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MS.Dhoni, India's captain, has been banned for two ODIs for India's failure to maintain the over-rate during the second match against Sri Lanka in Nagpur. The ban is effective immediately, which means Dhoni will be unavailable for the games in Cuttack and Kolkata, returning only for the final ODI in Delhi. Virender Sehwag will captain the side in his absence.

The severity of the penalty - a ban instead of a fine - is because India were three overs short, which comes under the "serious over-rate offence" category. Falling short by up to two overs in an ODI, and five in a Test day, is considered a "minor offence", and merits a ban only if the offence is repeated twice in 12 months. On Friday night, though, India finished their 50 overs about 45 minutes after the scheduled finish and left match referee Jeff Crowe with no choice but to impose a ban.

If India repeat a serious over-rate offence in any form of the game within the next 12 months, Dhoni could earn himself a ban of two to eight ODIs or one to four Tests.

"The India captain, like his Sri Lanka counterpart, was reminded and warned before and during the ODI series to be mindful of the slow over-rates and the penalties under the revised code," Crowe said. "The Indian side was at par until the 42nd over but bowled only eight overs in the last hour which, is unacceptable. I accept the fact that the ultimate desire of the Indian side was to win the match but at the same time it had deadlines to meet and also fulfill the responsibilities it owed to the stakeholders."

The rest of the Indian players were fined 40% of their match fee for the offence - 10% each for the first two overs of minor offence and 20% each for every subsequent over. The BCCI has also stated that it will not appeal against the ban.

"We have received information that the match referee has put a two-ODI ban on Dhoni for slow over-rate," Ratnakar Shetty, BCCI's chief administrative officer, said. "We are waiting for a formal communication on this. We will look into details and then make further comments."

Kumar Sangakkara, Sri Lanka's captain, came close to getting banned when his side were found to be two overs short during the second Twenty20 international in Mohali. Sangakkara was fined 40% of his match fee while the rest of the team was docked 20% each, but Crowe said Sangakkara escaped a much bigger penalty.

"Kumar was kept informed throughout the match by the on-field umpires of where his team was with its over-rate," Crowe said. "Under the revised code of conduct, Sri Lanka was very close to being three overs behind and charged for a Serious Over Rate Offence, which would have resulted in its captain being suspended in the next two ODIs." Within the next 12 months, Sri Lanka can afford to repeat this minor offence once. Third strike, and Sangakkara will be out for a game.

Meanwhile, Indian opener Gautam Gambhir has been found not guilty of showing dissent towards the umpires while batting in Nagpur. He set off for a quick single to mid-on but collided with the bowler before Angelo Mathews' direct hit caught him short of his crease. He appeared to gesticulate in frustration towards the umpire but Crowe clarified that it wasn't directed at him when the decision was referred to the third umpire.

"It was an unusual incident and while the umpires were justified in laying the charges, after studying all the evidences I found that Gambhir was actually annoyed and irritated by the actions of the bowler than at the decision of the third umpire," Crowe said. "At the same time, the umpires and I were convinced that the actions of the bowler were unintentional."

Chris Gayle's back-to-back centuries in Adelaide and Perth were part of an admirable fightback after a debacle in the opening Test in Brisbane

Numbers can be deceiving, as Australia know all too well. They felt as though they were the better team in the Ashes this year, yet lost 2-1. West Indies will fly out of Australia with a similar reaction - they didn't win a Test and failed to regain the Frank Worrell Trophy but the contest was much tighter than the 2-0 Australian victory suggests.

Consider the following: West Indies players scored four centuries in the series to Australia's none; at the WACA they bowled Australia out for their lowest total in a home Test in almost 13 years; they had a realistic chance of winning on the final day in Adelaide and Perth; and Chris Gayle was the Player of the Series. West Indies are often unpredictable but none of those things could have been expected after they were skittled out in three days in the opening Test at the Gabba.

That result was enough to prompt derision from critics and scare Cricket Australia into thinking the summer might be a one-sided dud. The former Australian captain Kim Hughes even called for West Indies to be axed from the Test cricket family. But after a long, frank discussion following the Brisbane debacle, West Indies found resolve, and soon enough gained respect.

