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The start of the West Indian domestic season may still be a few days away, but already a row has broken out over the selection of Shivnarine Chanderpaul as Guyana’s captain ahead of Ramnaresh Sarwan, who is currently the Test team’s vice-captain.The Demerara Cricket Board (DCB) reacted angrily to the decision of the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB), describing it as "unbelievable, ludicrous and autocratic", and called on Chanderpaul to turn down the appointment. "The DCB is of the firm view that the GCB’s decision can only sow the seeds of discord and disunity between these two illustrious national heroes and is definitely not what is desired at this stage of West Indies cricket development," it said in a statement. "Should the GCB, in its usual autocratic style, fail to exercise either option, the DCB is now calling on Chanderpaul to exercise prudent judgment and not allow himself to be used as the GCB’s political football."Warming to the theme, the DCB statement continued: "In the national and regional interest, Chanderpaul should display the courage and moral fibre that has been the hallmark of his brilliant career by declining this appointment as captain. This is a glorious opportunity for him to display the skills, strength and courage of a true and selfless leader."Sarwan captained Demerera to victory in the recent El Dorado inter-county one-day tournament, and the GCB’s subsequent decision has been interpreted by the DCB as a deliberate snub. But Chetram Singh, the GCB president who was also the DCB’s president until two years ago, denied suggestions that Sarwan had been their original choice but that the GCB executive had overturned the decision.

What Chris Martin started with two quick Central Districts wickets on day two of their two-day match against the New Zealand Academy Selection at Bert Sutcliffe Oval yesterday, Aaron Redmond finished off.Martin, bowling with a brisk nor-easterly at his back removed Peter Ingram and Greg Todd both when the score was on three. He finished the match with 2 for 54 from 12 overs. Jamie How (41) and Glen Sulzberger (42) led the recovery, but once How played a ball from Richard Sherlock onto his stumps, the way was clear for Redmond, the legspinner, to began to weave his particular form of magic.Redmond only needed to bowl 16.4 overs in finishing with 6 for 16, the last seven CD wickets falling for 58 runs. It was a quality performance with some fine use of flight in a performance that augurs well for the forthcoming domestic season from Redmond.The Academy Selection batted again, losing Mark Richardson’s wicket for 12 runs while Mark Orchard was unbeaten on 26 and Peter Fulton on 14 not out when play ended.Brief scoreboard:New Zealand Academy Selection 264-9d (J Ryder 51, M Orchard 38, S Allen 32, J Hill 31, N Broom 28, R Taylor 28, E Thompson 5-48, J How 2-44) and 52-1 (M Orchard 26*, E Thompson 1-17) met Central Districts 171 (G Sulzberger 42, J How 41, J Englefield 33, B Griggs 26, A Redmond 6-16, C Martin 2-54).

Close India 180 for 4 (Laxman 55*, Dravid 43*) trail Australia 556 (Ponting 242, Katich 75, Langer 58, Kumble 5-154) by 376 runs
Scorecard

After a day dominated completely by the batsmen, the bowlers had much more to cheer on the second day at the Adelaide Oval. Anil Kumble’s three strikes in an over ended the Australian innings rather abruptly for 556, after Ricky Ponting’s magnificent 242 had raised visions of a 600-plus total, but the star turn came from Andy Bichel, whose three wickets reduced India to a shaky 85 for 4. Rahul Dravid (43 not out) and VVS Laxman (51 not out) then got together – not for the first time against Australia – and stitched together a 95-run partnership to steady the innings and take India to 180 for 4 at stumps. But with 177 still required to stave off the follow-on, Australia held all the aces in the Test.The Indian innings was rocked in a nine-over period on either side of tea, when four wickets fell for 19. Virender Sehwag and Akash Chopra had got India off to a smashing start, bringing up the fifty in only 9.4 overs, before Bichel struck. He began the slide with an innocuous half-volley, which Chopra drove uppishly. Showing wonderful athleticism, Bichel got down low and kept his balance to come up with a magnificent return catch (66 for 1).Four overs later, he foxed Sehwag with a legcutter bowled with the fingers held across the seam. The ball bounced a fraction more than Sehwag expected, and his prod was easily held by Matthew Hayden at short gully (81 for 2). The openers had done their job, though, and on a belter, it was time for the Indian middle order to come to the party.Or was it? Sachin Tendulkar, yet to score a run in the series after his duck at the Gabba, almost got a second one here – Justin Langer’s throw, a loopy one rather than a flat, hard hit, saved Tendulkar as he scampered a quick single on the off side. That turned out to be his only run of the innings, as Bichel floated a full-length delivery wide outside off, Tendulkar flashed a cover-drive but only managed a nick to Adam Gilchrist (83 for 3). From being the worst bowler on show at Brisbane, Bichel was suddenly the star.The Indians continued to be in self-destruct mode, as Sourav Ganguly pushed a ball past mid-on, ran a single, turned back for the second, and suddenly realised that Dravid wasn’t interested. Brad Williams’s throw wasn’t the most accurate, but it was still good enough to defeat Ganguly’s desperate lunge (85 for 4).Dravid and Laxman then injected some common sense to the proceedings with a carefully constructed partnership. They put away the bad balls which came along – Dravid played two magnificent strokes, a pull and a straight-drive, off consecutive balls from Bichel early in the stand, while Laxman displayed those magical wrists in flicking balls outside off to the leg side – but for the most part, both eschewed the risks.Steve Waugh turned to Stuart MacGill, who extracted a fair amount of turn, but the lack of pace on the track meant that the batsmen were seldom troubled. The closest Australia came to a wicket was through another run-out chance, when Katich missed a direct hit which would have found Laxman well short of the crease.Earlier, Ponting continued from where he had left off on the first day, with plenty of support from Gillespie. Gilchrist departed after a brief flurry of strokes, pulling Ajit Agarkar to Sehwag at square leg for 29 (426 for 6), while Bichel was snapped up by Chopra at short leg off Kumble (473 for 7).Then came the 83-run eighth-wicket stand. Ponting started the day quietly, requiring 13 overs to get his first boundary of the day, but then spanked two more in quick succession to reach his double-hundred, of 289 balls. With home-boy Jason Gillespie (48 not out) providing plenty of entertainment, Australia were motoring along when Kumble spoilt the fun. He induced Ponting to edge a ball which bounced a trifle more than the batsman expected, and the catch was easily snaffled by Dravid at slip. With Ponting out of the way, the rest was easy for Kumble, as Williams was bowled through the gate, and Stuart MacGill trapped in front. Kumble finished with 5 for 154, but at the end of the day, the Indians still had plenty of work to do.

