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Ricky Ponting is confident Australia are in the best possible shape to regain the Ashes later this year, after a summer in which they won seven out of eight Tests. Series victories against West Indies and Pakistan were followed by a 2-0 triumph in New Zealand and all that is left before the battle for the urn is a two-match series against Pakistan in England.Ponting said after the final home Test in January that there were no boxes left to tick before the Ashes, although the return to form of Marcus North and the emergence of Ryan Harris over the past two weeks have given him extra reason to believe. The Test squad features no passengers and such is the depth that if everyone is fit, the challenge will be deciding who to leave out.”We can’t be any better placed at the moment, we have two Tests to play in England then it’s straight into it,” Ponting said. “There will be no excuses from where we are sitting. We’ve done everything we would have liked for us to have achieved throughout the summer, there’s never been a game that has dragged on. When there’s been big moments, we’ve stepped in and got the job done. That’s what I expect from these players and they know that.”We have got great depth at the moment, which every good team needs and every good team wants. You look at Doug Bollinger, he came into the side when a few guys were injured in India and he hasn’t looked back and the same for Ryan Harris, he’s stepped up to the plate and become a very good international cricketer.”Harris ended his first Test series with nine wickets at an average of 23, while Bollinger has firmly established himself alongside Mitchell Johnson as a frontline fast bowler. It leaves questions over Peter Siddle and Ben Hilfenhaus, who began the summer as the first-choice new-ball bowlers before succumbing to injury.Hilfenhaus was the Man of the Match in his only Test of the summer before being sidelined by a knee problem, while Siddle struggled for most of the season and then suffered a back stress fracture that should keep him out of the series against Pakistan. If both men are fit by Ashes time, the make-up of Australia’s attack will be a difficult selection issue.”It’s a tough question. I’m not sure what the right answer is,” Ponting said. “A lot of it might be based on conditions when we get to Brisbane as well, knowing what the ball will do up there. Looking at someone like Doug, he’ll swing the new ball. Hilfenhaus got five I think up there and Man of the Match against the West Indies in the first game of the summer last year. Being a quality swing bowler like he is, if he’s fit then he’ll come into calculations.”It’s a good problem to have. Knowing someone like Pete Siddle as well, who can run in and bowl at good pace and unsettle batters and be a good guy to have around the group. To have those guys all fully fit will make the job tough for the selectors. I’m not sure who has got their noses in front at the moment.”What is certain is that Australia’s summer couldn’t have been much better, the only Test blemish being when West Indies drew in Adelaide. By the time was belted out at 5.20pm on March 31 at Seddon Park, it signalled the end of an excellent season, with the players dispersing either home or to the IPL before their next challenges, which will culminate with the Ashes opener in November.”There were probably some question-marks over our Test cricket before the summer started, being a little bit inconsistent through the Ashes series,” Ponting said. “I’m really proud of what the group has been able to do, especially when you consider all the cricket that we’ve had to play. Generally when you get a bit tired teams can fade away but I think if anything we’ve got better and stronger as a group as the year has gone on. I’m really happy with what we’ve achieved.”

