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

Wicketkeeper Mahendra Singh Dhoni completed his 2,000 runs in One-Day Internationals during his match-winning knock against Bangladesh on Thursday.

The remarkable thing about Dhoni's performance is that among all wicketkeepers in the world, he is the third fastest to reach this landmark, in his 62nd innings.

Only fellow teammate and skipper Rahul Dravid and England's Alec Stewart have completed 2,000 runs in lesser number of innings than Dhoni.

URL: http://cricketflavor.blogspot.com/2007/05/dhoni-completes-2000-odi-runs.html

Mahendra Singh Dhoni's valiant half-century helped India avoid the blushes against Bangladesh in the first one-day international at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur, Dhaka, on Thursday.

Set a stiff target of 251 in 47 overs, India looked in all sorts of trouble at 144 for 5 in the 29th over, but Dhoni, who used a runner for most part of his innings after being down with cramps, hit and unbeaten 91 as India posted 251 for 5 in 46 overs. The five-wicket victory gave the tourists a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.

It was not a typically flamboyant, attacking knock from Dhoni; the Jharkhand wicketkeeper was made to work for every single run on a hot, humid afternoon. He hit seven boundaries in his 106-ball knock, adding 107 runs for the unbroken sixth-wicket with Dinesh Karthik.

Karthik, his wicketkeeping rival now in the team purely as a batsman, also used his grey cells to the best in scoring 56.

Actually, their batting was a lesson for their other highly-accomplished team mates who failed to fire yet again.

Rahul Dravid (22), Virender Sehwag (30) and Yuvraj Singh (1) failed to play the big innings, something that is expected from them.

Earlier, opener Javed Omar top-scored with 80 to guide Bangladesh to a competitive 250 for 7 in their 47 overs.

Part-timer Dinesh Mongia was the most successful Indian bowler, claiming 3 for 49 in his 10 overs.

Left-hander Saqibul Hasan scored a brisk 50, adding 108 runs for the third wicket with Omar to lay the foundation for the innings.

Bangladesh innings:

The match was reduced to 47 overs-a-side after light rain delayed the start of play by 45 minutes.

Home captain Habibul Bashar had no hesitation in electing to bat on winning the toss. He obviously wanted to post a decent target and then unleash his left-arm spinners, like he had done in the five-wicket win over India at the World Cup.

India, on their part, tried to counter that tactic by including two left-handers in Gautam Gambhir and Dinesh Mongia, the latter also can prove handy with his bowling.

Bangladesh blossomed after a casual start, courtesy young left-hander Tamim Iqbal, who was his usual self, looking to attack every possible opportunity. The left-hander was lucky to survive a caught behind chance before opening his account, in the second over to S Sreesanth. Television replays showed a faint edge, which was not ruled out by the umpire.

Javed Omar got off the mark with a cracking boundary through the off-side off Zaheer Khan. Tamim then showed his class, producing a lovely straight boundary off Sreesanth and then followed it up with a lofted one over the point region. Tamim laid into Zaheer in the next over, the fifth of the innings. He hit a straight drive and then creamed one through the covers as Bangladesh started to accelerate.

For the Indians, it seemed a repeat of the World Cup story, when a Tamim-led assault knocked the stuffing out of the Indian bowling.

In the seventh over, Tamim (18) got another reprieve when he slashed at a wide delivery. The resultant edge flew at a good height, but wicketkeeper M S Dhoni and Virender Sehwag just stared at each other as the ball sped between them. The left-hander also time and again charged down the pitch to Zaheer Khan, but mostly failed to connect.

The pair flourished till the 17th over, when Tamim fell to part-time spinner Dinesh Mongia. The left-hander, frustrated by the slow run-scoring in the last few overs, tried to take charge but was caught at long-on by Sehwag for a well-made 45.

Captain Habibul Bashar gifted his wicket away when he tried to charge Ramesh Powar and was caught by Gautam Gambhir at mid-on for 0.

Playing in his last one-day tournament, Bashar faced a lot of flak for his poor batting at the World Cup and he did his cause no good with the shot. It also gave the Indians a wonderful opportunity to claw their way back into the game after that fine start by Bangladesh.

The experienced Omar then set about building the innings together with a good partnership with Saqibul Hasan. While Omar was quite content to look for the singles, Saqibul was the one looking to force the pace.

Omar reached his half-century, his tenth in ODIs, off 84 balls, inclusive of five boundaries and a six.

