Karachi Whites put themselves in driving seat in the Quaid-i-AzamTrophy Grade-I cricket championship final after obtaining a 102-runlead on the first innings against Peshawar at National Stadium hereSaturday.By close of play on day two of the five-day clash, the home team hadPeshawar struggling at 164 for four in their second innings with thelast pair of specialist batsmen at the crease.Peshawar’s slim hopes of setting a reasonable target for their bowlersrest squarely on the shoulders of Yasir Hameed, who is batting with acomposed 60, and all-rounder Taimur Khan (3). But with only 62 runs infront, Peshawar are in considerable trouble at the moment.Collectively, 287 runs were scored Saturday for the loss of ninewickets compared to opening day’s 295 runs with as many 15 wicketsgoing down. This generally suggests that the pitch is beginning toease out in favour of the batsmen.Karachi Whites lost their skipper Moin Khan in the day’s third overwhen Kabir Khan won a LBW verdict after just five runs were added tothe overnight 137 for five.All-rounders Imran Javed and Arif Mahmood were the main scorers forthe Whites with both hitting half-centuries. Imran, who was let off on32 late Friday, top-scored with 57 before being adjudged leg-beforewicket by Test umpire Mohammad Nazir Junior.Imran’s 96-ball knock in a stay of nearly two-and-a-half hours wasspiced with eight boundaries and his seventh-wicket stand with Arifrealized 46 runs in 57 minutes.Arif, a strongly built right-handed batsman, took heavy toll of FazleAkbar’s short-pitched deliveries by smashing boundaries with hooks,pulls and cuts. In all, Arif struck nine fours in his 73-ball 54 injust over two hours. His luck finally ran out when he flashed at awide delivery outside the off-stump but only succeeded in becomingwicket-keeper Zulfiqar Jan’s fourth victim.Tanvir Ahmed, who added 44 with Arif for the ninth-wicket in 43minutes, was left stranded with 25, which included four fours.Kabir bowled unchanged in the two-hour morning session to claim threefor 37 in 13 overs from the pavilion end. His final figures of threefor 65 were only bettered by his left-arm team-mate Waqar Ahmed, whofinished well deserved five for 74.Fazle Akbar, Peshawar’s spearhead, was extremely disappointingSaturday by spraying the ball all over the place during a forgetfulspell of six overs for 36.Peshawar’s second innings began shortly after lunch when the Whiteshad been bowled out for 260.Javed Iqbal hit a brace of attractive boundaries until he tried anambitious stroke and was brilliantly taken by Moin Khan behind thestumps.Zeeshan Mohsin, the other opener, was forced to come off the fieldwith a slight hamstring on his left leg one run after Javed was out.But he came at the fall of third wicket to share the most productivepartnership in the innings. Together with Yasir, Zeeshan put on 59before his exuberance got the better of him.In the penultimate over of the day, Zeeshan, attempted to lift DanishKaneria over mid-on but only found a grateful Tanvir holding onto awell-judged catch.Zeeshan stroked eight boundaries in scoring 40 off 64 balls in 102minutes. Otherwise, he really looks a fine prospect for the future ifproperly nurtured.In between, Wajahatullah Wasti, the Test discard, played an outrageousshot to get out when he cut Kaneria straight down Saeed bin Nasir’sthroat at point. Peshawar desperately needed Wajahat, who scored amatch-winning 135 in the final on the very same ground three yearsago, to bail them out.Aftab Khan, who led Peshawar to the Under-19 Grade-I title thisseason, can considered himself unfortunate to be given out LBW toImran Javed bowling from the edge of the crease. Aftab was well-set on20 when umpire Iftikhar Malik sent him on his way.

