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A spate of explosions in Jaipur, killing at least 60 people, has cast a shadow over Saturday’s IPL match in the city between the Rajasthan Royals and the Bangalore Royal Challengers. The match looks likely to be shifted out of Jaipur, with Bangalore offering to host the game at the Chinnaswamy Stadium.”We have conveyed our decision to the IPL council,” Martin Crowe, Bangalore’s chief cricket officer, told Cricinfo from Chandigarh, where the team is currently staying. “The franchises are discussing the issue. A final decision will be made tomorrow. We are going to Delhi tomorrow and will probably head over to Bangalore after a night’s stay in Delhi.”However, Fraser Castellino, the CEO of the Jaipur franchise, said he had not heard of this development and didn’t want to comment on the possibility. Bangalore have already hosted Rajasthan in the tournament – on April 26 – in a game that the visitors won by a comfortable margin.Meanwhile, IPL commissioner Lalit Modi has promised extra security and ruled out a change of schedule “as of now”. “We are concerned but the matches are going to continue and we have full confidence in the state government,” he told Indian news channel NDTV. “We have no plans as of now to change the schedule. We will provide them additional cover and make sure everyone is protected.”At least five major blasts rocked Jaipur, the base of the Rajasthan Royals, with the death and injury toll on the rise. The Rajasthan team hasn’t been affected: most of the players are currently holidaying in Goa and the others have gone back to their respective homes.

Even on his big day, someone who wasn’t even playing grabbed much of the attention.It just seems so typical of the understated career of Shivnarine Chanderpaul that as he walked onto the field in Multan yesterday for his 100th Test match for West Indies, many eyes were focused on the dressing room, where vice-captain Ramnaresh Sarwan sat after being dropped for the second Test against Pakistan.Yet that might have been just the way Chanderpaul would have liked it, because there are few cricketers of such longevity who shun the spotlight as much as him.From the time he first fell in love with the game playing it in the fields of Unity Village, all Chanderpaul has ever wanted to do was bat. It doesn’t matter if the bowler is a pre-teen schoolboy or Shane Warne, if the field is shared by cows and goats or surrounded by towering stands packed to the rafters. The attitude is essentially the same: to bat and bat and bat – and then bat some more.As just the eighth West Indian to reach the plateau of 100 Tests, he has broken the mould, not merely as the first of East Indian descent to reach that landmark, but for the fact that his demeanour and stature in the global context of the game is so very different from the others who have completed three figures wearing the burgundy cap.The previous seven – Courtney Walsh, Brian Lara, Viv Richards, Desmond Haynes, Clive Lloyd, Gordon Greenidge and Carl Hooper – are all players fashioned from a template that is so typically West Indian: exciting, brilliant, spectacular, domineering and devastating. Then there is Chanderpaul. He has filled out quite a bit in the nearly 13 years since he made his Test debut as a scrawny 19-year-old, but he is still physically frail, as evidenced by the frequency with which he has been struck down by any number of ailments, ranging from injury to cramps to food poisoning.Unlike the others in the 100-Test club from the Caribbean, his is not a physically commanding presence, nor does he breathe fire and brimstone in the general direction of his immediate opponent in the heat of battle. No sir, for him it is about getting out there and getting the job done with a minimum of gallerying, something he has been quite effective at as his impressive tally of 6617 runs (average 44.70) with 14 hundreds and 39 fifties confirms.It is known that he hates the description of his batting style as “crab-like”, but what else can you say about someone who shuffles across the crease the way he does? Only recently has he reversed a process of becoming exaggeratingly square-on in his batting stance, and heading into this 100th Test, he hadn’t raised his bat in acknowledgement of a hundred for 14 matches.