The innings, though slow at that point, gradually gained pace. Saqibul was the catalyst, as he played a couple of cheeky shots, the most remarkable ones being the chip shots played over the short fine leg fielder off the pacers.

Just when Omar appeared heading towards what would have been a well-deserved century, he was run out in the 39th over. But his job was done; he had set the stage perfectly for a lower order assault in the final overs. Not surprisingly, the 30-year-old got a standing ovation from the Bangladeshi fans in the stadium.

Saqibul was the next to fall, stumped by Dhoni off Mongia for 50 as he tried to lift the scoring rate in the final overs.

As the temperature out in the middle began rising, it got hot in the new, swanky air-conditioned press box too. A long power failure made it uncomfortable for all the journalists.

Mohammad Ashraful played another handy innings, hitting 29 off 22 deliveries, inclusive of three boundaries, before he was bowled by Mongia. Aftab Ahmad fell leg before wicket to Sehwag for 16 and Mohammad Rafique was dismissed off the last ball of the innings for 11.

Bangladesh's final total of 250 for 7 in 47 overs could well prove to be a mountain for the Indians.

Also, one must keep in mind's India recent track record of traditionally not being the best when it comes to chasing down targets.

The batting hasn't lived up to expectations recently, the team failing to cross the 200-run mark against Sri Lanka and Bangladesh at the World Cup.

India desperately need to win this one and regain self-belief, while for the hosts, it is a chance to prove that their World Cup victory was no fluke.

On a pitch that is getting slower and slower, and with a bunch of left-arm spinners, Bangladesh may well be fancying their chances.

India innings

India got off to a flying start, courtesy Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir. Both the openers hit a flurry of boundaries and it was clear that India had come out with a set game plan of attacking in the initial overs.

But the Bangladeshi team kept fighting and didn't hold back even in the face of the onslaught. Their efforts paid off when Gambhir fell leg before wicket to Syed Rasel for 21 (17 balls), to a delivery that kept low in the fifth over of the innings.

Dhoni was sent in at number three, with an obvious plan of keeping up the run-rate. The right-hander has an impressive record at number three, having scored 543 runs in 9 innings at an average of 64.25.

Sehwag, meanwhile, continued in his usual attacking vein. But his wicket also fell at the wrong time as far as India was concerned. He hit four consecutive boundaries off Rasel in the seventh over before he fell, caught in the covers. Saqibul produced a good diving catch in the cover region to send him back for 30 off 21 balls, which was inclusive of seven boundaries, just when he threatened to run away with the game.

Yuvraj Singh's innings (1) ended tamely, when he offered a simple catch to the cover fielder after being deceived by a slower delivery from Shahadat Hossain. India suddenly looked a bit shaky, having been reduced to 63 for 3 in the 10th over.

Dravid made just 22 before he offered a simple catch to the point fielder off left-arm spinner Saqibul Hasan. His horror run against Bangladesh continues. Before this match, the Indian captain had scored 133 runs in 8 matches at a below-par average of 26.60.

Being the senior-most batsmen in the side and in the absence of stalwarts like Tendulkar and Ganguly, Dravid was expected to lead from the front, but, unfortunately, he failed, leaving India with a tall mountain to climb after being reduced to 112 for 4 in the 21st over.

Near the half-way stage India were 120 for 4 in 23 overs and once again their weakness against left-arm spin came to the fore.

Dhoni and Dinesh Mongia then tried to resurrect the damage with some sensible batting in the middle overs against the slow bowlers. But then disaster struck as India lost the wicket of Mongia, caught at midwicket off Saqibul for 25. India were now in trouble at 144 for 5 in the 29th over. With only one recognized batsman left in Dinesh Karthik, it remained to be seen whether Dhoni, who was struggling with cramps, could bail the team out from this difficult position.

He reached his half-century, his 13th in ODIs, off 67 deliveries inclusive of five boundaries, in the 31st over.
Karthik praised by many for his cricketing intelligence, showed why he is so highly rated as one of the best thinking cricketers in the country. He settled down nicely as the two wicketkeepers slowly but steadily got back India in the game. With no batsmen to follow, the two made sure they took minimum risks and concentrated on singles and twos off every possible delivery.

In fact, between the 30th over and 40th over, they scored 61 runs, but only hit a boundary each.

Karthik reached his half-century in style, hitting a straight boundary off Rasel in the 46th over. The shot also brought up the 100-run partnership for the sixth wicket as the crowd started to leave the ground, with a cloud cover promising heavy rain hovering above.