The inquiry committee looking into Pakistan’s disastrous tour to Australia has recommended a string of harsh punishments against a number of Pakistan’s senior-most players, ranging from heavy fines to bans.The recommendations have still to be approved by the board chairman – and they could yet be turned down – but Cricinfo has learnt that the committee has called for the Akmal brothers and Shahid Afridi to be fined for various misdemeanours and for Shoaib Malik and Naved-ul-Hasan to be banned for up to a year from international cricket.If implemented the measures are likely to represent some of the harshest punishments taken against Pakistan players and will further throw the composition of Pakistan’s squad for the World Twenty20 into considerable disarray. None of the players, it is believed, are certain to make the 15-man squad for the tournament at this moment.The six-man committee completed its report last week and sent it to Ijaz Butt. The chairman held a meeting with the selection committee on Monday in which he briefed them on the contents of the inquiry committee’s report. He warned the selectors – now headed by Mohsin Khan – that he had “shocking news” for them and proceeded to inform them of the details of the report.Pakistan’s winless tour to Australia began promisingly, but swiftly deteriorated after the second Test in Sydney, where the tourists suffered a shocking defeat. Thereafter the touring squad unraveled; first the Akmal brothers seemed to openly challenge the touring management, Kamran insisting he would play in the final Test in Hobart despite the board having released a statement saying he would be dropped.Younger brother Umar was at the centre of a brief storm, in which it was alleged that he had feigned an injury and refused to play in Hobart if his brother was dropped. The report recommends fining the brothers between Rs 2-3 million and that they be put on a probationary period for their behaviour after the Sydney Test.The tour ended with Afridi being banned by the ICC for two games after he was caught biting the ball in a bid to tamper it in the last ODI in Perth. The report calls for a similar fine and that he also be put on a probationary period during which he not be considered for the captaincy. Afridi was Pakistan’s Twenty20 captain but that status now is in doubt.The situation for Naved and Malik is altogether more serious; both have been accused of significant breaches of discipline. Though the specifics are unclear, it is thought that the pair had problems with Mohammad Yousuf, who was captain for the Tests and ODIs. Yousuf and Malik have long been at odds with each other and the pair engaged in another slanging match soon after returning to Pakistan. Malik has consistently been at the centre of accusations of intrigue and factionalism within the team since he was removed as leader last year.Sources told Cricinfo that Butt is incensed with the players and is willing to go through with all the recommendations. At the meeting with the selectors he told them to prepare a squad for the World Twenty20 but to keep question marks over this group of players and to keep their options open. The squad was due to be announced on Monday but will be delayed, at the very least, to next week; the selection committee has filtered down the probables to 21 for now.Butt has urged the selectors to look for fresher faces, telling them that he intends “to give a lesson to these players and convey to them the message that nobody is indispensable.”The trickiest decision may well be over the captain of the squad. Malik and Afridi seem to be out of the picture now; Younis Khan and Yousuf do not play the format and are not in the probables. Amazingly that could leave Misbah-ul-Haq, should he be picked, as a candidate and though some TV reports said his name had been put forward by the selectors, attendees at the meeting said no names had yet been discussed.

Auckland registered their first victory of the competition, and a stunning one at that, after proceedings in the first innings seemed to indicate the match was on its way to a draw. Wellington, who are at the fifth place on the points table, were asked to bat and they responded well, posting 477 courtesy a century from Stewart Rhodes (124). He was helped by half-centuries from Michael Pollard (60), Luke Woodcock (97) and Jeetan Patel (71). However, Auckland were far more dominating in their reply, with centuries from Tim McIntosh (171) and Richard Jones (107) taking them to 480 for the loss of just three wickets.Auckland declared once they went past Wellington with the intention of forcing a win, and that’s what they managed to achieve thanks to a combined bowling effort in the second innings. Led by legspinner Tarun Nethula, who took 4 for 17, Auckland kept gnawing away at the Wellington batsmen. Each of the five bowlers managed to grab at least a wicket, including two from the top order by seamer Gareth Shaw. Wellington folded for 122 in under 50 overs, and the Auckland openers, requiring 120 to win, knocked the runs off quickly on the fourth day to seal a morale-boosting win.Runs flowed in Rangiora as Northern Districts and Canterbury batted out a high-scoring draw. But, importantly, Northern Districts managed to secure a first-innings lead to clinch two points and retain their place at the top of the points table. The match featured five centuries, three in the first innings as Canterbury, after opting to bat, declared on 558 for 4. The opener Rob Nicol made 134 followed by Shanan Stewart (161*) and Dean Brownlie (112*), who added an unbeaten 236 for the fifth wicket to take their team to a mammoth score.Canterbury’s hopes of securing a first-innings lead were thwarted by a collective batting display from ND. Five batsmen out of the top six managed a score of at least 65, and each of the 11 who batted reached double-digits. The Marshall brothers, Hamish and James, struck centuries and added 122 for the fifth wicket. James Marshall then received excellent support from the lower order, as the total stretched to 726, a lead of 168; the last three wickets yielded 180 runs. Openers BJ Watling and Michael Parlane began the tough reply with a stand of 126, and Kane Williamson contributed 93 to set the platform for the Marshalls and the lower order to build on. Canterbury, as a result of the draw, were left at second place at the end of the round.Rain played spoilsport on the fourth and final day in Invercargill as the contest between Central Districts and Otago, which promised much, ended in a draw. Both teams were left tied on 18 points at the end of the game – CD won two points due to a first-innings lead – but Otago are ranked third due to a better quotient (0.972 as opposed to 0.958).CD were asked to bat, and Matthew Sinclair, backed by a solid top and middle-order performance, helped himself to 122. However, Otago hit back as their seamers Neil Wagner and Warren McSkimming grabbed seven wickets between them to restrict CD to 355 after they had threatened to get much more; the last six wickets fell for 26 runs.Aaron Redmond replied strongly in Otago’s innings, scoring 136, and while Sam Wells reached a half-century, CD held the upper hand at the end of their innings after Ewen Thompson picked up 5 for 64. Michael Mason supported him with three wickets to help bowl out Otago for 330 and secure a 25-run lead. But in a see-saw fixture, CD slipped to 95 for 5 in their second innings before rain erased any hopes of a thrilling finish on the fourth day.

