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Scorecard
Scotland beat Leicestershire by 12 runs on the Duckworth-Lewis method in their Clydesdale Bank 40 clash at Mannofield Park in Aberdeen. Scotland made 166 for 9 from their 40 overs, Claude Henderson returning figures of 4 for 25. Leicestershire’s reply was disrupted by rain and they were limited to 101 for 7 as they chased 113 from 21 overs, James Benning scoring 42 from 41 balls.Leicestershire struck early after Scotland had won the toss and elected to bat, Harry Gurney dismissing Fraser Watts for one. Scotland then lost four wickets for eight runs to slip from 42 for 1 to 50 for 5 as 38-year-old slow left-armer Henderson did most of the damage, getting rid of Ryan Flannigan (13), George Bailey (four) and Dougie Lockhart (one).Richie Berrington provided some resistance with 46 from 59 balls before he became Henderson’s fourth victim, while Majid Haq smacked a valuable 29 not out off 27 balls.Leicestershire opener Benning did his best to help overhaul the target, revised down after the rain delay, but was offered little support by his team-mates. He was run out by Gordon Goudie to leave the visitors on 57 for 3 in the 13th over. Wayne White also contributed an unbeaten 27 off 28 balls, but the wickets continued to fall at a steady rate as the visitors fell just short.

After reaching the finals of the tri-series with one of Sri Lanka’s biggest wins over India, Kumar Sangakkara has said the team must aim at winning consistently, irrespective of the margin of victory. In front of a raucous Sunday crowd, Sri Lanka rolled MS Dhoni’s side over for 103, inflicting the largest defeat in India’s history in terms of balls remaining.”It’s a good preparation for the final, but that is a new game six days away,” Sangakkara said. “The key is to win matches consistently, wins like this (or) close matches, it doesn’t matter if we win matches consistently.”The likes of Muttiah Muralitharan, Sanath Jayasuriya and Chaminda Vaas aren’t a part of the current squad, but all of them played their part in Sri Lanka’s 245-run walloping of India in the finals of the Coca Cola Champions Trophy in 2000, a victory which Sangakkara termed as their best against India. “The best win against India I guess was in Sharjah, very early in my career, we got 299 and India were 54 all out I think,” he said. “That was a great win and that was a great side, with this particular side, with some of our greats who have retired, it’s great for our confidence that we can still do things like this.”One of the minor surprises during Sri Lanka’s chase on Sunday was the promotion of Mahela Jayawardene to the top of the order, pushing the specialist opener, Upul Tharanga, down to No. 3. Jayawardene didn’t open the innings for a decade after his debut in one-dayers, but has two hundreds in the five times he has opened, and has also recently taken to opening for Sri Lanka in Twenty20s.”We’ve got to understand that players evolve, MJ is the best batsman we have without a doubt, to me he’s been ideal for us in the middle order,” Sangakkara said. “But Mahela over the last year and a half has shown a liking to open, if his mindset is more free to go up top of the order, then guys like me, other players must back that decision, we’ve got to move down the order and take responsibility.”Sangakkara said the move was a one-off, and the Jayawardene wasn’t yet penciled in for the opener’s slot for the final. Sri Lanka have five days to plan their strategy for the final, and the team decided to take Monday off, heading to the beaches of Trincomalee, two-and-half hours away from Dambulla.

