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He might have given a lesson in the art of shutting out a game, battling for six-and-a-half hours on a slow pitch, but Brian Lara was keen that the surfaces for the next two games are a lot livelier. He was proud of the way his team had scrapped on the final day, as if taking a cue from the Soca Warriors’ hard-earned draw against Sweden on Saturday, but came down on the pitch, which he felt they hadn’t cashed in on the home advantage.”The only time we were in front on the nine days of cricket was when we got a true Test pitch,” he said referring to the first two days in Antigua. “It was a situation where the fast bowlers had a say in the first couple of days and the the spinners took care of it later in the match. I would love to see St Kitts and Jamaica show that they are capable of producing fair pitches. Nothing that would be terrible for Test cricket – too green or anything – but the fact is we need good Test cricket. In this particular match, after the first two days, it was difficult for us to do anything. The pitch was dusting already, the spinners were coming in – it didn’t spin or bounce but it was tough to score.”The Indians will be accustomed to this – this is what you get in Madras or Bombay – and it’s tough for us. We picked four fast bowlers after seeing a tinge of green. In hindsight we should have picked a spinner. But I was confident of our fast bowling and as batters we are better equipped against the Indian fast bowling. Let’s make it fair. Make it a situation when the boys are going to enjoy the first two days bowling on the pitch and if it deteriorates later on – if the spinners come into play – so be it. We are very buoyant after this result and we’re looking forward to the next ten days of Test cricket.”The series was kept at 0-0 thanks largely to Lara’s masterful century, slow but vital. “It was something that the situation dictated,” he said of his approach. “I was still able to get a hundred in two sessions. This particular innings seemed to alter a couple of rash shots. It was a situation where I needed to get 50-60 runs under my belt and, hopefully, move on form there. You’ve got to understand that there will be occasions that you’re going to be on top of the bowling and you’re going to dictate to the bowlers. In other situations you got to dig deep, show character. At no point of time was I or the team on top of the bowling. The innings that you really enjoy are ones you tough out. My 153 against Australia in 1999 was much better than my 375 or 500, when you tough out and get the result. It’s a situation like the first innings of a Test match when I need to be in a similar mood – consolidating and showing that the team benefits from a long innings from me … I’m not sure how much of this I’ve played in the past but definitely I’ve realised I’m capable of batting for long periods without scoring doubles and triples. The amount of balls I faced today, I’d definitely be on 250 or something like that. But it will be beneficial for the team if I can spend time in the middle.”It was only the third instance in two years that Lara walked in at No.3 – he’d made 400 not out and 83 in the last two instances – but he revealed the strategy behind the move: “It’s a situation to discuss with the coaching staff and with [Ramnaresh] Sarwan as well. No. 3 is not just the best batsman in the team but he also sends a message to the guys who are going out to bat. If the pitch is difficult – he’s got to send a message saying we need to tough it out there and if it’s easy you got to dictate. Lot of guys feed off the No. 3 batsman and that’s where I’d like to see Sarwan do a lot more. He did pretty well in the shorter version of the game but in the Test matches it is a more pivotal position in any team … You don’t want to be two down after the first five or ten overs. Also the Indian fast bowlers were getting the ball the nip back to the right-handers and I thought a left-hander would be the best person to bat.”

