The prospect of Michael Vaughan making an England comeback this summer is still unclear following a meeting with experts to discuss his knee injury. The ECB have said he will visit a specialist on Thursday when the next step will be considered.On Monday, Vaughan met with Yorkshire physio Scott McAllister, consultant Wayne Worton and England physio Kirk Russell to discuss where he goes from here. Although he has been playing for Yorkshire for the last month, he is still troubled by the injury. Last week, a team-mate said that Vaughan still had good and bad days.No announcement was made after the meeting, but given that progress is slow at best, there must now be serious doubts as to his fitness for this November’s Ashes. It is possible that Vaughan will need to undergo another operation to clean-up the knee joint. If so, then he would be out of action for almost the remainder of the season. A worst-case scenario would mean him needing major surgery which could sideline him for up to nine months.As if that wasn’t bad enough, earlier it emerged that Ashley Giles has decided to fly to the United States for confirmation that he needs another operation to try to cure his hip problem. He has not played since his first hip surgery in December, and is now considering visiting the same surgeon who last week operated on Simon Jones.Duncan Fletcher, England’s coach, told The Guardian: “Vaughan, Giles, Jones and [Andrew] Flintoff are world-class players and their injuries are a concern. I’ve adopted the attitude that it will be a huge bonus if they come back. That’s why we have to go with these other players and get them ready for later on in the winter.”Despite his Ashes-winning side falling to pieces, Fletcher kept his faith in the young replacements called up recently, though their initial display left much to be desired. “We kept it quite simple, but they didn’t bowl to the plan,” he said. “We just wanted them to go in and bowl straight. None of the bowlers seemed able to do that. I still think it is a mental thing. They don’t bowl that badly in the nets. You have to reassure individuals that it just takes one game to turn it around.”

The first step in Andrew Flintoff’s currently hypothetical plan to play Australian club cricket in preparation for the Ashes has been cleared with Cricket Australia saying there are no rules to prevent the move. David Graveney, the England chairman of selectors, “mischievously” suggested the scenario in a bid to help Flintoff recover from ankle surgery that is expected to rule him out for the next three months.The upshot of the injury is Flintoff would have minimal match practice before England’s defence of the Ashes starting on November 23, and team management is considering more lead-up games as well as the club option. Three state associations – Queensland, New South Wales and South Australia – would not stop Flintoff or any other returning England player from appearing in their grade competitions.”Having Flintoff and those blokes play would certainly give club-land a massive boost,” Graham Dixon, the Queensland Cricket chief executive, said in . “It would toughen up the competition and give grade players exposure against the best in the world.”While many Australian supporters would feel the situation unbelievable despite the English county system assisting their players for decades, David Gilbert warned against critics getting “too precious”. “At the end of the day we are in the entertainment business and people have paid good money to see the best players,” he said.A Cricket Australia spokesman told the situation was still hypothetical. “We haven’t been approached and it’s an area that would be looked at by the state associations,” he told the agency. “There are no statutes that we are aware of that would prevent it from being possible.” Craig White, the former England allrounder, used the Adelaide grade competition to warm-up for the 2002-03 Ashes.

Former Zimbabwe captain Tatenda Taibu is currently back in Zimbabwe on a brief stopover before proceeding to South Africa where he is set to sign up for a franchise side in the next few weeks.Taibu confirmed to Cricinfo on Friday that he has set his sights on a longer career in South Africa, and may only return to the United Kingdom, where he was playing for Pyford in Surrey, if he feels that it’s good for his career. Taibu said he was hopeful to seal a deal with either the Fidentia Warriors or the Nashua Cape Cobras if they agree to terms.Taibu once again poured cold water on a possible immediate resumption of his international career, saying forthrightly that his chances of playing for Zimbabwe in the near future are “zero percent”.Taibu’s resignation was precipitated by a clash with ZC over several policy issues at the height of a player dispute which saw some senior players leave the team in frustration.

