Plenty to ponder for Kumble

While Mahela Jayawardene described Sri Lanka's massive win at the SSC a "perfect performance", his counterpart Anil Kumble was left to rummage through the ashes of India's third-heaviest defeat and concede that they played miserably. First and foremost on Kumble's agenda was how India would sort out Muttiah Muralitharan and Ajantha Mendis, who shared 19 of the 20 wickets to fall in Sri Lanka's biggest win on home soil.

"Obviously we need to look at our strategy in handling Murali and Mendis," Kumble said. "We have to be a little more positive. They bowled exceptionally well and we did not bowl well. Avoiding the follow-on was always going to be tough. The wicket was not really helping spin but once you bat that way in the first innings it was going to be tough. It was an exceptional bowling performance from Mendis and Murali."

Murali finished the match with 11 wickets as India were shot out for 138 in their second innings, and he was brilliantly supported by debutant Mendis, who took eight wickets. As he had said before this match, Kumble reiterated that India's focus had not been entirely on Mendis. "We are asked more about Mendis in media conferences. Probably the focus was on him but we always knew Murali and [Chaminda] Vaas were the ones. Murali is a champion bowler."

India were thoroughly outplayed, failing to take even one session, and Kumble admitted his side have plenty to do before the Galle Test. "We need to work all three departments of the game and just not one," he said. "We dropped a few catches, Mahela was dropped and so was [Thilan] Samaraweera. Zaheer [Khan] got a wicket off a no-ball. We had to bowl well and also ensure we held the chances that came our way."

India's shot selection has come under fire in this Test - in particular the option to play Murali horizontally. Kumble, however, believed India had no need to press the panic button. "There is no need to look at a change in technique. No other line-up is more technically equipped," he said in regards to India's Fab Four. "They are players who have played for more than 15 years and have more than 100 Tests. You can't get a more experienced line-up than this. It is important for the bowlers to also put their hands up."

It is not the first time India started an overseas series with a loss, as Kumble was gently reminded in the post-match conference, but he did not blame a lack of preparation. "Statistics don't lie but we don't think that way, and we're not thinking on those lines," he said. "We did let them off the hook. We had our chances; it is not that we take time to settle.

"Any amount of planning will hold good. It is question of going out there and performing. It does not mean we were under-prepared ... we were definitely prepared. Just that we didn't get it together. Preparation is also an individual thing."

The numbers sometimes do tell lies, but they paint a bleak truth for Kumble after a match that was his worst for quite some time. Before this Test, Kumble's bowling record in Sri Lanka read 22 wickets from six matches at 42.68, with only one five-wicket haul. After 37 wicketless overs for 121 runs, that has swelled to 48.18. Putting it mildly, the first Test of this series was humbling for India's captain.

"I take it [my lack of form], but we all tried hard," Kumble said. "Nobody goes there not to give 100%. It was not that I was hiding my best. Possibly the way we folded in the two innings was not right."

Harbhajan Singh's lack of bite was also a major concern ahead of the second Test but Kumble said it was too early to pontificate on bowling changes for Galle. "On coming back after a loss, we have done it in the past and it is the same team that has brought some wonderful results. I am confident we will come back."

ECB must take the call on Pakistan - Pietersen

Kevin Pietersen, the England batsman, has asked the ECB to take the call on sending a team to Pakistan instead of leaving the players to decide on touring the country in September for the Champions Trophy.

"The ECB are coming together on August 3 or 4, having spoken to [chief executive] David Collier this morning, and he reassured me that the decision will probably be taken out of the players' hands, which is great," Pietersen told AFP. "I really hope the players don't have to take the lead, to be totally honest. But I don't know, we'll see the outcome of that meeting, whatever the decision is."

While stating his concerns, Pietersen believes players shouldn't be forced to travel to Pakistan. "I've definitely got reservations - 100% - about going to Pakistan," he told BBC Radio 5 Live. "I don't think pressure should be put on any individual, especially when you realise your life could be at risk."

