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Hundreds of Australian cricketers will be chasing lucrative Twenty20 contracts over the next month as the Big Bash League teams begin to sign up players. While the Don Argus-led performance review tries to get to the bottom of Australia’s Ashes debacle and slump to fifth on the ICC Test rankings, Cricket Australia’s planning for the expanded Twenty20 tournament is in full swing.The six states are this week finalising their contract lists for first-class and 50-over cricket for next summer, but only 14 to 18 players per state will be given a full contract, down from last year’s number. Meanwhile, the eight city-based teams must each sign up 18 men, a process that will start this Thursday when the contract window begins.The expansion of Twenty20 contracts and the decline in Australia’s Test performance is a combination that has some coaches concerned. The Western Australia coach Mickey Arthur believes the bigger salary cap for Twenty20 sides compared to the state teams is the wrong way around for a country trying to climb the Test rankings, while Michael Clarke’s mentor, Neil D’Costa, is worried that the focus on Twenty20 at junior levels could kill Test cricket in Australia.Each of the eight teams must sign at least 14 players during the first Big Bash League contract window, which runs from June 30 to July 22. By December 9 – a week before the first match – they must have finalised a full roster of 18 players, meaning that 144 Twenty20 contracts will be sealed over the coming months.The scrapping of the traditional state teams for the Twenty20 competition means that every player in the country is up for grabs, although the likelihood is that most players will remain in their home states. Sydney and Melbourne each have two teams that must be filled with talent, and every side can sign two international players, with scope to replace those men if their international commitments clash with the Big Bash League.Cricket Australia has also announced that KFC will be the naming-rights sponsor for the tournament after signing a three-year deal.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsSourav Ganguly managed just 18 against his former team•AFP

It was billed as Sourav Ganguly’s payback game against Kolkata Knight Riders. Instead, it proved to be a stern examination on a turner for the Pune Warriors batsmen, and called in to question the home side’s decision to play only one specialist spinner as Shakib Al Hasan, Iqbal Abdulla and Yusuf Pathan exploited the generous spin available to tie Pune down. Kolkata, anchored by Gautam Gambhir, and under no pressure with an asking rate of below six, motored to victory, taking a big step towards making the play-offs.Unless they lose badly to Mumbai Indians in their last league game, and Kings XI Punjab manage another big win in their last match, Kolkata should be through to the knock-outs.The comfortable victory was set up by the Kolkata spin trio, who picked up five wickets for 51 runs in 11 overs, but more than that, preyed on the minds of the Pune batsmen, who struggled to score on a pitch that would have been a good test of batsmen’s skills in a Test match against quality spin, but looked out of place in a Twenty20 game.Right from the first ball that Abdulla bowled, it was clear that the batsmen were in for a hard grind. It was flighted, drew Manish Pandey forward, and spun sharply across as he missed the ball by a long way. The third was the typical left-arm spinner’s sucker ball, making Pandey push forward outside the line for the turn and going straight on to strike him in front. This was after Jesse Ryder had targeted the second ball of spin in the game, trying to smash Yusuf Pathan for six but only finding mid-off. It was the beginning of Pune’s problems.Callum Ferguson came in ahead of Ganguly, and the relative ease with which he played during his short innings made one wonder again what he had been doing in the Pune dugout for most of the season. It was the spinners’ night though, and Ferguson was left clueless as he skipped out to Shakib, only for the ball to turn a long way past his bat for Shreevats Goswami to do the rest.There was a time when left-arm spin from both ends would never be tried against Ganguly, but that time is long gone. Ganguly led a charmed life today, almost edging the ball on to the stumps and also escaping a stumping chance. He showed one glimpse of the batsman he once was, lofting Abdulla for a very straight six, but clearly, sustained big hitting on a difficult pitch was too much to expect. He departed on another failed attempt to break free, sweeping Shakib to Yusuf at backward square leg.It was not until the 13th over that Pune’s most explosive batsmen, Robin Uthappa and Yuvraj Singh, got together. A run-rate that had remained stuck below six after the opening over forced Uthappa to go hard at Yusuf in the next over, but he swung it to deep midwicket where Lee took a sharp catch. Yuvraj was left playing the tragic hero yet again, but even he could not do much, ultimately top-edging a pull off L Balaji, who came on to bowl for the first time in the last over.Alfonso Thomas got Pune the breakthrough in the first over, getting Goswami caught behind with one that took off. That was as close as Pune came to entertaining hopes of an upset, and Kolkata’s line-up proved to be too powerful, not even requiring the services of Jacques Kallis, who had injured his finger in the field.Gambhir, as always, showed how to tackle a turning pitch, repeatedly using his feet against Pune’s spinners, Rahul Sharma and Yuvraj. He also played two delightful extra cover drives off successive deliveries against Thomas. Yusuf wasn’t far behind, making room to cut Rahul’s skiddy deliveries from off stump through short third man.That it wasn’t to be Pune’s day was evident when consecutive throws from Ferguson ran to the boundary, the latter after hitting the stumps. Not that it mattered in the end, as Kolkata were simply the superior side by a long margin.