As I made my way to the Wankhede Stadium this morning, most of my thoughts centered on how Michael Hussey would bat.It was the first time I was going to see him, Ponting and Symonds at a live game, albeit just a practice match. However, a few hours later with Shane Watson hogging the bowling I began to feel drowsy in the comforts of the air-conditioned press box.So I decided to take a stroll and found myself in the middle of around 100 raucous fans (there were only about 500 in all) intent on proving that Indians could sledge too. Their favoured target: Ponting. “Remember 434” they chanted, “Gibbs is back” they roared. Ponting had fallen for 24, a sharp low catch at point. “It wasn’t out, fight with the umpire” quipped the jeer leader, no doubt aware of Ponting’s run-ins with officialdom. Someone even brought up that touchy matter of Ashes defeat last year and they chorused “Flintoff, Flintoff Flintoff”.Most Australians received a curious mixture of jeers and cheers from the crowd. Brad Hogg kindly showed them how to bowl a chinaman and was applauded like he’d hit a hundred. Minutes later he was subjected to cries of “Hoggy is a doggy”. But the moment Adam Gilchrist made an appearance, the crowd adored him. “Gilly, Gilly you are the best. Gilly should be captain, Ponting resign,” they cried. And when Gilchrist accepted the adulation with a casual wave of his hand, the 50-strong crowd went into raptures. After all he was Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s idol. When Ponting acknowledged their presence with a smile and a wave, their jovial hostility vanished. Simply recognise their antics and they’d be on your side.The crowd wanted entertainment and when Symonds provided just that by hoisting several into the stands, they began to concentrate on the cricket. Soon there was an invasion of school children, a majority of whom pressed close against the railing, standing on each other’s toes while the rest of the stands remained empty, to get the closest glimpse of the Australian team. One kid went up to Graeme Vimpani, Australia’s media manager who was sitting among the fans and talking about playing with Shane Warne and Paul Reiffel in Victoria, and asked “Where (sic) Matthew Hoggard?” probably meaning Hogg, an innocent mistake from a nine-year old.When the Australians took the field the crowd got after Glenn McGrath in good humour. “Sachin, Sachin, Sachin,” they cheered to which McGrath seemed to mime “Sachin who?” after which he acted out an edge to the wicketkeeper. Come October 29 in Mohali he’ll be aiming to do exactly that.

Herschelle Gibbs arrived in Mumbai today where the South Africans are based for the ten-nation Champions Trophy tournament and was promptly whisked away to the team hotel to avoid a large media contingent stationed at the airport. Gibbs, who was accompanied by lawyers and arrived four days after the rest of the South African squad, is to be questioned by the Indian police tomorrow over match-fixing allegations dating back to 2000.Team officials declined to entertain questions on Gibbs and did not allow him to be interviewed by the media, saying he was tired after the long journey from Johannesburg and needed rest.Gibbs was fined and suspended for six months by South Africa after he admitted accepting money from disgraced former captain Hansie Cronje to under-perform during a one-day international on the 2000 tour of India. He went on to score 74 runs in that game, claiming later that he had “forgotten” about the deal.Cronje, who admitted to receiving money from illegal bookmakers but denied he was involved in match-fixing, was banned for life. He was killed in a plane crash near Cape Town in 2002. For six years Gibbs had declined to travel to India with the South African team fearing his arrest by the Indian police.Confusion reigned over the likely venue of the police interrogation. New Delhi police officials had told AFP on Tuesday that Gibbs will be questioned in the Indian capital on Thursday. But Tshepo Tsotsotso, Cricket South Africa spokesperson, was quoted as saying in the Indian media from Johannesburg that Gibbs was unlikely to move away from Mumbai. “According to my information, Gibbs will be in Mumbai where he will be interviewed by the Indian police,” Tsotsotso said.On October 4, Micky Arthur, South Africa’s coach, had said that Gibbs would be flying to Delhi for the interrogation. “Herschelle will fly on the night of October 10 straight to Delhi and will be accompanied by his lawyer,” said Arthur “He has an appointment with KK Paul [the Indian policeman leading the match-fixing investigation], which we are led to believe will take an hour-and-a-half. He will then join the rest of the team in Mumbai ahead of the practice game on the 13th.”South Africa face New Zealand in their first Champions Trophy match at the Brabourne stadium in Mumbai on Monday.