Yet there is little chance of the 32-year-old Chanderpaul being dropped on form in the near future as there are very few of his kind in contemporary West Indies cricket, the kind who are prepared to do whatever is necessary for the cause of the team.He is not a natural leader, but did not shirk the responsibility of captaincy last year in the midst of the destabilising sponsorship row, even if it contributed to a dramatic decline in his batting form. At the start of the current Asian campaign, he admitted to not being too comfortable opening the batting in one-dayers. However his partnership with Chris Gayle at the top of the order in ODIs has proven so productive that there is really no chance of it being broken up heading into the 2007 World Cup.As quiet and reserved as he appears, Chanderpaul is no shrinking Ti-Marie when a contest is at its most intense. It was on his first tour of Australia in 1996-97, at the age of 22, that he took on the challenge of the number three spot in the batting order as Lara laboured against the threat of Glenn McGrath. The Aussies love to get under the skin of their opponents, but most know they are wasting their time when it comes to Chanderpaul, simply because he is hardly ever put-off by their insults.Their respect for the Guyanese batsman is understandable. On that debut tour Down Under, he tore into Warne and company on a turning pitch in Sydney and got to 71 on the last morning before being conquered by an outrageous delivery from Warne. On his home ground at Bourda three years ago, he plundered the third fastest Test hundred – off 69 balls – of all time and then closed off the series with another century that helped West Indies reach a world record target of 418 in Antigua and avoid the humiliation of a series whitewash.Their careers have followed very different paths, but he will forever be associated with Brian Lara for his role in partnering him to his first world Test record of 375 at the ARG in 1994.No doubt the captaincy issue and sponsorship rift must have created some tension between them, but at the end of the day, Lara would be among the first to acknowledge that hardly anyone has shown the level of commitment to the cause of West Indies cricket at this very difficult time than the “Tiger” from Unity.

The first women’sTwenty20 international in Australia will take place this October at Brisbane when the home side take on New Zealand. The game will be followed by five one-day internationals, all to be played at the same venue.Australia have previously played a Twenty20 match, at Taunton in September 2005. Karen Rolton, the current captain, scored an unbeaten 96 off 53 balls and took two wickets in a seven-wicket victory over England.The Rose Bowl trophy that the two teams are contesting will be the first women’s international played at Brisbane since Australia and England played a Test there as part of the Ashes in February 2003.Out of the 75 ODIs that Australia and New Zealand have contested, Australia have won 54. Australia will next tour India for a four-nation one-day tournament in February 2007.

Allan Border said it was “totally inappropriate” and “plain wrong” for Sunil Gavaskar to link the death of David Hookes to the conduct of Australian cricketers on the field. Border said Gavaskar had missed the point and did not seem to appreciate that different behaviour was acceptable in different cultures.”I consider Sunny a friend, but what he said about David Hookes and the behaviour of Australian cricketers was totally uncalled for,” Border told . “What Sunny said on television was totally inappropriate.”Gavaskar suggested on the Australian players might get physically attacked if they used similar language in a bar as they use on the field. “There’s the example of the late David Hookes,” Gavaskar said. “Would they get away with it? Would they have a fist coming at their face or not?”Border said there was no need to mention Hookes, who died after an altercation outside a Melbourne nightclub in 2004. “For [Gavaskar] to link David’s death to players allegedly misbehaving on a cricket field is plain wrong,” Border said. He argued that Gavaskar was misinterpreting Australia’s aggressive brand of play.”Where Australia may be seen to be playing the game hard and tough could be misconstrued on the subcontinent,” Border said. “Similarly, the way India plays the game at times may not be to the liking of every Australian. Cricket is a global sport in which different cultures lock horns out in the middle. Only the nuances of the game may vary from country to country.”While a cricketer on the subcontinent or the West Indies may find an Australian bowler’s remark to a particular batsman of ‘you lucky b——‘ offensive, to players in other teams it’s not. Sunny has missed the point here badly. He’s clearly overlooked the fact there are different cultures at work.Darren Lehmann, a close friend of Hookes, backed Border’s reaction. “I’m pretty disappointed with Gavaskar,” Lehmann said. “His remarks only hurt David Hookes’ family and friends, and tarnish Hookesy’s memory. A man of Gavaskar’s stature in the game of cricket should know better.”Lehamnn said Gavaskar’s outburst was “in bad taste” and he had ignored the fact that umpires and match referees had the power to take action if players’ behaviour on the field was inappropriate. “I came into the international arena a few years after he had retired,” Lehmann said. “He was a player I admired. Not any more.”