Murali the Magician. The Greatest Ever Bowler in the World. One and Only Murali. Spin Wizard. Thank you Murali. Another Milestone. I can bat too! A Glorious Cricketing Career.All the stands, temporary and permanent, at the Galle International Stadium, bear an imprint of Sri Lanka’s greatest cricketer. Simple hoardings with Murali on them and a message saying thank you and goodbye. There are, of course, small advertisements on these hoardings, but that is the reality of modern cricket.”Everything will be like Murali,” said Jayananda Warnaweera, the chief groundsman in Galle, on what was in store for the farewell.Muttiah Muralitharan is not overwhelmed. Not much has overwhelmed him in his career, but he likes what he sees. “I would like to thank the cricket board and the groundsman, [Jayananda] Warnaweera, for arranging such a great thing in Galle,” a not-overly-emotional Murali said. “It is a great honour for me to retire like this.”The last week must have been an interesting time for the offspinner, who is approaching the end of something special, something satisfying – a journey that brought trials as much as it did joy; brickbats as much as applause. Murali, though, said he hasn’t been thinking about all that. “I never dreamt I would be finishing like this,” he said. “I think I had a great finish because I have done very well in Test cricket. You can’t get the record easily; so many people have tried and I am the best at the moment. Because of that, I have no regrets.”God has given me everything, I am fulfilled with that. I am not sad, I am very happy with what I have achieved and I am glad I am going out in a good manner because people are not asking me to go. They are asking me to stay. Still I want to go because this is the manner I want to go out in. I am not dreaming about any past performance or anything. I am thinking only about the next match, finish well and retire properly.Starting the match eight wickets from the 800-mark, Murali, who has almost every aggregate record to his name, is not worried about numbers. Enjoying this last game, he said, was more important. “If I could take eight in the first innings, Sri Lanka will win easily. It is not going to be easy, they have such a good batting line-up.I will try all my tricks in the middle for the last time. Let’s see if it works or not. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. I am going to really enjoy the game rather than thinking about how many wickets I am going to need. Just enjoy the game and not put much pressure on myself. If I didn’t get a single wicket or if I take five wickets, I will be very happy.”

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
On a severely shortened day, Shane Shillingford picked up two wickets on his Test debut, removing both openers•AFP

Never before has a Test match been played at the Queens Park Oval as late in the year as June, and after a day in which only 34 overs were bowled, it wasn’t hard to see why. When play was possible, a fascinating battle between South Africa’s batsmen and West Indies’ spinners – Sulieman Benn and Shane Shillingford – began to take shape. Graeme Smith and Alviro Petersen had negotiated a seam attack blunted by an unhelpful surface with aplomb to go to tea at 45 for 0. But the spinners came to the fore after the interval, with Shillingford removing both openers on his Test debut and Benn getting rid of the in-form Hashim Amla to leave South Africa struggling at 70 for 3 when bad light stopped play.Though Dwayne Bravo bustled in with characteristic enthusiasm, the quicker bowlers appeared unthreatening on a very dry wicket and it was no great surprise when Benn was brought into the attack early. He immediately found bounce and sharp turn off a tacky surface, although his length was slightly too short at first. He pushed the ball up in his second over and soon had Smith flapping awkwardly off the front foot and, coming round the wicket, he also had the right-handed Petersen poking nervously outside off stump.West Indies have suffered from a dysfunctional team environment in recent times, but good communication between Chris Gayle and his bowlers was evident today in some inventive field placements – a leg gully for Benn, and a close, straight mid off for Bravo. Indeed, Bravo could have had Smith for the sixth time on this tour when, shortly before tea, the South African captain drove in the air to that fielder as the ball plugged in the surface, but a leaping Narsingh Deonarine couldn’t quite get his hands underneath the chance.Denesh Ramdin couldn’t hold on to a clear edge off Petersen’s