It was the result the National Bank Series has been crying out for and it was a genuine thriller at Eden Park as India got home over New Zealand by one wicket with one ball of the game to spare tonight.New Zealand have already won the seven-game series but India wanted to win the last three to claim something of a moral victory.They are well on the way to achieving that but New Zealand have once again been able to expose themselves to another potential World Cup situation in a series they have already won.Virender Sehwag had set India up brilliantly with a fine innings of 112 off 139 balls. He was dismissed off the last ball of the 42nd over, and because India were docked one over for slow over rate, they had seven overs available in which to score the 18 remaining runs.But India almost blew it, and that was without New Zealand being able to call on fast man Shane Bond, who would have been ideal in the situation.He was off the field suffering an infection of the middle ear, which started to hinder him when he was bowling.Yuvraj Singh and Mohammad Kaif pottered around attempting to get used to the pace of the pitch but found it a struggle and they came up against the unlikely, but wily, bowling combination of Chris Harris bowling seamers and Andre Adams.Yuvraj was out when caught in the slips by Stephen Fleming off Harris for eight in the 46th over.In the next over Sanjay Bangar was trapped leg before wicket by Adams for one.Agit Agarkar came out to be run out for a duck after Fleming changed fielding position and took the ball at mid on to lob it to Harris who lifted the bails.India went into the last over needing four runs to win.Kaif was bowled by Adams for seven. Then off the next ball Javagal Srinath swung hard at a leg-side ball from Adams, and when he recovered from the exertions of his shot he found Zaheer Khan standing at the crease beside him. By this time wicket-keeper Brendon McCullum was firing the ball back to the bowler’s end where Adams ran out Khan.Umpire Daryl Harper heightened the tension by awarding a wide from the dismissal ball.Srinath then ran a leg bye from the next ball and last man in Ashish Nehra faced up to the penultimate ball, with the New Zealand field right up. He slashed at the ball and ran the single to claim the victory for his side.It was some overdue tension and while the loss was hard to take for the home team, they learned some invaluable lessons about their own indisciplines which cost them dearly.Poor fielding, Sehwag was dropped twice, a hard chance by Harris off Kyle Mills’ bowling on 36 and on 63 by Fleming off Daryl Tuffey saw them punished. Several run out chances also went close.As exercises go it was as good as it could possibly get in a match situation.That any cricket was played at all was a wonder given the conditions 12 hours before the scheduled start time of 2pm. But after the heavy rain of the two previous days, the day dawned fine and with a drying breeze blowing, the ground dried well enough for play to start 15 minutes later. There was no reduction in overs as time was taken off the dinner break.New Zealand struggled through all but the last three or four overs of the innings. In yet another example of pitches doing too much sideways, the boot was on the Indian foot for a change, and the veteran Srinath used his knowledge superbly.Of concern was the manner in which he dismissed Chris Cairns, batting at No 4, through the same gap between bat and pad that he was bowled in the previous game in Wellington. Srinath bowled 10 overs for three for 13 and moved to 297 wickets in One-Day Internationals.Mathew Sinclair opening again in Nathan Astle’s absence scored 18 off 54 balls to give the most graphic demonstration of how difficult it was to move the score along. Fleming had been the first to go off the third ball bowled by left-armer Nehra. The first two balls he had punished but then touched one behind.Harris’ time at No 3 was brief as he was trapped by Agarkar, leg before wicket for a duck.It was a struggle and by the time Cairns went for 13, New Zealand four 50 for four wickets.The first signs of recovery came from Scott Styris and Lou Vincent, who sensibly worked the ones and twos with some attacking running while they also took care of anything errant, with some vicious pull shots on Styris’ part.They added 80 in 20 overs before Styris, attempting to force the pace, was caught at mid-off for 42, scored off 52 balls.McCullum was run out without facing a ball and Mills followed in quick order, also for a duck as New Zealand slumped to 134 for seven wickets. Adams was unable to fire and was bowled by Khan for two while Tuffey was run out at 147 and it seemed it just required Vincent and the last batsman Bond to move the ball around to see out the 50 overs.They did better than that in what was the best clean hitting of the series.Bond was magnificent in hitting three sixes, two of them huge hits, one into the stand behind the bowler Sourav Ganguly and one into the upper deck of the West Stand, one of the biggest hits on the ground.Vincent joined the act and brought up his half century, his fourth in ODIs, with a six off Khan in the last over.By the time the innings ended at 199 for nine wickets, they had scored 52 runs off 23 balls.Khan and Ganguly had their previous tight bowling punished in their last two overs, Ganguly going for 18 off his last and Khan for 15 and 19 off his last two. New Zealand finished their innings with a hiss and a roar, and India started theirs in the same fashion with Sehwag and Ganguly enjoying their best stand of the series.They added 70 runs in 15 overs for the first wicket.New Zealand’s bowlers conceded 12 wides and nine no-balls which was too many under the circumstances and suggested a lack of focus to the levels that had served them so well earlier in the series.The stage has been set for a competitive finale in Hamilton on Tuesday.