Polly Umrigar, the former Indian captain who played 59 Tests between 1948 and 1962, has died in Mumbai. He was suffering from lymph cancer and lost the battle at 8:30 this evening at his residence.Umrigar, who will be remembered as one of the heroic figures in Indian cricket, was an early pillar of India’s middle order in the ’50s and ’60s. He scored 3,631 runs at an average of 42.22 with 12 centuries and led India in eight Tests, winning two and losing two with four draws. Having learnt his trade in the competitive in Mumbai, where the emphasis was on technique and application, he went on to break several Indian records, including the most Tests, highest batting aggregate and most hundreds. A burly six-footer, Umrigar was a domineering figure at the crease – whether batting, bowling, or leading the side. He was renowned for his full-blooded drives but, as he showed in the memorable summer in the Caribbean in 1961-62, he could also hook and pull powerfully.More significant, perhaps, than his achievements at the crease was the fact that he helped shape the few Indian triumphs in his time. His vital 130, coming in at No. 7, helped India achieve their first-ever Test win, against England at Madras in 1952. His hundreds also paved the way for two more Test wins, against Pakistan at Mumbai in 1952 and New Zealand at Madras in 1956.He was the first Indian to hit a Test double-century, a feat he achieved against New Zealand at Hyderabad in 1955. He led India in eight Tests, winning two and losing two before he resigned the captaincy at Madras against West Indies in 1959 following a misunderstanding with the selectors. He is only one of two Indian cricketers (Vinoo Mankad being the other) to score a century and take five wickets in an innings – a feat he achieved against West Indies at Port of Spain in 1962. After retirement, he continued to serve Indian cricket as chairman of the selection committee, tour manager and BCCI executive secretary.After retiring from the game, Umrigar served in various administrative roles, including chairman of the selection committee, manager of the Indian side, executive secretary of the Indian board and chief curator of the Wankhede stadium in Mumbai.He is survived by two sons and a daughter.

Duncan Fletcher, the England coach, has again tried to calm talk about Michael Vaughan making an early comeback during the Ashes series. Following England’s defeat at Brisbane, Vaughan left the squad and flew to Perth to join up with the Academy and is aiming to play against Western Australia 2nd XI on Wednesday.Various comeback dates for Vaughan have been thrown around during the opening weeks of the Ashes tour, ranging from the third Test at Perth to the one-day series which follows in January. Now, with his playing return imminent, the Boxing Day Test at Melbourne is being suggested.However, Fletcher still refuses to look too far ahead. “I don’t think he can play in this Test series, at this stage,” he told reporters. “We’re still planning to have him hopefully for the one-dayers and if anything comes earlier than that then well and good.”If Vaughan comes through Wednesday’s one-day match his next outing could be the two-day game against Western Australia between the Adelaide and Perth Tests. England are expected to use a number of their reserve players in that match.But Fletcher still feels that Vaughan would need to play a few more matches to prove his fitness and merit a place in the side. While Vaughan was with the squad in Brisbane he took part in a fielding session and batted in the nets. If he plays on Wednesday it will be his first competitive match since June when he lined-up for Yorkshire in the County Championship.”I’m not going to say when he’s going to play [for England] again until he’s played some games of cricket and he’s come out and he’s 100 percent, ” added Fletcher. “We’ve spoken a lot to [him], like I do with other senior players. He seems to be pretty positive, he’s working hard at his game, he had a couple of nets sessions.”

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out – Australia
How they were out – England

