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Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out
Yusuf Pathan was once again the hero for Rajasthan Royals•AFP

A brutal innings from Yusuf Pathan, a more sedate but no less important knock by Graeme Smith and another typically inspired tactical tweak from Shane Warne combined to script perhaps the most amazing turnaround of this tournament. Delhi Daredevils’ first defeat of IPL 2009 also owed itself to some miserly bowling from a revived Munaf Patel and some sloppy fielding of their own.Spin continued to play a major influence, as Amit Mishra rattled Rajasthan with a three-wicket burst to leave them reeling at 64 for 5 and needing 80 off nine overs. But Smith’s assurance and Pathan’s ability left Delhi shell-shocked; they held the cards for much of the innings but ended up with the joker.A target of 144 was tricky given this was the IPL’s first game here but Rajasthan would have backed themselves after a laudable performance with the ball. However, they made a meal of it thanks to a shoddy display by their rejigged top and middle order.Rajasthan had already been pegged back by the time spin was introduced. Rob Quiney was pushed up to open but didn’t last long, trapped in front by Ashish Nehra in the fourth over. Next to go was the impatient Swapnil Asnodkar, run out attempting an impossible run, and Paul Valthaty – included to beef up Rajasthan’s misfiring batting line-up – who holed out at long-off off Mishra. At 34 for 3, Rajasthan were reeling and the ploy of pushing up the greenhorns seemed to have backfired.Worse was to follow after the tactical break: Mishra struck back with two wickets in the 11th over, deceiving both Ravindra Jadeja and Shane Warne, who had promoted himself ahead of Pathan. 64 for 5 and an embarrassment seemed on the cards.But Warne usually has a method to his apparent madness. In the middle for Rajasthan were Smith and Pathan, with the assurance of Dimitri Mascarenhas to follow. Pathan seemed to have taken up from where he left off in the Super Over against Kolkata Knight Riders. He needed two balls before unleashing his power. He first ended Daniel Vettori’s enviable run, depositing him over deep midwicket off successive deliveries, and drilling one past him off the final ball to net 19 in a match-turning 13th over.Delhi had their chances. Tillakaratne Dilshan missed an attempt to run Yusuf out in the very next over, and, when 31 were needed off 21 deliveries, Sangwan spilled a running catch at long-on, again off Yusuf, palming the ball to the boundary to seal Delhi’s fate. The next ball disappeared for six, spoiling Mishra’s figures, and Nehra’s next over saw two short balls dismissed with ferocity into the stands to hasten Rajasthan’s win.If Yusuf was brute force, Smith was quite the opposite. With 19 runs in three innings he seemed eager to prove himself on home turf and his determination was clear as he flicked, nudged, dabbed and swept to ensure the runs kept coming. He kept his own natural game on hold, taking 14 overs to strike his second boundary. A combination of Yusuf’s power game and Smith’s measured tenacity put Rajasthan back in contention after a disappointing start to the tournament.The batsmen owed much, though, to the bowlers, in particular Munaf Patel, who’d done an admirable job restricting Delhi to a gettable target. Though bowling hasn’t been a major worry for Rajasthan, with disciplined performances in each of their three completed games, surviving an explosive top order was expected to be a stern test.However, they benefited from a combination of poor shot selection and an ability to extract the most out of the conditions, limiting Delhi to 49 for 4, and offering their powerful batting line-up, which had made them favourties in the lead-up to the tournament, their first serious challenge. AB de Villiers and Daniel Vettori led Delhi’s revival with an attacking 56-run stand that was ended by a dodgy decision against de Villiers, who was adjudged lbw to a ball from Warne that pitched outside leg. Despite, the setback, Delhi continued to fight, with Vettori and Mithun Manhas taking 25 off two overs from Warne and Kamran Khan. But Munaf swung the pendulum back Rajasthan’s way with a wicket maiden – the wicket of Vettori – at the death.

