McDermott rates Johnson No. 1

Over a pair of startlingly fruitful stints as Australia's pace-bowling coach, Craig McDermott has learned to trust in a handful of simple tenets. Chief among these are the passing on of rich encouragement to his pupils, leavened by simple, digestible and repeatable pieces of advice.

These fundamentals were clearly in evidence as McDermott weighed up Australia's bowling resources on the eve of the first Test against South Africa at Centurion. He balanced high praise for Mitchell Johnson - currently the world's No. 1 fast bowler by his estimation - with a pointed directive about how the tourists must bowl to Graeme Smith's side in the series beginning on Wednesday.

As hard as it may be to believe, given his harvest of 37 Ashes wickets over five Tests during the home summer, McDermott believes Johnson is capable of even better in South Africa, and offered up his bowling in Australia's warm-ups so far as evidence. Not only has Johnson been swift as ever, but he has also found the swing that also aided him in 2009.

"At Wanderers the other day he bowled a little bit better than he did in Australia, particularly with the late swing he's getting here," McDermott said. "The ball he bowled to Chris Rogers [on the Saturday] was something I've very rarely seen in my 35 years of cricket. It was going towards leg stump and knocked out his off stump. It swung unbelievably late.

"He bowled a number of balls like that the other day and. That's good for us. It becomes difficult for right handers who want to leave the ball and left handers who think they're going to just clip it off their pads.

"I think he probably is the best fast bowler in the world at the moment. He knows his game very well, and his accuracy is brilliant at the minute, it has been all summer. And he really understands where his wrist position is, with his alignment though the crease, he really believes himself so he's the full package. On top of that, he's a great bloke."

Johnson has re-grown his moustache in time for the series, again taking on the mantle of shock bowler and all the posturing that entails. He will again be able to charge in at his very fastest, for McDermott and the captain Michael Clarke are committed to using him in shattering bursts rather than taking advantage of a formidably strong frame that can allow him to bowl far longer spells at the cost of a few kilometres of speed.

"If you've got someone bowling 150 that's his best use," McDermott said. "He's got a real wow factor to his bowling from a pace point of view now and he bowled beautifully during the Australian summer. That's always been the plan with Mitchell. We wanted to use him as our shock bowler. When you've got someone like that you don't want him to bowl seven or eight over spells.

"You've got other blokes who are more drilled towards that. When you've got someone bowling 150 you didn't see Malcolm Marshall and those sort of blokes bowling eight or nine over spells. You want to make sure he's your shock bowler but he's fit enough, if he's on a roll, to bowl seven or eight over spells, so we've got the best of both worlds if it is required."

Taking a more general view of the series, McDermott acknowledged the fact his message is now no mystery to anyone. His insistence on a fuller length spiced with the odd bouncer has been the other constant of his coaching, but in South Africa's potentially lively strips it will be more relevant advice than ever. Some members of the squad have taken to McDermott's directives more swiftly than others, and it is no exaggeration to say that the most eager students will be those who find themselves taking the field at Centurion.

"We're going to have to get our lengths right. We're going to have to be very full," McDermott said. "It sounds like an old repeated saying of mine every time we start a new series about bowling full but it's going to be really important to be very full here. We've got to get that right from ball one.

"I think the wicket will have some carry in it and we'll have to bowl like we did in Australia. We'll have to bowl very full and mix that up with some short-pitched bowling, with some aggressive bowling as well. The wicket's going to be pretty Gabba-like I would have thought by the looks of it.

"We've got to get it right [if we bowl first]. We bowled first in Melbourne and we didn't quite get it right in that first hour. We had an unbelievable Ashes series with the ball. We probably only bowled average for five or six hours out of the whole Ashes series. We have to make sure we get that down to one or two hours in this series and we'll come up trumps."

Marsh, Doolan to tip out Hughes

Australia are set to go with hunches over hundreds against South Africa, anointing Alex Doolan for his Test debut at No. 3 while also shaping up to recallShaun Marsh despite his minimal preparation for the task at hand.

The national selector John Inverarity was seen offering a consoling word and pat on the back toPhillip Hughes in the nets as the tourists' final training session wound down, while the captain Michael Clarke had also hinted strongly at Doolan's inclusion.

"You guys can work out for yourselves whether Alex is going to play or not," Clarke said. "I can't tell you where he's going to bat. I haven't got the 11 players yet from the selectors, so I don't think it'd be fair for me to talk about individual players - who's in, who's out."

While Hughes has by far the best first-class record of the fringe batsmen and plenty of experience in South Africa, he only made the trip when Marsh was indisposed due to a calf problem. He would have remained in Western Australia if not for a calf strain to Shane Watson, but that injury allowed Marsh to return.

The tour selectors Darren Lehmann and Inverarity have been unable to resist Marsh's flowing form in the nets, even if he is still dealing with jetlag that Clarke admitted had taken numerous players far longer to get over than they had initially expected. Doolan has also swayed team observers by the purity of his stroke production and capacity to hit good balls to the boundary, the strong impression of his easy style not sufficiently undermined by a lack of substantial runs in recent months.

Marsh and Doolan have only two first-class hundreds between them this summer, though the latter's was an admittedly commanding fourth innings performance against a strong New South Wales to help Tasmania chase down a vexing target. Hughes meanwhile has made three Sheffield Shield centuries this summer, but there is a strong belief that Marsh and Doolan will be able to step up and counter-attack against South Africa's vaunted pace attack.

