Pakistan eyes legal action over ICC rule change

The PCB and ICC could be on a collision course again in a high-stakes case that potentially involves Pakistan's suspension from cricket's governing body. The Pakistan board has sent a legal notice to the ICC raising questions - and threatening legal action - about a proposed amendment to the ICC's constitution, which would allow the governing body to suspend a member in case of government interference in the running of a national cricket board.

Ironically the amendment - which also requires that a member board's executive body include elected officials - is said by some accounts to have been proposed at an ICC executive board meeting in February by the PCB chairman Ijaz Butt himself. What is clear is that he didn't object to the matter at the time.

The PCB is one of the boards directly affected by the amendment. Its constitution states that the President of the country - invariably but not always a political figure - is the Patron of the board and the sole authority in hiring or firing the chairman. Nor are elections of any kind held. A number of members of the governing board - the executive body - are appointed by the chairman and all must be approved by the President. This, the PCB argues in its legal notice, could result in its suspension, even permanent expulsion, for the changes are tantamount to asking the board to throw the Patron out of the constitution.

It's not the PCB alone that could be affected by the amendment. Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) is an interim body whose major decisions go through the ministry, which also has the power to disband the board entirely. In Bangladesh, interference isn't as clear and distinct, though all board presidents are government-appointed. Thus any given BCB administration reflects the prevailing political winds of the day. The current president Mustafa Kamal, for example, is a sitting member of parliament. The BCCI would also come on the radar. Though its officials are elected, there is a clear and strong presence of senior Indian politicians at its highest levels.

The proposed changes have been on the ICC's agenda since the February meeting. At its subsequent board meeting in Mumbai, immediately after the World Cup final, the ICC board decided the changes would be officially proposed at the annual conference in July in Hong Kong, and be made applicable by July 2012.

The press release of that meeting stated the changes will be "designed to prevent undue interference by governments in the administration of cricket in Member countries, including but not limited to interference in operational matters, the selection and management of teams, the appointment of coaches or support personnel or the activities of a Member."

Despite the quite vast implications for governance of the game around the world from such a proposal, the release drew little comment. But in a series of articles for the Pakistan daily Daily Times at the start of May, eminent columnist Zakir Hussain Syed - also a former administrator - first revealed the PCB's reaction and contents of the legal notice, sent after the April 4 meeting, and confirmed by ESPNcricinfo to be accurate.

The legal notice was prepared by Mark Gay, a sports law specialist with DLA Piper who has worked with the PCB on several matters in the past, and refers to the legal framework of the country where the ICC is registered: the British Virgin Islands (B VI).

"The insertion of these provisions at this time, into the ICC constitution, in the circumstances, in which the PCB operates," the notice reads, "would constitute unfair prejudice for the purpose of section 184(1) of the B VI of the Business Companies Act 2004 (the B VI Act). As such unless the ICC agree to drop its proposal to pass such amendments to the Articles of Associations at its Annual General Meeting in July, our client will have no alternative but to commence legal proceedings against it to restrain this conduct, which we consider unfairly prejudicial to our client in its capacity as shareholder of the ICC."

The relevant law refers to members of a company being able to apply to the court for an order if they consider certain actions of the company have been, or are likely to be, discriminatory or prejudicial. The PCB argues the amendment is prejudicial because it affects only some members, "i.e. those member boards that are currently elected will not be affected," the notice says. Also, the PCB says it has "nothing whatsoever to do with the objects of the company, which are promotion of…cricket. It is a nakedly political measure."

In the April 4 meeting, PCB officials also pointed out that upon giving membership to Pakistan, the ICC was aware of the nature of the board and the relationship with the government of the day. A far more complex and awkward line of argument was also raised when officials asked how 'government interference' was to be defined. Would it include, an official asked as an example, a government deciding whether or not a team tours a country, as has happened recently with Zimbabwe and Pakistan? It has also been pointed out that holding even domestic tournaments in Pakistan often requires assistance from the provincial or federal government to provide security. The ICC says that there will be strict definitions of interference, to do with appointments in the board and its administration only.

The situation is further complicated by Butt's role in placing the issue on the agenda. It is believed that the topic was not officially on the agenda in February and was only included at the last minute, the night before the meeting when notes were passed into the hotel rooms of board members.

The matter has been informally on the cards for nearly a year as the ICC is keen to bring cricket in line with other prominent sports bodies such as FIFA and the IOC, though it was first broached officially only in that February meeting. The next day, as is protocol, a board director had to volunteer to put the amendment on the table and it was alleged later that Butt proposed it, obviously raising no objection at the time.

However, in between that and the next meeting, Pakistan belatedly realised the implications of the amendments and lobbied Sri Lanka and Bangladesh to rustle up support. They even sent them a copy of the legal notice and were, according to observers familiar with the developments, assured of support. Yet at the April 4 meeting, both boards withdrew support and voted for the amendments, leaving the PCB as the sole objector from among the Full Members.

