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The first roll-out of Ashes tickets did not match the stampede for the 2006-07 series but more than 60,000 seats were sold for the opening Tests in Brisbane and Adelaide. Members of the Australian Cricket Family were given priority in the initial release ahead of next week’s general launch.Almost 25,000 tickets went in the first 30 minutes for the Brisbane Test, which starts on November 25, and by the end of the day the total had risen to more than 27,000. While local supporters gained a jump on England fans, there will still be at least 20,000 seats available at the Gabba – its daily capacity is 40,000 – to the general public over the first four days.While the demand was small compared to the unprecedented interest four years ago, Queensland Cricket was pleased with the response. “It’s what we’d get for a good series so we’re rapt,” a spokesman said.The Sydney Test goes on sale on Thursday for registered members while the Melbourne and Perth tickets will be available on Friday. Unfilled seats will then be made available to the general public from next Wednesday.Four years ago the ticket systems crashed due to the demand caused by those wanting to see how Australia reacted to their 2005 loss. The result was a 5-0 whitewash of England, the first in an Ashes contest since 1920-21, and the series was watched by a record 930,000 spectators.

Five players from the all-star West Indies sides of the 80s have made it to Cricinfo’s West Indies all-time Test XI: Gordon Greenidge, Viv Richards, Curtly Ambrose, Michael Holding and Malcolm Marshall.Viv Richards was the one unanimous pick from that era. Garry Sobers, considered the world’s greatest allrounder, and George Headley, nicknamed the black Bradman, were the other two to get all 10 votes.Like in the Pakistan all-time XI, there are no current players in the XI, a reflection of the sorry state of two teams that were once world-class.Greenidge was picked by nine jurors to open the innings, but his partner Desmond Haynes, with whom he made a record 16 century stands missed out; the other opener’s spot went to Conrad Hunte, who opened in all of his 44 Tests for West Indies and scored over 3000 runs. Other prominent omissions were the three Ws and Andy Roberts.Brian Lara made it to the middle order with six votes, while the gloves were given to Jackie Hendriks. Though Jeff Dujon and Clyde Walcott were the better batsmen, Hendriks got the nod over them because of his remarkable skills behind the wicket, including to spinners. And with a middle order that boasts Headley, Richards, Lara and Sobers, the XI can afford to have a pure keeper in the ranks.The most debated-on position among the readers was that of the spinner: whether West Indies, with its fast-bowling pack, needed one. The jury thought they did, and all but one picked Lance Gibbs, the first spin bowler to take 300 Test wickets, over Sonny Ramadhin and Alf Valentine.That left three fast-bowling spots, which went to Malcolm Marshall (nine votes), and to Michael Holding and Curtly Ambrose (six votes each).Barbados, traditionally the powerhouse of Caribbean cricket, accounts for four players in the XI, followed by Jamaica with three.We invited our readers to pick their XI, and their middle-order, fast-bowling, spinner and allrounder picks matched the jury’s. Sobers got close to a unanimous vote for the allrounder’s spot, while Gibbs got over 80%. A majority of readers picked the Greenidge-Haynes pair to open the innings, and over 77% voted for Dujon to keep wicket.The jury included former Test player Jimmy Adams, journalists Tony Becca, Fazeer Mohammed and Garth Wattley, radio commentator Joseph Perreira, cricket historian Hilary Beckles, sports psychologist Rudi Webster, writers Ian McDonald and Frank Birbalsingh and former West Indies media manager Imran Khan.More about the XI hereThe XI: Gordon Greenidge, Conrad Hunte, George Headley, Vivian Richards, Brian Lara, Garry Sobers, Jackie Hendriks, Malcolm Marshall, Michael Holding, Curtly Ambrose, Lance Gibbs.Readers’ XI: Gordon Greenidge, Desmond Haynes, George Headley, Viv Richards, Brian Lara, Garry Sobers, Jeff Dujon, Malcolm Marshall, Michael Holding, Curtly Ambrose, Lance Gibbs.NomineesOpeners: Conrad Hunte, Roy Fredericks, Gordon Greenidge, Desmond Haynes, Chris Gayle.Middle order: George Headley, Everton Weekes, Clyde Walcott, Frank Worrell, Rohan Kanhai, Seymour Nurse, Clive Lloyd, Lawrence Rowe, Alvin Kallicharran, Viv Richards, Richie Richardson, Brian Lara, Shivnarine Chanderpaul.Allrounders: Learie Constantine, Garry Sobers, Gerry Gomez, Collie Smith.Wicketkeepers: Clyde Walcott, Jackie Hendriks, Deryck Murray, Jeffrey Dujon.Fast bowlers: Wes Hall, Charlie Griffith, Andy Roberts, Michael Holding, Colin Croft, Joel Garner, Malcolm Marshall, Courtney Walsh, Curtly Ambrose, Ian Bishop.Spinners: Alf Valentine, Sonny Ramadhin, Lance Gibbs.

