Middle order batsman Tillakaratne Dilshan and pace bowler Dulip Liyanagehave been recalled into Sri Lanka’s14-man squad for the forthcoming AsianTest Championship final against Pakistan.Sri Lanka will be hoping to extend a record winning to nine when they takeon Pakistan at Gadafi Stadium in Lahore on 6-10 March in an ATC finalsupposed to identify the champions of Asia.But the last-withdrawal of India, due to escalating tensions in Indian-ruledKashmir, has condemned the tournament to being a flop, with little publicinterest and no sponsors.Both teams beat Bangladesh convincingly last year and will be lookingforward to finally finishing the tournament, which was first won by Pakistan1999.Indeed, for Sri Lanka, the game is an untimely interruption in theirpreparations for a tough tour to England starting April. The players haveconcentrated on their fitness during the last four weeks since the Zimbabwetour and have only just started to train in the nets.”Pakistan have been playing against West Indies and are in competitive mode,but we are in training mode and it’s going to be tough,” said coach DavWhatmore.Dilshan’s inclusion in the squad in place of Chamara Silva, who dutifullycarried the drinks during the West Indies and Zimbabwe tours without asingle chance, comes after an impressive Sri Lanka A series against Kenya.The Kalutura born right-hander, 25, burst on to the international scene in1999 when he scored a brilliant 163 not out against Zimbabwe in his secondTest. He was expected to secure a permanent place in the side, but struggledthereafter with a top score of 37.Finally, after a disappointing England series last year when he scored just41 runs in three innings, looking uncomfortable under the pressure appliedby Nasser Hussain’s side, he was jettisoned until his latest call-up.Dilshan is unlikely to play with an established top seven all in form, buthis sound technique against fast bowling makes him a likely tourist toEngland in April.Liyanage, 29, gets his chance after injuries to Dilhara Fernando (back),Ruchira Perera (groin) and Prabath Nissanka (hamstring). Fernando is nowwell on the way to recovery from a stress fracture, whilst Perera andNissanka only have slight strains.Liyanage, considered a reliable swing bowler, with the ability to contributewith the bat, as he showed in the first unofficial ODI between Sri Lanka Aand Kenya on Wednesday when he stroked an unbeaten 66, is also unlikely toplay.Whatmore is expecting a Lahore pitch with “plenty of pace” and “coldconditions” so the established trio of Chaminda Vaas, Nuwan Zoysa andCharitha Buddika are favourites to make the starting line-up.Sri Lanka will probably play just one spinner, Muttiah Muralitharan, unlessconditions are markedly different than what they expect. Leg-spinningall-rounder Upul Chandana, so impressive against Kenya, travels as thereserve slow bowler.Sri Lanka Test squad:Sanath Jayasuriya (captain), Marvan Atapattu (vice-captain), KumarSangakkara, Mahela Jayawardene, Russel Arnold, Hashan Tillakaratne, ThilanSamaraweera, Chaminda Vaas, Buddhika Fernando, Muttiah Muralitharan, NuwanZoysa, Upul Chandana, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Dulip Liyanage, Chandra Schaffter (manager), Dav Whatmore (coach), Alex Kontouri (physio)

Saeed Anwar, Naved Latif and Rana Navidul Hasan did not appear before the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) panel of doctors for their medical test held at the Gaddafi Stadium Monday.PCB is conducting the medical tests of 13 probables out of 30 who are included in the World Cup list announced last month. The remaining 17 members of the list are included in the Pakistan team currently on the South African tour.Those who will pass the test will be considered for the selection in the World Cup team.Besides the three probables, the panel has also called for Shoaib Malik, Imran Farhat and Abdur Rauf for the test and they appeared.Saeed, Rana Navid and Lateef had family’s problems and requested the panel to defer their test, a member of the panel Dr Meesaq Rizvi said.The panel has now called them on Wednesday along with Danish Kaneria and Imran Nazir.Former Test captain, Moin Khan, all-rounder Azhar Mahmood, Yasir Arafat, Shadab Kabir and Fazle Akbar will appear before the panel on Tuesday.Meesaq said that the result of Shoaib, Imran and Rauf was not compiled so far, but the way they did the exercises and running they appeared fit.

SYDNEY, Jan 1 AAP – Australian fast bowler Jason Gillespie has been passed fit for the fifth Ashes Test against England at the SCG tomorrow.Gillespie pulled up stiff and sore after the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne, but was given the all-clear by medical staff at Australian training at the SCG today.Australian captain Steve Waugh said his side would play three fast bowlers and one spinner in the final match of the series.Gillespie, Brett Lee, Andy Bichel and leg-spinner Stuart MacGill are likely to form the Australian bowling attack in the absence of injured duo Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne.

