Jehan Mubarak, the Sri Lanka A team captain during their recent successfultour of England, has been appointed captain of the Sri Lanka CricketPresident’s XI that will play a one-day warm-up match against South Africa atMoratuwa on Aug 18. The team also includes Russel Arnold, a controversialomission from Sri Lanka’s Champions Trophy squad.Team 1 Saman Jayantha, 2 Avishka Gunawardena, 3 Jehan Mubarak (capt), 4 Russel Arnold, 5 Thilina Kandamby, 6 Chamara Silva, 7 Prasanna Jayawardena (wk), 8 Gayan Wijekoon, 9 Dilruwan Perera, 10 Nuwan Kulasekara, 11 Dilhara Fernando.Reserves Tilina Tushara, Gihan de Silva, Chanaka Wijesinghe

Nagpur is the home base of the Rashtriya Swayam Sevak Sangh, the right-wing fundamentalist group that spawned the Bharatiya Janata Party, the leading opposition group in the Indian Parliament. Not surprisingly, nationalistic fervour is high in the stadium, especially in the East Stand, where the roving eye read the words F-A-N-A-T-I-C-S, written in bold green across a pale yellow banner and spread across the railings on the top tier of the stands.A group of about 30 people dressed in the Australian Baggy Green colours was sitting among the locals, waving Australian flags and, surprisingly, tossing a green-vest-clad rubber crocodile instead of the famous kangaroo to cheer on their team. Surrounding them were the teeming locals waving the Indian tri-colour.The situation in the ring beneath was not in India’s favour, and one could sense the crowd’s desperation. The strains of “Dizzy, Dizzy, Dizzy, you make me Dizzy, my head is spinning …” came out loud and clear. One of the Fanatics gestured to an Indian fan, who was running across the stands with flag in hand, to sit down. Annoyed by the gesture, some of the Indians began a slanging match, and it required intervention from the police to calm proceedings.One of the Fanatics was wearing an Indian-style turban, bright yellow in colour, embellished with false stones, and the rudraksha (a bead necklace) around his neck. The word “Pistol” was written on his vest. With the kangaroo painted on his cheeks and a saffron-coloured “tilak”, Pistol and rest of the gang appeared to be dressed for an Indian wedding.Pistol’s actual name, it turns out, is Peter, but among the group he is known as Pistol Pete after you-know-who. The Fanatics is a troupe of Australian fans, similar to many others which enable fans from all over the place to gather on a trip to tour with their national team around the globe. This group made their first tour in 1997 during the US Open tennis, which the Aussie Pat Rafter eventually went on to win – he later called the group to thank them. The aim was to form an organised, passionate and patriotic support group that would follow Australian sport at home and around the world.The Fanatics began by supporting Australian tennis players, but then moved into other popular sports such as rugby, cricket and soccer. “Basically we have more fun than those people out there,” says Pistol, pointing to the stand on the left where the “Waving-the-flags” group was seated. “They are more passionate about the game and follow it thoroughly, whereas we are more interested in having fun and travelling.” The Fanatics have come for this Indian tour in two batches, with each one getting to watch two Tests. Before coming to Nagpur, this bunch had gone for a jaunt to Goa, where they revelled in the sun and sands of Kalungute Beach.Dan, another Fanatic, adds that the group is enjoying the local food and the hospitality of the Indians. “We have some cases where guys were down with stomach upsets, but it has been fun,” he says with a smile, before going on to add “though we have taken our Imodiums along with us as a precaution.” To gauge the severity of the upset tummies, you only need to watch a banner which reads “Mum, send Imodium”.Outside the stadium, Nagpur moves at a leisurely pace. Though it is the winter capital of Maharashtra, the pace and the stress of city life is absent. Life, like the old two-seater gas-spewing auto-rickshaw, moves at a sedate pace. Darkness falls early and dawn breaks at even greater speed. The journalist in me yearns for a break, but the man outside just goes on with his life in the same slow, comfortable fashion.

