England have received a boost in the build-up to the first Test at Lord's which start next Thursday (May 17) with the news that Michael Vaughan may recover in time to play.

Vaughan suffered a broken finger last week when he was struck on the hand in a County Championship match by Hampshire's Stuart Clark. The initial prognosis was that he would need between three and four weeks to recover.

But Martyn Moxon, Yorkshire's director of cricket, told the BBC that Vaughan had "definitely improved since it happened last week.

"I don't know whether they've made a decision or not but he's getting better," Moxon said. "I've not had a chance to speak to him yet today but hopefully we'll know by early next week."

There was also good news regarding Kevin Pietersen, who missed the current round of county matches with a strain to his left calf. He expects to have fully recovered in time for the Test.

URL: http://cricketflavor.blogspot.com/2007/05/vaughan-and-pietersen-boost-for-england.html

Ramnaresh Sarwan believes the tour of England is the perfect opportunity for West Indies, who he admitted were "in a bit of a turmoil", to launch a new era.

Speaking for the first time since arriving in the UK, he said it was important for the team to stick together and shake off the tag of indiscipline which dogged them during the World Cup.

"Both teams are under a bit of pressure, after not playing that well in the World Cup," he said. "We'll have to be very careful what we do against England - but I think they'll be a bit low on confidence as well. They didn't do that well in the Tests in Australia, so this is an opportunity for both teams to revive themselves."

The West Indies board has gone to great lengths to ensure the players maintain their focus on tour. The players were given a handbook of rules and regulations before they left Barbados, including an 11.30pm curfew, which Sarwan is confident will be adhered to.

"When we were playing at home there was speculation about guys being indisciplined," he said. "Those rumours were unfortunate; when you are not playing well people tend to point fingers. I think the board realised there were perhaps one or two things that could be changed to help to take West Indies cricket forward.

"Discipline plays a major part in sport, and sometimes you have to clamp down on that. We never had a curfew before, and that is in place now. I don't think any of us will have a problem with that."

Despite the retirement of Brian Lara, Sarwan remains confident about his team's chances. "Of course we think we can win this series - that's why we're here," he said. I want to see us be positive and put in that effort which has probably been lacking in the past. If we can do that I'll be very happy."

He will lean heavily on the likes of Chris Gayle and Shivnarine Chanderpaul who have past experience in England. The squad also includes youngsters Ravi Rampaul, Darren Sammy and Runako Morton and Sarwan remains realistic about what is possible in a short space of time.

"West Indies cricket is in a bit of turmoil, and it is very important for this group of young guys to pull together as a team and move West Indies cricket forward," he said. "It's not going to happen overnight - it's going to be a long process."

West Indies don't have much time to prepare with just one match, against Somerset starting on Saturday, before the first Test on Thursday.

URL: http://cricketflavor.blogspot.com/2007/05/sarwan-admits-west-indies-in-turmoil.html

This was a game between a side that finished seventh in the World Cup and one that exited in the first round. It looked the part. That it provided entertainment shouldn't hide the fact that the match was below the high standards other teams have set. Just like the scrappy level of competition cannot hide the fact that this series is being played in the wrong place at the wrong time.

The conditions in Mirpur are sapping, with high humidity levels and temperatures around 35 degrees celsius. What suffered the most was the fielding. "Fielding in the morning is quite challenging here," Rahul Dravid, the India captain, said. It will be interesting to see what the captains do after winning the toss if they are given a greentop.

But even Dravid agreed that the conditions could not be used as an excuse for their fielding effort. Fielding is very much a function of enjoying your game, something Ravi Shastri had stressed upon at the preparatory camp. Yet there was enough evidence today that those lessons hadn't been learnt. A nick that flew between the wicketkeeper and first slip while both stood watching, a jogging Munaf Patel escorting the ball to the boundary, Zaheer Khan ambling towards a skied shot - these lapses all helped Bangladesh get up to 250. "I am not using the conditions as an excuse," Dravid said. "We can definitely do better at fielding." The truth is India simply have too many fielders who need to be hidden.

Bangladesh, on their part, gifted away too many opportunities to win the match. Tamim Iqbal, after starting off well and having put India under pressure, offered his wicket to Dinesh Mongia in his first over. They scored only 65 after Javed Omar fell in the 39th over.

And though Bangladesh managed to get India down on the mat, thanks largely to poor shots by the top order, the advantage slipped away. They no doubt missed Mashrafe Mortaza, but nevertheless relied too heavily on the three left-arm spinners. When Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Dinesh Karthik had their measure, there was no one to fall back upon. The confusion of having a runner seemed to confuse the fielding team more than India. Karthik was let off when he had just two, when Abdur Razzak fumbled a throw. They threw at the wrong end once and when India were within reach, the captaincy lacked imagination.

It was a close match, but unfair as it may sound to Dhoni's effort, one decided by who erred more and at what juncture. The hot, sapping conditions are not expected to get any better; hopefully the teams will.

URL: http://cricketflavor.blogspot.com/2007/05/sloppiness-taints-india-win.html