Stephen Fleming makes no apologies, he rates his New Zealand team as a World Cup-winning prospect.Buoyed by a captain’s hand of 60 not out in New Zealand’s fifth win over India in their seven-match series which ended in Hamilton tonight, Fleming said that given the conditions in which New Zealand had triumphed, there had to be some prospect that in better conditions expected in South Africa they will play even better there.”We have got a good side. There is no reason in better conditions that we can’t do better,” he said.Fleming said his batsmen know they have struggled in the bowler-friendly conditions in this series, but they wanted results more than anybody.”They want to express themselves in good conditions,” he said.”They don’t want to be taken apart technically, bit by bit, on tough wickets, they want to get across and express themselves.”I know we’ve got good players, but they are looking, they are reading and they are getting their heads down as well but that’s not the message we’re going to be portraying.”I’m going to keep talking them up. We’ve got a good side. We’ve beaten a very good side in tough conditions.”I believe in this group of guys and that is what is going to win us the World Cup,” he said.”It would be great if other people came along for the ride, we’ve got to do that somewhere with our sports people.”Fleming said the players were looking forward to getting to South Africa and doing the work there that they have been in New Zealand and getting some results.Tonight’s win had required some personal stresses to create pressure and they had tried a lot of different things to achieve that on the night.The manner in which New Zealand had achieved the final win had been satisfying and he felt it was a fair reflection of the series.The wickets throughout the season had been below par and in commenting on today’s pitch he said he had gone through being surprised by it. His simple rationale was bowl on it because the odds were that it would do something.”We’re very satisfied with the work we did to get those wins. We knew it was a war of attrition, not traditional in the length of time most of the games went. We’ve got to be satisfied with winning matches, that’s what it’s about.”Whatever conditions you get you’ve got to be better than the opposition and that’s what we prided ourselves on in this series,” he said.

Please note that ICC Communications Manager Mark Harrison will be returning to the UK from this evening, Tuesday 18, until Thursday 27 February. While Mark is away from the World Cup, please direct media enquiries to Brendan McClements, General Manager Corporate Affairs and Project Officer Jon Long, who is now in South Africa.As a reminder, Brendan can be reached on SA cell number 083 417 5492 and Jon Long on 083 417 5518.

“Who cares about the rest of the games. We have already won the real World Cup,” claimed one face-painted, blue-clad youth, obviously more fond of his drink than cricket, in the glare of the television cameras.At distant Marina Beach in Madras, meanwhile, fire-crackers were set off not because India has made it to the Super Sixes but because Pakistan had been beaten. “Fifty years ago Pakistan were separated from India, now India have separated Pakistan from the World Cup,” said a delirious youth, obviously oblivious to the facts as they really are.

Naturally, celebrations are in order. India won a spectacular game of cricket thanks to one of the best innings you’ll ever see. Bring out the bubbly, give in to your most base desires and yell your guts out. But please, please show some taste in the manner in which you do so.Reporters with their ears to the ground in South Africa, filed their dispatches before the start of the India-Pakistan clash. Win, or else… That was the mood in both camps. With political tensions simmering at unacceptably high levels the encounter took on more ramifications than a cricket match ever should.Sure, the atmosphere of these games is terrific with fans from both sides being among the most boisterous. There’s drum beating, flag waving, slogan chanting and even desperate praying. But then there is also the tear gas and lathi charges.At least one person was killed in police fire in Ahmedabad as tensions boiled over after India’s six-wicket win over Pakistan. The police have confirmed that 49 tear-gas shells were lobbed and three rounds fired in the communally sensitive areas of Shahpur, Rakhial and Gomtipur in Ahmedabad.In the city of Baroda, three cars and a restaurant were torched by mobs after the win and the police had to patrol the streets till the wee hours.Elsewhere, groups of youths took to terraces of buildings and pelted revelers with stones, causing more violence to break out.In bizarre incidents down South in Karnataka, one person in a dairy was killed as a boiler exploded. Anxious to watch the match, the worker apparently cranked up the heating to dangerously high levels in order to speed up production.In a Bangalore suburb, two people were killed and at least five injured as enthusiasts piloting an auto-rickshaw drove recklessly through the streets, crashing into a lorry.