So unprepared was Stuart Clark for selection on Australia’s limited overs tour of South Africa, he did not have a passport when the call came. “I’ve just spent the day organising another one,” he said. “My original passport is still at the British consulate.”Clark had been preparing to fly to England this week for a county stint with Kent, for whom he was to debut on April 21 in a County Championship match against Northamptonshire. But those plans were scuppered with a surprise phone call from Michael Brown, Cricket Australia’s operations manager, on Friday night, instructing him to pack his bags for South Africa and, afterwards, the UAE.”I almost fell off my chair when I got the call,” Clark told Cricinfo. “I hadn’t planned on it happening at all. I had just assumed my one-day international career was in the past, and while I was disappointed by that, I was just concentrating on the other forms of the game. This really came out of the blue, and I’m very excited about it. It’s a real chance for me to get back into the one-day team on a more regular basis.”Clark’s call-up came after Brett Geeves fractured his left foot during Australia’s 25-run defeat to South Africa in Cape Town on Thursday. He will arrive in South Africa on Sunday, and is likely to make his return to one-day international cricket in the fifth and final match at the Wanderers next Friday.Clark has not represented Australia at limited-overs level since September last year, and appeared to have slipped well back in the pecking order. But injuries to key fast bowling personnel has presented him with an opportunity to add to his 36-game resume, and gain valuable exposure to international cricket in his comeback from elbow surgery.Clark expected that comeback would be made through the county ranks; a move that prompted outrage among many within English cricket, given the likelihood of him playing a senior role in this year’s Ashes series. The veteran paceman is still amenable to the idea of playing with Kent after Australia’s one-day series against Pakistan in the UAE, but his original deal was due to end on May 31 so the new time frame would leave him with just a handful of matches.”I’m not quite sure what will happen with Kent,” Clark said. “I was prepared to fly there in the next week. I would still like to play there, but I have to be realistic. They might be looking for someone to play for the whole season. We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it after I get back from Dubai.”Paul Millman, the Kent chief executive, admitted that the county would have to start making new plans. “We will be looking at our options over the weekend,” he told Cricinfo. “Obviously we are delighted for Stuart and this is something you have to prepare for when you sign big players. We will let Stuart settle in South Africa and then be in contact.”

James Foster has learnt to be patient. It is more than six years since he last played for England so he isn’t getting too carried away after enjoying week in which he was named in the preliminary Twenty20 party and the performance squad.The England wicketkeeping merry-go-round has been spinning again this winter with three glovemen – Matt Prior, Tim Ambrose and Steven Davies – used at various times. But Foster’s name has always been close to many people’s lips, especially when it comes to one-day cricket, after a couple of impressively consistent seasons for Essex.With Prior still looking uncomfortable in the limited-overs set-up the door is ajar for Foster, but he isn’t getting too far ahead of himself. “It was a pleasant surprise to be honest,” he said. “I had no idea these squads were being announced so I’m just really pleased to be back in the frame. But I’m fully aware it doesn’t mean I’ll be playing cricket for England.”Foster won’t believe he has broken through again until he pulls on an England shirt for the first time since he faced Australia, in Melbourne, on the 2002-03 Ashes tour. He was a late injury replacement for Alec Stewart who then promptly regained his place, and when Stewart retired in 2003 the gauntlets went firstly to Chris Read and then Geraint Jones with Foster left on the outside.It could have been very different for Foster except for a cruel piece of luck early in the 2002 season. He was handed a central contract after being the man in possession during the previous winter tours of India and New Zealand. However, while preparing in the nets at Essex, his arm was broken by team-mate seamer Andy Clark and Stewart jumped back in. Foster, though, has learnt not to dwell on his misfortune and just concentrate on his own performances.”From that last England experience I always thought I may have got back in a little sooner,” he said. “You always do because you feel you can offer something. Of course, it’s disappointing but over the last few years I’ve just got on playing cricket for Essex. I’ve thrown myself into that and disassociated myself with the England thing.”He opted to have surgery on a troublesome shoulder after being overlooked for all England’s winter squads, a decision he took with his long-term interests at heart, but is now ready for the domestic season with Essex. “I thought that if I didn’t get selected for anything it was an ideal time to get it sorted. If I didn’t get it done this winter it was going to be an ongoing problem and I couldn’t do any physical training.”Dialogue between Foster and the selectors has been two-way during his six-year gap but getting back among two large squads is just the first step. “I’ve had chats with selectors, them phoning me and me phoning them to find out what the vibe is. They have always been very positive when they spoke to me and have given me direction which is what you want.”We’ve had three keepers play for England this winter and they are in these squads so you’d probably say those guys are in front of me. All I can say it’s a long season and a lot can happen.”If Foster does earn a place in an England side this summer the chances are that he will have Andy Flower, his former Essex team-mate, as his head coach. Flower is the frontrunner to take the top job, but Foster doesn’t believe that will have an impact on his fortunes.”I don’t know what is happening with Andy with regards the full job,” Foster said. “All I can comment on is from my experiences when we were team-mates at Essex. He was a great person to learn off. If he does become England coach there are plenty of other keepers out there. Yes, I know Andy, but that means nothing.”

