Cuttack, November 25
With the series already in their pocket, India will now aim for a 7-0 whitewash in the one-day cricket series against England as they go into the fifth game here tomorrow with the intention of giving some of the bench players the chance to prove their worth.

The hosts have taken an unassailable 4-0 lead but Mahendra Singh Dhoni's bravehearts are not likely to show any mercy on the visitors in the day-night contest at the Barabati stadium.

Outplayed, outpaced and out-thought, England ran for covers in all the four matches they lost though they were a trifle unlucky when Duckworth and Lewis method favoured the hosts twice.

England will play to salvage some pride, trying to start it afresh here while for India it will be time for some experiments as they plan to give an opportunity to the reserve players, who have not played a single match yet.

Delhi's Virat Kohli is expected to get a berth in the playing eleven, having played his last ODI at Dambulla in Sri Lanka series.

Replaced with Rudra Pratap Singh, Irfan Pathan is also tipped for a comeback while Pragyan Ojha will be relishing at the prospect of getting a call to bowl his left-arm spin against the English batsmen on his home ground.

With seven victories in their last eight one-dayers - three against Sri Lanka in Sri Lanka and four against the visitors - Dhoni has done nothing wrong so far.

Enjoying a success percentage of 57.50 - the best among Indians who have captained in minimum of 40 ODIs - both luck and pluck have been on Dhoni's side.

Right from the first ODI on the batting-friendly wicket of Madhavrao Scindia ground in Rajkot where the Indian top-order, powered by an unbeaten 138 by Yuvraj Singh, deflated the hapless English attack, the hosts have outdone Pietersen and his men in every department.

At Indore too, India's batting ruled the roost recovering from an early shudder with Yuvraj Singh turning out to be England's nemesis, scoring his century No. 2 on the trot.

Failed to pace up with the required run-rate, England batting again collapsed though their middle order this time proved to be little more defiant.

With elements taking the match away from England at Green Park, the Kanpur memories in the third ODI still gives a jarring effect to Pietersen where his team was scuppered by bad light.

And at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore where India sealed the series, Pietersen was out-thought by Dhoni and company as the English captain's muddled thinking looked exposed.

Sticking to their rather sluggish pair of Bopara and Bell, and sending the powerful Flintoff at No. 4, England yet again failed to get a good start, even when the match demanded a Twenty20 style approach.

The over reliance on Andrew Flintoff has gone the other way, as the former England captain, who led the side during their tour two years ago, looks a pale shadow of himself.

Flintoff might be the hero with an average of 187 in their 4-0 clean sweep over South Africa very recently, but the Lancashire allrounder has failed to achieve peak form, averaging 28.50 from his four innings.

Having started the series on a negative note - losing out their tour match to Mumbai Cricket Association just before the series began - England's implausible claims that their Stanford stint was to prepare for the gruelling India tour was punctured very early when their side was skittled out for 98.

Their current bashing is a reminder of England's last series in India two years ago when the seven-match series was won by India with a 5-1 margin after Guwahati one-dayer was abandoned without a ball being bowled.

However, it remains to be seen whether England makes a comeback at their happy-hunting Barabati Stadium where the visitors enjoy a 3-1 win-loss statistics.

The newly-laid turf last hosted NKP Salve Challengers Trophy which saw low bounce with captains of the three sides, had rued the slow and low track.

There's a tinge of green on the 22-yard strip but the worrying factor for the day-night encounter in the mild cold month of November will be dew, which might trouble bowlers to for a better grip. In any case, curator Pankaj Patnaik suggests Dhoni to bat first, winning the toss. — PTI 

Start of play: 2.30 pm

London, November 25
Andrew Flintoff has blamed England's dismal show in the ongoing one-day series squarely on their non-participation in the Indian Premier League, which he believes has helped Indian players develop their game by leaps and bounds.

"I think through playing the shorter form of the game they (India) have developed new skills with both bat and ball, and we have been found wanting a little bit," Flintoff said.

"Their game has developed through playing Twenty20 cricket, you just have to look at the way the guys hit the ball and the positions they get into. You also look at the bowling skills that Zaheer Khan and Ishant Sharma have too. They are developing slower balls and yorkers."

The England all-rounder also sought to clarify that the reason for his teamamtes' keenness to play in the IPL was not just the big bucks they could earn through it.