Karthik finished unbeaten on 58 from 60 balls, with four boundaries.

Dhoni batted on one leg for most part of his innings after suffering from heavy cramps, but that didn't stop him from playing one of his best knocks.

He finished unbeaten on 91 from 106 balls, inclusive of seven boundaries, as India reached 251 for 5 in 46 overs.

A smile and relief was writ large on Dravid's face at the end. And why not?

India will now be hoping to produce a much-improved performance when the teams meet in the second match on Saturday and seal the series.

URL: http://cricketflavor.blogspot.com/2007/05/dhoni-karthik-guide-india-to-victory.html

Pakistani pace bowler Mohammad Asif has been recalled to the squad for this month's one-day series against Sri Lanka in Abu Dhabi.

Asif, who missed the World Cup due to an elbow injury, was included in a 16-man squad for the series to be played from May 18-22.

Asif and fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar tested positive for nandrolone last October but a Pakistan Cricket Board appeals panel cleared them of doping a offence and overturned their bans.

The squad also includes uncapped players Fawad Alam and Najaf Shah.

"It is the best possible side we could pick after the World Cup with Inzamam retired and Younis Khan also not available due to his county commitments," chief selector Salahuddin Ahmed said.

The Sri Lanka series will be Shoaib Malik's first as captain after he replaced senior batsman, Inzamam-ul-Haq, who stepped down as skipper and retired from one-day internationals during the World Cup.

Pakistan, under Inzamam, were eliminated in the first round of the World Cup after losing to hosts West Indies and Ireland.

Pakistan squad: Shoaib Malik (captain), Imran Nazir, Salman Butt, Mohammad Hafeez, Mohammad Yousuf, Yasir Hameed, Kamran Akmal, Shahid Afridi, Abdul Razzaq, Fawad Alam, Abdul Rehman, Mohammad Asif, Umar Gul, Rao Iftikhar, Mohammad Sami, Najaf Shah.

URL: http://cricketflavor.blogspot.com/2007/05/asif-recalled-for-sri-lanka-series.html

Indian captain Rahul Dravid said his side are placing a priority on playing good cricket and not on getting revenge for their shock World Cup defeat by the hosts as his touring squad landed in Bangladesh on Monday.

Dravid arrived in Dhaka as part of a 15-member squad, who will play three one-day internationals and two Test matches, starting with the opening limited overs contest in the Bangladeshi capital on Thursday.

"I don't really believe in revenge. There is no place for it in our book," he told reporters at the airport.

"What there is, is a place to show your potential and play really, very good cricket and I think that's what we are looking to do here."

Bangladesh beat India by five wickets in the World Cup group stages in the Caribbean on March 17 as the former champions were dumped from the tournament in the preliminary round.

"There were a lot of young players in the Bangladesh team that we hadn't seen much of [before the World Cup]," Dravid added.

"Now we have a lot more first-hand knowledge about some of their better players," added the 34-year old batsman, who is leading a relatively inexperienced team in the one-day series.

"I am sure that we have got some very good players, very talented players and the players are ready to do well. That's what we expect to show during the series" Dravid said.

The Indian captain also dismissed fears that the sweltering heat could pose a problem for his side.

Weather officials in Dhaka said the average temperature in the last seven days had hit 37 degrees Celsius in many parts of the country -- up to seven degrees higher than for the same period last year.

"The weather is the same for both teams and a lot of our players endure similar conditions in India," he said.

"It is not that we are coming from somewhere where the weather is very different form here, so I don't think it's really an issue for us.

"We had a good camp in Kolkata, the boys really acclimatised well and are looking forward to playing some very good cricket."

URL: http://cricketflavor.blogspot.com/2007/05/revenge-not-on-dravids-mind.html

A tight security cordon has been thrown around the Indian team which arrived in Dhaka on Monday for a three-match one-day and two-match Test series against Bangladesh starting on May 10.

Policemen lined the entire route from the Zia International Airport to the team hotel, where a large number of police personnel have been posted.

Apart from the police, Rapid Action Battalion, commandos, plain clothes detective department sleuths are also guarding the team hotel where entry has been restricted.

Arrangements have also been made to provide fool-proof security at the Sher-e-Bangla stadium in Mirpur, where the first two one-dayers would be played on May 10 and 12.

"We are not leaving anything to chance," a Bangladesh Cricket Board official (BCB) said.

