James Sutherland, Cricket Australia’s CEO, personally apologised to aggrieved fans hoping to acquire tickets for the Ashes series following fresh revelations that just over 23% of the total seats at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) were allocated to the members of the Australian Cricket Family.The SCG has a capacity of 42,000 but only 9800 seats were allocated to the Family for each day’s play – all of which were sold out within hours, much to the ire of the remaining members who felt short-changed. It was learnt that the SCG Trust, which pays New South Wales Cricket $12 million a year to host international matches, took the sponsors and corporate clients into consideration before deciding on the number of seats allocated to the members of the Family.In an email to the fans, Sutherland wrote, “It has been a big week for us all, with 300,000 tickets sold in two days. I know that many of you are happy with the tickets you have got, and others are unhappy about not getting tickets you wanted and the problems you had with the system we used. I apologise for that.”The official launch of the online ticket system has witnessed complete mayhem over the last few days, with several fans facing difficulties in contacting the ticketing agencies through the phone and the internet. Their frustrations were compounded when tickets were being resold at eBay, the online auction site, at ridiculous prices by several touts seeking profits. Sutherland lashed out at the profiteers and urged the authorities at eBay to take appropriate action.The apology came after Brett Judd, the group manager for ticketing in the recent Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, criticised the Ashes ticketing system, implying that the process could have been handled in a more professional manner.”If it was me, I would have balloted in some way, so it was an equal playing field, or I would have staggered it out,” he told . “Simply dumping it on the market probably didn’t afford the best opportunity to sell in a nice, orderly manner.”Judd indicated that unlike the authorities in charge of the Games, Cricket Australia failed to foresee the need to strike an agreement with eBay in advance to prevent people from reselling tickets at prices higher than the face value.However, at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, the allocation isn’t as lopsided, with 42,000 out of the 95,000 tickets reserved for the Family, while the corporates, tour groups, and the other state associations getting a total of 19000 seats.

Division One

Ed Joyce celebrated his England one-day call-up with a fine unbeaten 154 for Middlesex at Southgate, as Yorkshire squandered a commanding position with a dire collapse in the morning session. After resuming on 337 for 5, Yorkshire lost their last five wickets for 18, with Chris Silverwood finishing as the pick of the attack against his former team-mates, taking 6 for 51 in 22.2 hostile overs. Jason Gillespie responded by trapping Ed Smith lbw with the second ball of Middlesex’s reply, but Joyce added 131 for the third wicket with Ben Hutton to put the innings back on track.Durham revived their fortunes on the second day at Edgbaston, as Dale Benkenstein was joined by a furiously wagging tail to leave Warwickshire playing catch-up. At 73 for 5 in reply to 208, the match was evenly poised, but Benkenstein added 70 for the sixth wicket with Phil Mustard, before Ottis Gibson lifted his side into the ascendancy with an uncharacteristically measured 81 from 150 balls. As Benkenstein continued to accumulate, eventually finishing on an unbeaten 144, Graeme Onions chipped in with a useful 40 before grabbing an early wicket as well. Nick Knight and Ian Bell put the innings back on course with a stand of 53, but Bell’s late dismissal tipped the scales firmly in Durham’s favour.

Dmitri Mascarenhas led the way for Hampshire as they lorded it over the county champions, Nottinghamshire, on a one-sided second day at the Rose Bowl. The day didn’t start so auspiciously for Hampshire as Charlie Shreck shredded the tail with figures of 5 for 94, but from that moment on there was no looking back. Mascarenhas took 4 for 25 from 12 overs, and was ably backed up by Billy Taylor and James Bruce, before Dominick Thornley wrapped up the tail. Notts were all out for 147, a deficit of 254, but Shane Warne’s decision not to enforce the follow-on was amply justified when John Crawley and James Adams piled on the runs in an unbeaten 96-run stand.

