Leicestershire have signed Adam Griffith, the Tasmanian fast bowler, as cover for Mohammad Asif, who is away on national duty, for the remainder of the domestic season.Griffith, 28, was the leading wicket-taker in the 2005-06 Pura Cup season with 45 from nine matches, an aggregate that earned him the state’s Player of the Year accolade. Overlooked by Australia’s national selectors despite his impressive domestic statistics, Griffith’s accomplishments overshadowed the likes of Andy Bichel, Jason Gillespie, Stuart Clark and Michael Kasprowicz.Tim Boon, Leicestershire’s coach, pointed out that Griffith had a point to prove. “Adam still has strong ambitions to play international cricket and believes that the chance to play county cricket gives him the ideal opportunity to strengthen those claims,” he told the ECB’s website. “He is a bowler of proven calibre, but he is hungry to achieve more success to push himself into the frame for a call-up. All the coaches we have spoken to about Adam gave us the green light to proceed with our interest and his Tasmanian team-mate Michael Di Venuto gave him a glowing endorsement.”He will be training with us this week before heading back up north to play his final match for St Annes in the Northern League, but the fact that he has made it his business to get to know his new team-mates really demonstrates his determination to perform well here.”Griffith takes over from Asif, who returned home to attend a training camp ahead of Pakistan’s forthcoming tour of England. Griffith has been slated to make his Championship debut against Gloucestershire at Grace Road.

Rahul Dravid doesn’t usually make emphatic statements at press conferences. Today was different. He hailed his pace-bowling attack for playing a significant part in the series victory and, in what was a fine tribute, said he hadn’t seen the like from an Indian attack since 1996. He also said that India had played the “better cricket” throughout the series, and added that it would have been very disappointing to go back without a win.”In the 10 years I played international cricket I’ve seen Javagal Srinath and Venkatesh Prasad bowl well throughout the series in England in 1996. This seam attack bowled well throughout this series, I have seen fine spells in my career but this is the best I have seen throughout a series since 1996. They are young and inexperienced, and yet they did it. Munaf [Patel] and Sreesanth played most of the games here, VRV Singh also did well, and Irfan [Pathan] did well when he played.”None of the great fast bowlers were great after six or seven Test matches, it takes time and experience to get better in Test cricket. Unfortunately expectations are too much, unfortunately people look at who is not here, rather than looking at people who are here and admiring the work done by people who are part of the team. That’s how you are going to inspire young kids, by talking about the people here.”Did he think 1-0 was a fair result? “We played the better cricket throughout the series, and if we had 90 overs in Lucia we would have probably won 2-0. We were one wicket away from winning in Antigua and three wickets away from winning in St Lucia. We had our backs to the wall in St Kitts but never looked like losing on the last day.”Dravid the batsman was in a different zone throughout the series, especially in the final Test at Kingston, but he insisted that team glory came ahead of all else. “Winning the series is the most important thing,” he continued. “We played the better cricket right from the first Test after the first two days. It’s sort of nice that it all bore fruit in the end and we won the series. Everyone contributed at various stages – Jaffer’s 200 helped us fight back in Antigua, Laxman’s 100 helped us save the Test in St Kitts, Sehwag’s 100 almost won us the game in St Lucia. Then there was Kaif’s 100 in St Lucia. Our spinners were brilliant right through. I have seen improvement in some areas and we need to improve in other areas, it’s never the finished article there is always scope for improvement.”In this Test, though, the difference between the two sides was Dravid’s two fifties, both varnished with gold. “These couple of innings are probably two of the best I have played,” he added, “it gave me a lot of satisfaction. It was not an easy wicket to bat, you needed a bit of luck, you are going to get beaten a few times, and you may nick one early on. One of the keys on this wicket is to get fully forward and fully back, to play as late as possible and with soft hands. I was trying to tell some of our guys the same thing to try and bat periods of time; every run was going to be important as we saw in the end.”One of the main debates that’s constantly resurfaced during the tour has related to India’s bowling combination. Dravid patiently explained the situation: “I would love to play the fifth bowler. There is no doubt in my mind that going ahead that would be the aim, we got two quality spinners so that helps us to play two and two. [Mahendra] Dhoni is playing his first international tour, he can’t be classified as a frontline batsman. Players like Irfan, [Mohammad] Kaif and Yuvraj are also learning their trade. Wasim [Jaffer] is on his comeback. We have to weigh all these options before picking the side. We have a bit of inexperience in the batting especially when it comes to batting in such conditions but they are going to get used to such conditions as they go along. Our domestic cricket is very different to this and one-day cricket is also very different from these conditions.”