Meanwhile, responding to suggestions that players and even teams may pull out of the tournament, Haroon Lorgat, the ICC chief executive, said, "We cannot force players to attend. All we can do is make them confident about the measures taken in regard to safety and security and on that basis hope they participate." Lorgat said this was the reason why the ICC was "putting together a task team inviting all the main stakeholders including FICA [Federation of International Cricketers' Associations], so the process is inclusive".

"We won't speculate on teams not taking part or any action if that did occur. There was no indication that would happen during the telephone hook-up of ICC directors on Thursday." The boards of Australia, England and New Zealand were believed to be against holding the tournament in the country, and player representatives from Australia and New Zealand have criticised the move to go ahead with the tournament in Pakistan. The Professional Cricketers' Association (PCA) echoed the sentiments of their counterparts.

Harmison recalled for third Test

Steve Harmison has been recalled by England for the third Test against South Africa at Edgbaston on Wednesday. In a 13-man squad, England have dropped Darren Pattinson - whose debut in the second Test at Headingley was fraught with controversy - but they retain Paul Collingwood who missed out on the XI at Leeds.

For Harmison, it represents an impressive comeback after he was unceremoniously dumped in the Hamilton Test against New Zealand in the winter. Since then, he has gone back to Durham and bowled with the sort of venom that England have craved from him ever since his sparkling 2004. This season, he has taken 41 wickets at 22.82. With England trailing the Test series 1-0, Harmison's firepower comes at a critical juncture.

"Steve Harmison has been bowling well for Durham this season," Geoff Miller, the England national selector, said, "and his inclusion in the Test squad gives us another option in terms of our bowling attack for the Edgbaston Test."

Miller had hinted at Harmison's recall the previous day, noting that England could do with an extra injection of pace (even Pattinson's county coach, Mick Newell, admitted he had been down on speed at Headingley).

The fact that Matthew Hoggard has been overlooked once again cannot be ignored. Harmison has worked his way ahead of him in the pecking order and, barring injuries to the others, his international future looks bleaker than ever.

England also welcome back Ryan Sidebottom, their most potent weapon since his revelatory international comeback last season, who missed the second Test owing to his back injury.

"Ryan Sidebottom has been progressing well with his back injury over the past week and we're confident he'll be fit for selection but obviously he'll be monitored closely in the lead up to next Wednesday.

"Paul Collingwood was unlucky to miss out on a place in the team for the second Test match but this decision was based on a number of factors. He has shown what a true professional he is by returning to Durham over the past week and playing well for his county."

Victory for South Africa would give them an unassailable 2-0 series-lead.

Pakistan's fate in the balance

Just 20 days after it managed to strike a delicate balance over the Zimbabwe crisis, the ICC will once again be walking the tightrope over a teleconference spanning continents which starts at 10.30 GMT on Thursday - and this time, its executive board will hope to arrive at a consensus among the eight participating nations on the issue of staging the Champions Trophy in Pakistan this September.

As in the Zimbabwe crisis, which was resolved during the ICC annual conference in Dubai early this month with the country retaining its full membership while pulling out of the ICC World Twenty20 in England, the ICC hopes that a consensus decision will ensure that the tournament goes ahead as scheduled at the original venue or in Sri Lanka, the alternate venue.

However, once again, strong opinions have emerged on either side of this issue. Players from England, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa have expressed serious concerns over the prevailing security climate in Pakistan, and their representatives have warned of a pullout if the tournament goes ahead in that country. They seem to have the strong backing of their respective boards, too, except for Cricket South Africa (CSA) which seems to be of the view that Pakistan needs to be given "every opportunity to host the tournament to the best of their ability".

On the other side, India is leading the group of Asian countries, including Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and the hosts, who are determined that the event needs to go ahead as scheduled. They believe that the security briefing last Sunday by the ICC for officials of the eight participating nations, broadcast executives and players' representatives, has not pointed to any specific threat and has been "positive" about Pakistan's status.

"The Indian board sees 'no harm' in Pakistan hosting the tournament as scheduled," Niranjan Shah, the BCCI secretary, told Cricinfo. "We are supporting Pakistan as the venue of the Champions Trophy. Our Indian team had taken part in the Asia Cup without any incident. Besides, the report of the ICC's security consultants, which was presented during the briefing in Dubai (on Sunday) was positive. So the BCCI sees no harm in Pakistan hosting the tournament."

