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Brian Lara has been invited by the Trinidad and Tobago Cricket Board to represent the side in domestic Twenty20 events if he is interested.”There is only one Brian Lara in this world, and if he is interested in representing T&T at T20 cricket, I am sure the selectors will be more than willing to give him a very serious look,” TTCB president Azim Bassarath said. “Brian has done a lot for cricket. He is a hero, a legend and we have to take care of our heroes. I would like him to know that the TTCB stands ready to support him in his future endeavours.”Lara retired from the international game in 2007, but returned to action in October this year when he turned out in the Zimbabwe domestic Twenty20 tournament. He has also expressed an interest is participating in the 2011 edition of the India Premier League, and has been included in the preliminary auction list, at the highest base price of $400,000.Bassarath hoped Lara would play in the Cricket Festival T20 series starting Tuesday. “I spoke to Brian and offered him an opportunity to play in the T20 invitational,” Bassarath said. “However, he flew into Trinidad on Thursday night and said he would be off again on Monday so it will be difficult to take part in the series.”Earlier Lara told ESPNcricinfo that the league in Zimbabwe was not the toughest. “If I was to give myself a chance to play in the IPL, then I need to start now,” he said. “I tried negotiating with Surrey in May and that fell through. I am not going to say that I am ready for the IPL. The option is around the corner, and I have put my name in the hat. But I need to play cricket regularly from now till then to get fit and capable of doing justice to the game and to my form in such a highly competitive league.”

ScorecardPakistan A’s batsmen stonewalled throughout the fourth day to ensure that the second and final unofficial Test against West Indies A ended in a draw in Kingstown. Starting the final morning only 26 runs ahead with seven wickets remaining, the overnight pair of Khurram Manzoor and captain Faisal Iqbal set the tone for the day, taking 74 balls to make 20 runs.Fast bowler Shannon Gabriel had Iqbal caught behind by Denesh Ramdin for 48, but Manzoor – who had made a century in the first innings – carried on for more than half the day. He was ultimately dismissed by legspinner Odean Brown for a marathon 85 off 295 deliveries. When wicketkeeper Sarfraz Ahmed became the seventh man to be dismissed, Pakistan were only 87 runs in front. The two Yasirs, Arafat and Shah, ensured there would be no further stutters for Pakistan, as they batted out almost 22 overs in their unbeaten 59-run eighth-wicket partnership before the game was called off. Brown finished with 4 for 100.The first unofficial Test, which was marred by rain, was also drawn.

Danish Kaneria continued his good form for Habib Bank Limited, taking his 63rd first-class five-wicket haul to spin out Multan for 140 on the opening day at the Multan Cricket Stadium. Habib Bank then batted themselves into a strong position by stumps, finishing with 198 for 4. Allrounder Kamran Hussain reduced Multan to 23 for 2 before Kaneria got in to the act, taking 6 for 35 as six batsmen fell for single-digit scores. Kaneria – who was dropped from the Pakistan squad after the first Test against England at Trent Bridge earlier this year – also picked up eight wickets in his side’s first game against Faisalabad. Ahmed Shehzad, the 18-year old who has played for Pakistan, led Habib Bank’s reply with an aggressive 76. Though they lost the wicket of captain Hasan Raza just before stumps, Habib Bank had the advantage going into day two.Fast bowler Wasim Khan performed with both bat and ball as National Bank of Pakistan had Rawalpindi staring down the barrel at 59 for 5, after having been bowled out for 175 at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium. Rawalpindi’s fast bowlers had reduced National Bank to 86 for 7, including the wickets of Kamran Akmal and Umar Amin for single-digit scores. However, Wasim (36) supported opener Anwaar Hafeez (69) in a 45-run stand to lift their side from the doldrums. Nasir Malik, the 19-year old left-arm seamer, removed both Anwaar and Wasim to finish with 6 for 50, his maiden first-class five-wicket haul. Wasim replied in kind, his 4 for 25 leaving Rawalpindi limping at 59 for 5 at stumps.Thirteen wickets fell at the United Bank Limited Sports Complex as Karachi Blues fought back after being dismissed for 215 by Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited. Fast bowlers Adil Raza and Zulqarnain took seven wickets between them as Karachi struggled to build partnerships. After the openers fell