A report in The Daily Telegraph says thatan umpire walked out of a Minor Counties match between Dorset and Berkshire at Bournemouth after allegedly being verbally abused by a player.Guy Randall-Johnson left the ground during the lunch interval on Sunday after an incident following his decision to give Julian Wood, Berkshire’s captain, out lbw for 0. The Dorset Echo said that Randall-Johnson felt he was owed an apology but when it became clear there would not be one, he went home.Cliff Pocock, the other umpire, had to stand at both ends for the rest of the day, and Peter Kingston-Davey came out of retirement to officiate on the second day.”It seems that Guy left the ground because he felt he had lost the confidence of the players,” MCCA competitions secretary Philip August told The Daily Telegraph. “We cannot have players behaving unacceptably towards umpires and we cannot have umpires walking out of games at lunchtime.”Wood, who played for Hampshire, declined to comment.Dorset went on to win the match by an innings and 91 runs inside two days.

The Australian Academy side, fresh from a 3-0 whitewash of Kenya, continued their good form with a thumping 119-run victory over a Zimbabwe Board XI at Harare Sports Club.The Academy’s batting was too much for the Kenyans, and Shaun Marsh, who hit two massive hundreds in Nairobi, slammed 170 off 144 balls and put on a large opening stand with Tim Paine (63), who made the most of being dropped early on by Tafadzwa Kamungozi at deep extra-cover. Kamungozi made amends of a sort when he bowled Paine in the 27th over, but that was the only wicket that fell as the Academy raced on to 309 for 1.That was always likely to be too much for a young Zimbabwe side and they lost wickets steadily, none more recklessly than that of Piet Rinke – in need of runs to cement his place in the national side – who was run-out in a mix-up with Chamu Chibhabha. Chibhabha went on to make 42 but no one else was able to make any significant contribution.

Darrell Hair, the Australian umpire at the centre of the Oval controversy last month, has hit out at suggestions that his decisions which led to the forfeiture of the Test were hasty, and, even worse, motivated by racism. In a detailed interview in , Hair said he was forced to intervene because he absolutely had to, and that there were no other extraneous factors which influenced his decision-making.”The umpires intervene only when they decide the game is not being played within the spirit of the game,” Hair said. “People will tell you in matches I have umpired in the past 20 years that I have shown considerable restraint. There have been many times when official action could have been taken but wasn’t because you try to control the issue and resolve it on the pitch.”All good umpires will have a quiet word rather than jump in. I prefer the principle of non-intervention. That is a preferable route compared with someone making a song and dance about something that could be resolved quietly. But the decision to intervene finally depends on the seriousness of the matter.”Hair also said he was deeply hurt by accusations of racism, and by comments that his offer to the ICC – that he would quit umpiring if offered 250,000 pounds – were motivated by personal greed.”It really upsets me when people describe me as racist, because they have no idea how I spent my childhood and how that shaped my beliefs in adult life,” said Hair. “How can people judge me to have prejudices when I went to school in Australia alongside Chinese children, Hungarian refugees and all manner of other nationalities? I grew up in Orange, in central New South Wales, living next door to a large family of Aborigines. I had some of my happiest times playing rugby and cricket with the children. They were like brothers and sisters to me.”It’s particularly hurtful when I count as some of my closest friends the Pakistan umpires Aleem Dar and Asad Rauf, and the Sri Lankans Asoka de Silva and Peter Manuel. We are men from different cultures drawn together by the game of cricket. We exchange views and I have always found men of that calibre tremendously supportive.”Denying the charge of greed, Hair said: “Money has never been a driving force in my career as an umpire. No umpire I know does it for money. I can honestly say I am earning less than half I could have commanded in salary had I stayed in the private sector as sales manager of a clothing manufacturer in Melbourne.”Hair also admitted that some of the comments made after the incident had upset him and Amanda, his wife. “Amanda has been affected by this,” he said. “Normally she is very strong, an implacable woman. I think it has affected her because she knows a lot about cricket. She has spent a lot of her time on cricket committees and has a passion for the game herself. Some of the ill-informed comments made have upset her deeply. No matter how much I tell her not to worry, she does worry because she does not like to see what she perceives as injustice.”Despite all the controversy, Hair maintained that he was gratified by the amount of support he had received. “I can honestly say that all the letters, emails and text messages I have received have been supportive. The vast majority of people who have written, I have never met. A lot of them clearly do support the role of the umpire. None of the letters have been abusive. The messages I have received from official cricketing bodies around the world have been very encouraging.”Hair has had controversial moments with the teams from the subcontinent in the past as well, but he insisted that he enjoyed officiating there. “Pakistan is particularly receptive to a visiting umpire like myself,” he said. “Their idea of a venue for a chat about umpiring is one of their wonderful restaurants. They are very hospitable people and the discussion goes on all night. The subcontinent has so many happy memories for me and officiating in that region has been instrumental in improving many aspects of my umpiring.”The hearing against Inzamam will take place on September 27 and 28, and the outcome could well determine if Hair continues as an international umpire. “My wish is to carry on and enjoy the rest of my career as an umpire,” Hair clarified. “That is what I would like to do. My contract runs to April 2008. After that, who knows? How I am involved in cricket after that date is in the mixing bowl.”