Based on the results between the two sides at the last three World Twenty20 Qualifiers, Ireland were likely salivating at the prospect of taking on USA at Stormont.In 2010, Niall O’Brien produced his career-best T20 score of 84 off 50 balls as Ireland passed 200 for the first time in their T20 history before reducing USA to 25 for 6 in a 78-run romp. In 2012, his brother Kevin got out of a lengthy scoring rut after his 2011 World Cup heroics against England by smacking 47 off 36 balls ahead of Boyd Rankin’s career-best T20 figures of 4 for 9 in a 64-run win. Last year, William Porterfield’s T20 career-best 127 not out in a total of 216 for 3 set up a 75-run win.It should be no surprise that Andy Balbirnie kept up the tradition of career-bests against USA on Sunday. The young batsman’s 44 is the highest score in his brief 12-match T20 career. However, he was dropped twice in his innings, on 13 and 23. It allowed Balbirnie to stay at the crease where along with Stuart Thompson and later John Mooney, he carried Ireland from a precarious position of 92 for 5 one ball into the 16th over to a much more comfortable end score of 146 for 6.USA captain Muhammad Ghous lauded his bowling unit for their performance over the first 15 overs of the match. It was by far USA’s best effort in their four encounters with Ireland at the qualifier, but Ghous and his team-mates were left to rue what might have been had they not let Ireland get away in the final five overs.”Overall the bowlers bowled really excellent but the last five overs, that’s where we gave up the game,” Ghous told ESPNcricinfo after the match. “Our bowlers bowled four or five no balls and it can cost you and take pressure off batsmen. The guys tried their best. These guys just played really good shots, shots you can’t set fields to, paddle sweeps. They just played better cricket in the last five overs.”Ghous tried to encourage his team-mates as they walked off the field, shouting to them, “146 is nothing guys. Come on we can do this.” However, after John Mooney had struck four of the seven deliveries he faced to the boundary in an unbeaten 20 off seven balls, most USA players had their heads down, the last two overs at the forefront of their minds instead of the excellent work they did over the first 15USA’s penchant for alarming collapses wouldn’t have been too far back in their minds either and they knew that 130 was the maximum they could afford to give Ireland. Their batting form held true again as a panicky display in the middle of the innings saw them lose two wickets to run-outs in the space of five deliveries, and four wickets in eight balls to go from a hopeful 74 for 4 in the 12th over to a hopeless 81 for 8 after 13. After repeated denials by his team-mates earlier on the tour, Ghous finally admitted the team lacked adequate preparation to take on teams like Ireland.”Everybody lives in different parts of the USA, so it’s very tough for all of us to get together,” Ghous said. “We do lack some experience and preparation but we are here and we have to give our 100% best. Whatever we have, we have to put out there.”Experience does matter. These guys are all young. We don’t play as much cricket on the higher level. We have one or two tournaments in a year. The more you play better cricket, that’s where you gain experience. It will come by playing more tournaments.”As for his own role in the team, Ghous defended his decision to underbowl himself against Ireland. He took the new ball for one over, but only bowled one more for the rest of the game to finish with figures of 0 for 15, and he has yet to take a wicket in the tournament.”These wickets suit medium-pacers,” Ghous said. “Even Ireland, Dockrell came and only bowled one over [sic two]. That’s their main frontline spinner. It’s not necessary I have to bowl four overs. I will come and squeeze runs where I can if I see an opportunity. I have enough bowlers that I can mix around. Me bowling all four overs is not necessary as long as the team is doing great and other people can come and chip in.”USA’s next game is against Namibia at Stormont on Monday morning and Ghous remains hopeful that the team will be able to rally back from a pair of hard losses.”We should have restricted [Ireland] to 130 but things happen and that’s cricket. Things can’t always go your way. The positive I’ll take is that the guys are bowling great so hopefully they’ll keep it that way. We’ll come tomorrow hard and restrict Namibia to even lower than that. We’re gonna play hard and positive. This is a long tournament. Anything is possible.”

