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Somerset go into their penultimate championship match against Leicestershire at Grace Road on Thursday knowing that nothing less than a victory will save them from relegation to the second division.The Cidermen are currently in eighth position in the top flight in the four day game whilst their opponents are sixth , just above the danger zone, with four wins to their credit.In addition to victory at Grace Road, Somerset also have to achieve a result from their final match against Lancashire at Taunton next Wednesday, a tall order for a side who have only achieved one victory from their previous fourteen championship matches.When the sides met earlier this season Somerset were in a strong position, and will feel that they missed out on a victory when rain deprived them of the last day’s play.Over the years Leicester has not been a particularly happy hunting ground for Somerset. Last season the match was drawn and in 2000 it was the hosts who recorded a victory.Despite the daunting prospect ahead of them there was an air of confidence about the Somerset team before they left the County Ground early on Wednesday morning ahead of their NUL day/night game.Coach Kevin Shine was in no doubt about the importance of the championship match and told me: "This is a must win game for us, nothing else will do for us if we are to stay up."The coach has named the following squad for the championship game: Jamie Cox, Peter Bowler, Matt Wood, Mike Burns, Piran Holloway, Keith Parsons, Pete Trego, Rob Turner, Keith Dutch, Richard Johnson, Matt Bulbeck and Simon Francis.Meanwhile the Somerset coach has confirmed that paceman Steffan Jones who has been carrying an injury for much of the season is to undergo an operation on his foot in the next few days which will rule him out for the rest of the season.

Sourav Ganguly’s latest consignment of bats arrived from Meerut just after the Indian captain finished his stint out in the ‘open nets’ at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore. A man in love with cricket bats, Ganguly chooses a fresh batch of blades before each tour. The six-week tour to Zimbabwe is no exception. The open nets itself had an atmosphere of great purpose without being overbearing or sombre. John Wright, behind the bowler’s arm watched over every ball as the probables slogged away.The idea is a simple one and not new at all. A simulated match situation out in the middle, with the fast bowlers and spinners operating in turns ensued. The first to enter were Ganguly and VVS Laxman, while the other batsmen waited their turns. In time all batsmen had a stint out in the middle and the bowlers were a tired lot. Perhaps that’s what prompted the local boys to chip in and help with preparations. Anil Kumble was in for a quick session but left early. Sunil Joshi, Venkatesh Prasad and Dodda Ganesh spent a lot of time bowling despite not being in the list of probables selected by the board.In the coaching department, Wright was not alone. Roger Binny moved across from the National Cricket Academy (NCA) and helped the Kiwi conduct the practice sessions. Erapalli Prasanna finished his stint with the NCA boys and he too cast his watchful eye over the Indian seniors for a while. The atmosphere at the camp was as healthy as one could expect. All drills happened in right earnest with no one being exempted for any reason. When not out in the middle, the players were by the sidelines practicing throwing.At first it seemed strange that the players should be spending so much time practicing throwing. Closer inspection however, made it clear that this was yet another of Wright’s moves. Showing a keen attention to detail, Wright is attempting to make sure that all Indian cricketers throw with the right action. Concentrating on position and shift in body weight, Wright is attempting to minimise the shoulder injuries that have laid low more than one Indian bowler in the recent past.With team selection due soon, the selectors have all gathered in Bangalore. And seldom has their job been easier. Although the likes of Yuvraj Singh, Virender Shewag and Ajay Ratra are shaping up well, it is difficult to see them making the trip to Zimbabwe. Five seamers, two spinners, seven batsmen and one stumper seems to be the mantra.

The greatest tragedy of Nathan Astle’s world record innings at Jade Stadium on Saturday was that it was watched by so few Cantabrians.Very few cricket enthusiasts in the once strong bastion of New Zealand cricket, Christchurch, will be able to say in the future, “I was there”.Attendances at the pride of Canterbury sport were little short of a disgrace throughout the Test and it can only be wondered what the ground would have looked like had it not been swamped with English supporters.Whatever the situation, Christchurch must surely have written itself off the Test match scheduling list after this was yet another demonstration of its inability to draw crowds to the South Island’s main Test venue at Jade Stadium.And the portable pitch has nothing whatsoever to do with it.It is all to do with the inability of Cantabrians to get out and support their venue.The decline in numbers has been obvious in recent years and with the ground taking on an increased appearance of a concrete jungle with the new West Stand nearing completion, the vast empty spaces, as seen in the television coverage of Astle’s innings are little short of embarrassing.Given the way the New Zealand Test team performed in Australia, there was every reason to expect some interest to be aroused among the cricket supporting fraternity.However, even the One-Day International staged in Christchurch failed to attract the expected level of interest.Given Christchurch’s standing in the cricket scheme of things this has to be a worrying trend.The likelihood always was that it would miss out on a Test next summer because a series, possibly of only two Tests against India, will be the only fare available as the World Cup is being staged in South Africa in February-March.One of those Tests is certain to be a Boxing Day match at the Basin Reserve and the other will be in the north of the North Island.Given Auckland’s similar propensity for failing to support Test matches, the most likely candidate would have to be Hamilton.But the real test will be the following summer 2003/04 when Pakistan and South Africa are due to tour. And at the moment Cantabrians have done nothing to boost their chances.

