Michael Clarke was stunned by Darren Lehmann’s offer to stand down when Ricky Ponting returns, but the third Test, starting at Nagpur tomorrow, will be the first of a series of unofficial bat-offs between the two.Ponting’s comeback from a broken thumb, either in the fourth Test against India at Mumbai next week or the first Test against New Zealand at the Gabba from November 18, means one of the current batsmen will be squeezed out. Lehmann, at 34, is the most vulnerable unless the selectors make the unlikely move of dumping Clarke, 23, despite an amazing start to his Test career.Lehmann said after the first Test that he may stand down when Ponting returns to keep Clarke in the side but Trevor Hohns, the chairman of selectors, rejected the selfess suggestion. Clarke himself was unhappy at the situation: “It was an unbelievable comment from such a great guy and someone who has been such a great player for Australian cricket. I want to keep playing but that call comes down to the selectors. I hope ‘Boofer’ [Lehmann] does not step down. I call him the veteran. He is the veteran of the team and like the father. Everybody goes to him for support.”In this series Clarke is well ahead of Lehmann, making 212 runs at 70.67 to Lehmann’s 62 at 15.50. As unlikely as his sacking seems, Clarke said he would be fine if the selectors omitted him when Ponting comes back. “I was selected because Ricky got injured,” he said. “If I got dropped I would not have an issue with it at all.”Clarke unwound from his heady first fortnight of Test cricket by spending four days at a luxury resort in Singapore with Damien Martyn during the team’s mini-break. “After the first day of the Chennai Test he [Martyn] was on 25 or 26 and I said if you make a hundred I’ll go with you,” Clarke said. “He initially wanted to go on his own. It turns out I was booking on the flight that night. We just had a good time and relaxed. We sat by the pool.”Clarke’s dream-like efforts with the bat at Bangalore and Chennai were marred slightly by two dropped catches at second slip. “There’s nothing worse in cricket than dropping a catch,” he said. “It’s definitely disappointing but we’re standing so close to the bat over here that the ball is coming pretty quickly.”

The United Cricket Board of South Africa has given the all-clear for Graeme Smith, their captain, to play for Somerset in 2005. Albie Morkel, another South African, has also been given approval and will be their second overseas player next summer.Smith, 23, last month agreed a one-year deal with Somerset, but has had to wait for the move to be sanctioned by his country’s board. Smith is expected to join Somerset in May, after South Africa’s tour of West Indies. He will take over from Mike Burns as Somerset captain on his arrival. Morkel, an allrounder who bowls right-arm fast-medium but bats left-handed, has been touted as a bright prospect by Ray Jennings, his national coach.”The cricketing experts in the club identified the captaincy as an area that needed attention,” Peter Anderson, Somerset’s chief executive, told the . “We chose to go down the route of recruiting a proven international captain. We [had] tried to sign Stephen Fleming before he opted to join Nottinghamshire, but we are delighted that Graeme has now been given permission to join us.”

Western Australia have named an unchanged squad for their ING Cup game against Queensland. Luke Ronchi, the Warriors’ wicketkeeper-batsman, was asked to prove his fitness in a test on November 18 so a decision could be taken on his participation.Ronchi strained his left hamstring during the thriller against Victoria on Sunday, but expressed confidence about playing. Ryan Campbell was expected to be selected if Ronchi’s strain didn’t improve.Adam Voges, who aggravated a groin injury, and Peter Worthington, who injured his left ankle against Victoria, had both recovered and were named in the squad.Western Australia Michael Hussey (capt), Brett Dorey, Murray Goodwin, Kade Harvey, Brad Hogg, Steve Magoffin, Scott Meuleman, Marcus North, Luke Ronchi (wk – could be replaced by Ryan Campbell), Adam Voges, Darren Wates and Peter Worthington.

