CRICKET RSS WORLD

I don't know how owners of large department stores that make you wind your
way past things that they want you to see feel about doing so, but I feel
a bit sheepish about luring you in with this headline. Though it does not lie,
Harbhajan and Symonds are only bit players in this piece: the main agenda
is something else.

Now that I have secured your attention, allow me you lead you on to a brand
new section on Cricinfo. Unlike department stores, I won't guarantee
satisfaction, but I have a hunch it will bring a smile to your face.

You have two choices. You can click on this link to check out the section right away and then come back read this if you need to. Or you can read on and explore later.

I recommend the second option.

So let me tell you what Page 2 is all about.

To start with, it will not have news and scores, which form the core of
Page 1, otherwise known as the homepage. It will have elements of opinion, a
blog or two, lists, games, byte-sized features, and even "stats" - though
unlike the ones you have seen on Cricinfo.

With Page 2, Cricinfo is venturing into new territory. And after having put
it together we are now wondering why we waited so long. It is no
coincidence, however, that it is being launched during the IPL: Page 2
mirrors Twenty20.

Twenty20 was born out of a strikingly simple idea. It stripped cricket of
all its adornment - and even character, it can be argued - to pursue one
objective: entertainment. You could say that it reduced a grand game to a merely
entertaining one. But in doing so, it has opened up a new world, and the
sport is richer for it. It is a tribute to cricket that it can accommodate three
distinct forms.

By the same token, Page 2 makes no apologies about making entertainment its
sole objective. It is not a deviation from our core values, but rather an
expansion of our range. Cricinfo has always been, and will remain, a
serious site for serious fans. But like Twenty20 itself, Page 2 will serve as an aperitif to a
substantial main course.

Even though its scope is currently limited to the IPL, there is a lot to
sample. Try out The
CV, our alternative player profiles, or Quick Singles, where cricketers provide glimpses into their lives off the field as well as on it.

In Hit or Miss, poet,
dancer and soon-to-be novelist Tishani Doshi will offer daily meditations
on a love that she is hoping to reignite (with cricket, lest you get
ideas), and in The Daily
Dose our reporters at the venues will bring you the sidelights from
South Africa.

If you still didn't believe that the IPL has changed everything, try this
new cricket
dictionary,
by Andy Zaltzman, of The Confectionery Stall fame. And for further evidence,
sample Rules from
Hell, inspired by the various edicts of He Who Must Not Be Named.

In You Asked For It
you will find rubbish answers to questions our other q&a columnists on the
site, Geoff Boycott and Steven Lynch, would dismiss out of hand.

Harbhajan Singh knows his craft well and people better keep their opinions to themselves.

Little-known cricketers and underdogs go into the Indian Premier League in South Africa with keen expectations as the event is not all about favourites.

Mohammad Kaif will not feature in the second edition of the Indian Premier League after his team Rajasthan Royals dumped the Team India discard in Cape Town on Wednesday. Manoj Badale, chairman and co-owner of the Jaipur-based franchisee, said Kaif got the boot as the team management shortlisted 17-18 players for the Twenty20 league starting on Saturday. The only way Kaif can be back is if any other player sustains injury, he added.

The ICL has announced that it will hold their third edition of the Twenty20 tournament in October 2009, in a cleverly timed statement issued two days before the ICC is expected to decide on their application for official recognition

Mohammad Kaif has been left out of Rajasthan Royals' 17-18 man squad which will remain in South Africa for the 2009 season of the IPL

CHENNAI (Reuters) - World champions Australia slipped to third place in the one-day rankings on Wednesday, their lowest since the International Cricket Council (ICC) introduced ratings in October 2002.

The Indian Cricket League on Wednesday threatened to take legal action against the International Cricket Council if its application for official recognition is rejected by the governing body. The ICC Executive Board will meet in Dubai on April 17 and 18 during which it will consider the ICL's application for ICC approval to stage unofficial cricket.

Former Zimbabwe wicketkeeper Andy Flower was handed the responsibility of trying to restore England's reputation and regain the Ashes on Wednesday after being named as the new team director. Flower was confirmed as England's head coach at a news conference at a sun-kissed Lord's after impressing the England and Wales Cricket Board hierarchy during a spell as interim coach on the difficult recent West Indies tour.

A round-up of matches from the Super Eights of the World Cup Qualifiers tournament in South Africa

Tony Munro

Nigeria will hold a two-week pre-tournament training camp in London ahead of next month's World Cricket League Division Seven tournament in Guernsey.

They will play two games against Ghana in Accra next week before travelling to the UK to play five matches against various London-based teams during the camp which will run from April 30 to May 14.

The other teams in Division Seven, which will be played from May 17 to 24 are Guernsey, Gibraltar, Bahrain, Japan and Suriname.

Meanwhile, Wale Adeoye who led Nigeria to second place at last year's WCL Africa Division Two tournament, has been retained as captain while there are only two minor changes to the squad - Ademola Onikoyi replaces Uthe Ogbimi and Saheed Akolade comes in for Dolapo Gafar.

The rest of the squad is: Endurance Ofem, Kunle Adegbola, Joshua Agunlola, Haruna Thomas, Tope Olayinka, Demola Onikoyi, Lekan Awolowo, Jide Bejide, Segun Olayinka, Emmanuel Okwudili, Chimezie Onwuzulike, Seye Olympio; Coach - Ewa Henshaw.

Nigeria's itinerary in London is: May 2 v Old Thorntonians; May 3 v Gary Palmer's Academy in Oxford; May 4 v Surrey Championship XI; May 10 v Free Foresters at Spencer; May 13 v Combined Services at Aldershot.

