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Plan B for Bouncer sounds like it might be the title of an Alfred Hitchcock thriller, but there was not a lot of mystery or intrigue about the storyline as conjured by Stuart Broad on a day heavily punctuated by bad light and heavy rain. As the hardiest spectators filed out, puddles were still swelling on the outfield.Warwickshire had added 48 runs to their overnight 181, for the loss of Dominic Sibley, when Broad began the 109th and by far the most eventful over of the contest. Nottinghamshire had scarcely used the short ball up to that point and, if nothing else, the change of tactic would challenge the home side to score the quick runs they needed for a second batting point.Three fielders took their place on the leg-side boundary primed for the misplaced hook. Another crouched at a deepish short leg. On the offside the straightest man was located at cover. Broad was about to spring either the most audacious double-bluff in cricketing memory or the worst-disguised trap since Douglas Jardine clapped his hands and shouted: “Let him have it, Harold.”Adam Hose, nicely set, ducked the first ball and defended the second. The third struck a glancing blow on the helmet which left him briefly on his backside. Springing up quickly, he jogged through for a leg bye before being cleared by the physio to continue. Liam Banks evaded a bouncer in relative comfort and umpire Martin Saggers stepped in to warn Broad for running on the pitch.This would have done nothing for Broad’s disposition, and when Banks swayed inside the line of ball five, Saggers signalled that the bouncer allocation for the over was up. Think of all this as background, the build-up of suspense. Now came the big event.The designated last ball was an absolute snorter. The most hostile of the over, of the day, perhaps of the game so far. Short, yes, but how short? That was the difficult question for Saggers. It certainly seemed too quick for Banks who could not get out of the way and appeared to glove through to wicketkeeper Tom Moores tumbling to his right. But as Broad began to celebrate, Saggers signalled no ball.The umpire felt that it went through above shoulder height. Broad in turn pointed out that it had taken the glove and must therefore be deemed a legitimate wicket. He opened his arms, palms upwards beseeching justice before a theatrical gesture of ball brushing glove. At one point, astounded, he seemed to appeal to the batsman himself, while captain Steven Mullaney joined the conversation as though seconding the proposal of his team-mate.Saggers remained unmoved, and to add to the sense of theatre Banks stroked the eventual seventh ball, the fullest of the over, to the off side boundary. Cheers roared from the stands; Broad must have felt he was in Brisbane rather than Birmingham. He re-opened conversation with Saggers while taking his sunhat and Mullaney came in for a second time, this time to usher away his team-mate before things became even more fractious.Perhaps they did go too far. While Saggers may not literally Dial L for Lord’s, his match report might well conclude that Broad’s behaviour represented dissent. Alternatively, he could look at the replays and agree that he was wrong. Peter Moores, the Nottinghamshire head coach, believes so. “I think it [the decision] was probably a mistake,” Moores said. “It happens, and you move on. Sometimes things go your way, sometimes they don’t.”Sequel: Next over, Banks attempted to sweep the off-spin of Matt Carter and was adjudged leg-before by Tim Robinson. Justice was probably done, albeit with no personal advance to Broad’s haul of wickets. Warwickshire didn’t get their extra point. And Broad didn’t bowl again. People did, indeed, move on.After the slow pace of Monday, Warwickshire showed more urgency in the 37 overs possible. Sibley added only six more runs to his overnight 81 before opening the face, slightly, to a ball from Luke Fletcher of perfect length, but Hose, with 101 runs in eight Championship innings hitherto, played soundly in defence, batting out of his crease to combat swing, while capitalising on opportunities.Forcing sixes off both spinners, Carter and Samit Patel, he played efficiently either side of the wicket and will resume on 84. Overall, though, the bowlers offered very few freebies and Mullaney’s disciplined swing earned wickets before the worst of the weather hit. Tim Ambrose shouldered arms before Henry Brookes fell lbw.Jeetan Patel gave a brief insight into the way Warwickshire may try to move forward from here when he forced his second ball from Samit Patel over the ropes. As Peter Moores said, Nottinghamshire must hope that time taken from the game delays any deterioration of the surface until they have at least batted once themselves.