Division Two

3rd dayGlamorgan edged ever closer to victory on the third day at Derby, as the spin pairing of Robert Croft and Dean Cosker twirled their way through Derbyshire’s defences, sharing six of the seven second-innings wickets to fall. Michael di Venuto resisted as best he could with a doughty 183-ball innings, but when he was sixth out for 95, the writing was on the wall. Earlier, in an ominous indication that the conditions were in the bowlers’ favour, Glamorgan lost their last seven wickets for 90, including Mark Cosgrove who was unable to add to his overnight 233.2nd dayGraeme Hick and Ben Smith extended their fifth-wicket partnership to 330 at Taunton, as Worcestershire racked up a vast total of 618 against Somerset. Hick was eventually dismissed for 182 leaving Smith to push on to 203, one run shy of his career-best score. Charl Willoughby was the pick of Somerset’s beleaguered attack, finishing up with 6 for 104 in 33 overs, although Keith Parsons was instrumental in whittling through the tail, as he finished with 3 for 33. By the close, Somerset were fighting hard in reply on 199 for 3, with Wesley Durston (89 not out) closing in on his second first-class century.For a full report of Surrey against Leicestershire at The Rose Bowl click here

Sachin Tendulkar is set to undergo a fitness check on July 19 to determine whether he is fit to return to international cricket. Tendulkar’s shoulder worries have kept him out of action for close to four months but his recent performances indicate that he’s ready for a return.”The fitness test will be conducted a day before the team is chosen for the tri-series in Sri Lanka,” Niranjan Shah, the secretary of the Indian board, told the BBC. India are scheduled to play a tri-series in Colombo, starting on August 14, involving Sri Lanka and South Africa.Having recovered from a shoulder operation, Tendulkar has shown some good form in the charity games that he has recently taken part in. Not only did he manage four centuries in five games for Lashings, a celebrity club side, but also produced an unbeaten 50 against the Pakistanis in a charity game on July 10.India’s recent dip in one-dayers, suffering a 4-1 drubbing against West Indies, was partly owing to lack of experience in the batting order, with the youngsters struggling to come to grips with the conditions. Brian Lara felt that Tendulkar’s absence had seriously affected India and picked it out as a factor that made the crucial difference.Tendulkar, though, will need to be at the peak of his fitness for the next season, considering India’s hectic upcoming schedule. After returning from Sri Lanka they play hosts in the ICC Champions Trophy, in October and November, before embarking on a long tour to South Africa. A tri-series involving West Indies and Sri Lanka provides them a rehersal for the biggest event of them all – the World Cup in the Caribbean.

Eoin Morgan, the Ireland batsman, has received an official reprimand and been warned about future conduct for breaching the ICC Code of Conduct during Ireland’s one-day international against Scotland at Ayr on Saturday.Morgan violated 1.4 of the Code which concerns “Using language that is obscene, offensive or insulting and/or the making of an obscene gesture” and pleaded guilty to the use of obscene language after being run out on 99.”It is possible to excuse disappointment when a player is dismissed, especially when he is run out for 99, but shouting an obscenity while leaving the field is not acceptable,” said Roshan Mahanama, the match referee. “Morgan is an up-and-coming international and a first-class player and he should be setting an example to all those who follow the game. I am pleased to say he apologised for the incident but he must learn to show more restraint in future, whatever the situation.”

Division One

4th dayWarwickshire squeezed over the line by two wickets against Hampshire as they chased down 121 in 25 overs and won off the last ball The Rose Bowl. Dimitri Mascarenhas almost pulled off an amazing win for Hampshire with five wickets as Warwickshire collapsed from 77 for 1 to 101 for 8. However, Neil Carter hit a four and a six as the visitors nicked it. Earlier, Hampshire resisted manfully as Heath Streak took six wickets. Chris Benham hit a career-best 95, adding 159 with Dominic Thornely, but the Warwickshire attack then got to work. Shaun Udal clubbed some late runs and, despite seeming just a consolation, they almost proved to be match-winning. As it is, Hampshire slip further adrift in the Championship race.There was just the one over of play at Headingley between Yorkshire and Kent leaving the game in a dull stalemate.3rd dayLancashire‘s Championship hopes were dealt a further blow with only two overs possible on the third day at Old Trafford. Middlesex, who batted first, have still not completed their first innings and for what it’s worth they’re on 262 for 6.

