Michael Vaughan has highlighted the need for his team to acclimatise quickly to the testing conditions of the subcontinent. England’s tour of Pakistan begins with a warm-up match on October 31, and one further practice game before the first Test gets underway on November 12 at Multan.”We’ve got players who haven’t played in the subcontinent and it does take a while to get used to the surreal conditions out there,” Vaughan told the BBC. “It’s a different type of cricket and we’re going to have to be at our best to get used to the conditions quickly.”Following this week’s news that the Pakistani team will lend hands-on support to areas devastated by last week’s earthquake, Vaughan is acutely aware of the trauma engulfing the region. “Going to Pakistan now for me is just a chance to hopefully put a few smiles on some of their faces,” he added. “We’ve played some great cricket and we know how passionate they are about their cricket. It’s going to be difficult but hopefully we’ll get the chance to do a bit of fundraising while we’re there, play some good cricket and bring some joy to some of them.”Any doubts about England suffering an Ashes hangover in Pakistan were quashed by the captain. While obviously delighted with his team’s performance against Australia, he conceded that Pakistan remain formidable opponents on their home territory: “It was great to play in [the Ashes] and win but we have to move on now and try and play well in Pakistan. Pakistan are a very talented team, Bob Woolmer has done a good job with them, got them playing well as a team, so it’s going to be a tough challenge.”Vaughan also said he was happy to continue as the England captain for as long as the ECB wanted him to. “I’m sure there will come a stage where the players would like to hear a different voice and like to have a different direction,” he added. “When that is I’m not too sure but it is up to the players and the ECB to decide how long they want me to carry on. I would love to carry on for a while but it is not my decision. I’ll stay for as long as they want me.”

Cricinfo.com, the world’s largest single sport website, is venturing into print with the launch of . The monthly title will hit the newsstands in the first week of January.Though the magazine will be primarily aimed at an Indian readership – both in India and overseas – it will have a strong international flavour and will feature some of the world’s finest cricket writers. It will be be published by Infomedia India, an established publisher of special-interest magazines and business directories, under a license agreement with the Wisden Group.The first issue will comprise 124-pages, with a 32-page preview supplement on the eagerly-anticipated India-Pakistan series. In the cover features, Rahul Dravid, the India captain, shares his vision for Indian cricket, while Greg Chappell, the national coach, talks about his innovative coaching methods.Other key features include an in-depth look at fast bowling down the years, an examination of Pakistan’s growth as a team, interviews with Ian Healy and Chaminda Vaas, and Virender Sehwag’s flashback to one of his classic innings.The new magazine will be edited by Sambit Bal and compiled by the same experienced editorial team that produced . While retaining the core values of its acclaimed predecessor, will contain more pages and additional features. Regular contributors will include Harsha Bhogle and Sanjay Manjrekar and the first issue also features articles by Peter Roebuck, Mukul Kesavan and Gideon Haigh.Tom Gleeson, the CEO of the Wisden Group, said the magazine was a logical extension of the Cricinfo brand. “Cricinfo.com is the world’s largest publisher of cricket news, scores and analysis on the Internet. It makes perfect sense for us, in partnership with Infomedia, to bring the brand to the magazine stand.” will share the values that have made the website so successful, but it will also enable us to showcase the finest cricket writing and photography in the best possible format.”Prakash Iyer, the CEO of Infomedia India, said: “Cricket is India’s number one passion, and given that there is no specialist magazine of real quality in India catering for cricket lovers, we are looking to fill the void with .”The world’s largest and most passionate cricket audience deserves a truly world-class magazine. We will ensure that becomes the Indian fan’s can’t-put-down-companion.”The new title will be available on annual subscription to fans of the Indian game around the world. Full details of global subscription rates will be available on Cricinfo.com from the beginning of January.

