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The man who tackled Khalid Latif to the ground during a one-day game at the WACA last month has been fined $9000 after being convicted of assault and trespass. David James Fraser, 37, of Yangebup, pleaded guilty to the charges and his lawyer said he had been dared by a mate to run on to the ground.Fraser was fined $6000 for the trespass charge and $3000 for the assault following the incident on January 31, which his lawyer said was alcohol-induced. He was also banned for life from the WACA.The incident led to calls from Cricket Australia and the WACA for harsher penalties for pitch invaders. Following the court hearing, the WACA released a statement saying that it would continue to lobby the state government for greater fines for field invaders.”Field of play invasions by spectators during major sporting events are dangerous, disrupt major public events and can influence the outcome of those events, whilst also damaging Australia’s and Western Australia’s reputation in the eyes of international viewing audiences,” the statement said. “The ICC has the power to revoke the WACA Ground’s accreditation to host international cricket matches, and the WACA supports harsher penalties that would encourage members of the crowd to think twice before attempting to enter the field of play.”

ScorecardMichael Klinger raises his bat during a match-winning 124•Getty Images

The opener Michael Klinger steered an outstanding chase with a century and gained essential support from Dan Christian as South Australia narrowly over-hauled New South Wales’ 294 to win by three wickets in Wollongong. The hosts were confident after Steven Smith’s career-best 92 and David Warner’s 65 off 40 balls rescued their innings, but the visitors were too strong and sealed the success on the third-last ball.In an action-packed bottom-of-the-table contest South Australia were in serious trouble at 4 for 119, but Klinger and Christian came together in a 150-run stand that took them to the verge of victory. Klinger started in his usual watchful manner and held firm while his top order team-mates departed, increasing his speed until he went within sight of the finish. His 133-ball innings included four sixes and nine fours and ended when he found Smith at long-on off Mitchell Starc.Christian had provided the power and kept on thrashing, but the Redbacks tensed up and lost two more wickets before the winning runs were scored by Gary Putland. Christian was unbeaten on 90 off 73 deliveries, with three boundary clearances and four fours.Smith and Warner had staged a strong fightback with a 127-run stand for the fifth wicket to lift the Blues after they were knocked over by Shaun Tait’s opening spell. Tait hit Phil Jaques’ leg stump on 0, removed Simon Katich for 5 and bowled Moises Henriques (4) in the first five overs to have them 3 for 19.Smith joined with Dominic Thornely after Phillip Hughes’ departure at 4 for 50, putting on 128, and fell just as he was closing in on his first one-day century. The Blues were still in trouble after losing Smith and Thornely (51) in two overs, but Warner, who hit two sixes and seven fours, arrived at No.7 to slam them towards 300.A 37-run stand between Starc and Nathan Bracken, who was returning from a knee injury, also helped the hosts. Tait was expensive at the end of the innings, returning 3 for 68, while Putland had 3 for 53 after finishing off the Blues with the final ball – and repeating the dose with the bat. Bracken backed up with 1 for 52 off 10 while Starc collected 3 for 67.

ScorecardAn all-round performance by captain Ashok Menaria ensured India sailed through to their second consecutive win in the Tri-Nation Under-19s Tournament at the King Edward VII School Ground in Johannesburg. Meenaria top scored with 69 to take India to 237 and later chipped in with three late wickets to keep Sri Lanka to 192.After opting to bowl, Sri Lanka’s Kasun Madushanka removed the openers before they could settle in and the Indians soon found themselves at 51 for 3, in need of a solid stand. That came in the form of a 100-run partnership between Meenaria and Harpreet Singh, who made his U-19 debut. The pair batted for nearly 21 overs and managed a respectable run-rate of 4.72 during their stand. They were separated when Menaria was dismissed by offspinner Rumesh Buddika. Harpreet added another 40 with Manan Sharma before he was stumped for 67. The Indians just managed to bat out their 50 overs, losing nine wickets in the process.The Sri Lankans failed to mount that target because they couldn’t stitch together substantial partnerships. The top order made starts but failed to carry on, save for the only half-century stand in the innings – the 51 for the fourth wicket between Kithuruwan Vithanage and Buddika. The Sri Lankans couldn’t recover after they lost half their side at 137 in the 37th over. Meenaria then took three lower-order wickets to top a very satisfying day in the field.