Free State regained the initiative against Easterns on the third day of their encounter, although the game remained in the balance with one day left.By the close, Free State, chasing a challenging 339 for victory, had moved to 116 for one, with Gerhardus Liebenberg, unbeaten on 59, and Louis Wilkinson, on 30, having added an unbroken 50 for the second wicket.Liebenberg, who has matched the achievement of Mike Rindel in making two half-centuries in the match, had put on 66 for the first wicket with Andrew Gait (24) as the visitors to Willowmoore Park set out in pursuit of their target in positive fashion.Earlier, Easterns had gone well beyond their first innings total of 224 when Derek Crookes and nightwatchman Andre Nel had extended their fifth-wicket partnership to 115. Nel contributed 44 and Crookes, who has played a major role with the bat in getting Easterns into the Super Eight phase, fell just five short of a deserved century.There was more drama to come, when Dewald Pretorius found himself on a hat-trick after taking two wickets in consecutive balls with the Easterns total on 309. Last man in Jody Williams survived the hat-trick ball, but Easterns’s second knock still ended on 309, an overall lead of 338.Pretorius and Victor Mpitsang each grabbed three scalps, while offspinner Kosie Venter and occasional left-arm spinner Van Wyk took two wickets each, Van Wyk’s 2-25 including the scalp of Crookes, who he bowled.

Hampshire opening Norwich Union National League match away to Lancashire on Sunday (29 April) has fallen foul to the weather.Heavy rain over Old Trafford that has curtailed their CricInfo Championship match against Surrey, has continued, with heavy thunderstorms plaguing the area.The umpires met with officials and Lancashire captain John Crawley, and decided that it would be futile Hampshire travelling.Hampshire will attempt to get some outside practice at their Rose Bowl ground over the weekend, before travelling to Canterbury for their opening Benson & Hedges Cup match on Tuesday (1 May).

On Sunday the World T20, an event that lasted three and a half weeks, will end. On Tuesday the Champions League T20, a tournament that will go on for two and half weeks, will start. The 48 hours in between may offer a chance for some perspective.If Sundar Raman, IPL chief executive who is also a member of the CLT20 technical committee, is correct, that time enough will create a “continuum,” of the format. Many fear the opposite: that it will be a time when overload is reached.Since September 8, the only international cricket that has been played is T20 cricket. South Africa and England played three matches, India and New Zealand played two (one was abandoned), teams warmed up for the World T20, played a group stage, a Super Eight round and a knockout stage. A total of 43 T20 matches will have been played by Sunday and by the end of October, that number will sit at 72 over seven weeks.But Raman does not fear spectator fatigue and is confident the tournament has a place in the calendar despite the challenges it faces. “This was the window of time that was available currently. All the countries have their international seasons after this and there was an opportunity that was available here,” he said in Johannesburg. “We hope the World T20 has created enough of an appetite. The timing of the broadcasts are also pretty good and the schedules are done in a manner that will provide the opportunity for every country to watch their teams.”Reaching out to fans in different countries is what the CLT20 claims to be about. They hope that process will start in South Africa, which is the reason Raman gave for moving the event here from India. “We thought it is only fair to come back to South Africa; to reach out to new markets,” he said. The tournament was last previously hosted in South Africa in 2010 and crowd turnout was better than at both events held in India.More of the same is expected by Jacques Faul, CSA acting CEO. He said even though the CLT20 clashes with South Africa’s domestic rugby competition, the Currie Cup, he expects seats to be occupied. “Rugby is a serious contender when it comes to crowds,” Faul said. “We did take it into account but we did as much as we could to make sure we will have crowds.”The thinking may well be that the cricket and rugby market are different and in some ways, they are. The CLT20 has also brought in spectators who may not attend other forms of the game, or sport at all, and Faul hopes those types of people will grow in number. So far, it does not look like it. There are a maximum of 380,000 tickets available for sale and only 18% have been bought – around 70,000.Nassei Appiah, the tournament director who is also CSA CFO, said the numbers should pick up this week. “We know that most of the tickets will be sold a few days before the event or when people know the actual teams playing,” he said, referring to the three-day qualifying event which will take place before the tournament proper. “But 30% of tickets for the final have already been sold.”The sales figures did not dampen Raman’s confidence in South Africa delivering an event that meets expectations. “It’s a great country with a sport loving public,” he said. “All the infrastructure is here, 14 teams can be put up in a city like Johannesburg and the stadium atmosphere is also good. The stadium sizes are also smaller than places like India or Australia.”Australia are the third shareholders of the CLT20 and have not yet hosted the competition. Raman said it is unlikely they will be do so in the near future, primarily because their time-zone is unsuitable. “Obviously that is a problem,” he said. He did leave the door open to other countries to host the event, saying anyone from England to Sri Lanka to Bangladesh could come into contention in the future.”As a tournament we are evolving,” Raman said. “In 2008, we had an eight-team format. We’ve evolved from there to be able to accommodate more teams and now we have 14 teams from around the world.”Despite that, the 2012 edition will take place without representatives from either Zimbabwe or Bangladesh, both of whom hold their own domestic twenty-over tournaments. That too, could be revised looked at in future. “As we go forward to future editions, we will try and be as inclusive as we can,” Raman said.It may mean an even longer qualifying phase since only the shareholders’ teams gain automatic entry. India, as the largest shareholder, has four teams while South Africa and Australia have two each. This unbalanced nature of the tournament has also caused it to be criticised. England have indicated they will not take part in next year’s event because of the large impact CLT20 has on their domestic season which is cut three weeks short even though the teams that qualify for the qualifiers could end up playing only two matches.Raman is bullish that issues like those do not detract from the CLT20’s success and the standing it has among participating countries. “There is a significant interest because people are looking forward to playing in another tournament because of their domestic success,” Raman said. “CLT20 has re-energised domestic twenty-over cricket. Players like Sunil Narine have come through CLT20. It gives players the confidence and the ability to believe in themselves and that for me is very heartening. “