The selectors have long taken the view that there is more to choosing teams than simply picking the top players on the national aggregates. It is a belief they have clung to even after watching the opener Chris Rogers replicate his methodical run-making in Tests after doing so for years in first-class matches without recognition, largely as a result of an apparently ungainly style.

World's best wary of Australia's looming threat

The first few days on top of the world feel like a dream. Over the next few it all sinks in. There is exhilaration and a massive sense of achievement.

As the weeks go by, being the best starts to feel comfortable; normal, even. Once that stretches to months, and if you keep doing whatever it is you need to do to maintain the position, it may seem like no one can ever take it away from you.

Then, somewhere along the way, uncertainty will creep in. Doubt. Nerves. That will happen the day you realise someone is coming up the mountain behind you. That day for South Africa will dawn tomorrow. Glancing down the slope, they've seen Australia looking up at them.

"They've come hunting for us and that's exciting,"Graeme Smith said. "Now it's about us showing people why we are the No.1 team in the world."

This is not the first time Smith has emphasised South Africa have something to prove. Even though they won't lose the No.1 ranking even if Australia sweep them 3-nil, South Africa still feel they have to justify their status as the best Test team going around. Perhaps that thought is fueled by the fact that they have not beaten Australia in a series at home since readmission, despite winning Down Under on both their previous visits.

Smith wouldn't go as far as to say winning this series would complete his CV as captain, regarding the away wins in Australia as a "bigger highlight, considering it has been done so few times," but he hinted that the Australia visiting now is not the same as the squad that has been so successful here in the past. "They had an incredible team for a period of time," he said, adding that South Africa have that now. "It's become a big and important phase in our cricket now."

A large part of this new stage of South African cricket has focused on humility. Smith has been careful not to get too carried away with being ranked highest because he believes that is the trick to staying there.

After winning the mace in England and defending it in Australia, South Africa's brand of cricket has changed. They showed ruthlessness in the last home summer when they were victorious in all five Tests and completed all of them in less than five days. They showed resilience when they went to the UAE, where the previous top-ranked side's demise had begun, and bounced back from a hefty defeat to square the series.

Now they are back home with a different task at hand, against an opposition who have always known how to make them feel inadequate, even on their own turf. Overcoming that is the biggest challenge and that, rather than the off-field chatter, is where Smith's focus seems to lie. "When you play Australia, you expect to play a certain way and we don't expect anything different this time," he said. "All the talk, it's all a side show. It's really all about the cricket and that's what we want to focus on.

"The Aussies have been good for ticket sales and newspaper sales. It's been business as usual for us. Behind the scenes, it's been really focused. I sit here today and feel we are ready to go. We know how to win on this ground."

The series starts in Centurion, South Africa's most successful Test venue since readmission, and a place where they feel at home. The surface suits their quicks, and Smith predicted there will be something in it for them again, and if it's warm, as it often is in the summer here, it is also good for batting. They tend to draw a larger than usual and partisan crowd here and the vibe is festive.

It could be the ideal place to kick off if they are to change their home record against Australia. "It's always nice to come to familiar places where you've had success," Smith said. "You feed off past memories and things you've been able to create there."

Australia lost the only match they have played here, in 1997. That won't be too much of a bother for them because their bullishness appears to get the better of everything else. They know they cannot dethrone South Africa in this series but they can make a statement that they are on course to do it in future.

Until they do that, they seem to have admitted where the advantage lies at the moment. "South Africa are a really good team," Michael Clarke said. "They've got a great mix of youth and experience. They deserve the No. ranking, they've earned it."

For all the words uttered over the last week, as this series begins, Clarke agreed that South Africa "are the best in the world." That statement may only make South Africa want to prove it even more.

Moin named new Pakistan coach, Sohail removed as selector

Amid a slew of changes to Pakistan cricket, Moin Khanhas been named the new head coach of the national side. The decision was taken at an eight-member management committee meeting, a day after PCB chairman Zaka Ashraf was dismissed and the board of governors dissolved.

Moin will replace Dav Whatmore, whose contract expires this month. He had been appointed team manager before the tour to Zimbabwe in August 2013 but had recently been replaced by Zakir Khan.

In other major changes, Aamer Sohail's appointment as chief selector last week was denounced, and former Pakistan cricketer Azhar Khan was put in charge of an interim selection committee.

The committee, headed by newly reappointed PCB chairman Najam Sethi, also endorsed Mohammad Akram's two-year contract as Pakistan's bowling coach. A new fielding coach was also appointed, withShoaib Mohammad put in charge for the Asia Cup and World Twenty20.

When Ashraf was in charge of the PCB, he had appointed Sohail as director game and development national cricket academy and given him an additional charge of chief selector. But the Sethi-led PCB denounced a majority of the decisions taken by Ashraf since Ashraf came to power last month. "The management committee decided in principle that any decision which lacks transparency or due process shall not be ratified," said Sethi while briefing the press in Lahore after a five-hour meeting.

"(Since) PCB service rules were not followed in the decision to appoint him [Sohail] … further, the record reflects that Aamer Sohail was never issued a letter of appointment for any post in PCB, therefore he held no post in PCB.

"The appointments of Mr. Basit Ali (coach of regional cricket academies in Karachi) and Mr. Mohammad Ilyas (chief selector of junior teams and the women's national team) were not in accordance with PCB Services Rules. Their appointments are declared as void abinitio, null and void."

Apart from these major cricketing changes, the committee also took several administrative decisions including the appointment of the advisory Committee on Regional Affairs comprising representatives of Regions, and another committee on Cricketing Affairs comprising former captains and former chairmen of PCB.