cheaply, the middle-order batsmen got starts, but the highest score was 46 from captain Saeed Bin Nasir, and the highest partnership was 49. Karachi’s Adeel Malik then rounded off a productive day for fast bowlers, making inroads in the top order to leave SNGPL struggling at 22 for 3.On a day of punches and counter-punches at the Sports Stadium in Sargodha, Water and Power Development Authority nipped a fightback by Faisalabad to bowl them out for 273. Fast bowler Kashif Raza struck with the second delivery of the match, and Umaid Asif and Faisal Virk took two wickets apiece as Faisalabad slid to 97 for 5. However, Ijaz Ahmed jnr, the 41-year old Faisalabad captain, and wicketkeeper Mohammad Salman revived the innings with a 147-run partnership. Kashif – who played an ODI in 2001 – returned to dismiss them both for 73 each. He then ran through the lower order, finishing with 6 for 46, as Faisalabad lost five wickets for 29 runs. The WAPDA openers negotiated three overs till stumps without any damage.Pakistan International Airlines‘ bowlers came back strongly on the opening day at the Diamond Club Ground to restrict Islamabad to 230 for 9. Nauman Masood (57) and Ameer Khan (42) had added 96 runs after the early fall of Shoaib Khaliq to take Islamabad to a strong 104 for 1 before PIA struck. Seamers Kamran Sajid and Ali Imran picked up three wickets apiece while legspinner Zia-ul-Haq took two as Islamabad slumped to 163 for 8. Mohammad Kashif and Shehzad Azam’s 50-run ninth-wicket stand took them past 200. Wicketkeeper Anop Santosh had a busy day, taking four catches and effecting one stumping.Three half-centuries took Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited to a competitive 288 for 6 on the opening day against Sialkot at the Jinnah Stadium. ZTBL were in trouble in the morning after losing their openers with four runs on the board, but the middle order came to their rescue. Haris Sohail, captain Imran Nazir and Inam-u-Haq all scored half-centuries but ZTBL will be disappointed that none of them went on to make a big score. Inam and Haris played patiently while Nazir – who hasn’t played a game for Pakistan since February this year – blazed away to 55 off 41 deliveries. After their dismissals, Sohail Tanvir – the seamer who last played against New Zealand in November 2009 – didn’t let the innings falter and remained unbeaten on 48.

The Kerala Cricket Association (KCA) will hold talks with the owners of the Kochi franchise on October 7 to settle outstanding problems that could prevent it from playing a part in the next IPL. The BCCI, at its annual general meeting on September 29, issued an ultimatum to the franchise owners, asking to register themselves as a company or risk being scrapped. The franchise, BCCI president Shashank Manohar said, had split into two factions, making it difficult for the board to negotiate with one legal entity.”All the team owners have been invited for the talks and they have promised to come,” KCA President TR Balakrishnan told . “The owners have not registered the company under the Companies Act so far and there are certain internal issues between the different owners. So KCA has initiated steps to bring them together for the talks.”The BCCI is expected to formally issue the show-cause notices to Kochi soon and IPL chief executive Sundar Raman said that the franchises would have between ten days and two weeks to reply.Rendezvous Sports World, a consortium of five companies, bid US$333.33m to successfully purchase the tenth franchise in an expanded fourth edition of the IPL. However, it almost immediately ran into a controversy when Lalit Modi, the then IPL chairman, revealed the franchise’s ownership details on his Twitter feed. The revelation triggered a chain of events that led to his own ouster from the BCCI.”The bid was given by individuals who came together and formed a consortium. Now there is no legal entity as such that is incorporated,” Manohar said on Wednesday. “So we asked them to incorporate a company, a joint venture company and then come to the BCCI. They have a recent dispute between the five persons who are there in the consortium with regards to the shares, sweat equity and other things. Both the groups have sent letters to the board saying. ‘Don’t recognise the other group, recognise only me.’ The board cannot work with such a franchise.”When asked if Kochi would be excluded from the tournament if it didn’t meet the BCCI’s ultimatum, Manohar had said: “We might play with nine teams or eight teams, we don’t know.”Two other franchises, Rajasthan Royals and Kings XI Punjab, have been issued show-cause notices “for various irregularities committed by them during the period of their contract”.