New Zealand A’s players will have more than a month of opportunities to push for places in the senior team at the Twenty20 World Championships when they embark on a training and playing tour of Australia. The squad departs on Monday for a three-week camp in Darwin before the Emerging Players Tournament in Queensland starting on July 16.New Zealand are one of four sides taking part in the contest – the Australian Centre of Excellence, the Karnataka Association XI and the South African Emerging Players are the others – and they will play seven one-day games and two Twenty20 matches. “It will provide an opportunity for some players to prepare for the Twenty20 World Championship in South Africa in September,” Ric Charlesworth, the New Zealand Cricket high performance manager, said. “But more importantly, it offers us the opportunity to view a new group of players on the periphery of the national team.”The 15-man squad, which will be led by James Marshall, will be joined at the camp by five under-19 players who are preparing for the Youth World Cup in Kuala Lumpur in February. Dave Nosworthy, the State Canterbury coach, will look after the team and be assisted by Mike Hesson and the bowling coach Vaughn Johnson.New Zealand A James Marshall (capt), Andre Adams, Hamish Bennett, Neil Broom, Grant Elliott, Gareth Hopkins (wk), Jamie How, Nathan McCullum, James McMillan, Warren McSkimming, Rob Nicol, Iain O’Brien, Michael Papps, Aaron Redmond, Bradley Scott. Under 19 players Corey Anderson, Trent Boult, Greg Morgan, Tim Southee, Kane Williamson.New Zealand A itinerary
July 1 v Northern Territory Strike, Darwin
July 16 v South Africa Emerging Players, Caloundra, Twenty20
July 17 v Karnataka Association XI, Caloundra, Twenty20
July 19 v Australian Centre of Excellence, Caloundra
July 20 v South Africa Emerging Players, Maroochydore
July 22 v Karnataka Association XI, Maroochydore
July 24 v Australian Centre of Excellence, Brisbane
July 25 v South Africa Emerging Players, Brisbane
July 27 v Karnataka Association XI, TBC
July 28 final and third-place play-off

Kruger van Wyk, the Titans wicketkeeper-batsman, has decided to pursue his career in New Zealand with Canterbury following advice from Dave Nosworthy, his former coach in South Africa, who is now coach of Canterbury.Van Wyk said: “I am most grateful to the Titans for everything that they have done for me during the past 6 seasons. I also appreciate the amicable way in which the Titans released me from my contractual obligations to them and wish them everything of the best in the future.”I am most appreciative to Canterbury for allowing me the opportunity to make this important change in my career and look forward to making a substantial contribution to their cause”.Andy O’Connor, the chairman of the Titans thanked Van Wyk for his loyalty and commitment to the cause of the Titans. “Kruger has been a passionate Titans player for many seasons and we thank him for his selfless attitude. We are obviously sad to see him go, but wish him well in his new endeavours.”Richard Reid, the CEO of the Canterbury Cricket Association added: “It is wonderful to have gained a player with the pedigree of Kruger van Wyk, and now look forward to a long and successful future with him.”van Wyk, 26, has notched up 156 dismissals and has a batting average of 29.18 in 48 first class matches. In one-day cricket he has been more impressive, collecting 71 dismissals and holds a batting average of 38.45. In the 20-over version of the game, van Wyk averages an impressive 45 with the bat at a strike rate of a 132.35.

As if the USA Cricket Association (USACA) did not already have enough troubles to deal with, its executive and some of its board members have become embroiled in a nasty brouhaha over which players should be allowed to play in the upcoming Under-19 nationals.The trouble began when two cricket administrators, Laks Sampath from the Northwest and Clifford Hinds in New York, suggested that they be given more leeway in selecting players for the U-19 National tournament to be held in Los Angeles in October.Although coming at the issue from different directions, New York and the West regions concurred on an essential point. They wanted to include players for the U-19 Nationals who did not meet the ICC’s player-eligibility requirements as they stand now, but who would be expected to qualify in time for the ICC World Cup in 2007. This would give promising youngsters who, because of their age, had not been in the USA long enough to qualify as long-standing permanent residents, but who could be identified early for possible selection for Team USA in 2007.If that seems a reasonable position, it certainly did not appear that way to Gladstone Dainty, the USACA’s president. In an extraordinary letter, he accused both Hinds and Sampath for undermining the USACA and indeed, US cricket. Hinds was spared a personal censure, but was warned about the dangers of including “illegal aliens” in their teams–something that neither Hinds nor Sampath had suggested.With Sampath, Dainty was far more brutal. He accused him of undermining the USACA, its board and the executive; singled him out as a troublemaker and traitor to US cricket interests, and warned him to behave.Sampath replied in an open letter to the USACA president, and the entire sordid affair was all over the internet, once more exposing the inner workings of the USACA behind its bland public image.Several key issues were highlighted by this dispute.First, it is not clear that the USACA president has the right to discipline a regional director, let alone put him on notice on any point. Directors are elected by their region’s member clubs, and answer to them; they appoint the USACA executive, not the other way round. At the very least, Dainty was overstepping his bounds, and he should have known better.Second, Dainty justified his actions with an oblique reference to the organization that was sponsoring the U-19 Championship and might run into trouble with US homeland security if the USACA was to be too permissive in selecting its U-19 player participants. Just who is this sponsoring organization? Why has it not been named so far? Why was its identity not disclosed to board members who are supposed to approve all USACA contracts? Why would U-19 player selections prejudice the organization in its dealings with US homeland security? Invoking the spectre of 9/11 is a facile way to get around these essential questions, and Dainty and the USACA have a great deal to answer for.Finally, it is high time for USACA’s officers to cease and desist from personal attacks (private or public) as a way to deflect reasonable critiques of the way it does business. The positions taken by Hinds and Sampath over the U-19 national selections are reasonable ones, and could be argued on their merits. There is no need for the USACA Executive to try to silence debate by citing “concerns of national security”. That has not worked too well in the US body politic, and should not used in US cricket.

