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The Supreme Court has asked the BCCI’s Committee of Administrators (CoA) to release funds to the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association (HPCA) one day before the start of the fourth Test between India and Australia in Dharamsala. Although the court’s record of proceedings did not specify the amount, reports suggested disbursements to the tune of INR 2.5 crore were instructed. In addition, the court asked the CoA to release funds to the state associations of Maharashtra, Karnataka and Jharkhand, which hosted the first three Tests of the ongoing series in accordance with the terms of the contract.”It is directed that the BCCI shall honour the contractual commitments postulated in the contract so that there is no impediments in holding the Test match,” the Supreme Court bench, headed by Justice Dipak Mishra and comprising Justices AM Khanvilkar and DY Chandrachud, was quoted as saying by PTI.In its second status report last week, the CoA had pointed to the HPCA’s “intransigence” and sought the Supreme Court’s immediate interference to ensure the smooth conduct of the final Test between India and Australia, as well as the IPL. According to the CoA, the HPCA had asked the BCCI to release funds to conduct the fourth Test despite not having complied with the court’s twin orders last October.Through two separate orders, the court had made it clear that the BCCI “cease and desist” from disbursing funds to the state associations until they submit a written undertaking agreeing to adopt the Lodha Committee’s recommendations. In addition, the CoA said the HPCA had sufficient financial reserves for the Test match to go on unhindered.According to the CoA, the HPCA had about INR 6.27 crore as savings on March 31, 2016. Also, an amount of approximately INR 59.44 crore was transferred by the BCCI to the HPCA account between April and October last year, not including the INR 16 crore that each state association received from the BCCI towards the cancellation of the Champions League T20.On Friday, however, additional solicitor general Tushar Mehta, appearing for the HPCA, contended that the BCCI owed over INR 8 crore to the HPCA, and was “contractually bound” to release the money. Mehta also pointed out that the HPCA was a registered company under Section 25 of the Companies Act, and that any changes in compliance with the panel’s recommendations could only be undertaken by the general body.With many state associations seeking release of funds for the IPL as well, the bench said the CoA, state associations and franchise owners would have to abide by the terms of their tripartite agreement for the smooth conduct of matches. The CoA had earlier made note of the threat posed by some of the ten state associations set to host the IPL, which starts in under two weeks’ time.The CoA had told the court that the Saurashtra Cricket Association (SCA) had written to the BCCI “more than once” asking for funds to be released to address various payments including the “conduct” of the IPL. Rajkot, where the SCA is headquartered, will play host to Gujarat Lions for five matches.”We have been apprised that the [IPL] matches are going to commence from 5th April, 2017, and there are ten venues in India,” the bench said. “There have to be tripartite contracts some have been entered into, while some shall be entered into in due course. After the contracts are executed, following the principle of parity, BCCI shall also honour the contractual terms. Needless to say, when we say that BCCI shall honour its commitment, there has to be sincere commitment of honouring the terms and conditions of the contract by all the parties to the contract,” it said.According to PTI, the bench also said it would take up other issues raised by Railways, Services and Association of Universities, NCC and other state cricket associations, including HPCA, Cricket Association of Bengal and Maharashtra Cricket Association against the July 18, 2016, order on July 14.