Meanwhile, ticket sales for the first one-dayer started on Monday.

URL: http://cricketflavor.blogspot.com/2007/05/tight-security-for-team-india-in-dhaka.html

Sri Lanka Cricket officials are to raise with the International Cricket Council Australian Adam Gilchrist's use of a squash ball in his left glove in the World Cup final.
Gilchrist used the squash ball when he smashed 149 in a match his match-winning innings.

"We don't think he did anything illegal but we question whether it was unethical or within the spirit of the game," cricket board secretary Kangadaran Mathivanan told Reuters.

"We plan to raise the issue with the ICC in June so that there can be a discussion as to whether using an object inside the glove should be permitted or not," he added.

Gilchrist used the squash call after advice from his coach Bob Meuleman, who believed it would help him with his grip.

URL: http://cricketflavor.blogspot.com/2007/05/sri-lanka-to-question-gilchrists-use-of.html

Australian cricket officials have dismissed suggestions from a top Sri Lankan official that Adam Gilchrist breached the sport's ethics by batting with a squash ball in his glove during last month's World Cup final.

Gilchrist destroyed Sri Lanka's bowlers with a masterful 149 off 104 balls in the Barbados final to put Australia on course for a fourth World Cup title.

The wicketkeeper-batsman partly credited his performance to having the squash ball in his glove, saying it helped remind him to keep his bottom hand from moving too far around the grip.

But Sri Lankan cricket board secretary Kangadaran Mathivanan claims Gilchrist's actions, while not illegal, are unethical and he wants the International Cricket Council (ICC) to act.

"We don't think he did anything illegal but we question whether it was unethical or within the spirit of the game," Mathivanan said.

"We plan to raise the issue with the ICC in June so that there can be a discussion as to whether using an object inside the glove should be permitted or not."

Mathivanan was quoted by the Sydney Morning Herald comparing Gilchrist's use of the squash ball to Trevor Chappell's infamous underarm delivery but Sri Lankan spinner Muttiah Muralitharan said the official's sentiments are not shared by anyone else.

"The is his personal opinion, the team doesn't think that," Muralitharan said.

Australian officials laughed off the matter, with spokesman Peter Young describing the complaints as a beat-up.

"It's a storm in a teacup, or a batting glove," Young told the Australian Associated Press.

"It's been suggested that if shoving a squash ball into your bottom glove makes you bat like Adam Gilchrist then perhaps the ICC should make it compulsory."

Australian batting coach Bob Meuleman said he is disappointed by Mathivanan's comments.

"It's just a little bit sad that some people think there's something sinister in it. There's not," he said.

URL: http://cricketflavor.blogspot.com/2007/05/australia-laugh-off-sri-lankan.html

Former England batsman Geoff Boycott believes India captain Rahul Dravid needs to be more assertive for the team to rediscover success.

"Rahul Dravid is a superb batsman, a lovely lad who nobody dislikes but he needs to stand up and take charge," Boycott said on Saturday. "He is not a born leader.

"A strong leader is a must. India's best period in recent years has been with a strong captain (Sourav) Ganguly and a nice man behind the scenes in John Wright.

"They complemented each other," Boycott wrote in Mumbai daily DNA on Saturday of the previous captain-coach combination when New Zealander Wright served as India's first foreign coach for almost five years.

The Indian board is looking for Greg Chappell's successor after the Australian resigned as coach following the team's first-round exit in the World Cup in the Caribbean.

"A coach can help with motivation, shaping a player's batting or bowling plus organisation, but in the end, the captain should be the guy pulling the strings."

Dravid was retained as skipper for the next three series, starting with the tour of Bangladesh which starts on Thursday, with former India captain Ravi Shastri appointed cricket manager.

"Finding another coach is not the panacea to building a great side. I don't think it matters whether a coach is from India or abroad. For me, too much is made of the role of the coach," Boycott said.

"India have just had a strong coach in Greg Chappell and a nice man in as captain (Dravid). It doesn't work as well."

URL: http://cricketflavor.blogspot.com/2007/05/dravid-not-born-leader-boycott.html

Players were not the only ones tired and bored of the long-drawn cricket World Cup, umpires were left equally exhausted by the tournament's length, said Pakistani umpire Aleem Dar. Dar, who stood in the finals of the mega-event which ended last week, felt the World Cup was pretty well-organised but was too long.

"It was a bit too long and in the end tired out the players and umpires. I think the World Cup should be of shorter duration," Dar said.