It was at the April meeting that other board members are said to have told PCB representatives that they were objecting to a proposal officially put forth by their own (PCB) chairman. Pakistan have asked ICC officials to check the minutes of the meeting to see if this is indeed the case, but have not yet been given a response. Pakistan had taken along their legal advisor Taffazul Rizvi to the meeting to explain to the board the difficulties involved in making the proposed changes in Pakistan. He was not allowed to speak, however, by the ICC board.

Since then, there has been what one involved official said were "fruitful discussions" between the PCB and ICC on the matter. The ICC is said to be aware of the difficulties involved in the PCB asking the President to end his own involvement in cricket, and there have been discussions about extending the window of time during which they expect the changes, as the ICC understands it to be a long-term process. The ICC is said even to be willing to come to Pakistan to discuss the matter with the relevant authorities. Contrary to the ICC's optimism that it won't come to it, ESPNcricinfo understands that the PCB's reluctance will compel it still to pursue legal action if needed, even if that will be what the official said would be "contrary to the spirit of discussions."

The developments are likely to raise questions once again not only about how equipped Butt is to handle such matters at board meetings, but also the growing isolation of Pakistan. The board believes they are being victimised, alluding to as much in the legal notice, believing the amendments to be "provoked by a desire to damage the PCB or out of a desire for revenge."

This is the fall-out, the PCB says, from John Howard's non-appointment in June 2010. At the time Pakistan was one of the members supporting Howard's nomination but eventually they reversed. "We are instructed that the Australian Cricket Board put forward as their nominee of the ICC ... John Howard. It is the view of many in Pakistan that he has promoted racial policies," the legal notice says. "As such, the PCB among others, expressed its concern about his status as presidential candidate. When his candidature was withdrawn, in the view of PCB, this measure was born. If this is true, and full disclosure should reveal this, it is the product not of a desire to advance the objects of ICC, or to promote cricket, but out of the desire to disadvantage the PCB."

Over the course of this administration, since October 2008, the PCB has steadily lost allies in the ICC. Relations with the BCCI remain enmeshed in political developments. The rest of the Asian bloc is not the guarantee of support it once was, as the withdrawal of support from Sri Lanka and Bangladesh on this issue also made clear. The ECB, at best, remains cool after the fracas last summer when Butt clumsily accused the England team of match-fixing, only to apologise subsequently. Cricket Australia were not happy after the Howard rebuff and now, after the thinly veiled accusations of the legal notice, their attitude is not likely to soften.

'Afridi immature, has poor discipline' - Waqar

Waqar Younis, the Pakistan coach, has hit out at former captain Shahid Afridi in his tour report of Pakistan's series in the Caribbean, saying, "as a captain he is very immature, has poor discipline, lacks a gameplan and is unwilling to listen to others' opinions or advice." The report, whose excerpts have been published in Dawn, confirms the existence of arift between captain and coach during the end of the tour, with Waqar admitting that Afridi walked out of a meeting over differences relating to selection.

Serious differences

The acrimonious relationship was also acknowledged by team manager Intikhab Alam in his tour report, in which he - while saying Waqar had at times been "arrogant" - described Afridi as a "highly hyper-active personality who lacks [the] temperament to listen to other people's point of views or look for solutions for the betterment of the team."

Afridi was removed as ODI captain after the tour and reacted by retiring "conditionally" from international cricket due to the "humiliation" inflicted by the PCB. His criticism of the board led to the suspension of his central contract and revocation of NOCs permitting him to play cricket overseas. The matter now rests before a disciplinary committee, which is scheduled to meet Afridi - who faces charges of violating the board's code of conduct - on June 8.

"Besides myself, the rest of the coaching staff has worked very hard with him to improve his abilities as a long-term and successful captain but sometimes his volatile and immature nature have proved detrimental and led to unfortunate outcomes including game losses," Waqar said.

Pakistan won the ODI series 3-2 but lost the final two games, both dead rubbers. The tour report reveals there was considerable disagreement between Waqar and Afridi over the team composition for those two matches.

Before the fourth and fifth ODIs, Waqar said, Afridi "came into the meetings with a decisive mindset and was refusing to discuss playing XI options. I, as a part of the touring selection committee, tried to discuss different options for the team but he behaved very inappropriately and walked out of the meeting.

"His attitude and unwillingness to sort out matters led to a very uncomfortable dressing-room environment which affected the players' performance, resulting in the last two losses of the ODI series."

Alam, in his report, said there was also a disagreement over Afridi's decision to suddenly promote himself up the order in one of those two games, as that hadn't initially been part of the team strategy. "At one stage we were 200 for two in forty overs. All of a sudden Afridi promoted himself and as soon as he went in, the very next over he took the Powerplay and got himself out. The entire batting order was reshuffled and as a result, we could only manage 40-odd runs after that.