ScorecardAlex Davies lifted Lancashire’s hopes•Getty Images

After a first day cluttered by a welter of wickets which offered little time to weigh the consequences of each dismissal the next three sessions of this game provided a fascinating contrast between a trio of opening batsmen.The first of them, Dean Elgar, made 113 runs; the second, Haseeb Hameed, managed just seven; and the third, Alex Davies, ended the second day undefeated on 78, an innings which may yet help Lancashire avoid defeat or even, heaven help us, achieve improbably greater riches in a game Somerset have largely dominated.Elgar’s was the most impressive innings. His very fine unbeaten century was largely responsible for Somerset establishing a first-innings lead of 169. In fine partnerships with Jack Leach and Tim Groenewald, the South African Test opener nearly doubled his team’s score and if Tom Abell’s men do go on to win this game, Elgar will surely be hailed as the chief architect of their victory.The least successful batsman was Hameed, who stroked one fine cover drive off Lewis Gregory before playing loosely and too far from his body at a ball on roughly fifth stump line and edging a catch high to Peter Trego at first slip. What was remarkable about Hameed’s departure was not so much its occurrence as its manner. Rarely in his short career has this most gloriously correct of cricketers been lured into such error.Young Hameed knows fine well that his vocation is not for the cowardly of spirit or the faint of heart. Batting at the top of the order is rather like sitting by a pond: if you stay there long enough a couple of ducks will come along. So it has been with Hameed, who was caught at the wicket playing expansively in Lancashire’s only innings against Surrey and then pouched by Steven Davies when beaten by a fine ball from Josh Davey on Friday morning.Two innings, seven balls, no runs. “It happens,” all the game’s good openers, including Dean Elgar, could tell the 20-year-old Hameed. “Cash in next time.” But Hameed not only failed to observe that injunction on a sunlit Saturday afternoon, he did not give himself an opportunity to do so.The possible consequences of Hameed’s dismissal seemed clearer four overs later, when Luke Procter played inside a good ball from Gregory and had his off stump rocked back. At that point Lancashire were 23 for 2 and it appeared possible that their second dig in this match would be no better than their first when batsmen’s innings often resembled the piles of bricks built with haphazard enthusiasm by children unversed in the niceties of balance: before long someone would kick them down or they would topple over by themselves.However, Davies and Liam Livingstone averted this possibility with a patient and technically correct third-wicket partnership which had added 129 runs by the close and will be resumed tomorrow morning when the forecast is for cold and sunny weather, conditions which should continue to ease this Old Trafford pitch.Davies, despite being handicapped with a back injury, displayed both defiance and technical accuracy in battling his way to another half century. Livingstone was able to bat with a more settled tempo on Saturday afternoon than he had chosen on Friday but some of his nine fours were also rich in panache while not sacrificing defensive tightness. Every innings Livingstone plays adds to his reputation and it will be fascinating to see what representative honours have come his way by September. The same, of course, can be said of Hameed.That Lancashire’s excellent fightback had not cleared the deficit by close of play is testament to a wonderful first session for Somerset in which they lost just one wicket in scoring 126 runs. The man out was Jack Leach, but by the time he bottom-edged Jordan Clark to Davies, Somerset’s No. 10 had made a career-best 52 and few county tailenders have batted with greater aplomb in constructing their maiden half-centuries.Leach hit eight fours, some of them sweetly struck affairs through the covers, while at the other end Elgar batted with exemplary care and made the most of being dropped on 86 when Ryan McLaren grassed a sharp chance to his left off Procter. Tim Groenewald helped Elgar add a further 37 before he was bowled for 20 by Jarvis and all this made rather grim watching for home supporters.There was, though, interesting viewing of another sort available to Lancashire members during the morning; for Somerset’s construction of a lead took place against the background of further changes to the architecture of this ground. Just prior to the start of play a bridge was hoisted into place connecting the old pavilion with the new hotel, which is scheduled to open its doors in July. It was a task requiring patience and accuracy, qualities which Elgar and Leach were to display in the cricket that followed.But those interested in Old Trafford’s current appearance can now look out on three rectangular constructions, all of them framed in scarlet livery: a players and media centre, a corporate hospitality centre – The Point – and a nearly finished hotel. And there is no end to the commercial opportunities afforded by the redevelopment.For example, if Lancashire’s hospitality suite to the left of the pavilion was sponsored by a bank it could be called, say, the NatWest Cash Point, which would rather encapsulate both its shape and purpose. The hotel is to be called the Hilton Garden Inn, a curious name really, given that no trace of vegetation can, as yet, be discerned. Fertility, though, clearly comes in many forms on this ground. On Sunday morning the hope is that a sizeable lead can be grown, although Somerset bowlers will be hoping to cut down such green shoots of recovery.