Stephen Fleming has insisted that New Zealand can take out Australia, and book a place in the final four of the ICC Champions Trophy, when the two teams clash at The Oval next Thursday. Fresh off a 210-run rout of the USA, Fleming said that his team – which kept Australia out of the VB Series final in 2001-02 by beating them three times out of four – had a plan to thwart the best that cricket has to offer.”What your preparation does is give you an awareness of where to strike and what to strike at,” he said. Agence France Presse also quoted him as saying, “What we will be looking to do is get the game into a scenario that fits our side. And then just try to take them in areas where they aren’t as comfortable as when they’re playing well.”Fleming said his team wouldn’t shy away from the challenge, despite the fact that Australia have dominated the rivalry in recent times. “We’re looking forward to it, we’ve been thinking about this one for quite some time,” he said. “It’s about being smart. One thing we do know, you’ve got to compete 100 overs. We’ve had them on the rack before but they’ve squirmed away. We know it’s going to be a hundred-over affair if we’re going to win it.”New Zealand were briefly in trouble with the bat on Friday, slipping to 43 for 2 before Nathan Astle took the match away from the unfancied USA team with a blistering 145. “We’re not totally happy with our performance, our batting performance was fumbled,” said Fleming. “That’s one area against Australia where you’ve got to be top drawer and turn half-chances into chances to win the match.”We expect them to be at top form, anything less is a bonus. Their strength is their all-round qualities. Andrew Symonds is playing extremely well at the moment, but any one of their players can win the game hands down on their own.”The Champions Trophy is the one tournament where New Zealand can claim greater success than their trans-Tasman rivals, having won it in 2000. And Fleming reckoned that both teams would be equally motivated with a semi-final spot against England or Sri Lanka at stake.”I love it but they’re always up for it as well,” he said. “Shane Warne always talks about New Zealand lifting their game when they play Australia and we do, because we’re measured at home by our success against Australia.”As for the USA, Richard Staple, the captain, refused to be too downcast. “If we have a reasonably good performance against the world champions, I’m pretty sure it will do a lot of positives for cricket in the US,” he told AFP. “Against Australia, obviously it will be a real challenge but it’s something we have to do and give it our best.”It’s going to be tough but we’ll do the best we can and come out on a positive note.”Just being here is some achievement. The USA made it by winning the ICC Six Nations Challenge in Dubai six months ago, beating out competition from the likes of the Netherlands, Canada, the UAE and Namibia, all of whom have previously played in the World Cup.

Tasmania 5 for 340 (Birt 145, Bevan 118) beat South Australia 226 (Blewett 118) by 114 runs
ScorecardTravis Birt broke the record for the highest score by a Tasmanian in a domestic one-day match as he and Michael Bevan hammered hundreds off South Australia in their ING Cup match at Bellerive Oval. Thanks to the two hundreds Tasmania posted an imposing 339, and were able to register a thumping 114 run win. Greg Blewett’s 118 was the only consolation for South Australia.Birt’s 145 surpassed the previous Tasmanian record of 129 not out by Michael Di Venuto against the Redbacks eight years ago. The second-wicket stand of 225 was also a Tasmanian record. For Bevan this was just an extension of a fine run. He has scored three centuries on the trot in the Pura Cup since moving to Tasmania.South Australia got off to a good start, racing to 60 in 10 overs. But then the need to score quickly caused wickets to fall at regular intervals. Mark Cosgrove carved 38 from 36 balls opening the innings, but Blewett aside, no-one else crossed 20. For Tasmania the wickets were shared around with Luke Butterworth returning the best figures with 2 for 29. South Australia are yet to post a win in the ING Cup this year.

The world’s top cricketers will participate in a two-match one-day series to be played in Australia and Asia to raise funds to support the victims of the tsunami disaster that has devastated thousands of lives in a multitude of countries across the Indian Ocean.The matches will be played between an ICC XI and an Asian XI, with the first game at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on January 10. The second one-dayer will be played some time in February or March, at a venue which will be decided later by the Asian Cricket Council, the ICC announced today.The ICC XI, to be picked by Sir Richard Hadlee, the former New Zealand allrounder, and Steve Waugh, the recent Australian captain, will be announced on Sunday, and is expected to include players from Australia, New Zealand and West Indies. The Asian XI, consisting of players from India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, will be announced on Monday.Channel 9, the Australian broadcaster, has already committed to televising the first match live in Australia while negotiations are on with international broadcasters for the rights for the first match in the overseas market.Ehsan Mani, the ICC president, said that the enormous goodwill across the cricket-playing world had made the matches possible at such short notice. “Like the rest of the world, the international cricket community is shocked at the scale of the devastation caused by this disaster.”Jagmohan Dalmiya, the president of the Asian Cricket Council, believedthat these matches would be able to generate millions of dollars to be used to help rebuild people’s lives. The games are in addition to several other fundraising initiatives already undertaken by the cricket community around the world. These include £120,000 (approx US$230,000) donated by the Indian board, Aus$34,000 (US$26,500) donated jointly by the Australian Test team and Cricket Australia, and £20,000 (US$38,300) from the England team and its players’ association. The Indian team will also donate their payments from a forthcoming one-day intenational to the Indian Prime Minister’s Relief Fund, while the Bangladesh Cricket Board has pledged the gate receipts from its upcoming series against Zimbabwe, estimated at $10,000, to relief efforts.