Match facts

November 24-28, 2009
Start time 12 pm (23.00 GMT)

Big Picture

Shane Bond will charge in wearing Test whites for the first time since November 2007•AFP

Two contrasting cricketing styles will be on view in Dunedin from Tuesday. New Zealand are efficient: they strive, and frequently succeed, in making optimal use of often limited resources. They win admirers because they are usually the underdogs and they punch above their weight. Pakistan, on the other hand, have no shortage of talent and flair and, if they made consistency a habit, would be world beaters. It’s their unpredictability, though, that makes them compelling to watch. They can oscillate from abysmal to astonishing, and back again, sometimes regardless of the quality of opposition.And yet, these very different teams go into the three-Test series facing similar challenges, and how they cope – and their methods will be different – could decide the winner.Pakistan have a new captain, Mohammad Yousuf, after Younis Khan quit following the one-day series defeat against New Zealand in Abu Dhabi because of lack of support from his team-mates and took a break from international cricket. It is believed that Shoaib Malik was the leader of the group that was unhappy with Younis. Whether the team will gel under Yousuf remains to be seen, for Yousuf was liberal in his criticism of Malik’s captaincy after he joined the ICL.New Zealand, too, have had their share of leadership problems in the recent past with the players’ unhappiness over the contribution of coach Andy Moles leading to him resigning at short notice. Daniel Vettori, the team’s jack of tough trades, assumed a greater leadership role in Abu Dhabi, to go with his duties of selector, captain, premier bowler and crisis batsman. Just how much responsibility will be too much? In addition, Vettori recently recovered from concussion, he’s keeping a shoulder problem at bay, and he had an elbow injury scare while training on Sunday.Leadership upheavals aside, both teams are returning to Test cricket following series losses in Sri Lanka. Two consecutive and terrible batting collapses caused Pakistan’s defeat while New Zealand’s batsmen were simply unable to post large enough scores. They got past 200 in each of their four innings but made more than 300 only once.

Form guide (last five Tests, most recent first)

New Zealand – LLDDL
Pakistan – DLLDD

Watch out for

UDRS: The new and improved umpire decision review system will be used for the first time in the first New Zealand-Pakistan Tests. Teams will have two unsuccessful reviews per innings and the third umpire will have access to more advanced technology, like the Hot Spot. Vettori had mixed feelings about the system. “I played a long time with no referral system and had no issues. I’ve seen it work well and I’ve seen it work badly,” he said. “Hopefully we can get it to where it becomes an instrument to get rid of bad decisions and nothing more.”Shane Bond: New Zealand have missed him, sorely. The Dunedin Test will mark Bond’s return after his two year ICL-induced exile and, though his pace has reduced, he remains a threat. He bowled intelligently on the drier pitches in the UAE during the limited-overs assignment against Pakistan and will look forward to the surfaces at home, where swing and seam movement will be more pronounced.Umar Akmal: The younger Akmal brother made a promising start in limited-overs cricket, averaging over 44 in ten ODIs, and showed the temperament necessary to succeed in tough situations. A Test debut in New Zealand, though, could be the toughest challenge yet in a fledgling career. Akmal bats with aggression and flamboyance and so Dunedin could be in for a treat should he get going. If he makes the final XI that is.

Team news

New Zealand will be playing a Test for the first time since Jacob Oram retired from the format and are likely to field a XI comprising six specialist batsmen, a wicketkeeper and four bowlers. Grant Elliott’s knee injury will prevent him from bowling his part-time medium pace and Vettori, who will probably be the only spinner, is likely to bear the majority of the increased workload. The fast-bowling attack is likely to comprise Bond, Daryl Tuffey and Chris Martin, ahead of Iain O’Brien. New Zealand’s batting is also depleted with Jesse Ryder out injured but his absence has given Peter Fulton the opportunity to make a comeback in the middle order.New Zealand (probable): 1 Tim McIntosh, 2 Martin Guptill, 3 Daniel Flynn, 4 Ross Taylor, 5 Peter Fulton, 6 Grant Elliott, 7 Brendon McCullum (wk), 8 Daniel Vettori (capt), 9 Shane Bond, 10 Daryl Tuffey, 11 Chris Martin.Pakistan are likely to field a batting line-up similar to the one used in the warm-up match in Queenstown. The one change could be Salman Butt being replaced by Shoaib Malik in the middle order. The three-man pace attack is likely to be formed by Umar Gul, Mohammad Aamer and Mohammed Asif, who will be playing his first Test since the ban on him for a positive drugs test ended. It’s a toss up between Danish Kaneria and Saeed Ajmal for the solitary slow bowler’s spot but the offspinner is likely to get the nod.Pakistan (probable): 1 Khurram Manzoor, 2 Imran Farhat, 3 Fawad Alam, 4 Mohammad Yousuf (capt), 5 Shoaib Malik, 6 Umar Akmal, 7 Kamran Akmal (wk), 8 Umar Gul, 9 Mohammad Asif, 10 Mohammad Aamer, 11 Saeed Ajmal/Danish Kaneria.

Pitch and conditions

New Zealand has never hosted a Test in November and the maximum temperature in Dunedin over the next five days, according to weather.com, is predicted to be 16 degrees (though Monday had a high of 30). There is rain forecast on days two and three and scattered showers on the fifth. The fifth day of the last Test at the University Oval, against West Indies in 2008, was washed out after which questions were raised about the ground’s drainage. The primary challenge for Pakistan, though, will be to adjust quickly to the low temperatures. The newspaper even reported that the players were unable to stay warm with the kits they had been provided with.