“People think that this time we will take the Champions Trophy home.”Mashrafe Mortaza, the Bangladesh captain, could not control his laughter. No, Mashrafe was not trying to pinch himself while talking about expectations of his team back in Bangladesh. It’s likely the laughter was just a way of Mashrafe being realistic about his side’s chances in a tournament where they have not passed the group stage in four previous attempts.At the same time, the Bangladesh captain would not come across as pretentious if he were to drum-roll his team’s chances, for they go into the Champions Trophy with their best-ever ICC ODI ranking: No. 6 – ahead of Sri Lanka and Pakistan.The Champions Trophy offers Bangladesh the opportunity to assert themselves and to walk the talk that they can compete with the best and improve. They start in the tougher of the two groups – Group A, alongside England, Australia and New Zealand. Their first match, on Thursday, is against the team that boasts the best win-loss ratio in ODIs since the 2015 World Cup. England, as many agree, are firm favourites in home conditions. But, for once, Bangladesh are undeterred.Bangladesh last played a series in England in 2010. They have been in England since April 27, and participated in a two-week training camp, in Sussex, which allowed them to get acclimatized. Thereafter, they moved to Ireland for the tri-nation series, where they won two of the four matches, with victories over the hosts and New Zealand.Any complacency the team might have accrued over the preceding month was shaken off by the 240-run drubbing they suffered at the hands of India in their second warm-up match of the Champions Trophy. Before that, they failed to close out the warm-up match against Pakistan, allowing Faheem Ashraf to announce himself to world cricket.Both Mashrafe and coach Chandika Hathurusingha have refused to attach too much concern to the warm-up defeats. The focus, the duo stressed, was on the positives. Bangladesh have a good blend of youth and experience in their ranks. Their old warhorses will continue to be their trump cards: Tamim Iqbal, Shakib Al Hasan, Mushfiqur Rahim, Mahmudullah and Mashrafe. And when such a wealth of experience is clubbed with the potential of Soumya Sarkar, Mustafizur Rahman and Mehedi Hasan, it will be little surprise if the unit shocks the heavyweights.However, if they are to better their rankings, the foremost question Bangladesh would need to address urgently is: can they win the clutch moments? Can they adapt quickly, be responsive to change? Can they muster the required proactiveness to clinch the critical moments when they present themselves? Can they beat England?”The thing is that we all know that on a given day, we can beat anybody,” Mashrafe said, on the eve of their tournament opener. “But we have to start well; if you can start well, then things will come easier.”There will be a lot of pressure, but I think we can cope up. Also, if you go back to the England side, I think they also feel more pressure than us, because they want the trophy. Especially, because this is happening in their home. So, it’s both sides, there is a little bit of pressure, but who can cope up, they will perform their best.”Bangladesh got the better of England in the last two editions of the ODI World Cup, in 2011 and 2015. However, Mashrafe said the England teams on those occasions played a brand of cricket starkly dissimilar to what Eoin Morgan’s men have become known for. The hosts have never looked as fit and fiery as they do at the moment. They can raze 300-plus targets and raise 400-plus mountains with seamless ease. Their bowlers can defend any total and they are one of the most athletic fielding units currently.But Mashrafe remained unfazed. The Oval is sold out for the first match, and Bangladesh are likely enjoy a healthy presence of supporters. The weather forecast bodes a clear and warm day – at least, for the most part of it. All Mashrafe wants his players to do ahead of the clash is relax, without losing focus.Bangladesh’s recent results in the tri-series and overseas have given Mashrafe the confidence that his men can stand their ground, come the hour.”There is a lot of expectation. But we have to understand where we are, and the main thing is that we are progressing or not. Little by little, we are coming up. We are starting from ten to nine, now seven, eight, now six. So, that means that the graph is coming up. So, that’s most important to me, and this trophy, there is a lot of hope, but realistically, we have to play at our best, to be honest.”

Zimbabwe’s consistent spells as the bottom-ranked team, 25 years after being granted Test status, are down to sporadic scheduling and the subsequent migration of players, said their head coach Heath Streak. Speaking to the media ahead of the first match of their Sri Lanka tour, Streak highlighted the difficulty of retaining talent with large gaps in the calendar.”It’s well-documented [that] there have been a lot of players who have left and are playing around the world who come from Zimbabwe,” he said.

SL focused on moving ahead, insists Mathews

Sri Lanka have had troubles of their own, with fast bowler Lasith Malinga given a suspended ban of six months for a breach of contract, mere days after Graham Ford resigned as head coach. The captain Angelo Mathews, however, insisted the team will not be distracted by these off-field episodes.
“What happens outside the cricket field, we don’t think a lot about it. Our job is to concentrate on our cricket. As players we always look to perform well,” said Mathews.
“It’s beyond our control (Graham) Ford leaving. Our job is to go out there and perform at our very best. Fordy has been fantastic, one of the best in the business, but we’ve got to move on and look ahead towards this series.”

