The first one-day international in Australia to feature a batting Powerplay ended with the new rule contributing to the home team’s demise. A win that South Africa’s captain Johan Botha described as “massive” came because he and Albie Morkel took full advantage of their five-over selection, which they used to put a chase that had started to founder, back on track.

They took their Powerplay at the start of the 45th over, when they needed 51 from 36 balls with three wickets in hand having just lost the well-set JP Duminy and Neil McKenzie. It was make or break for South Africa and as Morkel found the boundary at will with the field up in his unbeaten 40 from 18 deliveries, it was Australia who were left broken.

Ricky Ponting said before the game that he had spent plenty of time chatting to Australia’s domestic players, who have experienced the batting Powerplay at state level, about how best to use it. As Ponting tried to work out where to locate his boundary-riders in the dying stages he was left wishing he had also spent time studying Morkel’s batting.

“We hadn’t seen a lot of Albie Morkel either, to tell you the truth,” Ponting said. “I don’t know if we were really as prepared as we could have been to bowl to him in those Powerplay overs at the end of the game. He hit the ball incredibly cleanly at the end and maybe we could have done some things a little bit better there to make it a little bit more difficult for him.”

South Africa picked up 0 for 49 during their batting Powerplay, while Australia had collected 2 for 43. Australia began theirs in the 42nd over with six wickets in hand and the dangerous strikers David Hussey and Cameron White at the crease. But the men seemed to lack urgency during the five overs - both lost their wickets in any case - and Ponting knows that timing his Powerplays will be crucial in future ODIs.

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Pakistan medium fast bowler Abdur Rauf has eventually been added to the PCB’s list of centrally-contracted players announced last week. Rauf has been given a Category C contract, the lowest grade, after he complained of being treated unfairly in television interviews.

According to reports in the News, a PCB spokesman confirmed on Sunday that former leg spinner Abdul Qadir,who is now the chief selector, recommended a C-category contract for Rauf, which was approved by board chairman Ijaz Butt.

Rauf, who made his international debut last year, has played four ODIs and one Twenty20 international for Pakistan with mixed success. He at times has looked quite impressive with his accuracy, but is yet to become a regular in the starting lineup. “I am really sad at not being considered for the contract. I don’t understand why they ignored me,” Rauf had said in one of the interviews. The 30-year-old bowler has taken eight ODI wickets at 26.50 apiece but has not been included in the squad for the one day series versus Sri Lanka.

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Loss of tour costs Pakistan $40m

The Pakistan Cricket Board lost $40m after the cancellation of India’s tour, the PCB chairman Ijaz Butt has stated

Butt told the Pakistan Senate’s committee on sports that the PCB’s finances were in a “terrible shape” after India pulled out of this month’s tour after the Mumbai terrorist attacks, although Butt said he hoped the Indians would visit in the near future.

Sri Lanka have agreed to step in but Butt said the series of two Tests and three ODIs would raise just $500,000. He continued “We suffered a loss of at least $40m while on the other hand India lost four times more than us.

“The Sri Lanka series would help us generate just a small amount, but we do hope that the Indian cricket team tours Pakistan in the near future.”

Butt said the board’s reserves had fallen from $42m to $19m in the two years up to him taking over as chairman in October last year.

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Saqlain confirmed to www.pakspin.com that “as yet he has not had any firm offers from any of the other first class Counties”. He said that “he feels that he is fit enough and still good enough to carry on playing County cricket and hoped that another County will offer him a deal”.

He also stated that “if nothing was available at first class cricket level for next season then he will look into the possibility of playing some club cricket and combine this with a coaching role”.

For any PPers in the North of England, Saqlain will be at the main Mosque in Dewsbury from this Friday to Sunday.