Asad watch
Asad Rauf sometimes stands so still it’s hard to tell if he’s fallen asleep behind his dark sunglasses. Today he was clearly awake and kicking. Before lunch he couldn’t find a convenient place for his hat – the top of his head was for some reason not suitable – and spent a little while holding it in his hand at square leg. Then he sat it towards the back of his head and with his thumbs in his front pockets struck his best cowboy pose, before getting a shoulder massage from the fourth umpire Ian Howell during the drinks break in the middle session. It’s a strange old day when Billy Bowden is the least interesting umpire standing in the middle.Chesty Hughes
South Africa have an appalling record at using their referrals during this series and the trend continued on day three in Durban. Morne Morkel banged in a short one when Phillip Hughes was on 24 and as there was a big appeal when the ball flew through to Mark Boucher. Bowden turned it down and Boucher, the acting captain in Graeme Smith’s absence, asked for a referral. The replays showed the ball brushed Hughes’ chest on the way through and was so far from the batthat it was impossible to see how Boucher could have thought it hit the bat. As the man in best position as well as the stand-in skipper, he had nobody but himself to blame for the lost referral.Fan fun
Fanatical fans day at the Wanderers last weekend brought some inspired costumes as spectators competed for a trip to every Springbok-British Lions Test match during this year’s series. There was a huge group of what must have been students dressed in sheep costumes, a Borat lookalike in mankini, and the eventual winners were a pair of men in full Native American gear. Quite what the connection was to a Test cricket match in Johannesburg was not clear but it was the effort that counted. Boy did the standards slip in Durban. The finalists included a pair of guys in cricket pads and helmets, and some people with big fans – get it? It wouldn’t have happened in Johannesburg.Two strikes, you’re out
South Africa began the day seven wickets down and it took Peter Siddle only three balls to wrap up the innings. From the second ball of the day, Siddle drew an edge behind from Dale Steyn and next delivery Makhaya Ntini was trapped lbw for golden duck. With Smith in the pavilion with a fractured hand, the two strikes were enough to finish off South Africa, and it meant the rest of the Australian fast men had been warming up in the nets before play for nothing.From one captain to another
With a trademark pull that flashed away through midwicket for four, Ricky Ponting passed Steve Waugh to become the second leading run scorer in Australia’s Test history and the fourth of all time worldwide. Among Australians, only Allan Border now has more runs than Ponting’s 10,948, which have come at 56.72.

Waking up a millionaire
Kevin Pietersen and Andrew Flintoff were seen walking into the ground before play began, stuffing wads of dollar bills into their pockets. Okay, so that bit is made up but they did come to Sabina Park considerably richer than when they left the previous evening. They woke up to find that they’d both been bought for US$1.5 million in the IPL auction, making them the most expensive cricketers in the world. Paul Collingwood and Owais Shah also had a nice little bonus of US$275,000 each to think about over breakfast. Suddenly, the West Indies scoreline of 160 for 1 didn’t seem quite so bad.Glove, bat or pad?
The referral system has certainly been given a thorough working over during this Test and after the spate of incidents on the second day another one grabbed the attention today. Chris Gayle, on 85 at the time, flicked at a leg-side delivery from Andrew Flintoff and England’s strong appeal was upheld by Tony Hill. Gayle immediately asked for a referral and the process started again. Daryl Harper, the TV umpire, wasn’t allowed to use Hotspot, so could only work with some fairly unclear pictures. It appeared that the ball brushed the thigh, not the bat, and Hill reversed his second decision of the game.That’s the way to do it, KP
Chris Gayle and Kevin Pietersen are good friends, but they constantly try to out-do each other in the middle. On the opening day Pietersen approached a potential hundred by taking Sulieman Benn for four, four, six before top-edging his glory shot. Gayle went through the 90s in similar style, twice coming down the pitch and launching Monty Panesar over long on. However, with the hundred in sight he then calmly paddled Panesar’s next ball down through fine leg to reach his first hundred on home soil. And on Bob Marley’s birthday as well. Pietersen will never change the way he plays, but it was a valuable lesson from Gayle.The difference a day makes
Stuart Broad was the least impressive of England’s quicks on the second day, failing to maintain a consistent line and leaking runs at four-an-over. Whatever he did overnight should be bottled for his future. The morale boost he needed came when Gayle was undone by some low bounce, then Broad’s next wicket came two balls later when he trapped Xavier Marshall. His spell ended with figures of 8-4-4-2, compared to his previous effort of 8-1-36-0. When the second new ball was eventually taken it was in the hands of Broad and he removed Shivnarine Chanderpaul. Quite a turnaround.Out of nowhere
It’s fair to say that the afternoon session was one for the purists: 47 runs in 30 overs and two wickets. There were just five boundaries between lunch and tea and three of them came in a hurry during a punchy start to Denesh Ramdin’s innings. He opened his account with a sweet drive, but the pick was a spanking straight drive off Steve Harmison two balls before the tea break.Left-armer to left-armer
Suliemen Benn has won the battle of the left-arm spinners so far in this game and was in no mood to concede any ground to Monty Panesar when he came to the crease late in the day. After a loud appeal for a bat-pad catch Benn then thumped the next ball past mid-off for a handsome boundary. Brendan Nash quickly had a word, probably about playing for stumps, but Benn had made his statement to his opposite number.