ScorecardJamaica enjoyed an excellent day at the Beausejour Stadium. Resuming at 69 for 3, they posted a total of 244, and their afternoon got even better as Windward Islands slumped to 64 for 7 at close of play on the second day, still trailing by 180. Daren Powell, David Bernard and Nikita Miller took two wickets each, with Miller, a left-arm spinner, returning astonishing figures of 14-9-7-2. Earlier, Bernard had starred with the bat too, scoring 49.
ScorecardBarbados were comfortably placed at close of play on the second day of their Carib Beer Cup match against Trinidad and Tobago at Crab Hill. They restricted Trinidad to 280 in the first innings, and were then coasting along at 120 for 1, with Dale Richards unbeaten on 54. Earlier, two of Trinidad’s batsmen had the misfortune of being dismissed for 99. Tishan Maraj, the opener playing in only his third first-class match, missed his maiden century by a run, and the same fate befell Imran Jan a little later.
ScorecardThe second day’s play at Charlestown was washed out due to rain.

Ehsan Mani, the ICC’s president, has dismissed claims that they had discouraged Sharjah as an international venue. Sharjah last hosted an international event in April 2003, when Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe and Kenya squared off in the Sharjah Cup, but Mani felt it was up to the individual boards to take the initiative to play there.”As far as the ICC is concerned, Sharjah is a recognised venue,” Mani told The Indian Express. “We have held two ICC tournaments in the recent past, and it’s really up to every individual country’s board to decide on playing there. It’s for the Cricketers Benefit Fund Series [CBFS] and other cricket boards to decide when they can work out a timetable to play at Sharjah. We have no problems.”Sharjah also came into the spotlight when the match-fixing scandal broke out in 2001, and speculation has been rife about the reasons for the lack of recent international matches there. However, CBFS officials mentioned that one of the reasons for no tournaments being held for the last two years was the non-availability of teams owing to the hectic international schedule.Mani also met P Chidambaram, India’s finance minister, to discuss the tax exemptions for the ICC Champions Trophy, which is scheduled to be held in India in 2006. The ICC had earlier indicated that if the tax wasn’t exempted, the tournament would have to be held elsewhere. Chidambaram, though, assured Mani that the government would look into the matter.

Cricket Kenya’s plans to of take over the running of Kenyan cricket could have to wait more than a year – at least, in the eyes of the ICC.A letter from Malcolm Speed, the ICC’s chief executive, to Ochilo Ayacko, the minister of sport who is behind the establishment of Cricket Kenya, warned that ICC procedures mean that no switch of recognition could happen before the full board meeting in June 2006. Under ICC rules, any body requiring recognition would need to submit its application by the January before the meeting. That means that CK cannot make the deadline to be considered at this June’s meeting.That letter, leaked to the Nation newspaper, gave a boost to the beleaguered KCA. Only if the KCA ceased to exist or its executive accepted the seemingly inevitable and stepped down en masse, would the ICC have to recognise CK immediately. But if the KCA refuses go quietly, then the ICC’s rules state that it should be given 12 months to get its house in order.The letter was welcomed by Sharad Ghai, the KCA’s besieged chairman, who said: “If they [CK] get the go-ahead in June, they will have to apply for membership before December 31 and wait for application to be considered during the next annual conference next year, then wait for another year for membership to be approved.”

