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At the appointed hour, 20 minutes past five, Srikanta Datta Narasimharaja Wadiyar’s car pulled into the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA). He stepped out ceremoniously, and wanted to lead the way into the president’s office, but couldn’t compete with the TV crews and photographers. A strong believer in doing things at auspicious times, Wadiyar sat in the president’s seat at 5.30 PM and threw the floor open to the media.Wadiyar’s working relationship with Brijesh Patel, the man he fought bitterly before and during the election, was one of the main points raised. Patel retained his post as secretary of the KSCA.”The first priority is the one day international here on September 29 [against Australia],” Wadiyar said. “We have to conduct it well and Brijesh Patel is well aware of the day to day affairs of conducting an international match. I will discuss it with him and we need to ensure that the match goes well.”Yes I know that we are two groups working together and we need to find a formula of compromise so that the best ideas are used. When I say compromise I mean to sayno-confrontation, at least in the beginning. There is no point in starting with a confrontation with Brijesh.”When asked of the charges of financial misconduct leveled against the rival groupduring the course of the election campaign, he refrained from making any comments.”We have stated the facts and in fact we discussed these issues in the AGM (Annual General Meeting) too yesterday,” he said. “Yes we did speak about these issues during the election campaign and the facts are there but I don’t want to say anything more at this stage. The law will take its course.”On the priorities of the KSCA apart from Bangalore’s international matches in the upcoming home season, Wadiyar addressed the need to develop cricket in Karnataka, especially in the districts. He also mentioned that the proposed salary hike for all KSCA staff will be discussed later with Patel.”Promoting cricket at all levels is the number one priority,” said Wadiyar. “Improving cricket in the mofussil areas, improving the standard of club cricket, all these are issues that we need to work on.”Patel then walked in, posed for photos along with Wadiyar. There was a momentary awkward silence, which Wadiyar broke, saying “See we are sitting together and we will work together,” as the gathered media and KSCA members broke out in laughter. “We will take the best ideas from both groups and work together for the game. Yes in the campaign, a lot of words were exchanged.”But even political parties become friends once the elections are over. And here we are not talking about political parties, there are no high-strung egos. And I believe two different heads are better than one and I am sure we will work well together.”Patel then played down the pre-election jousting. “We are all sportsmen and as Wadiyar said `two heads are better than one.’ They are also sportsmen who have the good of cricket at heart and I am sure the differences can be worked out.”He also wanted to put all the mudslinging and threats of lawsuits behind him. “Let us not talk about that. It’s all over. We want to work towards improving the game. We have already done some good work and we need to carry that forward.”

Sweeping statement: Faisal Iqbal is happy to back-chat in Tests© Getty Images

Faisal Iqbal has admitted that he’s happy to carry on a family tradition of Test match backchat. He has been engaged in a summer-long battle of wits fielding at short-leg during the ongoing series against England prompting comparisons with fiery, former captain Javed Miandad… who is his uncle.”I enjoy fielding close in, I have always talked to the opposition,” Iqbal said. “They give it back too me when I’m batting. It must be in my genes. It’s natural and normal. I like to have a chat.”Iqbal hit an unbeaten 58 on Saturday in Pakistan’s 504 all out in the first innings of the fourth and final Test at The Oval as the tourists look to salvage some pride after already losing the series 2-0.The middle-order batsman Iqbal had endured a poor series up until Saturday making just 91 runs at an average of 15.16. But he was in fluid form on Saturday making the most of some wayward England bowling.”The skipper [Inzaman-ul-Haq] has always supported me and encouraged me to do well,” said Iqbal. “I have been learning from my mistakes. I enjoyed the short ball today and getting on the front foot. You have to be courageous and positive.”

Shoaib Malik: bowling action under scrutiny© Getty Images

Shoaib Malik’s bowling action will be examined today in Lahore by a three-man advisory committee representing the Pakistan Cricket Board, after the ICC received report that his action was potentially flawed.Simon Taufel and Aleem Dar, the umpires in the Paktel Cup final in October, reported Malik’s offspinning action as suspect after the match. The match referee Jeff Crowe later referred the matter to the ICC.The PCB set up a panel to assist Malik as part of a six-week programme which is expected to last six weeks. At the end of that period, the PCB will present a specialist report to the ICC, which will indicate any remedial action that is required.This will be the second time that Malik, 22, has modified his action, since he made some changes when he was reported in Sharjah in 2002. And if he is cited again within a year of this report, the ICC could suspend him for one year.The three-man advisory panel is made up of the former international bowlers Aqib Javed, Iqbal Sikandar and Ijaz Faqih.