Khan Research Laboratories (KRL), Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) and Rawalpindi completed the semifinal line-up in the Quaid-i-Azam Trophy Cricket Championship after rain badly disrupted play in their respective matches.The fourth and final day of the quarterfinal between KRL and National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) was abandoned without a ball being bowled after rains in the wee hours of Friday’s morning had left the pitch square inundated.In fact, strong winds had blown off the tarpaulins from the entire area. As a result, pools of water were visible around the match pitch, which incredibly remained dry.Umpires Islam Khan and Athar Zaidi together with match referee Ilyas Khan supervised the operation to make the area playable. But the desperate efforts of the diligent NSK ground staff was of no avail and the match was officially abandoned as a draw at 4.00pm.KRL qualified by virtue of their slender 16-run lead on the first innings. They meet Faisalabad, who beat Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited (ZTBL) inside three days on Thursday, in the semi-final here at National Stadium from Feb 3.Rawalpindi, meanwhile, went through by a sheer stroke of luck at Arbab Niaz Stadium. Sargodha had batted themselves into a strong position by amassing 365 for three on day one and a bit. But then rain in Peshawar spoilt the show, allowing further play only after lunch on the final day.According to playing conditions, Rawalpindi were required to bat for a minimum of 35 overs to decide the qualifiers. Rawalpindi, who actually needed 122 to qualify, reached 170 for four in 38 overs thanks to an unbroken partnership of 104 between Shiraz Khalid (69 off 102 balls with seven fours and two sixes) and Junaid Zia (45 off 60 balls with nine fours).Meanwhile, PCB’s Cricket Management Committee, taking into consideration the uncertain weather conditions in Punjab and NWFP, decided on Friday to shift the second semifinal, now to be played on Feb 6-9, from Peshawar to UBL Sports Complexand the Feb 17-21 final, originally planned for Gaddafi Stadium, to National Stadium.Our Sports Reporter adds from Rawalpindi: PIA went through to the semifinals on a better run rate after the last day of their quarterfinal against Wapda was washed out.Water seeped through the Rawalpindi Stadium covers after Thursday’s heavy rains that had also prevented play on the third day.The Airliners had a better run rate of 3.710 as against Wapda’s 2.816 by virtue of which they advanced to a semifinal with Rawalpindi.ScoreboardSARGODHA (1st Innings) 365-3 declared (Mohammad Hafeez 106, Majid Saeed 105 not out, Atiq Ahmed 83).RAWALPINDI (1st Innings):Babar Naeem lbw b Hayat 29Saqib Naqeeb lbw b Sami 16Pervez Aziz c and b Hayat 2Shiraz Khalid not out 69Nauman Aman c Shahid b Hayat 1Junaid Zia not out 45EXTRAS (B-1, LB-3, W-1, NB-3) 8TOTAL (for four wkts, 38 overs) 170FALL OF WKTS: 1-22, 2-23, 3-58, 4-66.DID NOT BAT: Asad Khan, Nadeem Abbasi, Jawwad Hameed, Mohammad Akram, Mohammad Fayyaz.BOWLING: Ahmed Hayat 10-0-35-3 (2nb, 1w); Mohammad Sarfraz 6-1-26-0; Samiullah Niazi 9-0-39-1; Jibran Khan 7-1-35-0 (1nb); Mohammad Hafeez 4-0-19-0; Usman Arshad 1-0-4-0; Atiq Ahmed 1-0-8-0.RESULT: Match drawn. Rawalpindi qualify for semifinal on better run rate.UMPIRES: Iftikhar Malik and Iqbal Butt.MATCH REFEREE: Farrukh Zaman.Summarised of other quarterfinals:At National Stadium, Karachi (no play on final day):Match drawn, KRL qualify on first innings lead.KRL 267 (Mohammad Ramzan 110 not out; Shabbir Ahmed 5-93) and 169-4 (Misbah-ul-Haq 70 not out, Saeed bin Nasir 44; Zahid Saeed 3-39)NATIONAL BANK 251 (Naumanullah 67, Kamran Akmal 49; Yasir Arafat 5-74)*At Pindi Cricket Stadium, Rawalpindi (no play on last two days):Match drawn. PIA qualify on better run rateWAPDA 307 (Atiq-ur-Rehman 67, Hasan Adnan 61; Asif Mujtaba 4-74;PIA 144-2 (Yasir Hameed 49 not out).Semi-finals :Feb 3-7: KRL v Faisalabad at National Stadium, Karachi.Feb 6-9: PIA v Rawalpindi at UBL Sports Complex, Karachi

LAHORE, March 13: Opener Saeed Anwar has deferred his retirement from international cricket strengthening the speculation that all the senior players of the Pakistan team have joined hands against the PCB Chairman , Lt. Gen. Tauqir Zia, who has opted to oust them all from the cricket.”I have made up my mind for the retirement but my friends included Test cricketers and religious leaders advised me to continue playing international cricket as enough game is left in me” Saeed told journalists on Thursday.It is learnt that senior cricketers had set aside their own differences to make a joint force against PCB chairman and that prompted Saeed to defer his decision of retirement which he was likely to announce on Thursday in Lahore.Some senior players are likely to be ousted on the disciplinary charges and some like Waqar Younis and Inzamam-ul-Haq are facing the axe due to their performance in the World Cup.

The count down to the final of ICC World Cup 2003 has started after six weeks of hectic cricket. With only the final left to be played, India are strongly fancied to take the World Cup home.

The general perception is that Australia deserve to win the final. Yes, Australia have played some excellent cricket in this World Cup, but one cannot forget the way India have fought back after their dismal performance against the Aussies at Centurion five weeks ago. Their transformation has been remarkable, and purely on the basis of springing back from that debacle, I think the Indians deserve to win the World Cup. Not too many teams in the world have the ability to comeback from such a situation.The remarkable comeback was made possible thanks to the leadership on and off field of Sourav Ganguly. Indian fans were really down after the defeat at Aussie hands and their reaction back home could have completely demoralised any team. The way Ganguly handled the situation with complete confidence and determination speaks volumes for his faith in his team. The players too responded by backing their captain, and they were cool and calm in their approach. The millions of fans back home and worldwide, who were disappointed after the defeat against the Aussies, were made to realise that it was too early to have written their team off after only the second game.