Dar and fellow umpire Steve Bucknor were at the centre of a rain-affected chaotic final which saw Australia clinch their third successive title in near-darkness. Dar defended himself saying the confusion did not occur because of on-field officials.

"I think there was a communication breakdown and we acted on instructions from outside. But the feeling was that the match had to be completed on the reserve day but the captains told us this is the rule," he clarified.

Defending his fellow umpires and officials, Dar said they were also human beings and could make mistakes.

"At times mistakes do happen. The ICC and match officials have done the right thing apologising for the mistake made in the final," the umpire, who has supervised 37 tests and 88 ODIs, said.

URL: http://cricketflavor.blogspot.com/2007/05/umpires-were-tired-during-wc.html

It was the news everyone in England was hoping not to hear. Michael Vaughan has been injured and is likely to miss the first Test on May 17. The fact that he has broken a finger (his middle right one) and not ruptured his knee again will be of little comfort for England who will take on West Indies at Lord's in less than a fortnight.

He could also miss the second Test, at his home ground Headingley, which starts on May 25. The ECB has confirmed that Vaughan will be reassessed prior to the first Test.

Vaughan retired hurt on Thursday, evading a Stuart Clark delivery, after scoring 16 in Yorkshire's second innings in their Championship match against Hampshire. He had looked in good touch, with 72 in the first innings. After being struck, he faced the first two balls of the following over from James Tomlinson, but then left the field to go to hospital.

Thoughts will now turn to the replacement captain. Andrew Strauss, who has led England before, and Paul Collingwood, who has been tipped as a future England captain, are likely to be the frontrunners.

Andrew Flintoff has already had captaincy experience, too, heading England in their most recent Ashes series. However, he is unlikely to feature too heavily in the selectors' thoughts after his late-night drinking session in the Caribbean, after which he was stripped of the vice-captaincy.

The Yorkshire physiotherapist, Scott McAllister, said of Vaughan's injury: "Results from the hospital show that he has suffered a fractured finger. It looks like he might be out for three to four weeks, but it's too early to say with absolute certainty."

Vaughan missed all of last year's Test action against Sri Lanka and Pakistan - and has missed 15 Tests in a row in total - following a knee operation and then other injuries. His last match was in December 2005.

URL: http://cricketflavor.blogspot.com/2007/05/vaughan-likely-to-miss-first-test.html

The three-match ODI series between Pakistan and Sri Lanka in Abu Dhabi has been postponed for at least one week. The opening match of the series was scheduled for May 9, 2007, but it is now uncertain when, or even if, it will start.

According to Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), the postponement of the series was requested by the Sri Lanka board after their team were delayed at Heathrow Airport on their way back from the Caribbean. However, newspaper reports suggest that the hastily-arranged series was struggling to find sponsors for the event and this is what has caused the delay.

That was, however, denied by the PCB. "The series is very much on and the dates of the matches would be announced by the organisers in consultation with the Sri Lankans and the PCB," Zakir Khan, PCB's director of operations, told The News.

Further reports suggest that the start date could be anytime between May 15 and May 18, but the PCB is yet to receive a Memorandum of Understanding from the hosts. Only then can the dates be confirmed.

Pakistan players, in the wake of their early exit from the tournament, are already in action on the county circuit as well as a training camp in Lahore organised by the new selection committee.

URL: http://cricketflavor.blogspot.com/2007/05/abu-dhabi-series-faces-delays.html

Shaun Tait and Brett Lee could form an intimidating new-ball partnership after Ricky Ponting said they could both fit into the same side. Lee's ankle injury forced him out of the World Cup and allowed Tait the chance to come in and collect 23 wickets at 20.3.

The prospect of the pair working together excites Ponting. "You can absolutely have both those guys in the one team, and if you put a couple of other steadier guys around him you'd have a pretty awesome attack," Ponting told The Australian. "Tait can do a great job for you with the new ball in Test cricket as well as one-day cricket, which is how we used him in the World Cup.

"He knocks batsmen over. If he gets that new ball swinging and he gets it right, there aren't many batsmen in the world who are going to be able to keep him out."

Tait said opening with Lee "would be awesome". "If I can work towards that and Brett can come back stronger from his injury it would be a good thing for the country to watch, I reckon," he said.