"After losing the match Waqar was furious why he was not consulted over change in order. Afridi in return told Waqar, 'I am not having a good time as far as my batting is concerned, but how many times you have taken me to the nets and worked with me or talked to me about my batting'. After heated arguments, once again Afridi left the room."

Alam also claimed he told Afridi not to speak to the press about his differences with Waqar, but inform the PCB chairman if he had complaints. But, according to Alam, it wasn't just Afridi whose behaviour had been a problem. "I have also been observing Waqar and feel that he is at times little harsh and arrogant which creates some problems."

Major changes for RSA as Kirsten takes charge

Gary Kirsten will take charge of the South African cricket team in August, heading an almost completely new leadership group. 

Kirsten's appointment as team director and head coach was announced by Cricket South Africa (CSA) Monday. 

He will have two new lieutenants in assistant coach Russell Domingo and bowling coach Allan Donald and a new one-day and Twenty20 captain in AB de Villiers.
Graeme Smith will remain captain of the Test team, the only post that remains with the previous incumbent. 

De Villiers will be vice-captain of the Test team and Hashim Amla will be vice-captain of the limited overs sides. 

Kirsten will officially start a two-year contract on August 1 after what he described as a necessary "cooling off period" after his three-year stint as coach of India, which culminated in World Cup glory in April. 

Domingo will also start work on August 1 but former fast bowling great Donald will start work immediately and travel with the South Africa A team to Zimbabwe this month. 

Kirsten, 43, who played in 101 Tests for South Africa, said being appointed to coach his native country was a "major honour" but set no specific goals. 

But CSA chief executive Gerald Majola said one reason why there had been an exhaustive process to find the new coach was a lack of consistency in the South African team's results and its failure to land a major global event such as the World Cup. 

South African cricket was "a very different environment" from that in India, said Kirsten. 
"It is important to get back into understanding the South African cricket environment and I am looking forward to working with the captains and the players." 

Kirsten said consultants would be used from time to time to assist the full-time coaches. 

He said Paddy Upton, the mental conditioning coach who shared much of the credit with Kirsten for India's success, would work with the South African team, although not on a full-time basis. 

The new appointments mean the end of long-time assistant coach Vincent Barnes' role with the team. 

The appointment of De Villiers and Amla mean there will be no leadership role for Johan Botha, who captained the Twenty20 team after Smith gave up that role last year. 

And senior player Jacques Kallis, who has frequently acted as vice-captain or stand-in captain, will be free to concentrate on his role with Kirsten describing him as "one of the greatest players of all time". 

De Villiers said he was looking forward to the challenge of captaincy. 
He admitted that South Africa's defeat by New Zealand at the quarter-final stage of the World Cup had been disappointing. 

"We have that history of not performing well in big events. We went down when the pressure was on again. That is definitely something I'd like to work on." 

PCB mulls ex-parte proceedings against Afridi

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has said it will begin ex-parte proceedings [in a person's absence] againstShahid Afridi should he decide against attending the disciplinary committee meeting in Lahore on Wednesday.

"In case Shahid Afridi decides against appearing for the hearing, the disciplinary committee will still meet and begin ex-parte proceedings," Taffazul Rizvi, the PCB's legal advisor told The News on Monday. Afridi, returned to Pakistan on Sunday, and in a press conference in Karachi the following day, he and his lawyers Syed Ali Zafar and Mahmood Mandviwalla of the legal firm Mandviwalla & Zafar, refused to rule in or out his appearance at the hearing.

The PCB has said it will begin ex-parte proceedings against Shahid Afridi should he decide to not attend the disciplinary hearing 

One of the demands of Afridi's lawyers was that he should be allowed a legal representative at the hearing. In a press release issued a few hours before Monday's press conference the PCB had agreed to that demand stating: "In response to certain reports in a section of media, Pakistan Cricket Board states that it will have no objection if the disciplinary committee allows Shahid Afridi to be assisted/represented by a lawyer during the disciplinary proceedings."

"Although it is the PCB's internal matter, it has as a matter of grace announced that if the committee has no issues it won't object to Afridi's lawyer attending the hearing," Rizvi said. While both Zafar and Mandviwalla said they had received no such communication on Monday, Rizvi told ESPNcricinfo that after the press conference, Afridi's lawyers had been told they will be allowed in, though they had yet to respond to it.

Afridi's lawyers have insisted they are asking only for a due process to be followed and that the act of suspension of the central contract and NOC withdrawal were punishments handed out before the player had been heard. But Rizvi rejected these objections.

"The board has suspended Afridi's central contract because he is under investigation for breaches of discipline," he said. "Because his contract has been suspended, all NOCs granted to him have been revoked."

Rizvi added that by repeatedly targeting the PCB, Afridi was committing "continuing breaches" of discipline. "Afridi's contract has been suspended. He hasn't made any request for the termination of his contract which means that he is still bound by the central contract."

Katich cut from contract list

Simon Katich Test career is effectively at an end and he may yet retire from cricket altogether after he was denied a Cricket Australia contract in the most significant change to the 25-man list of national team players for the 2011-12 season.