In the end England’s squad for the first Test against Sri Lanka wasn’t signed and sealed weeks ago. The selection meeting stretched late into Friday afternoon and Eoin Morgan’s 193 proved a deciding factor despite Geoff Miller, the national selector, making it clear that he would prefer players to commit to English cricket rather than the IPL.It was that decision by Morgan to spend six weeks with Kolkata Knight Riders, and Ravi Bopara twice declining advances from the IPL, that was seemingly going to sway the selectors’ minds. However, it has emerged in recent days that Bopara has become a father over the last month so that removes a little of the kudos for turning away from big-money offers.And then Morgan went and played superbly against the Sri Lankans at Derby, four days after arriving back from India, which made such a strong case that the selectors couldn’t ignore him. “Ravi has been getting a lot of runs for Essex, but the controlled innings that Eoin played just gave him the nod,” Miller told . “That innings really just showed us what he is capable of doing. It shows his strength of character.”That mental strength of Morgan, which he showed at the World Cup when he came back from the cold after injury to hit a half-century against Bangladesh, has been enough to outweigh lingering doubts over his preference for the IPL rather than domestic cricket. But Morgan will be spoken to about comments on Thursday that he would have returned to India if not selected for the first Test.”We understand that situation. We have given them the window to go to the IPL,” Miller said. “I will be having a chat to him about what his priorities are. The answer is I am happy about his commitment, but I need to verify that and make him aware of where we’re coming from.”However, Morgan’s selection follows the recent well-trodden path of rewarding those of who have bided their time in the squad. Morgan was present throughout the Ashes and would have played if any of the main six batsmen had been injured. “Eoin was involved in the winter but didn’t get the chance to be involved and came back here with very little four-day cricket,” Miller said. “He produced a good-quality innings and showed his character. It was a tight decision, they always are with quality players.”We are pretty consistent and know which way we are going, but we want to have difficult decisions on selections and this was difficult. Ravi’s bowling came into the equation and there are varying reasons. There is the character factor, the quality of play and the consistency. I keep hammering that word and we’ll continue to run down that line.”A very disappointed Bopara will now return to Championship cricket and have to wait for an injury or significant loss of form. Morgan will have at least the Sri Lanka series to establish his credentials and most of the other batsmen are coming into the series in decent first-class form. It’s hard to see any of them losing touch to such an extent they’ll be ditched during the summer, but Kevin Pietersen needs to return to scoring hundreds consistently again.”Everybody needs runs, we are talking about batters for England,” Miller said. “If they are out of form over a period of time then we can reassess it. We know what a quality player Kevin Pietersen is and it’s about him going out and getting that form. He got 200 in Australia recently and now it’s about being consistent for us and we are giving him that opportunity.”The good news for England is they have some strong back-up options in most departments, especially the pace-bowling ranks where there are at least eight viable options. Steven Finn was preferred this time – again part of the Ashes loyalty – but the quicks could well be rotated during the season.”It counts that we’ve got strong back-up to take places if necessary. We’re in a situation where we’ve got a lot of quality seamers,” Miller said. “Steven Finn was involved in the start of the Ashes, and then his place was taken by Chris Tremlett – who did really well.”But that doesn’t stop the next in line, the peripheral players, from really working hard to try to overtake if they possibly can. Strength in depth is a massive part of international cricket.” As Bopara has found out, though, it takes a long time to move to the head of the pack.