Though the PCB advertised three coaching positions including head, batting and fielding coach, the management committee scrapped the batting coach position. It has decided to introduce a new role called chief cricket consultant, filled by former captain Zaheer Abbas - also a managing committee member, has been named to travel with the team to supervise the batting department.

A mouth-watering pace battle awaits

Big Picture

After Australia's remarkable Ashes clean-sweep, Michael Clarke praised his men but was firm in his resolve that the Australians would not rest until they were No.1 in the world. What better way to assess themselves than against the world's best? South Africa have occupied the top spot for a year and a half. Daylight is second. Clarke and coach Darren Lehmann will certainly have noted the way South Africa declined to chase a victory that seemed there for the taking against India at the Wanderers in December. But they should also note that South Africa's approach has led them to lose only one of their past 19 Tests. This is a team that has not lost a Test series for five years, home or away. That is a remarkable feat.

The last team to beat South Africa was Australia in early 2009. In South Africa. With Mitchell Johnson at his peak. In fact, since South Africa's readmission Australia are yet to lose a Test series in the country. That is a remarkable feat. Even the drawn two-Test battle in late 2011 was fascinating, featuring as it did Australia's all-out 47 in Cape Town followed by the emergence of a teenage Pat Cummins, Man of the Match in the follow-up victory in Johannesburg. Cummins will not be there this time, but the four highest-ranked fast bowlers in the world will be - and that does not even include Johnson. Vernon Philander, Dale Steyn, Ryan Harris and Peter Siddle are all in the ICC's top five Test bowlers, and together with Johnson and Morne Morkel will make for a captivating series.

Which team's batsmen will handle the pace assault best? Australia had a settled batting group through the Ashes but could have two new faces in Centurion, with the uncapped Alex Doolan favoured to debut and Shaun Marsh or Phillip Hughes also likely to play due to Shane Watson's injury. South Africa's main question is how to handle life after Jacques Kallis. The likely new No.4, Faf du Plessis, has already shown the Australians his credentials, almost single-handedly saving the Adelaide Test in 2012. And any team that can have the No.1 batsman in the world - AB de Villiers - coming in at three-down is a force to be reckoned with.

Form guide

(last five completed games most recent first)
South Africa WDWLW
Australia WWWWW

In the spotlight

Dale Steyn might be ranked second in the world to his team-mate Vernon Philander, but that is not necessarily the view Australia's batsmen will take. His high-quality, high-speed outswing will ask serious questions of an Australian line-up that remains vulnerable against the moving ball. The presence of two left-handers at the top of Australia's order might help them slightly, but if they have right-handers at Nos.3, 4 and 5, expect the edges to fly.

Back in 2009, Mitchell Johnson entered the tour of South Africa at his peak, having just broken Graeme Smith's hand in the Sydney Test and finding the rhythm and pace that has deserted him at times during his career. Five years later, he has it again. The reigning Allan Border Medallist and tormentor of England during the Ashes, Johnson has the potential to worry South Africa's batsmen like few other bowlers in the world. They might handle him better than England, but don't expect his impact to drop off too much.

	Mitchell Johnson again returns to South Africa in the form of his life © PA Photos  Enlarge

Team news

For the first time in more than 18 years, South Africa must work out what to do without Kallis, a man who was two cricketers (at least) in one. Du Plessis appears set to move up to Kallis' No.4 spot, which opens up a place at No.7 that could be filled by either Wayne Parnell or Ryan McLaren. Parnell offers more pace and that might earn him a chance to play his first Test in nearly four years. However, there is also the possibility of Rory Kleinveldt being included. JP Duminy was battling tendonitis in his left wrist in the lead-up to the match but was recovering reasonably well.

South Africa (possible) 1 Graeme Smith (capt), 2 Alviro Petersen, 3 Hashim Amla 4 Faf du Plessis, 5 AB de Villiers (wk), 6 JP Duminy, 7 Wayne Parnell / Ryan McLaren, 8 Robin Peterson, 9 Vernon Philander, 10 Dale Steyn, 11 Morne Morkel.

Watson's absence due to a calf injury means there will be two changes to Australia's batting order from the side that played in all five Ashes Tests. The guessing game is which two of Doolan, Marsh, Hughes and Moises Henriques will miss out? It seems likely that Australia will rely on their four-man attack in Centurion, which would leave Henriques on the bench. Doolan is set to debut at No. 3 and Marsh, who was picked ahead of Hughes in the original squad, looks likely to join him. This appeared to be confirmed by the national selector John Inverarity's consoling chat to Hughes late in Australia's final training session.

Australia (possible) 1 Chris Rogers, 2 David Warner, 3 Alex Doolan, 4 Michael Clarke (capt), 5 Steven Smith, 6 Shaun Marsh, 7 Brad Haddin (wk), 8 Mitchell Johnson, 9 Ryan Harris, 10 Peter Siddle, 11 Nathan Lyon.

Pitch and conditions

Two days before the Test, the Centurion pitch had a white sort of shade to it but still bore some grass. There should be something there for the fast bowlers and the moisture in the air should also offer some assistance. Typical Highveld thunderstorms are expected to play a part throughout the match - last week, the Hennops River outside the ground burst its banks and the hotel nearby had to be evacuated.

