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Mike Procter, the ICC match referee who handed Harbhajan Singh a three-Test ban for alleged racist remarks against Andrew Symonds, has defended his decision to punish the Indian offspinner.”I am South African, and I understand the word racism,” Procter told the . “I have lived with it for much of my life. This was not a case of just taking the word of an Australian over an Indian. I stand by my decision. I believe the process was a fair one. I intend to carry on for the rest of the series, because I don’t have a problem with India. I have always had a good rapport with Indian players.”Procter said it had been a tough day at the office for him. “Obviously this has all been very difficult for me. I didn’t get to sleep until 11am [on Monday], and then only for a couple of hours. It has been one of the most difficult days of my life.”Procter said Sunday’s hearing was not a heated affair, adding he was unsure when the procedure for the appeal over the ban would take place. However, he did say the hearing into Brad Hogg’s alleged remarks would be conducted on either January 13 or 14 in Perth.

Pakistanis 8 for 279 (Razzaq 89*, Hafeez 61, Tait 2-49) beat Australia A 266 (Haddin 129, D Hussey 45, Naved-ul-Hasan 3-42) by 13 runs
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Brad Haddin’s sparkling century could not prevent a fighting comeback from the Pakistanis in the VB Series warm-up match at the Adelaide Oval. Twice the tourists’ cause seemed lost, but they regrouped through Abdul Razzaq’s blistering 89 off 61 balls, and then sealed the match with three wickets for Rana Naved-ul-Hasan.Australia A were strolling towards victory at 4 for 254 in the 45th over after Haddin, the captain, had reached his hundred in as many balls with help from Brad Hodge (30) and David Hussey (45). Naved then swung the match for the final time as Australia A collapsed with two run-outs and lost six wickets in four overs.Cameron White fell when Shahid Afridi dropped a caught-and-bowled chance off Haddin, and the ball cannoned into the stumps with White out of his ground. Then Haddin was caught short of the crease 12 runs later to end Australia A’s chances. Naved, who had removed Damien Wright and Nathan Hauritz, finished the game by having Shaun Tait caught behind, although Tait was unhappy with the decision.Pakistan’s day began badly when they slumped to 5 for 117, but Razzaq, who has struggled with a mystery illness during the tour, arrived in the 30th over and showed he was in a healthy state by blasting six sixes and four fours to lead the recovery.Razzaq and Shahid Afridi added 68 from 33 balls as Hauritz was hit the hardest, conceding three sixes in six balls, and Pakistan set Australia A 280 for victory. Mohammad Hafeez had stabilised the innings with 61 before he was caught in the deep off Hauritz, and the thrilling late onslaught included 26 runs from the final 13 balls.Wright, Tait and Mick Lewis collected the first five wickets, including the dismissal of Inzamam-ul-Haq. Playing his first game since the first Test because of a back injury, Inzamam scratched out 10 from 40 balls before falling to Tait.

