Lara lined up for Surrey comeback

Surrey have confirmed they are in talks with Brian Lara in a bid to lure him out of retirement to play Twenty20 for them this season.

Lara, who retired from international cricket after the 2007 World Cup, has not played competitively for two years.

"We have been in discussion with Brian regarding his possible involvement with the club," a Surrey spokesman told the BBC. "However we have no further comment to make at this stage."

Lara has already been in the nets at The Oval this week and has had talks with Surrey's cricket manager Chris Adams and chief executive Paul Sheldon.

The Indian press recently speculated Lara was planning a comeback there. A deal was said to be done with the Kochi franchise which joins the IPL next season, but nothing came of that.

Retirement has not come easy to Lara, and he has hinted he could be lured back several times. Last year he said of Twenty20:

"I believe that at some point in time people are going to understand that they are tactical ways of playing it and then you are going to see the true talent come out." Lara had a stint with the unofficial ICL in 2007-08, where he had a forgettable tournament with the bat and as captain of Mumbai Champs.

Shahid Afridi appeals against PCB fine for ball-tampering

Shahid Afridi, who will captain Pakistan in this month's World Twenty20, has filed an appeal after being fined by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) for ball tampering in the one-day international series against Australia in January.

The PCB's legal adviser, Taffazul Rizvi, said on Tuesday that Afridi is the fourth player after Kamran Akmal, Umar Akmal and Rana Naved to file appeals against fines for ill discipline or poor performance. Afridi was fined three million rupees (£40,000).

The former captain Shoaib Malik, who was banned for one year and fined two million rupees for ill discipline, is yet to file an appeal. Neither have Younus Khan and Mohammad Yousuf, who were banned for indefinite periods due to ill discipline.

Danish Kaneria expected at Essex despite 'spot-fixing' investigation

Kaneria and pace bowler Mervyn Westfield are understood to be the two Essex players at the centre of the investigation which centres on the county's Pro40 League victory over Durham at the Riverside last September. Kaneria opted to miss the first three weeks of the new county season to play in Pakistan's Pentagular Cup domestic competition which finishes on April 27.

Essex sources have confirmed that they still expect Kaneria to arrive in England on April 29. Kaneria has denied involvement in spot-betting – manipulating passages of play during a game rather than fixing the result – though he is likely to face questioning by police if he does rejoin Essex.

Zakir Khan, the Pakistan Cricket Board director of cricket operations, said: "I think it's very important that first these allegations are proven. Then, of course, action will be taken."

Current and former Essex players and staff are known to have been interviewed under caution by police and been advised not to discuss the investigation for fear of prejudicing any possible criminal proceedings.

Westfield, who is believed to have had his mobile phone confiscated by police, has not been suspended by Essex. He played on their pre-season tour to Barbados last month but was not selected for their opening County Championship match against Hampshire at Chelmsford or the friendly that preceded it against Leeds/Bradford UCCE.

He has not played a championship match since 2007 so is highly unlikely to feature in Thursday's match against Durham at the Riverside. But he might be considered for Essex's second-team friendlies against Norfolk at Bishop's Stortford on Saturday or Suffolk at Billericay on Sunday.

Westfield, 21, graduated from Essex's academy on to the professional staff. He plays his club cricket for Wanstead in the Essex Premier League. He played for England Under-19s in a triangular series in Kuala Lumpur in 2007.

Westfield, described as "quiet and likeable but frustratingly erratic" by an Essex insider, has yet to fulfil his early potential and has made only six County Championship and eight one-day appearances – six of them last season – since he made his senior debut five years ago.

Westfield, who conceded 70 runs in six wicketless overs and bowled four wides and two no balls in the Durham match, has declined to comment on the allegations.

Angus Porter, new chief executive of the Professional Cricketers' Association, also refused to discuss the case.

Mumbai Indians in semifinals

The batsman dominated the bowler in the royal contest between two masters. A packed audience at the Sawai Man Singh stadium watched Rajasthan Royals suffer its first home loss in nine matches. They still relished it because the man who beat their team was their hero too. Sachin Tendulkar's unbeaten 89 carried Mumbai Indians to a convincing 37–run win and earned the side a place in the semifinals.

Rajasthan Royals has complicated its course and must win its remaining two matches. Clinical batting A target of 175 was possible only due to Tendulkar's clinical batting after Rajasthan elected to field. He made the most of a ‘life', paced his knock tactically and produced a match-winning effort as only he can.

The rest paled into oblivion and Shane Warne was a clear loser and his team a huge let down. The evening was lit up by the two masters as they renewed their rivalry and rekindled memories from their youthful days. Warne was in control until Tendulkar confronted him with his classy footwork and innovation at the crease.