“It’s been tough for Zimbabwe to retain some of these players and hence we are constantly rebuilding. We’ve got a lot of young guys in our team. If you look around the world, and look at Zimbabweans internationally, we’ve got the likes of Gary Ballance, the Curran boys Sam and Tom, who just debuted for England, and Kyle Jarvis playing county cricket successfully.”We’ve got a lot of these guys out there whom we are trying to lure back. Part of their problem is the volume of cricket that Zimbabwe plays. That’s something that we can’t address, obviously. It’s a Catch 22 situation. We’ve got to play good competitive cricket for other countries to give us matches and that’s something we are really targeting [to do].”Hopefully we can get some of those players to return to Zimbabwe and complement a talented group of players that we have brought to the shores of Sri Lanka. It’s going to be a challenge because of the lack of cricket. We have these big gaps in between series and that’s probably our biggest challenge to get the guys to get used to playing at elite level.”The situation, in addition to having an impact on Zimbabwe’s performance on the field, has also been ‘a big challenge’ for Streak as head coach.”You inherit the players and your job is to try and get the best out of them. I certainly think that the team we’ve got here has got the ability to win against any side,” he said.”We had some good preparation coming into the series and I am looking forward to a lot of guys who can pull around. The future of Zimbabwe cricket is brighter if we keep doing the right things.”

File Photo – Dane Piedt’s 3 for 32 is his fourth three-for in his last five first-class innings•Getty Images

Three-fors from Beuran Hendricks and Dane Piedt shot India A out for a first-innings score of 120 runs in 39 overs as South Africa A grabbed a lead of 292 runs on the second day in Pretoria.The opening over of the India A innings set the tone for the visitors’ horrid day as a run-out on the first delivery amounted to R Samarth’s departure, followed by Ishan Kishan holing out to David Miller two balls later. While only four India A batsmen managed to register double-digit scores, none managed to convert their starts.Shreyas Iyer top-scored with with a 32-ball 31 before India A found themselves reeling at 74 for 6 in the 22nd over. India’s struggle was further compounded by Vijay Shankar’s inability to sustain his 32-run sixth-wicket stand with Shahbaz Nadeem, having to retire hurt for 26 at the end of the 31st over. Nadeem added 21 runs to his first-innings bowling returns of 4 for 117 off 39.3 overs – the most bowled by an India A bowler in the first innings.Hendricks accounted for three of India A’s frontline batsmen, while Piedt’s scalps included the opposition captain Karun Nair. Hendricks and Piedt collectively conceded 55 runs from 20 overs.The hosts’ openers, Stephen Cook and Aiden Markram put on 66 without any damage in 20 overs to hand them a bigger advantage.Earlier, South Africa A were dismissed for 346 even though they were 274 for 4 at the end of day one, losing their last six wickets for 40 runs. Mohammed Siraj and Nadeem ran through the lower order but their batsmen could not cash in on the advantage.

Alex Blake is bowled by Jofra Archer•Getty Images

Kent’s hopes of reaching this season’s NatWest T20 Blast quarter finals were dealt a severe blow as Sussex Sharks snaffled a five-wicket South Group win in Canterbury.Sharks’ skipper Chris Nash bossed the show with an unbeaten 73 from 58 balls as Sussex landed their third South Group win, whilst inflicting Kent’s fifth defeat of an inconsistent campaign.Sussex were chasing Kent’s hard-fought total of 163 for 9 – almost half of which came from the bat of Sam Billings.”Billings played exceptionally well and hit the ball really cleanly in areas that we couldn’t defend, so all credit to him for putting a decent score in the board,” Nash said. “But I thought the way our bowlers dictated up top meant they could only post 160 instead of 190.”Sussex made a useful start only to be set back when Stiaan van Zyl edged to the keeper when attempting a back-foot force against Jimmy Neesham, Kent’s Kiwi all-rounder.Nash and Ben Brown added 88 for the second Sussex wicket until Brown, one short of his 50, was bowled by Darren Stevens when aiming an ambitious, leg-side clip.Kent’s veteran all-rounder lifted the spirits of a 5,500 crowd – Spitfires’ biggest of the campaign – by having Ross Taylor caught at point from his very next delivery, but, with the wily Nash at the crease, it proved a false dawn for Spitfires’ fans.With only 16 runs needed Laurie Evans played across the line to go lbw to Mitch Claydon then David Wiese was run out in his follow-through by Jimmy Neesham without scoring, yet still Sussex romped home with an over to spare when Nash smeared the winning boundary over backward point.Fresh from their emphatic eight-wicket win over Surrey on Thursday evening, Sussex named an unchanged side and were on top from the start despite Kent winning their third successive home toss.Only five of the Spitfires top-to-middle order made it into double figures, of those only Billings showed the class that led to his IPL debut for Delhi Daredevils in the domestic close season.The impish right-handed wicketkeeper, to many Kent supporters a re-embodiment of 1970s legend Alan Knott, smashed a sublime 74 from 40 balls while those about him struggle for timing.Billings, 26, but playing in his 118th domestic T20 game, clattered four fours and five sixes to save Kent’s blushes after his side had made a miserable start.Spitfires’ in-form opening bat Joe Denly had his off stump pegged back by the first ball of the night from David Wiese then, in the second over, skipper Sam Northeast skied an attempted leg-side force against spinner Danny Briggs only to hole out to the keeper.Sam Billings played his most commanding Blast innings of the season•Getty Images