Mike Hussey, 36, and Katich, 35, were the two players thought in most danger of being culled as the national selectors maintain their push towards youth. The strong form of New South Wales team-mates and fellow top order batsmen Phil Hughes and David Warner, late in the domestic season, arguably tipped the scales against Katich.

All this was understandably difficult to fathom for Katich who, with 2928 runs at 50.48 since he was recalled to the Test team in 2008, has been not only Australia's most reliable batsman but among the most bankable in the world. In that time only Alastair Cook has scored more runs.

"It was obviously devastating for Simon, from the time he went out of the Australian team and fought his way back through weight of runs he's been a really fantastic player for us and has been extremely successful," said Andrew Hilditch, the chairman of selectors, at the contract announcement in Adelaide.

"So it was a big decision, obviously really hard on Simon, but in our view the opening partnership is critical, it takes time to get a good opening partnership and we think now the time is right to make sure we have the right opening partnership come the Ashes.

"He was really devastated as you can imagine, and they're not easy phone calls to make, he was really upset."

Katich played his last Test during the innings defeat in the second Ashes Test in Adelaide in December last year, limping out of international cricket with a torn Achilles tendon that cancelled him out of the equation for the remainder of the series. His manager, Robert Joske, said Katich would take some time to consider his future before speaking publicly.

"Simon's bitterly disappointed but we're going to take a look at all of the options," Joske told ESPNcricinfo. "There's lots of options we'll look at, both playing and non-playing, before we decide what's best for Simon and his family. We'll wait until the dust settles."

Hussey's staunch efforts during the Ashes were followed up by a rapid recovery from a hamstring tear to play a walk-on role in the World Cup in March, and he also made a century against Bangladesh in Dhaka during Michael Clarke's first tour as captain in April. Hilditch said Hussey and the former captain Ricky Ponting would have to shepherd a young batting line-up through the perils of Sri Lanka and South Africa.

"We see them having a very important role with our middle order," Hilditch said. "It's as tough as it gets, Sri Lanka away, South Africa away, India at home, we play three of the top four nations in the next 12 months, so it's a really demanding time and we just think they've got a great role to play at the moment."

Another most significant contractual decision is the inclusion of the 18-year-old NSW paceman Patrick Cummins. Cummins, currently recuperating from a back strain that has kept him out of the Australia A tour of Zimbabwe, is the youngest player to be granted a contract since the current system was introduced in 1998.

Xavier Doherty, John Hastings, David Hussey, Usman Khawaja, Jason Krejza and James Pattinson are the other players to be added to the contracts list, having all taken part in matches for Australia over the past 18 months. Alongside Cummins, Pattinson is considered one of the most promising fast bowling prospects in the country, and made his international debut in Bangladesh.

"James has tasted international cricket and we see him as a young man of immense talent who is made of the right stuff to succeed at the higher level," said Hilditch. "Patrick Cummins is an exceptional talent who has impressed with his opportunities to date for New South Wales and it will be very exciting to watch his progress.

"We're really all of the view that he's a potential champion for Australia and we're going to encourage that and look after him."

Cummins was shocked to receive a call from Hilditch, and later another from Clarke, as he came to terms with being so quickly in the national frame.

"I got a call from Michael Clarke so that was pretty exciting - I didn't have his phone number before, but now I've got it," Cummins told reporters at the SCG. "I'm still level-headed about it, trying to play for NSW whenever I can, whenever I get an opportunity. There's still plenty of quality bowlers out there and when they return from injury they probably deserve a spot ahead of me, so hopefully I can bowl well and keep that spot."

Apart from Katich, James Hopes, Andrew McDonald, Clint McKay, Marcus North, Shaun Tait and Adam Voges were also cut from the list, while Australia's incumbent Test spinner Michael Beer was not offered a contract though he remains in the selectors' plans.

"You shouldn't read too much into that," Hilditch said of Beer's absence. "Michael Beer and Steven O'Keefe are still very much in contention for Sri Lanka, even though they don't get a ranking. Because we now rank three forms of the game there are still players we rank very highly who are out of that contract list."

Cricket Australia contracts list 2011-12: Doug Bollinger, Michael Clarke, Patrick Cummins, Xavier Doherty, Callum Ferguson, Brad Haddin, Ryan Harris, John Hastings, Nathan Hauritz, Ben Hilfenhaus, Phillip Hughes, David Hussey, Michael Hussey, Mitchell Johnson, Usman Khawaja, Jason Krejza, Brett Lee, Shaun Marsh, Tim Paine, James Pattinson, Ricky Ponting, Peter Siddle, Steven Smith, Shane Watson, Cameron White.

Siddons named coach of Wellington

Jamie Siddons has been confirmed as the new coach of Wellington after signing a three-year deal. Siddons, who coached Bangladesh from October 2007 until his departure in April this year, will take over the position vacated by his fellow Australian Anthony Stuart, who is now in charge at New South Wales.