Monty Panesar took less than a day to confirm what England had been missing during the opening two Tests as he became the first England spinner to take five wickets at the WACA. Steve Harmison provided impressive support as he finally arrived in the series with only Michael Hussey converting a start into something substantial.However, the day was full of drama right until the end as England struggled in turn against a fired-up Australian attack. Brett Lee gave notice of what’s to come by hitting the mid-90s (miles per hour) while Stuart Clark produced a series of stunning leg-cutters and could have claimed a couple of wickets. But it was Panesar’s day as he ended third on the list of England bowlers on this ground and even achieved something Shane Warne has failed to manage: a Test five-for at the WACA.It was no coincidence that England’s best bowling of the series came when two bowlers who, for contrasting reasons, had been largely anonymous in the earlier part of the contest played important roles. Panesar’s presence was felt from his seventh ball when he removed Justin Langer as Australia wobbled to lunch on 3 for 69. Harmison had already made a more significant impact than at any other time on tour by trapping Ricky Ponting leg before for just two.The difference in England’s attack with the arrival of Panesar in place of Ashley Giles extended beyond purely the wickets. His infectious spirit appeared to rub off on the team and suddenly when Andrew Flintoff looked around he wasn’t scratching his head for wicket-taking options.First-up there was swing with the new ball, which was expertly used by Matthew Hoggard as he continued his dominance of Matthew Hayden, ending an awkward opening stand of 47. Then there was the pace, and at last direction, of Harmison before the loop and bounce of Panesar.Harmison’s removal of Ponting was accompanied by huge cheers from the supporters, the level which was matched when Flintoff threw Panesar the ball 10 minutes before lunch. When his seventh delivery slipped past the edge of Langer’s bat he launched into his trademark hand-slapping celebration. If his team-mates hadn’t caught him Panesar would have completed a full lap of the ground.However, for all the excitement it was only the start of the job and Australia had the perfect man for a mini-crisis. Hussey began by virtually shelving all his attacking shots – it took him 66 balls to hit a boundary – and relied on dabs to rotate the strike. Just as he and Michael Clarke were starting to increase the tempo, Harmison showed his reflexes as well as his radar were in working order by clinging onto a flat-batted pull from Clarke. But in typical style Australia counter-punched.Before his return Andrew Symonds had spoken about wanting to play his natural game and began to support his words with deeds as he took 17 off a Panesar over. Two huge straight sixes were followed by an inside-out drive through cover. But Panesar – and to his credit Flintoff – remained calm and the decision to stick with spin paid off when Symonds edged a short ball, which Geraint Jones took at the second attempt.The value of having an attacking spinner who rips the ball was then displayed as Adam Gilchrist lunged forward to his fourth delivery and an inside-edge looped via pad to a diving Ian Bell. England were into the tail before tea and Panesar had swathes of the WACA crowd chanting his name.

Amid the tumble of wickets it was almost possible to forget Hussey was still there, but he started to expand his strokeplay as the lower order joined him. Last season he added century stands with Glenn McGrath and Stuart MacGill and with the England bowlers still struggling to find a way past his bat there was every chance of another rescue operation. But England didn’t let go as Panesar added Warne and Lee after tea.The final stages of the innings belonged to Harmison as he continued his rehabilitation with a fiery burst at the lower order. The final wicket, McGrath caught at silly point, owed everything to a poor decision as the ball came straight off his arm but the aggression was a statement from England. They are going to try and save the Ashes the same way they won them – by attacking.That attitude carried into their reply as Andrew Strauss and Alastair Cook set off like a train. But attacking the new ball against the extra bounce comes with added risks and Cook paid for a loose drive as he was held at first slip, handing McGrath a much-needed wicket.There wasn’t much Bell could do about the jaffer he edged off Lee, and Paul Collingwood should have gone before the close when Warne spilled a relatively simple offering at first slip. It summed up what had been a thrilling seven hours. Adelaide was decided by an extraordinary final day; at this rate whether the Ashes are alive heading into Christmas could well be known tomorrow evening.

Short cuts

Sour face of the day
The moment Monty Panesar took his fifth wicket, the cameras, inevitably, sought out Duncan Fletcher in the England dressing-room. It was a picture of inscrutable misery.Quote of the day
“I was quite pumped up, jumping around and dancing, not sure what to do,” Monty Panesar after his first wicket.Crowd moment of the day
The Barmy Army trumpeter’s first note early in the opening session received a huge ovation from the England fans on the hill. Banned from the first two Tests, Bill Cooper was back and opened up his set with .Call of the day
“Why don’t you ring Michael Vaughan and ask him,” yelled a spectator in the Lillee-Marsh Stand during a long conference between Andrew Flintoff and Steve Harmison.Shots of the day
The first of Andrew Symonds’ two straight sixes in the 13th over from Monty Panesar. Symonds strode down the pitch and planted the ball over the sightscreen at the Prindiville End.