Scorecard

The heat is most definitely on this summer. Just ask Australia, who have been learning what it’s like to play in a pressure cooker. Down at Beckenham, in Kent, the heat was no less intense as a cruel summer for Kent got crueller when Surrey inflicted a painful victory on the opening night of this year’s Twenty20. They had nowhere to hide – much like the fans, who sweltered under a scorching evening sun.The marquees providing corporate and public hospitality offered refreshments but not cool. The makeshift shop sweltered under air conditioning that did nothing but pump hot air around. Those lucky enough to own one of the spanking new flats at long leg were rare beneficiaries of shade. Supping G & Ts, while munching strawberries, and all from the comfort of their own balconies, they were the coolest cats in town.In the ground itself, the question on all fans’ parched lips was: just where was the jacuzzi they had come to expect? Twenty20 marketing men, with your previous innovations, you have been spoiling us. There wasn’t much in the way of innovation for this, the third year of shortened fare – the mandatory burger and ice-cream vans notwithstanding – but Beckenham did its best.This may be the fourth choice venue for Kent, but the ground is easy on the eye and easily accessible from London – quite visibly, too. Behind the greenery which runs around the ground, the NatWest Tower and the Gherkin (or Swiss Re building, to give it its Sunday name) dot the distant skyline. Many had raced down from the sweltering smog-lined City, only to find themselves in baking tree-lined suburbia, and many got caught out in the heat. Peter, an IT consultant in town, had forgotten his shorts and had to make do, instead, with his black work trousers. “I’m frying”, he announced, while reaching for another cooling beer.Others adopted improvised means. One man pressed into a hedge, his 99 Flake icecream in hand, while more scrabbled to find a rare spot of shade in front of the media tent, or the designer flats.But for the unlucky exposed – in this case, Kent – there was no cream to soothe the pain. Harbhajan Singh, Surrey’s own Mr Whippy, appeared to have picked up the idea of the game pretty quickly. He was expensive in his first outing – when Asia lost to the International XI on Monday – but here, in front of a sell-out crowd approaching 7000, he bowled tighter; his four overs cost 22. Nayan Doshi also impressed, with 3 for 24 from his four overs. Kent wilted to 140 for 8.Martin van Jaarsveld, though, showed he was at ease – he posted 51. But the much-awaited arrival of the big-hitting Justin Kemp disappointed. This format could have been dreamed up for him, at least in theory: in practice, he struck a turgid 10 from 16 balls. He needs to adapt – and fast, as a jam-packed fortnight lies ahead. In all, Kent managed just 13 fours and two sixes and, in this format, that was never enough. Surrey kept their cool and, within just 16 overs of their reply, they had the game licked.Even without two of their Twenty20 stars – the retired allrounder Adam Hollioake and their captain Mark Ramprakash – Surrey showed how to strangle a team. James Benning took them home at a canter, striking 66 from 37 balls under the dying sun. Hollioake had revealed earlier this week that, despite a hat-trick cameo in the tsunami Twenty20 match, he wouldn’t return to the format he has mastered. These days, extreme fighting Down Under is much more his style. Ramprakash’s excuse was a little more prosaic – he is still recovering from a broken finger.Despite the heat, and the one-sidedness of the result, the crowd – as always in such an evening romp – had a great time. A fair smattering of first-timers had waltzed on down, with some unsure where their allegiances lay. But in cheering both sides, they were guaranteed not to be disappointed. The same can’t be said for Kent purists, while Surrey’s fans could take this, smilingly, as a sign of things to come.

Given that his team had just been thumped by 247 runs in the final of an international tournament, Botswana’s captain, Akram Chand, shouldn’t really have been smiling quite so broadly. But the margin of their defeat – shot out for 96 in reply to a South African Country Districts XI total of 343 for 5 – was of little consequence.That is because Botswana’s mere presence in the final of the World Cup Qualifying Series in Benoni ensured that they would process to the next stage of a lengthy qualification process – one that could ultimately lead to an appearance in the 2007 World Cup in the Caribbean. The crunch game had come in their semi-final on Thursday, when Botswana beat Ghana by four wickets to book their places in the African Cricket Association Championships (ACAC) in Zambia in August.The County Districts XI had only been drafted into the tournament as late replacements for Morocco, who withdrew apparently because their government refused to let the squad out of the country, after the national handball team failed to return from a tour to Europe earlier this year.They proved to be the best team in the tournament by some distance. Ghana were sent packing for 18 in their first match, and the target was knocked off in just eight balls. The South Africans followed up by dismissing Mozambique for 29, before batting first against Rwanda, andamassing 418 for 6. They then dismissed the Rwandans for 60 in 26.5 overs to win by 358 runs.In their semi-final, South Africa dismissed Malawi for 20 and took 2.4 overs to reach the target with all 10 wickets standing.However, the tournament winners enjoyed important advantages over the other seven sides in the tournament – they are used to turf pitches, they play regularly and at a reasonably competitive level, and they form part of the rich culture of South African cricket.Unsurprisingly, therefore, Chand was not downcast at the size of their defeat. “Our cricket is more competitive and of a higher standard than in some of the other countries playing here,” he told Wisden CricInfo. “We back ourselves to be one of the best teams in Africa.””In Gabarone we have one main ground, but we’re developing a second,” Chand said. “In the other towns we have another four grounds. There are no turf pitches in Botswana, we play mostly on Astroturf. A few of our players are based at universities in South Africa, so they have experience of turf pitches, but for the rest of us it’s a learning experience."Despite those hardships, cricketers in Botswana enjoy a busy season.”We start our season with a six-a-side tournament in February and March,” Chand said. “After that we have a 35-over league, in which 16 teams play in two divisions. That takes four months, and then we play an inter-town league of 50 overs-a-side matches.”Not surprisingly, Chand’s eyes gleamed at the thought of playing in the World Cup. “It would be a tremendous achievement for Botswana,” he said. “Playing for the country is one thing, but to make it to the biggest stage of all would be awesome.”Two teams from the ACAC will play in the ICC Trophy in Ireland in July next year, while a third will go to the ICC Trophy Qualifier in Malaysia next February.