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Rich Pyrah picked up a career-best 5 for 58 as Nottinghamshire were bowled out for 143 at Headingley•Getty Images

Dynamic swing bowling by Ryan Sidebottom against his former county led to Yorkshire dominating the first day’s play in their County Championship battle with title-holders Nottinghamshire at Headingley.The left-arm paceman, who returned to his native county at the end of last season, grabbed four wickets and Richard Pyrah a career-best five as Notts were fired out for 143, Yorkshire then replying with 213 for 5 by the close to give them a lead of 70.To rub salt into the visitors’ wounds, the debacle came after they had won the toss. Having chosen to bat, they were taken by surprise by the amount of swing Sidebottom obtained in a lethal new-ball spell which brought him three wickets for 15 runs in nine overs, five of which were maidens.Yorkshire made two changes from the side which lost to Durham by 143 runs last week, Oliver Hannon-Dalby and left-arm spinner David Wainwright replacing Steven Patterson and Moin Ashraf, and it was Hannon-Dalby who dealt the first blow by shattering Mark Wagh’s stumps in the fourth over with one which nipped back.The score was on seven and two more wickets fell without addition as Sidebottom struck with consecutive deliveries. Paul Franks edged to second slip where he was brilliantly caught by Anthony McGrath and Samit Patel was pinned back on his stumps, leaving Adam Voges to block the hat-trick ball.Pyrah replaced Hannon-Dalby and captured a wicket with his first ball thanks to another stunning catch, this time by Adam Lyth at first slip. Another fine inswinger from Sidebottom had Ali Brown lbw to leave Notts on 43 for 5 and it became 56 for 6 when captain Chris Read paid the penalty for an ungainly heave across the line at Pyrah and was caught behind by Jonathan Bairstow.Notts would have been in even deeper trouble but for some splendid batting from Alex Hales, who welcomed the introduction of spin by driving Wainwright for six and bringing up his 50 in the same over with his seventh four.But Notts were soon in trouble again after lunch, the second ball from Pyrah being tickled to Bairstow by Steven Mullaney, and Pyrah picked up a further wicket when Andre Adams had a swing and was bowled. Yorkshire’s catching continued to be of a high standard and Luke Fletcher’s thick edge was well held by Lyth at third slip to give Sidebottom final figuresof 4 for 30.With only Charlie Shreck remaining, Hales once more went on the attack by pulling Pyrah for four and six but in trying to repeat the shot he was caught on the midwicket boundary by Gerard Brophy for 85 from 89 balls, with 10 fours and two sixes. Pyrah’s figures of 5 for 58 meant it was the second time within a week that he had enjoyed a career-best return.There was an early shock for Yorkshire as Joe Root nicked his first delivery from Shreck into Read’s gloves, but Lyth and McGrath quickly settled into a second-wicket stand worth exactly 100 in 26 overs, aided early on by some indifferent work in the field. Franks should have cut off a boundary and Fletcher gave away four runs when he hurled back McGrath’s defensive push andthe ball sailed well over the top of Read’s head.Lyth played some crisp strokes in going to his first half-century of the season but Yorkshire suddenly loosened their grip on the match in the evening session, beginning when McGrath was lbw to Adams for 49.Having been lured into several mistimed pulls by Fletcher, Lyth went for the stroke once too often and played straight into the waiting hands of Franks at long leg, the left-hander’s 64 coming off 118 balls with eight fours. Incoming batsman Bairstow had little chance of keeping out a shooter from Fletcher which hit his off stump and half of Yorkshire’s wickets were down for144 when Brophy cut at Fletcher and was caught at third slip by Patel.The slide was halted by captain Andrew Gale (47 not out) and Rashid (39 not out), who retrieved the situation by adding an unbroken 70 by the close.

