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Australian batsman Michael Clarke has scoffed at suggestions his team’s mantle as the world’s top cricketing nation is under threat after the retirement of players ranked among the all-time greats.

Opponents have been hoping that the loss of players such as Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath and Adam Gilchrist will spell the end of Australia�s long dominance of world cricket but Clarke said such speculation was premature.

I think Australia is playing as well as ever, and I think our squad is as good as it has ever been, Clarke told the Sydney Morning Herald.

In an effort to bring about an even contest between bat and ball, MCC members have voted almost unanimously in favour of re-writing Law 6 to ensure handles are made primarily from wood, cane and twine. With a two-thirds majority needed to pass the change, 98.6% of members at a special general meeting were in favour of protecting the make-up of the bats.

The alteration has been brought in to stop the extra power gained by players when the handles contain substances such as carbon. A bat used previously by Ricky Ponting has been banned while another Matthew Hayden trialled does not fit the specifications.

Sunil Gavaskar, who was asked to choose between his ICC role and his media commitments due to a potential conflict of interest, has decided to end his eight-year stint as chairman of its cricket committee.

The executive board of the ICC had found Gavaskar’s dual roles untenable, and had authorised its CEO, Malcolm Speed, to ask him to convey his position when the committee met on May 5-6. Speed has since gone on leave

“I have thoroughly enjoyed the eight years I have held the role [of ICC cricket committee chairman], which is an honorary position, and it has been extremely fulfilling to be able to give back to the game through that role,” Gavaskar said.

Desperately seeking points after a string of losses, two of the IPL’s struggling but high-profile teams, produced a fascinating, if low-scoring, contest that was decided in the home team’s favour off the penultimate ball. Unlike their earlier encounter, there were no batting heroics but there was plenty of brilliance in the field and with the ball in a rain-shortened match that ended way past midnight.

The day began with Kolkata celebrating the birthday of its greatest son, Rabindranath Tagore. It ended with a crowd of thousands, who’d braved a typical seasonal thundershower to back their team, delighting in the exploits of its current favourite as Sourav Ganguly led with the ball to revive his side’s hopes in the tournament.

Partisan fans at the Feroz Shah Kotla were treated to a cracker of a match as the Chennai Super Kings pulled off a dramatic last-ball win, sneaking past Delhi Daredevils’ total of 187 for 5 by four wickets. Chennai’s chase veered from the authoritative to the bumbling but they kept their nerves and put an end to their three-game losing streak, thanks largely to some fearless hitting right through the order.

Chennai recovered somewhat to restrict the hosts to under 200 after Gautam Gambhir and Shikhar Dhawan added a record third-wicker partnership of 121 and that, in hindsight, proved critical before a thrilling chase helped them get back to their winning ways.

Pakistan won their first match of the Women�s Asia Cup in a bowler-dominated day in Dambulla on Thursday, where off-spinner Javeria Khan took six wickets to dismiss Bangladesh for 72 runs.

Bangladesh bowlers gave their side a very good chance of beating Pakistan for the second time in the tournament as they restricted them to 110. Sana Javed was promoted up the order to open along with Bismah Maroof but the two only added four runs before Javed was caught behind off Panna Ghosh in the first over.

Charu Sharma, who was removed as CEO by the Bangalore Royal Challengers on Tuesday, says he did not step down from the job as the IPL franchise said, but was “summarily dismissed”. Cricinfo has learned the decision was a result of discontent at the highest level since the team’s defeat in the first match of the tournament on April 18.

“I am not a quitter, especially when the chips are down,” Sharma said in a statement. “The company has every right to hire and fire personnel. For details of why I was summarily dismissed from my duties, three hours before I was to board a flight to Kolkata for the next match, please contact representatives of the company.”

Match facts

Thursday, May 8 2008
Start time 11.00 (local), 10.00 (GMT)

The Big Picture

This is the final chance for New Zealand to fine-tune their preparations ahead of the first Test and also a last opportunity for England’s fringe players to give the selectors a headache ahead of the squad announcement on Sunday. It should prove a tough assignment for the visitors with a strong Lions team including eight players with international experience. New Zealand managed a win against Essex, but they were rescued by their bowlers after two batting displays - James Marshall apart - that didn’t bode well ahead of Lord’s. Kyle Mills, at No. 8 in the second innings, was the only other player to pass fifty and they are also without Daniel Vettori, who has a finger injury. The Lions are led by Robert Key, who already has an unbeaten 178 against New Zealand in the tour, while Matthew Hoggard is hoping to push for a Test recall with more wickets after a promising start to the season for Yorkshire.

Lord’s could stage neutral Test matches and matches in the proposed Twenty20 Champions League to assist the MCC in fund raising as it plans to spend up to £200 million to redevelop the ground ahead of its bicentenary in 2014.

A report it the Guardian today says that a number of proposals are being considered by Keith Bradshaw, the MCC’s secretary and chief executive, after a whistlestop visit to India over the weekend.

Ravi Bopara has turned down a lucrative offer to play in the Indian Premier League (IPL) in a bid to regain and cement a place in the England team. Bopara, who isn’t centrally contracted to the ECB and thus free to sign on with the IPL if Essex agree, said he was tempted by the money on offer but put his county first.

“Of course when figures like these are put in front of you it is tempting, but my goal is to play regularly for England so I am confident that if I continue to score runs and take wickets for Essex then I will hopefully play for England this summer and for many years to come,” he told PA Sport.