Sussex have signed the Danish-born paceman Amjad Khan from Kent on a three-year contract.Khan, 29, had been with Kent since his arrival on the county scene in 2002 but was unable to agree terms with the county for a new deal. He instead joins newly-promoted Sussex as their senior fast bowler, the day after Corey Collymore announced he was leaving Sussex for Middlesex.Khan was granted British citizenship in 2006 and attracted interest from the England selectors three years later, overcoming a career-threatening knee injury to make his Test debut against West Indies at Port of Spain in March 2009.Though he hasn’t played for England since, his reputation for pace and reverse-swing makes him an exciting prospect for Sussex coach Mark Robinson.”Amjad has genuine pace and is a potential match-winner in all formats of the game,” he said. “Having spoken at length with him, one thing that comes across is how hungry he is to re-establish himself as a potential England cricketer, and to make telling contributions to a winning team. His reasons for coming are all those, as a coach, that you want to hear. He will be a good spearhead to complement our other exciting young bowlers.”Khan has missed most of this season with injury and was sad to leave the county that had founded his career but he said he’s looking forward to a new challenge. “My nine years with Kent have been fantastic and it was a wrench to leave, but I have come to the point in my career where I need a new start and a fresh challenge.”Sussex has a great reputation for supporting and developing it’s squad and I am excited about the prospects for the rest of my career as I have no intention of being a one-cap Test cricketer.”

Grant Flower’s return to international cricket at the age of 39 has encountered a temporary hitch after he was denied permission to depart for South Africa from Harare airport on Monday because of invalid travel documents.”I’ve had a long day, but I think it’s getting sorted out,” Flower told ESPNcricinfo. “I should be on the flight to South Africa tomorrow (Tuesday) afternoon. I’m either going to get a new passport, or an emergency travel document.”Flower is set to play his first match for Zimbabwe in six years during their short series of two Twenty20 internationals and three ODIs against South Africa, having agreed to combine a playing return with his primary duty as national batting coach. However, he was left behind as the squad flew into Johannesburg, because his passport is still at the Zimbabwe Consulate in London awaiting renewal.”We are hoping to resolve the matter in the next 24 hours,” Zimbabwe team manager Lovemore Banda told Reuters. “Grant Flower had to travel on a temporary document because his passport is still in the embassy in London waiting for a visa application. Those temporary documents are usually accepted all over the world, but South Africa have recently changed their rules due to all their immigration problems.”Flower is one of Zimbabwe’s most experienced cricketers of all time, having played in 67 Tests and 219 one-day internationals between 1992 and 2004, when he joined an exodus of senior players following the removal of Heath Streak from the captaincy. Streak has also rejoined the Zimbabwe fold as bowling coach, as the team seeks to re-emerge from the doldrums and build towards a competitive showing in the 2011 World Cup.”Having some experience around is vital as we make our way back into international cricket and head towards test cricket, and there’s no doubt Grant still has what it takes,” said Alistair Campbell, the chief selector. “We’re very excited about having him back in the team. He is still as fit as a 21-year-old, and had a brilliant season for Essex in the one-day game.