Match facts

October 22, 2012
Start time 1730 local (1530 GMT)Sachin Tendulkar has a final chance to find some form•Associated Press

Big Picture

Sydney Sixers are the only side who have anything meaningful to gain from this match, as they will aim to remain atop Group A in order to face the weaker qualifier from the other group in the semi-final. They will also be after that extra boost of momentum, and will want their reputation as the form team of the tournament undiminished as they approach the knockouts.The Sixers’ bowling against Mumbai Indians’ batting shapes up as a crucial factor to the outcome of the match. In three innings, only one Mumbai batsman has crossed 40, and they are now up against the best pace attack of the tournament – though a slightly weakened one as Shane Watson has returned to Australia. If they are to save face and return with at least one win to their name, their batting will likely have to produce their best performance of the tournament.Watson’s absence is a big loss to any team, but so comprehensive have the Sixers’ victories been that they will be confident of completing a group-stage clean sweep nonetheless. Brad Haddin and Michael Lumb have played telling innings at the top of the order, and others lower down like Steven Smith and Moises Henriques have also made significant contributions.

Watch out for…

Lasith Malinga has copped plenty of flak back home for his performance in the World Twenty20 final, and unfairly, that has only intensified as he has been among the wickets for his IPL side. Like Sri Lanka, Mumbai rely on Malinga for wickets, and if he can make inroads into a Watson-less top order, he could help hide the remainder of the attack, who have not been particularly threatening.Pat Cummins has impressed with his pace, but with Watson absent, he will have to also take more responsibility when it comes to taking wickets. He has at times been predictable towards the end of an innings, and if he can introduce a few more variations into his game, he will help fill that Watson-shaped void better.

North Zone led East Zone by 559 runs in the semi-final of the Duleep Trophy after the third day, thanks to four of their batsmen scoring centuries. Unmukt Chand, the first to reach the mark, was joined by Ian Dev Singh, Rajat Paliwal and Nitin Saini before captain Harbhajan Singh furthered North’s advantage by removing East’s opener Pallavkumar Das two overs before stumps.Ian Dev, who had retired hurt on 95 on the second day, returned to the crease after Mandeep Singh’s dismissal in the morning session. He seemed to have shrugged off his discomfort as he charged Shahbaz Nadeem to loft him over extra cover for his 12th four, which took him to a seventh first-class century.He had good support from Paliwal, who reached a half-century, but should have been out lbw soon after to Basant Mohanty. The seamer, however, had overstepped and East were made to pay as Paliwal and Ian Dev added 107 runs for the fourth wicket. Paliwal’s innings suffered a roadblock in the 149th over when a bout of cramps caused him to exit the field. His replacement, Saini, was breezy throughout his knock, picking up four sixes and eight fours.North’s search for quick runs resulted in a period when they lost five wickets for 40 runs, including Ian Dev who mistimed a slog against offspinner Sunny Gupta, who finished as East’s best bowler with 4 for 182 after 46 overs.Paliwal limped back to the crease in the third session, and during a 70-run stand for the ninth wicket with Saini, completed his fifth first-class century. Saini was the more dominant of the two, though he too benefited from a reprieve in the 166th over when a hoick off a full toss was dropped at long-on. He continued attacking the bowlers, striking Gupta for two consecutive sixes in the 190th over and the declaration came on the stroke of Saini’s 137-ball ton, a few overs later.The East openers Das and Rameez Nemat were highly circumspect at the start, scoring only nine runs in seven overs. But just as they were looking comfortable, Harbhajan lured Das out of his crease with a tossed up delivery and wicketkeeper Saini did the rest.Centuries from Abhinav Mukund and B Aparajith and strong middle-order contributions helped South Zone take a mammoth 258-run lead against Central Zone in Chennai. With only a day to go in the match, South Zone are almost through to the final.Mukund and Aparajith, the two overnight batsman, thwarted the bowling and added 190 runs for the third wicket, taking South well past Central’s first-innings score of 209. Mukund’s was a more sedate innings, but Aparajith brought up his second hundred in consecutive matches, hitting three sixes in his innings. Both were dismissed with the score on 263, but Manish Pandey and CM Gautam added 147 runs for the fifth wicket, reaching their respective half-centuries along the way.At the end of the day’s play, South were still left with a wicket in hand. Piyush Chawla picked up four wickets, but leaked 159 runs in his 43 overs. Umesh Yadav picked up just one wicket in his 25 overs.