bat from Benn’s first ball after tea, but the assistance he was getting from the surface convinced Gayle to bring Shillingford on from the other end and he, too, found encouraging bounce and turn.With Shillingford operating from over the stumps, Smith was able to cover the turn and bounce with his body, the lbw shout totally negated by the line of delivery. The South African captain’s tactic was to play back and deep in his crease, and Shillingford responded by pushing his length forward. Smith, having made a habit of playing back, didn’t get a big stride down the wicket, the ball pitched, gripped and spun to take the edge and Bravo held on to the neck-high chance at slip.Where Petersen and Smith had attempted to counter the spin by, generally, staying deep in the crease, Hashim Amla responded by shuffling right across to the off side to Shillingford and was unafraid to use the sweep even at the start of his innings. But while that worked, briefly, to the offspinner, Amla had no answer to the ball spinning across him and edged his ninth ball – from Benn – to slip, where Bravo held on to a second chance, and South Africa were 60 for 2.With South Africa under pressure, men were positioned menacingly all round the bat, but they weren’t needed as Shillingford picked up his second wicket when Petersen’s attempted flick to leg was beaten by the turn and he was struck on the pad. With the UDRS referral system available for this match, Petersen consulted Jacques Kallis and asked for a referral. But, with insufficient evidence to overturn the umpire’s decision, he eventually had to go, and South Africa had lost three wickets for just 15 runs to be 70 for 3.Paul Harris was sent out as nightwatchman and was met with an ultra-attacking field, with slip, gully, silly mid-off, short leg and leg gully all in place, as well as Ramdin’s fidgety presence behind the stumps. He managed to survive until the light deteriorated once more, but with the flaky batting surface already showing signs of breaking up, both Benn and Shillingford – as well as Gayle himself – will surely have a very important role to play as West Indies try to lay a platform for their first win of the series. For their part, South Africa may well have missed a trick by omitting Johan Botha from their side, and even JP Duminy would have found some life in this track.

Match facts
Sunday, May 16, Barbados
Start time 1130 (1530 GMT)Kevin Pietersen has been a revelation in the Caribbean and is chasing payback against Australia•Getty Images

The Big PictureRegardless of whether England emerge triumphant against Australia, the form team of the tournament, they have turned a corner in terms of public perception. In many ways, the tale of their shortcomings in ICC global events is less a matter of their failure to take home any trophies, but their failure to give themselves a chance to compete. On two occasions in the modern era of one-day cricket, they’ve found a formula that came close to ending the drought – namely, at the 1992 World Cup, when their greatest player, the ageing Ian Botham, was arguably their weakest link, and in the 2004 Champions Trophy, when Michael Vaughan’s men were already building towards the following summer’s Ashes.In almost every other tournament of note they have been little short of a rabble, and that includes their previous forays in the World Twenty20, in South Africa in 2007, when they opened the batting with the bits-and-pieces Darren Maddy, and in 2009, when the Netherlands (including a certain Dirk Nannes) stunned them in the tournament curtain-raiser. At the third time of asking, however, England have hit upon a formula that deserves to succeed precisely because it doesn’t see success as a birthright. Every player from 1 to 11 is up for a scrap, and against an Australian side that doesn’t know when it’s beaten, a scrap is precisely what they can expect.It has taken the Australians five years to shed the view that Twenty20 is a format for fun. However, Michael Clarke’s team is playing the game in the same serious, clinical and tunnel-visioned manner that has been so successful for them in Tests and ODIs over the past decade. Under Clarke’s captaincy the side’s worst result in 14 matches is the tie against New Zealand in February, which turned into a Super Over defeat.Since then they have won six matches in a row, including the breath-taking semi-final triumph over Pakistan, in a record that is more suited to Ricky Ponting’s all-conquering outfits in 50-over World Cups. Not only are they well balanced, with frightening bowlers and muscular batsmen, but they now expect to win everything. And the only thing that can motivate them more than capturing a trophy they have never held is to beat England in doing it.Form guide (Most recent first)
