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Tom Moody will delay a decision on his coaching future until after he talks with the Sri Lankan board. Moody is in high demand after guiding Mahela Jayawardene’s side to the World Cup final and he has options to stay in Colombo or take charge of his former state Western Australia.”I’m not making any decisions on my future until I’ve had a chance to speak to the Sri Lankan cricket board, until I’ve had a chance to reflect and have a look to see where I want to be professionally and personally,” Moody told AAP.Western Australia are confident of securing Moody, who has said his family would be the top priority in his choice. “I have intentionally put this whole thing on the back burner because it wouldn’t be right professionally if I didn’t give 100% to Sri Lanka,” Moody said.Sri Lanka were the second best side in the tournament but they were out-played in the final, although rain and bad light did not help their chances of defeating Australia. Moody is confident the team will again be a threat at the next World Cup in 2011.”If we continue the professionalism that we are adopting,” he said, “there’s no reason why Sri Lanka as a cricketing country can’t compete with the likes of Australia.”

IS Bindra, the former BCCI president, said on Wednesday that the ICC principal advisor’s post is an ideal arrangement for him personally and stressed that his new role would not lead to an Indian domination over world cricket affairs.”I am only an advisor, not the chief executive, so there need not be any worry,” Bindra told Cricinfo. “There should absolutely be no alarm over any Indian domination of world cricket. India’s intention is not to dominate the West. India will use its immense financial powers for the betterment of world cricket, and act as an engine of growth for other countries. My being with the ICC will only cement those bonds.”Bindra’s two-year tenure is renewable and part of it is likely to overlap with Sharad Pawar’s term as ICC chairman, leading to fears that the top positions in world cricket will be in the hands of one country.Bindra, however, said that he would take up the ICC job only in July after the first edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) is over and would remain on the League’s governing council till then.”For now, I will remain on the IPL governing council and will take up the ICC assignment only in July after the first tournament of the IPL is over. By then, the IPL would have taken off anyway. I also have some other commitments which prevent me from taking over the advisor’s position sooner,” Bindra said.Bindra said that his responsibilities at the ICC would include development of cricket in North America and China, ensuring strong ties between member nations, and overseeing major tournaments like the World Cup. Some of those key responsibilities, he said, were close to his heart.”Developing cricket in North America, especially, is very close to my heart. Even when I was the BCCI president in the early 1990s, we played a major role in launching the Sahara Cup tournament in Toronto. My other responsibility, of cementing the good relationships between member countries, is something I look forward to,” Bindra said.Bindra said that the ICC job was the best thing that could have happened for him, as it would mean that he is able to retain his base in India. “It’s an ideal arrangement as far as I am concerned. I can do my best for international cricket, and at the same time serve my state association.”

Former TV-AM presenter Nick Owen has been appointed as the next president of Derbyshire, succeeding Trevor Bowring in March next year.Owen, who currently works for the BBC in the Midlands, is a vice-president and honorary life member of the county.”I am thrilled and very honoured,” he said. “When I first started following Derbyshire in the days of Gladwin, Jackson and Morgan, I never dreamed that one day I would be asked to become president.”My mother, Buxton born and bred, and other relatives who still live in Derbyshire are extremely proud. I very much look forward to becoming even more involved with the club.”

Tropical Cyclone Favio has hit the eastern highlands town of Mutare, Zimbabwe and has made it virtually impossible to hold cricket matches. Cyclone Favio killed at least 10 people, injured 70 and left tens of thousands homeless in central and southern Mozambique in the past week.Manicaland provincial manager Samuel Mutsutsururu said: “The cyclone is wrecking havoc on our match schedule and on the pitches. Every time we take to the field it starts pouring, so for the time being our cricket league is on hold, as soon as the weather clears we hope to get back on track.”Matches have continued smoothly in Bulawayo. In the latest round of the Metropolitan League, Zimbabwean allrounder Gregory Strydom clubbed a massive 177 as Queens Sports Club 259 all out (36.4 overs) beat Bulawayo Athletic Club 240 (40 overs) by 19 runs on Saturday. Gavin Ewing top scored for BAC with a well-crafted 53 and Charles Coventry made 39.