"I think people look at us now and think a bit differently, based on how we went about this series, even though we lost 2-0," the captain Gayle said. "I definitely know from Australia's point of view we've gained a bit more respect from them. They know it wasn't going to be a pushover, and only in the first match did they actually walk over us."

Arguably their most pleasing discovery was that their captain still has the patience for five-day cricket and has not been seduced by Twenty20. Gayle has often been criticised for appearing indifferent to his team's slumps but his calm and phenomenally controlled 165 not out in Adelaide showed a man who was desperate to see his team improve. Barely a week later, he displayed the other, more familiar side of his game when he made the fifth-quickest Test century and landed a ball on top of the roof at the WACA.

There were other positive signs for West Indies, despite the fact they have now won only three of their past 42 Tests. The teenage opener Adrian Barath made a debut century in Brisbane and is a player to watch, while Narsingh Deonarine and Brendan Nash added middle-order starch. Sulieman Benn's suspension overshadowed a very impressive tour for him, and Kemar Roach displayed speed and talent, even if his wickets tally did not reflect it.

West Indies remain eighth on the Test rankings but the gap between them and Australia is more a shallow valley than a canyon. Australia gained a position and jumped back up to third on the rankings, but they were shown to be vulnerable at home. The failure of any player to reach triple-figures was a concern and the fact that West Indies were so competitive led to some ugly moments.

Shane Watson, Mitchell Johnson and Brad Haddin were all fined for their behaviour in Perth, while Doug Bollinger was reprimanded in Adelaide. The pressure didn't always have a negative effect and Gayle admired Michael Hussey for fighting off speculation about his future to average 47 for the series, and the way Bollinger stepped in and finished second on the wickets list.

"They've been under a bit of pressure, even though they won the series 2-0, there's no two ways about it," Gayle said. "Bollinger came in for the second Test, they were missing a strike bowler like Ben [Hilfenhaus] but it's very complicated, a pressure situation often brings the best out of a player, to actually step up to the plate, and in the Australian team they've mentioned Mike Hussey as well, he's still scoring runs under pressure."

Bollinger was one of the finds of the series for Australia, while all the batsmen made contributions without dominating. The captain Ricky Ponting admired the way West Indies improved after the Gabba defeat, but he was also thrilled with the way his men stuck to their tasks to come out of the series with two wins.

"They've played better, there's no doubt about that," Ponting said of the opposition. "It would have been nice to have performed better in the second innings [in Perth] with the bat and play them completely out of the game but I think they've shown a bit of character. Even the young blokes coming in have stood up when they've needed to. They've played some good cricket over the last couple of weeks and they need to be credited for that."

For Australia the next Test challenge is the Boxing Day Test against Pakistan in six days; for West Indies it's a home series against South Africa in six months. It's a shame that we must wait so long to see how West Indies build on their impressive progress.

Lou Vincent: 'Cricket's been back on my mind in recent months.'

Almost two years after he gave up a New Zealand Cricket contract to join the ICL, Lou Vincent has returned to the country and revealed his desire to return to the national side.

Vincent, 31, has been living mainly in Britain since moving on from the unofficial ICL and could also potentially qualify to play for England in less than two years. However, given the comebacks Shane Bond and Daryl Tuffey made after they were granted amnesty on quitting the ICL, Vincent has reason to be optimistic about a New Zealand call-up.

"I'm still classified as an overseas player there [in England] until I get my residency and passport," Vincent told the Herald on Sunday. "That means I could play as a local on the county scene. That's an option but I'm going to test myself in New Zealand first.

Vincent played for an Auckland club side Takapuna on Saturday and hoped to join the Auckland squad next week. His first assignment for Auckland will be the one-day competition, before the domestic Twenty20 tournament in the following month.

"Cricket's been back on my mind in recent months. I want to get back to the top level. It's time to give it one more crack. I wanted to come back and play rather than have a holiday. I can't guarantee a place with Auckland this summer but I'm going to be training every day to prove my worth."

Former Auckland and New Zealand assistant coach Mark O'Donnell said the province was lucky to have Vincent on board. "Auckland's fallen on its feet with Lou turning up," O'Donell said. "He can definitely play. Provided he's motivated, he's a huge asset; a pleasure to coach."

However, things have not been smooth for Vincent. He admitted to "massive setbacks in life to grow up" and is currently dealing with depression, which he monitors through medication.