Friday, March 14, 2003:::
“If I can get my basics right, getting wickets should not be a problem. All that I strive for in every ball is to remain consistent,” Indian left-arm quick Zaheer Khan
Source: The Gulf News, Dubai
“I am a better one-day player now. Earlier I batted at No 3 and instruction to me was to bat 50 overs. Now I bat at No 5 or 6 and many a time, I just have to go for my shots,” India’s vice-captain Rahul Dravid
Source: Times of India
“I’ve said all along that Australia are beatable. It’s just that we don’t seem to know what a losing position is,” Australian middle-order batsman Darren Lehmann
Source: BBC, UK
Related CricInfo links: Darren Lehmann player page
“A lot of mind-power has gone into some nicknames,” Adam Gilchrist, on the name game that has seen almost all Australian players being given nicknames
Source: iafrica.com
Tuesday, March 11, 2003:::
“It would have been very disappointing, three years of planning, and not to have qualified would have been regarded as a failure. That’s how hard I would have taken it.” New Zealand Chairman of Selectors Richard Hadlee, on his thoughts had New Zealand not qualified for the Super Six
Source: Stuff, New Zealand”At my age, when you are snubbed for the World Cup, you think that’s it…my last match was for Manicaland against Matabeleland. I made five which was quite good – it only took me two balls.” Zimbabwe opener Alistair Campbell, on his sudden call-up in place of Mark Vermeulen
Source: The Star, South Africa”Um, Sanath (Jayasuriya) won the toss, I suppose.” Sri Lankan coach Dav Whatmore, on being asked what positives he could find from his team’s loss against India
Source: The Independent Online, South Africa

* CBI report on match-fixing tabled in Lok SabhaThe CBI report on betting and match-fixing in cricket, which detailedthe worst-ever scandal in the game’s history, was tabled in the LokSabha on Monday. The 164-page report, which was submitted to the thenSports Minister Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa on September 30 last year, hadnamed five Indian cricketers including former captain MohammadAzharuddin for their alleged involvement in match-fixing practices.The report, which was completed in six months after the CBI registereda preliminary inquiry on May 4 at the request of the Sports Ministry,also named nine foreign players of having either allegedly taken moneyfrom the bookies or shown interest in match-fixing practices.Acting on the report, the Board of Control for Cricket in India hadbanned Azharuddin and former Test cricketer Ajay Sharma for life andimposed five-year bans on Ajay Jadeja and Manoj Prabhakar. All fourdenied the charges and Azharuddin and Jadeja have challenged thedecision in separate petitions in court. The report also highlightedthe security risk involved due to match-fixing and claimed thatseveral underworld people were involved in the practice.The report won laurels for the CBI at various international cricketingfora and several countries initiated inquiries based on theinformation contained in the report.* Tendulkar’s availability to be known after another bone scanBatting maestro Sachin Tendulkar’s availability for the three-matchTest series in Sri Lanka from August 14 would be known only after thesecond bone scan on his injured right toe, scheduled for August 10,according to Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) joint secretary MayankKhandwala.Khandwala told PTI in Mumbai today that he spoke to the star batsman,who informed him that he was feeling much better but said the toe wasstill paining a bit. “He (Tendulkar) told me that the padding on theright toe was still on and he would get a clear picture only after thesecond bone scan in the second week of August,” Khandwala added.Though the selectors would be meeting here on August 2 to pick theIndian team for the Test series, a slot would be kept vacant toaccommodate the master batsman at the last minute after he goesthrough the bone scan, according to BCCI sources.* Tendulkar signs up with FiatCelebrated cricketer Sachin Tendulkar has become the ‘Brand Champion’of Fiat, a popular car manufacturer. The master blaster’s associationwith the brand will kick-off Fiat’s new initiative into the Indianmarket, It will commence with the soonto-be launched new ‘Palio’,according to a company release in Chennai.”The company feels Tendulkar is the perfect Brand Ambassador as hiselevated level of performance and dynamic, creative strokeplay willget perfect with the approach that Fiat will soon adopt in the Indianmarket,” the release said. It quoted Tendulkar as being equallypleased. “I have always been a big fan of Italian cars, especiallyFerrari and I am happy to represent Fiat and Italian Motoring.””Tendulkar is young, strong, dependable and above all, number one.That is exactly what Fiat is aiming to be,’ said MP Bianchi, Fiat’sManaging Director.