In fact, a few hours before Thursday's teleconference, when asked whether the tournament would go ahead as scheduled in Pakistan, a senior BCCI official shot back: "Why not?"

It's understood though that if there is stiff opposition to playing in Pakistan, especially from England, Australia and New Zealand, and the ICC reiterates its inability to provide any safety guarantees, the Indian board may suggest that the tournament be shifted to Sri Lanka, the alternate venue. Besides ensuring that the tournament stays in Asia - South Africa or England are being touted as the preferred alternatives by those who are hesitant to play in Pakistan - Indian officials believe that the current security climate in Sri Lanka, where India is playing a Test series, is peaceful and conducive for hosting the tournament.

Duleep Mendis, the chief executive of Sri Lanka Cricket, had told Cricinfo earlier this week that his country was "very confident" of hosting the event if it was moved out of Pakistan. "We are confident that we can hold the tournament within the short span of time if it's not possible to hold it in Pakistan," Mendis said. "We had confirmed our name as alternate hosts some time back and we stand by that. We are prepared logistically and on the security front and are very confident about hosting the tournament, if it comes to us."

Another option that may be discussed during Thursday's teleconference is postponing the event, even though Haroon Lorgat, the ICC chief executive, has said, "We are trying our best to hold the tournament as per schedule and hope that it is not postponed."

As of now though, India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh are learnt to be firmly behind Pakistan, the official host, which also appears to have gained the unexpected support of Norman Arendse, the CSA president.

"We must give Pakistan every opportunity to host the tournament to the best of their ability," Arendse told Independent Online. "I'm inclined to support Pakistan's hosting of the tournament. I know it might sound easy for us as administrators to make such decisions as we stay home while the players go to Pakistan, but I assure you it is not so."

Yet, officials on either side of the issue, and especially the ICC, realise that the executive board will have to seriously consider the threat of a pullout by top cricketers from England, Australia, South Africa and New Zealand, which would end up diluting the tournament's value and severely denting its credibility.

Speaking to Cricinfo, Tony Irish, the chief executive of the South Africa Cricketers Association (SACA), said that there was a possibility of top players from his country pulling out if the tournament went ahead as scheduled (from September 11) in Pakistan. "I can't confirm this, but yes, there could be some players pulling out," he said.

Irish said that the players reiterated their concern at touring Pakistan after the SACA reported back to them on the ICC's security briefing in Dubai, which Irish attended. At the meeting, the players' representatives were told that the governing body or the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) couldn't give any foolproof security guarantees. "We have serious concerns with the security situation in Pakistan, especially after the briefing in Dubai," Irish said. This view has found a loud echo in England, Australia and New Zealand.

Against this backdrop, it's understood that the ICC board, while taking a final call on Pakistan, will also consider a report on the security briefing conducted by the ICC last Sunday. However, the report does not contain any specific recommendation - either way.

'Review will eradicate obvious errors' - Richardson

Terming the new umpire referral system a 'review process' as opposed to a challenge process, Dave Richardson, the ICC's general manager, was confident it would work well on a long-term basis with plenty of room for improvement. He said most umpires were in favour of this system and the real purpose is to eradicate obvious mistakes.

"Our policy in the decision-making process has always been to keep an open mind," he said. "You will recall in Sri Lanka in the 2002 Champions Trophy when we first started experimenting with technology and it continued until the Super Series in 2005, during which we allowed umpires to initiate a consultation on decisions. That didn't work because the umpires didn't refer decisions they should have. And then when they discovered that they could have made mistakes they became over cautious.

"It was actually just wasting time. They were double-checking themselves and this lead to a loss of confidence of the players in the umpires. We realised it doesn't work.

"A lot of people will say reviews are contradictory to the spirit of the game and that players are challenging the umpires, but the way we look at it is - what is better or worse for the game? Umpires make mistakes and are accused of cheating, Steve Bucknor's effigies are being burnt, teams threaten to fly home from a country, boards criticise umpires. Should we have a system where the umpire is given an opportunity to review his own decision and make a final decision himself? That would be preferable."