At the fall of each wicket, the idea of all the eleven players huddling in the middle with hands on the shoulders of each other is more evident proof of the positive body language of the captain and team. Because of this each and every fielder is motivated to perform well and this attitude has improved the fielding remarkably. They have saved many runs and have turned half-chances into dismissals of important batsmen. The result is eight consecutive wins, including victories against top one-day cricket teams like Pakistan, New Zealand, Sri Lanka and England.After the Centurion defeat, without wasting much time, the Indian team management made the necessary adjustment in the opening department of the batting line-up. The strategy they came up with was to open with Sehwag and Tendulkar through this World Cup, while the middle order was left flexible to be adjusted according to the situation in the game.Ganguly has almost perfectly applied the important principle of consistency in the use of team resources. The way he has combined the efforts of the three able frontline pace bowlers, the one leading spinner, with the other part-time bowlers has been virtually faultless.It will be quite unfair if the efforts and sound analysis of coach John Wright are not mentioned. Wright has been the backbone of this outstanding resurgence of Indian team. The recent match against Kiwis was very important to keep the Indian winning streak going and also to boost the self-esteem of players, since Indians recently lost five-two to New Zealand. The strategy of fielding first against New Zealand was an excellent example of the coach and captain putting their heads together and working things out.Wright’s recent interview just before the semi-final sums up what a coach needs to say, especially before important games. “We still have a long way to go and, as is the case against any opposition and in any circumstance, we have to achieve our game plans and play well,” he said. “If we do that the result will take care of itself.”Wright has played a key role in the transformation of Tendulkar’s form in this World Cup. After scoring just 36 against Australia, Tendulkar has gone on to play the most crucial and memorable cricket of his career. His 98 against Pakistan and 97 against Sri Lanka can be rated better than any century he has scored before. Sachin totally surprised Pakistan with the onslaught against Shoaib Akhtar and the two Ws. He is on course to be the Best Player of the Tournament and definitely deserves this distinction. It is his positive approach and almost six hundred runs in just nine games, which has helped India to achieve all these superb wins.Sachin’s positive approach will be the key to negate the efforts of McGrath, Lee and Bichel. India will have to rely on their other batsmen too – Sourav, Dravid, Yuvraj, Kaif and Sehwag have all chipped in with useful scores. Especially Dravid’s fifties against Pakistan and New Zealand helped the slightly turbulent ship to reach a safe haven. His innings reminded me of the fighting abilities shown by Javed Miandad in the 1992 World Cup for Pakistan.Merely batsmen and fielders cannot win cricket matches; one needs good bowlers as well. There has been criticism about the Indians not playing one extra bowler, either Agarkar or Kumble. The superlative performance of the three pacers Srinath, Zaheer Khan and Nehra have made up for all such criticism. They have stuck to an excellent line and length, and have made batsmen earn the runs. Bowling of Srinath and Zaheer Khan was one of the reasons for Pakistan’s defeat, and Nehra single-handedly destroyed the English batting line-up at Durban. Harbhajan Singh too has been effective and efficient.I can clearly hear the “Go India Go” slogans of Indian fans at the New Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg, back home and worldwide. What has still to be written into the history books is a win against Australia. Yes, India deserve to achieve that win and lift the prestigious ICC World Cup of 2003.
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The outbreak of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) in Asia has put question marks over New Zealand’s forthcoming tour of Sri Lanka. New Zealand are scheduled to fly to Sri Lanka in less than a fortnight, but Simon Wilson, spokesman for New Zealand Cricket (NZC), indicated that a final decision was unlikely until much closer to the departure date.”NZC is watching developments, talking to the various authorities, and assessing the entire picture in terms of security and safety, as it does with all overseas tours.”Stephen Fleming voiced his concern about the virus too. “If it progresses as expected we might have a problem getting there. When you take into account insurance complications and the already tight security measures … it’s definitely something to watch.”A primary worry for the cricketers is the transit through Singapore, where, according to official figures, 98 people have been infected by the virus and four have died. If the tour does go ahead, it is likely that the team will avoid Singapore and travel via Perth instead. So far, no case of SARS has been detected in Sri Lanka.

Frizzell County Championship Division OneEssex v Surrey
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Before this season Martin Bicknell had made just one first-class century. In the first month of this season he’s already made two – perhaps he’s despaired of getting back into the England side as a bowler, and is gunning for Andy Flintoff’s allrounder spot. Today he cracked 117 not out, with 13 fours and a six, building on the rescue act started by Graham Thorpe – celebrating his return to action with a gritty 52 – and Azhar Mahmood (77). By an early close Surrey had reached 337 for 8 from 90 overs. Graham Napier, another allrounder with England aspirations, took 4 for 73.