"Jamie is a world-class coach and his international experience will be an invaluable addition to our professional and high performance cricket environment in Wellington," Cricket Wellington's chief executive Gavin Larsen said. "Jamie is passionate about the game and he will bring a fresh perspective to the Wellington Firebirds, and we look forward to him leading us forward into a new era of success."

Siddons, 47, will take up the role in July and faces a challenge to turn Wellington into a winning outfit. The side hasn't finished higher than fifth in any format in the past two summers, and Siddons believes one of the keys to improving Wellington's results will be to find more runs from the batsmen.

"I looked at all the players and their averages, and even the senior players are not in the 40s with the bat," Siddons told the Dominion Post when he applied for the job. "So one thing is to turn that around and turn their performances around."

Prior to taking on the Bangladesh coaching job, Siddons was an assistant under John Buchanan with Australia's national side. Buchanan, who is now the director of cricket with New Zealand Cricket, was part of the panel that appointed Siddons, who beat Matthew Maynard and the Wellington assistant coach Shane Deitz for the role.

Fresh start for world champions

It's their first ODI assignment as world champions, and India are fielding a second-string team. The IPL has won out over West Indies in terms of player priority, but will the hosts be able to make the Indians pay for their decision? When India and West Indies played for the first time after their meeting in the 1983 World Cup final, the Indians were taught a bitter lesson in a 5-0 thrashing by the still pre-eminent team in world cricket then. Replicating that is beyond the present West Indies outfit, but they promise a closely-fought series, boosted by the return of Dwayne Bravo.

If the only Twenty20 international was anything to go by, the West Indies batting was vulnerable against spin, a continuation of its problems against the slow bowlers from the Pakistan series. The spin-friendly pitch at the Queen's Park Oval made it worse for them, and their woes could recur if the surface plays the same.

There is much curiosity off the field, though. Chris Gayle made a glitzy appearance in the crowd for the Twenty20, and kept us guessing with his tweets, hinting that things vis-à-vis his return were shaping up for the better. He's not been picked for the first two ODIs, but there's no doubting the impact he'll have if differences with the board are settled, at least in the short term.

Second-string or not, India are still world champions, and Suresh Raina will be under pressure to ensure his team delivers a performance worthy of that title and prevent any damage to its pride after a heated build-up to the tour.

Form guide (most recent first)

West Indies: WWLLL
India: WWWWL

The spotlight

R Ashwin has been around the Indian domestic scene for a long time, but rose to prominence during the IPL, capping off another successful season in Chennai Super Kings' second title win. He's only played nine ODIs, including two in the World Cup, and hasn't done too badly. On tracks that have so far favoured spin, his variations, which include the carrom ball, could prove a handful for a West Indies batting line-up. His battles with Gayle in the IPL were memorable, and Ashwin will only be eager to resume that duel.

Kieron Pollard, of late, has acquired a reputation to be somewhat of a minnow-basher in ODIs. He's been a Twenty20 specialist, but an average of 20.37 in the 50-over format is something he'd consider a blot. He faces a familiar set of bowlers this series, and has a chance to address his lack of impact against the more accomplished ODI teams.

Team news

India played two specialist spinners and two seamers in the Twenty20, but didn't pick Ishant Sharma, Amit Mishra or Vinay Kumar. Ishant could get a go in place of either Munaf Patel or Praveen Kumar, while Mishra and Ashwin may swap places as the series goes on. The same is likely for wicketkeepers Parthiv Patel and Wriddhiman Saha.

India (possible): 1 Parthiv Patel (wk), 2 Shikhar Dhawan, 3 Virat Kohli, 4 S Badrinath, 5 Rohit Sharma, 6 Suresh Raina (capt), 7 Yusuf Pathan, 8 Harbhajan Singh, 9 R Ashwin, 10 Ishant Sharma/Praveen Kumar, 11 Munaf Patel.

Dwayne Bravo, Ramnaresh Sarwan and Pollard return to the side, and so does Carlton Baugh, the wicketkeeper, replacing Andre Fletcher.

West Indies (possible): 1 Lendl Simmons, 2 Kirk Edwards, 3 Darren Bravo, 4 Ramnaresh Sarwan/ Marlon Samuels, 5 Dwayne Bravo, 6 Kieron Pollard, 7 Darren Sammy (capt), 8 Carlton Baugh (wk), 9 Ravi Rampaul, 10 Andre Russell, 11 Devendra Bishoo.

Stats and trivia

• When India and West Indies met for the first time in an ODI after the 1983 World Cup final, they played in Srinagar, Kashmir. The match was cut short due to a dust storm and bad light, and West Indies thrashed the hosts by ten wickets.
  Quotes
  "Each individual will have his game plan and the focus should be to rotate the strike. You will have to sweep, use your feet, play with soft hands, all those things come into play."
  Darren Sammy on the plan to overcome India's spin threat

Shahid Afridi returns for hearing

Former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi is set to return to Pakistan tonight in a bid to resolve his ongoing dispute with the PCB. Afridi, who is currently in London, is scheduled to appear before a three-man disciplinary committee formed by the board on June 8 in Lahore, to face charges that he has breached two clauses of the code of conduct with his retirement announcement and subsequent criticism of the board.