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Kevin Pietersen’s hunger has returned with a vengeance. For 12 anxious months, his game has been racked by unfamiliar self-doubt, triggered in part by injury, and in part by the chastening loss of the England captaincy. Many wondered whether his focus would ever be trained quite as intensely back onto the pitch, especially with the prospect of fatherhood adding an extra dimension of distraction, but in the Caribbean he has been a revelation, with three thumping performances either side of his paternity dash back to England. And what is more, there’s the additional incentive of payback, after his role in last summer’s Ashes was limited to a walk-on.Michael Clarke is the main man in the tactical stakes and has marshalled his team brilliantly throughout the tournament. His thinking has been so strong that he has been called the Mike Brearley of Twenty20 cricket, although the description is a kiss-punch compliment. Clarke is the slowest scorer of Australia’s squad and is a gap-finder in a line-up of boundary clearers. So far his rotating-the-strike role hasn’t been costly, although his 17 off 19 balls in the semi-final left Michael Hussey successfully chasing a miracle to beat Pakistan. With a tournament strike-rate of 74.17, England will be targeting him – without wanting to get him out.Team news
Australia have only changed their team once during the tournament, when Ryan Harris came in for the injured Mitchell Johnson, so don’t expect them to get fancy at such a crucial stage. A return to Barbados means some excitement for the pace trio of Johnson, Dirk Nannes and Shaun Tait, who have combined for 31 wickets in this campaign.Australia (probable) 1 Shane Watson, 2 David Warner, 3 Brad Haddin (wk), 4 Michael Clarke (capt), 5 David Hussey, 6 Cameron White, 7 Michael Hussey, 8 Steven Smith, 9 Mitchell Johnson, 10 Dirk Nannes, 11 Shaun Tait.No surprises anticipated in England’s line-up, which has cultivated an air of solidity of which their 50-over team can only dream. With power-hitters throughout the top order, capable run-makers all the way to No. 10, and proper variety in their five-prong bowling attack, they’ve got the armoury to end their trophy drought.England (probable) 1 Michael Lumb, 2 Craig Kieswetter (wk), 3 Kevin Pietersen, 4 Paul Collingwood (capt), 5 Eoin Morgan, 6 Luke Wright, 7 Tim Bresnan, 8 Graeme Swann, 9 Michael Yardy, 10 Stuart Broad, 11 Ryan Sidebottom.Pitch and conditions
The Bridgetown surface has entered a timewarp in the course of the past fortnight. Long gone is the pudding on which West Indies racked up 750-plus in their Test against England last March, and in its place is a trampolinist’s paradise that brings to mind the Marshalls and Garners of yesteryear. No venue suits the likes of Shaun Tait and Mitchell Johnson better, and yet, this is where England themselves will feel happiest. All of their batsmen prefer the ball coming onto the bat, and that – if nothing else – can be guaranteed in the coming contest.Stats

• England and Australia have met in three completed Twenty20 internationals to date, including the second one contested, at the Rose Bowl in 2005. England, memorably, won that contest by 100 runs after reducing their opponents to 31 for 7. But, as Ricky Ponting might have put it, Australia didn’t take the format seriously back then …
• Only two players on either side remain from that match – Michael Clarke and Michael Hussey for Australia; Kevin Pietersen and Paul Collingwood for England.
• Since going out of the 2009 World Twenty20, Australia have won 10 of their 11 completed fixtures, with a Super Over defeat against New Zealand being their only setback. For England’s part, their current run of four wins in a row is their hottest streak since the birth of the format
• Australia have fond memories of finals in Bridgetown – they beat Sri Lanka by 53 runs at the venue to lift the World Cup in 2007. But they fared less well in their only Twenty20 fixture in Barbados prior to this tournament. In 2008, they lost an 11-over thrash against West Indies, despite posting an imposing 97 for 3

Quotes
“Michael Hussey is an absolute freak.”
Michael Clarke sums up the sentiments of most cricket-watchers following that semi-final performance.”Let’s be honest, there aren’t too many areas we can improve on.”
Paul Collingwood is ready for whatever transpires in the final.

