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Michael Vaughan said he did not put himself forward for next week’s Indian Premier League auction because his primary focus is a recall to England’s Test team.Vaughan, 34, resigned the England captaincy in August last year and has not played for his country since. Though his career is clearly drawing to a close, he nevertheless opted out of the chance for a handsome paycheque in India because he still believes he can fight his way back into the England team for the Ashes this summer.”I want to get back into the Test team and the only way to do that is to start the season with Yorkshire, play two or three four-day games and hopefully get a couple of hundreds and put myself in a position to get myself selected for that first Test against West Indies in May,” Vaughan told BBC Radio Five Live.”That is purely a personal decision. Every decision involving the IPL is down to the individual players and my position is to get back into the Test team. I’m not too sure whether I would have been bought at the auction anyway.”Vaughan made his name in the 2002-03 Ashes when he scored 633 runs in the five Tests, and famously captained England to victory on the next occasion the teams met, in 2005. His one-day career, however, was less auspicious. He never managed an ODI century in 86 matches, and featured in just two Twenty20 internationals.Meanwhile, Shaun Udal has withdrawn his name from the auction, which takes place on February 6, citing his commitments to his county side, Middlesex. Udal, 40, was lured out of retirement by the club then handed the captaincy towards the end of 2008, and felt that he had a debt of gratitude to honour.”I’ve decided, after some soul searching and advice from people I trust, not to enter myself into the auction for a variety of reasons,” Udal told the Middlesex website. “One of the main reasons being the Middlesex captaincy, which is something that I really treasure.””If I did get taken on by one of the IPL franchises I would have been coming back after a month or so of the season and it would have an unsettling effect on the squad. I’ve always preached loyalty and hopefully now I’ve shown it by not going down the IPL route.”

Match facts

Friday, January 23
Start time 2.15pm (03.15 GMT)

The Big Picture

If anyone thought Twenty20 would spell the end of 50-over cricket, the opening two ODIs between Australia and South Africa should have assuaged their fears. Both contests came down to the final over with either side still capable of victory. In Melbourne, South Africa got home in their chase but in Hobart Ben Hilfenhaus delivered a steady last over that won the match for Australia. It means the series is now locked at 1-1 and Friday’s match at the SCG will put one team within a win of taking the trophy.

ODI form guide

Australia – WLWWW
South Africa – LWWWW

Team news

Australia will take in a more experienced attack than in their Hobart victory, where Hilfenhaus and the debutant Ryan Harris performed solidly. Both men have been left out of the side for the SCG, where Mitchell Johnson will return after a break and Shaun Tait should also play having been rested at Bellerive Oval. The remaining question is whether Australia can find a place for the offspinner Nathan Hauritz on his home ground. Hauritz has travelled with the team for the Twenty20s and two ODIs without being required as David Hussey, Michael Clarke and Cameron White have shared the spin duties. At the SCG he might have his best chance of a call-up with the allrounder James Hopes a potential casualty.Australia 1 Shaun Marsh, 2 David Warner, 3 Ricky Ponting (capt), 4 Michael Hussey, 5 David Hussey, 6 Cameron White, 7 Brad Haddin (wk), 8 James Hopes/Nathan Hauritz, 9 Mitchell Johnson, 10 Nathan Bracken, 11 Shaun Tait.South Africa entered the series planning to rotate their fast bowlers and Dale Steyn is the only one of the Test attack not to have had a rest. His break could come at the SCG or in the next game at the Adelaide Oval, with Morne Morkel and the uncapped Lonwabo Tsotsobe both available to replace him. It is hard to see the batting line-up altering, with Vaughn van Jaarsveld likely to miss out again.South Africa (possible) 1 Herschelle Gibbs, 2 Hashim Amla, 3 Jacques Kallis, 4 AB de Villiers, 5 JP Duminy, 6 Neil McKenzie, 7 Mark Boucher (wk), 8 Albie Morkel, 9 Johan Botha (capt), 10 Dale Steyn/Morne Morkel, 11 Makhaya Ntini.

Watch out for …

Mitchell Johnson returns to the squad having rested for the two Twenty20s and the first two ODIs. Australia’s best bowler over the past few months, Johnson adds venom to an attack already featuring the dangerous Tait and the world’s No. 1 one-day seamer Nathan Bracken. Johnson also strengthens a tail that has been unusually long for Australia this series, with Bracken, Tait and Hilfenhaus not exactly reliable with the bat.Hashim Amla has promised much on this tour without really delivering. Three half-centuries in the Test series showed his class but he had a habit of getting out when well set. Amla has struggled to bring the same consistency to the limited-overs portion of the trip and finding form at the top of the order will be important for South Africa to have their best chance of a series win.