Stats and trivia

• Since Kallis made his Test debut in December 1995, South Africa have played only 18 Tests without him - an average of one per year
• In six Tests in Centurion, Dale Steyn has taken 36 wickets at 17.61; Vernon Philander has 12 victims at 13.66 there from two Tests
• If Australia win this series, they will move up to second place on the ICC's Test rankings
• Chris Rogers has played 257 first-class matches but until this tour had never so much as visited South Africa, let alone played cricket there
• Australia and South Africa have met only once in a Test in Centurion, in 1997, when Allan Donald took eight wickets in a South African win

Raina out of Asia Cup squad

Suresh Raina has been left out of India's squad for the Asia Cup, which starts on February 25. The batsman, however, is a part of the team for the World Twenty20, scheduled for March.

Cheteshwar Pujara has been included in the Asia Cup squad, while Ishant Sharma has been left out of both teams.

Ishant and Raina's exclusions are the only two changes to the India ODI squad from the one that played in New Zealand.

Since the series against England in January 2013, when he scored 277 runs with four half-centuries, Raina has had just one fifty-plus score - against Zimbabwe - in 24 innings. He was dropped from the last two ODIs against New Zealand, after scores of 18, 35 and 31 in the first three games.

For Pujara, this is his first ODI call-up since the tour to Zimbabwe when the batsman made his one-day debut. Pujara scored 13 and 0 in the two matches, but since been in good form, scoring Test hundreds against West Indies and South Africa.

In Ishant's case, his exclusion due to recent poor form has continued from the New Zealand series, where the bowler was dropped after the first two ODIs in favour of Varun Aaron. Ishant had a poor series against Australia at home, conceding 189 runs in three matches at an average of 94.50 with two wickets. Against South Africa, Ishant picked up four wickets in two ODIs at an average of 19.50, while he picked up two wickets against New Zealand, giving away 118 runs at 59 and an economy rate of 7.86.

The pace attack in both squads is led by Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Mohammed Shami. Ishwar Pandey, who was a part of the tour to New Zealand, has been picked for the Asia Cup, while Mohit Sharma has been named in the Twenty20 squad.

Stuart Binny, who made a debut against New Zealand recently, finds a place in the ODI and T20 squads.

India squad for Asia Cup: MS Dhoni (capt), Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ambati Rayudu, Ajinkya Rahane, Ravindra Jadeja, R Ashwin, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammed Shami, Varun Aaron, Stuart Binny, Amit Mishra, Ishwar Pandey

India squad for World Twenty20 MS Dhoni (capt), Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina, Yuvraj Singh, Ajinkya Rahane, Ravindra Jadeja, R Ashwin, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammed Shami, Stuart Binny, Amit Mishra, Mohit Sharma, Varun Aaron

Neesham and Latham in Test squad

The uncapped allrounder Jimmy Neesham and batsman Tom Latham have been added to New Zealand's squad for the second Test against India starting in Wellington on Friday.

The chances of New Zealand making a change after their 40-run victory in the first Test in Auckland may appear slim but alterations to the squad were required after Jesse Ryder and Doug Bracewell were both unavailable for selection. Both men have been fined by New Zealand Cricket for misconduct after they were out drinking until 3am on the first morning of the Auckland Test.

Neither Ryder nor Bracewell were considered for the squad for the second Test due to their off-field behaviour. Neesham has been brought in as a replacement for Bracewell, while Latham has taken the place of Ryder as cover for Ross Taylor, who is awaiting the birth of his second child. If the baby is not born before the match starts, Latham will make his debut so Taylor can sit out.

"Tom's an incredibly exciting prospect and is constantly pushing for selection," Bruce Edgar, the general manager of national selection, said. "If called upon, we're confident that he'll take the opportunity with both hands."

Latham, 21, has played 13 one-day internationals and seven Twenty20s for his country but is yet to be called upon in Test cricket. Neesham, 23, has played 11 ODIs and five T20s for New Zealand and the selectors believe that although he is not necessarily a like-for-like replacement for Bracewell, he offers plenty with both bat and ball.

"We see Jimmy as a genuine all-rounder who can play a number of roles for us. His form with both bat and ball in the Plunket Shield this season speaks for itself," Edgar said. "We've been able to keep a settled side recently and strung together some successful results along the way. We hope to keep that going, but are well aware India will come back at us hard."

New Zealand squad Peter Fulton, Hamish Rutherford, Kane Williamson, Ross Taylor, Brendon McCullum (capt), Corey Anderson, BJ Watling (wk), Tom Latham, Jimmy Neesham, Tim Southee, Ish Sodhi, Neil Wagner, Trent Boult.

Charges against Gurunath proved - IPL probe report

Gurunath Meiyappan, the son-in-law of BCCI president N Srinivasan, has been found by a court-appointed committee to have indulged in betting and passing on information during IPL 2013, as alleged, and has been proved to be the team official of Chennai Super Kings. The committee, led by Justice Mukul Mudgal, submitted its final report to the Supreme Court on Monday with the proviso that it was for the court to decide on any action to be taken.

The report also said that Raj Kundra, the Rajasthan Royals team owner, had "resorted to betting" through Umesh Goenka in the IPL as was "evident" from the statements of Goenka recorded by the Delhi court. However, it said that "further and serious investigations" on the basis of the Goenka statements were required.

The report noted that the allegations of spot-fixing and match fixing against five players - Sreesanth, Ankeet Chavan, Ajit Chandila, Amit Singh and Siddharth Trivedi - on the basis of evidence provided by Delhi Police were facing criminal trial and "adequate punishment has been imposed upon them by the BCCI."

Along with the report, the court has also been given a sealed envelope - to be opened and read only by the judges - containing the names of persons allegedly involved in sporting fraud. The report said the commission had come across "many allegations of sporting fraud" and had forwarded the allegations in the sealed envelope "in view of the sensitive nature of the information being provided". The committee said it would not be "proper to cast aspersions on the persons named unless investigations are conducted".