Ishant Sharma, the Kolkata Knight Riders fast bowler, has been fined 10% of his match fee for kicking the stumps down during the IPL match against Kings XI Punjab in Mohali on Saturday. Clive Lloyd, the match referee, found Ishant guilty of a level 1 offence (clause 2) as per the ICC’s Code of Conduct, which relates to abuse of ground equipment.Ishant’s is the latest in a series of penalties handed out to players over the last few days in the tournament. Harbhajan Singh, the Mumbai Indians offspinner and stand-in captain, was suspended for 11 matches for slapping his India team-mate Sreesanth, who is with Kings XI Punjab. Sourav Ganguly and Shane Warne, the captains of Kolkata Knight Riders and Rajasthan Royals respectively, were each fined 10% of their individual match fee over a disputed dismissal in a match in Jaipur.

Shahriar Nafees, the Bangladesh opening batsman, has been nominated for the ICC’s Emerging-Player-of-the-Year award to be announced on October 23 in Mumbai.Nafees, 20, who was recently appointed vice-captain of his side for the Champions Trophy played in India from October 7 to November 5, said that the recognition the nomination conferred on Bangladesh was what mattered most. “It is very encouraging but I don’t see anything from an individual’s perspective,” Nafees told , a Dhaka-based newspaper.Nominated alongside Nafees are Monty Panesar, the England left-arm spinner, Alastair Cook, the England batsman, Malinga Bandara, the Sri Lanka legspinner, Upula Tharanga, the Sri Lanka opening batsman, Denesh Ramdin, the West Indies wicketkeeper and Mohammad Asif, the Pakistan fast bowler.Nafees’s recent Test performances against Australia at home have been impressive. He scored his only Test century against them in the first Test at Fatullah where Bangladesh gave Australia quite a scare by scoring over 400 in their first innings and then bowling Australia out for 269. In achieving a first innings lead of 159, Nafees partnered with Habibul Bashar to notch up 187 runs for the second wicket – the highest partnership by a Bangladesh pair.But Nafees does not attribute his nomination for the award to his 138 in Fatullah. “It was not because of that knock against Australia, but rather for the whole season where I showed adequate consistency,” he said. Nafees has a strike rate of 66.52 in one-day matches and has scored four half-centuries, three of them in away-series. He had a good series against Zimbabwe in July-August this year, averaging 62 in five one-day matches played in Harare.The winner will be decided by voting by a 56-member ICC academy comprising the 10 Test captains, 18 members of the umpires and match referees panel and 28 legends of the game and members of the media.

ScorecardFile photo: Piyush Chawla scored 58 and was part of an 89-run stand with Akshdeep Nath•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Half-centuries from Akshdeep Nath and Piyush Chawla saved Uttar Pradesh on the last day, as the team held on for a thrilling draw against Punjab in Kanpur. UP were staring at defeat at the score of 10 for 3, and then 96 for 5, in their chase of 342, but managed to stay firm to rescue a point. Punjab dominated most parts of the day by giving UP 84 overs to bat, and dismissed Suresh Raina for another low score, but could not build on it to snare the six points that would have strengthened their case for booking a knockout berth.

Punjab batsman Mayank Sidhana on

Whether Punjab declared too late
“We had to be safe before declaring because if we had declared earlier, they have Suresh Raina, and if he had clicked they would have won. So we wanted to be sure before declaring and give them a target of 300 to 350.”
Punjab’s bowling and fielding
“Our bowlers bowled really well, they put in a lot of effort. Umang Sharma and Akshdeep played very well and patiently. We bowled well but credit goes to them too. There was nothing lacking in our bowling, but there were some lapses in our fielding, which always happens. Catches get dropped and some brilliant ones are taken so our bowling didn’t lack anything.”
Pitches Punjab have played on this season
“I’m playing my first match of the season. Wherever we have played we’ve got extreme wickets, except Bombay, which had a good track. Here we got a green track and Patiala was a turner. For the next match also I think we’ll get a track to get six points, either it will be totally green or a turner because both teams will need six points. This track was good for bowling and batting both, so we enjoyed it.”
Pitches prepared at the end of the league stage
“We all needed six points at this stage and there were four teams on 17 points. If they had given a flat wicket then nobody would have taken six points. Every team needs six points and pitches are made according to the strength of the home team. So that’s why all teams try for six points.”