In Kolkata, probably the most fanatic of all Indian cities, groups of youths burnt midnight bonfires on the streets and amazingly enough, raised the slogan “Ganguly should be immediately dropped from the team!” and “Ganguly Down! Down!” Sure, Ganguly got out for a first-ball duck, but then again he also led India to one of its most significant victories in recent times.If these are the reactions in India, one can only imagine the mood in Pakistan. And that’s a sobering thought.A quick look at the points table tells you that Pakistan, despite the defeat, are still very much capable of qualifying for the Super Sixes. This means that an India-Pakistan semi-final is very much on the cards. What happens then to these revelers if India loses in that game and gets knocked out of the World Cup? Will they burn more buses, break the windows of cricketers’ cars, like they did at the Dravid residence in Bangalore? Will they tar players’ houses, as they did to Mohammad Kaif’s home in Allahabad? Will they burn effigies of Sourav Ganguly?You can be sure they will. And that’s the tragedy of it all.Before the start of the India-Pakistan match, dubbed `the mother of all matches’, Indian vice-captain Dravid spoke to the press, assuring fans that the game was just another one: that the cricketers were all professionals and tried their best against every team, not just Pakistan. Soon after, the captain echoed these thoughts and for good measure the Pakistan camp too agreed.Not because this was necessarily the whole truth, but because this is only a game. And cricketers learn to accept victories with losses, bouquets with brickbats, and the more philosophical, joy with sorrow. It’s high time the average Indian fan did the same.

It was with anger and frustration that I learnt about the articlethat appeared in the Argus Newspaper and its sister publicationson Wednesday 23rd April. Clearly it was written by a journalistwith no understanding or knowledge of the team or our WorldCup campaign.Highly confidential reports have been leaked by a person orpeople who obviously have little or no sense of moral integrity toa reporter who has acknowledged to the UCB that he knowsvery little about the game.The fitness trainer’s report is grossly misinterpreted in the articleand it is an indictment on the editors of respected newspapersthat they are prepared to publish a front page story in a mannerthat befits the cheapest form of journalism – and under suchlurid headlines.At no stage did the journalist bother to discuss the contents ofthe report with anyone involved in compiling the report in theinterest of presenting a fair and complete picture.Obviously, as coach I have seen both the report and the articleand it is clear that the writer has chosen to exaggerate andtwist the content purely for the sake of sensationalism as thearticle makes no attempt to present the facts fairly.The bulk of the article refers to an assessment exercise thesquad did four months prior to the start of the World Cup. In theexercise we looked for any potential weaknesses that may haveexisted among the potential squad members. This was done inconsultation with each individual and agreement was reachedthat the areas in need of attention receive the necessaryattention well in advance of the tournament.When the issue of weight is brought up in our assessment weare talking about a few kilograms either way. To use the word”fatties” is a disgrace to all journalists and an example of gutterjournalism. When we talk about binges, we are talking aboutplayers who prefer to miss meals and to eat once a day. Thewords “alcohol” and “binge” are each mentioned once in theentire report, yet reference to them managed to find its way tothe bloated headlines! The team has a policy of no alcohol fromtwo days before, and obviously throughout any internationalmatch, and this was policy throughout out world cup campaign.Mr Gray’s report goes on to state that every provisional WorldCup squad member passed a fitness test prior to the naming ofthe final squad, but the reporter does not bother to mention thisas, clearly, it does not suit the overall tone of his story.I could continue explaining why this article is a disgrace, andsimply an attempt to suit someone’s own selfish ends.As a squad we wanted to leave no stone unturned in ourpreparation for the World Cup, and even the smallest potentialproblem – such as the injury potential of someone like JontyRhodes – was considered.Obviously as a squad we are desperately disappointed in ourperformance and the outcome of our World Cup campaign. Butthe issues raised so sensationally in this article were dealt withmonths before the tournament and were not, in any way, afactor at any stage in the tournament.I have found the endless, destructive attacks by certainsections of the SA media disappointing in the extreme,particularly when the positive angles are so often ignored.In this case, it seems that the need to be destructive wasmotivated by the need to sell newspapers and enhance careers.All of which is very frustrating as we endeavor to make ournation proud of their team.None of us has ever claimed to be perfect, but we do need andappreciate the incredible support we have from our public inspite of these attempts by some media to be destructive.The South Africa cricket team is in an exciting transitionalphase, and we are already seeing some encouraging signs on ourtour in Bangladesh.The story reached us just before our team meeting onWednesday night, and I can honestly say I have neverexperienced a more subdued and dejected meeting as the onethat followed. And this, just twelve hour before a Test match!The team expects justified criticism when playing at the highestlevel, but the sense of hurt and disappointment felt at theinjustice of this article was tangible in all those affected.The captain did his best to pick the team up in the meeting, andin the end they understood the need to look forward and focuson the Test match and an exciting future.This team will move forward not because of articles like this but inspite of it.