The report is now expected to be taken up by the court on March 7, when it resumes hearing the case pertaining to IPL corruption which had led to the formation of the Mudgal committee.

The implications of the report, though serious, are not expected at this point to affect the IPL auction, due to be held on February 12 and 13. Rajiv Shukla, the BCCI vice-president, said the auction would go ahead as scheduled. "The good that Supreme Court has done is that the IPL auction was not stopped," he said. "It will happen as planned for all the teams in Bangalore."

N Srinivasan, the BCCI president, said he would not comment till he had read the full report. The question of whether Gurunath was involved in match-fixing and spot-fixing, the report said, had "not been investigated thoroughly by the anti-corruption units of the ICC and the BCCI or the Crime Branch Criminal Investigation Department of the Chennai police, "even though some information was available for such an investigation to be conducted."

Over the question of Gurunath's role as "owner" of CSK, the committee said that the 'infraction of the rules prohibiting betting by a team official has clearly occoured." It took note of the "stance" of the CSK senior counsel who had said that "CSK should not be punished for actions of Meiyappan." The franchisee owners "(Indian Cements) (sic)" had defended the actions of the franchisee "by contending/ stating that Mr Gurunath Meiyappan was not related in any way with the franchise." The committee's response to this contention was that, "the franchisee appears to be contradicting the factual position as has already been observed by the committee."

The committee stated that Gurunath had been in violation of several sections of the IPL Operational Rules, the IPL Anti-Corruption Code and Articles of the Code of Conduct for Players and team officials. The report's "conclusions and recommendations" section has said that it can do no more than report a "violation of the rules" to the Court as it does not have a mandate to impose any punishment. "It is for the Hon'ble Supreme Court to decide what action, if any, is to be taken pursuant of the report of the Committee."

There are references made to one specific match in the report, between Rajasthan Royals and Chennai Super Kings on May 12, 2013, the committee stating, "there seems to be enough information available on record to indicate that a further investigation is required in respect of the match."

The report also refers to the issue of conflict of interest - "raised by several persons who are neither in the BCCI hierarchy nor are beneficiaries of the BCCI" - brought about by the ownership of Chennai Super Kings by India Cements, whose managing director is the BCCI president. "It was also pointed out that the conflict of interest was brought about by the amendment to clause 6.2.4 of the BCCI Rules and Regulations, by which an office-bearer of the BCCI was permitted to hold a commercial interest in the IPL and Champions League." The amendment, the report notes, was the subject of a petition in the Supreme Court by former BCCI president AC Muthiah, leading to a split verdict.

The report concedes that, while the issue does not fall directly within the committee's terms of reference, the questions raised were "serious and may have large-scale ramifications on the functioning of cricket." It said it was bringing the matter before the Supreme Court "since several stakeholders repeatedly stressed on this issue."

The three-member committee, headed by former High Court judge Mukul Mudgal and comprising additional solicitor general L Nageswara Rao and Assam Cricket Association member Nilay Dutta, was set up by the Supreme Court in October 2013 to conduct an independent inquiry into the allegations of corruption against Gurunath, Super Kings team owner India Cements, and Rajasthan Royals team owner Jaipur IPL Cricket Private Ltd, as well as with the larger mandate of allegations around betting and spot-fixing in IPL matches and the involvement of players. It interviewed more than 100 people - including ESPNcricinfo's senior editor Sharda Ugra - in connection with its probe.

Kallis replacement could hold key to series

Somewhere between Centurion, Port Elizabeth and Cape Town, Australia will post a big partnership that none of Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel and Vernon Philander will be able to break. They will get frustrated or tired or both. The person whom Graeme Smith hands the ball when that happens could end up playing a defining role in the series.

In the past, that person was Jacques Kallis. Think back to Australia's tour to South Africa in 2008-09. After beating South Africa by 162 runs in Johannesburg, Australia were piling on the pain in the second Test in Durban. Phil Hughes and Simon Katich's opening stand had ballooned to 184.

Kallis was in the midst of his second spell. He pitched one short and wide - an innocuous ball really - and Hughes could not resist. He went for the cut and Neil McKenzie collected the catch at gully.

The rest of that match was forgettable for both Kallis and South Africa. Kallis was struck on the jaw byMitchell Johnson, who also broke Smith's hand for the second time earlier that day. Kallis scored 22 in the first innings and 93 in the second. Still, South Africa lost the match by 175 runs and the series as a result. They are yet to beat Australia in a home series since readmission.

Kallis' Test retirement late last year means he will not be part of a South African side that could change that pattern. But the person who takes his place could be. By implication, that person could be one of the most discussed players in this series and one of the most important for South Africa.

The South African management and players have taken great pains to repeat as often as they can that Kallis is not being replaced because that is impossible. So it helps that the new entrant into the XI will not at No.4. That is Faf du Plessis' job and he has already proved he deserves it.

After his maiden century in Adelaide, he showed his ability to bat time and bat in a bubble, just like Kallis. Despite a lean patch throughout 2013, he cemented his spot with another match-saving century, against India. He will be a man Australia want to remove, especially with memories of November 2012 still fresh, but he may not be their main focus.

Instead, it will either be Wayne Parnell or Ryan McLaren whom Australia identify as a candidate to exploit. Neither has played much Test cricket - Parnell has played three Tests, McLaren one - and neither has played much long-form cricket recently. They only played one first-class match each this summer.