Punjab, now remain third in Group B with 20 points, while UP are right behind them with 18, the same as Tamil Nadu. Punjab and UP are still in the fray to make it to the last stage, but UP will need a lot of results going in their favour, besides just registering a win of their own in the last round.UP’s star and match saviour on the last day was Nath, who scored his maiden fifty playing his fifth first-class match, by showing maturity and composure one would normally not associate with a 22-year-old. Nath came out only in the third over and had to step up under pressure to chase a formidable target for a team in desperate need of six points. The hosts had to abandon their chase and Nath made sure he stood in Punjab’s way too, of marching to victory.UP, who had expressed openly their intent to chase down 300-350, were thrown off track by Punjab’s openers Brainder Sran and Deepak Bansal, both left-handed pacers. Bansal struck on his first ball with a beautiful outswinger to draw Himanshu Asnora’s outside edge, and Brainder rattled the hosts further with twin strikes within four balls. He first extracted good bounce with a short-of-length delivery to take Almas Shaukat’s edge, and despite being dispatched for four by Raina two balls later, Brainder had him caught with some movement outside off as Yuvraj Singh grabbed an excellent low catch with both hands with a dive to his right. Three down, UP still had 81 overs to survive in the day.Nath’s first crucial stand came with Umang Sharma, and the duo saved UP from being dismissed for a paltry score for the second time in the match. They played the waiting game by leaving plenty outside off without worrying about runs. Umang was also helped by being dropped on 0 at gully off Bansal, and he took off by taking two fours off Siddarth Kaul’s first over. Umang took 18 balls to get off the mark and Nath took 15, before Harbhajan brought himself on.Harbhajan struck either sides of lunch. He first trapped Umang lbw from round the wicket and then deceived Eklavya Dwivedi with a straighter one as the batsman played for the turn, but missed. Dwivedi had been slightly aggressive to put the pressure back on Punjab, but his innings of 27 did not last more than 45 balls after the stand of 47 with Nath.Nath’s determination did not waver, though, and an in-form Chawla gave him ample support for more than two hours to steer UP to safety. Nath’s stubbornness and Chawla’s ability to pick runs started tilting the match towards a draw as the ball barely moved around and conditions became better for batting. Chawla lofted Harbhajan for a six over long-on and when Yuvraj bowled just before tea, Chawla crunched him for two fours through the covers.Chawla and Nath scored more freely in the last session before surviving several chances. Siddarth’s reverse swing tested them, while Harbhajan bowled with several close-in fielders as edges flew by. Punjab dropped their biggest chance when Chawla was on 39 and Siddarth produced his outside edge but Manan Vohra put down a simple chance at second slip. The crowd’s heart was in their mouth again when Chawla got another outside edge, in the next over off Sran, but the ball fell short of first slip.That did not flicker Chawla’s approach at all, as he continued to hook the pacers and loft Harbhajan. He was mostly favoured by luck as the ball fell in no man’s land or went just wide of the slips. Both batsmen reached their fifties in quick succession and Punjab got a sniff of victory when Chawla’s edge was finally taken by the wicketkeeper. However, amidst more edges and lbw appeals, Saurabh Kumar survived the last half hour of the day to ensure Nath’s innings of more than five hours did not go in vain.Earlier, Punjab had completely bossed around the start of the day by smashing 51 runs in the first seven overs, before declaring on 295 for 7. Once Harbhajan was bowled for 0, Uday Kaul brought up his 16th first-class hundred with a flick to the leg side, and Brainder hammered Praveen Kumar for 18 runs in an over, involving three fours and a six. Uday was unbeaten on 109 and Brainder on 26 off 20.