Leicestershire v Middlesex
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Leicestershire will have been glad of the rain that caused a premature end at Grace Road – they had slumped to 19 for 3 in the gloom, losing Rob Cunliffe and Darren Maddy for ducks and Virender Sehwag for 10. Earlier Maddy had been an unlikely hero with the ball, wobbling it around at medium-pace and taking 5 for 49. Middlesex had been in trouble themselves, at 93 for 7, but recovered to 201 all out, with Ashley Noffke top-scoring with a forthright 40 from No. 9. He put on 53 with Paul Weekes (29) and 49 more with Chad Keegan (32).Sussex v Nottinghamshire
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Richard Montgomerie’s first century of the season took Sussex to 330 for 5 on the traditionally run-filled pitch at Horsham. Montgomerie hit 14 fours on his way to 105, and shared stands of 87 with Murray Goodwin (38) and 123 with Tony Cottey (58). Stuart MacGill, Nottinghamshire’s Australian legspinner, did most of the bowling, and finished with 3 for 96 from 29 overs.Warwickshire v Kent
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A short day at Edgbaston – only 51.5 overs before the rain set in. In that time Warwickshire recovered from 6 for 3 – Michael Powell and Mark Wagh both went to Martin Saggers for ducks – to reach 195 for 7. The innings of the day was a rapidfire 120 from Jim Troughton, who belted 21 fours and a six in his 131-ball stay.Frizzell County Championship Division TwoDurham v Derbyshire
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Durham batted consistently in reaching 296 for 6 in the 95 overs possible at the Riverside. Jonathan Lewis (52) and Martin Love (54) added 103 for the second wicket before three batsmen were out with the score at 137. But then Gary Pratt (62) and Vince Wells (61*) put on 126. Graeme Welch was the pick of the bowlers with 3 for 53. There was drama even before the start, as Chris Bassano fell ill after the teams had been nominated. Lewis, Durham’s captain, sportingly allowed Derbyshire to replace him (with Steven Selwood), earning himself a pat on the back for the ECB for upholding the spirit of cricket.Hampshire v Somerset
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An unbeaten century by Jamie Cox was the cornerstone of Somerset’s solid score of 224 for 6 on an abbreviated first day at the Rose Bowl. Somerset dipped to 30 for 3 after two early strikes from the lofty Chris Tremlett, but Cox, who has faced 236 balls already, hung on. Wickets went down regularly at the other end until Keith Dutch (30*) stopped the rot. He and Cox have so far put on 62 for the seventh wicket.Worcestershire v Gloucestershire
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Only 29.1 overs at New Road, where Worcestershire, put in, made their way to 72 for 4. There were two wickets for Jonathan Lewis (including the dangerous Graeme Hick for 20) and one apiece for Mike Smith and the New Zealander Ian Butler.Yorkshire v Glamorgan
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Another truncated day at Headingley: this time only 63 overs were possible, during which time Yorkshire staggered to 190 for 9. Gary Fellows hung on for 53, in 103 balls, but otherwise Glamorgan’s pace bowlers held sway – Michael Kasprowicz finished with 4 for 47. India’s Yuvraj Singh, making his Yorkshire debut, fell to him for 11.Other MatchDurham UCCE v Lancashire
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Consistent batting from the Durham students lifted them to 285 for 6 before rain brought a slightly early close at the Racecourse Ground. The opener Simon Hawk – one of those rare birds with four initials – made 59 and David Brown 41 against an unfamiliar-looking Lancashire attack. Chris Schofield, who three years ago was preparing to make his Test debut against Zimbabwe at Lord’s, took 3 for 37 from 24 tight overs of legspin.

