Bruce Patterson will be making his first appearance for three years© Getty Images

Bruce Patterson, 39, has been called up to play for Scotland in their Intercontinental Cup match against Holland at Mannofield, Aberdeen, next week. Patterson’s last international game was against Ireland in the home countries tournament in 2001. He is an opening batsman with three first-class hundreds to his name, and a wealth of experience.Stewart Bruce, the 34-year-old left-arm pace bowler, has also been named in the side. Bruce was forced to postpone his Scotland debut earlier this season, as he was serving in Iraq as an explosives expert. Majid Haq, the 20-year-old offspinner, is also in the squad for the Intercontinental Cup. Scotland’s success in the tournament could determine their future prospects in world cricket.Scotland captain Craig Wright said: “All the players for the Intercontinental Cup have to be Scotland-qualified, so neither Sriram nor Arafat is eligible. Instead, we are fortunate to have both Bruce Patterson and Stewart Bruce, with whom we were greatly impressed during the winter, available for this game.”Scotland C Wright (capt), S Bruce, A Butt, C. English, M Haq, P. Hoffmann, S. Knox, B Patterson, C. Smith, I. Stanger, R. Watson, F. Watts.

Return of the king: Ricky Ponting all set for leading Australia for the first time in a home Test© Getty Images

Ricky Ponting will attempt to follow in the footsteps of Steve Waugh, AdamGilchrist and Mark Taylor by winning his first Test as captain on Australiansoil, when the second and final match against Sri Lanka begins at Cairnsthis morning.Ponting, who missed the opening Test in Darwin because of the death of hisaunt, is expected to be the only change in Australia’s victorious XI, replacing his temporary stand-in Matthew Elliott.He enters the game confident of both his batting form, having undergone a”really good workout” at a pre-series camp in Brisbane, and captaincypedigree. Already Ponting has led Australia to one World Cup and successiveVB Series triumphs, plus victory in all three overseas Tests in which he hascalled the shots.His vanquished opponents on all three occasions, needless to say, were SriLanka, who have never won a Test in Australia at seven attempts and wouldseem less well-qualified for optimism.Two changes to their side appear probable. Upul Chandana, the legspinner, whostruck an erratic length and failed to trouble the Australian middle orderin Darwin, might make way for the left-arm spinner Rangana Herath, whoimpressed observers in the tour match against a Northern Territory ChiefMinister’s XI.Meanwhile Romesh Kaluwitharana, the veteran wicketkeeper, stands a strongchance of playing his first Test in more than a year at Russel Arnold’sexpense. Arnold, who was himself playing his first Test since November 2002,looked unconvincing in struggling to 6 and 11 at Darwin.Kaluwitharana’s possible elevation would reduce the workload of KumarSangakkara, the vivacious left-hander, who too often looks knackered by thedouble burden of keeping and batting at No. 3. If you discount Tests againstZimbabwe, Sangakkara has not passed 34 in his last 12 innings and last hit ahundred 27 months ago.The days leading up to this match have felt a bit like the traditionalbuild-up to a WACA Test, even if Cairns and Perth – according to the map -might almost be a couple of continents away. All attention has centred onthe rumoured bounce and zippiness, conditions considered ripe for theAustralians and anathema to the visitors.Even Shane Warne, seldom one to talk down his abilities, has publicly allbut ruled out his chance of securing the eight wickets he needs to becomethe supreme wicket-taker in Test history. Warne’s logic ignores the factthat precisely half the wickets during Cairns’s inaugural Test last yearfell to spin, and should be seen for what it probably is: a colossal bluff.As for Ponting, even if Australia conspire to lose this game the omens lookpositive. The last Australian skipper to blow his first Test on home dirtwas Ian Chappell; before him, Don Bradman and Monty Noble also began theircaptaincy careers in Australia with a thud rather than a bang. And thosethree turned out all right in the end. Australia (probable) 1 Justin Langer, 2 Matthew Hayden, 3 RickyPonting (capt), 4 Damien Martyn, 5 Darren Lehmann, 6 Simon Katich, 7 AdamGilchrist (wk), 8 Shane Warne, 9 Jason Gillespie, 10 Michael Kasprowicz, 11Glenn McGrath. Sri Lanka (possible) 1 Marvan Atapattu (capt), 2 Sanath Jayasuriya,3 Kumar Sangakkara, 4 Mahela Jayawardene, 5 Thilan Samaraweera, 6Tillakaratne Dilshan, 7 Romesh Kaluwitharana (wk), 8 Chaminda Vaas, 9 NuwanZoysa, 10 Rangana Herath, 11 Lasith Malinga.