ScorecardMatabeleland Tuskers earned their second win in the Metbank Pro40, edging past Southern Rocks by five runs in a thrilling encounter at Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo.Mbekezeli Mabuza was the hero for the for Matabeleland Tuskers, starring with bat and ball to help his side over the line. He made an unbeaten 46 before delivering the crucial last over which sealed the win by restricting Southern Rocks to just four when 10 was needed for victory.Mabuza had earlier on shared century stand with wicketkeeper Adam Wheater, who again top scored with 69, to help Matabeleland Tuskers recover from a 79 for 5 in the 18th over to reach 218.Wheater got the bulk of his runs with the slog sweep and raced to his fifty from 52 deliveries, smashing three fours before becoming one of left-arm-seamer Tendai Chisoro’s four victims. Mabuza found another partner in Bradley Staddon and the two shared in a seventh-wicket stand of 36 as Mabuza finished unbeaten on 46 from 66 balls with Staddon contributing a breezy 20 off 11.In their chase Southern Rocks failed to capitalise on an ideal start from their openers Tendai Chitongo (73) and Steve Marillier (55) who put on 102 runs for the first wicket before left-arm-spinner Williams induced Marillier to hole out in the deep.Offspinner John Nyumbu picked up three quick wickets to peg back the visitors and Mabuza reduced them to 189 for 6 with four wickets but Southern Rocks were still in hunt by the final over before Mabuza sealed the win.

Live scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsAndrew Strauss scored his fifth ODI hundred to power England’s challenge•Getty Images

This was the game the summer so desperately needed. A tight contest, in front of a full house, fought to the bitter end as England held their nerve, securing a four-wicket victory with three balls remaining to ensure Andrew Strauss’s fantastic 126 didn’t go to waste. For a while that looked a close-run thing as the middle order stuttered in the final 10 overs, but Michael Yardy and Tim Bresnan retained their composure to keep the home side’s winning run going, and hoist them up to No. 2 in the World ODI rankings.Strauss and Jonathan Trott added 146 for the second wicket to break the back of a stiff 295-run chase after Pakistan’s most complete batting display of the tour. England were never in total command of the asking-rate, but the requirement was looking more challenging than they would have liked after some less-than-clear thinking during the batting Powerplay. After 40 overs they were 221 for 3 – exactly the same score that Pakistan had reached- however, Strauss fell lbw sweeping at Saeed Ajmal before Eoin Morgan, England’s cool-headed finisher, picked out the only fielder on the off-side boundary at deep point. Ravi Bopara then failed to clear long-off against Ajmal in the penultimate over to keep the punters on tenterhooks.But Yardy is also proving himself to be a consummate closer of run-chases having twice been in the middle during the Twenty20 internationals, and he collected a pair of vital boundaries off Umar Gul and Ajmal. Needing 13 off the last two overs, all that was required was clear thinking, but Bopara tried to take advantage of the fielding restrictions and failed, which left Bresnan to guide the side home in front of his home crowd. He cut his first ball through the covers then, in the last over from Gul, top-edged a pull off the keeper to level the scores and extinguish the doubts.Bresnan had shown calmness earlier in the summer against Australia, at Old Trafford, as England nicked a one-wicket win having looked like throwing victory away, but it was fitting that this win was secured in marginally shambolic fashion as Bresnan chanced a non-existent single to mid-off only for Fawad Alam’s throw to miss. So after a few deep breaths and nervous moments England could celebrate a 2-0 cushion in the five-match series and it would have been harsh on Strauss if his innings had ended in a losing cause.There are still those who question Strauss’s place in the one-day side because of a concern his style – dominated by square-of-the-wicket shots – won’t be so successful on the slower subcontinent pitches England will face during the World Cup. But he can do no more than score a bucketload of runs, which he has done in recent one-day matches with this being his second hundred in three games following the 154 he struck against Bangladesh at Edgbaston.Strauss’s game is also evolving and while he will probably never plunder runs between mid-off and mid-on, they are still viable scoring areas. His swipe for six over midwicket off Shahid Afridi to reach fifty showed how his game has developed against slow bowling since