Pitch & conditions

The SCG pitch was the subject of vigorous debate during the Test match, when its cracks resembled earthquake-inducing fault-lines. However, the game lasted until the final few minutes on the fifth day, so batting was clearly not too difficult and Sydney is usually a venue where runs can be scored relatively freely. The weather could be a slight concern, with the chance of showers or thunderstorms.

Stats and trivia

• Jacques Kallis will fly home 12 runs short of 10,000 in Tests but he should reach the mark in ODIs this series. Kallis needs 16 more to become the first South African to score 10,000 one-day international runs.
• Kallis also requires four more wickets to become the fourth South African to reach 250 ODI victims.
• Australia’s poor record against South Africa at the MCG is almost reversed at the SCG, where the home team has won the past four encounters between the two sides.

Quotes

“Mitchell will obviously come back in, after a couple of weeks off he was obviously jumping out of his skin to get back in the nets to bat and bowl again. That is a good sign for us.”
Ricky Ponting“I’d like to think most of the pressure is on Australia. It’s their backyard and there are expectations on them to win.”
JP Duminy

Michael Hussey has seen no signs from Matthew Hayden that he is about to retire and would be stunned if the opener was not part of next month’s tour to South Africa. Hayden scored 39 in the second innings to continue his horrible run at home this season amid increasing pressure to call time on his 103-Test career.Hussey was in the dressing room when Hayden returned from his final five-day innings in Australia – he has talked about bowing out in England next year – after being bowled trying to heave Morne Morkel over midwicket. “He was fine,” Hussey said. “I was padding up when he came in, sometimes he comes in calm, sometimes he’s not so calm. He put his gear down and didn’t say too much.”Hayden, 37, has not spoken to his team-mates about walking away and has received regular backing from the side and the selectors, who were under fire for choosing him in Sydney instead of a younger option. “He hasn’t said anything to us,” Hussey said. “From my point of view, I hope he keeps going. From what I see inside the camp, he’s very hungry for runs. I’m not seeing any signs that he wants to call it a day.”

Bangladesh’s visit to West Indies has been pushed back to the end of June after the hosts agreed to tour England in April and May.The tour was originally set to take place in April, following England’s visit to the Caribbean, but both boards are happy about the new schedule which sees the trip start on June 30, following the World Twenty20 in England and a short visit by India for a one-day series.”It was a win-win situation for us,” Gazi Ashraf Hossain, the Bangladesh Cricket Board’s chief cricket operations officer told the agency. “West Indies were looking for a window to play in England, and we were also not very interested to play in April, so we both mutually agreed to shift the series to July.”The change of dates also means that Bangladesh players will be free to take up any IPL contracts they already hold or that might come their way.The tour of West Indies will include two Tests, three ODIs and a Twenty20 International spread over St. Vincent, Grenada, Dominica, and St. Kitts.

Lahore Badshahs 211 for 4 (Farhat 67, Imran Nazir 44, Yousuf 40*) beat Chennai Superstars 198 for 9 (Sathish 76*, Harvey 54, Naved-ul-Hasan 4-26, Shahid Nazir 3-43) by 13 runs
Scorecard

Going into the game, Lahore Badshahs needed to avoid a big loss to stay on in top four, but a power-packed performance not only sealed their place in the semi-finals, but also helped them pip Chennai Superstars to second place. This was Chennai’s second loss in two games, but half-centuries from R Sathish and Ian Harvey took them very close to an imposing 211, one which gives them some confidence before facing the same opponents in their semi-final on Monday.Lahore seemed intent on aiming for a win right from the start. Imran Nazir began his run-fest by crunching a drive through the covers, and from then on the Chennai bowlers found it tough to check the scoring. Imran hit four fours and four sixes in his 23-ball 44. Along with Imran Farhat, he put on 76 for the first wicket. Farhat then kept the runs ticking along with pinch-hitter Naved-ul-Hasan, who made a useful 11-ball 22.Mohammad Yousuf began with three fours in his first innings in the ICL on Saturday, but he started in a more sedate manner today, letting Farhat pick the boundaries. Farhat was out to R Jesuraj for 67. However, his arrival paved the way for the entry of Inzamam-ul-Haq, Lahore’s captain, who had been a bit lacklustre in the tournament so far. But he put on a mini-spectacle for the big crowds to cheer about.A 19-ball 31 included four fours and a six, and the sight to behold was Inzamam pushing for the quick single. With Yousuf, his former Pakistan team-mate, at the other end, he paced the latter half of the innings perfectly, ensuring the momentum wasn’t lost. Yousuf stayed till the end for an unbeaten 40 off 28, and Azhar Mahmood, facing his first delivery, finished off the innings with a six.Lahore, though, couldn’t take things easy even after scoring 211, with Chennai setting out confidently in reply. G Vignesh managed only 13 and Russel Arnold 7, but by the time the first three wickets had gone, Chennai were already at 85 in 7.2 overs. It was Harvey who led the onslaught, with 44 of his 54 coming in boundaries. Shahid Nazir delivered the vital breakthrough for his team, and then dislodged Hemang Badani in the 14th over. Badani had only 15 from 16 balls, but he gave the solidity at one end while R Sathish, who was striking the ball cleanly, pulled off the risky shots. Saqlain Mushtaq used all his guile to squeeze in some quiet overs to increase the pressure.Chennai’s chase fell apart after Badani’s exit. Stuart Law was dismissed in the same over, and Naved-ul-Hasan removed Hemanth Kumar and Syed Mohammad in the next. He added two more wickets in the 17th over, finishing with figures of 4 for 26 to share the match prize with Farhat. Sathish’s, though, was also a deserving performance. An unbeaten 76 off 38 balls included six sixes, and he managed to make room and clear the boundary with ease. He will hope to continue in the same vein on Monday, and hope his team end as the winners in the match that matters. With Chennai’s chase, which ended at 198, the match recorded the highest aggregate of the tournament – 409 runs.