Stats and Trivia

• In their last five series Pakistan have lost four and drawn one. They’ve won one out of 13 Tests during this period.
• New Zealand have won two out of their last 22 Tests against the top teams (excluding Bangladesh and Zimbabwe). They’ve lost seven of their last nine series against these teams.
• New Zealand have won only one series against Pakistan at home, which was way back in 1985. Since then Pakistan have won four out of six series (including one-off Tests).
• Mohammad Yousuf averages 69.71 in New Zealand, and has four fifty-plus scores in five Tests.
• Vettori has taken four wickets in three Tests against Pakistan, each at the cost of 100.25 runs

Quotes

“We are an inexperienced side and we need to bat four or five sessions. We have the kind of bowling attack that we can get 20 wickets and this is what you need. But as far as batting is concerned I think we will have to be very, very careful.”
“In the past we’ve probably had a bit of a luxury with the allrounder but this time round everyone has to step up and do their job. That’s going to be the key throughout the summer, that we get players performing at the right times.”

West Indies have been dealt another heavy blow on an already difficult tour, with confirmation senior paceman Jerome Taylor has been ruled out for the remainder of the series with a back strain. Clyde Butts, West Indies’ chairman of selectors, said Taylor would be sent home from Australia with a decision on his replacement to be made on Tuesday.Even if a fast bowler is called into the squad in place of Taylor, there is little chance he will be ready for the second Test in Adelaide, beginning on Friday, due to flight time and acclimatisation. That will leave the tourists with a highly inexperienced attack for a match that could decide the fate of the Frank Worrell Trophy.”It is my understanding [Taylor] is coming back home,” Butts told Cricinfo. “We haven’t made a decision yet [about his replacement] but we should know more by tomorrow.”Taylor managed just nine overs at the Gabba before leaving the field with soreness in his left hip. He was unable to resume his place in the bowling line-up on the second day, leaving rookies Kemar Roach and Ravi Rampaul to shoulder the fast-bowling duties along with allrounder Dwayne Bravo. Scans subsequently revealed a lower back strain.Taylor’s withdrawal is the latest setback to hit West Indies on a tour that is lurching towards disaster. Chris Gayle’s interrupted preparation, Ramnaresh Sarwan’s back injury and a crushing innings defeat at the Gabba have given touring supporters little cause for cheer. West Indies’ losing streak in Australia now stands at nine Tests, dating back to 1997. They have lost 15 of their last 17 matches to the Australians home and abroad.Gavin Tonge, the uncapped paceman from Antigua, was considered an unlucky omission for the Brisbane Test and is favoured to make his debut in Adelaide. Hopes of Fidel Edwards making a return to the squad appear remote, with the region’s premier fast bowler currently without a central contract after defying the medical advice of his board to play in the Champions League Twenty20 tournament for his IPL franchise, Deccan Chargers. He aggravated a back injury during the tournament. “It is my understanding he is still not available,” Butts said.West Indies did receive some good news over the weekend, with Sarwan reporting good progress in his recovery from the back injury that sidelined him from the Brisbane Test. Team sources are confident the veteran batsman will be available to play in Adelaide.

Imran Khan, the former Pakistan captain, has undergone emergency surgery for an intestinal blockage. He was operated on at Lahore’s Shaukat Khanum Cancer Hospital (which he built in memory of his mother) on Monday afternoon after complaining of severe abdominal pain.Imran, 56, captained Pakistan to glory in the 1992 World Cup and formed a political party -Tehreek-e-Insaaf – after his retirement. “He suffered cramps in his small intestine while exercising and was taken to hospital for diagnosis where doctors decided on surgery,” a spokesman for his party said. “Imran is out of danger and his condition is stable now.”Imran is in intensive care and has been advised to remain in the hospital for at least three days.

Scorecard
Pakistan Under-19 took a 5-0 lead by beating Zimbabwe Under-19 by 58 runs in Harare after Azeem Ghumman scored 66 to take his side to a competitive 260. However, Zimbabwe can take heart from the fact that they crossed the 200-run mark for the first time in the series.Ghumman added 92 with Hammad Azam (34) for the second wicket after Pakistan lost their first wicket with only seven on the board. Legspinner Natsai Mushangwe, who broke the stand by having Ghumman caught with the score at 142, was the pick of the Zimbabwe bowlers, taking 3 for 52. No other Pakistan batsman scored over 26; Extras accounted for 47 of Pakistan’s total.Zimbabwe were looking steady at 57 for 1 when Kaleem Sana trapped Mazvita Zambuko leg before for 24. Zimbabwe reached 81 before Sarmad Bhatti and Usman Qadir took the next four wickets with only 13 added to the total. Tinotenda Mutombodzi (42) and Andrew Lindsay (27) resisted with a 66-run stand, however at Lindsay’s fall Zimbabwe still needed another 101 runs. They were bowled out in the 48th over.Pakistan will be looking for a clean-sweep when the two sides meet on Wednesday for the final ODI.