Stuart Clark’s stunning returns in the Ashes series have not surprised Michael Hussey, who has been regularly troubled by his current team-mate’s accuracy and bounce. Hussey said Clark, the right-arm fast bowler, has always been able to hit difficult spots for batsmen early in his spell and the threat has proved especially tricky for England.Clark has often chipped in after Glenn McGrath and Brett Lee have taken the new ball and he will start his first home Test at the SCG on Tuesday with 21 wickets at 16.76 from the series. “I’ve often had battles with him while playing for Western Australia and in the nets and I wish I had a dollar for every time he went past my edge because I’d probably have an island somewhere,” Hussey said. “He’s been a very fine bowler for a long time and he knows his game very well. I was confident that once he got a game for Australia he’d be successful.”McGrath’s withdrawal from the South Africa tour in March gave Clark an opening and his performances have been so spectacular that his New South Wales team-mate’s upcoming retirement is no longer as frightening for Australia. Clark was Man of the Series in South Africa and he is the equal leading wicket-taker in the Ashes with Shane Warne.”He’s experienced and unflappable,” Hussey said. “He’s not affected by pressure too much and has a clear mind about what he’s trying to do. His job is to keep chucking it into that area and he’s getting the right results.”

West Indies batsman Wavell Hinds has signed a one-year deal with Derbyshire as a Kolpak player. He has played 45 Tests and 114 one-day internationals, but hasn’t featured at international level since the Champions Trophy last October.If Hinds was to play for West Indies during this contract he would have to rescind his non-overseas status, so the move means his international future is looking doubtful. However, his aggressive batting and useful medium-pace will be valuable additions to the Derbyshire team.”It is terrific news for Derbyshire that we have been able to add a player of Wavell’s quality and experience to our squad for 2008,” said head of cricket John Morris. “Wavell has plenty of experience in both the Test and one-day international arena and he has proven ability in scoring runs at the highest level. That is exactly what I was looking for in a Kolpak player.”Hinds is the latest big-name signing made by Morris since he took charge at Derbyshire following Rikki Clarke’s arrival as captain last week.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details2:58