Brijal Patel will replace Maurice Odumbe in Kenya’s squad for next month’s Champions Trophy in England. Patel, who plays for Aga Khan Sports Club, is a legspinner and bats in the middle order.The reason Patel was enlisted in the squad was because Odumbe was banned for five years after being found guilty of receiving money from bookmakers, a charge Odumbe said he was “shocked and surprised” by.He was supported by Steve Tikolo, the captain, who called the decision unfair and said that the Kenya Cricket Association’s action had affected the morale of the team.

Australia 66 for 1 (Gilchrist 24*) beat USA 65 (Gillespie 4-15, Kasprowicz 4-14) by nine wickets
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details

Mike Kasprowicz: four wickets in seven overs © Getty Images

Ricky Ponting’s pre-match comments gave us a clue as to Australia’s intent in this match. It is rare for an international captain to be anything other than placatory when sizing up an opposition of lesser ability, but not on this occasion. Instead, Ponting sounded utterly unenthused at the prospect of a wasted day in the field, and warned that the USA might not learn a great deal from today’s match. He’s probably right as well – they didn’t hang around long enough to pick up any tidbits, as the entire match was done and dusted in just 31.5 overs.After winning the toss, Ponting made light of the perils of batting last on the same pitch that was used for India’s match against Kenya on Saturday, and chose to bowl in an attempt to brush the match aside as quickly as possible. Australia made the perfect start as well. Brett Lee, steaming in with the intent of a man who had not been an original choice today, struck with his second delivery of the match, as USA were introduced to the rigours of cricket at the very highest levelIn fact, Lee might have struck even earlier than that. Facing up to his first ball, Rohan Alexander dug out a screaming yorker that had set its sights on his big toe. But Lee’s second delivery was too good for the left-handed Mark Johnson, who stepped across his stumps and was bowled round his legs by a rapid inswinger (1 for 1).Leon Romero should have made it two in two when he flinched at an off-stump lifter, but Michael Clarke couldn’t cling on to a one-handed diving chance at third slip, after sighting the ball late. But Australia soon had their man. In Glenn McGrath’s first over, Romero set off for a quick single, took a detour around McGrath’s gangling frame, and was run out by six inches by Damien Martyn’s direct hit from gully (2 for 2).

Start as you mean to go on: Brett Lee strikes with the second ball of the match © Getty Images