Richardson, who was present in the South African Test side when the first third-umpire referral was made in 1992-93, was firm that the ICC was not paying the television channels for the use of this technology, but rather saw it as a piggyback process. "The very first step in this process was to approach Ten Sports (the main broadcasters) and ask if they were willing to help us. They were keen to do so and we are very grateful to them. The broadcasters, like it or not, have been guilty in the past of showing up the umpires. All we ask them to do is continue to do so, but help us instead of being negative."

The ICC normally appoints three neutral Elite Panel umpires for a series. For this contest, instead of one umpire rotating and taking a break, he will act as the official third umpire. This, according to Richardson, was the way it would be going forward and there may even be the case of recalling some more experienced umpires to be specialist television umpires. But that, he affirmed, would be based on how the players felt about the situation.

Over the last few days the ICC has worked with the company that provides the ball-tracking devise. Cameras have been placed in correct positions around the SCC and both parties have confirmed the accuracy of the results. Camera use will differ from series to series but there are minimum specifications, clarified Richardson.

The company being used to provide the ball tracking is not Hawk-Eye, as generally employed, but one called Virtual Eye. They are similar to Hawk-Eye, said Richardson, but the ICC would only use the actual path of the ball until it hits the batsman. "It will then stop, and we won't use the predictive element because the suppliers of that technology will say that it's a bit of a computer guess.

"The trickiest part is going to be for the batsman," said Richardson. "As far as caught-behinds and bat-pads are concerned I have no doubt that every batsman, if he is honest with himself, will know he's got the finest edge. But I can understand as a batsman that you are uncertain as to whether the ball pitched on leg stump or slightly outside. It might be tricky and we may find a circumstance that you get back into the dressing room and your coach has spoken to you for not challenging the decision or asking for it to be reviewed. We must not forget what the real object of this system is - to eradicate obvious mistakes."

Miller and Vaughan settle differences

Geoff Miller, England's chairman of selectors, has had a meeting with Michael Vaughan to dispel differences over the selection of the team for the second Test against South Africa. Vaughan, England's captain, had earlier said that the inclusion of Darren Pattinson had unsettled the team.

"We have analysed everything," Miller said. "We have cleared the issues that supposedly were involved in the last Test. I've had a chat to Michael Vaughan and I sat down with the selectors and there are no more problems.

"We are trying to make every decision on a sensible basis. We are responsible for selecting the side and people who know me well know there is a logic and a reason behind all the selections made."

Miller had stated before the meeting that he wanted to hear Vaughan's side after Pattinson's selection was made into a "massive issue by the media."

After Vaughan called Pattinson "a confused selection", Miller defended the inclusion of the 29-year-old fast bowler who had played only 11 first-class matches prior to his Test debut. "We garner opinion by talking to umpires, county coaches and other players and then we go and monitor the players that those chats throw up," Miller told the Daily Telegraph. "Once we've got a rounded picture, and if they're the kind of player Peter and Michael are looking for, we'll consider them for selection."

Pattinson's presence in the XI meant England went in with only five specialist batsmen with wicketkeeper Tim Ambrose batting at No. 6. After the ten-wicket defeat to South Africa, Vaughan said: "The whole Friday morning (the first morning of the Test) unsettled the team. You change the team by two players, there are players playing out of position and you leave out a player like Paul Collingwood, who is a huge player in the side, of course it has an effect."

Vaughan also said the team spirit was lacking during the second Test. "We didn't feel as much of a unit this week. I have a huge belief that we need to be a unit in Test cricket."

However, he defended Pattinson's performance (match figures of 2 for 96) and was unhappy with the severe criticism the fast bowler faced. "He tried his guts out and bowled some good spells. I felt sorry for him. He's not been in the set-up and didn't know anyone. We didn't know him, so it was difficult for him."

ICC concerned over threat of match-fixing in IPL

The International Cricket Council has concerns over the threat of match-fixing in the Indian Premier League (IPL), ICC general manager Dave Richardson has said.

"We are concerned," Richardson told the Indian news channel NDTV. "Let's face it, the IPL is the first domestic competition to attract such huge interest and, when it does, it's going to inevitably attract the interest of match-fixers and people like that.