The deep voice rolling its Rs as it served up sentences in the most delicious Scottish brogue had people looking around the room frantically, wondering what Sean Connery was doing at a conference for cricket coaches organised by the MRF in Chennai. Cinema buffs were immediately disappointed to discover that the voice was only Dr Sandy Gordon’s. But that disappointment didn’t last long, for few people think, and talk, as good a game of cricket as him.Drawing Gordon aside for a second, it was a pleasant surprise to hear him talk about things less incomprehensible than cognitive behavioural psychology. “I played soccer as a part-time professional in the north of Scotland. One of the teams I played for was Buckie Thistle, and Alex Ferguson, who had just moved from Rangers to Falkirk, played against us in the Scottish Cup. He was a striker and I was a defender. They beat us 2-1, but when he came to Aberdeen to coach the team there, I helped him find a good school for his kids and that sort of thing. We got to know each other quite well.”But Gordon isn’t just dropping names when he talks about "Fergie" and the success Manchester United have had in transforming themselves from a good team to a great one. And he isn’t from a purely soccer background either: “I played cricket and golf in the summer and there were three or four families who were very passionate about cricket where I came from, in Huntley.”Okay, so that’s fair enough, we all had a knock in the backyard or kicked a ball on the streets as kids, and that can sometimes lead to a career in sport. But which five-year old says, “when I grow up, I want to be a psychologist”? Not even the young Gordon. “I was keen on all sports and wanted to be a PE teacher. I always knew that and I did it for a couple of years. Then later I decided to do another degree and I became interested in social and educational psychology.”I liked sports psychology because I was a player and I had some pretty bad coaching practices during that time. I also met some players who were emotionally unhinged or had problems dealing with pressure,” he says, chuckling. Today, these two factors comprise the nucleus of a lot of Gordon’s work.Recently, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) woke up to the fact that a psychologist could play a huge role in giving the team an edge. Sportsmen, especially successful ones, tend to have king-sized egos and this could easily get in the way of Gordon’s work. “At the top level every player is looking to prolong his or her career, so they’re not at all resistant to feedback. They just love any kind of feedback. As coaches, we’re paid to give feedback. I’ve never had any player say he didn’t want my opinion.”Not even the big stars of Indian cricket? “I really feel that I was just part of the facilitation process with the Indian team. It’s the players who are out there playing and they’re the ones who should be patted on the back. I’m quietly pleased with the reactions I’ve had though.”But what exactly did Gordon say or do to turn the Indian team into a fist-pumping, charged-up unit? Remember the rugby-style huddles from the World Cup? “They [the team] created the environment. I threw up the questions and challenges in terms of group and individual gameplans and how to attain momentum and they applied all of that to their situations. Remember, I wasn’t there at the games so they’re the ones who did it.”However, on the eve of the World Cup, the morale of the Indian team wasn’t the greatest after the hammering they received in New Zealand. “While they were a bit apprehensive just before the start of the World Cup, they were also excited to be playing in it. A few players were resigned to the fact that they might not play a game. When I talked to them, I asked what they wanted to get out of the tournament. They then understood that there were certain individual goals over and above the team goals that players could achieve.”Interestingly, the very day after the 2002 NatWest Series final, in which India successfully chased 326 against England, Gordon had a chat with the team. They told him that other teams thought they were mentally soft and they wanted to change that. “It was really John Wright’s ambition to identify the areas that needed work. We started to explore why India were mentally tough at home, but struggled abroad. I compared what the Indians did on tour with what the Australians did and there was a world of difference. The players needed to realise that going away does not mean you’re on enemy territory. You’re on a cricket field, and that’s home.”He’s said it before and he’s happy to say so again: “I wasn’t surprised at all at India’s toughness in the World Cup. They fully deserved to be in the final. They didn’t play well in the beginning, getting thumped by Australia, but they bounced back strongly. I was pleasantly surprised to see how well they came together and the way they enjoyed the game.”And to think things turned around for the simplest of reasons. “A commitment by the individual and the team to giving the best effort possible for every delivery. Cricket’s a simple game really. Focussing on the right things, getting your attitude right, thinking positively and decisively.”If only it were that simple to put into practice. “Australia will always be up there because of the domestic competition they have and the type of player it produces. I don’t know the system here, but I know there’s an awful lot of politics involved. So when a player comes through the system in Australia he’s already tough, a thoroughbred. The infrastructure puts Australia well ahead.”Is there no hope for India then? After all, changing the system is so difficult that hardly anyone bothers anymore. As one critic was quick to point out, what good is there in toughening up the national side when the foundations are so weak? “[Training in] mental skills really needs to start at the under-17 level, at least. It’s got to start much earlier than the national team. You can’t unscramble an egg you know. It’s there already and you can’t go back and change things. Certainly this model is only a band-aid solution. It can’t work from the top downwards.”