A complete debacle was on the cards, but Steve Massiah, who spanked a magnificent 142 not out as USA beat Zimbabwe earlier in the week, was intent on demonstrating his side’s fighting qualities. He pulled a McGrath long-hop through midwicket with some of the flourish of a Michael Vaughan, before thumping Lee for two fours in a ragged over that went for 12, including two no-balls.That prompted a change of bowling, with Mike Kasprowicz entering the fray, and he too struck in his very first over. Alexander had been playing late and cagily ever since his early scare, dropping the ball into the gully region at every opportunity, but Kasprowicz’s second delivery took a thin edge through to Adam Gilchrist, and USA had slumped to 32 for 3. Two overs later, Kasprowicz struck again. Richard Staple, the captain, had just got off the mark with a streaky shoulder-of-the-bat four through third man, when he was pinned plumb in front by a fuller, faster delivery (38 for 4).With little support forthcoming from the opposite end, and Clayton Lambert watching from the sidelines after injuring himself in the New Zealand match, Massiah decided to take matters into his own hands. But he chose to take on the wrong bowler. An attempted smear off Kasprowicz was launched high into the off side, where Darren Lehmann positioned himself well beneath a steepling chance (46 for 5). And that was the end of the resistance. Kasprowicz immediately found himself on a hat-trick, as Tony Reid shuffled across his stumps, and though Kasprowicz overstepped for the crucial delivery, there was a fourth bowler awaiting his piece of the action.Jason Gillespie had been waiting in the wings, but now he devastated the tail in six venomous overs. The No. 11, Howard Johnson, provided some resistance (9 from 15 balls), but a total of 65 wasn’t exactly threatening – although Australia needed to complete their chase inside 11.5 overs to ensure that their run-rate was superior to New Zealand’s.Matthew Hayden certainly didn’t think much of USA’s efforts. His brief innings was erratic to say the least – full of premeditated charges and feints that bordered on the insulting. So it was with some glee that Howard Johnson found Hayden’s outside edge with a booming outswinger, to ensure it would not be an entirely fruitless day for USA.One over later, and it might have been even better for USA, but Tony Reid couldn’t cling onto a firm return chance. It was the only sniff that Gilchrist gave, and he wrapped up the match with a vast six over midwicket, to complete the match in 7.5 overs – the third-fastest run-chase in ODI history.

Winds in excess of 120mph have devastated Grenada’s National Stadium Complex, after Hurricane Ivan swept through the lower part of the Eastern Caribbean.The complex, which was completed in early 2000, in time to host a one-day match between West Indies and Australia, was the national home of not only cricket, but football and track-and-field athletics as well. It had been scheduled to host the regional one-day championship next month, and is one of the eight venues selected for the 2007 World Cup.Grenada was caught right in the path of Hurricane Ivan, and officials believe there have been in excess of 20 deaths on the island. The stadium’s facilities have been ripped apart – the roofing for the covered stands has blown away, and the fixtures and fittings in the double-decker stands have been ploughed into the outfield.The electronic scoreboard at the national stadum was completely destroyed, as was as the manual version in the cricket ground. The Caribbean Disaster Emergency Response Agency has been dispatched from Barbados to conduct a detailed damage report, while the hurricane moves off into the south-eastern part of the Caribbean Sea.

The semi-finals of the Intercontinental Cup have been put back 24 hours following the death of His Highness Shaikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the president of the United Arab Emirates.Both matches were due to start in Sharjah on November 16, but that would be the last day of the official state mourning and so the ICC agreed to the postponement. As a result, the final will now begin on November 21.UAE meet Canada and Scotland face Kenya in the semi-finals.

If 2003 was the year of the No. 3 batsmen, then 2004 belonged to the left-arm bowlers. Last year, they only managed 212 out of 1289 wickets, which translates into just 16%. In 2004, led by Chaminda Vaas, Irfan Pathan, Daniel Vettori and Ashley Giles, they increased their tally to 375, and nailed more than 24% of the total wickets. The difference was especially stark for Pathan and Pedro Collins: last year, Pathan made his Test debut against Australia at Adelaide, and returned unflattering figures of 1 for 160. Collins was even worse, taking one wicket at the cost of 263 runs in two Tests against Australia.This year, aided by a kind itinerary which included matches against Bangladesh, both enjoyed plenty of success – Pathan’s 38 wickets for the year included 18 against the Banglas and came at 24 apiece, while Collins managed 35 in eight (14 in two against Bangladesh) at a similar average. Add Vaas’s 40 scalps, and other handy contributions from Nuwan Zoysa (20), Zaheer Khan (19) and James Franklin (13), and the tally for left-arm seamers burgeoned to 168 from last year’s measly 45.The success of the left-arm orthodox spinners was even more heartening. For the past few years, they had been steadily on the decline – they didn’t have the variations of the wristspinners or the doosra that the offspinners had recently developed, making them the most toothless of the lot.However, this year, Vettori and Giles led the revival as the left-armers hit back with a vengeance. India had Murali Kartik, who at last translated some of his potential into performance, Sri Lanka’s Rangana Herath showed that he was more than just another trundler, Mohammad Rafique, though not as successful as in 2003, added 25 wickets in eight Tests, and Michael Clarke put in a freak performance on a minefield at Mumbai. Vettori and Giles were the dominant players, though – both took 38 wickets at nearly the same rate (Vettori’s cost 32 while Giles claimed his at 30 apiece).