Ponting said Tait had taken over the team's role as the "out and out strike bowler" in the World Cup. "Brett was that a few years ago, but I think he's been able to change his whole game around and become economical." He called Tait "Mr Unpredictable". "You could bowl him for just two or three overs up front in Test cricket, too, and then bring on someone steady like Stuey Clark."

Glenn McGrath, who celebrated his retirement during a public reception in Sydney on Thursday, agreed with Ponting. "'Binga' [Lee] might be classed as a pedal-to-the-metal type of bowler, but I think his control is pretty good," McGrath said. "I think what makes Taity special is his uniqueness. As long as no-one tries to change that he should be fine."

The squad has lost four long-term members over the past five months, with McGrath joining Shane Warne, Justin Langer and Damien Martyn in retirement, but Ponting expects his new-look team to keep the same standards. "I actually see it as one of the most exciting phases of my career," Ponting said in the Sydney Morning Herald. "The most important thing is that the older guys in the team have to keep maintaining their high standards, and if we have to carry some of the younger guys through for a while, so be it."

Adam Gilchrist said it would be a challenge to maintain the results. "But we're too well set up," he said. "We've got such a good infrastructure. We're the world leaders big-time in that area alone, let alone every other area that we dominate the world in."

URL: http://cricketflavor.blogspot.com/2007/05/lee-and-tait-may-open.html

John Buchanan will pursue a career as a "mentor coach" after turning down an indirect offer to replace Greg Chappell in India. After almost eight years in charge Buchanan has left the Australian set-up and will be succeeded by Tim Nielsen, whose first duty is taking the team to the Twenty20 World Cup in South Africa in September.

"There was some indirect contact from India," Buchanan said in the Sydney Morning Herald. "But at the moment I am looking for new challenges as a mentor coach, and speaking to Cricket Australia and the Australian Sports Commission about that, as well as a move into corporate coaching."

Buchanan said he still had some interest in working with international teams, but was looking forward to spending time with his family. "I really want to be around for that period of [my children's] schooling," he said. "But that probably takes me to my late-50s, and if I would like to specifically be involved in the game, maybe I'll have passed my used-by date by then. We'll see."

When Australia lost the 2005 Ashes series Buchanan considered stepping down, but since then the team has completed a dream run by winning the Ashes 5-0 and taking the World Cup without losing a match for the second tournament in a row. "It is a fairytale," he said. "After the Ashes in 2005 I looked at whether or not I was really required, and had to answer those questions. But the last three tournaments - the ICC Champions Trophy, the Ashes and then the World Cup - to win three of those is an unbelievable finale." He finishes his stint as the game's most successful coach.

Nielsen worked as Buchanan's assistant on the 2005 Ashes tour and he has been given some advice from his predecessor. "Possibly the less he talks to me the better," Buchanan said. "He's got to make his own decisions and his own calls, and I'm sure he will. We'll sit down and have a beer or two and talk about a whole range of things. As the role goes on, I'll always be there if he wants me."

URL: http://cricketflavor.blogspot.com/2007/05/buchanan-rejects-india-coaching-role.html

The West Indies have surprisingly left batsman Marlon Samuels out of a 15-man squad for the four-Test series in England, starting on May 17. West Indies Cricket Board selectors have chosen a squad combining youth and experience as they seek to rebuild after a disappointing World Cup on home soil.

There are five pacemen and two seam bowling all-rounders, including Ravi Rampaul and Darren Sammy who have played one-dayers and now get a chance to make their Test debuts. The squad does not include a back-up wicketkeeper for Denesh Ramdin or a specialist spinner.

URL: http://cricketflavor.blogspot.com/2007/05/windies-drop-samuels-for-england-tests.html

Pakistani fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar says he wants to get his fitness problems sorted out once and for all during the lean cricketing season and come back tougher for the home series against South Africa in September.

Shoaib, who has not been named even in the probables for the Abu Dhabi series against Sri Lanka, said he would make full use of the gap.

"I'm fit. I never said I was unfit. I had a knee injury before the World Cup but I just need a little bit more time to get fitter and get myself sorted out properly once and for all," he was quoted as saying by The News.

URL: http://cricketflavor.blogspot.com/2007/05/shoaib-says-hes-fit.html

Taking forward the decision taken by its all-powerful Working Committee, the Board of Control for Cricket in India said all players picked for the Bangladesh tour would be given a flat retainer of Rs 500,000.

"In addition to the flat retainer of Rs five lakh the players would be entitled for match fees and bonus," said BCCI secretary Niranjan Shah on his return from the West Indies, on Thursday.

