismissal, Queensland had lost half their side for 97. Derek Tate, who grafted his way to an undefeated 55 off 85 balls, ran out of partners as Johan Botha took three lower-order wickets. Queensland Academy were bowled out for 188 off 43.2 overs after Grant Sullivan was run out.Earlier, after choosing to bat, the South Africans got off to a terrible start, losing Boeta Dippenaar, Herschelle Gibbs and Graeme Smith with only 59 on the board. Kallis then got together with Ashwell Prince, and the two added 109 for the fourth wicket. Prince made 50 from 72 balls, but both were dismissed in the 39th over. When Mark Boucher fell cheaply, the South Africans had slumped to 6 for 172, but Justin Kemp and Shaun Pollock injected some late momentum. Pollock slammed 27 from 18 balls with one four and two sixes. Chris Simpson, an offspinner, was the most successful bowler for the academy side, taking 3 for 40.

South Australia’s talented pair of Mark Cosgrove and Dan Cullen has been cleared to make comebacks from injury against Queensland at the Gabba. Cosgrove has shrugged off a calf strain and will play in the ING Cup match on Friday before joining Cullen, who has recovered from a broken finger, in the Pura Cup side for the game starting on Sunday.However, Matthew Elliott is still unavailable with a knee injury and Shane Deitz, the top-order batsman, has missed both 13-man squads. The Pura Cup match could have a serious impact at the top of the table with Queensland in second place, two points behind Victoria and two ahead of South Australia and New South Wales.Daniel Harris has also been added to the one-day side and the Redbacks have the chance to seal a spot in the final if they beat the last-placed Bulls. South Australia trail New South Wales by five points, but they have a one-point buffer over Victoria, who are third.South Australia Pura Cup squad Greg Blewett, Cameron Borgas, Mark Cosgrove, Callum Ferguson, Darren Lehmann (capt), Ben Cameron, Graham Manou (wk), Mark Cleary, Jason Gillespie, Paul Rofe, Dan Cullen, Cullen Bailey, Shaun Tait.South Australia ING Cup squad Greg Blewett, Cameron Borgas, Mark Cosgrove, Callum Ferguson, Darren Lehmann (capt), Daniel Harris, Ken Skewes, Ryan Harris, Graham Manou (wk), Mark Cleary, Jason Gillespie, Cullen Bailey, Shaun Tait.

Clare Connor, the England women’s captain, is to play alongside some of the game’s greatest names after signing for the club side Lashings.Connor will become the first female cricketer to play for the club, which includes a horde of former and current international players.”To play alongside some of the best internationals players will be a massive thrill,” she told Lashings’ website. “In broader terms, I think this opportunity shows just how far the women’s game has come and I am genuinely grateful to Lashings for that recognition. I hope this is the start of something very special.”Connor, 29, led England to their first Ashes victory in 42 years in 2005 and was awarded an OBE in the New Year’s Honours list, to add to the MBE she received in June 2004.Lashings’ chairman David Folb, was thrilled at the signing: “Out of all the great names that we have signed, both past and present, none has made such a major impact on the cricketing stage as Clare Connor who has been fundamental in raising the profile of the women’s game,” he said. “She is held in high regard all over the world, as she is not only a great player and captain of the present national side but also a charming person. We are delighted that she is going to be joining us this season.”Lashings also secured the services of the recently retired Zimbabwe captain Tatenda Taibu, who is relocating to England. Connor joins the likes of Viv Richards, Curtly Ambrose, Chris Cairns, Mark Waugh, Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis to play for the Kent-based side.

Chaminda Vaas, Sri Lanka’s premier fast bowler, has been declared fit to tour England later this month, according to Tommy Simsek, the Sri Lanka team physio. However, questions marks remained on the fitness of Marvan Atapattu, the captain, and Ruchira Perera, the left-arm fast bowler. All three players missed out on the recently concluded home series against Pakistan due to injury.Vaas suffered a strain on his left side, but Simsek confirmed that he had begun to bowl with his full run up and was back to full fitness. Simsek said that Atapattu had got a big disc bulge and would require more time to assess his recovery, while Perera has yet to recover from a recurring hamstring injury.”With time the bulge becomes a little smaller and the pressure on the nerve ceases. He [Atapattu] is presently undergoing treatment for it and we are hoping it will be successful. But there is no guarantee,” Simsek told the . “This happens to people between the ages of 50-60 but in Marvan’s case it is due to wear and tear. He is improving slowly, but if he doesn’t respond to the treatment he may need surgery. We should get a better picture of his condition within the next couple of weeks.”Ruchira needs to rehabilitate the injury very thoroughly. He is getting better but is not 100 percent fit. He might have to pass a fitness test by early next week.”Lalith Kaluperuma, the chairman of selectors, said that he expected a report on the injuries from Simsek on Monday, the day the selection committee is expected to meet to pick a 16-man squad for the three-Test series against England. He said a separate squad would be picked for the five one-day internationals that follow the Tests. The Test series starts at Lord’s on May 11 followed by the one-day series also starting at Lord’s from June 17.Kaluperuma said that in the case of Atapattu, they would leave their options open until at least April 16 to ascertain his fitness. The team is due to leave for England on April 19.In Atapattu’s absence Mahela Jayawardene led the team in the series against Pakistan where Sri Lanka lost 0-2 in the one-dayers and 0-1 in the Tests.With Sanath Jayasuriya announcing his retirement from Test cricket at the end of the Pakistan series, Sri Lanka may find themselves going to England with a totally inexperienced opening pair. Those in the running, apart from Atapattu, are Upul Tharanga, Jehan Mubarak, Michael van Dort and Ian Daniel.Farveez Maharoof, Sri Lanka’s young allrounder, is also recovering from a chest infection, which troubled him during the second innings of the second Test at Kandy. Simsek said that Maharoof was on antibiotics and that he was recovering well.