Tour Match, New Road: day three India 417-8 v Worcestershire
After the first two days of this four-day fixture were washed out by rain, India's batsmen finally had a chance to work on their techniques ahead of next Thursday's second Test against England.
Sachin Tendulkar sprang back to form, hitting 169 in a shade over five hours, but he was not the only tourist to have a decent day with the bat.
Test openers Wasim Jaffer (43) and Virender Sehwag (42) started strongly, before both fell to off-spinner Gareth Batty with the score on 99.
Seamer Alamgir Sheriyar struck moments later as all-rounder Sanjay Bangar was caught behind.
But superstar Tendulkar steadied the ship in fine style.
A fan who confronted Sachin Tendulkar on the pitch during a Test match at Lord's could lose his membership of the exclusive Melbourne Cricket Club.
Alistair Dobson, 24, from Melbourne, caused a security scare when he walked on the pitch and accompanied Tendulkar back to the pavilion.
Dobson was a guest of Marylebone Cricket Club for the match last week as part of the reciprocal rights agreement between the two clubs.
"I would think it's an incident that is regrettable," Melbourne CC secretary Stephen Gough said.
Melbourne CC boasts 75,000 members in two categories at Melbourne Cricket Ground and waiting lists can be up to 20 years for full membership rights.
"We've got 178,000 on the waiting list, most of them are kids aged zero to 15," Gough said.
"We have contacted the MCC [Marylebone CC] and been given details of the incident.
Robert Key could make his Test debut as opener if he is named in England's squad to face India at Trent Bridge.
The squad will be revealed by the selectors on Sunday, with the second Test in the four-match series starting on 8 August.
A fresh batting place is up for grabs after Graham Thorpe revealed his decision to take a break from cricket.
Mark Butcher is more than happy to drop down and bat at three - where he is far more prolific for England than as an opener.
Therefore the best place for Key, the 23-year-old who plays for Kent, could be facing the new ball with Michael Vaughan.
Key has been consistent in the first-class game this summer, scoring three centuries with an aggregate of 980 runs at 44.54.
ICC Champions Trophy
Sourav Ganguly has been confirmed as Indian captain for September's ICC Champions Trophy in Sri Lanka.
But a fresh selection committee will decide his long-term future when they take over immediately after the tournament, which features all Test-playing nations.
Although his record as a Test captain is patchy, Ganguly led his side to an impressive one-day tournament victory over England and Sri Lanka in July.
"We selected Ganguly because he is going good," said Niranjan Shah, secretary of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).
"He could have been selected right up to the World Cup but the committee is changing in September," he said.
The selectors also revealed an initial squad of 20 for the ICC Trophy, which will be reduced to 14 in due course.
Morocco Cup
Sri Lanka named its squad for the Morocco Cup on Friday, sticking to the same players selected for the upcoming one-day international series against Bangladesh.
The three-match series against Bangladesh begins on Sunday.
Sri Lanka will face Pakistan and South Africa in the Morocco Cup beginning on August 12 in Tangier, north Africa's first international venue.
Shoaib Akhtar, one of cricket's fastest bowlers, won't be in Pakistan's squad for this month's series against South Africa and Sri Lanka because of injury, an official of Pakistan Cricket Board said Friday.
"Shoaib Akhtar has been given rest as he is recovering from a leg injury," said board spokesman Khalid Butt.
Akhtar, often called "the Rawalpindi Express," did not join the training camp two weeks ago as Pakistan prepared for the August 12-21 triangular series at Tangiers, Morocco, Butt said.
However, all-rounder Abdul Razzaq and off-spinner Saqlain Mushtaq have come back into the squad after missing the three-match Challenger Series against world champions Australia last month because they were busy playing in the British county championship, for Middlesex and Surrey respectively.
Butt said Akhtar would be considered for the triangular series between Pakistan, Australia and Kenya scheduled for August 29-September 7 in Nairobi.
According to Butt, the squad for the Tangiers series will be: Waqar Younis (captain), Saeed Anwar, Shahid Afridi, Imran Nazir, Younis Khan, Inzamam-ul-haq, Yousuf Youhana, Misbah-ul-haq, Abdul Razzaq, Azhar Mahmood, Rashid Latif, Wasim Akram, Mohammad Sami, Shoaib Malik and Saqlain Mushtaq.
Under-19 cricket
England U19 selectors have made three changes to the 12-man squad for the second and third Tests against India.
Surrey's James Benning, Mark Pettini of Essex and Durham bowler Liam Plunkett are the additions to the squad which drew the first Test in Cardiff.
Nicholas Compton, Samit Patel and Joseph Sayers are the players left out.
England coach Tim Boon said: "The players coming in are in good form at the moment and we think that they will suit the conditions at the two remaining venues."
The second Test starts at the Rose Bowl in Hampshire on Wednesday with the third and final Test scheduled for Northampton on 13 August.
England U19 squad: P McMahon (Nottinghamshire, Capt), K Ali (Worcestershire), J Benning (Surrey), T Bresnan (Yorkshire), K Hogg (Lancashire), N Malik (Nottinghamshire), G Muchall (Durham), M Pettini (Essex), L Plunkett (Durham), S Pope (Gloucestershire), B Shafayat (Nottinghamshire), G Wagg (Warwickshire).
Women's cricket
England selectors have named a 14-player squad for the two-Test series against India, starting on Thursday at Shenley.
Rookie bowlers Isa Guha and Laura Spragg keep their places following impressive performances in the recent triangular one-day series.
Guha took three wickets and Spragg two in the final against New Zealand, but England were beaten by 63 runs.
They will form the core of England's attack along with Clare Taylor, England's most experienced bowler, who this summer became the first Englishwoman to take 100 international wickets.
There are recalls to the squad for two top-order batsmen, Caroline Atkins and Kathryn Leng.
England Captain Clare Connor believes the right squad has been selected and is confident of a forward showing.
The second Test begins on 14 August at Taunton.
England squad: Clare Connor (Sussex, Capt), Clare Taylor (Yorks), Caroline Atkins (Sussex), Charlotte Edwards (Kent), Mandie Godliman (Sussex), Isa Guha (Berskhire), Laura Harper (Somerset), Dawn Holden (Notts), Laura Newton (Cheshire), Claire Taylor (Berks), Kathryn Leng (Yorks), Melissa Reynard (Yorks), Laura Spragg (Yorks), Nikki Shaw (Notts).