Shahid Afridi is set to arrive in Pakistan tonight as he attempts to resolve his ongoing dispute with the PCB

Mandviwalla and Zafar Associates, the legal firm representing Afridi, had sent a letter to the PCB on June 3 in a bid to resolve the on-going dispute between the two parties. At the time, Afridi's management told ESPNcricinfo that he would appear before the committee. However, some reports suggest that Afridi and his legal team may not attend the hearing as the allrounder is reportedly uncomfortable with an in-camera hearing that the PCB want, though this has not yet been confirmed.

Over the last couple of days, Afridi is reported to have met and spoken to a number of Pakistani political figures in London and Pakistan, including, apparently, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari (the son of the Pakistan president Asif Ali Zardari) and former prime minister and opposition leader Nawaz Sharif. He has already appealed directly to the president to look into the matter, and the country's interior minister Rehman Malik has also got involved.

A measure of his popularity - or influence - emerged over the weekend as several areas of Karachi saw banners and signs appear supporting Afridi. There is the likelihood of his arrival attracting a fair crowd to the airport and there are reports that a rally will be organised in support once he arrives.

Morgan shines as England find a way

When good sides have bad days, they find a way to muddle through. "Just find a way", in fact, was the motto that Shane Warne - the best player in the greatest side of modern times - passed down to Chris Tremlett during his days as Hampshire's captain. Although Tremlett will have to wait until the weekend to reacquaint himself with Sri Lanka's batsmen, that message was not lost on his England team-mates, who endured their worst day of Test batting since the Perth Test in December, but somehow emerged with a scoreline that did them credit.

Eoin Morgan spurred England's counter-punch with an attacking half-century

In many ways it was wasteful; in many more it was admirable. The shock of losing three early wickets to a Sri Lankan seam attack that had been anaemic down in Cardiff was offset by four half-centuries of vastly contrasting style. Alastair Cook's intense focus wavered fatally - and surprisingly - on 96, but up until that point he had been patience personified once again. He was joined in the attrition stakes by a gutsy Ian Bell, whose recent fluency was kept under wraps by good bowling and a precarious scoreline of 22 for 3. And then, after tea, the stage was turned over to Eoin Morgan and Matt Prior, who doubled the scoreline with a clatter of free-wheeling boundaries.

"I think it's quite even," said Morgan, whose 79 from 128 balls was his first significant Test innings since his Trent Bridge century ten months ago. "We were quite pleased with the way we performed after having our backs to the wall this morning. It just did enough, and they bowled a fuller length, which was noticeable, then there were periods after lunch when we had to sit in and leave well and try to set it up for later in the day."

It was a day when all's well that ends well for England. In their constant quest for self-improvement, the management will have reason to dissect at least five of the day's six dismissals - from the flaccid flap to gully that prolonged Kevin Pietersen's run of absent form, to the open-faced poke with which Bell brought about his downfall for 52. And yet, even in those moments of strife, there was a clarity of purpose and a closing of ranks that has long been the hallmark of all the best sides. They may at times have contributed to their own dismissals, but because they were instilled with the confidence of regular victories, at no stage did England threaten a Cardiff-style capitulation.

"Because of the performances we've had recently, the communication was quite good," explained Morgan. "Guys accept when they're out and feed information back, so it was quite chilled. There were certain stages when me and Cookie were in and they bowled a channel at us to bowl maidens. We said 'fair enough, they can bowl quite wide, let them come to us'. It was quite slow, so it was hard to go after the ball."

In many respects, this was a performance reminiscent of Australia in their early-2000s heyday, not so much because England came out on top in the end, but because of the weapons they used to get to that point. At first there was dour accumulation while the going was tough at the top, with Cook and Justin Langer having more than just their left-handedness in common. Then there was a blistering counterattack in the final third of the day, with Prior and Morgan clattering along at a Gilchristian tempo as they flailed a tiring attack and somehow persuaded the ball to be served up right in their slots.

"Giving up 170 runs at 4.9 [an over] is not good enough having won the toss," said Sri Lanka's batting coach, Marvan Atapattu, who admitted that his team had set their sights on a sub-300 total once Cook's dismissal had reduced England to 201 for 5. And yet, how often were such sentiments expressed in the days when Waugh and Gilchrist comprised Australia's sixth-wicket pairing? Like a break of serve against Rafael Nadal, the challenge against the best opponents is not so much knocking them down, but knocking them out.