Martyn Ball has shocked Gloucestershire by announcing his retirement from professional cricket after 19 years with the club. Despite signing a new one-year deal last summer he as opted to take up a role with the US-based property development company Ginn Europe.Ball, 36, admits it was a huge decision to leave the sport behind but felt the time was right. “I’ve had 19 fantastic years playing first-class cricket and Gloucestershire has become a major part of my life,” he told .”But this marvellous opportunity has come along and I have had to make a decision. There has been a lot of soul searching but, in my mind, I know this is the right time for me to announce my retirement.”I’ve seen people stay too long and end their careers full of bitterness and resentment and I didn’t want that for myself. This way, I’m going out on my own terms and with my reputation intact.”Tom Richardson, the chief executive, praised Ball’s efforts with the club. “He has made a significant contribution, especially during the past eight seasons when our team has collected nine trophies.”His efforts in these one-day competitions cannot be underestimated although the statistics will not always show the depth of Martyn’s contribution.”Ball is also set to leave his position as Professional Cricketers’ Association chairman but still hopes to put something back into the game. “I want to be able to come back in the future and help out Gloucestershire in any way I can.”In a career spanning 193 first-class matches he took 389 wickets at 37.74 and scored 4633 runs at 19.22. However, it was in the one-day game where he really shone and his 288 wickets came at 30.47 while he was a brilliant slip fielder. He’d also adapted well to Twenty20, playing 29 matches and taking 27 scalps at 24.48.His highest honour came when he was called up to England’s tour of India in 2001-02 after Robert Croft’s withdrawal from the trip following the 9/11 attacks. He didn’t make the Test team, but did line-up in a warm-up fixture and came as a sub in the second Test, at Ahmedabad, catching Sourav Ganguly off Andrew Flintoff.

Sometime around noon today, Virender Sehwag dismissed Mahesh Rawat and rounded off a thumping win for Delhi over Haryana at Rohtak. Haryana’s captain Joginder Sharma had fallen a little while earlier and now had to accept the fact that his team were all but relegated to the Plate Group.Despite the gloom, it had been a triumphant campaign for Joginder, who sat atop the wickets tally with 39 wickets in seven games, including two ten-wicket hauls and a hat-trick. The 421 runs he’d rattled off in the three Duleep Trophy games that preceded the Ranji Trophy made it a season to remember.In times when India’s search for the ‘Next Kapil Dev’ is turning into a joke, Joginder’s recall to the Indian side, for the first two ODIs against West Indies, offers a sliver of hope. Just a couple of hours after the defeat, Joginder experienced, in his own words, a “rebirth”.Though Joginder himself admits that Kapil is “impossible to replace”, the similarities are hard to miss: he’s from Haryana (though not yet the Hurricane that Kapil was), swings the ball consistently, blasts his way to hundreds, and brings with him the X-factor that’s surprised teams around the country. He hails from a humble background – his father’s a dealer in Rohtak – and his thoughts on cricket sum up the man: “Cricket gives me immense happiness. I’m fortunate to be one of the few to play cricket for a living.”He’s candid about “wasting” his chance two years back, when he was picked for three one-dayers against Bangladesh. He ended with a solitary wicket from the series and his highest score of 29 not out wasn’t enough to prevent India’s humiliation at Dhaka – their only loss to Bangladesh.

So is there a difference between Jogi 2004 and Jogi 2007? Statistically it’s identical. Before he was chosen for India the numbers read: 19 games, 90 wickets at an average of 19, two hundreds and five fifties. The second half of his career is almost a photocopy: 19 games, 94 wickets at 19, two hundreds and four fifties. Yet, Ashwani Kumar, the Haryana coach, talks about how misleading numbers can be, adding that today’s Joginder is far more mature cricketer.”Numbers won’t tell you how much he’s improved his fitness,” Kumar told Cricinfo. “He’s a far better fielder now. He also bowls faster than earlier. He continues to swing the ball well but does it with increased pace now. Most bowlers struggle in their second or third seasons but Joginder has improved in some way every year. It’s difficult to find a more consistent performer in India.”Numbers won’t tell you what a sensible and responsible batsman he’s become. He stays at the crease longer these days and ensures that starts are converted into big ones. He played only three games for India but quickly realised what exactly was needed to be an international cricketer. He spoke to people like John Wright, Zaheer Khan, Sourav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid and learnt from it.”Joginder’s strength, according to him, is in keeping things simple. “I like to think that cricket is a simple game that requires a lot of skill. I’ve got my fitness to a level where I can bowl 20 overs day consistently. Earlier I was relying only on swing but now cut the ball and also bowl yorkers and slower balls.”India would ideally want him to succeed at No.7 – swinging out a few early wickets, keeping it tight later and finishing games with cameos. It will allow them to play five bowlers and Joginder could well have a crucial role to play in completing the jigsaw. “Playing in the World Cup is every cricketer’s dream and it would be great if I could prove myself to be selected.”