Although they have credentials - Parnell is quick, offers the left-armer variation in angle and is an aggressive bat, while McLaren is more of what you see is what you get, and what you get is reliability - neither would have been expected to play a key role in a series of this magnitude before. The sense of occasion may be the first thing they need to overcome to avoid being overwhelmed and that will be the second major talking point.

Allan Donald said the South African camp last felt this buzz when they played England for the No.1 ranking in July 2012. South Africa have prepared for this series in a similar way too. Then, they spent time in Switzerland bonding over bungee jumping; now they had a bush retreat to help them reconnect and do their bit to save the rhinos.

Hashim Amla called the feeling "no different," to any other series against Australia, and that is the point. Any series against Australia is different by itslef, as almost every other player who has spoken to the media has explained. They call Australia the team they find toughest to tussle with. They describe Australia's players as competitive, as players who play the game hard on the field and whom they enjoy having a drink with off it. There's a sense of camaraderie between the squads but banter is still a given. Both have helped hype this up as a clash of the titans.

When Australia lost the Ashes 3-0 in England, some of the talk in South Africa was that they would be easy picking come this tour. South Africans watched from afar as Australia gained momentum. For once, they had reason to celebrate the Australian rise because it signaled the team would come to South Africa ready for a fight instead of still being in their rebuilding phase.

Now that Australia have actually arrived a fully formed product, there are some nerves too. Johnson is back and more menacing than he was when he sent Smith to the surgeon. Ryan Harris and Peter Siddle complete their trio of quicks. The battle of the bowlers appears a tight one to call in the lead-up, which means the batsmen will have all it all to do. That is where South Africa feel they have the advantage.

Although Australia's batsmen between them scored 10 centuries in the 5-0 whitewash of England, they are still seen as over-reliant on Michael Clarke and Brad Haddin. With Shane Watson out of the first Test and a worry for the rest of the series, that leaves them even more vulnerable. On South African pitches, which have considerable sideways movement particularly when compared to Australia's, the home side believes the advantage could be skewed their way.

But Australia insist the absence of Kallis could change that. A 13000-run sized hole would deplete any batting line-up. Somewhere between Centurion, Port Elizabeth and Cape Town in the next month, South Africa may also discover whether and how quickly they can fill that.

Hogg and Hodge in Australia's World T20 squad

Brad Hogg could become the oldest man ever to play a Twenty20 international after being called up along with fellow veteran Brad Hodge for Australia's World Twenty20 campaign in Bangladesh. Australia's selectors opted for experience in their 15-man squad, which also includes Brad Haddin and Cameron White, although the young legspinner James Muirhead was also named after impressing in his first T20 internationals against England this summer.

Hogg earned a surprise recall for the previous World T20 in Sri Lanka in 2012 but he had not played for Australia since that tournament. However, he has continued to take wickets and keep the runs tight for the Perth Scorchers in the Big Bash League and his selection at the age of 43 has shown that the selectors are prepared to bank on experience as Australia push for their first title in the shortest format.

The oldest man ever to play a T20 international was Kenya's Steve Tikolo, who was 42 when he walked out against Canada in Sharjah in November. Hogg turned 43 last week but showed as part of the Scorchers' BBL-winning team that he remains enthusiastic and athletic in the field as well as canny with the ball. He could be a key player in the spinning conditions of Bangladesh.

The same can be said of Hodge, who at 39 was recalled to Australia's team for the T20s against England this season having not played for his country for nearly six years. Although Hodge's BBL form this summer was solid rather than spectacular - he scored 219 runs at 36.50 - he is the highest run scorer of all time in Twenty20 cricket, with 5902 runs, and his experience in Bangladesh with the Barisal Burners could be invaluable.

"We have selected a squad that has plenty of experience playing the Twenty20 format in the sub-continent, which augers well for the challenges of Bangladesh," national selector John Inverarity said. "Brad Hogg comes into the squad . Once again Brad bowled very well for the Perth Scorchers in the Big Bash League and many batsmen found him difficult to read. Despite his age, his enthusiasm and fitness are undiminished.

"Brad Hodge has made a great number of Twenty20 runs on the sub-continent and played many match defining innings there. He will provide the squad with a great deal of calm experience and knowledge. His inclusion is just reward for his outstanding performances in this form of the game over many seasons."

Muirhead, 20, is the least experienced member of the group, and perhaps the most remarkable part of his journey was that he did not even start the BBL season with a contract. Muirhead was only included in the Melbourne Stars squad as an injury replacement before Christmas, but his impressive performances in a number of tour matches earlier in the summer against England encouraged the selectors to take a punt on him in the T20 internationals.

"The national selection panel was pleased with the way the side performed in those Twenty20 matches where they played with great confidence and authority," Inverarity said. "Of those performances we were highly impressed with James Muirhead who displayed a good temperament, excellent control and a legbreak that turns significantly. He is an exciting inclusion."

Although Muirhead took two wickets in the final T20 in Sydney, his most impressive display was arguably in the second match in Melbourne, when he kept the runs tight and claimed 1 for 17 from his four overs. In front of a crowd of nearly 65,000 at the MCG, Muirhead showed his willingness to toss the ball up and risk leaking a few boundaries, and his legbreak turned sharply at times.

"It was definitely really daunting, especially in front of 65,000 at that game," Muirhead told ESPNcricinfo last week. "Bowling legspin you just really have to have confidence and believe in yourself and you know you can perform at that level. You just try and take in the crowd and relish the moment and enjoy yourself. You're going to get hit for a few sixes or a few boundaries bowling legspin in T20, so you can't put yourself down, you've just got to keep fighting against them."