Warne is a champion at bowling to his field but thrice in an over Tendulkar embarrassed him with his deft placements. Two inside-out strokes, as Tendulkar stepped out imperiously and a rasping cut took one's breath away.

Classy

There was class written when the Indian whipped him off his pads once and then tapped him for a comfortable brace in front of the fielder at mid-on.

There was nothing crass about Tendulkar's batting and Warne too was full of guile, spinning the ball and tossing it too for variety.

Tendulkar's fifth half century of the tournament was crafted in expected style and it was as valuable as any. The first six of the match came only in the 18th over from a typical Kieron Pollard blast off Dole, who later top-scored for the Royals.

And then Tendulkar added two more off Trivedi in the last over. Dole had messed up a top edge from Tendulkar off Siddharth Trivedi when the batsman was on 45. It cost Rajasthan dearly indeed. The master was the rightful ‘man-of-the-match'.

The scores: Mumbai Indians: S. Jayasuriya c Jhunjhunwala b Watson 1 ( 2b), S. Tendulkar (not out) 89 ( 59b, 10x4, 2x6), A. Rayudu c Ojha b Watson 0 ( 3b), S. Tiwary c Dole b Watson 15 ( 9b, 3x4), J.P. Duminy c Lumb b Trivedi 31 ( 32b, 4x4), K. Pollard b Dole 25 ( 13b, 1x4, 1x6), R. Satish (not out) 1 ( 1b); Extras (lb-4, w-8): 12, Total (for five wickets in 20 overs): 174.

Fall of wickets: 1-12, 2-12, 3-30, 4-93, 5-143.

Rajasthan Royals bowling: Yusuf 4-0-24-0, Watson 4-0-37-3, Dole 4-0-34-1, Jhunjhunwala 1-0-6-0, Warne 4-0-34-0, Trivedi 4-0-35-1.

Rajasthan Royals: M. Lumb c Duminy b Kulkarni 8 ( 6b, 2x4), N. Ojha c Tendulkar b Zaheer 0 ( 5b), F. Fazal (run out) 10 ( 15b, 1x4), S. Watson (run out) 1 ( 2b), A. Jhunjhunwala (run out) 22 ( 22b, 1x6), A. Voges c Rayudu b Zaheer 28 ( 27b, 2x4), Yusuf c Harbhajan b Pollard 10 ( 8b, 1x4), A. Raut (not out) 20 ( 17b, 2x6), A. Dole c (sub) S. Dhawan b Harbhajan 30 ( 18b, 2x4, 1x6), Extras (lb-1, w-7): 8, Total (for eight wickets in 20 overs): 137.

Fall of wickets: 1-9, 2-9, 3-11, 4-34, 5-62, 6-85, 7-87, 8-137.

Mumbai Indians bowling: Zaheer 4-1-17-2, Kulkarni 4-0-40-1, Malinga 4-0-23-0, Harbhajan 4-0-21-1, Jayasuriya 2-0-16-0, Pollard 2-0-19-1 .

Bhajji bowls a googly, wants Sachin in T20 squad

Considering the red-hot form Sachin Tendulkar is in these days, it would have been fantastic for India's Twenty20 World Cup campaign if the batting legend was a part of the squad, feels Harbhajan Singh.

Tendulkar does not play T20 internationals anymore hence the selectors did not include him in the Indian squad for the World Twenty20, beginning in the West Indies from April 30.

Tendulkar, who turns 37 on April 24, is in scorching form and has been instrumental in Mumbai Indians' splendid run so far in the third season of the Indian Premier League.

"Had Sachin decided to play in the World Cup, it would have been good for the team. But since he has decided, we know he is not going to change his decision," Harbhajan, Tendukar's IPL teammate, said during an informal interaction with scribes.

On the sidelines a felicitation function here. Tendulkar, captain of the Mumbai Indians, is the second highest run getter with 394 runs behind Jacques Kallis. Harbhajan, who is among the top five bowlers in IPL-III with 11 scalps, has also impressed with his batting skills and his blistering knocks have come handy for his side.

"I have worked a lot on my batting as well," he said even as he hurriedly added that despite his little cameos he will still remain a bowler first. Asked the T20 effect on the other formats of the game he said, "It is having a positive effect on other versions.

The game is becoming more fast now." The senior pro also said the IPL has helped all the international players in T20 World Cup preparations. "I think now we as Indian team believe that every target can be chased down if our batting clicks. It's a good practice for T20 Cup. Other teams too will benefit because their players are playing in the IPL," he said.

Symonds hits Chargers home

Symonds was hit for 23 runs in the 17th over by 21-year-old Virat Kohli (58 off 35 balls) as the Royal Challengers scored 69 runs off their final four overs to post 6 for 184.