“Make an effort number 73,” blurted a random voice from somewhere inside the Bullring. Number 73 was the number of the captain of the Highveld Lions Alviro Petersen. He had done nothing but watch from the slips as his wicketkeeper, Thami Tsolekile, got beaten by a lack of turn from Aaron Phangiso, the spinner in operation, and conceded two byes. At worst, it was unfair abuse, at best, a silly joke.The fan who made that retort didn’t need to ask for more from the captain, who went on to engineer a solid, nine-wicket thumping over Guyana. “I believe in leading from the front and think it’s important for a captain to do well,” Petersen said. At the point of the fan’s outburst, Guyana were 61 for 3 and despite some good bowling were putting up a bit of a fight. Four strangulating overs followed and then Petersen pulled the trigger, with the throw that ran out Christopher Barnwell. His all-round performance also included a fine catch on the boundary and a second successive half-century.Petersen was at the helm of a unit that was solid in the field. The team claimed two run-outs and took four catches. What made the difference in the field, for Petersen, was the bowling, particularly the inclusion of fast bowler Craig Alexander. “We had to leave Werner Coetsee out as a second spinner and that allowed us to bring Craig in. He was reaching speeds of just under 150kmh and got a big breakthrough with Ramnaresh Sarwan’s wicket.”Ethan O’ Reilly was the other bowler Petersen singled out. His career best 4 for 27 was in danger of being overshadowed by Richard Cameron’s blazing knock, but Petersen didn’t forget to pay tribute to his strike bowler. “It’s nice to be able to get guys of Craig’s and Ethan’s pace bowling together. Ethan is a regular in our team and he showed his class with the ball today.”Despite heaping praise on Alexander, Petersen said there are no guarantees that he will feature in the next game. “We made it clear that we would select horses for courses in this tournament and it was good to get Craig involved this time. We have healthy competition for places in the team.” One of the bowlers who come into contention for a place is Shane Burger, whose back strain has kept him out of the last two matches. Petersen said the man who removed Sachin Tendulkar should be fit for Tuesday’s match against the Royal Challengers Bangalore.A win in that match will be vital for the Lions if they are to progress to the semi-finals and Petersen is confident of their chances. “We came into the tournament having decided that we will take it one ball at a time. It’s a big game for us and if we prepare well, like we did for this match then I think we have a good chance.”For the other captain, Sarwan, matters aren’t quite so celebratory. “We knew that 148 was not enough. Initially, I felt we were 20-30 runs short but when they won with five overs to spare, I realised that even 170 wouldn’t have been enough.” Despite a third loss in as many games, Sarwan thinks some of the criticism aimed at his men is too harsh, especially the frequency with which they are being judged against Cinderella team Trinidad and Tobago. “The comparisons have already started but what people must not forget is that we won the Caribbean T20 competition and we deserve to be here.” Sarwan has always argued that Guyana were inexperienced but was disappointed that they didn’t “learn as quickly as we needed to do” through the tournament.That lack of experience showed in the field, with Guyana offering too many short balls to the Lions’ batsmen. It was what allowed Petersen and Cameron to cross the boundary rope 19 times between them. “Richard batted beautifully and I was just hanging in there. He has really made that No. 3 spot his own,” said Petersen. Although he chose to downplay his own innings, when he was at the crease, there was no doubt who number 73 was. “Petersen, Petersen,” came the calls from the same corner they had erupted from earlier. There was no need to add “make an effort.”

Jitendra Patil, a left-arm fast bowler from Maharashtra, has been charged with ball tampering in an Under-22 CK Nayudu Trophy match against Uttar Pradesh on Wednesday. This is the first time such an incident has occurred in Indian domestic cricket.Harvinder Sodhi, the match referee, confirmed the incident, but said he was yet to take any action. “Since the umpires report came a bit late, I would only be taking a decision tomorrow [Thursday],” Sodhi told the . “I have fixed a hearing for this on Thursday [the final day of the game].”An official from the Uttar Pradesh Cricket Association said there was no provision to immediately suspend the offending player or prevent him from bowling.Patil was allegedly caught applying cream on the ball, four deliveries into Maharashtra’s 39th over, on the third day of the game. As soon as it was noticed by the umpires, they ordered a ball change, and later awarded five penalty runs to Uttar Pradesh. As per the BCCI rules, the batsmen had a choice of seven balls to choose from, including a new one.