"A few of our players are keen to go to the IPL. The thing that most people write about when they mention the IPL is the financial rewards, but it should also be looked at as something that helps with a player's development," Flintoff told 'Independent'.

However, England players are yet to know if they would get a chance to play in the second edition of IPL due to ongoing tussle between the England and Wales Cricket Board and the IPL organisers.

IPL are keen to ensure that English cricketers to commit their presence in the event but ECB is ready to release the players only for a limited period which was not okayed by IPL Commissioner Lalit Modi. Besides, the dates also coincide with their home series against Sri Lanka in April next year.

The England players have not yet signed their central contract with their Board as they want the assurance that they will released for the second IPL edition, which clashes with the Lanka tour.

Flintoff also reckoned that the bang-slam format has not only helped Indian players but players worldwide.

"It is not just the Indian players who have benefited from it and taken their game forward. Look at Chris Gayle from the West Indies, he has too. We have a Twenty20 World Cup in England next summer and it would be good if the lads were given the chance to have a go in India," he said.

Flintoff admitted that India emerged the superior side in the one-dayers and urged his teammates to take cricketing lessons from the remaining matches for the Test series.

"India are a very strong side and they have outplayed us in every department in each of the four games. We have three games left and we have to take something out of them.

"We can't win the one-day series but we have to try to take something in to the Test series, which starts in three weeks' time," he said. — PTI 

Bhubaneswar, November 25
An unbroken 115-run sixth wicket stand between Ankur Kakkar (77) and Uday Kaul (50) helped a struggling Punjab, fighting to avert outright defeat, to make 256 for five at close on the third day of their four-day Ranji Trophy Elite Group A match against Orissa at the Railway Stadium here today.

Trailing the hosts by 292 runs in the first innings, Punjab were tottering at 141 for five at one stage. But Kakkar, who had so far batted for 187 minutes and hit 11 fours, and Kaul (294 minutes, four boundaries) stemmed the rot as former Test medium pacer Debasish Mohanty threatened to run through the side with a haul of four for 50.

Commencing on the overnight score of 59 for one, the visitors suffered a setback immediately as Mohanty trapped Ravi Inder Singh in front of the wicket. Singh, who had hit eight fours in his 35, did not add to his total.

Skipper Pankaj Dharmani and opener Karan Goel then added 42 runs for the third wicket before the former was bowled by left arm spinner Dhiraj Singh for 16. Goel fell to Mohanty's guile soon after when he was trapped leg before for 58.

He spent over four hours to compile the score which included five hits to the fence. Punjab appeared to be in dire straits when young Taruvar Kohli, a member of the India Under-19 World Cup winning team, edged Mohanty into the gloves of stumper Haladhar Das after scoring one.

Kaul, who came at the fall of the third wicket, batted sensibly and took 294 minutes to compile his fifty (four fours). Kakkar, however, played his strokes as he hit the bowlers all round the wicket.

Punjab were still to make 37 runs to make the hosts bat again in the second innings. Medium-pacer Basanta Mohanty, who had destroyed the Punjab batting on the first day capturing seven for 27, had gone wicketless in the second innings. — PTI

Scoreboard

Punjab (1st innings): 60

Orissa (1st innings): 352

Punjab (2nd innings):

Sohal lbw b D Mohanty 2

Goel lbw b D Mohanty 58

R Inder lbw b D Mohanty 35

Dharmani b Dhiraj Singh 16

U Kaul not out 50

Kohli c H Das b D Mohanty 1

Kakkar not out 77

Extras (lb 5, w 3, nb 9): 17

Total (5 wickets; 114 overs): 256

Fall of wickets: 1-7, 2-59, 3-101, 4-139, 5-141

Bowling: DS Mohanty 24-7-50-4, B Mohanty 26-6-54-0, S Khatua 21-7-67-0, Dhiraj Singh 34-10-69-1, N Behera 8-2-11-0, PM Mullick 1-1-0-0 

Ahmedabad, November 25
The third match of the ICL 20s World Series saw defending champions ICL India take on ICL Bangladesh at the Sardar Patel stadium in Ahmedabad here tonight. The match went right down to the wire but in the end Bangladesh put it across their Indian counterparts by 5 wickets. Shahriar Nafees was declared man of the match.