his return to the one-day arena 18 months ago. It was his 21st six in seven years of ODI cricket. Eleven of those have come since June.Pakistan will rue two moments; firstly when Mohammad Irfan spilled a catch at short fine-leg with Strauss on 23, then when he was on 38 as Kamran Akmal held a superb catch diving down the leg-side off Gul and Pakistan were convinced there was a glove. Billy Doctrove, however, was unmoved. Still, though, the visitors’ fielding was poor with too many fumbles and poor arms in the outfield.Steven Davies had given another eye-catching glimpse of his ability with 26 off 21 balls to help launch the innings positively before edging behind against Shoaib Akthar and then Strauss was joined by Trott in the crucial partnership. Trott continued to bat in the bubble he has occupied all summer, content to work the gaps while his captain was batting so fluently.His fifty came from 67 balls and progress was serene for England with barely more than a run a ball required over the last 17 overs. That changed, though, when Trott was run out from short third-man having survived an lbw shout only to charge down the pitch for a reaction single. Paul Collingwood again couldn’t get his innings going and picked out long-off against Afridi with Pakistan suddenly believing. They couldn’t quite pull off a comeback, but there were continued signs of improvement throughout.Kamran led from the top with a powerful 72-ball 74. That was followed by a maiden one-day fifty from the impressive Asad Shafiq while Mohammad Yousuf contributed a calm 46. England were below their usual high standards especially with the ground fielding, while Stuart Broad’s 4 for 81 was the most expensive four-wicket haul in ODI history.James Anderson was the only bowler to offer early control as Kamran took to Bresnan and Broad in an opening stand of 122 with Mohammad Hafeez – Pakistan’s best in any international during their stay in England. Kamran collected his second consecutive fifty, this one at a run a ball, before playing across the line at Collingwood’s second delivery.However, for once the middle order had a platform set for them which allowed Yousuf and Shafiq to consolidate before attacking again. Yousuf, who offered one very tough opportunity on 18 when Morgan couldn’t quite make up considerable ground at deep midwicket, fell when he tried to guide Broad to third man, but Shafiq continued to show his talent when he skipped down the pitch and launched Graeme Swann over long-on.But Pakistan didn’t make full use of their Powerplay as Broad, despite being expensive, claimed three wickets in seven balls while Bresnan and Anderson had their yorkers on target. That lack of late ignition meant the total didn’t cross 300 and that proved crucial in the final outcome.

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Sri Lanka Under-19 drew level in their limited-overs series against England Under-19, Kithuruwan Vithanage’s unbeaten fifty setting up a five-wicket win in the second match at Arundel. Paul Best won the toss yet again and decided to bat first, but his side were soon in trouble and England were bowled out for just 175 in the final over of their innings, Lewis Gregory’s 87 the only score of note. The Sri Lankans pegged England back as several players contributed in the field, and it was a similar story when they batted with runs spread through the middle order.It had looked as though this would be another close-fought affair between these two sides when Yasoda Lanka was run out by Adam Ball for just 7 in the sixth over and Rumesh Buddika’s aggressive innings was cut short soon afterwards as Sri Lanka slipped to 32 for 2. But Bhanuka Rajapaksa and Vithanage’s 72-run stand for the third wicket put their side firmly on top.Rajapaksa cracked eight fours as he and Vithanage rattled along at well over a-run-a-ball, but his dismissal for 46 by Best shortly after Sri Lanka’s score had gone past 100 sparked a nervous passage of play. Wicketkeeper Denuwan Rajakaruna was trapped in front of his stumps by Joe Root fifth ball and Best had his second wicket three overs later when he bowled Dhanushka Gunathilleke for 14 as Sri Lanka slipped to 125 for 5.But Vithanage kept calm, finding an able partner in Akshu Fernando, who struck two fours and two sixes in an otherwise circumspect unbeaten 29. Together they carried Sri Lanka over the line with more than 15 overs to spare, putting on 51 for the sixth wicket. Vithanage capped his day by cracking James Thorpe for four to go past fifty and seal the win in one stroke. This is just the sort of nerveless innings he is already becoming known for after steering Sri Lanka to a tense one-wicket win over Pakistan in the Tri-Nation Under-19 