The Working Committee had decided at its World Cup review meeting in Mumbai on April 7 to abolish graded payment for the players and instead introduce a flat retainer.

Till the end of September, 2006, the players were divided into three categories - A, B and C - and awarded annual retainers of Rs 50 lakh, Rs 35 lakh and Rs 20 lakh respectively.

There are some changes in the match fees for the players and they would get approximately Rs 1.5 lakh and Rs 2.5 lakh per ODI and Test respectively.

Shah, who had gone to the Caribbean to witness the final stages of the World Cup, said there would also be bonuses for the players.

"There will be a bonus if the team wins a match and a separate one too if it wins the series, but there won't be deduction for any losses," he said, adding that exact details of the amount would be announced later.

"All these amounts as well as the condition that the players' individual endorsements would be limited to three per head have been included in the contracts clauses to be signed by the players before they leave for Bangladesh on May 7," Shah said.

Shah said the complete contracts, minus signed up amounts, of the personal endorsement deals entered into by the players will have to be submitted to the BCCI.

"As has been decided by the Working Committee (on April 7) the players have to provide copies of their endorsement contracts to the Board," he said.

"They have been giving us the list of products they are endorsing so far. But we have asked them for the entire contracts but without the contracted amounts which we don't want to know," he said.

Shah, however, termed as "hypothetical" a query on what decision would the BCCI take if the players refuse to sign on the dotted line.

"I can't answer hypothetical questions. Let us wait and see. I have just come today from abroad. I am going to Kolkata on Sunday, the last day of the conditioning camp for the team," he said.

He said the drafts of the contracts had been sent to the players five or six days ago.

Shah maintained the players won't be losers due to the reduced retainer and match fees as they are entitled to bonus payments if they end up victorious.

Earlier, the contracted players received Rs 1.5 and Rs 2.5 lakh per ODI and Test while the non-contracted cricketers got Rs 2 and Rs 3.5 lakh respectively.

The players (international and domestic equally) were also receiving 26 per cent of the gross revenue of the Board, including for TV rights, till it was decided at the last AGM of the BCCI that the amount due to the players would exclude revenue from the lucrative TV rights.

URL: http://cricketflavor.blogspot.com/2007/05/players-to-get-rs-5-lakh-retainer.html

Sachin Tendulkar rejoined Team India's practice session for a few hits on the second day of the cricket conditioning camp, ahead of the tour of Bangladesh, in Kolkata, on Thursday.

"He continues to get ice treatment. Physio John Gloster says he is improving," the Indian team's administrative manager, Surendra Bhave, said.

Tendulkar, who skipped the morning session, wielded the willow for about 15 minutes at the indoor gymnasium adjacent to the Eden Gardens in the afternoon. The team spent an hour at the indoor facility, where practice was temporarily shifted to due to unseasonal rain. Later, when the team resumed practice outdoors at the Eden Gardens, Tendulkar was present throughout the session though he did not take part in it. However, it appeared he was in no discomfort while walking. "You saw he was walking freely. He doesn't have much of a swelling. The pain is also not there," said Bhave.

Tendulkar sprained his right ankle on Wednesday, the opening day of the camp, when he ducked awkwardly to a bouncer from pacer S Sreesanth and lost his balance. He limped back to the dressing room without taking further part in the practice session.

Meanwhile, the players had an intense fielding and fitness session in the morning. There was hardly a moment of respite for them as the newly-appointed coaching staff, led by cricket manager Ravi Shastri, put them through a 100-minute drill.

Prime Minister John Howard says the Australian government will cover any financial penalties that may be imposed if the national cricket team boycotts their scheduled tour of Zimbabwe for political reasons.Cricket Australia could be hit with a $2 million fine from the International Cricket Council (ICC) if they refuse to tour Zimbabwe as scheduled later this year.

"We would indemnify Cricket Australia for any compensation that it might have to pay to the international body," Howard told Australian radio on Friday.

URL: http://cricketflavor.blogspot.com/2007/05/australia-govt-to-pay-zimbabwe-fine.html

Promising wicketkeeper-batsman Dinesh Kaarthick married Mumbai-based Nikita Vanjara in Mumbai on Wednesday. A Commerce graduate, Nikita hails from the Southern Indian city of Manor; her father Deepak and Kaarthick's father Krishna Kumar are friends. The wedding ceremony took place in the morning in the presence of close relatives and friends at a suburban hotel, sources said.