Frizzell County Championship Division OneWarwickshire v Nottinghamshire at Edgbaston
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Kevin Pietersen’s second century of the summer put Nottinghamshire in a strong position at Edgbaston, as they closed on 389 for 3 after dismissing Warwickshire for their overnight score of 351. Pietersen smacked an unbeaten 140 off 178 balls to build on a second-wicket stand of 146 between Guy Welton (99) and Usman Afzaal (72), and added 146 in 33 overs in an unbroken fourth-wicket partnership with Chris Cairns (52*). Pietersen was at his best, hitting 90 in boundaries, including a towering six over the pavilion off Mark Wagh. Little went right for Warwickshire. Melvyn Betts suffered a groin strain in his third over and limped off shortly after lunch, and Waqar Younis (0 for 59) and Collins Obuya (0 for 40) both looked uninspired.Kent v Sussex at Tunbridge Wells
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Sussex took their overnight score to 311 at the Nevil Ground. A rapid 43 from Mushtaq Ahmed at No. 10 was the highlight of a consistent batting performance, while Robin Martin-Jenkins contributed a composed 67. Paul Hutchison scored 18 and bowled five overs before James Kirtley completed the long trek from Chester-le-Street to Canterbury and took his place in the side after being left out again by England. And it was Kirtley who took two wickets to reduce Kent to 90 for 3, before Andrew Symonds (54) and Matthew Walker (30) appeared to have stopped the rot with a fourth-wicket stand of 90. But Mushtaq grabbed both their wickets in the dying overs to leave Sussex on 188 for 5.Lancashire v Leicestershire at Liverpool
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Andrew Flintoff’s good form with the bat continued as he cracked an unbeaten 71 to help Lancashire to 503 for 6, their highest total at the Aigburth ground. Flintoff, playing as a specialist batsman because of a trapped nerve in his shoulder, took his first-class average for the season to over 100 in his 55-ball onslaught. Mark Chilton (108) completed his hundred in the morning, and then Carl Hooper (74) and Stuart Law (82) put on 123 in 26 overs as Leicestershire wilted. Flintoff was back in the spotlight when Leicestershire batted, catching the debutant John Maunders (16) off Sajid Mahmood, and then Hooper took a superb low slip catch to account for Virender Sehwag (30). Leicestershire closed on 117 for 4, still 386 in arrears.Middlesex v Essex at Lord’s
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Middlesex continued their fightback from 23 for 3 yesterday, and were finally all out for 363 at tea, before reducing Essex to 95 for 8, still 119 short of the follow on, by the close. Ben Hutton made 107, with 15 fours, and shared a stand of 103 with Abdul Razzaq (54). Paul Weekes (51*) organised the tail, and added 42 for the ninth wicket with Simon Cook (20) and 39 for the last with Chad Keegan (21). Jon Dakin finished with 5 for 86. But four catches from the wicketkeeper David Nash, and 3 for 7 in seven overs (including six successive maidens) from Simon Cook left Essex in tatters. The key wicket was that of Will Jefferson, brilliantly caught by a diving Nash for 22.Frizzell County Championship Division TwoGlamorgan v Derbyshire at Swansea
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Play got under way a day late at St Helen’s, and Glamorgan made up for lost time by scoring 395, largely thanks to their acting captain, Robert Croft (84), and Dean Cosker who put on 81 for the last wicket. Tom Lungley was the chief destroyer for Derbyshire with 4 for 101 as Glamorgan slipped to 216 for 5, but Croft shepherded the tail sensibly to almost double their score. Derbyshire survived the last four overs of the day unscathed.Gloucestershire v Northamptonshire at Gloucester
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Gloucestershire’s bowlers must have nightmares about bowling to Michael Hussey, the Northants opener and captain from Australia. Last year in the corresponding fixture (at Bristol) he romped to 310 not out. This time he made do with just 264 – with 35 fours and two sixes – before Jon Lewis had him caught. Hussey put on 260 for the sixth wicket with Gerard Brophy, who had reached 152*, his highest score for Northants, when Hussey declared shortly before tea at a towering 622 for 8. Gloucestershire’s reply started well as they reached 96 for 0, but Carl Greenidge struck twice in three balls and then in the next over Andre Nel twice in two as four wickets fell for no runs. By the close Gloucestershire were 109 for 4, 364 runs short of avoiding the follow-on.Hampshire v Durham at Southampton
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An eighth-wicket partnership of 123 between Dimitri Mascarenhas, who spanked 14 fours in his 92, and Shaun Udal (60*) converted a handy Hampshire total into a huge one at the Rose Bowl. They were all out shortly before tea for 456. Earlier Simon Katich took his overnight score to 135, and Nic Pothas made 79: Danny Law and Nicky Phillips finished with four wickets apiece. Durham’s reply stalled when they lost two wickets in successive overs at the end of the day, but debutant James Lowe, only playing because of a long list of Durham injuries, was still there on 41 as they closed on 107 for 2.Somerset v Worcestershire at Bath
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A fine allround performance from Andrew Hall put Worcestershire into acommanding position against Somerset at the Recreation Ground. First Hall cracked six sixes and 11 fours in his 104 as Worcestershire amassed 538, and then took 2 for 27 as Somerset were skittled out for 238, and made to follow on 300 runs adrift. On a good pitch, Jamie Cox’s 37 was the top score in Somerset’s innings as they lost their last eight wickets for 123, and it would have been far worse but for a belligerent 35 not out from a limping Nixon McLean at the end. Somerset reached 19 for 0 second time around.University Match
Bradford/Leeds UCCE v Yorkshire at Bradford
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Ismail Dawood, the Bradford/Leeds captain, hit 125 out of 241 in reply to Yorkshire’s big first-innings total of 409 for 3 at Bradford. Dawood, who hit 16 fours and a six, didn’t get much support – the next-highest score was Mark Bagley’s 26. Yorkshire didn’t enforce the follow-on, cruising to 140 for 2 from 26 overs in the final session.Click here for yesterday’s County Championship review