Lalit Modi, the suspended IPL chairman, has filed his reply to theBCCI’s show-cause notice in typically dramatic fashion – the reply andsupporting evidence run into approximately 15,000 pages and were wheeled into the BCCI headquarters in six large cardboard cartons. His lawyerMehmood Abdi, who oversaw the delivery in Modi’s absence, soundedbullish during an impromptu press conference in Mumbai, saying he believed the response would satisfy the board andget his client reinstated.None of the principals involved – Modi, the BCCIpresident Shashank Manohar and secretary N Srinivasan – were presentat Saturday’s handover. The documents were received by RatnakarShetty, the BCCI’s chief administrative officer.Modi is in Monaco for the Formula 1 Grand Prix, from where he wrote on his Twitter page that he would speak in public after giving the BCCI time to go through his reply. “All I have to say for the moment is I have replied in complete detail to all charges even though there were no complaints, but as if there were,” he wrote.Modi was earlier expected to submit his reply on May 11, but hadrequested the board for a five-day extension, asking for moredocuments to prepare his defence. But for the restless media thewait continued into the early evening today as Modi’s counsel,expected to arrive in the second half, only did so at 6 pm.After spending nearly an hour making the submission, a smiling Abdiwalked out with a victory sign, proudly holding the reply document.The BCCI show-cause comprised 35 pages but Modi’s reply ran along 160pages; about 15,000 pages of additional evidence was neatlypacked into two separate boxes, marked separately for the perusal ofManohar and Srinivasan.Abdi said his triumphal gesture was just an indication of theconfidence he had in Modi’s defence and the possibility of quick justice despite anexhaustive reply document which one smart reporterpointed out equalled the defence of the convictedterrorist in the Mumbai attacks, Ajmal Kasab. “I showed the sign because the BCCI president is an eminent lawyer and he shouldn’t take more than four hours to windit up,” Abdi said.”The documents we have filed today are voluminous but the BCCIpresident is an eminent lawyer, he is in the habit of readingthousands of pages in minutes, so we hope for an early decision,” Abdisaid. “This is in simple prose and is a direct defence of Mr Modi. Iam confident the president would be satisfied 100 percent, 1000percent and he would be re-instated forthwith. Modi should bereinstated as IPL chairman and BCCI vice-president.”Incidentally, Abdi contested the basic premise the BCCI used forsuspending Modi. The board had suspended Modi under Clause 32 (iv) ofthe Memorandum and the Rules and Regulations of the BCCI. Under thesaid rules, the secretary, in consultation with the BCCI president,must issue a notice for the alleged misconduct. Abdi stressed that for theboard to issue a show-cause, it should have received a “writtencomplaint”.”The show-cause notice issued under Article 32 (iv) of the BCCIby-laws has not been properly applied in case of Mr Lalit Modi.Ideally there should have been a show-cause based on a written complaint.After receiving that complaint a show-cause could have been issued andif the president was not satisfied with the reply then he could havereferred the matter to the disciplinary committee. The day thecommittee takes charge of the complaint the proceeding would havestarted whereas in this case he has been put under suspension from dayone,” Abdi pointed out.According to Abdi, the very fact that the charges were based mostly onoral allegations strengthened Modi’s case in a big way. He said thathis client had constantly requested the board to reveal the name ofthe “reliable source”, who verbally alleged to Manohar that Modi wasinvolved in tarnishing the board’s image and the game, and alsorigging the auction for the two new franchises in March. In his emailexchanges with Srinivasan this week, Modi demanded more details aboutthe source and questioned why his/her name was not being revealedby the board, which is calling the alleged verbal conversation”private and confidential”.On May 13, Modi received a shot in the arm when the board wrote back, saying he could reply on the basis of the paperwork handed over to him by the BCCI. “All facts and documents, on which the notice has been issued, have been