tournament in Sri Lanka last yearAs they have done several times already in helpful conditions on this tour, Sri Lanka’s left/right new-ball pair of Chathura Peiris and Sanitha de Mel made early inroads into England’s line-up. On this occasion de Mel proved particularly destructive, removing Joe Root, Jack Manuel and Alex Barrow in quick succession in his opening spell before Rajapaksa had Zafar Ansari, on his England Under-19 debut, caught behind to leave the home side tottering at 41 for 4.Gregory and Luke Wells clawed things back for England with a half-century stand for the fifth wicket – the highest partnership of the innings – before Wells gave Nadeera Rajaguru the first of his three wickets. Gregory went to his own fifty from 105 balls, and picked up his scoring rate thereafter, but wickets continued to fall around him and he was the last man out as England’s 10th wicket fell with two balls remaining in their innings.

Cricket Australia is standing by John Howard and seriously considering whether to repeat its push to have him installed as ICC vice-president despite his swift rejection in Singapore. The appointment of Howard was stopped at an ICC board meeting on Wednesday by a group of Asian and African members in a result that left Australian and New Zealand officials “gutted”.Jack Clarke, Cricket Australia’s chairman, will consult with his board this week, but Cricinfo has learned Howard remains the organisation’s nomination for the position despite the refusal of seven ICC board members to support the application. It sets up the prospect of Howard’s name being returned as the joint Australia-New Zealand candidate by the August 31 deadline, although this depends on New Zealand Cricket wanting to continue the fight.Australia and New Zealand have been asked to put forward another candidate and Haroon Lorgat, the chief executive of the ICC, said the organisation did not have to give justification for rejecting Howard. Lorgat told reporters in Singapore on Thursday that the ICC “does not have to give those reasons”.”There weren’t sufficient number of directors in support of the nomination,” Lorgat said. “[It] did not go to a vote and the outcome was to request Cricket Australia and New Zealand Cricket to reconsider their nomination and to return to the ICC by the 31st of August.”Howard was standing firm despite the embarrassing turn of events. “I haven’t withdrawn, I’m still the nomination and I won’t be withdrawing,” he told Sky News.Clarke and Wally Edwards, his deputy, will host a meeting with Cricket Australia’s board members, who were said to be “very angry” with the Singapore result, over the next couple of days to determine whether to keep pushing for Howard. Once they have decided the way forward they will discuss the position with New Zealand Cricket, which originally wanted its former chairman Sir John Anderson in the role.Both Clarke and Alan Isaac, the New Zealand chairman, were angry and frustrated with the outcome of the ICC board meeting in which the Howard issue didn’t get to a vote. Under the ICC’s regulations, it was Australasia’s turn to choose the vice-president, who would then assume the top job in 2012.However, India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Bangladesh, South Africa and West Indies signalled their intention on Tuesday night to block the move. Zimbabwe, privately the most critical of the appointment, did not join the list but were a crucial player in the decision.India also had a role in providing support to deny Howard. “If India said yes, it would have got through,” a source close to the negotiations told Cricinfo.Cricket Australia asked Howard to take up the post and he said it was on the understanding that if he fitted the ICC guidelines and didn’t have a criminal record he would be approved. Both the Australian and New Zealand boards argued he came through the most rigorous selection process and deserved the role.Clarke was disappointed at the treatment of such a well-qualified applicant and the hurt was compounded by no reasons being given for the rejection. Howard said he had spoken to a board chairman from one of the opposing countries, who told him he could not say why the appointment had been blocked. “It’s a very unusual situation,” Howard said.Criticisms of Howard vary from his decisions regarding Zimbabwe during his time as Australia’s prime minister to him not being involved previously with Cricket Australia in an official capacity. “Frankly, we did not want an outsider to meddle with the ICC,” an Indian board official told AFP. “There was nothing personal against Howard. But we do accept the argument that only a man with previous experience in cricket administration should head the ICC.”

Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsStuart Broad picked up four wickets and Australia struggled to recover from his early strikes•PA Photos

There was no Eoin Morgan-like standout this time, but England still cruised to a comfortable four-wicket win to take a 2-0 lead in the series. From Stuart Broad’s three early wickets to an impressive Andrew Strauss half-century, to a coasting partnership from Paul Collingwood and Morgan to confirm the result, it was a thoroughly professional victory for the hosts.On a day when Australia installed a Labor prime minister born in Wales, the nation’s cricketers laboured in Wales for no such reward. Cameron White ground out one of his least attractive half-centuries to drive Australia to 239 for 7 but that was never going to be enough on a surface that, while a little slow, was no minefield.The Australian batsmen struggled to time the ball and their innings was full of thick edges and jarring woody clunks. As in Southampton, Shane Watson the only man who struck the ball cleanly but when he departed for 57, they were sent into a holding pattern from which they never really emerged.It left their newish attack with too few runs to defend – not that the bowlers helped themselves. Clint McKay, who was included ahead of Josh Hazlewood, sent down two no-balls in his first over and Strauss murdered the free hits, with an uncharacteristically muscular six back over the bowler’s head and a four driven over wide mid off.Those efforts helped Strauss find his touch and he moved briskly to a half-century at exactly a run a ball, before he was caught and bowled off a leading edge to Nathan Hauritz for 51. He had combined with Kevin Pietersen for a 68-run second-wicket stand that set the tone for the rest of the chase.Pietersen played within himself but still managed 33 off 38, having seen nothing threatening from McKay, Doug Bollinger and James Hopes. He pounced on anything short and found the boundary four times before he fell to a stunning catch from Ricky Ponting, who leapt off the ground at midwicket, flung his right hand high above his head and plucked a wicket for Steven Smith.Ponting’s celebration was muted. He knew that further miracles were required with so few runs to defend, and when Morgan and Collingwood settled in to a steady rhythm the result was all but decided. There was one special moment for Collingwood, who with a single to fine leg passed Alec Stewart to become England’s all-time leading run scorer in one-day internationals.Collingwood departed for 48 and Morgan for 52, both to Bollinger, but any sniff Australia were given was quickly snuffed out. England’s allrounders Tim Bresnan and Graeme Swann saw them over the line with 28 balls to spare and Swann brought up the win with a six over mid off.The result will make it very difficult for Australia to come back and win the series, and on the evidence of the first two games it’s their batsmen who need to lift the most. The bowlers are still learning at international level, but an experienced batting group has failed to set a big enough target in either match.The early wickets from Broad, who celebrated his 24th birthday in style, set the Australians back significantly. When Tim Paine tickled a legside catch to Craig Kieswetter, it made Broad the youngest man to reach 100 ODI wickets for England. His next two breakthroughs were much more convincing.Ponting was on 13 when he received a lovely cross-seam ball that bounced more than he anticipated and a thick edge was accepted by Kieswetter. Michael Clarke (1) was the victim of a well-laid plan when Strauss brought in a short leg, Broad duly dug in a bouncer, and Clarke could do nothing but prod a catch to Swann under the helmet.White and Smith steadied the innings but, for men who are renowned as power hitters, battled to find the boundary. There was one slog-swept six from White off Swann but apart from that, neither man went after the spinners. Even when the late batting Powerplay arrived they could only scrounge 33 from it.Smith made 41 and White saw the innings through to its conclusion with an unbeaten 86 from 98 balls, but it was reminiscent of Clarke’s scratchy anchoring role in the first game. What they really need is for Watson to bat through until the late overs.He began with three fours in the first over and looked in form until, for the second time in three days, he was caught off a top edge. From that moment on, England were on top. They can wrap up the series in Manchester on Sunday.