LONDON (Reuters) - Former Zimbabwe wicketkeeper Andy Flower was confirmed as England's new team director on Wednesday by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB).

LONDON (Reuters) - Andy Flower, appointed England director of cricket on Wednesday, was responsible with Zimbabwe team mate Henry Olonga for a startling and unprecedented protest in his team's opening 2003 World Cup match.

Rajasthan Royals has axed Mohammad Kaif and seven other players from the squad that will do duty in the IPL second edition.

India achieved their highest rankings in ODI since 2002, toppling the Aussies by just one point from the second spot in the chart issued on Wednesday.

India off-spinner Harbhajan Singh denied that he was forced to miss the Padma Shri presentation ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhawan in New Delhi on Tuesday because of his endorsements and advertising contracts. Some sections of the media slammed the bowler and India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni for giving the awards function a miss. 'If someone believes that I was in Delhi, and can prove it, I will quit playing cricket today itself.'

A meeting between the ICC and leading biomechanists last month could ensure a more difficult path for Johan Botha to clear his name from chucking allegations

Hayden now finds himself preparing to return to a game with which he is still making his peace, and a league that contributed to his premature departure from the Australian team

Hayden now finds himself preparing to return to a game with which he is still making his peace, and a league that contributed to his premature departure from the Australian team

Kings XI Punjab failed to score a stiff 19 required off the last over and lost to Chevrolet Warriors by 10 runs in a warm-up Twenty20 match ahead of the Indian Premier League second season on Tuesday. Set a target of 152 to win, Kings XI lost wickets at regular intervals and could only muster 141 for 6 at the Sahara Oval, St George's Park.

JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - South Africa bowling coach Vincent Barnes is confident off-spinner Johan Botha can get his delivery method right after he was reported for a suspect bowling action in Monday's one-dayer against Australia.

Andy Flower is widely expected to be unveiled this week as England's new full-time director of cricket, having overseen the team's fortunes in an interim capacity during the recent tour of the West Indies

Andy Flower is widely expected to be unveiled this week as England's new full-time director of cricket, having overseen the team's fortunes in an interim capacity during the recent tour of the West Indies

Australia's failure against South Africa in the current one-day series has consigned Ricky Ponting's side to its lowest ranking the ICC ODI Championship.

Question: Who are the current Olympic silver medalists in cricket? Answer: France, and they want a re-match against England, who won gold at the Paris Games in 1900. France Cricket, the governing body for the sport in the country, is preparing to issue a challenge to England – a return game in Lille ahead of the London Olympics in 2012.

"It would be a one-day game," Maxime Parent, spokesman for France Cricket, told the Independent "I don't think that the French public is quite ready yet for a Test match stretching over five days. Perhaps, one day, who knows? Cricket is advancing quickly in France but it needs a match like this to capture the imagination of the public. France v England is always a big event in France, whatever the sport."

Cricket in France has come a fair way since it was banned as an "alien" sport in 1940 by the Vichy government. There are now ten clubs in France’s super-league and about one-third of its players are French. It might have been very different if the MCC had gone ahead with its first foreign tour – to France – in 1789. They had to cancel because of the French revolution.

Australia's failure against South Africa in the current one-day series has consigned Ricky Ponting's side to its lowest ranking the ICC ODI Championship.

Brett Lee may miss Australia's entire one-day series against Pakistan after he was deemed not fit enough to take his place in the squad for the start of the series in the United Arab Emirates later this month.

Question: Who are the current Olympic silver medalists in cricket? Answer: France, and they want a re-match against England, who won gold at the Paris Games in 1900. France Cricket, the governing body for the sport in the country, is preparing to issue a challenge to England – a return game in Lille ahead of the London Olympics in 2012.

"It would be a one-day game," Maxime Parent, spokesman for France Cricket, told the Independent "I don't think that the French public is quite ready yet for a Test match stretching over five days. Perhaps, one day, who knows? Cricket is advancing quickly in France but it needs a match like this to capture the imagination of the public. France v England is always a big event in France, whatever the sport."

Cricket in France has come a fair way since it was banned as an "alien" sport in 1940 by the Vichy government. There are now ten clubs in France’s super-league and about one-third of its players are French. It might have been very different if the MCC had gone ahead with its first foreign tour – to France – in 1789. They had to cancel because of the revolution.

South Africa's success in winning seven out of nine ODIs against Australia this year has consigned Ricky Ponting's side to its lowest ranking in the Reliance Mobile ICC ODI Championship. The four-time World champions are now third in the listing, behind not only the Proteas but also India, which benefitted from Australia's loss in form to rise to second spot.

Fast bowler Brett Lee has been deemed unfit to return to international cricket after having failed to recover from an ankle injury

Fast bowler Brett Lee has been deemed unfit to return to international cricket after having failed to recover from an ankle injury

Fast bowler Brett Lee has been deemed unfit to return to international cricket after having failed to recover from an ankle injury

Fast bowler Brett Lee has been deemed unfit to return to international cricket after having failed to recover from an ankle injury

Former Pakistan captain Ramiz Raja has said the absence of Pakistan players in the IPL in South Africa will seriously affect the television viewership of the event in the country

Former Pakistan captain Ramiz Raja has said the absence of Pakistan players in the IPL in South Africa will seriously affect the television viewership of the event in the country

A round-up of some of the warm-up matches for the IPL teams

Mohammad Asif is set to begin his rehabilitation in England this summer before the Champions Trophy this September

A round-up of the fourth day of the 14th round matches of the Regional Four Day Competition