"And because of the interest created there is no doubt that we would be concerned if the BCCI neglected that part of the game and didn't make sure that they had very strict measures in place to ensure it doesn't take a foothold in the IPL or any other domestic competition for that matter.

"There is certainly no criticism intended on IPL or the BCCI. It's just a fact of life that there is a lot of betting going on in cricket. And because there's so much money passing hands, inevitably the temptations are going to be there to try and get the players involved.

"And for the first time, a domestic competition is attracting this interest and you've got players who don't necessarily go through the ICC education process. And so you have young players who could be open to temptation or open to being approached by these corrupt people."

The ICC's anti-corruption chief Paul Condon had warned earlier this month that the BCCI-backed IPL posed the biggest threat to cricket's integrity since the match-fixing scandal of the 1990s. "The IPL brings with it the biggest threat of corruption in the game since the days of cricket in Sharjah," he reportedly said at a board meeting of the ICC.

Reacting to Condon's comments, Niranjan Shah, the BCCI secretary, had told PTI: "The Indian Premier League is a huge event with lots of money involved. We are keen to ensure that it remains corruption-free and have taken and will be taking measures to this effect."

Jayawardene hundred punishes India

Sri Lanka overcame the shaky start on the first day and resumed normal service, accumulating runs on the placid SSC pitch, and capitalised on reprieves to move into a position of strength. Mahela Jayawardene looked set from the moment his innings began shortly before stumps last evening and, by tea, he had scored a classy 105 and threatened to punish India severely for the opportunities they failed to take.

It was Jayawardene's ninth century at the SSC and he now shares the world record for most hundreds at a single venue with Don Bradman who made nine at the MCG. Jayawardene's has played his club cricket at the SSC and has scored over a quarter of his Test runs here: 2167 runs, another world record at a specific venue, in 20 Tests at an average of 83.34.

Jayawardene's century today was preceded by Malinda Warnapura's second hundred in his fifth Test. His was a more controlled performance: he was sure against the semi-new ball and his confidence grew as the ball got older.

Sri Lanka added 220 runs in two sessions today for the loss of only Warnapura. Their batsmen were rarely troubled and 55 turned out to be their lucky number. In the sixth over of the day, Zaheer Khan had Warnapura, on 55 at the time, caught and bowled off a marginal no-ball. His foot landed on the line and then just slid over. Jayawardene was also on 55 when a slider from Anil Kumble found the bottom edge. Dinesh Karthik, perhaps unsighted by the bat, couldn't hold on to the catch. On 93, Jayawardene was beaten comprehensively - a rare event given his form - by a legbreak from Kumble which might have taken a faint edge. Karthik once again couldn't gather it, and ended the debate right there.

Apart from those three chances, India's bowlers did not have much going for them. Two boundaries in the fifth over of the day summed up the medium-pacers' predicament. Jayawardene moved on to front foot against Ishant Sharma; the bowler consciously shortened the length but Jayawardene had enough time to transfer the weight on to the back foot and cut in front of point. He played an identical shot the next ball and the message was clear: economy might be the best form of attack once the ball lost its shine for the pitch absorbed the pace and offered only slow movement.

After Sri Lanka had scored 38 in the first six overs - Jayawardene contributing 23 -Kumble, the pick of the bowlers, brought himself on to replace Ishant. He conceded only 12 runs off his first 10 overs and India began to exercise some control over the run-flow. By tea, Kumble had bowled 22 overs for 47 runs and should have had Jayawardene at least once.

India's only wicket came in the post-lunch session when Harbhajan, from round the wicket, made Warnapura play at an offbreak and got the edge through to Rahul Dravid. Thilan Samaraweera nearly played on against Harbhajan early in his innings but he settled down and unobtrusively reached a half-century just before the tea break.

Zaheer came for a testing spell in the middle session, getting reverse swing from round the wicket. His stock ball remained the one headed for the pads but he got the odd one to swing away. He even managed to beat Jayawardene with the away-going delivery. By tea, India's medium-pacers had bowled 43 overs between them and that could be the reason that Kumble didn't take the new ball.