Cricket Australia’s recent paranoia about what its leading performers can and cannot say might finally be easing, with players expected to be given greater licence in the future to speak their minds.The board plans to show greater leniency towards players who speak out critically or controversially on issues such as team selection, according to reports today in News Limited newspapers.Two seasons ago the fast bowler Matthew Nicholson was hit with a suspended one-match ban for saying he was reconsidering his future after being dropped by Western Australia. Brad Hogg was censured for urging a fellow player – within the privacy of a team meeting – to lift his game, while Adam Gilchrist was hauled over the coals for querying the legitimacy of Muttiah Muralitharan’s bowling action at a football luncheon.Last summer Brad Williams and Andy Bichel were both reprimanded for publicly grumbling about being dropped. Murray Goodwin, the Zimbabwean-born WA batsman, was officially rebuked after expressing misgivings about race-based selection processes in his homeland.The outbreak of slightly over-the-top punishments for largely innocent public remarks has provoked unease among some cricket followers. They fear that players’ personalities are being squashed and that the game, as a result, is no longer throwing up the same galaxy of larger-than-life characters who wore the baggy green in past decades.The players too are worried about the issue: a recent survey by the Australian Cricketers Association found that the Australian players were unanimous in their wish for greater freedom to speak their minds and vent their frustrations.”I think we need to take a more general view,” said the board’s operations manager Michael Brown. “Cricket Australia is working with the players on what is and isn’t detrimental to the game.”Tim May, chief executive of the players’ association, envisaged a possible “slackening” in the board’s approach to player freedom. “It is our understanding that Cricket Australia will adopt a more reasonable attitude – a greater level of understanding for the players’ circumstances – in determining whether to lay a charge or not,” May said. “That’s good for them and good for the public.”But he warned only time would tell: “Whether or not the players are being allowed more freedom, we will only know when a live situation comes along.”The main point of contention revolves around section one, clause 10 of the board’s code of behaviour. Headed “Detrimental Public Comment”, it states: “Players and officials must not make any public or media comment which is detrimental to the interests of the game or to a tour or series of matches in which they are or are likely to be involved.”It goes on to say that they cannot “denigrate” a country they are playing against, nor make “detrimental comment” about the “prospects of a selection of a player” or the “prospects of appointment of any official”.The key issue is how this loosely worded clause is interpreted; what constitutes “detrimental comment”? The feeling among players is that the board has been over-zealous in its interpretation.”The players definitely feel limited in what they can say,” Ian Healy, the association president, said recently. “If the players can be more relaxed but the guidelines are still there, you’ll see more freedom of speech.”