Earlier in the evening Habib Ul Bashar, won the toss and elected to field. The Bangladesh new ball bowlers Reza and Baisya worked up a fine spell of fast bowling containing the usually explosive Indian openers at 14 for no loss at the end of the third over. The pressure soon got to the dangerous Vignesh who was scalped by Baisya in the 4th over, with only 9 runs against his name. By the five over mark Bangladesh had successfully maintained a tight leash on the Indian batting at 34/1.

The stage was set for the talented Indian skipper Sathish who got into the act playing some breathtaking strokes across the park. Sathish’s magnificent innings was worth 44 runs off only 20 balls and included 2 fours and 4 sixes and powered India to a competitive 164/8 in their allotted 20 overs.

The Bangladeshi chase got off to a bad start with Nazimuddin, sent back by Jesuraj in the first over to leave the scorecard reading 2/1. Nafees and Aftab Ahmed, however, steadied the Bangladesh run chase. Just when the partnership was taking dangerous proportions IS Reddy struck back for the Indians castling Ahmed in the 8th over, ending the 52 run partnership for the second wicket.

The talented Alok Kapali got on the offensive plundering 44 runs off just 23 balls to keep the Bangladesh side in the hunt. His innings was ended by a brilliant catch at mid on by Jesuraj off IS Reddy in the 14th over. With five overs to go Bangladesh were placed at 121/3, needing 44 runs off 30 balls.

The penultimate over stage had the match balanced with the Bangladesh side needing 17 runs. Ambati Rayudu dropped the all important opponent Nafees in the 19th over, taking the match right down to the wire with Bangladesh needing 10 runs off the last over from the prodigal Ali Murtaza. In the end Nafees’ determination took Bangladesh to their first victory of the tournament by a margin of 5 wickets.
— Agencies

Scoreboard

ICL India

I Khaleel c F Reza b Kapali 27

Vignesh c G Mabud b T Baisya 9

Rayudu c G Mabud b M Hossain 22

Badani c Nazimuddin b M Hossain 12

Binny c G Mabud b M Hossain 27

R Sathish c Nazimuddin b Rafique 44

Sodhi c Nazimuddin b T Baisya 11

Jesuraj run out 4

A Murtaza run out 0

RB Patel not out 0

Extras (b 1, w 2, nb 5) 8

Total (9 wickets; 20 overs) 164

Fall of wickets: 1-17, 2-60, 3-68, 4-86, 5-107, 6-151, 7-159, 8-164, 9-164.

Bowling: F Reza 4-0-34-0, T Baisya 4-0-33-2, Rafique 4-0-30-1, Kapali 4-0-18-1, M Hossain 4-0-48-3

ICL Bangladesh

Nazimuddin c Patel b Jesuraj 2

A Ahmed b Reddy 26

S Nafees not out 70

Kapali c Jesuraj b Reddy 44

Rafique b Murtaza 16

G Mabud c Rayudu b Jesuraj 2

D Ghosh not out 1

Extras (lb 1, w 3) 4

Total (5 wickets; 19.3 overs) 165

Fall of wickets: 1-2, 2-54, 3-112, 4-147, 5-151.

Bowling: Jesuraj 4-0-25-2, RB Patel 4-0-49-0, A Murtaza 3.3-0-29-1, Binny 2-0-13-0, Reddy 4-0-32-2, R Sathish 2-0-16-0.

Melbourne, November 25
Andrew Symonds, who was involved in a brawl with a patron, has been backed by the Brisbane hotel manager saying that the all-rounder was being harassed by a man in the pub and he did nothing wrong.

Symonds was involved in an altercation with a patron at the Normanby Hotel in Brisbane on Sunday night, where he was having a drink with members of the Australian rugby league team after Australia thrashed Kiwis at Gabba.

CA is, however, investigating the incident at the Normanby Hotel. Mark Lassman, the hotel manager, said, ''Symonds was drinking light beer, was not inebriated and did not start the fight.

''A patron tried to hug and take pictures of Andrew Symonds, However, Symonds declined the invitation and after he was further harassed, the patron was required to be removed,'' Lassman was quoted as saying by the ABC.