Scorecard

Piyush Chawla and Murali Kartik had a horror day with the ball on Thursday, but their streaky, quickfire 57-run eighth-wicket stand put Central within touching distance of the all-important first-innings lead after the second day against South Zone in Bangalore. Their efforts built on half-centuries from captain Mohammad Kaif and Naman Ojha, who started the recovery after the top-order crumpled to South’s fast bowlers. The day ended with the contest on the knife edge: Central need four runs to sneak in front, but South need just one wicket before that, with Central’s first-day hero and last man Umesh Yadav to take strike on the third morning.South would not have been in this precarious position if their fielders had turned in a better show, as Kartik benefitted from two missed chances -a low difficult opportunity to Rahul Dravid’s left at a wide first slip, and a far more straightforward catch for Abhinav Mukund at square leg with Central still trailing by 22.Robin Uthappa, bowling medium pace, maintained a stump-to-stump line to trouble Chawla and Kartik – there were two close lbw calls, with the ball pitching marginally outside leg on both occasions. Amid these slew of chances, Chawla and Kartik unleashed some glorious drives and cuts. The best of the lot was Chawla’s drive past mid-off after advancing down the track to Uthappa – it was so elegant that the batsman held the following-through for the cameras.Chawla finally fell after an ugly, across-the-line swipe to offspinner R Ashwin swirled to VVS Laxman at cover, with the score on 323. Three runs later, off the day’s final over, Pankaj Singh was lbw to L Balaji, rapped on the back leg when trying to turn one to midwicket. That brought to an end the day’s proceedings on a tense note.It hadn’t looked like Central would need the tail to wag when they were at 265 for 5, with Naman Ojha and Bhuvneswar Kumar going strong. Ojha had capitalised on several grassed chances to help Central claw back into the game through his stand with Kaif.It was Kaif who got the runs flowing after a soporific start. Uthappa was pulled in front to midwicket for a one-bounce four and two balls later was powerfully dismissed through extra cover. He then took on the spinners, with legspinner M Suresh launched over long-on and then slog-swept past midwicket.He went into lunch at 47 off 50, but was becalmed after the break. There were a couple of authoritative pulls off Sreesanth but by the time he fell to Suresh for 73, his strike-rate had sunk to around 60.Ojha did most of the scoring in the second session. There were several pokes past the slips for four against the quick bowlers but he was at ease against the slow bowlers. Ashwin was greeted with a slog sweep for four, after which Ojha was content pushing him for singles down to long-on till he reached his half-century. After going past that milestone, he twice lifted Ashwin over the sightscreen.Bhuvneswar was also harsh on Ashwin, repeatedly cover-driving him against the turn. He was solid but fell against the run of play: four balls after Ojha’s dismissal, he nibbled a delivery outside off from Uthappa to the keeper. Uthappa, a part-time bowler, could barely conceal his delight at getting his second wicket.It was his first strike that sparked Central’s collapse in the morning, as Tanmay Srivastava glanced one down the leg side to Dinesh Karthik. Shivkant Shukla, the other opener, was cleaned up by a big indipper from Sreesanth, a loose prod at a wide delivery accounted for Yere Goud, and Parvinder Singh was lbw to Sreesanth. Central’s top order, which almost read like a Who’s Who of Indian domestic cricket’s titans of tedium, was dismantled as four wickets went down for 26 runs. At that stage South were in control, but that was before Central’s middle and lower order got into the act.