Veteran fast-bowler Paul Wilson will not be available for WA for the next week after succumbing to a groin injury. Wilson will not play for the Warriors in the ING or Pura Cup matches against NSW this week.Warrior’s team management said that Wilson’s injury was due to ‘wear and tear’. Wilson was due to have an MRI scan on his groin on Monday evening.South Perth all-rounder Darren Wates comes into the Warriors squad to replace Wilson.The WA Selectors have finalised the Warriors ING Cup squad for Wednesday’s game.Justin Langer (C), Michael Hussey (VC), Ryan Campbell, Beau Casson, Michael Clark, Murray Goodwin, Kade Harvey, Scott Meuleman, Marcus North, Chris Rogers, John Taylor and Darren Wates.The 12th Man will be finalised on the morning of the match. Jo Angel and Ben Edmondson are the two men not picked in the WA’s provisional 14-man squad.The Warriors ING Cup team will train at the WACA Ground outdoor nets from 4.00pm on Tuesday. This will be a vision only opportunity.

Tasmania 5 for 384 dec and 9 for 396 (Mason 126, Watson 92, Dighton 62, Di Venuto 50) drew with Western Australia 6 for 562 dec and 6 for 270 dec
ScorecardXavier Doherty and Gerard Denton, Tasmania’s No. 10 and 11, survived the last 22 balls to help their team scrape a draw in a thrilling Pura Cup match at the Bellerive Oval at Hobart. Requiring 449 for victory in 92 overs after Western Australia declared their second innings at 6 for 270, Tasmania were 215 for 1 at one stage, and required an eminently gettable 234 runs from 41 overs. An improbable win was on the cards, before the Western Australian bowlers clawed back.The run-chase was set up by a superb 189-run second-wicket partnership between Scott Mason (126) and Shane Watson (92). Coming together after the early wicket of Jamie Cox, Mason and Watson not only stabilised the innings, but also scored at a fair clip, ensuring that the asking rate was always under control. Michael Di Venuto (62) and Michael Dighton (50) chipped in with useful contributions too, as Tasmania went into the last 20 overs with seven wickets in hand.However, Kade Harvey, the right-arm medium-pacer, spoilt Tasmania’s party, dismissing Di Venuto and Dighton in consecutive overs, and then nailing Daniel Marsh (20) soon after, as Tasmania slumped to 7 for 385. Ben Edmondson then caused more panic among the Tasmanian ranks, taking two quick wickets, before Doherty and Denton hung on to deny Western Australia a win.Justin Langer, the WA captain, spoke to and said, “The only regret was we didn’t take the 10th wicket. We always thought we were in the game and, as it turned out, we were.”Dan Marsh, the Tasmania captain, said that 450 off 90 overs was always going to be a huge ask. He said, “I think we had a great effort today, I am really proud of the boys. We got ourselves in a position with wickets in hand [at tea]. But if you lose wickets, it is hard to pick up the scoring rate when you first come in and that’s what happened and unfortunately we couldn’t get there.”He added, “We would have to have played out of our skins to get there.”But Marsh said Tasmania – unchanged on 22 points behind the leaders Victoria on 32 – remained on track for the Pura Cup final. He said, “It is a bit disappointing now, it looks like we can’t host a final, we are too far back for that. We are a lot better off than we normally are and our destiny is in our own hands.”