New South Wales 3 for 190 (Hughes 80*) beat Tasmania 8 for 189 (Cowan 58, Lee 3-51) by 7 wickets
ScorecardPhillip Hughes made an unbeaten 80•Global Cricket Ventures-BCCI

Brett Lee and Phillip Hughes set up a comfortable victory for New South Wales, who cruised past Tasmania’s 8 for 189 in the regional centre of Burnie. Lee collected 3 for 51 to help restrict the Tigers, who are the competition leaders, and Hughes compiled an unbeaten 80 as the Blues eased to their target with 23 balls remaining, to move to second spot on the table.It was a strong all-round effort from the visitors, who also took the extra point available at the halfway mark, when they had scored 1 for 86 to Tasmania’s 2 for 66. The Tigers found the going tough having been sent in and Ed Cowan’s 58 was the only score of note against a strong attack led by Lee, who leads the Ryobi Cup wicket tally with 14.David Warner made 44 for New South Wales and Steven Smith’s 32 helped the visitors to their triumph, which was anchored by the opener Hughes, who is hoping to remind the Australian selectors of his talent. Lee is also keen to force his way back in to the national team for the one-day games against England and the World Cup early next year.”I want to play for Australia. I’m ready, it’s as simple as that,” Lee told AAP after the victory. “I’m back bowling fast, I’m back bowling well and I’m taking wickets.”

Andreas isn’t happy that our car doesn’t stop at his security check-point, instead driving right into the compound of the stunningly beautiful SuperSport Park in Centurion, the venue of the first Test. He looks like a security guard who has seen it all, one who’s kept various kinds of people from entering his ground. It has been overcast all day, and a slight drizzle has made it cold for a summer day. Not as cold as Andreas, though.”You didn’t ask for my permission before entering, now you are not allowed to go into the stadium” he says, pointing towards where the accreditation pass would have been – had there been one. “Okay,” we say, “let’s step out of the compound again, and then ask for your permission.” However, he can’t keep the act up for long, and starts laughing. And then he says, “We are going to beat you, boss,” pointing to a board featuring Dale Steyn and Ashwell Prince, saying. “Pure Protea. 100% South African.””Pure Protea,” repeats Andreas, and in the friendliest of manners, leads us on a tour of the ground. The ground itself is a pretty sight, with its grass banks, old-fashioned bars with wooden benches, the barbeques, the red benches in the press box, the old dressing room in the corner that is not used anymore, and the feel of the breeze going right across the open turf. South Africa cannot be inhospitable, else it wouldn’t be hosting so many top sporting events. Even Andreas has become a friend now, and he will be bought beers if – as he says – South Africa are going to beat India, boss. Warm hosts as they might be, the South Africans will bring a cold edge when they host the No. 1 side in the world.And India are not expecting anything less. The advertisements say the South Africans are waiting; the same can be said of the Indians. India know this tour will define how the team is seen. They know that as long as they are not swept 3-0 they will hang on to their No. 1 ranking. They also know how seriously their No. 1 ranking will be taken if they perform abysmally here. They know it has never been less about rankings.In an interview with ESPNcricinfo recently, Gary Kirsten, India’s coach, said his side didn’t need to justify its No. 1 position, but also that the “Test series [against South Africa] will be a defining moment” for the team. He said this team, if it won the series, could well become the greatest Test side to come out of the country. Without doubt, given Australia’s current form, beating South Africa in South Africa remains the biggest challenge for this Indian team.A measure of how big a challenge this Test series is can be made from how this is a personal challenge for almost every individual in the side, at least the batting unit. Gautam Gambhir has returned to form through the series against New Zealand, but this will be the truest test of his technique since his remarkable comeback to the Indian side. There will be seam movement, and there will be constant bouncers, the kind Morne Morkel bowled to him in Nagpur to get him out twice in one day.Rahul Dravid knows that every failure for him is as good as three for a younger batsman. Is he still the man for the situations that call for the most determined of efforts, mentally and technically? There won’t be a better time than an overcast morning and a bouncy pitch come Thursday morning to prove this.VVS Laxman has saved and won matches he had no business winning and saving, but he knows he hasn’t scored a century in South Africa and it’s a record that could do with some setting straight.The last time Suresh Raina came here for a full tour – albeit a long time ago, and he has succeeded in the IPL here – he was sent back mid-tour, ruthlessly exposed during ODIs played on testing tracks. That drop and a subsequent injury have been the lowest points of his career. He has come back a mentally stronger cricketer and, with a few months to go for the World Cup, he will badly want to conquer the country that effectively cost him a place in the previous World Cup.The bowling