supplied to you,” the board said. “You may send your reply on the basis of the facts and documents which have been referred to.”Abdi said the documents submitted by the BCCI were of routine natureand negligible consequence. “The main thing the show-cause notice saysis based on the hearsay or gossips because [it is] despite [Modi] having impressedupon the BCCI twice or thrice to come out with names of the people whohave made allegations against Mr Modi. Mr Modi told the BCCI I reserve theright to cross-examine these people. Two days back, the BCCI wrote back tous that we are going to rely upon on the documents we have supplied toyou. But still Mr Modi has tried to explain even the charges made inthese oral allegations.”There have been indications since April 26, when the chargesheet wasissued, that Modi would reveal another side to the charges to indicatethat any culpability in this issue was not his alone. Abdi seemedto back that up on Saturday. He referred to , orgames within games, and said the response would “give a newperspective to the issue.”Abdi said Modi, despite having suffered immense “pain due to the sweeping oralallegations”, has still managed to exercise patience. “Despite thetone, tenor and the content of the show-cause being quite provocative,Mr Modi has been able to maintain calm and restraint while respondingto the queries or allegations raised.”In its notice to Modi, handed over shortly after the IPL final inMumbai, the BCCI listed five principal charges. These include doubtsover the bids for the Rajasthan Royals and Kings XI Punjab franchises,a “facilitation fee” for renegotiation of the IPL broadcast rights,rigging of the franchise bids in 2010 and Modi’s “behaviouralpattern.”The next significant step in this matter is likely to take a while.Modi’s reply will now be taken up by the BCCI; if it is not satisfiedwith the reply, it will refer the case to its three-man disciplinarycommittee.Lawyers Harish Salve, Ram Jethmalani, Mahesh Jethmalani, Swadeep Vohra, Abhishek Singh and Venkatesh Dhone along with Abdi’s own team drafted the reply.

The BCCI’s working committee, meeting for the first time since the IPL controversies broke out three weeks ago, has unanimously approved all the decisions taken by the IPL governing council last Monday. Those include the specific decisions pertaining to Lalit Modi, the suspended chairman.The governing council had, at that meeting, served Modi a showcause notice and given him 15 days – expiring on May 11 – to respond to the five specific charges pressed on him. The charges relate to the 2008 bids for Rajasthan Royals and Kings XI Punjab, the broadcasting deal and the facilitation fee, rigging of bids for new franchises in 2010, the sale of internet rights, and Modi’s “behavior”.While the endorsement of those decisions was said to be unanimous, an otherwise routine meeting took a surprising turn when Jagmohan Dalmiya, president of the Cricket Association of Bengal, raised the issue of the distribution of the IPL’s revenues. Dalmiya’s control of the BCCI ended in 2005 when his candidate, Ranbir Singh Mahendra, was defeated by Sharad Pawar, with the help of Modi and Shashank Manohar, the current board chief, and he has maintained a relatively low profile since then.At Sunday’s meeting, held at the BCCI office in Mumbai, Dalmiya’s is believed to have sought details on the mechanism of how the IPL money was distributed at various levels including the franchises and the staging associations. He was asked to submit a written query, which would be discussed in the near future. “Yes, what you heard is correct,” Dalmiya told Cricinfo, when asked if he’d sought a break-up of the IPL monies.It is also understood that Dalmiya held a separate informal meeting afterwards, with Manohar, N Srinivasan, the board secretary and Arun Jaitley, the president of the Delhi association and a member of the disciplinary committee that will handle the Modi issue. The discussion is believed to have included the controversial IPL broadcasting issue, which involved a facilitation fee of $80 million paid by Multi Screen Media Singapore to World Sports Group Mauritius (who had bought the original global rights when the league was formed). Dalmiya, it can be recalled, was the man who brokered the first big TV deals for the BCCI and organized the two World Cups to be held so far on the subcontinent.