Pakistan fast bowler Mohammad Asif, who is missing out on the tour of India due to his elbow injury, has been advised by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to keep on hold his contract with English county Surrey until his fitness position becomes clear.Asif remains uncertain for the Indian tour although the Board has said he has pulled out of the one-day series and is undergoing a rehabilitation programme for his elbow problem which requires rest and exercises and cannot be treated by medication.Asif, who also missed four of the five one-day internationals against South Africa last month at home due to the same injury, has been offered a two-year contract by Surrey for 2008 and 2009.The PCB’s chief operating officer Shafqat Naghmi said that given the increasing number of fitness problems, with the fast bowlers in particular, they would review in detail the policy of allowing players to sign contracts with English counties for the summer.”It is true that Pakistan has no commitments between late May and mid-September for next year but we will still have a rethink on our policy of giving permission to our players to go and play for counties,” he said. Naghmi also said their policy would be based on the fact that bowlers risk a burnout because of excessive cricket. “Otherwise we should have no objections,” he added.

Wednesday at the Karnail Singh Stadium, Delhi proved why Indian cricket might be sinking further into the mire. With two of the country’s finest teams – Indian Railways and Baroda – battling it out for the prestigious Ranji Trophy, the curator served what could best be described an enormous dud – a pitch where the ball started to keep low as early as in the first session of the first day itself. The end result was there for all to see; Railways after a brisk start struggled to 253 all out in their first innings. Baroda, who had to play five overs on the day, were 17 for no loss in reply.The nature of the pitch meant that the toss could prove vital. Railways, then, had every reason to celebrate when their captain Abhay Sharma won it in the morning and elected to bat. An impressive opening stand between Amit Pagnis and Jai P Yadav followed.Yadav, who replaced prolific opener and India all-rounder Sanjay Bangar at the top of the order, was the steadying influence in the partnership. Pagnis, for his part, went after the bowling, stroking as many as seven fours on his way to 35 off 42 balls before Baroda off-spinner Ajit Bhoite claimed him with a ball that kept low.Tejinder Pal Singh, who followed, helped Railways consolidate, adding 31 runs for the second wicket with Yadav. His brief but eventful stay saw him score 18 off 19 balls with three fours before the visitors’ other spinner, left-armer Valmik Buch, snared him.Railways No. 4 Yere Goud might never have received the India call-up but he has remained the home team’s most prolific batsman over the years. The Railways, who are looking to avenge their defeat in last year’s Ranji final to the same opponents, must have pinned a lot of their hopes on him.Goud’s start was promising, and he slowly but surely settled to do business, milking runs whenever the opportunity presented itself. Yadav, at the other end, had also begun to gain in confidence and soon the most promising partnership in the Railway innings began to flower. The run-rate might not have been anything to write home about, it being only a tad over two, but 64 runs were scored in the 31.5 overs that the duo were together. Goud’s dismissal, when he dragged an in-cutter from medium-pacer Rakesh Patel onto his stumps, however, was to induce a turnaround in the fortunes of the two sides.Next man Raja Ali (0) and skipper Abhay Sharma (9) both failed as Railways were reduced from a healthy 146 for two to 170 for five. Fourteen runs later, Yadav, who had played with commendable application and skill while compiling 85 off 171 balls, brought about his own downfall by tamely guiding Buch into the waiting hands of Baroda captain Jacob Martin at first slip.Two more late-order wickets, those of Murali Kartik and Kulamani Parida, for the addition of just twelve runs put Baroda firmly on top. But at that stage, Shreyas Khanolkar, who had come in after the fall of Abhay Shrma, found a dependable partner in No. 10 Zakir Hussain.With Hussain using the long handle to good effect and Khanolkar also among the runs, the duo put on a useful 53 runs for the ninth wicket. Hussain’s luck though ran out with the Railways score on 249, Patel trapping him lbw after he had scored 23 off just 34 balls. Last man Harvinder Singh added four more runs to his team’s score before Khanolkar was dismissed for a patient and useful 44 off 72 balls.For Baroda, Patel and off-spinner Bhoite claimed three wickets each while their other medium-pacer Shekar Joshi and left-arm spinner Buch had to be satisfied with two each.When the visitors replied, openers Connor Williams (12*) and Satyajit Parab (5*) stroked four boundaries between them as Baroda began their reply on the right note.With the ball already keeping dangerously low, the second day’s play will now prove crucial. Baroda would be hoping to achieve a healthy first innings lead as batting last on an already wearing wicket would prove a most difficult task. Railways, on the other hand, would be hoping to restrict Baroda as this would put them well and truly on course to snatch the Ranji Trophy from the defending champions.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details