Shivnarine Chanderpaul has been dropped for the fourth and final Test against England, starting in Antigua next week, after managing just 101 runs in six innings this series. But the West Indian selectors have resisted the urge to make wholesale changes to their batting line-up, despite the feeble second-innings capitulation at Bridgetown that handed England their first series win in the Caribbean for 36 years.The circumstances which led to Chanderpaul being dropped were far from straightforward, with the board admitting that he had told them he felt "tired and lethargic". He was asked to meet with one of the board’s medical panel to be checked out, but Chanderpaul “showed some reluctance to comply with this direction” and was sent home "for further evaluation".West Indies now have only their pride to salvage, but Chanderpaul aside, they have put their faith in the batsmen who let them down in Barbados. The solitary change to a squad of 13 is the introduction of the local boy, Sylvester Joseph.Joseph, 25, toured Australia with the senior squad three years ago, and has four ODI appearances under his belt, but he has yet to play a Test. He did, however, stake his claim with a decent performance in the recent warm-up game in Barbados, scoring 36 and 50 for a Carib Beer XI against England’s second-string attack.England, not for the first time this series, have a air of serenity about their preparations, although they are not without need of a bit of fine-tuning as they seek to inflict West Indies’ first whitewash in a home series. In particular, the wicketkeeper’s role has come under the spotlight, with Chris Read impressing behind the stumps, but consistently failing to produce a big score with the bat.Since Alec Stewart’s retirement, Read has managed 162 runs in 11 innings, and with Geraint Jones waiting in the wings, he knows he has to come good soon. “He’s got to get a few more runs,” admitted England’s coach, Duncan Fletcher. “He’s been given quite a good run in there and it’s an area we might have to look at, even though his keeping has been very good.”Jones took his chance with an impressive 66 in the warm-up game in Barbados, but Fletcher was loath to read too much into that. “You’ve only seen one guy in a three-day game compared to a Test match,” he said. “Once they step up to that higher level it’s totally different.”In the meantime, Fletcher’s main concern is to keep his team fully motivated, even though the tour’s main objective has been completed. “It’s very easy to lose a cricket game and very difficult to win one,” said Fletcher. “Anyone can lose it, but to win is hard and they have to make sure they develop this culture that you just keep dominating and don’t relax at any stage.”West Indies squad
Chris Gayle, Daren Ganga, Brian Lara (capt), Ramnaresh Sarwan, Sylvester Joseph, Dwayne Smith, Ryan Hinds, Ricardo Powell, Ridley Jacobs (wk), Tino Best, Pedro Collins, Corey Collymore, Fidel Edwards.

Javed Miandad, the former coach of the Pakistan side, has said that he may take up coaching assignments in India during the next few weeks. Miandad will be travelling to Delhi later this week to take up a television assignment for the Asia Cup, which begins on July 16.While in India, for about three weeks, Miandad is also contemplating taking up some private coaching assignments. quoted him as saying, “Nothing is final as yet. But I have got offers and if I get the time I will definitely be keen to do some coaching with the Indian players.”Miandad received an offer to participate in a studio-based programme in Zee News during the course of the Asia Cup. “It will be similar to what I did for Ten Sports during the last World Cup,” Miandad said. “I would be giving expert comments on every match.”Apart from Miandad, several other former Pakistan cricketers are set to be involved with various television channels for the Asia Cup. Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis, Rameez Raja and Imran Khan are some of the others who will be taking part as commentators and experts. Wasim and Waqar have been signed on by ESPN-Star Sports, who have won the rights for broadcasting the Asia Cup.Miandad has already got an invitation from The Cricket Club of India for coaching at their academy in Mumbai.

Doug Cowie, the New Zealand umpire, has announced his retirement. Cowie officiated in 22 Tests, 71 one-day internationals, and more than 100 first-class games in an umpiring career which spanned 20 years, and was one of three New Zealand representatives on the ICC International Panel.”I am still dedicated to the game and passionate about improving the role of modern umpires in cricket,” Cowie stated in a media release. “However, the satisfaction gained from the challenges of umpiring no longer outweigh the sacrifices necessary to perform on the field. Recent changes to cricket and umpiring have placed greater demands on umpires and I feel the time is right to refocus my priorities.”Brian Aldridge, New Zealand Cricket umpires’ manager, reacted by saying, “Doug has been an excellent umpire during a distinguished career. He has made a significant contribution to umpiring in New Zealand and internationally. It is important that New Zealanders continue to umpire at the highest level and it will be difficult to fill the gap left by Doug.”Umpiring at any level takes great commitment and we hope to develop the opportunities available to umpires in New Zealand to ensure that more can reach this level and, in the future, sustain a living from a career as a professional umpire.”New Zealand are currently represented by Billie Bowden on the Elite Panel, while Tony Hill and Evan Watkin are the remaining representatives on the International Panel. All Test playing countries have three representatives on the panel, but for now it is unclear who will replace Cowie.