Chappell: Hundred will give Pandey more belief

Manish Pandey and MS Dhoni, rising star and fading force, combined to deliver India victory over Australia at the last possible opportunity in another run-fest at the SCG. Having crumpled in a humiliating heap in Canberra, the tourists were able to hold their nerve this time, helped by a pair of critical Australian dropped catches.David Warner and Mitchell Marsh had made centuries for Australia, but the allrounder conceded 13 from the final over of the night to allow the visitors avoid the ignominy of a 5-0 series sweep. It also provided partial vindication of Dhoni’s longtime belief in seeing out an innings, even if his steady 34 was a diminished version of supreme closing displays he used to be able to put together for his team. Australia were denied an unbeaten home summer.Fluent hands from Shikhar Dhawan and the Man-of-the-Series Rohit Sharma had put India in sight of victory though both men fell short of centuries. Dhawan was brilliantly caught by Shaun Marsh at deep point, before Rohit reached 99 only to edge John Hastings behind and be given out by the umpire Paul Wilson after a dramatic pause for the crowd of 33,710.Pandey, playing his fourth ODI, weathered that moment and pushed on to his highest and best innings for India. His crisp stroke play found plenty of gaps around the SCG and kept the run chase within sight. Dhoni arrived at the fall of Rohit’s wicket and after a halting start India’s captain gradually found his range in time-honoured fashion.The pair allowed the equation to leak out to 35 to win from the final three overs, before taking 13 from the 48th over and nine from the 49th. Needing 13 from the final over, Mitchell Marsh gave away a wide first ball, before Dhoni hammered a six over long off. He then perished trying to repeat the shot, but Pandey squirted a boundary past the gloves of Matthew Wade to reach a deserved hundred and put the result beyond doubt.Heavy rain around Sydney in the lead-up to the match affected the ground staff’s preparation, ironically resulting in arguably the fairest surface of the international summer – excepting the grassy, experimental pitch prepared for the inaugural day-night Test in Adelaide. Dhoni duly sent the Australians in, and was rewarded with early wickets.But after the loss of Aaron Finch, Steven Smith, the captain, George Bailey and Shaun Marsh inside the first 22 overs of the afternoon, David Warner and Mitchell Marsh combined for a partnership all the more impressive for the fact that they had to deal with a moving ball for virtually the first time since Adelaide back in November.Warner’s hundred was his second from as many SCG fixtures this summer, and he also made a century against India on this ground in their Test match last January. His momentum built throughout the innings even as he appeared to try to make certain of a hundred after being dismissed for 93 in Canberra. The resultant celebration is now near enough to choreographed, but Warner added a baby-rocking motion in recognition of the recent birth of his second daughter.Less scripted was the manner of Mitchell Marsh’s celebration, having rattled to a maiden international hundred on the same ground where he made his first Sheffield Shield century for Western Australia in 2011. Twice before this summer, Mitchell Marsh had been promoted by Smith in order to grant the allrounder extra time in the middle, and he had looked awkward each time.This was more the role he has been groomed for, staging a middle-order recovery after early wickets with good judgment and power hitting. There was some drama to Mitchell Marsh’s hundredth run – he spent three nervy deliveries on 99, before flicking Ishant through midwicket to reach the milestone from a mere 81 balls. Mitchell Marsh’s 82nd struck him amidships, and precious momentum was lost in the final 12 balls.Those two overs meant India were chasing a target somewhat skinnier than they had faced in Canberra; Dhawan and Rohit began with venomous intent, and for a time there seemed nothing that would stem their momentum. The stand was worth 123 at comfortably better than a run-a-ball when Dhawan lofted John Hastings and was caught by a leaping Shaun Marsh.Rohit’s prolific scoring in this series was completed by another confident hand, which ended only when a baying crowd and tight field placed by Smith had the opener edging behind. Shaun Marsh had dropped a far simpler chance from him the over before. That wicket may have given Australia the momentum to go on to win, but Dhoni’s early struggles were reprieved when Nathan Lyon spilled another chance at deep midwicket.The spin of Lyon and Smith cost 78 from 10 overs, leaving much responsibility on the shoulders of Hastings and Scott Boland. Mitchell Marsh bowled well enough until India’s final onslaught, and the all-round skills of Glenn Maxwell, missing due to a knee knock in Canberra, were notable for their absence.Ishant Sharma had found seam movement in the very first over of the afternoon, fooling Aaron Finch into shouldering arms to a nip-backer that struck him in the vicinity of the off stump. The umpire Richard Kettleborough raised his finger without hesitation, though ball tracking was to show the ball may not quite have been moving back enough.Smith looked at ease despite his early arrival to the crease, until the introduction of the debutant Jasprit Bumrah who appeared to catch Smith a little off guard. Bumrah generated decent pace from an abbreviated run up and unusual action, and after tying down Smith was able to gain his wicket when a pull shot found Rohit Sharma at midwicket. Bumrah later added the wicket of James Faulkner: his control put other more experienced teammates to shame.Neither George Bailey nor Shaun Marsh were able to prosper, the former fooled by Dhawan’s leg cutter and the latter a run out when Umesh Yadav’s return from the outfield rebounded from the knee of Gurkeerat Singh to disturb the bails. At 4 for 117, Australia were teetering, but Warner and Marsh were to recover the innings in some style. They seemed to have done enough, until a mere seven runs from the final two overs of the innings gave India a glimpse.