"It's going to be an ongoing battle. It was up and down for me, having just fought the demons of playing in New Zealand. I came straight into a new environment [the ICL] but didn't have the hunger for cricket and my performances were poor.

"I then signed for Lancashire, which went well. [Former Australian batsman] Stuart Law got me involved on a short term contract which ended up being until the end of the season. I got a hundred in a Twenty20, which gave me a lot of confidence."

However, Vincent scored just 272 runs at 24.72 in 12 first-class innings for Lancashire and was released.

"The second season of ICL went even worse for me," says Vincent. "That's when I decided to get away from professional cricket and concentrate on my health and family."

However, with 1332 runs in 23 Tests at 34.15, and 2413 runs in over a 100 ODIs at 27.11, Vincent has the backing of NZC chief executive Justin Vaughan as well. "I wouldn't have an issue with him playing for New Zealand again at all," Vaughan told the Sunday Star Times. "I think he will have to prove himself and prove that he's good enough. In terms of the ICL, we've let bygones be bygones. We are looking ahead not back and if Lou can prove himself and is committed and really wants to play for his country, then we should be looking at him."

Doug Bollinger finished off the match with the wicket - and debatable edge - of Kemar Roach, giving him eight for the game

Australia needed 21 balls on the last day to win the final Test and take the Frank Worrell Trophy with a 2-0 victory over West Indies. The result was virtually assured as soon as the day broke sunny, with the hosts wanting one wicket and it came when Kemar Roach was ruled caught behind via an umpiring review.

Roach and Gavin Tonge had added 15 when Doug Bollinger and the Australians were certain Roach had got an edge to Brad Haddin. The batsman immediately called for a review: there was a noise but no replay showed a clear nick and there was nothing on Hot Spot. Everyone was standing around for a couple of minutes before Billy Bowden finally raised his finger for a second time following consultation with Asad Rauf.

"He smashed it," Bollinger said. "He hit it, he was out." Bollinger finished with 3 for 71 and eight wickets for the game.

Roach (17) and Tonge (23 not out) started the last day chasing 51 to reach the victory target of 359 after putting on 29 from 30 balls on the fourth evening. Roach played and missed a couple of times in Shane Watson's first over before Bollinger was taken for five runs by the aggressive Tonge. Tonge then inside-edged Watson for four and drove over mid-off for two before the fielding mood changed when Roach sliced a four over gully. They were soon celebrating again in a mixture of relief and satisfaction.

The reason West Indies still had an outside chance on the final morning was due to the 128-run partnership between Narsingh Deonarine (82) and Brendan Nash (65), but their hopes diminished when they lost six wickets in the final session. Mitchell Johnson bowled through the discomfort of an illness to take three victims yesterday while Watson gained two.

The game will be remembered mostly for the Man of the Match Chris Gayle's 70-ball century on the second day, his second hundred of a series which started with a three-day loss but quickly became competitive. Australia's next engagement is the first game of the three-Test series against Pakistan starting on Boxing Day.

Nuwan Kulasekara and Lasith Malinga could get some action

The build-up to this game has been dominated by the two-match ban handed down to MS Dhoni for India's appallingly slow over-rate in Nagpur. With Dhoni out of the fray, Sri Lanka's own woes have been obscured. Angelo Mathews, who clinched victory in Nagpur, is the latest to join the incapacitated list, with Thissara Perera flying in to take his place, and it's still uncertain whether Lasith Malinga will be risked after missing the first two games. The missing-in-action theme has affected India too, though Yuvraj Singh is expected to be fit to shore up a middle order that will sorely miss Dhoni's remarkable consistency.

The bigger concern for India is the fielding, or lack of it. The number of catches dropped has gone into double-figures, and the ground-fielding was equally dismal in the last game. Both seniors and juniors have been equally culpable, and Mike Young would have watched with some horror from the dressing room as even the basics were ignored.

Sri Lanka haven't been exceptional in the field either, but they do have two batsmen, Tillakaratne Dilshan and Kumar Sangakkara, in prime form. There was also a fine debut for Suraj Randiv, and a moderately successful return to the limelight for Ajantha Mendis, whose dismissal of Sachin Tendulkar set India back in Nagpur. India's bowling woes are more focussed on the opening overs, where not one man has been able to put the slightest pressure on Upul Tharanga or Dilshan. Old-ball mastery won them the game in Rajkot, but raggedness with the new one left them with too much to do in the second match.

