England in India

India will be fined for slow over-rate during their 22-run victory over England in the first one-day game on Saturday, match referee Denis Lindsay said on Monday.
The International Cricket Council official said the size of the fine had yet to be fixed. India, who scored 281, bowled out England for 259 in 44 overs in Kolkata but were about three or four overs behind the clock. Teams are usually penalised five percent of the match fees per over.
England were also penalised one over for poor over-rate during their defeat at Eden Gardens.

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England are poised to mix up their line-ups during this winter's one-day series in India and New Zealand.
The tourists have mostly chosen their strongest team for every match during the reign of captain Nasser Hussain and coach Duncan Fletcher over the last two years.

But now, England are keen to expose every member of the squad to match action, especially with the World Cup in South Africa just over a year away.
Changes from the side defeated in Calcutta are planned for Tuesday's game at the Barabati Stadium in Cuttack.

Triangular in Australia

Australia snapped a three-game losing streak, on the back of Damien Martyn's third one day century, with a 27-run victory over South Africa in their triangular series limited overs match on Sunday.

Australia, who made 241 for four batting first thanks to Martyn's unbeaten 104, got their first points of the competition after losing their opening three matches of the series, which includes New Zealand.

Neil McKenzie made 68 in South Africa's 214 all out in 48.4 overs, adding 77 for the third wicket with Jacques Kallis (37) before Kallis was out at 126 for three and Jonty Rhodes (2) fell three overs later in the 32nd over at 135 for four.

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Australia will return to "normal cricket" after axing Matthew Hayden and shelving the rotation system for the rest of the one-day tri-series.

Selection chairman Trevor Hohns said there had been a "rethink" on the rotation system but refused to blame the revolving door policy for Australia's three straight losses at the start of the series.

Australia won its first match in four attempts by beating South Africa in Brisbane last night and will face the Proteas again tomorrow night in a must-win match at the Sydney Cricket Ground. Australia has used four different opening combinations in those four matches, each pair making a poor start.

"What we want to do now is get back to normal cricket with a normal opening pair," Hohns told. He confirmed that pair would be Mark Waugh and Adam Gilchrist.

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Australia captain Steve Waugh says his world champions are on the way back to top form after winning their first match of the triangular series. Waugh was upset by the media criticism that accompanied his side's early slump. "We're not used to losing three in a row and obviously a lot of other people aren't used to us losing three in a row either because all of a sudden we couldn't play," he said.

"You'll find that we're not a bad side and we're going to come back pretty strong. We expect to win and we expect a fair hearing when we don't win and play well and that's going to happen on occasions.

"But the main thing was that we played well today. It was a good performance and a really gutsy win."

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New Zealand captain Stephen Fleming has hit out at the scheduling of the triangular series, which includes South Africa and Australia, saying it favours the home side.

Australia, who were playing South Africa in Brisbane on Sunday, had the easier run in the tournament, Fleming said.
The Kiwis have won three of their first four matches and lead the standings with 12 points while Australia have lost their first three games and the Proteas have won two out of three before Sunday's game.

"You have to look at the way the tournament is structured and which team gets the comfortable draw to know there are some hard yards for the other two teams," Fleming said after the Kiwis beat South Africa by four wickets on Saturday.

Miscellaneous

Pakistan want compensation from the International Cricket Council (ICC) after being forced to play their upcoming home test and one-day series against West Indies in Sharjah.

"We will take up the issue of compensation at the ICC's Executive Board meeting in March," Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Tauqir Zia said. "We feel that the ICC should look into compensating us for having to play our home series at a neutral venue."

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Australia cruised to a record-breaking 430-run victory over Kenya in their opening match of the ICC Under-19s World Cup in Dunedin on Sunday.

Centuries from Craig Simmons and Shaun Marsh enabled Australia to record the highest ever innings total in an Under-19s World Cup match when they made 480-6 from their 50 overs.

The Australians hit 21 sixes and 40 fours as the Kenyan attack was ripped to shreds in the group D encounter.

Opener Simmons top scored with 155 from 115 balls striking 12 fours and 11 sixes with Marsh, son of former Australia Test opener Geoff, making 125, hitting 12 fours and four sixes in his 98 ball innings.

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After five successive defeats in Test cricket, Bangladesh cricketers have been left to lick their wounds and prove a point in the upcoming Coca-Cola one-day series against Pakistan.

The first of the three-match series will be held in Chittagong on Tuesday

Talking to reporters after the practice, a grim-faced Bangladesh captain hoped that his team should do well in the one-day series since they are playing limited-overs matches for years now.

"But, I can not give you hundred per cent assurance that my team would perform better. What I can tell you is that we should do better this time since we are accustomed to playing in the instant version," said Mashud.

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Test discard Michael Slater is in danger of losing his place in the New South Wales team.

Slater entered the red zone with a second-innings duck in the Pura Cup match against South Australia at the Adelaide Oval yesterday.

He had also failed in the first innings, making just 10, and has only reached 50 once in 11innings this season.

NSW has failed to win any of its past three matches and sources last night told The Sunday Age several batsmen were now close to being axed. They are Slater, Corey Richards and Mark Higgs.

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