The schedule for the ICC World Cricket League Division 3 which takes place in Argentina next month has been announced. The two finalists will progress to the ICC World Cup Qualifiers in South Africa in April.The opening round of matches in Buenos Aires on January 24 will feature the hosts play Hong Kong at Hurlingham, Uganda take on Afghanistan at Corimayo, and the two outsiders Cayman Islands and Papua New Guinea meet at Belgrano Athletic Club. What many believe will be the key clash, between Afghanistan and Hong Kong, takes place on the second day.The final will be held on January 31 at Belgrano Athletic Club.

ICC World Cricket League Division 3

Angelo Mathews, Sri Lanka’s upcoming allrounder, scored a career-best 168 off 259 balls to help Colts Cricket Club crush Colombo Cricket Club by an innings at Maitland Crescent and move to the top of the Premier League Tournament Tier A table.Mathews eclipsed the season’s previous highest score – 165 by Ragama’s Ian Daniel against Tamil Union Cricket. Colts’ total of 379 did not appear to be challenging enough for hosts Colombo, whose batting line-up included three current internationals: captain Jehan Mubarak, Michael Vandort and Chamara Kapugedera. Nuwan Kulasekara, though, left them in disarray, forcing them to follow-on. Colombo managed 133 and 215 in their two innings; Kulasekara took 6 for 31 in the first. He then scalped three top-order wickets in the second innings, and left-arm spinner Sajeewa Weerakoon’s five-wicket haul ensured the game ended before tea on the third day.At Panagoda, left-arm spinner Rangana Herath, recalled to the national Test side, inspired Moors Sports Club to their first win of the season, over Sri Lanka Army Sports Club. Moors were shot out for 161, but Herath’s 6 for 28 restricted Army to 154 and he scored a half-century in the second innings to set Army a target of 273. Herath then took three wickets as Army were dismissed for 199.Ragama Cricket Club, who lost the top spot to Colts, stayed in contention by grabbing first-innings points against Chilaw Marians Cricket Club at Braybrooke Place. Replying to Chilaw Marians’ 215, Ragama reached an impressive 372, with opener Harsha Vithana scoring 113. It was better performance from the visitors in their second innings, with Mahela Udawatte, dropped from the ODI squad touring Bangladesh, hitting a power-packed 109 in their 281 for 7.In the clash between Maitland Place rivals Sinhalese Sports Club, the defending champions, and Nondescripts Cricket Club, Sinhalese secured the first innings points. Nondescripts’ were shot out for 194 by the offbreaks of Sachitra Senanayake, who took six wickets. Sinhalese finished the game at 308 for 7 in reply, with Sri Lanka Mahela Jayawardene, who had a torrid time in Zimbabwe, back in the runs with a pleasing 60.Badureliya Sports Club‘s downward slide since their stunning first-round win over Nondescripts continued. They conceded first-innings points to Tamil Union at the Premadasa, scoring 203 and 233 for 7 in reply to Tamil Union’s 349 and 164 for 5 declared.In Tier B, Saracens Sports Club, Panadura Sports Club, Burgher Recreation Club and Singha Sports Club posted victories with the clear weather allowing for some closely-contested games. Saracens snatched first place in Tier B from Seeduwa Raddoluwa Cricket Club when they won the top-of-the-table clash by two wickets at Royal College Ground. In a match where fortunes swayed from one side to the other, Saracens managed to hold their nerve. Left-arm spinner Malinda Pushpakumara took eight wickets for Saracens and lower-order batsmen Chamara Soysa and Shashrika Pussegolla contributed valuable half-centuries to enable Saracens recover from a hopeless 81 for 6 to 197, a crucial lead of 68 on the first innings.After three defeats and a draw in their first four matches of the season, Singha SC finally broke the shackles by beating Moratuwa Sports Club by nine wickets. The win, achieved inside two days, was fashioned by Singha right-arm medium-pacer Neville Liyanage, who finished with a match haul of nine wickets.Panadura SC coasted to their third win of the season with an exciting 17-run win over Police Sports Club at Panadura. After being shot out for a paltry 101 in their first innings, Panadura recovered to turn the tables on Police, who had gained who a first-innings lead of 66.Twenty-year-old Marlan Madusanka picked up his maiden ten-for when he bowled Burgher Recreation Club to a six-wicket win over Sebastianites Cricket and Athletic Club at De Soysa Stadium, Moratuwa. Madusanka returned figures of 4 for 28 and 6 for 46 as Sebastianites failed to top 150 in both innings.The Lankan Cricket Club batsmen managed to weather stormy spells from Suwanji Madanayake and Yasith de Silva on the last day as they held on for a draw against Sri Lanka Air Force Sports Club at Riffle Green. None of the batsmen could repeat the performances of the first innings as they were reduced to 99 for 7, chasing 114. The match could have swung either way, but Shashan Silva (44 not out) ensured Sri Lanka Air Force Sports Club finished the happier, bagging valuable points by virtue of the lead they managed in the previous essay.Player of the Week – Angelo Mathews
From when he first represented his country, aged 16, in the Sri Lanka Under-19 side against Pakistan in 2003, Angelo Mathews was destined to become an outstanding allrounder. Mathews, who can bat anywhere in the top order and bowl deliveries at a lively medium-pace, impressed at U-19 level and captained the national side in 2005. His first step towards selection in the senior team came during Sri Lanka A’s tour to South Africa, when he won praise from coach Chandika Hathurusingha. “What is so unique about him is that he is intelligent, picks things up very quickly, and he is quite matured for his age,” Hathurusingha said. “He seeks information and absorbs it very quickly. He should go a long way.”Mathews made it to the Sri Lanka squad for the recent tour of Zimbabwe, where he made his ODI debut. “He’s got something special,” Jayawardene said. “It would help him immensely to be part of the squad and travel with it so that the transition to the senior team would be smooth.” Mathews has been retained in the Sri Lanka one-day squad for the tri-series in Bangladesh in January.