Kent’s demise continued when Wiese skittled Daniel Bell-Drummond to make it 22 for 3 only 29 balls into the match.Starved of short-form batting, Darren Stevens took time to get his eye in but, with his score on 18, the veteran all-rounder smeared to long-off after making room against Briggs, who finished with 2 for 33.Neesham’s run of useful contributions ended when he cross-batted one to long-off against Chris Jordan and Kent’s big-hitters continued to fail when Alex Blake dragged on when eyeing a back-foot force against Jofra Archer.Matt Coles heaved across the line to be bowled by the same bowler leaving Jordan to sweep up with figures of three for 38. The former Surrey and England seamer bowled Billings, after he attempted an audacious sweep shot, then skittled Imran Qayyum first ball with a low full-toss as Kent just about batted out their 20 overs.Billings, the night’s top-scorer said: “It was a belting pitch but T20 is a game of fine margins and a couple of overs with the bat and ball really cost us the game tonight.”As soon as we started getting back into the game we seemed to let the pressure off which you can’t afford to do in Twenty20. Credit to ‘Nashy’, who played a top-class knock, but we weren’t quite at it tonight and you can’t afford to do that in the South Group.”

Fresh from a testing tour of Bangladesh, Steven Smith, the Australia captain, doesn’t think his team will face a similar trial by spin during the upcoming limited-overs series in India. Smith took into account not only his batsmen’s ability but also the Indian pitches, which he believed, wouldn’t offer as much spin in limited-overs cricket.Australia will have an opportunity to acclimatise when they open the tour with a warm-up game against a Board President’s XI in Chennai on Tuesday. “I think the one-day group has played spin pretty well for a while. Obviously we are still learning in the Test format,” Smith said at the arrival press conference in Chennai. “We have come from a challenging tour from Bangladesh.”The guys are learning and trying to improve. So, hopefully they can continue to do so. [I am] not sure the one-day wickets will present quite as much spin [as] perhaps some of the Test wickets. But we have to wait and see and adapt to the conditions accordingly.After losing the first Test against Bangladesh, Australia levelled the two-Test series with a seven-wicket win in Chittagong. During the series, Australia had to contend with a heavy diet of spin bowling, with Shakib Al Hasan, Mehidy Hasan and Taijul Islam accounting for 26 wickets. Australia, too, leaned heavily on Nathan Lyon, who finished as the highest wicket-taker on either side, with 22 wickets.While Lyon doesn’t find a place in the limited-overs sides, Smith hoped that legspinner Adam Zampa could make his IPL experience with Rising Pune Supergiant count. “I hope [he is the trump card],” Smith said. “He has got a pretty good record over the last a year or two. He has got some experience playing in these conditions in IPL. So, we know what to expect from Zampa. And if he gets his opportunity, hopefully he can have some success on this tour.”Zampa aside, Australia’s spin options comprise left-armer Ashton Agar and allrounder Glenn Maxwell. Smith was appreciative of how S Sriram, the former India allrounder and spin consultant of the Australia side, equipped the players with knowledge of local conditions.”Sri’s been really good,” he said. “He has got some great knowledge of how to play in these conditions. He has helped a lot of the players, particularly the spin bowlers in understanding the right ways to bowl in these conditions – probably more for longer format, than in the shorter format. He has got great knowledge about a lot of grounds in India and how different wickets play and stuff like that.”Even as Australia laboured in Bangladesh, India had an unstoppable run in Sri Lanka, winning a record nine games across formats. Smith was aware of what Australia were coming up against. “We have been following the India-Lanka series in bits and pieces,” he said. “They are playing some really good cricket. It’s a good challenge for us. It’ s always tough playing India in India. They are very good ODI side. Just seeing the side they have announced, it looks like a strong side. We are excited by the challenge of the series.”With Australia set to play the Ashes in November, there were suggestions that the limited-overs series against India, comprising five ODIs and three T20s, wasn’t ideal preparation. Smith, however, didn’t think that way. “I know before the last Ashes series there was a ODI tour with India much like this one,” he said. “We’ve got plenty of time, we get back home and get to play [first-class Sheffield] Shield games and get ready for the Ashes.”