West Indies have suffered another injury blow with confirmation the allrounder Dwayne Bravo will miss all the engagements against Australia this month. Bravo broke his right thumb while playing for Victoria in Australia’s domestic Twenty20 competition and will return to Trinidad in a bid to be fit for the series against Zimbabwe starting in the Caribbean on February 28.Wavell Hinds, the batting allrounder, will replace Bravo for the matches that begin in Melbourne on Sunday. It will be the first major opportunity for Hinds, who has appeared in 45 Tests and 114 ODIs, since he faced Australia in the Champions Trophy in 2006.West Indies, who began the trip with a warm-up in Canberra on Thursday, are due to play five ODIs and two Twenty20s over the next three weeks. The side is already without Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Ramnaresh Sarwan and Sulieman Benn from the unit that challenged Australia during the three Tests last November and December.Bravo’s withdrawal places increased pressure on the captain Chris Gayle, who scored a century in the warm-up, and the allrounder Kieron Pollard.

West Indies will be missing a group of key men to injury for their tour to Australia next month, with Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Ramnaresh Sarwan among the major omissions. The experienced batsmen, who were part of the 2-0 Test loss late last year, will be joined at home by Adrian Barath, Daren Bravo, Jerome Taylor and Fidel Edwards.Sulieman Benn, who was suspended for two ODIs for an incident in the Perth Test, is also not part of the trip due to injury, leaving Chris Gayle to lead a patched-up squad of 15. “We are missing some key players, but this is an opportunity for other players to re-establish themselves,” Clyde Butts, the chairman of selectors, said.”We have selected some allrounders who we believe have the ability to be match-winners at the international level. Dwayne Smith and Kieron Pollard have been a bit disappointing in the past, but they have displayed the ability to perform on the Twenty20 stage, and we think they will be major assets in the squad.”Another significant change is that Denesh Ramdin has been axed as vice-captain, a post he has held since late 2008 when Sarwan quit the job.West Indies will play five ODIs and two Twenty20s on the tour and will use the matches to prepare for a home series against Zimbabwe and the World Twenty20 tournament in the Caribbean in April and May.”We have faith in the players and we believe the team can beat Australia,” Butts said. “Before we went to Australia for the Test matches, the team was not given a chance by many people, but we saw how well they bounced backed after the first Test and challenged the Aussies in Adelaide and Perth.”West Indies squad Chris Gayle (capt), Travis Dowlin, Runako Morton, Dwayne Bravo, Narsingh Deonarine, Brendan Nash, Kieron Pollard, Dwayne Smith, Denesh Ramdin (wk), Darren Sammy, Lendl Simmons, Nikita Miller, Ravi Rampaul, Kemar Roach, Gavin Tonge.Itinerary
February 4, tour game v Prime Minister’s XI, Canberra
February 7, 1st ODI, Melbourne
February 9, 2nd ODI, Adelaide
February 12, 3rd ODI, Sydney
February 14, 4th ODI, Brisbane
February 19, 5th ODI, Melbourne
February 21, 1st T20, Hobart
February 23, 2nd T20, Sydney