Surrey have signed a new sponsorship deal which could be worth as much as £2.5m to the club.Brit Insurance Holdings have agreed to back the club for three years, with the option for a further two, at an annual cost of £500,000. In addition, Surrey are all set to begin work on their £24m redevelopment of their ground, which will be re-named The Brit Oval.”This new partnership could not have come at a better time,” said Paul Sheldon, the club’s chief executive. “The support we will now receive will ensure that The Brit Oval maintains its pre-eminence as one of the world’s leading Test venues.”The redevelopment work will be concentrated at the Vauxhall End of the ground, where a new stand will increase the overall capacity by 4000 seats, to 23000.

Andy Blignaut will miss the second Test against Bangladesh at Bulawayo because of injury. In the first match Blignaut became the first Zimbabwean to claim a Test hat-trick.But during that first Test, which ended with Zimbabwe’s 183-run victory at the Harare Sports Club, Blignaut suffered a minor strain to his right thigh muscle. The Zimbabwe team management decided that he would stay behind in Harare to receive treatment and undergo rehabilitation, while the rest of the squad proceeded to Bulawayo for the second Test.Bradley Robinson, the Zimbabwe team physiotherapist, confirmed: “Andy will undergo fitness tests prior to the third one-day international against Bangladesh, at Harare on March 10. Of course, it will be a bonus if he is fit before then.”Zimbabwe’s selectors have brought in Stuart Matsikenyeri to replace Blignaut in the squad. They will name their team on Wednesday, after taking a look at the pitch at the Queen’s Sports Club.

Ashish Nehra has been named as Zaheer Khan’s replacement for the remainder of the Test series in Pakistan. Zaheer played the first Test, at Multan, but bowled only one over on the fourth day before retiring hurt with a hamstring injury in his right leg.Nehra had been part of the Indian one-day squad, but was forced to pull out after tearing the webbing on his left hand during the second ODI.India will almost certainly go in with three seamers in the second Test, which starts on April 5 at Lahore. With Irfan Pathan and Lakshmipathy Balaji sure to play, Agarkar and Nehra will fight it out for the third seamer’s spot.

Heath Streak has lauded Stuart MacGill’s decision to withdraw from Australia’s tour of Zimbabwe. He told The Melbourne Age “I respect Stuart for the decision he’s made.” MacGill recently pulled out of the tour saying he could not tour Zimbabwe with a clear conscience.”That’s his (MacGill’s) view on what he feels is morally and principally right,” said Streak. “With our stand-off now with the ZCU that’s basically what we feel. Morally and principally we are standing up for what we believe is the right thing.”At the same time Streak warned that the protest of 15 Zimbabwean cricketers should not be misconstrued. “We’ve got to be careful people don’t think we’re trying to encourage Australia and England not to come because that isn’t the case, but we want our issues resolved in a fair and transparent manner… If that doesn’t happen then I’m sure friends of ours that we’ve made during our international careers from all countries, not just Australia and England, will want to know more about what’s going on and how it’s being dealt with.”While newspapers have reported that several other Australian cricketers also have second thoughts about touring Zimbabwe, James Sutherland, Cricket Australia’s chief executive, has said that such a development is unlikely.

The Sri Lankan prime minister has added fuel to the raging controversy over Muttiah Muralitharan’s bowling action. Mahinda Rajapakse has threatened to sue the ICC over the controversial decision to outlaw Muttiah Muralitharan’s doosra.”The Prime Minister has decided to take legal steps against the ICC for banning [Muralitharan’s] doosra and today he has discussed it with some veteran lawyers,” said Rohan Welivita, the prime minister’s media secretary. “He thinks that all Sri Lankans need to support Muralitharan because he is a national figure.”Rajapakse’s announcement comes in the wake of a statement from John Howard, the Australian prime minister, who said that Murali chucked. Following this statement, Murali said he was contemplating boycotting Sri Lanka’s forthcoming tour of Australia. Mohan de Silva, the president of the Sri Lankan cricket board, then said that Murali could skip the Australian tour if he felt strongly about it. “If Murali makes a request not to go to Australia we will definitely give him that option. We will not force him to go to a country where he is not accepted.”Murali’s action has been under scrutiny for years now, but a recent study at the University of Western Australia found that the manner in which Murali bowled the doosra was a violation of the laws. The ICC subsequently instructed Murali not to bowl that particular delivery.However, the Sri Lankan prime minister has unconditionally thrown his weight in behind Murali. Rajapakse has said that Murali is a national asset and that he will do anything within his power, and that of the government, to defend him. One thing is now certain – this issue is not going to die down in a hurry.