Umar Akmal’s woes continue after a PCB disciplinary committee found him in breach of his central contract. The PCB subsequently imposed a three match ban on him, as well as a Pakistani Rs 1 million fine. But in perhaps the harshest punishment of all, all No-Objection Certificates issued to him for participation in overseas tournaments were revoked for two months, meaning Akmal will be ineligible for all but the last two weeks of the Bangladesh Premier League.The chain of events that led to today’s sanction began when Akmal called an impromptu press conference last month and accused coach Mickey Arthur of using abusive language towards him, demanding an investigative committee be set up to probe the matter. Instead, the PCB formed a disciplinary committee to investigate potential breaches of contract by Akmal himself, culminating in today’s sentence.A press release issued earlier today laid out the sanctions, saying that they had been “awarded with a heavy heart but with the hope that they would serve as a precedent for all cricketers who should be mindful of their obligations and the consequences of their actions”.The development caps what have been a torrid few months for Akmal. His central contract was terminated in July. Two months prior to that, he was sent home from the Champions Trophy after he was found to be the only player to have failed to meet fitness standards. With Arthur having made fitness a priority, Akmal has found himself cut adrift from the international side.

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Matt Renshaw’s hold onto an opening spot for Australia looks shakier by the day after he made another low score for Queensland. He also saw his national captain Steven Smith occupy for New South Wales the first slip position which the 21-year-old had occupied solidly over his first 10 Tests.In making a start before edging a typically precise Trent Copeland delivery behind to Peter Nevill, Renshaw added 16 to a recent red-ball sequence of scores that reads 45, 5, 4, 22, 17, 16, 1 and 19 since the first Test in Bangladesh. Such has been the debate around his place, with the Western Australia coach Justin Langer piling on the pressure among others, that Renshaw’s opening partner David Warner advised him to “steer clear of the newspapers”.”I want him to score runs this week. He has been under a bit of pressure this week, there has been a bit of talk in the media,” Warner said about Renshaw before the game. “You have to keep putting the numbers on the board. As a youngster, I would be steering clear of newspapers this week.”However, there was an even more tangible sign of shifting opinions when Renshaw walked out to bat. Smith, who typically fields at second slip whenever Copeland is in the NSW Shield XI and did so most recently in the opening round against South Australia, had swapped from second to first for this match, his last before the Gabba Test. The move indicated Smith felt a need to prepare for a different role from the one he generally fills as captain of Australia, and an indicator the selectors may be about to jettison Renshaw.More certainty was provided by the No. 3 Usman Khawaja, dropped in Bangladesh but in sturdy touch, while providing the spinal contribution of a Queensland innings that otherwise struggled for traction on a well-grassed Allan Border Field pitch that offered seam movement and the odd bit of variable bounce.Khawaja’s duel with Nathan Lyon was particularly arresting, while Copeland and Doug Bollinger also made the ball move around. NSW also found it difficult when they batted in the evening session, losing Nic Maddinson, Warner and then Smith in the final over of the day to a ball that leapt at him from Jack Wildermuth and was taken at short leg. Smith indicated the ball may have hit the arm rather than bat.

Fast bowler Seth Rance has been named replacement for Adam Milne, who injured his foot and is ruled out of the ODI series and the upcoming T20s against West Indies. Milne felt discomfort in his left foot while landing to bowl and will continue to be evaluated, a New Zealand Cricket release said.Milne did not play in the first ODI that New Zealand won by five wickets but would have had a chance for the remainder of the series for which Tim Southee has been rested.Rance, Milne’s team-mate from Central Districts, has played two ODIs, both this year. He ended with figures of 1 for 44 on his international debut against Ireland, but went wicketless in his second match against Bangladesh. He is yet to play T20 internationals but could make his debut soon as New Zealand selector Gavin Larsen said Rance was already being looked at for the upcoming T20 series.”Seth comes into the squad off the back of consistently strong domestic performances,” Larsen said. “We were already looking at Seth for the upcoming Twenty20 series, so this just brings him into the squad slightly earlier than anticipated.”Adam has a great work ethic and puts a lot into his fitness, so I certainly feel for him with this injury. It’s a long summer and there’s a lot of cricket left for Adam to play, so we’ll work with him to get him back to full fitness.”Rance picked two wickets in the two domestic T20s (Super Smash) he played this season, but impressed much more in the Plunket Shield. He collected 12 wickets in the three first-class matches at an average of 20.08.Apart from Milne, New Zealand will also be without Kane Williamson and Southee, who were rested for the second and third ODIs that will be played in Christchurch.