David Morgan, the ICC president, has said the US$70 million proposal between Sri Lanka Cricket and IPL chairman Lalit Modi is “quite unacceptable behaviour against the background of Sri Lanka’s signed agreement with the ECB”.The has quoted Morgan condemning the deal, which, if ratified by the BCCI, would force the abandonment of Sri Lanka’s Test series in England in May 2009. According to the report, Morgan pointed out that only last month the ICC reaffirmed the primacy of Test cricket with the unanimous agreement of all Full Members.Sri Lanka’s tour is due to run from April 21 to May 30, while the IPL is scheduled for April 10-May 25. The series clashes with the latter stages of the IPL’s second season, and a number of the Sri Lankan squad – such as captain Mahela Jayawardene, Muttiah Muralitharan and Kumar Sangakkara – have signed lucrative contracts to play in the IPL.Sri Lanka’s sports minister, Gamini Lokuge, asked the board to release players for the IPL, indicating that Sri Lanka could be forced to field a second-string side to England. In September, Arjuna Ranatunga, the interim committee chief of SLC, insisted the tour would go ahead. “We have a memorandum of understanding with the England and Wales Cricket Board for the tour and we must honour that,” he said.Sri Lanka’s one-day tour of Pakistan was cancelled in April-May this year because the dates clashed with the IPL’s inaugural tournament.

The on-field dispute between Brett Lee and Ricky Ponting has taken a twist with the coach Tim Nielsen saying a poor over-rate was not the main reason the strike bowler was not used in the first session of the fourth day in Mohali. Lee, who has failed to penetrate in his first two Tests in India, argued with Ponting on a morning when the part-time medium pacer Michael Hussey, the debutant Peter Siddle, regular Mitchell Johnson and spinner Cameron White were all preferred to him.Ponting and Michael Clarke, the captain and vice-captain, both justified the decision by saying the team was about five overs behind the required rate – they also wanted to slow the speed of the ball down – but Nielsen said they were only three behind. It’s not a level that would cause any player to fear a fine.”We made a decision to take pace off the ball,” Nielsen said. “You don’t see Hussey bowl too often. We changed things around because things weren’t working for us. The over-rate wasn’t crazily out of control: three down at the time. In the end it was a tactical decision.”The team believes the incident, which featured heavily in Australian papers, was blown out of proportion and Ponting and Nielsen said there was no lingering resentment between the players. However, Nielsen’s explanation shows how worried Ponting was over the form of his main bowler, who he did not want to risk when India resumed their target setting at 100 for 1.”When you’re losing Tests, there’s a lot of things being made of little issues,” Nielsen said. “When you’re winning, that’s not the case.”Lee delivered eight overs after lunch on the fourth day and took the wicket of Sourav Ganguly before India’s declaration. Siddle bowled admirably in his first Test, collecting four wickets, but Lee almost has 300 victims.”He certainly hasn’t got the results he’s been looking for,” Nielsen said. “He’s been indicative of the performances over the two test Tests, he’s been a little inconsistent.”Nielsen said Lee was “frustrated” but was fine mentally after a difficult off-season, which included separating from his wife. “He’s come from a 15-month period where he’s had real impact every time he’s been required,” he said.” In some regards, we’ve built this series up, it’s got a bigger status than normal.”Brett was keen to have a real impact and when that happens it is easy to get impatient and search for results. He’s working hard, he’s come off a break from his personal issues and has had a break from not playing in Darwin. All those things have added up to him being a little bit off the boil.”Nielsen felt the bowlers were too impatient in Mohali, where India’s batsmen worked the side into a position to set Australia 516 for victory. “We were searching for results quickly because we felt like we were under pressure,” he said. “These conditions are unrelenting, if you’re not quite right with your skills you get shown out.”