''The incident was not a result of Andrew Symonds doing anything wrong and it's disappointing that sportsmen cannot socialise without being harassed,'' he added. The Sydney Morning Herald had reported that Johnson, Haddin and Krejza were also in the bar but were not with Symonds when the incident took place. The paper also reported, ''A man, believed to be an official with the armed forces, allegedly threw two punches at Symonds after being refused a photograph and witnesses said Symonds left the bar shortly afterwards.'' — UNI 

Gurgaon, November 25
Riding on Jai Karan’s opportunistic golden goal, Indian Colts stunned star-studded Bharat Petroleum (BP) 3-2 to clinch the 45th Nehru Hockey Tournament here today. Earlier, last year’s winner Punjab and Sind Bank (PSB) overpowered ONGC XI 2-1 to finish third.

In a fast paced final, the teams were levelled 1-1 at half time. Danish Mujtaba and drag-flicker Diwakar Ram scored for the India Colts, while Gurpreet Singh and Amar Ayyappa found the target for BP during the regulation period.

The Colts started the game at an extremely fast pace and Mujtaba scored a field goal (1st min) to give them a dream start. Bharat Petroleum, with several internationals in their ranks, gradually came into their own and started putting more pressure on the rival defence. Former international Sabu Varkey and Tushar Kandekar played their hearts out for BP. They were given able support by Hari Prasad and Ayyappa as BP stiched together some fine moves.

Their efforts bore fruit when Gurpreet (22nd min) fired the equaliser from a penalty corner. India Colts were not to be left behind and they came close when Mujtaba, after a fine move from the right, passed to Jai Karan whose shot hit the side netting.

They got another chance early in the second half when a Diwakar free hit found a diving Pramod Kumar, who missed the target by inches. Just a few minutes later Diwakar regained the lead for the Colts when he punched in a powerful dragflick (48th min) into the top left corner of the BP net.

The setback seemed to shake up the BP players as they desparately searched for the equaliser. They got a couple of chances but their forwards failed to capitalise. India Colts could have easily scored another as the combination of the hard working Mandip Antil and Mujtaba produced another fine move but the BP goalkeeper came out of his line to block Mujtaba.

Tushar missed a sitter when he received a fine through from Varkey. However, the Team India forward hit wide with Indian Colts goalkeeper at his mercy. However, the BP players made amends soon after as Ayyappa deflected in a free hit (61st min) from Gurpreet as the match went into extra-time. Karan (76th min) scored the winning goal to give his team the trophy.

The third place match failed to rise to any great heights with PSB dominating the exchanges. The Bankmen could have scored quite a few more goals but their forwards failed to capitalise. Sunder Singh (40th min) scored against the run of play to give ONGC XI the lead. However, Navpreet Singh (67th min) came to the rescue of the bankmen and slammed in a penalty corner just a couple of minutes before the end.

Navpreet (84th min) then struck again in extra-time as PSB emerged victorious. 
— UNI 

Karnal, November 25
Hisar bagged the overall trophy in the Haryana State School Girls sports championships while Bhiwani finished a close second in the four-day sports meet, which concluded here today. Gurgaon and Sonepat were jointly placed in third position.

About 2,600 girls from 260 teams participated in the championships in age groups of under-14, under-17 and under-19 years and competitions were held in Kabaddi, Judo, Basketball and Volleyball disciplines.

In the under-14 category, Bhiwani, Kurukshetra and Rohtak bagged the first, second and third position in Kabaddi, while in Volleyball, Bhiwani, Karnal and Rewari won the first three positions. Hisar won the basketball championship, Fatehabad and Yamunanagar finished second and third. In Judo Gurgaon, Hisar and Bhiwani bagged first three positions, respectively.

In he under-17 category Jind, Hisar and Karnal won the first three positions in basketball while Hisar, Jhajjar and Sonepat bagged the gold, silver and bronze, respectively in Judo.

Mumbai, November 25
JCT and Mumbai FC, the two teams that had started well before going off the boil, cross swords in the 10th round of the ONGC I-League here tomorrow. Mumbai FC, who have 13 points from nine matches, began with a bang by bearding the Kolkata giants Mohun Bagan and East Bengal in their lair and then shocked their better and fancied city rivals Mahindra United.

Thereafter the David Booth-coached promoted outfit have hit a bunker, suffering two losses and drawing the other four matches, including their last outing in Kolkata against Chirag United, going into the clash with JCT. Munbai FC have relied a lot on the striking prowess of Kalia Kulothungan who has been their highest goal-getter with four to his credit.