Ricardo Powell, the West Indian Test batsman from Jamaica, is among five newcomers in a youthful Trinidad & Tobago squad to face the Leeward Islands in their opening Carib Beer Series match. The hard-hitting Powell, who has played one Test and 79 one-day internationals, was granted permission to represent T&T after marrying a Trinidadian and taking up residence there.The other newcomers are the left-arm spinner Davindra Krishna, who has captained the West Indian Under-15 team, the opening batsman Tishan Maraj, a former T&T U19 skipper, and the former national youth team players Kenton Thompson and Amit Jaggernauth. Krishna, who has had a niggling shoulder injury, is expected to have a fitness test before the match, which starts on Friday (Jan 10).In the absence of the regular captain Daren Ganga, who is with the West Indian team in South Africa, the opener Imran Jan will take charge for the first time.Trinidad & Tobago squad
Imran Jan (capt), Dwayne Bravo, Tishan Maraj, Ricardo Powell, Shazam Babwah, Aneil Kanhai, Gibran Mohammed, Marlon Black, Reyad Emrit, Amit Jaggernauth, Davindra Krishna, Theodore Modeste, Kenton Thompson, Rodney Sooklal. Manager: Omar Khan. Coach: David Williams

Division One

Points Table

Leaders Kent suffered a frustrating third day after dominating the morning session against Hampshire, who lost six wickets before lunch as they slipped to 182 for 7 and seemingly faced the follow on. But that was about as good as it got, as Andy Bichel cracked 87 and Nic Pothas 74 in an eighth-wicket stand of 138 as they recovered to 325 all out. Kent, with a first-innings lead of 121, pressed for quick runs but lost their way as they creaked to 153 for 7, leaving the game in the balance.It wasn’t much better for defending champions Warwickshire on the first day of their match against Nottinghamshire at Edgbaston. After winning the toss, they were bowled out for 156, with Ryan Sidebottom, who bowled 17 overs unchanged from the pavilion end, and Andrew Harris both grabbing 4 for 41. Nottinghamshire, who had struggled earlier in the week against Middlesex, had an unbeaten fifth-wicket stand of 119 between Chris Read (73 not out) and David Hussey (55 not out) to thank after they had slipped to 75 for 4, closing on 194 for 4

Division Two

Points TableAfter two rain-blighted days at Riverside, there was finally some meaningful action as Durham made 315, thanks largely to Mike Hussey’s 146, spread over three days, with David Masters the pick of the Leicestershire bowlers with 6 for 74. The visitors then reached 217 for 3 by the end of the day, with Dinesh Mongia, who battled through a poor start, unbeaten on 77. Inspired captaincy and sporting declarations will be needed if there is to be any chance of a result.

The Delhi High Court has allowed the Indian board to open technical bids to grant telecast rights in India for the next four years after Zee Telefilms, one of the bidders, said it had no objection to it.A division bench, comprising Justice BA Khan and MB Lokur, allowed the board to open technical bids to decide the eligibility of the bidders, including Zee Telefilms, and asked the board not to disclose the outcome. The BCCI has been asked to inform the outcome to the court on October 19, when the matters comes up for further hearing.On behalf of the BCCI, senior counsel Soli Sorabji and AM Singhvi requested the bench to allow opening of the bids, saying that there was not much time left to decide the issue ahead of the home series against Sri Lanka, scheduled to begin on October 25.Zee had moved the court on August 22 seeking direction to the BCCI to consider it for the bid of telecasting matches between October 2005 and September 2009. It also alleged that the tender favoured only ESPN Star Sports. The BCCI had asked bids from channels having experience in telecasting live matches in the last three years, as opposed to the two-year qualification it has asked for in the past. The last date for submission of the bids was September 26.However, the BCCI maintained that it only wanted bids from channels which had a three-year experience as a direct original licensee from any event owner of telecasting live international matches in each of the three years – 2002, 2003 and 2004 – to bid for the telecast rights.