The West Indies Players’ Association has said its players will not undertake an A-team tour of Zimbabwe next month as a result of concerns over safety and the continuing unstable political situation in the country.A statement issued by WIPA said that the West Indies board had been advised that it had reached the decision “following intensive discussions with various stakeholders and likely selectees who have unanimously expressed deep concern about players’ safety and the continuing volatile situation existing in that country”.”While we at WIPA acknowledge the importance of the development of cricket, we are, nevertheless, firmly of the view that the safety of players in an unsettled environment is of paramount importance.””We have consulted with CARICOM (Caribbean Community and Common Market) and we have received assurances from the Zimbabwe board regarding player safety,” Tony Deyal, the WICB’s corporate secretary, told Cricinfo. “We also believe that we will be getting a guarantee from the Zimbabwe government.”We have shared the information we have with WIPA and we would hope they share theirs with us. If they have information we don’t have then we are prepared to review it.” A meeting between the board and WIPA is likely in the next few days to try to resolve the situation.Dinanath Ramnarine, WIPA’s chief executive, said that he was sympathetic to the disappointment of those selected at the cancellation but that “we want to assure the board that we will give every consideration to a similar tour in more favourable circumstances”. He added that many sources both inside and outside Zimbabwe had been consulted before the decision was reached.There was more confusion when Bruce Aanensen, the WICB’s chief executive officer, told the Trinidad & Tobago Express that the trip was on. “That is still the plan [for] the team to leave on June 30. We did not get the response from the Caribbean heads of government until Wednesday afternoon of last week.”On receipt of that when we agreed that we could go ahead with the tour in so far as the heads of government were concerned, we sent out a proposal to WIPA, the terms and conditions of the tour and I am waiting on a response from WIPA at the moment to proceed with announcing the team for the tour.”Cricinfo understands that those likely to tour have been contacted by WIPA in advance of this decision, although WIPA has yet to be informed of the exact squad members even though the board seems to have been in touch with them individually.The news will be a serious blow to Zimbabwe Cricket. It comes hot on the heels of the decision by the Australian government to ban their side from touring Zimbabwe, and less than a fortnight before the ICC meets to consider the restoration of Zimbabwe’s Test status.

If the sky is a reflection of mood, then the spirit in the South African camp should have lifted significantly this weekend. The drab damp they experienced in Bangalore was replaced by brilliant and bright blue in Nagpur. They could train without dodging drizzle, think sans the sound of soft splatter and see clearly. Even if they only thing they were looking at was themselves.”The guys have admitted to the fact that we made a few errors, especially in that first Test. We’d like to rectify it going forward,” JP Duminy said.South Africa’s mistakes have stemmed from their method. In Mohali, they allowed the pre-match talk to overwhelm them and played conservatively in conditions they had imagined to be much worse than they were. To compensate for that in Bangalore, they did the opposite. They attacked to try and establish some authority. Both times, they failed.Given that South Africa know the change in overhead conditions is unlikely to change things on the surface – as Duminy put it, “the expectancy is that it will turn,” – and given that their premeditation has proved faulty, the only thing left for South Africa to do is play as normally as possible. They have approached Nagpur with that cliché of it being “just another game,” knowing it is not just another game but a must-win if they are to pull off the ultimate coup and beat India on home soil.To do that, South Africa have to practice what they have been preaching for the last few years: that, as a batting group, they have improved against spin. There is already evidence that the likes of AB de Villiers, Hashim Amla, Faf du Plessis and JP Duminy can negotiate R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja, but only de Villiers has done so in this series.Last year, Dean Elgar’s century in Galle showed that he could deal with sluggish, spinner-friendly surfaces and he has managed the same here, but calmness abandons him at crucial moments while Stiaan van Zyl and Dane Vilas remain raw and this is a new challenge for them. If South Africa are to prevail, collectively the batting will have to come together.”We understand that their strength lies in their spin and there’s no point in trying to deny that. It’s about having a game plan against it,” Duminy said. Part of that game plan has to involve allowing themselves to improvise on the day and play in the moment. “Not to play the person but to play the ball,” is how Duminy described it, talking specifically about Ashwin although that should apply to Jadeja too. India’s spin twins have had equal amounts of success with 12 wickets a piece.There’s no question they are South Africa’s biggest challenge and Duminy has promised South Africa are ready to meet it head on. “We always knew there would come a time when we would be challenged quite a bit. It’s how you come back from those challenges that is going to make us as a team. We pride ourselves on that – that we’re a resilient team, that we never back down from a challenge. We know it’s a tough challenge for us but we also know we have the capability of facing those challenges. We’ve done it before. We’ve come here and played well in all formats.”South Africa have never come from 1-0 down to win a series away from home before, but they have fought back to draw level, most recently in the UAE where they won in Dubai after being defeated in Abu Dhabi. They have also won several series in the subcontinent, including a Test and ODI series in Sri Lanka, to support Duminy’s theory. On this visit to India, they have already claimed two trophies. On their last visit, they won in Nagpur. So if memory is a reflection of mood, South Africa are more upbeat than the scoreline suggests they should be.