But the big Queenslander responded in brutal fashion with the blade, finishing unbeaten on 53 from 24 balls and striking the winning runs with four balls to spare for the Chargers.

Their reply had looked a bit wobbly at 3 for 95 late in the 12th over when Symonds walked to the crease, the reigning IPL title holders still needing nine runs to win off the last over bowled by right arm seamer Vinay Kumar.

But Symonds quickly solved the equation with two big blows, the first hitting the second tier of the stand and the second just landing inside the rope.

Not that the big hitting was solely the domain of Symonds with Cameron White (13 not out off three ball) hitting the final two balls of Bangalore's innings off compatriot Ryan Harris's bowling over the ropes.

Symonds's team-mate Tirumalasetti Suman (78 not out from 57 balls) was named man of the match as the Chargers kept their slim finals hopes alive.

"A 90 per cent improved performance, still 10 per cent left to do," said Chargers skipper Adam Gilchrist (32 runs off 19 balls).

"Suman was brilliant, Symo outstanding, our bowling needs to improve though.

"Team morale has been pretty good. Our next game is a must win game.

"When I got out, we thought we had paced the innings well, in this ground it is possible to push on towards the end.

"This will go a long way in putting us back on the path."

Andrew Strauss gets long Middlesex warm-up before England duty

Having ruled himself out of the World Twenty 20 in the West Indies at the end of this month, Strauss will play in the County Championship game against Worcestershire on Friday, and is hoping to fit in at least six first-class games before the Test series against Bangladesh starts at the end of May.

It is the first time since before he made his Test debut in 2004 that Strauss has been available for such a long period, and as well as giving him valuable match practice, it will provide an early-season boost to Middlesex as they attempt to win promotion from Division Two.

The England captain has received some criticism for opting to miss the recent tour of Bangladesh, but will now be able to ease himself into an arduous 2010 schedule that could see him play 28 games for England before the year is out, including Test and one-day series against Bangladesh and Pakistan, a one-day series against Australia, and the start of the Ashes in November.

"I've been in the nets for the last couple of weeks," Strauss said. "I'm excited about getting the season off to a good start personally, but also helping Middlesex win promotion. "I don't know exactly how much play I'll get in, but I'll certainly arrive at the first Test with plenty of cricket under my belt." Strauss said he had "issues" with the way the county game was structured, and called for a reduction in the number of games played.

"Reducing the overall volume of cricket would be helpful," he said. "The lack of preparation for games is a problem. It could also be better structured into blocks of four-day and one-day cricket." Strauss will stay in regular contact with England coach Andy Flower, and will be consulted on the course of action to take over Graeme Swann, who was arrested on suspicion of drink driving at the weekend.

However, he said the spinner's place in the side was not under threat. "Hopefully he's learnt an important lesson, but I don't think this will affect his selection for the first Test," he said. Meanwhile, Middlesex announced the signing of Australian batsman David Warner for this summer's Friends Provident Twenty20.

Mumbai Indians v Deccan Chargers IPL 2010 Match 33 at Mumbai preview and tips

The hosts have won six out of their seven games and need a couple more wins in their last seven matches to get to the semi-finals, while Chargers need to go on a winning-spree from here to harbour hopes of getting through to the semis. Mumbai go in as favourites after being at the top of the table, 4/6 at Blue Square, as compared to Deccan’s 7/5 (Totesport)

Despite their wins, Mumbai Indians have to iron out some of their chinks, and the one big conundrum that they face is with the selection of Kieron Pollard (8/1 at Ladbrokes to top-score for his side). Pollard is a big ticket player, but has barely managed to get a run in the tournament. Sachin Tendulkar (15/8 at Blue Square to be the best batsman for Mumbai) will need to take the decision on whether or not to bench him pretty soon, before the lack of runs makes a more lasting effect on the batsman.

With Abhishek Nayar (14/1 at Bet365) in the ranks, and as is JP Duminy (5/1 at Bet365, both, to top-score for their side), the time may just be right to give Pollard a break in the game.

The Chargers have a problem or two of their own. Adam Gilchrist’s (5/2 at Coral to top-score for the Chargers) form at the top of the innings is worrying, and without his runs, the lack of penetration with the likes of Venugopal Rao (16/1 at Bet365) and T Suman (12/1 at Bet365 to top-score for his side) down the order, is more accentuated. Andrew Symonds (9/2 at Blue Square to be the best for the Chargers) tried his best in the previous game against the Knight Riders, but on a pitch that helped the slowed bowlers, life became difficult for him.

The time could just be right to send Rohit Sharma (5/1 at Ladbrokes to top-score for his side) up the order and get things moving, given that he has had a couple of good knocks in the past. Sharma has played most of his cricket in Mumbai at the domestic level and could send the ball scurrying.