But their Ghanaian frontline duo of Felix Aboagye and Abel Hammond have been off target. Mumbai FC would be hoping for a better display from this pair as well as their defence that has let in eight goals.

JCT, too, have let in as many goals (six) as they have scored and would be eager for a better display from the defence as well as from the others against Mumbai FC. After having started well by defeating Dempo and Mohammedan Sporting, JCT hit a trough, but their victory over East Bengal at Ludhiana on November 22 must be a big morale-booster for the side coached by Sukhwinder Singh. They had found their passing feet and looked comfortable against a star-studde East VBEngal side as the defence worked like a well-oiled machine to ensure that they kept a clean sheet.

Even upfront, the millmen, who are missing their talismanic mid-fielder Baljit Sahni looked sharp with Brazilian import Eduardo da Silva Escobar scoring the winner.

JCT are lying eighth, with 12 points to their credit and two rungs below Mumbai FC, going into the tie at the Cooperage football ground. — PTI

Kolkata, November 25
Ten-man United Sporting today put up a fine display to beat Vasco Sports Club 3-1 in the ONGC I-League at Yuba Bharati Krirangan here. Despite playing with 10 men for 71 minutes - Dulal Biswas was shown red card in the 19th minute for a rough tackle on Vasco striker Robson -- United SC played a superb match to forge ahead 3-0 and conceded a goal at the dying moments.

Vasco went down to an own goal in the 44th minute when defender Fulkan, trying to clear United SC midfielder Snehashish Chakraborty's shot, put the ball into his own net. United SC made it 2-0 when striker Subair Muritala Ali bulged the net a minute after the breather.

Muritala headed home for his second goal of the day and improved the lead to 3-0. Vasco striker Sherzoo reduced the margin but it was a case of too little and too late. — PTI

New Delhi, November 25
The Supreme Court today rejected the plea for an early hearing of a petition seeking permission for additional catering services at the Golf and Country Club at the Forest Hill in Mohali.

A Bench comprising Chief Justice K. G. Balakrishnan and Justices P. Sathasivam and J.M. Panchal said the application would be heard along with the main matter challenging the High Court order for the closure of the Club which would be taken up for final hearing in January. Senior counsel P. S. Patwalia, appearing for the petitioner Lt. Col. (retd) B.S. Sandhu, said the limited catering allowed by the Court had proved to be commercially unviable and was threatening the survival of the Golf Club.

London, November 25
William Gallas is expected to return today minus the captain’s armband when Arsenal attempt to put their season back on track by qualifying for the last 16 of the Champions League. Arsenal top Group G with eight points and victory over Dynamo Kiev at the Emirates will see them safely through, although their form of late has been poor.

French central defender Gallas was stripped of the captaincy and dropped for the 3-0 defeat at Manchester City on Saturday after comments about team mates in the media. “I think (Gallas) could be stronger as a player now because previously he took all the problems of the team to his heart,” Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger, who has made Cesc Fabregas club captain, said yesterday.

Manchester United and Villarreal meet in Spain in Group E with a draw enough to put both sides through. Real Madrid can afford no slip-ups in Group H when they face BATE Borisov. With Juventus already through, the second-placed Spaniards will join them if they win in Belarus although a shock defeat would leave them sweating.

In Wednesday’s matches Atletico Madrid are worried about the effect a silent 55,000-seat Vicente Calderon might have on the team when they play PSV Eindhoven in the Champions League tomorrow. UEFA has ordered the Group D clash to be played behind closed doors as a punishment for the crowd problems that marred Atletico's 2-1 victory over Olympique Marseille at their ground at the beginning of October.

Javier Aguirre’s unbeaten side, who failed in their bid to have the punishment overturned, lead the group on goal difference from Liverpool with eight points from four games and can assure their progress to the next stage with a victory.

A draw against the Dutch champions would suffice if Liverpool avoid defeat at home to Marseille. “(To play without any fans) is the worst punishment a player can suffer,” Atletico’s Colombia defender Luis Perea told a news conference yesterday.

Barcelona have the chance to secure top spot in Champions League Group C and prove they are not dependent on striker Lionel Messi to win matches when they visit Sporting tomorrow.