It was a shame that it all happened so far away from family, friends and his beloved supporters, against a team so weakened by racial politics, but that does not deflect from the glory of Murali’s achievement. He’s an astonishing performer and a truly great cricketer.Most of Sri Lanka, from Hambantota in the south to Jaffna in the north, waited nervously during that third day in Harare, willing Murali on to the landmark, knowing full well that he could not be denied his triumph, but nevertheless sweaty-palmed in eager anticipation.Murali’s teammates, all strong and loyal friends, were anxious too, eager to be the one to pick up the historic catch. They hovered around the bat, twitching and squawking like delighted children, for seven overs without reward, Murali growing ever so slightly tense.But Murali eventually broke through as Muleki Nkala prodded a bat-pad catch into the mitts of Mahela Jayawardene – who has recovered his catching mojo and put an appallingly butter-fingered Australia series behind him – and the celebrations started.Murali reacted with a mixture of ecstasy and relief. For years his eclipse of Courtney Walsh’s record has been talked about throughout the world. Murali has admitted that the constant chatter about records, and the enormous expectation that it placed upon his shoulders, was hard to bear.But, finally, he reached the cherished landmark. A pressure valve was immediately released and that can only help him become a more relaxed character and better bowler (yes, perhaps its hard to believe, but Murali is still getting better). He steps out into the unknown and who knows where it will all end: 700, 800, 900 or even 1000?It’s mind-boggling to consider just how many he could end up with. He reached the landmark after just 89 matches, that’s an incredible 43 fewer games than Walsh. Now just 32 years old, he expects to play for at three years and who is to stay that he won’t continue after that.Currently he averages approximately 6.7 wickets per Test match, although the wicket-taking pace has picked up since the perfecting of the doosra: during his last seven Tests he’s bagged 62 victims at an average of 8.8 wickets a match. Bear in mind, too, that that includes three games against the Aussies, the world champions.So, let’s assume that he plays for three years and plays approximately 12 Tests per annum, taking seven wickets per game. He then finishes with a final tally of 773. Even if he was not tempted to carry on, which surely he would be being so close to 800, he would have set a record that will be close to unbreakable.Some people – mostly Australian journalists, former players and umpires – would loathe the thought that Murali could not be surpassed. They would love nothing more than to see him hounded out of the game prematurely because of the ongoing chucking scandal over his doosra.But I’m afraid we have some bad news for them. Murali’s doosra will not only soon be declared legal, but it will be a cleaner bill of health than some of their own stars. In the short term, the ICC have said it must be shelved – because his arm straightens by 10 degrees rather than the permitted five – but before the yearend it should be given the greenlight.Moreover, biomechanical research is set to send shockwaves through world cricket and prove that many international bowlers, some of whom have apparently clean actions, straighten their arms more than 10 degrees. Muralitharan has been pulled up because his weird action looks suspicious but others hide their straightening better.This is perhaps unfair on Muralitharan, but he should not be too downcast. On the contrary, the developments in sports science provide him with a welcome opportunity to protect his reputation and the legacy he leaves. Had he been born ten years earlier then world opinion would have been forever spilt. The chucking cloud would have lingered on for eternity.But, thankfully, advances have been made. The ICC recognised the need for a change in 2002 after preliminary research red-flagged the potential problems ahead for the chucking law. In September 2003 thresholds were agreed after research on various types of bowlers.Since then further research has been completed and both Bruce Elliott and Marc Portus, the two leading biomechanics experts on this issue in Australia, are convinced that the thresholds must be increased, possibly even to 15 degrees.The issue will be discussed in Dubai this week by the ICC’s Cricket Committee, headed by Sunil Gavaskar, a pundit not noted for his fondness for Murali’s action. But while they may make recommendations for the ICC’s Executive Board meeting in June, no change to the law is expected until after the completion of previously planned research during the ICC Champions Trophy.During this period, Murali must discard his doosra and rely on his offspinner and topspinner, which goes straight but unlike the doosra does not nip away from righthanders. This, as some commentators have suggested, may actually be a good thing for his bowling, forcing him to return to a more attacking offstump line.Even if it does limit his productivity, Murali must be patient. The time for the doosra will come again and he must wait for the scientists to finish their research. After all, six months is a short period to wait for a decision that will free him from the chucking controversy for ever.