Zimbabwe’s captain, Heath Streak, will play against Sussexin the four-day tour match which starts at Hove tomorrow, after recoveringfrom a back injury that dogged him throughout last week’s game againstWorcestershire. Geoff Marsh, Zimbabwe’s coach, said that Streak wasespecially keen to play, given that this was the final warm-up match beforethe first Test, which starts at Lord’s next Thursday.With the exception of Douglas Hondo, who is being rested,Zimbabwe’s team is likely to be the Test side. Hondo’s replacement, MlulekiNkala, is playing his first match of the tour and is an outside bet forLord’s. Barney Rogers and Travis Friend also drop out of the side thatplayed in Worcester, with the allrounders Sean Ervine and Douglas Marilliertaking their places.At first glance, the team looks very short of specialistbatsmen, but their strength is in their allrounders. Raymond Price is theonly man not to have scored a century at first-class level, but even he hasseveral fifties to his name. The allrounders, in fact, have often donebetter than the specialist batsmen, and as Worcestershire discovered, thisteam cannot be counted out until the tenth wicket falls.Streak will probably nurse himself with the ball to ensurehe has no fitness problems before the Test, leaving most of the seam bowlingto Andy Blignaut, Sean Ervine and Nkala. Nkala was in such woeful form afew months ago that he was omitted from the World Cup squad, but hasimproved since then and will be keen to impress. Price will expect plenty ofwork with his left-arm spin, but Marillier’s offspin and Grant Flower’s slowleft-arm will probably also be used.Marsh believed the tie against Worcestershire had done the team a lot of good. “There was a lot of intensity and real pressure outthere,” he said. “Some practice games fade out and have little value, butthe pressure was on the team the whole time [at Worcester]. I think wedominated the match on the whole, although the result doesn’t show that. Itwas a good warm-up game.”Sussex, ironically, will be captained by former Zimbabweanbatsman, Murray Goodwin, who scored a magnificent 148 not out at TrentBridge in 2000 in Zimbabwe’s last Test against England. As is sadly thecase these days, Sussex will not be fielding a full-strength side,although they themselves could do with a boost after their heavy defeat byWarwickshire over the weekend. For Zimbabwe, there is little doubt thattheir main aim will be a morale-boosting win on the eve of the Lord’s Test.Zimbabwe 1 Dion Ebrahim, 2 Mark Vermeulen, 3 Stuart Carlisle, 4 GrantFlower, 5 Tatenda Taibu (wk), 6 Sean Ervine, 7 Douglas Marillier, 8 HeathStreak (capt), 9 Andy Blignaut, 10 Mluleki Nkala, 11 Raymond Price.

West Indies have beaten Kenya by 106 runs in the First One-Day International of the series in Nairobi.The day began well for Kenyan captain Maurice Odumbe, as he won the toss and inserted the visitors. But it was to be the only moment of joy for the hosts as the West Indies openers compiled an opening stand of 174.Daren Ganga weighed in with a robust 68, but it was Chris Gayle who dominated. He was particularly severe on anything short or wide and hit 17 fours and three sixes in his 150-ball stay.Ganga was dropped twice early on, and survived a missed stumping but Gayle’s was a chanceless knock.Odumbe was obliged to juggle his eight bowlers in a vain attempt to stem the tide of runs, but could not prevent the tourists scoring at eight an over for the second half of the innings.West Indies did wobble when Ganga played around a straight one from Tikolo, and Hinds and Hopper perished in the search for quick runs. But Gayle was not to be denied as he passed his previous ODI best of 76 to take the score to 256 before he was surprisingly bowled by Odoyo, for 152.Gayle became one of a select group of West Indians to have scored 150 or more in a one-day international. Desmond Haynes, Brian Lara, Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Viv Richards (who passed 150 three times including a best of 189 against England) are the only previous West Indians to have achieved the feat.Sarwan – 32 in just 16 balls – and Chanderpaul with a run-a-ball 32, ensured that the good start was not wasted as the West Indies reached 311-4 in their 50 overs.Kenya never threatened to reach their imposing target. Corey Collymore and Colin Stuart effectively ended the game as a conquest in reducing Kenya to 26-3, including the key wicket of Steve Tikolo, trapped by an in-cutter, lbw for a duck.Thomas Odoyo resisted bravely, but at 63-6 a rout was on the cards. But the lower order showed some determination and 42 were added for the seventh wicket, with Odoyo bringing up the 100 with a six over long on off McGarrell.But in attempting to repeat the shot of Collymore he skied a catch. But Otieno joined Tony Suji to add 47 for the eighth before Suji edged to Hooper and Jimmy Kamande and Josephat Ababu added 44 for the tenth wicket as Kenya were finally dismissed in the final over for a respectable 205.Stuart finished with an ODI best 5-44, and Gayle capped his wonderful day by taking the final wicket, Ababu, caught at mid off.