unit, though, will be looking forward to this series. For close to two years they have been toiling in subcontinent conditions. The trio of Zaheer Khan, Ishant Sharma and Sreesanth in fact are the reason why just producing green-tops is not enough to assure South Africa of victory. Over the last five years, the Indian fast bowlers, along with their Pakistani counterparts have best exploited the helpful conditions here.The other troika, the coaching staff, will probably draw much more attention – not least because they are South Africans. Every player in the side swears by Kirsten’s methods – and it has shown in the results – but the same cannot be said of the bowling coach, Eric Simons. While Paddy Upton’s mental conditioning work is much more intangible, India’s bowling hasn’t quite gone from strength to strength under Simons. It is often said that he doesn’t quite know the subcontinent conditions well enough, and that spans the sample of his work with the bowlers. In South Africa, in conditions he should know better than most, the room for benefit of doubt will be minimal.That said, this is the most confident Indian side to have travelled to this side of the Indian Ocean. They know a lot can go wrong, but they also know a lot can go right. They are obviously feeling good as a team, and also as a unit that can do well in crisis situations. They have become better tourists over the years. South Africa is not that foreign either: they have played a World Twenty20 here since their last tour, and most of their players have played the IPL and the Champions League. And despite the individual challenges to the batsmen, they are perhaps the best Test batting unit going around right now. The bowlers cherish helpful conditions, which if delivered as promised, should be as lethal in their hands as in the South Africans’.Given the constraints of Indian cricket, with its commercial commitments, the team has also prepared the best that it could. It will help that they have stayed unbeaten through a home season for the second time in the last three years. This is not quite the Final Frontier as the admen would have it – they still have Australia to beat in Australia – but there is a sense that all the hard work of the last two to three years could come to nought if they lose comprehensively. The Indian team, however, evident at least from what Kirsten said, is not thinking about how to not lose, but how to win. While all of that pans out – we’re waiting.

Andrew Hilditch has confirmed he won’t volunteer to end his role as Australia’s chairman of selectors, and the only way he will leave the job is if he is sacked by Cricket Australia. Hilditch heads the four-man panel but is only a part-time selector, also working as a solicitor in Adelaide, and his contract with Cricket Australia expires after the World Cup.Late last year, Greg Chappell took on the role as Australia’s national talent manager and full-time selector, which could have created an opportunity for Hilditch to step aside and focus on his legal career. However, despite Australia’s Ashes humiliation, and his own insistence that the selectors had done a good job, Hilditch remains keen to stay on after his contract ends.”I have still got the same passion for everything I can give to Australian cricket, I only do it for one reason and that is I love Australian cricket,” he told reporters on Tuesday. “I’m trying to do the best job I possibly can, as is the whole selection panel. So it will be for someone else to tell me when I’m not required.”Hilditch was in Adelaide announcing Australia’s squad for the first ODI against England, which will feature several auditions from fringe men hoping to win a place at the World Cup. The selection of Australia’s 15-man group to defend the World Cup will be one of Hilditch’s final acts before a review of Australia’s woeful summer is instigated, and if Hilditch is stood down, the search will be on for a new chairman of selectors.Unlike Hilditch, his predecessor Trevor Hohns, who quit in 2006 to pursue his business interests, was seen as a bold selector, who oversaw the separation of the Test and one-day teams and also pushed champions like Ian Healy and Mark Waugh into retirement. Decisions on older plays like Ricky Ponting, Simon Katich and Michael Hussey might need to made in the near future, and Hohns said he would consider returning to the selection panel if he was asked.”It’s quite a challenge,” Hohns told the . “If the opportunity was to arise, I would give it serious consideration. I am not suggesting that is going to happen or suggesting that I am going to do any better.”The current four-man group – Hilditch, Chappell, David Boon and Jamie Cox – was criticised for several decisions this summer, including the lack of certainty over who was the best spinner for the Test side. But nearly a week after the series was surrendered in Sydney, Hilditch maintained that the selectors had not performed poorly, although he was disappointed at how his comments had been construed.”To the extent that someone thinks that we’re not disappointed with the result, I’m disappointed those comments were taken that way,” Hilditch said. “The reality is nobody could be more disappointed than the national selection panel. We picked what we thought was a squad capable of winning the Ashes and it wasn’t capable of winning the Ashes, so that is disappointing.”