Sri Lanka’s team management is mulling over the final makeup of their Test team, weighing up whether to play a seventh batsman or a third fast bowler, according to Duleep Mendis, the team’s interim coach.Mendis, speaking after Sri Lanka’s drawn three-day warm up match against a West Indies Cricket Board Presidents XI, expects the pitch for the opening Test at St Lucia on Friday to suit West Indies’ pace bowlers.”We have kept our options open till we see the pitch,” said Mendis. “We have to decide between playing an additional batsman or a fast bowler. Looking at the team that West Indies have picked for the first Test we’ll probably get a wicket which will seam about a bit.”Sri Lanka used the practice match to assess their bowling options, resting Chaminda Vaas and Prabath Nissanka, who will share the new ball, and Muttiah Muralitharan, who will lead the spin attack. Dharshana Gamage, Thilan Thushara and Dinusha Fernando – all young uncapped fast bowlers – are competing for the third fast bowler’s slot.Thushara, a left-armer, is the frontrunner with his extra pace and nip, but Dinusha Fernando’s ability to swing the ball means that he too is a serious contender.But Mendis was not overly impressed by their performance as the WICB XIscored 296. ” I expected us to get them out for a much smaller score,” he said. “At one stage we were doing ok but they got too close to our total. I am not satisfied because they shouldn’t have got anything more than 250.”Regardless of the conditions – unless, that is, the St Lucia pitchresembles a paddy field – Sri Lanka will play two spinners: Muralitharan and either Kaushal Lokuarachchi or Kumar Dharmasena.Should they decide against playing a third fast bowler, they would then have the chance to bolster their batting. Considering that this has been the weakest department of their game in recent months, this is a likely strategy.Romesh Kaluwitharana could then slip down to number seven to make way for Tillakaratne Dilshan or Thilan Samaraweera. Dilshan’s case for inclusion is excellent after a gritty return to the one-day side that has eased doubts over his temperament.But Samaraweera, an offspinning allrounder, has a fabulous Test record.Currently averaging 83 after 10 matches, having already scored twocenturies, he has just recovered from a hand injury that kept him out of the last series against New Zealand.Mendis, although pleased that Kumar Sangakkara (41), Marvan Atapattu (59) and Hashan Tillakaratne (40) all got useful practice in the first innings, would have preferred to have seen more of both Dilshan and Samaraweera.”I would have been much happier if the others had also got some runs before the first Test,” said Mendis. “But it was good that Sanath [Jayasuriya] got a good knock in the second innings.”

Chetram Singh, president of the Guyana Cricket Board and the forerunner for the post of president of the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB), withdrew from the elections amidst controversy about his bookmaking business.Singh, in a media release, said that he had “accepted the nomination for the post out of my love for West Indies cricket and my desire to continue to serve wherever I am most needed. It is that same love of this game and our region that has prompted me to withdraw from this election.””I believe that West Indies cricket needs continued unity at this time and I would not wish to accept the post of President without the broad-based support of the Board and the cricket-loving people of the Caribbean,” he said.Singh added that he was aware of the concern his ownership of the Goodwood Racing Service had generated, and that he made no apologies for a business he had run “legally and with integrity for over 20 years. During my 35 years in a variety of businesses and over two decades in cricket administration, I have earned the respect of corporate Guyana and the cricketing fraternity.”The release also assured his “fellow directors … that this turn of events has not in any way diminished my commitment to the work of the WICB and I look forward to continuing my service to West Indies cricket.”

Having some of Australia’s World Cup heroes in town for the first Test to be staged in Darwin has its advantages for local schoolchildren.On Tuesday next week, Andy Bichel, Adam Gilchrist, Jason Gillespie, Justin Langer, Brett Lee and Brad Hogg will host 150 pupils from three primary schools, Durack, Casuarina Street and Nightcliff, at the Northern Territory Cricket Association (NTCA) No 1 Oval for a MILO Cricket superclinic.Darwin’s first Test match, between Australia and Bangladesh starts at Marrara Oval on Friday week.The schools were selected from a competition run in the local newspaper, the Northern Territory News. The two-hour session in the afternoon will feature several modified games and skill-building activities and will be co-ordinated by NTCA development officers.Gilchrist acknowledged the chance the Test match provided to pass on some knowledge and tips to local youngsters. “The MILO Cricket programs, with its emphasis on participation fun and learning, are the ideal ways to introduce young players to the game. Cricket is Australia’s only true national sport, and it’s particularly exciting to be able to take the MILO Cricket program to the Top End. It’s the second time I’ve been involved in the program in Darwin and I know the kids are going to get a lot of enjoyment from it.”Under the sponsored-Superclinic program, more than half a million young Australians are exposed to cricket each year. Eight Superclinics are being held around the country this year.The programs include: Have A Go a cricket club-based program focused on introducing five to 10 years old to the game;Kanga Cricket – a school based program that is now part of 90% of Australian schools syllabuses; and Super 8s – a modified game played by more than 4400 teams from secondary schools and cricket clubs around the country.