Paul Collingwood and Graham Onions leave the field after the thrilling final 19 balls of England's innings

Paul Collingwood completed the job he had begun at Cardiff in the opening Test of the Ashes, and the No. 11 Graham Onions repelled a fiery final over from Makhaya Ntini, as England survived a massive collapse against the second new ball to cling onto a draw and move onto the second Test in Durban with the series still level.

In a sensational finale to the match, England had been coasting to the draw at 172 for 3 after tea, following a restorative 145-run stand between Jonathan Trott and Kevin Pietersen that spanned the entire second session, and settled England's nerves after they had been dicily placed at 27 for 3 inside the first hour of an eventful day.

But neither man was able to see out the job. Pietersen produced a total brain-freeze to run himself out for 81 in the second over of the final session, but it was the debutant seamer, Friedel de Wet, who transformed a meandering finale and set South Africa up for a sensational new-ball heist. In seven overs of unplayable intensity, he claimed 3 for 11 including the key scalp of Trott for 69, and after a collapse of 5 for 13 in 11.1 overs, only Collingwood's determination and Onions' unexpectedly watchful technique stood between England and the abyss.

While Trott and Pietersen had been in situ throughout a docile afternoon, such a sensational denouement was seemingly out of the question. South Africa's captain, Graeme Smith, was so bereft of ideas that even the injured Jacques Kallis was brought out of mothballs for an exploratory spell. But then, in the second over after the break and with a century there for the taking after four months out of the side following Achilles surgery, Pietersen launched into a suicidal quick single into the covers, and kept running straight into the dressing-room as his motionless partner, Trott, blinked incredulously from the non-striker's end.

Pietersen has a penchant for daft dismissals when well set, and given what had happened to England during three of his most memorable giveaways - at Edgbaston in 2008, and Sabina Park and Cardiff earlier this year - those of a superstitious disposition were advised to look away.

At first, however, his rush of blood had little impact on the contest. Trott, with his feet rooted in his crease and with not even half an eye on his slowly mounting score, found in Collingwood the perfect partner to mimic such methods, and for 20 further overs they withstood all attempts at further breakthroughs. But all throughout the day, there had been one final opportunity lying in wait for South Africa, and when Smith called for the new ball with 16 overs of the day remaining, de Wet and his fielders responded with pure inspiration.

Ntini was given first use, and he served notice of the jitters to follow when he called for a third-ball review as Collingwood padded up to a ball that was just skimming past off stump. It was de Wet's skiddy bounce, however, that opened the floodgates, as he speared a vicious lifter into Trott's right thumb, for AB de Villiers at third slip to pull off an outrageous one-handed take as he dived full-length to his left.

Trott was gone for 69 from 212 balls of grit and guts stretched across more than five hours, but de Villiers' brilliance sent a jolt of adrenalin through his team-mates. Of all the pressure situations into which he could have been pitched, the scenario facing Ian Bell was the last thing he needed after his first-innings humiliation. De Wet sensed his unease and tormented his outside edge, and Mark Boucher behind the stumps pulled off South Africa's second blinder in the space of four overs - this time low to his right.

The sight of Matt Prior at No. 8 was far more reassuring to England's anxious fans on Centurion's grassy banks, but de Wet by now was unstoppable. With low bounce presumed to be the deadliest weapon on this surface, the debutant instead startled Prior with a fizzing lifter off the seam to hand Boucher his second catch of the spell, and de Wet his third scalp in 20 balls. Stuart Broad was the next to go, caught behind for a fifth-ball duck as Paul Harris was cannily introduced to mix up the pace, and not even the last of England's reviews could save Graeme Swann as Morne Morkel slid another unplayable grubber into his front pad.

At 218 for 9, the runs on the board were utterly irrelevant - all that mattered were the 19 deliveries that remained to be negotiated in the match. That tally was 50 fewer than England's last pair had negotiated at Cardiff, but Onions, with a career average of 6.33 in five Tests, inspired barely any more confidence than Monty Panesar had done on that incredible final day in July.