Bowler type	Wickets (2004)	Average (2004)	Wickets (2003)	Average (2003)
Right-arm fast	807	37.15	844	33.40
Right-arm finger spin	139	38.20	118	44.70
Right-arm wrist spin	218	30.62	115	36.88
Left-arm fast	168	29.81	45	50.53
Left-arm orthodox	205	33.65	122	38.39
Left-arm wrist	2	214.00	45	30.29

Among the batsmen, the No. 3 slot was dominant again, though not to the extent it was in 2003. Rahul Dravid, Kumar Sangakkara and Ramnaresh Sarwan all had a prolific season, though Ricky Ponting slipped off from his lofty perch of 2003, averaging only 41 compared to 100 the previous year.

Batting position	2004 average	2003 average
Openers	40.64	40.80
No. 3	49.48	55.69
No. 4	46.76	44.36
No. 5	39.30	36.85
No. 6	32.03	31.38
No. 7	30.45	30.38
No. 8	22.02	22.22
No. 9	16.43	19.22
No. 10	10.60	11.03
No. 11	10.32	8.93

Like in the bowlers’ list, left-handers were in the forefront with the bat as well, making up seven of the year’s top 11 run-getters, all of whom scored in excess of 1000 in 2004. It was a prolific year for Western Australians too, with two of them leading the way.

Batsman	Tests	Runs	Average
Langer	14	1481	54.85
Martyn	14	1353	56.38
Kallis	11	1288	80.50
Lara	12	1178	58.90
Sehwag	12	1141	63.69
Gayle	12	1135	54.05
Jayasuriya	11	1130	56.50
Hayden	14	1123	43.19
Sangakkara	11	1114	55.70
Sarwan	12	1005	50.25
Trescothick	13	1004	43.65

Among the bowlers, Anil Kumble and Shane Warne took the honours in terms of wickets, though Glenn McGrath’s average of 18.47 was easily the best of the lot.

Bowler	Tests	Wickets	Average
Kumble	12	74	24.84
Warne	12	70	24.07
Harmison	13	67	23.93
Gillespie	14	55	24.89
Hoggard	13	47	30.06
Kasprowicz	13	47	23.74
McGrath	10	47	18.47
Murali	6	47	22.02
Flintoff	13	43	25.77
Pollock	11	43	29.63

Scorecard

Clinton Perren made 103 but NSW continued to dominate© Getty Images

Clinton Perren played a lone hand for Queensland, scoring 103, but New South Wales were well on top at close of play on the third day at the Bankstown Oval. Perren’s century lifted Queensland to 259, but they were still 207 behind NSW, who chose not to enforce the follow-on. Batting again, they reached 2 for 47, stretching their lead to a comfortable 254.Perren was the only Queensland batsman to reach a half-century. The innings was also propped up by an unbeaten 40 from Andy Bichel.NSW suffered an early setback in their second innings when Phil Jaques, fresh from an unbeaten 240, was caught behind by Wade Seccombe off Joe Dawes for a duck. However, with a lead of 254, they were well-placed to add some quick runs on the fourth morning and then set the Bulls a stiff target in the last innings.