Muirhead's inclusion meant there was no room for Xavier Doherty, with Glenn Maxwell the other slow-bowling option in the group. Shaun Marsh was also overlooked, as was the young Queensland batsman Chris Lynn, who performed well in his initial T20 internationals over the past month, and neither Josh Hazlewood nor Ben Cutting were able to squeeze in to the attack.

Because several key players were already in South Africa preparing for the Test tour while the T20s against England were played recently, the squad looks different from that group. David Warner, Shane Watson, Mitchell Johnson and Brad Haddin will all be part of the World T20 outfit after not taking part in the 3-0 success over England.

The inclusion of Haddin, who has played only two T20 internationals in the past two and a half years and in fact retired from the format in 2011, meant there was no room for Matthew Wade, who has generally been used as Australia's keeper in the short format. James Faulkner was included after missing the Test tour of South Africa due to a knee injury, although it remains to be seen whether he will play in the T20s in South Africa that follow the Tests.

"James Faulkner is recovering well from his knee surgery," Inverarity said. "He is expected to be fully fit for Bangladesh. We will monitor his rehabilitation to see how he is progressing for the matches in South Africa."

White managed to hold his place after performing well against England, although whether he will be able to squeeze into the top order is unclear, with Aaron Finch, Watson and Warner all potential openers. Allrounder Daniel Christian and fast bowlers Nathan Coulter-Nile and Mitchell Starc will also be part of the squad, which will be led by George Bailey.

Australia World T20 squad George Bailey (capt), Daniel Christian, Nathan Coulter-Nile, James Faulkner, Aaron Finch, Brad Haddin, Brad Hodge, Brad Hogg, Glenn Maxwell, James Muirhead, Mitchell Johnson, Mitchell Starc, David Warner, Shane Watson, Cameron White.

Charges against Gurunath proved - IPL probe report

Gurunath Meiyappan, the son-in-law of BCCI president N Srinivasan, has been found by a court-appointed committee to have indulged in betting and passing on information during IPL 2013, as alleged, and has been proved to be the team official of Chennai Super Kings. The committee, led by Justice Mukul Mudgal, submitted its final report to the Supreme Court on Monday with the proviso that it was for the court to decide on any action to be taken.

The report also said that Raj Kundra, the Rajasthan Royals team owner, had "resorted to betting" through Umesh Goenka in the IPL as was "evident" from the statements of Goenka recorded by the Delhi court. However, it said that "further and serious investigations" on the basis of the Goenka statements were required.

The report noted that the allegations of spot-fixing and match fixing against five players - Sreesanth, Ankeet Chavan, Ajit Chandila, Amit Singh and Siddharth Trivedi - on the basis of evidence provided by Delhi Police were facing criminal trial and "adequate punishment has been imposed upon them by the BCCI."

Along with the report, the court has also been given a sealed envelope - to be opened and read only by the judges - containing the names of persons allegedly involved in sporting fraud. The report said the commission had come across "many allegations of sporting fraud" and had forwarded the allegations in the sealed envelope "in view of the sensitive nature of the information being provided". The committee said it would not be "proper to cast aspersions on the persons named unless investigations are conducted".

The report is now expected to be taken up by the court on March 7, when it resumes hearing the case pertaining to IPL corruption which had led to the formation of the Mudgal committee.

The implications of the report, though serious, are not expected at this point to affect the IPL auction, due to be held on February 12 and 13. Rajiv Shukla, the BCCI vice-president, said the auction would go ahead as scheduled. "The good that Supreme Court has done is that the IPL auction was not stopped," he said. "It will happen as planned for all the teams in Bangalore."

N Srinivasan, the BCCI president, said he would not comment till he had read the full report. The question of whether Gurunath was involved in match-fixing and spot-fixing, the report said, had "not been investigated thoroughly by the anti-corruption units of the ICC and the BCCI or the Crime Branch Criminal Investigation Department of the Chennai police, "even though some information was available for such an investigation to be conducted."

Over the question of Gurunath's role as "owner" of CSK, the committee said that the 'infraction of the rules prohibiting betting by a team official has clearly occoured." It took note of the "stance" of the CSK senior counsel who had said that "CSK should not be punished for actions of Meiyappan." The franchisee owners "(Indian Cements) (sic)" had defended the actions of the franchisee "by contending/ stating that Mr Gurunath Meiyappan was not related in any way with the franchise." The committee's response to this contention was that, "the franchisee appears to be contradicting the factual position as has already been observed by the committee."

The committee stated that Gurunath had been in violation of several sections of the IPL Operational Rules, the IPL Anti-Corruption Code and Articles of the Code of Conduct for Players and team officials. The report's "conclusions and recommendations" section has said that it can do no more than report a "violation of the rules" to the Court as it does not have a mandate to impose any punishment. "It is for the Hon'ble Supreme Court to decide what action, if any, is to be taken pursuant of the report of the Committee."

There are references made to one specific match in the report, between Rajasthan Royals and Chennai Super Kings on May 12, 2013, the committee stating, "there seems to be enough information available on record to indicate that a further investigation is required in respect of the match."

The report also refers to the issue of conflict of interest - "raised by several persons who are neither in the BCCI hierarchy nor are beneficiaries of the BCCI" - brought about by the ownership of Chennai Super Kings by India Cements, whose managing director is the BCCI president. "It was also pointed out that the conflict of interest was brought about by the amendment to clause 6.2.4 of the BCCI Rules and Regulations, by which an office-bearer of the BCCI was permitted to hold a commercial interest in the IPL and Champions League." The amendment, the report notes, was the subject of a petition in the Supreme Court by former BCCI president AC Muthiah, leading to a split verdict.