Barca’s nine-match winning streak in the Primera Liga came to an end with a 1-1 draw at home to Getafe on Sunday, as Pep Guardiola's outfit struggled to open up their well-organised opponents.

Argentine Messi, who has four goals to his name in the group stage this season, was left in the stands as a precautionary measure after picking up a thigh strain last week, and although he was included for the trip to Portugal, remains a doubt.

“Lionel is a very important part of the team and there is no doubt he is missed when he doesn’t play,” goalkeeper Victor Valdes told a news conference yesterday.

''But we can't always be waiting for, or dependent, on one individual. Every player has qualities to offer to the group as a whole.'' — Reuters

Lahore, November 25
Pakistan's cricket bosses are getting mentally prepared to shift the home series against India to neutral venues in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

India is scheduled to tour Pakistan and play three Tests, five one-day internationals and a Twenty20 International during its Jaunary 4-February 19 tour.

Though the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is talking about hosting the series, they are also working on back-up plans.

Sources close to PCB told 'The News' that organisers in Abu Dhabi and Sharjah- two venues where the series against India could take place have been told to get everything in place so that the matches could be staged there successfully if India refuse to tour Pakistan.'' PCB chief Ijaz Butt is to tour India later this week to meet the BCCI in a bid to save the tour. — UNI 

BRIEFLY

Mumbai
Bhutia wants to set up soccer academy: Indian football team captain Bhaichung Bhutia on Tuesday said his dream is to set up a top-class football academy in his home state of Sikkim or in some other north-eastern state once his career as a player is over. “It’s my dream project to set up a football academy of the highest quality. But for that I would need at least 40 acres of land. Unless I get this I would not set up the academy,” said the ace Mohun Bagan striker at a media conference here to announce the Tata Tea-Arsenal talent hunt. The Sikkim government has already said it will consider the proposal favourably. — PTI

Ranchi
Peter Thangaraj passes away: Peter Thangaraj, the towering custodian of the Indian team, which won the gold in the 1962 Jakarta Asian Games, passed away following a massive heart attack at Bokaro on Monday night, family sources said. Thangaraj, who was 72, fell ill on Monday morning and was admitted to the Bokaro General Hospital. The end came at around 11.30 pm, the sources added. He is survived by wife, one son and three daughters. Voted Asia’s finest goalkeeper in 1958, Thangaraj was a contemporary of India’s soccer greats Chuni Goswami, P K Banerjee and T Balaram. — PTI

Lahore
India take pole in South Asian shooting: India swept away all the six gold medals at stake on the third day of fourth South Asian Shooting Championship at Gun Club, Pakistan Sports Complex, Islamabad. In the 50m pistol event for men (Individual), Satendra Kumar won gold with 647.8, while Viraj Singh (635.5pts) got silver and Omkar Singh had 634.8 to win bronze. In the women’s 25m pistol event, (individual) Shweta Chowdhry with total points of 766.6 bagged the gold medal, while the silver went to Annuraj (766.5pts), the bronze went to India’s Anisa Syed (759.7pts). — UNI

NEW DELHI
Delhi varsity cricket team announced: A 16-member team will represent Delhi University in the North Zone Inter-University Cricket Championship to be held at the Aligarh Muslim University. Delhi will meet winners of the tie between Jammu and Kumaon Universities on November 27. Team: Ravi Dixit, Rahul Yadav, Anshul Gupta, Tarun Chaudhary, Lokesh Sharma, Chanderpal Saini, Ajmer Singh, Shrey Chaudhary, Sparsh Jain, Raman Chahar, Puneet Mehra, Anshul Tanwar, Sachin Kumar, Chander Prakash,Ranjit Singh and Luv Shehrawat. Coach: Pramod Bhatti. Manager: Sandeep Mehta. — TNS

Wellington: Englishman Andy Moles will succeed John Bracewell as New Zealand cricket coach, it was announced on Tuesday. Moles (47), has previously coached Kenya and Scotland and has been coach of the New Zealand provincial side Northern Districts for the past two seasons. His appointment, announced by New Zealand Cricket chief executive Justin Vaughan, followed news earlier on Tuesday that Australian Matthew Mott, the leading contender for the role, had withdrawn. Mott decided to sign a new two-year contract with the Australian state side New South Wales, leaving Moles and former New Zealand allrounder Dipak Patel the only candidates for the position Bracewell will vacate in April. — AP