Kevin Pietersen has undergone routine surgery to repair the hernia that led to his early departure from England’s World Cup campaign, but is expected to be ready for the Sri Lanka Test series which gets underway in late May. Following a period of recuperation, Pietersen will begin a rehabilitation programme with his county Surrey, in conjunction with the England team medical staff.”Kevin underwent a successful, routine operation with a hernia and an area of weaknesses repaired on the left side while a small hernia was identified and repaired on the right side,” said ECB Chief Medical Officer, Dr Nick Peirce.”Kevin will now undergo a relatively brief period of rest before beginning a rehabilitation programme with Surrey CCC under the guidance of the England team medical staff. His return to first-class cricket will be determined once he commences his rehabilitation programme, but we expect him to be fully fit in time for England’s first summer Test starting May 26.”Pietersen’s departure from the England squad followed a crucial eight-over bowling spell in the team’s six-run victory over South Africa at Chennai last week, but the circumstances were frowned upon by England’s coach, Andy Flower, who had hoped such a key player would take a few painkillers and “bite the bullet” to get through the remainder of the tournament.Nevertheless, Flower accepted that the medical report justified the decision to send him home. “Once Kevin’s hernia injury was identified we knew he would require an operation and the surgeon’s findings further underline the seriousness of the injury,” he said. “We’re pleased Kevin has undergone a successful surgery and can shortly begin his rehabilitation programme with a view to rejoining the England team in time for our first Test match of the summer against Sri Lanka.”

Salman Butt and Mohammad Amir have filed appeals against their bans from the game with the Court of Arbitration of Sport (CAS) in Lausanne, Switzerland.Butt and Amir, along with Mohammad Asif, were found guilty of orchestrating three pre-planned, deliberate no-balls during the Lord’s Test against England last August. The trio, who were provisionally suspended by the ICC in September, were given sanctions ranging from 5 to 10 years by an independent tribunal headed by Michael Beloff QC after a full hearing in Doha, Qatar in early January, with the verdicts being handed down on February 5.”Today my legal team served a statement of appeal upon The Court of Arbitration of Sport (CAS) to appeal against the Tribunal’s findings in relation to the Lords Test and the sanctions imposed at the recent Hearing in Doha. Full Grounds for the Appeal will be lodged in due course,” a statement from Butt’s lawyer, Yasin Patel, said.As captain at the time, Butt received the stiffest sentence, though the ban comes with a suspended sentence of five years. On the day the verdict was announced, Patel had indicated that the tribunal’s recommendation to the ICC to revisit sanctions in their code was encouraging. “The tribunal’s hands were tied by the ICC’s code to a five-year minimum,” he said. “Mr Butt is encouraged that the tribunal advised the ICC to change the code or revise the minimum term.”Butt also confirmed that he would appear at a London court on March 17th for a hearing into the criminal charges he faces – along with Asif and Amir – into the same incident.Amir was given a straight five-year ban with no suspended sentence and had indicated his intention to appeal on the day the judgments came. “We have filed an appeal against the ban [on Friday],” Shahid Karim, Amir’s lawyer, said. “The process is now set into motion. We have challenged the judgment on various grounds.”Asif has so far not said whether he will file an appeal.