Bermuda will be aiming to retain their ICC Americas Division 1 Championship title when the tournament begins in Lauderhill, Florida, on Tuesday.They will be joined in the regional event by hosts USA, Canada, Cayman Islands, Argentina and Suriname, who are playing in the top tier for the first time. Suriname earned their spot after winning the Division 2 event earlier this year. However, their build-up has been hampered when a number of their squad were refused US visas.Bermuda and Canada will start as clear favourites as they both have recent exposure to one-day and Twenty20 internationals. Although matches between the six leading Associates are officially classed as ODIs, this meeting won’t carry that title as the ground hasn’t received ICC approval.Canada, along with USA, enter the tournament having taken part in the West Indies domestic competition. However, USA continue to flounder and currently find themselves languishing in World Cricket League Division 5.Canada will be without familiar names, Rizwan Cheema, John Davison and Geoff Barnett. Cheema couldn’t make the tournament, as well as Canada’s trip to the West Indies last week, as he didn’t have the right travel documents.Davison told Cricinfo that neither he or Geoff Barnett, who both play for Mosman in the Sydney Grade competition, were contacted regarding their availability for this tournament.For Argentina and the Cayman Islands this will be a good opportunity for them to gauge their preparations for the WCL Division 3 tournament in January as the two countries aim to climb the world ladder.The Cayman Islands showed in Toronto two years ago what they are capable of, pulling off an upset victory against Canada, while Argentina’s recent WCL successes mean both these sides must not be underestimated. For Suriname this will be a trip into the unknown, but will provide a valuable learning experience.

Middlesex, whose recent performances in the Caribbean highlighted the problems facing the club, have been dealt another blow with news that they will be without five of their leading players for December’s Champions League.The competition rules state that teams must field the squad at the date they won their qualifying competitions which, in Middlesex’s case, was July 26. That means that Neil Dexter, who was signed post season from Kent, and Neil Carter, a short-term loan signing from Warwickshire, are both ineligible. Dirk Nannes is also missing from the squad as he is representing Victoria.”The rules are clear that only those players who enabled the squad to win the domestic championship can play in the Champions League,” Sundar Raman, the chief executive of the Champions League, told Cricinfo. “We are communicating with Middlesex, and will reiterate the rules.”Two other key batsman, Owais Shah and Andrew Strauss, are in India with the England squad and Middlesex officials had hoped that the pair might be released for the tournament as it takes place between the end of the ODIs and the first Test. However, following negotiations between the ECB and Middlesex it is expected the county’s request will be declined.”I think we have been hit badly,” Murali Karthik told Cricinfo. “I think we should at least be allowed Dexter because he has signed for Middlesex for the next two years and we have a few players going. In their absence, I am afraid we will be fielding a second-string side. Shah and Strauss are our top batsmen. As a result, we will come into the tournament as one of the weaker sides, though I don’t know what Sialkot from Pakistan will look like.”The only glimmer of good news came with the announcement that Ed Joyce, who joins Sussex at the end of the year, will make his final appearances for Middlesex in India.