When the squad reconvenes in Delhi on Sunday the bowlers will continue their quest to discover the secrets of reverse-swing. They were behind when England used it spectacularly in 2005 and are desperate to catch up following the highly effective tricks of Zaheer Khan and Ishant Sharma over the past two weeks.”We’ve tried a few different things, like bowling across seam,” Nielsen said. “We’re working on getting one side rougher, and doing it legally, which is the challenge.” Troy Cooley, the bowling coach in charge of England three years ago, should be able to help and has told the bowlers to hold the ball across the seam, like the Indians do.”We haven’t been able to put the ball in the right place often enough, when it’s been swinging or not,” Nielsen said. “Sharma and Khan build up big pressure and it’s difficult to score. There’s more pressure on batsmen for longer periods.”Stuart Clark’s fitness will be tested early next week after he missed the second Test with an elbow injury. He had a cortisone injection before the second match and will be expected to bowl regularly before proving he is ready to return. If he can, he will get his spot back.”Stuart has played so well for us over the past couple of years,” Nielsen said. “Given his elbow comes right, you’d expect him to come back into the team.”

Dilip Vengsarkar, who was replaced by Kris Srikkanth as chairman of India’s national selection committee, has pledged his “full support” to his successor. Vengsarkar told Cricinfo he will soon have a discussion with his 1983 World Cup team-mate to pass on information that will help in picking the Indian team for the home Test series against Australia.Vengsarkar looked back “with satisfaction” at his stint as chief selector and defended the controversial ouster of senior players, including Rahul Dravid and Sourav Ganguly, during his two-year tenure, saying those decisions have “yielded fruit”.”There was nothing personal against any player,” Vengsarkar said. “And I am sure they understand that too. I have always done my job with courage and conviction, and nobody can question me on that. As you can see, all those decisions have yielded fruit now.”He said that those “tough” decisions, which “created a lot of new options for the Indian team”, would not have been possible without the backing of his colleagues, Venkatapathy Raju, Sanjay Jagdale, Ranjib Biswal and Bhupinder Singh, all of whom were replaced today. “It’s probably for the first time in Indian cricket that we have had selection committee meetings which saw no arguments, or heated words, or even voting of any kind.”The new selection committee is scheduled to meet next week to pick the team for the first Test against Australia starting in Bangalore on October 9. “Srikkanth called me after being appointed as the chairman,” Vengsarkar said. “He said that he will call again to ask for my inputs to select the Indian team for the Australia Test series. And I have told him that he can call me anytime, day or night, and I will be there.”However, Vengsarkar refused to comment on the new eligibility rules for national selectors, especially the one that bars them from holding dual posts, which ruled him out of a third year at the helm. Vengsarkar is currently a vice-president of the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA).Asked whether he was disappointed at being replaced, Vengsarkar said, “Why should I be? I am happy with whatever I have been able to contribute over the last two years. I will now take time off to relax, spend more time in my cricket academy, and will focus on a role in the media.”I have enough reasons to look back with satisfaction. During the tenure of our selection committee, India has risen from No. 7 to No. 2 in the world rankings, and they are now very close to Australia,” he said. “We have created a lot of new options for the Indian team. The India A team is now very strong, and we have watched and promoted youngsters across the board. The results are there for all to see, and I am sure the new selection committee will take it up from here.”

IS Bindra, the principal advisor to the chief executive of the ICC, has been unanimously re-elected as president of the Punjab Cricket Association (PCA) at its Annual General Meeting held in Mohali. Bindra has been president since 1978 and the new term ensures he will remain in the post till 2012.Lalit Modi, the chairman and commissioner of the IPL, was also re-elected as vice-president while former Punjab batsman MP Pandove retained his position as the PCA’s honorary secretary, a post he has held since 1981. “Among two key recommendations that were made at the AGM is to give boost to cricket in rural areas and provide more support to regional cricket centres,” Pandove told after the meeting.Prabhu Chawla, the editor of the , was named the chairman of the media committee while Kamal Bindra, wife of IS Bindra, will head the women’s cricket committee for 2008-09.The PCA also released the names of the members elected to both the junior and senior selection committees, the tournament fixture committee, the women’s selection committee, and the coaching commitee.

Former Bangladesh players Aminul Islam, Khaled Mashud and Mohammad Rafique have been appointed as consultants by the Bangladesh board’s Games Development committee to coach age-group and academy cricketers.Aminul will work on the youngsters’ batting while Mashud will devote his energies to keeping skills and Rafique will concentrate on spin bowling techniques. Shakil Kasem, the committee chairman, said the initiative had been taken in order to make optimum use of local expertise in developing future cricketers.”Aminul, Mashud and Rafique have vast experience of playing cricket at the highest level and can pass on their knowledge to the next generation,” Kasem said.Rafique announced his retirement from international cricket only earlier this year, while Mashud last played for Bangladesh in 2007 and Aminul in 2002.