ScorecardBilly Godleman just failed to mark his Essex debut with a century as Hampshire were made to work hard for wickets after putting in their rivals on the opening day of their County Championship match at Chelmsford.The 21-year-old left-handed opener made 92 as Essex closed on 325 for 7, with Matt Walker and James Foster also posting half centuries. Signed on a three-year contract after leaving Middlesex, Godleman was denied his 100 when he was bowled by left-arm spinner Danny Briggs while attempting to turn the ball away on the leg side.But long before then, he had underlined his potential with a variety of attacking strokes while collecting 13 boundaries during his 146-ball stay. However, he did need one slice of luck. When on 45 he edged a simple catch to Jimmy Adams at first slip only for the fielder to spurn the opportunity.Although a green-looking pitch suggested it would help the bowlers, Godleman and John Maunders found it held no terrors as they launched the innings on afirm foundation. And it was only a misunderstanding between the openers that led to the stand being broken on 68. maunders had made 33 of those when he was run out at thenon-striker’s end when turning and failing to regain his ground after settingoff for a single.Tom Westley managed only a single before he was caught behind by Nic Pothas offpaceman David Griffiths, and soon after Godleman’s demise, Mark Pettini alsobecame a victim of Briggs. Pettini reached double figures with an onside six, the first of the innings, only to be dismissed next ball when he snicked to Pothas when cutting. The Essex skipper’s departure paved the way for an entertaining partnership of 75 involving Walker and Foster.A pulled muscle resulted in Walker batting with a runner as he neared his half-century but it proved no real handicap as he reached that landmark with a couple of leg-side fours at the expense of Briggs. But on 57, his innings was brought to an end when he gloved a simple catch to Pothas when sweeping. In all, he hit nine boundaries while receiving 178deliveries.Foster was quick to seize upon any opportunity to drive as he completed a superb 50 from 62 deliveries, 10 of which he despatched to the boundary. And he continued to attack confidently, adding another eight fours until he fell victim to the second new ball when he was caught at second slip to provide Griffiths with his second success of the innings. Foster had made 88 and Griffiths was to claim another victim before the close when he had Ryan ten Doeschate caught by a leaping Adams in the slips. Griffiths has so far claimedthree for 73 while Briggs has been rewarded with three for 61.

In a major setback to the Rajasthan Royals, their opener Graeme Smith has been ruled out of the IPL due to a finger injury, as has allrounder Dimitri Mascarenhas after turning his ankle. Smith fractured his right middle finger while fielding during Monday’s match against Delhi Daredevils in Ahmedabad, and is now in a race to be fit in time for the ICC World Twenty20 which starts on April 30. Mascarenhas hurt his ankle during his run-out in the same game, but put in a brave effort with the ball, taking two wickets off successive deliveries.Smith confirmed his absence on his Twitter page, as did Shane Warne on his, while also mentioning Mascarenhas’ setback. “Unfortunately Smith and Dimma [are] going home due to injury,” said Warne on Twitter. “Big setback for us as Smith and Dimma are very good players for Royals and their experience will be hugely missed.”We wish them a speedy recovery and hope to see them back in Royals colours again soon; had some one on one chats with players, spirit is good.”Smith hurt himself while pulling off a diving catch to end Sehwag’s onslaught on 75 in a match Rajasthan lost by six wickets. “I have a double fracture in my right middle finger, so will be missing the IPL,” Smith said on his Twitter page. “I hurt it taking the catch off Sehwag last night, when I landed my finger got hooked in the ground.”The injuries add to the all-round worries of Rajasthan, who have had a poor start to their campaign, losing their first two games. Warne’s team is already missing Australian allrounder Shane Watson (busy with the Tests in New Zealand till the end of March) and Indian allrounder Ravindra Jadeja (banned from this season’s IPL), while the big-hitting Yusuf Pathan also picked up an injury in the previous game.The overseas batsmen now available for Shane Warne’s team are Hampshire’s Michael Lumb and Australian pair of Damien Martyn and Adam Voges.This is the second finger injury Smith has picked up in little more than a month. He had hurt his little finger on the left hand during the build-up to the Eden Gardens Test in February, which kept him out of the one-dayers against India.South Africa coach Corrie van Zyl said he was awaiting medical reports from Rajasthan Royals to determine the seriousness of this injury. “It’s difficult to speculate without all the facts. Doctor (Mohammed) Moosajee said that an injury like that usually takes three to six weeks to heal,” he told Sport24. “We are hoping that he will be able to start training again after four weeks to be ready for the first game [of the World Twenty20].”Over the last two years, Smith has had several long-standing injury problems. He first suffered a tennis elbow injury during the IPL in India in April 2008 and that forced him to miss the last three ODIs against England the same year. He later broke his hand while facing Australia’s Mitchell Johnson in the third Test in Sydney but batted in the second innings to try and save the game. He missed the subsequent ODI series and decided to delay the surgery on his injured tennis elbow until after the return series against the Australians at home last year.