It's early days for England in that respect, and they have no single player who comes close to matching Gilchrist, but they've made no secret of their ambition, and amid the misgivings, this has the look of another vastly significant day in their development. "If we want to be a champion side, when our backs are to the wall we want to come out fighting," said Morgan. "We recognise that as a crucial part of our game - we can't just fall over and fold like a deck of cards."

Right at this moment, there even seems to be room in England's line-up for a luxury item. Pietersen has now contributed five runs out of 838 in the series to date, and is more likely to be included on a wishlist for a Desert Island Discs plaything, rather than a list of players to whom you would turn to bat for your life. His latest aberration spoke volumes for his scrambled mindset, as he attempted once again to slap his way out of trouble, rather than subject himself to the sort of painstaking grind that brought him his last consistent run of Test form, in Bangladesh 14 months ago.

Like Matthew Hayden at The Oval in 2005, Pietersen looks as though he needs a score by whatever means it takes, even if it means enduring an afternoon of pointing and laughing from onlookers who remember the dominant personality of old, and cannot equate it with the shell of a batsman now in their midst. Or alternatively, for as long as England keep the faith, he can just carry on trying to batter his way out of a corner, in the knowledge that he might not pull it off every day, but like his Australian counterparts Mark Waugh and Damien Martyn of old, when he clicks he will do so with a flamboyance that none of his team-mates can match.

"He works twice as hard as anybody - and he's looking good in the nets," said Morgan, with only a hint of annoyance at the raising of a familiar issue. "He's the type of character who could go out easily tomorrow and score 170. He plays match-winning innings, and has done since he's come into the side."

The wait for KP's homecoming may now have to be dragged on for at least another Test, but just as England found a way to force victory in Cardiff despite the absence of their attack leader, James Anderson, so they have found a way to cover for his and other shortcomings at Lord's. So effectively, in fact, that you wouldn't spot the mend unless you knew where the hole in the innings had been made.

Somerset coast to win over Kent

South African Roelof van der Merwe made his highest Twenty20 score as Somerset beat Kent by nine wickets.

Van der Merwe made 15 in Somerset's opening T20 game against Hampshire

After losing Peter Trego cheaply in their run chase, Van der Merwe (89no) and skipper Marcus Trescothick (64no) put on an unbroken stand of 150.

Somerset reached their victory target on 166-1 with 18 balls to spare.

Earlier, Kent were indebted to Darren Stevens, who hit four sixes in his 68 and Robert Key (43) in their 163-8, Lewis Gregory taking 3-26.

But van der Merwe's innings was the highlight for last year's beaten finalists, his 51-ball knock containing six sixes and seven fours.

While Trescothick, who reached his half-century off only 30 balls with one six, passed 1,500 career runs in Twenty20 cricket.

Hussey sets up Nottinghamshire victory

Nottinghamshire Outlaws got their Friends Life t20 campaign off to a winning start with a 38-run victory over Derbyshire Falcons thanks to a brisk 60 from skipper David Hussey and four wickets from fast bowler Andy Carter.

Having been invited to bat first on a gloriously sunny evening at Trent Bridge, Nottinghamshire posted 184 for 6 from their 20 overs, with Riki Wessels hitting 30 off 19 balls to add to Hussey's 45-ball knock, which included five fours and a six.

Nottinghamshire 184 for 6 beat Derbyshire 146 for 8 by 38 runs

Derbyshire started their reply solidly with a 49-run opening partnership between Wes Durston and New Zealand international Martin Guptill before the Kiwi was spectacularly bowled by Carter for 25.

From there the visitors fell further and further behind the required run-rate and despite 46 from Durston and Garry Park's unbeaten 36, the Falcons could only finish on 146 for eight. Carter, playing in only his third Twenty20 match, finished with 4 for 20 from his four overs, the third best bowling return for Nottinghamshire in the competition's history.

The hosts began their innings in quiet fashion until Alex Hales hit two boundaries off Chesney Hughes in the third over, while Wessels greeted the arrival of Tim Groenewald by slog-sweeping the seamer for six over square leg.

Groenewald then had Hales caught at mid-wicket and the left-arm spin of Tom Knight accounted for Adam Voges, caught by a diving Wayne Madsen in the covers. Wessels was yorked by Jonathan Clare to bring Hussey to the wicket. The Australian added 49 in five overs with Samit Patel (26), finally being bowled in the final over by Steffan Jones, who also had Steven Mullaney lbw. Chris Read finished 21 not out.

Carter was hit for two fours in his opening over by Guptill but returned to bowl the Kiwi in the sixth over - the first of four clean bowled wickets by the paceman. Derbyshire's hopes rested on Durston repeating his heroics from last year's fixture, when the 30-year-old smashed 111, but when he was stumped by Read off Hussey's off-spin, the game was up, despite two sixes and two fours from Park.