Lymington, South Wilts and Winchester KS are comfortably cleared the first round hurdle in the ECB National Club Cricket Championships.An unbeaten century partnership between Neil Trestrail (67) and Mike West (52) swept Lymington to a nine-wicket win at Ventnor, who were dismissed for 155.South Wilts and Winchester KS won by virtue of faster overall scoring rates in abandoned matches.A South Wilts total of 206 (Russell Rowe 63) proved beyond the reach of Warminster, who were struggling at 101-6 when the rain swept across Salisbury plain.Weymouth’s 149-8 (Stuart Marks 3-15) was reduced to 80 from 24 overs – making it a fairly comfortable target for Dave Parsons (28) and Paul Baker (20) to polish off for Winchester.The revised local second round draw on May 11 includes:
Andover v Thatcham Town, Bashley-Rydal v BAT Sports, Falkland v Farnham, Havant v Camberley, Hungerford v Basingstoke & North Hants, Lymington v Winchester KS; Portsmouth v Chichester Priory Park, South Wilts v Corsham.

Lincolnshire’s interest in the Minor Counties Cricket Association Knock Out competition ended in the first round as rain delayed the start of their game against Northumberland.No play was possible at the Jesmond ground until 3pm, reducing the match to 30 overs a side.Having won the toss, Northumberland put Lincs in to bat, a decision which seemed to suit the visiting side who, after 10 overs, had 49 on the board with just one wicket down – that of James Clark, caught off Steve Humble.This brought Matthew Dowman out to join Mark Fell at the crease to take the score to 60, but when the number three was bowled by Humble for 10, Lincs suffered a minor collapse, losing two more wickets cheaply.After 15 overs, the total had reached 70 for four, Fell hitting 37 before being out lbw to John Windows.Paul Pollard and Oliver Burford pushed the score along steadily, Burford making 32 before being trapped lbw by Steve Chapman.And Bob Chapman’s contribution of 21, an unbeaten 10 from David Pipes and a late knock of 17 from Jon Davies at number 11 helped Lincs to 159 for nine at the close.For Northumberland, Lee Crozier took three wickets for an expensive 51 off his six overs and Humble claiming two for 22 while David Rutherford bowled an economical six overs to finish with one for 15.Davies then got Lincs off to a flying start, taking the first wicket on five – Chapman caught by Dowman – and the second with only 16 runs on the board.By the 10th over, Northumberland had fallen behind the run rate, having made only 37 for three, the third wicket also falling to Davies. And with 51 scored, a sharp throw from James Clarke saw Chris Hewison run out for 14.But John Graham and Windows steadied the innings and by the 20th over, the home side were ahead of the Lincs’ rate on 100 for four, Graham having been dropped on 14.Windows finally fell to David Pipes, having contributed 18 to the fifth wicket partnership of 64 but Lincs could not unseat Graham or his new partner Humble and Graham went on to make an unbeaten 60 as Northumberland sealed a five wicket win with seven balls to spare.Davies finished with an economical three for 16 off six overs and Humble was unbeaten on 20 as his side earned a second round tie against Cheshire at Cheadle Hulme.

At a time other cricket boards are announcing pay cuts and freezes, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has revealed that it is awarding its players pay rises of up to 25%.The players will now earn around Rs50,000 (approx US$875) per month compared to Rs28,000 previously, while senior players like skipper Rashid Latif could pocket up to Rs200,000 as opposed to Rs158,000 previously.Lt Gen Tauqir Zia, chairman of the PCB, revealed that a proposal from Rashid Latif that all players should receive the same, regardless of seniority, was considered unjustified. The previous slab system would continue with senior players who have played more matches being paid more while the juniors would be compensated according to appearances in Tests and ODIs.Apart from the pay hike, another 25% bonus would be paid to all playersfollowing a win in a Test. Zia went on to say that the PCB wanted to give players their due rights rather than deprive them monetarily.In an earlier briefing on May 1, Rameez Raja, the chief executive of the PCB, had said: “We are very close to finalizing the central contracts that will be awarded to a select number of players. Minor modifications are to be made in the contracts before they are awarded.”