England’s players and officials, who helped regain the Ashes in 2005, figure prominently in their country’s New Year Honours list. While Michael Vaughan, the captain, and Duncan Fletcher, the coach, have received OBEs (Officer of the Order of the British Empire), the rest of the team, including Paul Collingwood who only played in the final Test at The Oval, have been conferred MBEs (Member of the Order of the British Empire).”It was a great team effort and I’m really pleased all the players have been honoured,” Vaughan told BBC Sport. Clare Connor, the captain of England’s Ashes-winning women’s team, David Graveney, chairman of selectors, and Phil Neale, the England team’s operations manager, were also appointed as OBEs.Marcus Trescothick, who led England in the one-day series in Pakistan in the absence of the injured Vaughan, said: “It’s not something you expect to happen to you just for playing cricket.”To be appointed an MBE by your country is a great honour and I think it shows just how much winning the Ashes meant to everybody,” he told BBC Sport.Graveney, who has held his current post since 1997, said: “I thought the players quite rightly would be honoured in some way, but for me to also be honoured is amazing.” The recognition also got him reminiscing about how the thing runs in the family. “We now have three things in common,” he said, referring to Tom Graveney, his uncle and former England batsman. “We are both called Graveney, both have an OBE and were both sacked as Gloucestershire captain. When the letter arrived, I thought it was from the Inland Revenue,” he told the .There have been the invariable omissions too, notably in the case of Troy Cooley, the bowling coach, who was instrumental in imparting the reverse swinging skills to the England attack that took such a toll among the Australians. However, Medha Laud, the ECB’s administration manager, whose principal duty has been arranging itineraries has awarded an MBE.Simon Jones, the seamer who most tormented the tourists during the Ashes, told BBC Sport: “You obviously don’t do the job for honours, but it’s been an extraordinary year in everybody’s life and it just shows what an impact beating Australia has had on everyone.”For Jones, the honour seems to have more than compensated for the disappointment of missing the final Ashes Test at The Oval and the recent tour to Pakistan due to an ankle injury. “It’s been a frustrating few months for me but to become an MBE is unbelievable.”

Johan van der Wath, the Eagles allrounder, has been called up to South Africa’s VB Series squad, after Jacques Kallis was forced to return home for treatment on his elbow injury.Kallis missed South Africa’s match against Sri Lanka on Tuesday, having also withdrawn from the first Test against Australia, at Perth, in December.van der Wath, who bowls at a lively pace and hits the ball in the manner of Justin Kemp, has been performing consistently for the Eagles this season. In last week’s Standard Bank Cup Final he won the Man-of-the-Match award, after taking 3 for 25 and hitting a vital 20, in a low-scoring match.The selectors have been watching his performances and Haroon Lorgat, the convenor, believes he is ready for a chance at the next level. “With great interest we have been watching Johan’s performances and good form for South Africa A and for the Eagles in the domestic competitions. We believe that he has much to offer both now and in the future”.Lorgat added that the decision to send Kallis home was in order to ensure he is back to full fitness for the return series against Australia, which starts at the end of February. Kallis is the third South African to return home from the tour of Australia, following the withdrawal of Makhaya Ntini and Andre Nel.

Sport England today announced a major investment in grass roots and community cricket with confirmation of a three-year funding award to the England & Wales Cricket Board (ECB).The ECB will receive a total of £10.7 million in Lottery funding through Sport England to support the objectives contained in its Building Partnerships business plan. The award is effective from April this year and will run through to the end of March 2009.Roger Draper, Chief Executive of Sport England, said that the award recognised the substantial progress made by the ECB in modernising its management and governance structures and its ambitious vision for the grass roots development of the game.”Cricket is currently on a huge high following last summer’s Ashes successes and has a fantastic opportunity to capitalise and build on unprecedented levels of public popularity,” Draper said “The £10.7 million we are investing in the sport over the next three years will contribute towards achieving the goals we share with the ECB of getting more people from all backgrounds involved in the game at all levels.”Welcoming today’s announcement, David Collier, the ECB’s chief executive, said: “The ECB warmly welcomes the three-year commitment to the funding of cricket by Sport England. It has been ECB’s desire for a number of years to move towards a multi-year commitment of public funding, in order that our clubs and county boards can provide sustainable programmes. This funding is an important start in an increased involvement and commitment from Government and the National Lottery, which cricket needs to provide facilities to sustain the long-term expansion of the game.”A further £4.75 million has already been committed by Sport England into a Community Club Development Programme (CCDP), which invests in local cricket club improvement and development projects. CCDP funding covers the financial years 2006-07 and 2007-08 and is in addition to today’s £10.7 million announcement.This confirmed investment in cricket comes on top of Sport England’s recent financial support for the Cricket Foundation’s Chance to shine campaign, which will receive £2 million up to March 2007 to help reinvigorate cricket in state schools.More than £103 million of Lottery funds have been invested in cricket since 1994, supporting over 3,000 individual projects. These range from high profile facilities such as the ECB National Cricket Centre in Loughborough and Hampshire County Cricket Club’s Rose Bowl stadium, through to individual club awards to improve playing and practice facilities in the community.