Graeme Smith has named MS Dhoni, his counterpart, as South Africa’s primary target in the two-Test series, which begins at the VCA Stadium on Saturday. Smith said his team was gunning for Dhoni because he carried the bulk of the responsibility for India and, if they attacked him successfully, they would be well placed to win the series and snatch the No.1 Test ranking.”We see him [Dhoni] as the key figure in their side,” Smith said. “He obviously carries a lot of responsibility so if we can create a lot of pressure on him may be we can open up a few chinks.”Smith said Dhoni, who was victorious in his first Test as captain against South Africa in Kanpur in 2008, had grown in stature and earned respect from opponents. “He seems a good, controlled leader of men,” he said. “But we have gathered a lot of information on him from the time he made his debut as Test captain.”However, Smith said that the South Africans were not just picking targets from the opposition but were also trying to come to terms with changes in their own house. Less than ten days ago, Mickey Arthur resigned as head coach and Cricket South Africa [CSA] sacked the selection panel headed by Mike Procter. A new interim coach (Corrie van Zyl), an interim selection panel (led by CSA chief Gerald Majola), a batting consultant (Kepler Wessels) were put in place ahead of the crucial tour of India.”Last week was quite a tough time for all the guys including myself,” Smith said. “There were a lot of mixed media reports which weighed a lot on our heads.”Smith said it would take time for normalcy to return but added that the entire South African camp was relaxed and focused on adapting quickly to the situation and the Indian environment. “It has been a rushed preparation for Corrie and Kepler trying to come to terms with everything. But each guy is finding a space in the environment. Ultimately this tour would be judged on results.”Smith was clear there was no room for error in two-Test rubbers. “It obviously puts a lot of emphasis on the first Test. You need to be lot more precise. There is no way to get back in the series if you allow things to slip early on.”In 2009, South Africa hosted against Australia and England and, on both occasions, they failed to get off a winning start. Australia beat them handsomely 2-1 to regain the No.1 spot while England frustrated them throughout the four-Test series late last year. “We haven’t started series well off late so our first Test match is key,” Smith said.The primary reason South Africa remain hopeful is their spirited display on their previous tour of India when they took the series lead with a stunning victory on a pace-friendly pitch in Ahmedabad. India bounced back to level the series on a dubious Green Park pitch days later, and Smith said the players were hungry and ready to correct past errors.”In 2008 we had won in England, and then in Australia and we came close to beating India. That is our goal now: we want to tick this box,” Smith said, terming the Indian challenge as “awesome”.The flat pitches, with slow and low bounce, in contrast to the hard, grassy springboards of home, will be the biggest challenge South Africa face in the coming weeks. Smith denied the dry pitches would dissuade his bowlers, indicating that their strength relied on the Dale Steyn-led three-man pace attack, also featuring Morne Morkel and left-armer Wayne Parnell. “That is the key, to adapt to the conditions, but it is also important we play our style of cricket,” Smith stressed.One concern South Africa have is Paul Harris, their main spinner, who was ineffective against England and was dropped from the final Test in Johannesburg, where the hosts leveled the series. His record against India is the worst among all countries: in four Tests he has managed 13 wickets at 45 each. Offspinner Johan Botha has been less threatening since the ICC banned his doosra last May. But Botha batted in the warm-up game against Board President’s XI, raising doubts over Harris’ spot.But Smith cleared those doubts and indirectly indicated Harris is likely to come back into the team. “Paul is the man with the mantle at the moment and it would take a lot for that to change. I think Johan [Botha] can add a lot of value but these are things we need to take a look at tonight and make a decision.”