Just six days into their new cricket season, this South Australian team certainly seems to like close finishes. Last Sunday, they narrowly lost a game they could easily have won; today, they won a game they could easily have lost. Whoever said cricket was a funny game wasn’t really far off the mark.”I hope we don’t have too many more of these close ones; I could die of a heart attack,” skipper Darren Lehmann said after the last-gasp four-run win over Tasmania in the teams’ Mercantile Mutual Cup clash at the Adelaide Oval today.”We batted well early after being sent in and really I would have been delighted with 200 given how tough it was at the start”.Lehmann also praised Jeff Vaughan, who for the second consecutive game passed fifty.”It’s been a great start for him and most of the batters who have all got runs and are all in form.”Chasing a run rate of 5.80 per over to achieve victory in the rain-reduced contest, the Tasmanians were cruising at 1/194 in the thirty-fifth over, with Michael DiVenuto and Ricky Ponting in full flight.However, the reintroduction of Paul Wilson to the attack saw the demise of Ponting (68) after a great partnership of 137 for the second wicket with eventual Man of the Match DiVenuto. This was a turning point in the game as Wilson, who was clearly the best bowler in the match, returned to the attack just as things seemed to be getting out of hand for the home side.Ponting virtually played second fiddle to DiVenuto during his innings. But his support was vital to the experienced left hander whose innings blossomed the further it progressed. DiVenuto’s masterly effort, which included ten fours, was the highlight of the day’s proceedings in a match which saw both sides bat with vigour against bowling that looked light on in preparation at best.Divenuto was unlucky to be dismissed to say the least. With ten needed for victory off the last five balls, his downfall was due to a sensational piece of work by SA wicketkeeper Graham Manou. In the one action, Manou took a wayward return from Ryan Harris from third man and then hit the stumps with a mid-air throw with the gloves still on. Had Divenuto made his ground, the Tigers would have required just a further eight off the final four balls. In the end, nine off four with a new batsman on strike proved just too many.South Australia’s bowlers, like their Tasmanian counterparts, appeared a little underdone. Jason Gillespie’s first three overs went for twenty-one as he bowled too short. Brett Swain managed to pick up the vital early wicket of Jamie Cox (21) but looked like he needed the run. And the fairy tale start for Harris came to an abrupt halt as he conceded thirty-five runs from five overs at the Cathedral End.It was left to Wilson to halt the rapidly increasing run rate with seven accurate overs which cost a mere twenty-three. His eventual figures of 1/31 from nine overs were like a shining light on a cold, windy and overcast day.Earlier, South Australia had made the best of the conditions to register 6/248, with all of the batsmen making valuable contributions. David Fitzgerald made a workmanlike 46 but shared in a steadying partnership of ninety-seven for the second wicket with Chris Davies (54), a man who is continuing to take a liking to the shorter form of the game.These two were joined in the eighth over after Greg Blewett dragged one onto to his stumps after making just eight. After the Fitzgerald/Davies stand, the in-form duo of Lehmann (44) and Vaughan (57) smoked the bowling in the late overs, adding a century stand in the space of just fourteen overs to take the Redbacks to their eventual total.For Tasmania, Brett Geeves (1/31 from nine) on debut performed very well, as did David Saker (1/38 off nine) and Damien Wright (0/32 off nine), who each bowled tightly in the early stages.South Australia now journey to Perth for a day-night match on Friday against a full strength Western Australian outfit, an assignment which holds no fears for Lehmann and his young Redbacks.”It will be a great test against a full strength WA side but we beat them last year making over 300 so we’ll be confident.”

As the new season approaches I’m doing my best to stay on top of things from South Africa.

The official Wednesday site is a constant feature on my laptop and all my Wednesday related Twitterers are making sure that I keep up to date with everything Owly.

South Africans consider Sheffield Wednesday to be a bit like an old toy that you can’t really think of. They’ve seen pictures and heard mention of them, but it’s been that long since they saw them, that it’s hard to really relate or remember them.

However, a lot of them congratulated me when we got promoted recently. They gave me a virtual pat on the back and said things like, “You’ll be back in the Premier League next year” and “Southampton and Norwich got straight promotions, you could be next.”

As always, I laugh off their comments, it’s not going to happen. I’m not naive enough to think that we have what it takes to get back to the Premier League just yet, but… you never know do you. See that’s the problem that we have as Wednesdayites, we can beat the pessimistic drum all we like, but in our heads we always swing FAR too much in the way of positivity.