South Africa have recalled Nicky Boje, Boeta Dippenaar and Andrew Hall to their 14-man squad for the first two Tests against Australia. Shaun Pollock and Andre Nel have both been included despite missing the final one-day international, but Garnett Kruger has been named as cover.Boje was dropped following the Boxing Day Test against Australia, at Melbourne, but has made an irresistible case for a recall with a brilliant domestic season, which has included a career-best 8 for 93. Even if Johan Botha, who can’t bowl because of a suspect action, had been available Boje would have been in the frame to return.Dippenaar has been rewarded for impressive one-day form – he scored 101 in the fourth ODI against Australia – with a return to the Test side for the first Time since the tour of West Indies last May. Hall, too, has not played a Test since the West Indies trip and will add some much needed experience to the bowling attack.Makhaya Ntini, who missed the final Test against Australia at Sydney in January, is back in the side after recovering from a knee injury, while Charl Langeveldt, who played at Sydney, was not considered because of a broken finger.South Africa squad Graeme Smith (capt), Boeta Dippenaar, Herschelle Gibbs, AB de Villiers, Jacques Kallis, Jacques Rudolph, Ashwell Prince, Mark Boucher (wk), Shaun Pollock, Andrew Hall, Nicky Boje, Makhaya Ntini, Andre Nel, Garnett Kruger.

Scorecard

It was just about honours even at the end of a low-scoring second day of the State Championship final between Wellington and Central Districts at the Basin Reserve. At the close, Wellington had reached 93 for 2 in reply to Central Districts 312.It was a day for the purists as Central Districts, who resumed on 184 for 2, barely managed two an over in the face of a far more spirited performance from Wellington’s bowlers. Scott Rasmussen, who took the only two wickets to fall on the opening day, added two more to finish with 4 for 67, as Central Districts lost their last 8 wickets for 106 inside two sessions.Roger Fouhy started the slide with the important wicket of Mathew Sinclair, caught behind by Stu Mills for 67, and although the inexpereinced middle order all got starts, none went on to play a big innings. Tim Weston was bowled by Dewayne Bowden for 14, and then Bowden ran out Ross Taylor for 25 with a direct hit.Bevan Griggs and Ewen Thompson then looked to have stemmed the slide with a sixth-wicket stand of 48 before Rasmussen removed Griggs and Brendon Diamanti in the same over. Thompson remained unbeaten on 36 as Jesse Ryder polished off the tail.Wellington lost Luke Woodcock to the first ball of the second over, and Michael Parlane for 17, but their innings was anchored by a two-and-a-half hour unbeaten 51 from Matthew Bell. With Ryder, he had added 46 for the third wicket by stumps.