With Zimbabwe well into its rainy season, both games in the latest round of the MetBank Pro40 Championship were shortened due to the inclement weather. Masvingo Sports Club has a reputation as a batting paradise and that certainly seemed to be the case in the midst of Sikandar Raza and Chamu Chibhabha 161-run opening stand that helped set up a massive total of 253 for 6 in just 32 overs for Southern Rocks. Matabeleland Tuskers’ batsmen failed to build any notable partnerships in reply as the visitors fell 45 runs short.Chibhabha and Raza, both of whom have been included in Zimbabwe’s preliminary World Cup squad, have put together several useful opening partnerships for Rocks in Twenty20 cricket, and they appeared to be operating in a similar mode as they rocketed along at close to eight an over after being put in to bat by Tuskers. Raza was the quicker of the two, sprinting past fifty and reaching a career-best 80 – including five fours and four sixes – before he was trapped lbw by Keith Dabengwa’s left-arm spin.Chibhabha and Elton Chigumbura took their team past 200, and though wickets fell regularly after they were dismissed Rocks still managed to reach a formidable total. Despite enterprising innings from captain Gavin Ewing and Paul Horton, Tuskers stumbled through the early stages of their reply and slipped to 63 for 4 in the ninth over. Offspinner Hilary Matanga ensured there would be no fightback, taking a career-best 4 for 30 as Tuskers closed on 208 for 8.The rain was even more extensive up north, and Mashonaland Eagles’ match against Mid West Rhinos at Harare Sports Club was reduced to a 25-overs-a-side affair. A disciplined performance from Eagles’ new-ball bowlers, Douglas Hondo and Chad Keegan, with competent back-up from Andrew Hall and Ray Price kept Rhinos to 120 for 7. After Cephas Zhuwawo’s boundary-laden 34 launched the innings, Regis Chakabva’s unbeaten 47 guided Eagles home to a seven-wicket win in the 21st over.Eagles captain Forster Mutizwa opted to field after winning the toss and the move soon paid off as the home attack proved a handful in the damp conditions. Hondo removed both openers, including Gary Ballance for a four-ball duck, and when Price had Malcolm Waller caught by Innocent Chinyoka for his second wicket Rhinos were 52 for 5 in the 13th over. That they eventually scored as many runs as they did was almost entirely due to Riki Wessels’ unbeaten 43.Rhinos threatened to fight back with the ball when both Eagles openers were removed in the space of five balls with the score only just past 40, but Chakabva couldn’t be tied down and found helpful support from Mutizwa and Greg Lamb to seal the win.It was a sorely needed result for Eagles, who remain at the bottom of the Points table despite their win after losing five of their first six games. Rocks’ victory takes them to second position, edging ahead of Tusker by virtue of their superior net run-rate.

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Stafanie Taylor made an unbeaten 85 and claimed two wickets•Getty Images

West Indies cruised to an easy victory in the first ODI in Mumbai, thanks to a four-wicket haul from offspinner Anisa Mohammed and an unbeaten 85 from opener Stafanie Taylor. Mohammed played a critical role in bowling India out for 161 by claiming top scorer Poonam Raut and India’s best batsman Mithali Raj among her four scalps.India had started well, with openers Raut and Anagha Deshpande adding 45. At 71 for 1, it seemed India would post a competitive score but Mohammed struck twice in consecutive overs, and came back to inflict two more blows to the middle order. Supported by Taylor, who starred in an all-round performance by also picking up two wickets, Mohammed ensured West Indies were set a target not too difficult to chase.Taylor lost fellow opener Juliana Nero early, but batted solidly with Shanel Daley, who made 44, to add a match-winning 137 in an unbeaten stand. The second game of the five-match series will be held in Vadodara on January 13.