Tour begins with trouble in paradise

It's déjà vu all over again. A little less than a year ago, India began their World Twenty20 campaign in the West Indies just five days after the IPL. Visibly underprepared and disrespectful of international cricket, India were doomed to not go far. Not much has changed on the Indian side of affairs in 2011. Barely six days will have passed since the end of yet another IPL when India kick off their full tour of the West Indies, again with a T20 international. And just like the last time, the hosts will be forced to play at an un-T20 hour of 10 am, sadly to make sure the television viewer in India gets his 7.30 pm start. The people of Trinidad - who might want to catch up on some T20 fun on a Saturday afternoon or evening - be damned.

It serves the broadcasters right then, that India will go through this tour without many of the stars that the Indian TV viewer is believed to never get enough of. West Indies, though, should feel slighted. Virender Sehwag knew he needed a shoulder surgery even before the IPL began. He had a choice to make: he chose the IPL over the West Indies tour. Sachin Tendulkar knew he needed time off cricket: he chose to miss the West Indies Tests but not the IPL.

How the world has changed: there was once a time when players might have wanted to miss a West Indies tour out of fear of their fast bowlers. Now West Indies will feel the duo wouldn't have made similar choices if Tests in England were pitted against the IPL. West Indies will be fuming. West Indies will be inspired. West Indies will want to teach India a lesson. How off the mark can we be? The WICB - rightly or wrongly, who's to say - is not even picking the best-possible side. Chris Gayle remains more active on Twitter than the cricket field. Jerome Taylor, who just played the IPL, is not considered for selection on fitness grounds. There is trouble in paradise, and we can only sit and watch. At 7.30pm, India Standard Time.

Form guide (most recent first)

West Indies WLLLW
India WWWLL

The spotlight

First day, first show for Duncan Fletcher comes with a young inexperienced team. India won't look too different once people start retiring after the Australia tour later this year. Fletcher knew he would have to oversee this transition at some time in his tenure. Starting Saturday the new coach gets a sneak-peak into what future holds for him even as India will be interested in seeing what the new coach holds for them.

The two captains are a fascinating study. Under Suresh Raina's previous watch, India finished third in a tri-series involving Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe. He was leading a young team then; this one is not too dissimilar, which means the challenge is just as big.

Derren Sammy, on the other hand, will perhaps never play an international without having to justify his presence. Sometimes he passes in flying colours, as he did in the Test that they won against Pakistan, sometimes he doesn't; at all times he tries gamely, making you wonder what would be if some of the more talented West Indies players played with the same passion and persistence.

Team news

West Indies' squad is almost identical to the one that beat Pakistan in the T20 on April 21. The only change is that Kemar Roach has been rested. He didn't play that game anyway. If they keep the winning combination, left-arm medium-pacer Krishmar Santokie will have to wait for his international debut.

West Indies (probable) 1 Lendl Simmons, 2 Andre Fletcher (wk), 3 Darren Bravo, 4 Marlon Samuels, 5 Danza Hyatt, 6 Darren Sammy (capt), 7 Christopher Barnwell, 8 Andre Russell, 9 Ashley Nurse, 10 Devendra Bishoo, 11 Ravi Rampaul

India's squad is so different from their usual ones, they have no previous to start from. The choices begin at the top, with Shikhar Dhawan and Parthiv Patel favourites as openers. The middle order should be a bit easier to pick, but it will be interesting to see if they go with two spinners and, if they choose to do so, who that second spinner will be. There could be an aversion to playing two offspinners, which is believed to be one of the reasons why R Ashwin lost out to Piyush Chawla in the World Cup squad. Munaf Patel and Praveen Kumar will be certainties in the pace attack.

India (probable) 1 Shikhar Dhawan, 2 Parthiv Patel (wk), 3 Suresh Raina (capt), 4 Virat Kohli, 5 & 6 two out of S Badrinath, Rohit Sharma and Manoj Tiwary, 7 Yusuf Pathan, 8 Harbhajan Singh, 9 Praveen Kumar, 10 Munaf Patel, 11 R Ashwin/R Vinay Kumar/Amit Mishra/Ishant Sharma

Pitch and conditions

There was heavy rain in Trinidad on the eve of the match, drenching the outfield and bringing the covers on. Scattered thunderstorms have been forecast for the weekend and the following week. If somehow the moisture induces pace and bounce into the pitches, that will be a blessing in disguise.

Stats and trivia

• This is the 200th T20 international. The first was played in February 2005. It took ODIs 12 years to reach No. 200. Incidentally, India and West Indies played the 200th ODI too.
• When India beat West Indies in the 200th ODI, it was a major shock. If they do so in the 200th T20I, it won't be an upset but a minor milestone nonetheless, for India have never beaten West Indies in a T20I, losing at Lord's and Kensington Oval in their two previous clashes.
  Quotes
  "We have to continue to put in the hard work. We are a confident group of young men, and we will go into the series with the belief that we can win."
  Darren Sammy shows how mundane press conferences can sometimes be
  "The West Indies team has been playing good cricket for the past few months, and we are not going to take them lightly."
  Suresh Raina outdoes Sammy's "right areas"