Marcus Trescothick and Andrew Strauss cemented their names in therecord-books with an opening stand of 273, to swing a topsy-turvy matchback in England’s favour on the third day at Kingsmead. And at the close,Trescothick, who eventually fell for 132, was a contented man.”That was a fantastic day,” said Trescothick, “but we can’t get too happyor relaxed just yet. We’ve got two huge days ahead of us, and tomorrow’sfirst session will be crucial and will probably dictate the way this gameis going. They are going to be two big days of Test cricket.”Although England have encountered some difficulties while going for theirshots so far on this tour, Trescothick and Strauss had no qualms abouttaking the attack to South Africa today, and the approach paid dividends.”The wicket was pretty good,” said Trescothick. “We’re both positiveplayers and we made the most of our opportunities. The pace was differenttoday. It didn’t zip off the pitch so much, although it still does a bitwith the new ball when the seam’s hard. If we get through that periodtomorrow, we need to make the most of it.”In the course of their innings, Trescothick and Strauss passed 1000 runsas an opening partnership, and Strauss himself is just 33 runs away fromreaching 1000 individual runs. “Watching from the other end, he makes itlook pretty easy,” admitted Trescothick. “People keep bumping him,throwing everything at him, but it doesn’t really faze him too much.”We communicate well,” added Trescothick. “We talk a lot, and it doesn’talways have to be about the cricket – it could be someone walking past, ora song someone’s singing. We don’t have to focus all the time, but justrelax and enjoy what’s going on. Of course, it depends on getting to knowyour team-mates and how they respond,” he added. “Nasser never said a wordwhen he came to the wicket, but Straussy and I have a joke and relax eachother.And Trescothick admitted that Strauss’s unflappable temperament has helpedhis own game as well. “Of course it does,” he said. “If you’re playingwith someone who’s a nervous wreck, it’s bound to affect the way you play.But he’s full of confidence and taking it all in his stride. And he’s beenlike that all through his career. He’s calm, and it’s helped him do sowell so quickly.”Trescothick added that Strauss’s personality was precisely what theEngland team needed. “He’s an easy guy to fit in, and he’s perfect forwhat we need at the moment. His attitude is spot on, he works hard and heknows what he wants. As a partnership, we’ve got on well since he cameinto the team, and since we know we are going in together every time, wemight as well enjoy it.”For Trescothick, today’s century was an important landmark, as he hasattractedcriticism for his inability to replicate his home form on overseas trips.”This is a huge step forward for me,” he admitted. “I’ve not necessarilyfound the answer, but today, mentally, it was a big step in the rightdirection.”And just to be involved today was a high,” he added. “It’s a nice feelingto fight back from a difficult period where we didn’t bat or bowlparticularly well. But it showed the character of the team, which issomething we’ve worked on all year. We never give up, and we keep fightingand improving.”As for England’s situation, Trescothick refused to get carried away by onegood day’s batting. “A lead of 550 would be nice,” he joked. “But we can’tget too far ahead, as tomorrow’s a huge morning. We need to getpartnerships going, and the scoring-rate going, and set our totals.”

ScorecardAn 81-run partnership between Tamar Lambert and David Bernard helped Jamaica tighten their grip on the third day of their opening game of the Carib Beer Cup at the Kaiser Sports Club. After managing a slender 38-run lead in the first innings, Jamaica were reduced to 39 for 4 due to a burst from Wilden Cornwall, the medium pacer. But a steady 55 from Donovan Pagon began the revival before Lambert and Bernard consolidated Jamaica’s position. Jamaica ended their second innings on 270 and left Leeward Islands with an uphill task of getting 309 for victory. Jerome Taylor’s double strike put Leeward Islands in further trouble as they ended the day on 16 for 2.
ScorecardAfter two days of inclement weather, play finally got underway in Trinidad as Guyana trudged along to 87 for 3 in 63 overs. Trinidad & Tobago got off to a fine start, after choosing to bowl, as Guyana were struggling at 17 for 3. But Narsingh Deonaire steadied the ship with 48 as the game meandered towards a draw.

Duncan Fletcher says he has no thoughts of applying for the role of South Africa coach, which will be advertised this week. Fletcher, who has coached England for more than five years, rejected the notion of applying for the role currently held by Ray Jennings.”I’m not applying for it,” Fletcher told a news conference in East London, where he is preparing England for the fifth ODI. “I’m with England and I’m happy to be with them.”Jennings took charge of South Africa on a temporary basis after Eric Simons stepped down in October 2004. Jennings will remain in the post until South Africa have finished touring West Indies in May, when a permanent coach will be appointed.It has been rumoured that Jennings may not apply for the post in the light of reports that the captain Graeme Smith favours the Australian Steve Waugh to take up the role. But Jennings insisted that an application could be on the cards if he won the backing of his players.”I will speak to the players and if they want me as a leader I will re-apply,” Jennings said. “It’s all about the players.” He rejected suggestions that he and Smith had issues. “He’s young and exciting, I challenge him and he challenges me,” he added. “He sent me a text message yesterday saying: ‘Coach, you’re a champion’.”