And yet, Onions did what he had to do - he got determinedly behind the line of the ball after Collingwood flicked a four through midwicket when all he'd been seeking was a single to keep the strike, and he even jammed his bat down on another grubber from Ntini this time, who was handed the final over of the match on a whim from his captain, Graeme Smith, but could not produce the killer delivery to wrap up his 100th Test in style. The final delivery of the game was blocked solidly outside off stump, as Onions pumped his fist in quiet celebration and Collingwood - almost forgotten at the other end despite an invaluable 26 not out from 99 balls - permitted himself a wry grin of satisfaction.

At Cardiff, Collingwood had been the tortured soul in the changing room, unable to influence the closing stages of the game having battled so hard to set up the rearguard with his doggedly brilliant 74. Today, that role belonged to Trott, who had arrived at the crease in the third over of the day following the extraction of the nightwatchman, James Anderson, and launched his innings with such introspection that he took 63 deliveries to reach double figures.

Trott's initial cageyness was understandable, given that the first hour of each innings had been the business period for wicket-taking, and when Alastair Cook was caught at leg slip from the first delivery he faced from the spin of Harris, England were 27 for 3 and reeling. With his nerves more apparent than had been the case at any stage of his Ashes debut last August, Trott struggled to stamp his authority on the proceedings, and showed a particular reluctance to commit to the front foot, a tactic he had used to such good effect during his century on debut.

Instead, it was Pietersen who took the initiative and injected some urgency to England's innings. He had one big let-off on 39 when de Wet overstepped for a plumb lbw appeal, but by taking on the drive, he released the pressure of the close-catchers at his end, and enabled Trott to focus on his more gritty approach to survival, which rarely involved fewer than five men round the bat. For three hours and 43 overs, their blend of passivity and aggression drew the sting clean out of the contest. But then came Pietersen's Red Bull run, and suddenly a meandering finale mutated into a thriller for the ages.

Chelsea failed to capitalise fully on Manchester United's shock defeat at Fulham as they drew at West Ham.

The Hammers took the lead just before half-time when Jack Collison was fouled by Ashley Cole and Alessandro Diamanti converted the resulting penalty.

Chelsea's equaliser also came from the spot after Matthew Upson was harshly judged to have fouled Daniel Sturridge.

Frank Lampard was made to take the penalty three times but kept his cool to ensure the visitors grabbed a point.

Whilst a draw is not the ideal result for Chelsea, it caps a good week for them, after their win at Portsmouth on Wednesday and United's loss at Craven Cottage.

The Blues now hold a four-point lead at the top of the Premier League ahead of the important Christmas period.

In contrast, West Ham remain in the relegation zone, but boss Gianfranco Zola will take heart from the manner in which his side battled against superior opposition.

The Hammers had lost their previous three matches heading into this fixture but did not look a side short of spirit.

Lampard and fellow ex-Hammer Joe Cole were largely at the centre of all that was positive about what was, in truth, a lacklustre Chelsea display.

The latter set up the former for the first effort of the match - a 25-yard drive which Robert Green saved comfortably.

Later in the half, Lampard released Didier Drogba following a quick free-kick, but the Ivory Coast striker fired wide.

These, along with a Branislav Ivanovic header from a corner, cleared off the line by Scott Parker, were as close as the visitor's came to a first-half goal.

In contrast, West Ham's first-half endeavour was rewarded when Ashley Cole felled Collison in the box and Diamanti dispatched the penalty with aplomb.

It was inevitable, considering the stakes for both side's, that the second half would be a frantic and nervy affair - and so it proved.

Within minutes of the restart, Drogba had almost pulled the Blues level, collecting a long kick from goalkeeper Petr Cech near the touchline and firing an audacious, dipping shot that looped over Green but just past the far post.

Chelsea were level in controversial circumstances not long after.

Lampard found half-time replacement Sturridge in the box, and he went to ground under a lunging tackle from Upson.

The referee's assistant immediately signalled for a penalty, and Mike Dean pointed to the spot despite protestations from the West Ham players.

Lampard was forced to take the penalty three times by Dean because of players encroaching in the box, but the England international scored each time.

Chelsea pushed hard for a winner, but it is a testimony to the home side that the league leaders fashioned so few true goalscoring chances.

Joe Cole's ballooned shot over the bar was as good a chance as fell their way.

West Ham could also have claimed a winner, but Cech was a match for a stinging drive from Diamanti.