Division Two

4th day
Leicestershire pulled off a last-gasp victory against Worcestershire, inching home with eight balls to spare after both teams decided to fashion out a match at Grace Road. Worcestershire forfeited their second innings to leave Leicestershire a sporting chase of 356 off 88 overs after they had made 101 for 2 declared in their first innings.Worcestershire’s high point of the day came when they had Leicestershire 88 for 3. But John Sadler and Darren Maddy each made scores in the eighties to reverse the momentum firmly in Leicestershire’s favour, putting on 160 for the fourth wicket. From then on it became a race against time – could Worcestershire’s bowlers hold on for the draw? They couldn’t, and Stuart Broad hit the winning runs off Ray Price with a crunching four.3rd dayIt was a day for overseas players as Derbyshire managed to dodge the rain against Leicestershire and build a useful lead of 131 at Derby. Michael di Venuto hit 104 and half-centuries from Greg Smith and Ant Botha built the advantage. di Venuto’s ton, his third of the season, came off 162 balls and he added 124 for third wicket with fellow Australian, Travis Birt. Smith and Botha, both South Africans, then put on 131 for the fifth wicket to push Derbyshire well ahead. This is just Smith’s second Championship match of the summer and his 86 is a career-best.

Shane Warne is lining up for a pre-Ashes refresher with his spin bowling mentor Terry Jenner ahead of November’s first Test in Brisbane. Warne is expected to reunite with Jenner, a former Australia legspinner, for a private net session in Adelaide later this month, when the Victorian team plays a Pura Cup match against South Australia.Warne, 37, might have taken 685 wickets, but he still relies on irregular sessions with the “spin doctor”. “He will be here in Adelaide for the [Pura Cup] game and I would be surprised if we didn’t catch up,” Jenner told Melbourne’s . “It will be the normal, routine health and safety check we have. We did it before the Lord’s Test last year, which I think was of great benefit to him.”He doesn’t like me talking about it, so I don’t. It’s theoretically two good mates talking things over, except we do it in the nets.”Jenner, who is coming to the end of a contract with the ECB to work with the country’s young spinners, said if Warne could reproduce his figures from last year’s Ashes series, Australia would win the series 5-0. Warne captured 40 wickets in the five Tests of last year’s series in England at 19.92.”They can attack him all they like,” he said. “He would like that.”Jenner believes England’s new spinning sensation Monty Panesar will struggle in the Australian conditions. While Jenner is a big fan of Panesar, he expects him to mesmerise the crowds more than the batsmen.He said left-arm orthodox spinners generally struggled in Australia and predicted Panesar would depend on England dragging the Tests into a fifth day. “He’s a beautiful craftsman, delightful to watch,” Jenner said. “He’s very level-headed, and a revelation really for the England spinners. But unless we provide [favourable] conditions for him, it’s going to be a hard slog for him.”Generally, the pitches are extremely hard, and the legspinner, who by means of release gets a lot of additional bounce, is more successful than the offspinner who doesn’t gain the same amount of bounce. If Panesar gets a crack on a fifth day, he will be very dangerous, but it’s getting to the fifth day that’s the key. You’ve got to get that far into the match.”Panesar, who has become a cult figure in England and taken 32 wickets in his first 10 Tests, is vying with Ashley Giles for the spinner’s spot in the team.

Billy Doctrove, the “other” umpire at the centre of Pakistan’s forfeited Test match at The Oval, has been omitted from next week’s ICC Champions Trophy in India, along with his elite panel colleague, Darrell Hair.Hair’s absence was confirmed last week, officially for security reasons, but an ICC spokesman insisted that there was “nothing sinister” about the omission of Doctrove, even though they are the only two umpires from the ten-man panel to have been overlooked. “There were only going to be eight umpires,” the spokesman told BBC Sport. “It doesn’t mean Billy Doctrove is a bad umpire.”While Hair is one of the game’s longest serving officials, Doctrove, from Dominica, is relatively new, having stood in just nine matches since May 2000, seven of which have come in the last 18 months.Mike Procter, whose role as match referee at The Oval came under scrutiny, has been named as one of three such officials, along with Ranjan Madugalle, who was in charge of the subsequent disciplinary hearing.Umpires are selected for major tournaments based on a five-point assessment of each international match they stand in. Areas assessed include percentage of correct decisions, ability to cope with pressure, player management, communication and application of regulations.