None of the Indian cricket team members could attend the marriage as they are currently at the conditioning camp, which began in Kolkata on Wednesday, for the upcoming tour of Bangladesh. The 21-year-old Chennai-based cricketer is also a part of the Bangladesh-bound Indian team and will join the camp on Sunday, the concluding day. Kaarthick, who did not play a single match in the World Cup in Caribbean, has been included in the both the Test and one-day squads for the tour of Bangladesh, starting May 10.

URL: http://cricketflavor.blogspot.com/2007/05/dinesh-kaarthick-weds.html

India's preparations for the coming tour of Bangladesh got off the ground with a light fielding and fitness regime at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Wednesday, which continued on Thursday.

The players began with a double lap of the park and were then split up into three groups for fielding practice with bowling coach Venkatesh Prasad and fielding coach Robin Singh conducting the show alongside physical trainer Gregory Allen King.

URL: http://cricketflavor.blogspot.com/2007/05/india-prepare-to-face-bangladesh.html

Sachin Tendulkar, who is nursing an ankle injury, skipped the morning practice session on the second day of the Indian cricket team's conditioning camp, ahead of the Bangladesh tour, in Kolkata, on Thursday.

"Team physio John Gloster is attending to Sachin. If everything goes well, Sachin could possibly do some knocking in the afternoon session," team's administrative manager Surendra Bhave said.

Tendulkar sprained his right ankle on Wednesday, the opening day of the camp, when he ducked awkwardly to a bouncer from S Sreesanth and lost balance. He limped to the dressing room and did not take any further part in the practice session. He was given ice treatment throughout the night and this morning, and stayed put in the team hotel.

URL: http://cricketflavor.blogspot.com/2007/05/tendulkar-skips-practice-session.html

Australian fast bowler Glenn McGrath said there were no regrets or second thoughts about his decision to retire despite his triumphant performance at the World Cup. The lanky paceman ended his 14-year international career on an extraordinary high when he was officially named as the best player of the tournament after capturing 22 wickets at an average of 13.73. McGrath's amazing performances showed he still has plenty to offer in international cricket, but the 37-year-old said he was happy to bow out.

"I haven't had much time to reflect after 14 years or so, but I've been so lucky to be involved in era of Australian cricket that is so strong," McGrath told reporters after the team arrived home on Thursday with the World Cup in their hands. "You look around at your team mates, and you think, 'Every one of these guys is big game player'. "Being around this group of guys has been sensational, and heading to a World Cup is always special anyway, but this being my last, I was just determined to enjoy and love every minute of it, and I did."

McGrath announced his plans to retire during the recent Ashes series win against England but his fairytale finish was one of the few feelgood stories of a World Cup overshadowed by the murder of Pakistan coach Bob Woolmer.

URL: http://cricketflavor.blogspot.com/2007/05/no-regrets-says-retiring-mcgrath.html

Thousands of fans braved monsoon rains to give Sri Lanka's World Cup cricketers a rousing reception on Thursday. Much of Colombo was flooded after an early morning tropical thunderstorm, but fans still poured onto the streets to greet the side, who lost to Australia by 53 runs in the World Cup final in Barbados on Saturday.

"The reception this morning has been truly amazing," captain Mahela Jayawardene told Reuters.Despite their final defeat, Sri Lanka's gutsy performances during the seven-week tournament won the hearts of their supporters at home.

"We are naturally disappointed to have not come back with the trophy, but seeing this support is very uplifting for all the squad," Jayawardene added."We have to now build on the successes of the World Cup and become an even better team during the next year."

The team are to attend an official welcome ceremony at Independence Square with government and cricket board officials, and former players.The ceremony, to be televised live, will be followed by a visit to meet President Mahinda Rajapaksa.

URL: http://cricketflavor.blogspot.com/2007/05/thousands-greet-beaten-sri-lankans-in.html

National Cricket Academy chairman Kapil Dev has advised Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly to utilise their "rest" period from the Indian team by sharing their experience with budding talent. Kapil said he would request the BCCI to allow the players to work with the Under-17 cricketers at the ongoing 45-day training camp at the KSCA in Bangalore.

"This will certainly help players like Sachin and Sourav to have continuous practice and keep themselves fit. We will be sending a request to the BCCI in this regard and if the Board considers our request favourably it will help the young boys," he said.

URL: http://cricketflavor.blogspot.com/2007/05/kapil-wants-tendulkar-ganguly-at-nca.html