ScorecardNathan Lyon picked up 4 for 31 in 6.1 overs•Cricket Australia

New South Wales barely missed the impact of the rested Mitchell Starc as they bulldozed Queensland in the Matador Cup match at Drummoyne Oval, led by a century from Steven Smith and four wickets for Nathan Lyon.Starc’s replacement, the refreshed Josh Hazlewood, bowled tightly and well at the top of the innings, before Lyon worked his way through Usman Khawaja, back from a hamstring problem and Nathan Reardon.Only Joe Burns was able to build an innings among the Bulls batsmen, and his patient 77 was a welcome sight for the national selectors as they consider who will partner David Warner in the first Test of the summer at the Gabba.Warner was watching Burns from the commentary box, and seemed impressed by an innings that was the most substantial innings any batsman has managed against the Blues this tournament.Smith had entered the fixture with a pair of ducks behind him, but after Nic Maddinson’s recent run of strong scores was ended by Billy Stanlake, the Australian captain regained touch in what is becoming an increasingly familiar style.He was accompanied for much of the afternoon by Moises Henriques, who played fluently in a stand of 181 that ensured the Blues would set the Bulls a target in excess of 300. Thanks to Hazlewood, Lyon and a strong supporting cast they did not get close to it.

Pacemen Marlon Black and Mervyn Dillon fought a brave battle against the inevitable but Australia has nonetheless finished day two of the First Test against West Indies in a commanding position here at the ‘Gabba in Brisbane. By stumps, the home team holds an overall advantage of 225 runs; the tourists at 2/25 in their second innings and fighting a losing battle to stay alive in the match.In their humiliating effort yesterday, the West Indians had shown precious little resolve. Today, they displayed considerably more. But the world’s best team still showed that it remained a world apart from its current challenger. It was somehow a statement of the depths to which the tourists had sunk that, initially at least, it took a man playing in his very first Test to show his teammates how things were done.The sense of aimlessness by which his team had been gripped in plunging to a total of 82 yesterday seemed, paradoxically, to inspire Black (4/83). He ran in with purpose, he ran in with aggression, he ran in with the look of a man completely unwilling to yield any more of the ground that had so decisively been conceded to the Australians. At first, this manifested itself in a beautiful seven over spell from the Stanley Street End that quickly had overnight batsmen Michael Slater (54) and Andy Bichel (8), as well as Justin Langer (3) for good measure, shuffling away from the arena.It was the very first Black delivery of the morning, in fact, which simultaneously spurred the downfall of Slater and brought the tall Trinidadian fast bowler his first Test wicket. The right handed opener reached for a full wide outswinger of lively pace but could do no better than direct it to Sherwin Campbell at second slip. Later in the same over, nightwatchman Bichel departed after playing away from his body (at a ball that cut marginally away) to be caught behind. The gritty Langer saw out slightly more of the opening session but made similarly little impact on the scoreboard. Three Black overs later, he was defeated by a lovely inswinger, inside edging the ball within a coat of vanish of his off stump and presenting Ridlley Jacobs with the chance of another catch as he moved across neatly to his right.Around a fourth dismissal for Black – the departure of Ricky Ponting (20) to a nicely pitched outswinger – Dillon (3/79) then added his weight to the cause by snaring three prize wickets of his own. He was responsible for removing Mark Waugh (24) at the end of an always-scratchy innings and then complemented that success with the scalp of Steve Waugh (41) in his next over. The former went to a low caught and bowled after he was deceived by a delivery that appeared to hold up on him slightly and caused him to meekly push the ball back down the pitch. The latter succumbed to a wonderful catch from Campbell, at head height, at second slip after issuing a flashing cut shot at a wider, shorter offering.It was not until Adam Gilchrist (48), the highest averaging left hander in Tests at present, came to the crease in the unfamiliar territory of number eight that a batsman finally looked completely at ease. In a whirlwind partnership of sixty-one runs for the eighth wicket with an equally aggressively inclined Brett Lee (62*), he took toll of a tiring attack with relish. It was from there that Lee’s production of a maiden half-century in first-class cricket – and the highest individual score of the match no less – served to underline the West Indians’ apparent inability to match it with the Australians for sustained periods. Tailender Stuart MacGill (19) also joined in the late assault, albeit in ungainly style, helping to swell the eventual first innings lead to the small matter of 250 runs.From there, what already shapes as something akin to an inevitability in this series – the sight of West Indian batsmen departing with regularity – returned to haunt the tourists once more. To begin the spectre all over again, Campbell failed to defend a delivery from Glenn McGrath (2/7) which did little more than hold its line outside off stump. After one ferocious pull at his nemesis, Brian Lara (4) then succumbed almost as tamely as in the first innings. He beat that well worn path off the ‘Gabba when he impetuously attempted the stroke again and top edged. Gilchrist took a simple catch and, in doing so, took the Australians another large step toward a record-equalling eleventh Test victory in succession too. Barring a monumental reversal, this result will come quicker than most.