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details

How they were out

Four years on from the Ides of March that tormented Steve Waugh in Kolkata, India were at the receiving end of a rearguard action that is certain to go down in the annals. Kamral Akmal, who had suggested very little by way of batting ability in his previous ten Tests, thwarted India with a quite magnificent century as Pakistan batted with composure and comfort to ensure that the Mohali Test would end in a draw. But just as crucial as Akmal’s stroke-filled 109 was a revelatory innings of 71 from Abdul Razzaq, who eschewed his attacking instincts to defy the Indians for 346 minutes and 260 balls. Like Casanova doing penance in a monastery under an order of silence, Razzaq’s innings was remarkable for its focus, and it provided Akmal with a platform to play some glorious strokes.Akmal and Razzaq batted together for 56.1 overs, adding 184 and shutting India out of the game. By the time Inzamam called his players in – Rana Naved-ul-Hasan contributed a breezy 38 for good measure – India were left to score 293 to win in 25 overs. When play was called off nine overs early, with Sehwag (36) just having been stumped, they had reached 85, a million miles from the victory that had appeared inevitable in the morning.Pakistan had started the final day just 53 ahead and with only four wickets standing, but they sauntered unharmed through the opening session, adding 112 runs and suddenly glimpsing the safe shores of a draw. They were aided and abetted by a pallid Indian bowling performance that became ragged and indisciplined as the morning wore on.Having taken the new ball within six overs of the restart, India wasted it by failing to bowl the right channels and lengths. With the exception of Lakshmipathy Balaji, who beat the bat a few times with late movement, the bowlers failed to ask questions of the batsmen, who became increasingly comfortable and confident as the session wore on.Akmal, who started the day with the finest of tickles off the pads for four when Kumble strayed down the leg side, was sensational. Unfairly compared to Moin Khan – he’s a far more accomplished keeper – in the batting stakes, he chose the most vital innings of his nascent career to showcase his qualities. When he drove, it was with a flourish, and on the couple of occasions when he edged the ball, he went at it so hard that it made the slips redundant.Zaheer Khan, who combined some fine deliveries with hit-me balls, was cut and guided away for four to third man, while Kumble, who grew ever more frustrated, was late cut and driven with panache through the covers. At the other end, Razzaq was content to rotate the strike and strike the odd powerful blow when the mood took him. In desperation, Sourav Ganguly turned to Virender Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar, but nothing worked and as the lead swelled past 150, the despair was visible on a few Indian faces.An over from Kumble a quarter of an hour before lunch encapsulated the morning. After Darrell Hair had mistakenly signaled four byes – the ball went off Akmal’s body – the next ball was slog-swept for four. And when Kumble tried to spear the next one towards leg stump, it evaded both the batsmen and the keeper to add to the byes column.It got no better after lunch with Zaheer bowling a whole succession of mindless short-pitched balls on a surface that was certainly no WACA. One of them hit Razzaq, but didn’t faze him a bit. A ball after Ganguly had put down a difficult chance running to deep mid-on off Kumble, Razzaq finally decided to free his arms and thump one a few miles over the fence at long-on. It was exhilarating stuff, and minutes later, there was more euphoria in the Pakistani dressing room as Akmal, who had progressed to 99 with the help of a fine leg-glance and a superb cut, smacked a cover-drive off Kumble to bring up three figures.Balaji, the only pace bowler to fathom the right length to bowl on this pitch, got him soon after, lofting one to Harbhajan at cover (427 for 7), but by then, the result was not in doubt. Razzaq’s vigil ended soon after, with the luckless Kumble finally inducing an edge through to Dravid – who overcame a recent bout of butterfingers to hold on at the third attempt.The game meandered after that, with Naved’s big-hitting and a few meaty blows from Sehwag having an exhibition air to them. For India, the sins of the third afternoon when they wasted time and run-scoring opportunities had come back to deservedly kick them in the teeth, and thoughts of victory songs were rudely dismissed by the brilliance and tenacity of two men who refused to accept that defeat was an option.How they were outIndia 2nd innings Stumped by yards while trying to feast on Younis Khan’s buffet bowling.Pakistan 2nd innings Drove a Balaji delivery straight to the substitute fielder at cover. Edged a legbreak to slip, where it was taken after a couple of fumbles. Brilliantly caught one-handed by Kumble diving to his left off his own bowling.

In another twist to the ongoing sponsorship saga, Brian Lara has been cleared by the West Indies Cricket Board to play in the forthcoming series against South Africa starting on March 31. However, the six other players, including Ramnaresh Sarwan and Chris Gayle, are still out in the cold.Lara, who has been given 24 hours to respond to the board’s decision, has agreed to do so within the stipulated time, according to a statement issued by the board. Consequently, the announcement of the squad has been delayed until later today.The reasoning advanced for accepting Lara was that Lara’s contract with Cable & Wireless, the company locked in an ambush marketing dispute with Digicel, the official sponsors of West Indies cricket, was deemed ‘pre-existing’ because it was signed in 2003, before the board entered into negotiations with Digicel.The board said that the invitation to Lara had been extended on the advice of its legal counsel. The other six players with personal endorsement contracts with Cable & Wireless were found ineligible by the lawyers because these were signed while the board was in the process of finalising its deal with Digicel.The board said, “The contracts were reviewed by counsel to ensure that the provisions did not fetter the Board’s use of its team rights or not impose on the players any obligations, which could cause them or the WICB to be in breach of the board’s sponsorship contract with Digicel.”All eyes are now on Lara, the incumbent captain, who has played no cricket since returning from the VB Series in Australia due to a wrist injury. Writing in the Trinidad Express, Tony Cozier, the veteran broadcaster and cricket writer, said that the West Indian selectors had reportedly recommended that Lara retain the leadership he has held, for the second time, since March 2003. “But it had to be ratified at a teleconference call yesterday by the 14 WICB directors, several of whom are known to oppose his reappointment.”