Lancashire’s bid to redevelop their crumbling Old Trafford ground could turn into a race to save the county’s future, according to their chief executive, Jim Cumbes, as the club prepares to post a loss of around £2million for 2010, the worst ever recorded by a county cricket club.The figures, which have yet to be audited but will shortly be revealed to the club’s members, follow on from a loss of £546,000 in 2009, and have been exacerbated by a costly judicial review into the ground’s planning approval which has delayed the £30 million makeover, and the hearing for which been set for February 28 and March 1.The supermarket giant, Tesco, put forward £21 million of the money for the redevelopment, which was approved by Trafford Council in 2010, with a further £5.2 million from the North West Development Agency contingent on work starting before April. However, a rival development, Derwent, who own the nearby White City Retail Park, has attempted to block Tesco’s plans, trapping Lancashire right in the middle of the dispute.”It’s a critical decision for us, because although we aren’t the party being judicially reviewed, clearly we are the ones with the most to lose,” Cumbes told ESPNcricinfo. “We’ve paid out £1.5 million in fees for all the advice on the planning, and the delay by a rival wanting to build another supermarket in the area has delayed all the funding coming down to us. We expected to see that money back in October, but we haven’t yet seen a penny, and that’s hit us pretty hard.”Lancashire’s problems could be exacerbated if they miss their April deadline for redevelopment, because that would effectively end their hopes of securing an Ashes Test for 2013, which as Cumbes conceded, has already been factored into their revenue forecasts for future seasons. “That has been our target from the word go,” he said. “We drew up a business plan on the basis that, having missed an Ashes Test in 2009, we’d be in a stronger position to get one in 2013, because Old Trafford has never missed two Australia matches in its history.”Instead, Old Trafford has been living on scraps in recent seasons, with last summer’s three-day Test against Bangladesh being their only such match since the visit of New Zealand in 2008. “We’ve undertaken our development because we know we weren’t up to scratch,” said Cumbes. “But we’ve not had as many matches as we are used to, and that is critical because a large ground such as this requires maintenance irrespective of whether we get Test matches or not.”A further short-term dent in Lancashire’s balance sheet has been created by The Point, the controversial £12 million conference centre overlooking the ground which was officially opened during the Bangladesh Test in June, and is capable of catering for up to 800 people at a time. Cumbes, however, is confident that the benefits of that particular investment will be reaped in 2011 and beyond.”We wanted to send a message out to people that we were serious about development, and in that respect it is part of our business plan for the future,” he said. “Bookings for the venue have only really got going in the last three or four months, and it’s certainly been very encouraging, but of course when people book events of that size, they book months in advance, not a week ahead. We always knew that the benefits of that investment would come later rather than sooner.”However, the club knows it cannot afford to rest easy for the coming months. “We are not ringing alarm bells yet, but with the amount of debt that all category A grounds are getting at the moment, someone somewhere is going to run into trouble before long,” said Cumbes. “At the moment the club isn’t going under, but if we didn’t get the go-ahead for redevelopment, didn’t get Tests and weren’t recognised as a category A ground, then clearly the club would be in some sort of trouble. Whether that trouble is just remaining as a small county club or not existing at all is open to debate.”