Rahul Dravid slipped right back into the thick of the action in Indore, the city of his birth, after a well-deserved two match break and was at once stoutly defending two of his team mates, the out-of-form Virender Sehwag and Mohammad Kaif.”They are both proven performers and both have done really well for India in the past,” he said the day before the final ODI against England. “You just have to look at their records to see what they bring to the side. Our aim is to try and get the best out of players, irrespective of whether it is Sehwag or Kaif or VRV Singh. The aim is try and build a good side. We will do whatever it takes to achieve our goal of trying and picking a good team that we think will take us forwards.”In a team situation, it is not always possible to say that everyone will get the same number of opportunities. We all know what Sehwag is capable of doing at the top of the order when he is at his best. Some players will get more chances than others, who may not be lucky enough to get the same number of opportunities. That’s the way international cricket goes, it is part and parcel of international cricket.”Dravid said that while his team was very keen to end the series on a winning note, they were not viewing the match in isolation, and would use chance to give some of the younger cricketers a chance to put their hands up. “It’s a good opportunity for the young guys to show what they are capable of,” he said. “There are a few areas that we need to address. We have a bunch of good young fast bowlers, and we need to identify the best prospects, we must find out who is the best of the lot. Sometimes, you can make the mistake of looking at it as just one match, but we must look ahead. Now that the opportunity presents itself, we must give them a chance.”Dravid also lavished praise on Ramesh Powar, whose stocky build has been a talking point despite some skilful bowling and determined batting. “Sometimes, size can be a bit misleading,” he said. “Ramesh is working very hard on his fitness, he understands that he needs to be fitter. He batted very well in the last one-dayer, and his bowling has been exceptional right through this series. He is a very good and handy cricketer to have. It’s very heartening to see his development; when you have a player like him who can contribute with the bat and with the ball, it mades a difference to the combination of the side. We need to develop players like that.”While conceding that he had watched parts of the last ODI on television Dravid said he had not seen much of Robin Uthappa, the young batsman from his own state of Karnataka. “To be honest, I have not seen too much of him myself. But the selectors have seen something in him, they believe he has the potential. Even without playing a game, it is a very good learning experience for him. He will also be playing in the `A’ team’s outings in Abu Dhabi. It’s like an apprenticeship period for a lot of the young boys, and they can benefit in the future from just being with the Indian team now.”

Simon Jones will undergo an MRI scan on his injured left knee, and is also set to meet with a specialist, after limping off the field during Glamorgan’s C&G Trophy match against Ireland on Monday.Jones had bowled an impressive first spell, claiming two wickets, but felt a twinge in his knee when he return for a second stint and left the field after one more delivery. The seriousness of the setback is not yet known, but the ECB chief medical officer, Dr Peter Gregory, did not envisage him being fit in time for Lord’s.”Simon is currently rated very doubtful for next week’s first Test match,” said Gregory, after liaising with the Glamorgan physiotherapist, Chris Towers. “We will need to re-assess his injury after consultations with the specialist on Thursday.”Jones has made a careful return to action after leaving England’s tour of India after twisting his knee in the nets before the first Test. He bowled 28 overs during Glamorgan’s Championship match against Essex and, despite reporting some slight stiffness, came through unscathed.England name their Test squad next Sunday with Ashley Giles and Michael Vaughan already ruled out and Steve Harmison unlikely to make it.

Allan Border has tipped a 2-1 Ashes series win for Australia, but he warned the hosts would under-rate England “at our own peril”. Border said Australia’s home-ground advantage would prove crucial in the campaign to regain the Ashes.”Overall, England are a good cricket team, but I just think at home we have got the players, as long as they all stay fit, to get those Ashes back,” Border told . “If England have some injury problems I think we will win and win well, but if they get their full complement here I’ll give them a Test match and I think we will get two, so 2-1 will do me.”Border, the second-highest run-scorer in Test history, nominated the allrounder Andrew Flintoff as England’s main threat, but said Steve Harmison and the captain Michael Vaughan could also cause damage if they recovered from injury. “To me they still have the basis of a very good team once they get all their players fit,” he said. “If they keep Flintoff fit and they get Harmison back and Vaughan back after his knee injury they’ll be very competitive. We under-rate them at our peril.”The first Ashes Test begins on November 23 at Brisbane and Justin Langer, one of Australia’s injury concerns, has been cleared of lasting damage after he was struck by a Makhaya Ntini bouncer in his 100th game in April. “I had some tests during the week and I passed with flying colours,” he said in .Langer will use a six-week assignment with Somerset to get some game time in the lead up to the Ashes. “The fact is I have not faced a ball since that last Test in South Africa,” he told the paper. “If I don’t go it would mean I had not played cricket, or faced bowling in a game, for probably five months before the season starts. This will be excellent timing to get in among the action again.”