As the clearout across the counties continues, Sussex have released Sean Heather, Neil Turk and Tim Linley. Sussex say they have released Heather, 24, and Turk, 23, because of their age and their ‘perceived lack of future opportunity’ while it was simply stated for Linley that ‘opportunities are sparse’.Sussex’s cricket Manager, Mark Robinson, said of Heather and Turk: “Both have been outstanding in how they have conducted themselves, always with grit and integrity and great enthusiasm.”He praised Linley’s “willingness to work hard and help others whenever possible.” Linley, 24, played one first-class match for Sussex, against Sri Lanka, in 2006. Heather had just two first-class appearances for Sussex in his two years there, while Turk, a graduate of the Academy, had just one.

Batsmen Yasir Hameed and Asim Kamal are in contention for Pakistan’s Test squad for the West Indies series, following a litany of batting failures on tours to Sri Lanka, England and the Champions Trophy.Pakistan’s trouble with openers is well-chronicled; over 15 combinations have been tried in their last 20 Tests alone including players such as Salman Butt, Imran Farhat and Taufeeq Umar. None has brought particular success. Hameed played the last of his 17 Tests in June 2005 against West Indies and according to Wasim Bari, chairman of selectors, is under consideration once again.Bari told Cricinfo, “There are four openers on the national circuit: Imran Farhat, Salman Butt, Mohammad Hafeez and Yasir Hameed. Hameed has been out of the side for some time but he will definitely be under consideration for the series because no pair, or player, has really established himself in that position yet.”He can definitely make a comeback. Hafeez has done exactly the same. He was out of the Test side for nearly three years before he returned, after performing well domestically and on A tours. He played well on his return at The Oval as well and any player who shows form can come back.”No such luck for another forgotten opener Imran Nazir, however. Following a blistering century for Sialkot against Uttar Pradesh in the Mohammad Nissar Trophy, his name briefly resurfaced as a contender to add to the eight Tests he has played for Pakistan. But Bari was of the opinion that Tests were not Nazir’s arena. “He is a different type of player. He is mainly an ODI player and maybe not suited for Tests. But if he performs consistently domestically, he has a chance.”The problem appears to be one of limited choice, as Bari concedes. Rafatullah Mohmand, who enjoyed a prolific run in the Quaid-e-Azam trophy last season with Peshawar, was also floating around the national squad earlier in the season. He wasn’t picked eventually and though he made scores of 39 and 40 against Australia A in the Top End series in July, Bari only termed his performances as “average.””There are other openers around on the domestic circuit but mostly they are too young right now and not experienced enough,” said Bari. “Karachi’s Khurram Manzoor has potential but again not mature enough as a player just yet.”Lower down, below the formidable middle three, Pakistan has also struggled with the dip in form of both Shahid Afridi and Kamran Akmal. In searching for solidity, calls for Kamal over the last couple of months have not been rare. Eight half-centuries in 12 Tests is not a poor record and they’ve been made in Australia, West Indies, India and Pakistan, as Bari acknowledges. “Kamal is always in contention for the number six spot in Test matches. He has a good record in Tests and provides solidity to the lower order.”But the re-emergence of Faisal Iqbal has complicated matters. “Faisal I think has edged him out slightly over the last year in that spot. He has a hundred against India, a good fifty against Sri Lanka and a couple of decent scores against England as well. You have to be fair to players who are performing, which he has done.”Pakistan will hold a three-day pre-series training camp from November 3 and the squad is expected to be announced soon after.

The full audio interview will appear here on Friday

Monty Panesar has told Cricinfo that he is “raring to go” and is “itching to bowl” as speculation grows that he will be picked for next week’s third Test at Perth.In an exclusive interview which will appear on the site on Friday, Panesar admitted that he needs to perform when he plays in the warm-up game against Western Australia this weekend. “It is hard to take all the knockbacks, because when I’m playing I get all my energy, and when I’m not I just have to stay patient,” he explained. “Hopefully, the coach and the captain will take notice in the next three days. If things don’t go to plan, I’ve only got myself to blame to be honest.”And he spoke of his frustration about sitting on the sidelines. “There’s not a lot you can do when you’re just a spectator. All you can do is hope that things go our way, and from my point of view it’s frustrating not to be out there. I want to be part of the action, I always want to be playing and a part of the game.”I want to keep improving, because you get bored doing the same things over and over again. I really want to keep on adding new things each year, just to keep my interest in the game going. It does get frustrating when you’re not involved. You keep trying your best in the nets and training hard, but now these games are coming, and hopefully I’ll get my chance.”I guess if I do get a chance at Perth, it’s going to be a test of my skill as a spinner. In Perth, and Australia in general, the wickets don’t turn so much for finger spinners, so it will be a test of my cricketing ability. But I would like to be put in these kind of situation, because that’s how you learn about yourself. You develop more as a player when you play in the game.”Panesar is writing an exclusive Ashes diary for Cricinfo. Read it here.