Brad Hodge, the Australian batsman, will miss the next five weeks of the county season with Lancashire after signing for the Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL. It is a move that has come out of the blue and the player only learnt of the approach within the last 48 hours.Hodge is the leading scorer in Twenty20 cricket worldwide with 1649 runs at 42 and a strike-rate of 139 from 47 matches. “I was approached only 24-48 hours ago and I’m still in shock at the opportunity that has been presented,” he said.”Twenty20 is a format that I really enjoy and have a good record in, and to be part of the inaugural IPL tournament is something most cricketers would find hard to turn down. It’s been an extremely difficult decision to make, but Lancashire have been very understanding of my situation and I hope to repay them on the field when I return.””Brad is arguably one of the best Twenty20 players in the world,” said Jim Cumbes, the Lancashire chief executive. “Although it’s disappointing to be losing a player of his calibre for part of our season, we are very lucky at Lancashire to have depth in our squad and this is a great opportunity for someone else to step up to the plate.”Hodge will join his Victoria team-mate David Hussey at Kolkata, who will lose Brendon McCullum to New Zealand’s tour of England at the end of the month and Ricky Ponting to a training camp. He will leave after Lancashire’s current Championship game against Somerset and the first match he misses is the Friends Provident Trophy clash against Scotland. Lancashire have no current plans to bring in another overseas player for the period Hodge is away.

Lasith Malinga’s world-record four wickets in four balls against South Africa during the World Cup has inspired his former school, Mahinda College in Galle, to hold a felicitation ceremony in honour of its past cricketers who have gone on to play for Sri Lanka.The ceremony, to be held June 2 at the college hall, will pay tribute to several former and current Sri Lankan cricketers including Somachandra de Silva, Jayananada Warnaweera, Athula Samarasekera, Marvan Atapattu, Upul Chandana, Malinga and the late DLS de Silvam who played in the 1979 World Cup.Several other cricketers in the pre-Test era will also be felicitated, namely the late DD Jayasinghe, Somasiri Ambawatte, WB Bennett, DP de Silva, PHKH Ranasinghe, AJ Samasekera, Gajaba Pitigala, Mihiri Egodage, Kamal Dharmasiri, Neil de Silva, Dileepa Wickremasinghe and Upul Sumathipala.Sumathipala, a member of the organizing committee, stated that the school wanted to honour its past cricketers for some time and Malinga’s record-breaking feat precipitate plans to hold a ceremony. He said that Malinga will be presented a special award.Sumathipala also stated that Champaka Ramanayake, a former Sri Lanka fast bowler and head of Sri Lanka Cricket’s fast bowling academy, will receive a special award as the coach who discovered and nurtured Malinga to become an international fast bowler. All the cricket coaches who served Mahinda College in its 115-year history will also be felicitated.

Zimbabwe cricket has suffered another loss with the news that Noel Peck, who has been head groundsman at Bulawayo’s Queens Club since 1988, has resigned.Cricinfo has learnt that Peck quit on April 5 and is now serving out his three-month notice period before leaving at the end of June. It is understood that he will then leave Zimbabwe and settle in England, where he has family, and once there he hopes to continue working as a groundman.Peck, who is 60, is also responsible for the maintenance of the pitches at Bulawayo Athletic Club and the recently-built Emakhandeni Cricket Ground.He started maintaining the wicket at Queens on a part-time basis as he was still employed by the National Railways of Zimbabwe. He prepared the wicket for the first Test match to be played at Queens when Zimbabwe took on Sri Lanka in October 1994.In 1997, Peck resigned from the NRZ and was taken on by the Zimbabwe Cricket Union the following year as a full-time curator. He has maintained both the playing and practice area that have been praised by a number of touring sides.