Inspired by another outstanding century from Shivnarine Chanderpaul, West Indies levelled the three-match one-day series with a 61-run win at Edgbaston. Chanderpaul’s unbeaten 116, and a third-wicket stand of 175, formed the backbone of an impressive total as West Indies’ final 10 overs brought 102 runs. England’s chase never got off the ground with Ravi Rampaul claiming the key wickets of Kevin Pietersen and Owais Shah.It was an impressive resurgence from West Indies after their drubbing at Lord’s, especially after they’d been asked to bat in overcast conditions and a day after the ground was soaked by torrential downpours. They assessed the situation early on, forming a solid platform before the late assault from Chanderpaul and Samuels launched them to a strong total. Chanderpaul’s seventh ODI ton was a perfectly paced innings off 114 balls and showed the importance of not panicking if early momentum is tough to come by.No-one could produce a similar performance for England as wickets fell at regular intervals. Alastair Cook and Matt Prior are still getting used to their opening partnership, and the styles they need to play, but Cook made a positive start with three flowing boundaries in his 19 before inexplicably carving to mid-off where Fidel Edwards produced a well-timed leap. However, Ian Bell can feel unlucky with his dismissal after the ball struck him high on the back leg and would have carried over off stump.Kevin Pietersen hasn’t quite seemed at his peak since the end of the Test series and his failed whip across the line, against the impressive Rampaul, ended a brief stay and left England with an uphill struggle. Prior and Owais Shah were in the tricky position of needing to ensure against further loss, while also keeping an eye on the Duckworth-Lewis figures with showers never far away from Birmingham.Prior again mixed solid defence with some fine attacking shots including – amazingly for a batsman renowned for his power-hitting – the first six of his ODI career when he pulled Powell over mid-on. He went to his first ODI fifty off 71 balls, then in the following over spooned a limp chip shot to midwicket with his job only half done.England suffered from not having a wicket-taking option in the middle overs – relying on medium-pace throughout – but, sensing the kill, Chris Gayle was able to recall the hostile Edwards at Paul Collingwood. After one searing bouncer, Edwards aimed at the stumps and trapped Collingwood plumb and proceeded to give Shah a working-over too.

Shah, though, kept England’s hopes alive in a 54-run stand with Michael Yardy. He had a dip against Dwayne Smith, taking two fours and a swivel-pull for six. However, in the space of four balls Yardy picked out deep square-leg with a pull and Shah got a thin-edge on a similar shot, as Rampaul collected a career-best haul, to ensure the series goes to a decider in Nottingham.The result vindicated the long-awaited move of making more of Chanderpaul’s prolific form. After a tour of walking to the middle with his side in trouble, Chanderpaul was finally shifted up the order to No. 3 and was able to build on a 50-run opening platform from Gayle and Devon Smith. His runs came with a sense of inevitability, although for large sections of his innings he didn’t set the world alight with the scoring rate.Chanderpaul flicked and squirted his way to an 85-ball fifty, against accurate but unthreatening bowling, but needed only 29 more to move to three figures. He raced into the 90s by taking 19 off Ryan Sidebottom’s eighth over – including a disdainful six over long-on – and he went to 98 with a brazen sweep off Anderson.Chanderpaul’s chief ally was Samuels – normally eager to launch the ball into neighbouring streets – who reined himself in until given licence to thrill in the final 10 overs. After collecting a golden duck on Saturday he found it difficult to force away the medium-pacers and didn’t hit a boundary until his 21st ball. Then he was put down by Collingwood – off his own bowling – on 14, a simple catch by Collingwood’s standards, before slowly expanding his strokeplay and reached fifty off 83 balls.Samuels ignited the final 10-over charge by sending James Anderson’s eighth over for 18 and was finding his full range when he cut to short third man. Chanderpaul, though, ended in style as Anderson finished with his most expensive ODI figures, including a final four overs that were dispatched for 50. The charge had been timed to perfection and there is still a chance of West Indies leaving the tour with some silverware at Trent Bridge on Saturday.