Brett Lee’s intimidating one-day form is leading Australia to another seriously difficult decision when the Test series against New Zealand begins next week. Ricky Ponting said it would be “almost impossible” to leave any of the four fast bowlers out, but with Shane Warne returning the third spot shapes as a contest between Lee and Michael Kasprowicz.Lee’s speed in the five-match one-day series, which Australia sealed 3-0 at Auckland on Saturday, has been frightening, and the New Zealand batsmen have found no way to cope as he’s picked up seven wickets. Michael Papps was the latest to be upset when he was hit on the helmet by two bouncers at Eden Park and taken to hospital with concussion.Stephen Fleming has been unable to reach double figures against Lee, who has dismissed him each time in the series. Fleming said Lee’s speed had unsettled his batsmen and they weren’t used to the jump in pace. “In our competition we don’t have a lot of bowlers operating in the 140s, let alone the 150 area,” he said. “There’s only really two in the world doing it so it’s not something that comes along every series. He is bowling pretty quick and doing what any good fast bowler should do – he’s unsettling and bowling with intensity.”Ponting said Australia had four bowlers in the world’s top 12 and it would be difficult to separate them for the first Test at Christchurch from March 6. “It’s going to be almost impossible to leave one of the four out,” he said. “Lee’s doing everything in his power to give himself the best chance, but so are the other guys. All of those four bowlers are stats-wise in the best 10 or 12 bowlers in the world.”Lee, who hasn’t played a Test in 14 months, told AAP he could bowl even faster now he was fully recovered from ankle surgery last March. “I’m not going flat out,” he said. “I know I’ve got a bit more in the tank, which is a good thing too, and I sort of feel comfortable bowling within myself.” His only problem has been with the occasional waist-high full-toss, and he delivered another one on Saturday that angered Brendon McCullum.Australia are expected to name their Test squad on Wednesday, but Kasprowicz is again looking vulnerable for the final XI despite a spectacular 2004 that reaped 47 wickets in 13 Tests.

Abdur Razzaq is the senior-most member in the Pakistan side after Inzamam-ul-Haq, and he appeared keen to accept that responsibility. Before Mohammad Kaif stole the show, it was Razzaq who had started off the fireworks on a bright Friday morning. At the press conference, he talked about the team’s performance, and his own form.On such a weak batting performance on the eve of the Test match
Our main motive was to get some practise from this game as we hardly had any practice back home after the Australia tour. We wanted the batsmen to get some hits and get acclimatised to the wicket. Our batting, that way, is powerful.On his own batting in the game
It felt nice to do well and get a fifty just before the Test series, and I look forward to how the wicket will be at Mohali.On his bowling
It was raining in Pakistan so I could hardly train, but I was steadily getting back to my rhythm today.On his role as an allrounder
Considering that we don’t have Shoaib Akthar in the bowling line-up and without any senior bowler, there is a big responsibility on me to do well and guide the youngsters.On how they expect to fare if given similar kind of pitches
The conditions are completely different for international games, and the players also adapt accordingly.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Gallery
5th day
Bulletin – Pakistan clinch a famous win
Pakistan Verdict – Gains aplenty
Indian Verdict – Too many chinks
Plays of the day – Running into happiness
Quotes – ‘The only option was attack’ – Inzamam
Quotes – ‘My future is upto the selectors’ – Ganguly
Commentary – The silence of victory4th day
Bulletin – Afridi and Younis set up last day
Verdict – Forces of nature
Plays of the day – The longest wait
Quotes – ‘We will go for a win’ – Laxman
Roving Reporter – The view from the stands
3rd day
Bulletin – Pakistan recover after Sehwag double-hundred
Verdict – Achievement and appetite
Plays of the day – Stumped
Quotes – ‘I found no-one difficult’ – Sehwag
Stats – Fastest Indian to 3000
On the ball – Strokeful Sehwag2nd day
Bulletin – Younis powers Pakistan to 540
Verdict – The silver lining on a cloudy day
Commentary – Younis’s defining innings
Play of the day – Irresponsible? Not me
Quotes – ‘Pressure does not affect me’ – Younis
Stats – Home disadvantage
On the ball – Harbhajan without the doosra1st day
Bulletin – Inzamam and Younis power Pakistan
Verdict – Inzamam the inevitable
Play of the Day – Into the 21st century
Quotes – ‘We won’t repeat the mistakes of Kolkata – Inzamam
Stats – Celebrating in style
On the ball – The back-foot masterPreviewPreview – Playing to win
The ground in numbers – A nightmare for Indian batsmen
Interview – Sourav Ganguly speaks exclusively to Cricinfo
Quotes – ‘Our batsmen should take more responsibility’ – Inzamam
The Big Picture – Taking aim

Western Australia have nominated Tom Hogan, the former left-arm spinner, for the national selection panel following Allan Border’s departure. Hogan, 48, played seven Tests and 16 ODIs before joining Trevor Hohns on a South Africa rebel tour in 1985-86, and became a Warriors selector in 2003.Hogan told ABC Online he was thrilled to be given a chance to giveWestern Australia a voice on the panel. “The age of the Australian team is obviously getting up to that degree you would imagine that in the future there would be a changing of the guard, so there will be interesting times on selection,” Hogan said.Ray Bright, another Test spinner, is hopeful of getting Victoria’s nomination. “There’s a position up for grabs so I’d be only too happy to be the Victorian representative, if they see fit,” Bright, who played 25 Tests from 1977 to 1986, said. Border resigned from his position of seven years on Wednesday.