Australian one-day international batsman Darren Lehmann will miss the Travelex Tour of Kenya after consultation between Australian Cricket Board (ACB) doctor Trefor James and the National Selection Panel (NSP) last night (18 August).He will be replaced in the 14-man squad for the Tri-Nations Cup involving Australia, Pakistan and Kenya by Queensland Bulls all-rounder Andrew Symonds.Dr James recommended to the NSP that Lehmann’s fractured little finger be re-assessed in another fortnight to monitor the healing process.Lehmann injured the finger on his left hand while playing for English county side Yorkshire.NSP Chairman Trevor Hohns said advice received from Dr James clearly highlighted the need to give Lehmann added healing time.”The advice we have received from Dr James was very clear, in that Darren’s injury is still quite fresh and needs time to completely heal,” Hohns said.”With that being the case, we have been advised that he will need a further medical examination in another fortnight during which time the team will have departed for Kenya.”Our reason for leaving Darren out of the squad was primarily two-fold. Firstly we don’t want to rush him back and run the risk of him injuring the finger again and secondly we want to ensure that the squad we send overseas is as close to 100 per cent fit as possible.”His next medical examination will determine his fitness for the ICC Champions Trophy in Sri Lanka and that was another consideration in allowing him extra time to recover.”Whilst this is a disappointing time for Darren, it is also a terrific opportunity for Andy Symonds who has displayed some encouraging form for Kent in English country cricket,” he said.Symonds, who last represented Australia during the 2001-02 VB Series will not be part of Australia’s International Cricket Council (ICC) Champions Trophy campaign in Sri Lanka.Subject to a medical clearance, Darren Lehmann will assume his place in the side.Instead, Symonds will join the Australia A squad for the remainder of its series against South Africa A, due to commencein Potchefstroom on 4 September.

Richie Benaud might be retiring from ball-by-ball commentary at the end of the summer but he won’t be leaving Nine’s cricket coverage. Benaud, 79, signed a three-year deal last week and his downgraded commitments will include analysis and guest spots.”I won’t be doing live commentary,” Benaud told the Sunday Telegraph. “Someone asked me: ‘Does that mean you’ll never again go into the commentary box?’ Well, the answer to that is if there is, as there always can be, some emergency or a sensational happening, on or off the field, – where it would be quite ridiculous not to go into the commentary box – of course I’ll be in there doing my job and doing it as professionally as I can. But I won’t be on the live commentary roster.”Benaud, who took 248 wickets in 63 Tests, stepped down from his full-time broadcast duties in England in 2005 and finished with News of the World at the end of the Ashes series in August. He has continued being a large part of the coverage back home and Steve Crawley, Nine’s head of sport, said Benaud was “an icon of Australian television”.”He is a wise man and we’re not silly enough not to continue taking his advice,” he said. “With him retiring as a cricket commentator, that’s one thing. But you don’t retire from family.”Benaud also said Michael Clarke would do a good job as captain of Australia – as long as he can solve his back problem – and he is sure Brett Lee will continue to do well. “He’s made his comeback,” Benaud said. “He’s determined to get back in the Test side.”Some people if they get an injury like that, they’ll give it a wave of the hand and they can’t be bothered getting fit. There are others like Dennis Lillee, who fought his way back through severe injury to play for Australia again. Brett Lee has done the same thing again – he has put Australian cricket ahead of himself and I hope he does well and I’m sure he will.”

ScorecardPeter George collected 8 for 84•South Australian Cricket Association

South Australia’s Peter George bowled himself into history with the best figures ever recorded at Bellerive Oval but the Redbacks still face a challenge to take first-innings points against Tasmania. George finished with 8 for 84 in Tasmania’s innings of 389 and shared the star billing with the Tigers batsman Ed Cowan, who scored 225.George’s figures beat the previous best at Bellerive Oval, the 7 for 38 collected by Tom Moody for Western Australia during the 1995-96 season. It was the best analysis in the Sheffield Shield/Pura Cup competition since Stuart Clark grabbed 8 for 58 against Western Australia three summers ago.Adding to the impressive nature of the performance, it was the first five-wicket haul in first-class cricket for George, who was playing his tenth match. His victims included Cowan, who added 21 to his overnight score and finished with 57% of Tasmania’s total.In reply, South Australia had reached 4 for 220 at stumps with Cameron Borgas unbeaten on 34 and Graham Manou on 7. They had been well set up by the opener Daniel Harris, who scored 77, and Mark Cosgrove (49) but will need to rely on their lower middle-order to help them overtake Tasmania.