Tasmania face a difficult task in the Ford Ranger Cup game in Hobart on Sunday after the Australia one-day trio of Simon Katich, Michael Clarke and Nathan Bracken were confirmed for New South Wales. The players have returned from Australia’s successful Champions Trophy campaign and Clarke and Bracken were today overlooked for the first Ashes squad.Katich, who made 55 in the second innings against England on Tuesday, will captain a Blues side also including the internationals Brad Haddin, Stuart MacGill and Phil Jaques.Tasmania have made one change to the side that lost to Victoria at the MCG on Sunday. Ricky Ponting has left the squad to lead Australia in their Ashes preparations and will be replaced by Michael Bevan, who has recovered from a hip problem, while Xavier Doherty, the left-arm spinner, comes in for Dane Anderson.New South Wales squad Phil Jaques, Simon Katich (capt), Michael Clarke, Dominic Thornely, Aaron O’Brien, Brad Haddin (wk), Daniel Christian, Moises Henriques, Aaron Bird, Nathan Bracken, Doug Bollinger, Stuart MacGill.Tasmania squad Tim Paine (wk), Michael Di Venuto, Travis Birt, George Bailey, Michael Bevan, Daniel Marsh (capt), Luke Butterworth, Xavier Doherty, Brendan Drew, Brett Geeves, Adam Griffith, Ben Hilfenhaus.

Women’s cricket in India can become a much more exciting spectator sport – like the men’s game – according to a former India captain. Poornima Rao has welcomed the BCCI’s takeover of the women’s game, believing that with the board’s input the sport can transform itself.”The common compliant is that women cricket is a dull affair with a lack of pace and speed,” Rao told newspaper. “With BCCI pitching in, women cricket’s will transform on a par with the men’s cricket.”The former state captain Manjula Kishore added:”We always wished to come under the shelter of the BCCI as it is the richest sports body in the country. The decision will make parents and players happy as there is no need to run around for financial help. The girls can concentrate on the game whole-heartedly.”Rao and Kishore were speaking at Vijayawada on Thursday, where trials were being held to select the first official Andhra Cricket Association women’s senior team for the inter-zonal tournament in Hyderabad which starts next week. Both were selectors, and they were joined by the former Andhra captain Bhaskar Ramamurthy in their task.The Andhra Cricket Association have confirmed that senior players will receive Rs 1500 per day, as well as air travel or air-conditioned train travel. Junior players will receive the same travel arrangements, and their fee will be Rs 500.

The Ashes series has been a tale of two coaches with John Buchanan improving his record and Duncan Fletcher losing ground by the game. Both men may have been involved in their last Tests at the SCG, but Buchanan leaves with the greater reputation after being a key backroom member of Australia’s 5-0 victory and a 12th win in a row.Buchanan’s stock is currently so high that Mark Taylor, a Cricket Australia director, said he will be a main figure in the search for the country’s next coach. The World Cup in the West Indies is Buchanan’s final task in his current role, but Taylor, who is on a committee to choose the replacement, has added to his duties.”Quite a bit will depend on [Buchanan’s] thoughts,” Taylor said in the Sydney Morning Herald. “Depending on who we go for, it might be possible for them to travel to the World Cup with John, if they are not already coaching an international team. If that is possible, that would be our preference.”We have had some informal chats already as a committee. I’m not at liberty to say much more than that, but certainly the one-day series will give us an opportunity to get together in the next couple of weeks to discuss matters further.”Tom Moody, the Sri Lanka coach, and Tim Nielsen, who is in charge of Australia’s Centre of Excellence, are the front-runners while Greg Chappell and Dav Whatmore have also been spoken of as contenders. Whoever gets the job faces a huge task to match Buchanan’s record of 70 wins from 91 matches.Ricky Ponting praised Buchanan after his side sealed the Ashes whitewash and waved goodbye to a huge chunk of the side. Apart from Glenn McGrath, Shane Warne and Justin Langer, Australia have also lost Buchanan and Damien Martyn from the Test scene during the series. Martyn, who went into hiding in Adelaide, was a surprise guest in the Australian dressing room after play and Shane Watson, the injured allrounder, also joined in the celebrations.Buchanan made three points before the team walked out on the final morning in Sydney – Ponting could only remember two of them – and he will continue to make more until the World Cup. “He’s been very overlooked,” Ponting said. “We’ve been a talented side but talented guys don’t win you everything.”He’s been responsible for getting the best out of me, out of Langer, out of Hayden, out of Steve Waugh to a certain degree, maybe even a bit out of Warney. And McGrath. All our coaching staff right through the last 12-13 months have been terrific.”