Shane Warne’s visit to Sri Lanka ended up being the catalyst for a controversy involving the Sri Lankan board© AFP

Shane Warne’s recent visit to Sri Lanka, a trip designed to raise awareness of the plight of tsunami victims and raise much-needed funds for rehabilitation, has sparked a controversy that has erupted into the public arena this week after Arjuna Ranatunga, the former World Cup-winning captain, accused Thilanga Sumithipala, the chairman of the cricket board’s Cricket Aid programme, of “bullying” Sri Lanka’s national players into boycotting a special fundraising dinner.The 500-wicket dinner was organised in Colombo at the end of Warne’s brief visit to raise tsunami-relief funds for two local charities, the Muralidaran-Vaas-Gunasekera Foundation and Sahanaya. Funds were raised through the sale of Rs10,000 tickets, and several Sri Lanka cricketers had apparently been keen to show their support by purchasing tickets and attending. However, Muttiah Muralitharan was the only contracted player who eventually turned up.When the board held a press conference on Wednesday to review the progress of Cricket Aid, board officials explained their absence by claiming that players and officials were unaware of the dinner. Sumathipala cast doubt on the charitable credentials of the organisers, and claimed that Muralitharan had told him that he was unaware of the details of the fundraising dinner. “The question is who organised this dinner and where has the money gone to?” he asked. “Do they belong to an organisation with a constitution? When I asked [Chaminda] Vaas about it he said he knew nothing and Murali told me he was out of the country and did not know who organised it.”However Muralitharan, who had personally invited Warne to Sri Lanka and was involved in organising the fundraising dinner, categorically denied this in an article in the newspaper on Friday. “I never told anything like that to Thilanga,” Muralitharan was quoted as saying. “I was highly involved in the project and aware of the function.” Cricinfo has also learnt that Vaas, a new partner in the Muralidaran-Vaas-Gunasekera Foundation, was also aware of the dinner.Ranatunga, a deputy cabinet minister and a long-time foe of Sumathipala’s, claimed that the players were being bullied. “I know that the players are scared to come out and say what they have to say,” said Ranatunga in the . “Several players wanted to attend the dinner, but were warned not to and they were scared to speak up. If the players speak up some of the board officials will not be able to show their faces in public.”Ranatunga continued his scathing attack on the administration. “It’s a dictator who’s running the show now, and not just with one puppet but a whole brace of puppets on board,” he said. “The whole thing hurts the present Sri Lanka Cricket set-up, as Warne refused to do the board’s bidding. During times like this, people are trying to promote their hidden agendas. These petty politics need to stop.”Meanwhile, Kushil Gunasekera, Muralitharan’s manager and the driving force behind the Muralidaran-Vaas-Gunasekera Foundation, a charity which focuses on small community-level projects, reacted angrily to Sumathipala’s apparent slur on their credentials.”We were established two years ago and the charity was incorporated under the Trust Ordinance Act in Sri Lanka,” said Gunasekera. “We are a registered trust with a constitution of which is handled by Sudath Perera Associates. Both Murali and Vaas are signatories. What’s more, we do not have any administration expenses because we all give our time voluntarily. Serving humanity through compassion and serving humanity through compulsion are two different things. The people who are making these allegations do not understand the difference.”Sumathipala was appointed chairman of Cricket Aid soon after the tsunami. The job thrust him back into the public limelight after the immigration scandal last year that led to his being held in police custody, a controversy that had threatened to derail his ambitions to become president of the International Cricket Council. After being granted bail, Sumathipala also took up the post of Sri Lanka Cricket’s “international envoy”, and is now their chief negotiator on ICC issues.

Waiting for a visa, perhaps?© Getty Images

The Indian government plans to issue 10,000 visas to Pakistani fans who wish to travel with their team during Pakistan’s tour of India. According to a Reuters report, there will be special camps set up in Pakistan to facilitate the process.An unnamed Indian official was quoted as saying: “We are expecting a huge demand for visas and plan to have special visa camps in Pakistan to issue up to 10,000 visas. We might even allow Pakistanis to obtain special permits and drive in their cars into India to watch the match in Mohali.” Mohali is a three-hour drive from Wagah, the border crossing in Punjab.During India’s tour of Pakistan last year, the Pakistan government had issued more than 8000 visas, and the Indians fans were treated warmly throughout the series. Whether a similar amount of goodwill is generated during this tour remains to be seen, but the Indian government is certainly doing all it can to enable it.