AB de Villiers wrote his name into the record books in the course of his unbeaten double-hundred, passing Graeme Smith’s record in reaching 278 not out before South Africa declared at 584 for 9, and paid tribute to the man whose record he now holds at the end of the second day’s play. “I’d like to dedicate that knock to Graeme,” said de Villiers. “He showed a lot of class in his captaincy by allowing me to go through and to get that record. I thought we could have declared a bit earlier but he wanted me to push on and to get that record.”I never expected to reach this kind of record. I did start believing when I got my double-hundred in India a couple of years ago, that’s definitely when the belief started but before then there was no hope at all. I was just playing the game for the fun of it and hoping to get a hundred here and there. The mindset has changed quite a bit and I do know now that I’m capable of scoring big runs and hopefully I will maintain that kind of form.”He pushed the mark one run further than his captain had against England at Edgbaston more than seven years ago, edged three runs past Daryll Cullinan and Gary Kirsten’s joint record, and surpassed Graeme Pollock’s Test best by a good four runs. But de Villiers needed some help from the tailenders to get to the mark. He was on 160 when Dale Steyn joined him at the crease, and was just nine runs short of his double-hundred when Steyn departed almost 20 overs later, their stand worth 59.Paul Harris also stuck around, helping add 35 for the ninth wicket and seeing de Villiers through to his double ton. But the best was saved for last as de Villiers and No. 11 Morne Morkel put together an unbroken 107 for the 10th wicket which not only saw de Villiers through to the landmark but also broke a South African record, beating the 103 that Tuppy Owen-Smith and Sandy Bell put on against England at Headingley in 1929.”All the tailenders that stuck it out with me there today were quite amazing and they were all willing to give me the strike to get to the record,” said de Villiers. “They were all willing to come out there and to put their bodies on the line. That even inspired me, to watch Morne and Dale and Harry and all of them getting into line and really taking the knocks for the team.”It was a very special day, and even more special to get ourselves out of trouble after we were three down early on in the Test match. That’s how I play this game, I like to be a team man and to get us out of trouble. It’s a very special day and a very special innings.”

ScorecardAndre Russell was in his element, snaring 6 for 45, but the rest of the Jamaican side was not•WindiesCricket.com

Barbados were forced to dig deep after an incisive spell from Andre Russell, but their lower order and bowlers raised their game to trump Jamaica by 58 runs at Sabina Park, and set up a final showdown against Leeward Islands on Sunday.Russell, who was included in the recently named West Indies squad for Sri Lanka, was in his element from the moment Jamaica chose to field. He trapped Dale Richards in front with his first ball before getting Ryan Hinds to edge behind in his second over. Jason Haynes and Kirk Edwards attempted to see off Russell’s hostility, but the seamer struck again in his fifth over, Haynes departing for 14 off 29 balls.Barbados recovered once Russell was taken off the attack, with Jonathan Carter joining Kirk Edwards in an counterattack. Carter dominated the stand of 82 for the fourth wicket before Odean Brown dismissed Edwards for 34 in the 25th over of the innings. Carter slammed three sixes and as many fours in his 59 which came at better than run-a-ball, but when Chris Gayle sent him back in the 26th over, Barbados were in trouble again, at 128 for 5.Dwayne Smith, however, seamlessly took over the aggressor’s baton from Carter, while the lower order played around him. Smith struck 55 off 50 balls, and though Russell returned to pick three wickets and finish with 6 for 45, Barbados’ tail refused to fall away. Kemar Roach and Tino Best, the Nos. 10 and 11, added 34 runs to lead their side to a respectable 249 for 9. Jamaica’s cause was not helped by the indiscipline of their attack, which conceded 23 runs in wides and no-balls.Jamaica’s chase suffered from the inability of their top order to convert starts into meaningful innings. Openers Chris Gayle and Xavier Marshall hit four fours and two sixes between them, but could only contribute 36 runs. Danza Hyatt also failed to make an impact, and from 65 for 3 in the 12th over, it was left to Brendan Nash to steer the relatively lean Barbados middle order. The pressure on him increased after Tamar Lambert and Carlton Baugh were found out in the middle overs, with spinners Ryan Hinds and Sulieman Benn settling into miserly spells.Lambert and Baugh used up 37 deliveries for the addition of seven runs, and Nash’s own struggles to keep the scoreboard ticking meant Jamaica steadily lost steam. Hinds struck intermittent blows along with Javon Searles, and at 148 for 6 in the 36th over Barbados had assumed full control. Even their reciprocal generosity with wides and no-balls – they conceded 25 in all – could not redeem the host’s chase. Nash’s crawl to a half-century merely delayed the end as Jamaica folded nine short of the 200-run mark, in the 44th over.