The report concedes that, while the issue does not fall directly within the committee's terms of reference, the questions raised were "serious and may have large-scale ramifications on the functioning of cricket." It said it was bringing the matter before the Supreme Court "since several stakeholders repeatedly stressed on this issue."

The three-member committee, headed by former High Court judge Mukul Mudgal and comprising additional solicitor general L Nageswara Rao and Assam Cricket Association member Nilay Dutta, was set up by the Supreme Court in October 2013 to conduct an independent inquiry into the allegations of corruption against Gurunath, Super Kings team owner India Cements, and Rajasthan Royals team owner Jaipur IPL Cricket Private Ltd, as well as with the larger mandate of allegations around betting and spot-fixing in IPL matches and the involvement of players. It interviewed more than 100 people - including ESPNcricinfo's senior editor Sharda Ugra - in connection with its probe.

Zaka Ashraf out, Najam Sethi returns as PCB chairman

The turmoil within the top management of the PCB took two new, and yet familiar, twists on Monday with the Patron of the Board, Pakistan's Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, dismissing the chairman Zaka Ashraf once again and dissolving the board of governors. Sharif directed a management committee to pick a PCB chairman from among its eight members and it chose Najam Sethi, who acted as interim chairman while Ashraf was suspended.

The management committee included Shahriyar Khan (former PCB chairman), Najam Sethi (former interim PCB chairman), Zaheer Abbas (former Pakistan captain), Naveed Akram Cheema (chief secretary, Punjab), Shakeel Sheikh (former member of PCB board of governors), Yousaf Naseem Khokhar (former member of PCB board of governors), Iqbal Qasim (former cricketer), Ijaz Chaudary (IPC secretary). It will meet for the first time on February 11.

The mandate given by the prime minister to the committee is to form a new PCB constitution and restore stability to cricket administration in Pakistan. The committee said they will let the decisions made by Ashraf stand only if they are legitimate, and will scrap the ones that are not.

How the Patron dismissed Zaka Ashraf According to the old constitution, the Patron could only supersede the PCB in case of "grave financial irregularities". That clause was amended to be less specific and include more general mismanagement. Paragraph 41 (before amendment): The patron, in the presence of sufficient evidence and being satisfied that grave financial irregularities exists in the Board and that the Board is dysfunctional, may by order in writing reasons, supersede the Board and appoint an interim committee consisting of an administrator and as many members as deemed necessary for carrying out the functions of the Board … Paragraph 41 (after amendment): "When the patron is of the opinion that the Board is unable to perform its function properly in accordance with this constitution he may; by order in writing, supersede the board and constitute a management committee comprising up to elven members, for performance of the functions of the board; Provided that upon an order of suspension the board of governance shall stand dissolved and chairman shall stand removed."

Ashraf was critical of the decsion. "The decision clearly shows that there is government interference (in the PCB)," he said. "It's an undemocratic decision by a democratic government."

It was the second time that Ashraf had been removed as PCB chairman in the last eight months. Ashraf had been suspended in May 2013 by the Islamabad High Court after it ruled he had been elected via a "dubious" and "polluted" process. However, after a complicated legal process, he was reinstated by the same court on January 15 this year.

The Ministry of Inter-Provincial Co-ordination (IPC) had challenged the verdict of the Islamabad High Court, which re-instated Ashraf as chairman. The Supreme Court had accepted the petition but had refrained from taking the case ahead, suggesting that the government exercise its authority to initiate changes within the PCB. On January 31, the government withdrew its petition against Ashraf's return as chairman from the Supreme Court.

" … There are serious issues in the management of PCB, repugnant to the aim and object of PCB and that there is an immediate and emergent need to take necessary measures to improve the management of PCB as well as to streamline the game of cricket at all levels in Pakistan," an IPC ministry statement said. "Now therefore, under the power conferred upon the Patron under para graphs 41 of the PCB constitution as amended, the Prime Minister of Pakistan being Patron PCB has been pleased to constitute the following management committee to performance of the function with immediate effects …

"The above committee shall elect one of its member as chairman, who shall be the Chairman PCB. It shall supersede the Board of Governers, including the Chairman PCB, who shall cease to exit/hold office with immediate effect."

In May last year, Ashraf became the first elected PCB chairman for a period of four years under a new constitution. He was then suspended a few weeks later following questions over the legality of his appointment. Under the amended constitution the Patron of the PCB could remove the chairman only on the basis of financial irregularities. The constitution did not allow no-confidence motions to be raised against the PCB chairman.

In Ashraf's case, the problem with election was at two levels. One, it was done secretively and in a hurry, ahead of the country's general elections in which the party Ashraf derived his power from - the Pakistan People's Party - was eventually voted out. Two, the composition of the board of governors was questionable, with no representation on it of the entire province of Punjab, Pakistan's most populous and arguably its most dominant in terms of cricket players.

Subsequently, Sethi was appointed as interim chairman in June by the prime minister - the new patron of the board - Nawaz Sharif. However, Sethi was not appointed as per the specifications of the IHC, and so in July the court overturned all the major decisions taken by him and restricted his powers to the overseeing of the day-to-day administration of the board. At that point, the court also ordered fresh elections by October 18.

However, with it being evident the elections would not take place by the stipulated deadline, the board's patron, Sharif, dissolved the PCB's governing board on October 15 and created an interim management committee (IMC), the members of which unanimously chose Sethi as its head. The PCB had been run by the IMC until the court reinstated Ashraf on January 15.