However, let’s look at this realistically. As I mentioned in my previous blog, we’ve got a bit of financial muscle for once. We’ve snapped up Chris Kirkland, a once promising Premier League goalkeeper who, despite having injury problems, is still a good, experienced signing. Next up is Kieran Lee, the ex-Manchester United man. Lee, who is still only 23, has been in tremendous form for Oldham over the last two years and has won all four Player of the Year awards for the Latics in consecutive attempts.

Finally, another man definitely turning out in the blue and white stripes next year is Joe Mattock. The 22-year-old defender was recently released from Premier League outfit, West Brom, but has a lot of Championship experience for a player his age and is a player that can definitely be groomed for the future.

With these three signings in mind, Wednesday are also in the hunt to strengthen further. It’s thought that on their list is Portsmouth’s combative midfielder, David Norris, former England international, Anthony Gardner, and talented Scotland forward, 23-year-old Chris Maguire. I also heard a little rumour that the man mountain himself, EWIH (Emile William Ivanhoe Heskey), is also a target.

Looking at all of these I can’t help but let that undying optimism out a little bit. There’s a nice mix of experience, youth, experienced youth and… Emile Heskey. What more could you want?

We all know what the Championship is about. To succeed in that league you need a host of experienced campaigners, some fearless young guns with a bit of talent and a handful of players who will purely run their arses off for you. If I look at what our squad could consist of next year, then I think we may just have all of those things.

And so my mind reverts back to our Premier League days. I was 10 when we last took part in a top flight game. It was on the 14th May, 2000, and goals from Alan Quinn, Andy Booth, Niclas Alexandersson and Gilles de Bilde secured us a 4-0 win over Leicester City.

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That same season saw Newcastle batter us 8-0 and Kevin Pressman receive the quickest sending off in Premier League history after being given his marching orders 13 seconds into our 1-1 draw with Wolves.

Honestly, I can barely remember the ‘Glory Days’. The last time we won a trophy was 1991’s Milk (League) Cup, and the last time we won a top-flight division was 1930… I was -70. To be frank, our trophy cabinet is barer than a Scotsman’s backside. I’m not ashamed to admit that I’d like to see that happen again in my lifetime.

Like I say, my head says that we won’t go up. My head hopes we don’t. Purely to avoid a possible embarrassment in the Premier League if we do end up there. However, the blue and white heart in my chest thinks we could. Saying that, it would probably also believe that there was an off chance of us winning the Premier League if we were there… And so I remain, hopelessly optimistic.

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West Brom are in talks with goalkeeper Ben Foster over a move to The Hawthorns the Daily Mail understands.

Boss Roy Hodgson is keen to bring a new first choice goalkeeper after selling the error prone Scott Carson to Turkish side Bursaspor.

Foster is available after Birmingham’s relegation with the club eager to get him off the wage bill at St Andrews ahead of the new season.

A move across the Midlands would suit the 28-year-old keeper, who made himself unavailable for England duty last year, with a number of Premier League clubs chasing him.

Speaking about the player Hodgson said: “I am aware of our interest in Ben Foster but I am not aware of how far down the line we are with our negotiations with Birmingham, so I can’t make any comments on that.

“But Ben Foster is a goalkeeper who interests us and, if we can get him to West Bromwich Albion on loan or on a permanent deal, that would be something we would be very happy about.”

It would be a real coup if Hodgson can bring the former Manchester United and Watford keeper to the Black Country club.

He received numerous plaudits for his performances last season despite Birmingham dropping into the Championship.

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Securing Forsters signature would also provide the Baggies boss with a keeper bursting at the seams with International and Champions League experience.

After five and a half years without a major trophy, Arsenal took two major steps towards two pieces of silverware this week. With Manchester United’s shock exit from the Carling Cup, Arsene Wenger’s men have become the clear favourites to taste glory at Wembley in February.

The Gunners’ win at Villa Park last weekend also put them firmly in the race for the title, although their tendency to fail to put teams away, regardless of pressure, will be a concern with some big tests on the horizon.

Fulham are scrapping and scrimping points at the moment- lacking a real cutting edge in the continued absence of Bobby Zamora. Mark Hughes will hope that Mark Schwarzer, fresh from signing a new deal at Craven Cottage, puts in a strong showing against the side he nearly joined in the summer.

Prediction: 3-1

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