Australia’s plans for the forthcoming limited-overs tour of India have been complicated by the news that the middle order batsman, Adam Voges, has flown home from the Champions League due to a back complaint.Having been ruled out of the Perth Scorchers’ final match in the tournament against Mumbai Indians on October 2, Voges returned to Western Australia early, alongside another injured batsman, Liam Davis.”Voges has an ongoing lower back complaint, and has returned to Perth for further investigation and management,” the Scorchers said in a statement.While Voges will attempt to be fit in time for the departure of the national squad at the end of this week, his injury could leave the selectors thinking more widely about possible replacement batsmen. The captain, Michael Clarke, is already expected to withdraw from the trip due to a chronic back condition.The most obvious candidates to go to India include Steve Smith and David Warner, but both are marked down to play full schedules with New South Wales ahead of the home Ashes series, a ploy which will help them get used to Australian pitches before the first Test against England.Other potential candidates for the subcontinent include another New South Welshman, Nic Maddinson, and the South Australia batsman Callum Ferguson, who retains a handsome record for Australia in 50-over matches, despite being called up sporadically by the current selection panel.

India’s Supreme Court is to hear on Wednesday afternoon a petition by Lalit Modi against the BCCI’s special general meeting convened to discuss the disciplinary report on the former IPL chairman. The court is expected to hear the appeal at around the same time as the SGM is scheduled to convene.*The Delhi High Court had, on Tuesday, dismissed Modi’s appeal to issue a restraining order that would prevent the BCCI from holding the special general meeting (SGM) on September 25, when the board is expected to decide on a ban for Modi. A single-judge bench of VK Shali, after a two-day hearing, overruled the stay order imposed by the Patila House Court, where Modi had filed the application.It is understood the BCCI will go ahead with the SGM, which will be chaired by the president N Srinivasan, in Chennai.According to the BCCI’s lawyer, CA Sundaram, the High Court concluded that the board’s notice to Modi was issued correctly and the trial court should never have passed the stay order. “The judge said Mr Srinivsasn continues to be the president. He is vested with the powers of the president even if Mr Dalmiya may be doing the day-to-day activities. The notice was correctly issued and the trial court could not have given an ex parte injunction against a special general meeting. Such an order ought not have been passed at all by the trial court.”Earlier this month, the BCCI Disciplinary Committee had found Modi guilty on eight charges of “indiscipline and misconduct,” and said that the final sanction would be decided during the SGM. On September 21, Modi approached the trial court where his legal counsels Swadeep Hora and Abhishek Singh argued before district judge Ruby Alka Gupta that the SGM notice, circulated by BCCI secretary Sanjay Patel on September 2, was illegal since Patel’s appointment was not in accordance with the BCCI constitution. Since only the president of the BCCI can fill up a mid-term vacancy of a principal office-bearer, Patel’s appointment by a working committee meeting with the president having stepped aside was illegal, they contended. The trial court then stayed the SGM. The BCCI had challenged the trial court’s order by approaching the High Court on Monday.SGMs, which strictly discuss a pre-fixed agenda, require a three-quarter mandate for a decision to be ratified. This effectively means that 24 votes would be enough to get Modi banned in a house of 31 votes, including 27 full members, National Cricket Club in Kolkata, Cricket Club of India in Mumbai, All-India Universities and the president’s vote.*0534 GMT, September 25. This news piece was updated with information about Lalit Modi’s appeal to India’s Supreme Court