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Bob Woolmer, the Pakistan coach, expects a stiff challenge from West Indies in their imminent series of three one-day internationals and two Tests, despite the beating that they have taken from South Africa. West Indies were thrashed 2-0 in the Tests and 5-0 in the one-day series.”I think they have played against a strong South African team, but I think they are rebuilding, and they will be tough opposition,” Woolmer said. “It is important for us to be geared up and hit the road running in the series because it is so short. Fortunately, all the players have been playing a lot of cricket, so it is not necessary from a practice point of view.”It is just a matter of adjusting slightly to the pitches. I think they are going to be the same. After our performance in India, it is important that we build on this. We can’t sit on it. We have got to put that away. We have got to get stuck into this series.”Woolmer disclosed that Pakistan had taken a keen interest in the recently concluded series between West Indies and South Africa. “We have watched every game,” Woolmer said. “South Africa have a different side to us. They rely very much on their pace attack. We have a very good spin attack. It is not to say we haven’t got a good seam attack. We don’t have the super pace, but we have players who bowl up there – 145 kph, 148 kph, so they are not slow. They are all good cricketers. We have some exciting young batsmen, and so we are really looking forward to the tour.”Pakistan opened their tour with a limited-overs warm-up match against an Antigua and Barbuda Select XI on Sunday and won convincingly by 248 runs. Woolmer also expected Brian Lara to be a factor in the series. “He is a world class player, so if he plays spin well someone will have to try and get him out,” he said. “But we have noticed some very good performances from the other players. We don’t underestimate the West Indies side at all.”Woolmer also revealed that Pakistan would be using this tour, especially their visit to Jamaica for the second Test, to prepare themselves for the 2007 World Cup scheduled in the Caribbean. “We will be based in Jamaica [with West Indies] for the World Cup, and so being in Jamaica for the last Test match will be a good experience for us,” he said. “We will be able to see the facilities, and have a look to see what we need to do in that particular scenario.”

Surrey have confirmed two star-studded teams for the Twenty20 tsunami fundraising match at The Oval on June 20, between an International XI and an Asian XI.The International XI will be led by Brian Lara while Rahul Dravid will captain the Asian side. There is still one place to be filled in both teams and the final name will be announced shortly.Shane Warne will line-up for the International XI, while the two finest offspinners in the world, Harbhajan Singh and Muttiah Muralitharan, are both in the Asian XI.Eight of the 10 Test nations are represented – Graham Thorpe is the England player making an appearance – while Alec Stewart will manage the International XI and Wasim Raja, the former Pakistan batsman and match referee, is in charge of the Asian team.The Surrey chief executive Paul Sheldon said: “This special game promises a feast of entertainment from many of the world’s greatest international stars in front of a newly developed ground. It is a privilege to be hosting the match for such a worthwhile cause.”The match is raising money for the Oval Cricket Relief Turst, which has been set up with the intention of donating money to the rebuilding of a Sri Lanka village after the tsunami in December 2004.Tickets are still available online at www.surreycricket.com for £20.International XI (one to be added) Graeme Smith, Brian Lara (capt), Stephen Fleming, Andy Flower (wkt), Graham Thorpe, Chris Cairns, Shaun Pollock, Heath Streak, Shane Warne, Makhaya Ntini Alec StewartAsia XI (one to be added) Marvan Atapattu, Sanath Jayasuriya, Rahul Dravid (capt), Mahela Jayawardene, Mohammed Kaif, Kumar Sangakkara (wkt), Irfan Pathan, Chaminda Vass, Harbhajan Singh, Muttiah Muralitharan Wasim Raja

West Indies selectors will meet today to pick an alternative squad of players for the tour of Sri Lanka. Most members of the current squad are locked in a contractual dispute with the board, and negotiations are on to try to break the deadlock.The West Indies board announced that only three of the 17 players originally approached to play in the series had signed and returned their letters of invitation.”We have been in touch with some of the players currently on tour with the A team in Sri Lanka, regarding their availability and have had a very positive response from them,” said Roger Brathwaite, the CEO of the West Indies board, although Cricinfo reported a quite different scenario.The West Indies board is keen to settle this dispute, for a failure to honour their commitment to the ICC-approved schedule could result in sanctions and fines to the tune of US$2million, something it can ill afford at the moment.”We have a responsibility to Sri Lanka, India and the ICC to honour the agreement for this Test series and one-day international triangular contest and we will do all in our power to meet that commitment,” said Braithwaite.Meanwhile, the West Indies Players’ Association (WIPA) has said it was ready to compromise further “to ensure the tour of Sri Lanka takes place with the best players chosen on merit and cricketing ability.” Dinanath Ramnarine, the president of WIPA, said that a fresh proposal had been tabled before the board. It is “our considered view that, having regard to all the present circumstances, our proposal is both fair and reasonable to all parties.”The West Indian team is slated to play two Tests against Sri Lanka, as well as a triangular series involving India.

Shane Warne’s Ashes career is set to come full circle when the third Test of the series starts at Old Trafford on Thursday. Twelve years ago at Old Trafford Warne’s first delivery in Test cricket against England saw him dismiss Mike Gatting.A vicious turner that pitched outside the batsman’s pads before clipping the top of off-stump, the delivery was latter dubbed ‘the ball of the century’. Now Warne returns to Old Trafford needing just one more wicket to become the first bowler to take 600 in Tests.Warne is in prime form after taking 10 for 162 during England’s thrilling two-run win at Edgbaston that saw them level the five-Test series at 1-1. Warne couldn’t quite believe how his on-field life had panned out. “Old Trafford has been a happy hunting ground for me. It’s one of my special memories in 15 years of international cricket, the Gatting ball was my first one against England.”Whoever writes my scripts over the years, well it’s quite something to be on 599 going back to Old Trafford. My parents are coming over for that Test match which has been planned for a long time. They’ve supported me through a lot of things in my private life.”But Warne, whose gutsy 42 on Sunday helped Australia get close to pulling off a seemingly impossible chase, said individual success would mean little unless it helped his team win a Test. “I feel good about my bowling. But to take 10-for doesn’t mean anything. I took 12 for 128 against South Africa in Sydney in 1994 and we lost the Test by five runs.It means nothing in the context of things. When we all sit around at a barbecue and have a beer it won’t be one I’ll be taking about.”Warne said wickets had been harder to come by in recent years given that so few of Australia’s games were reaching the fifth day when a wearing pitch usually offers the spinner more assistance than at any other time in the match.”Over the last few years especially there haven’t been a lot of five-day Test matches, so you’re not exploiting the conditions late [in the] fourth day and fifth day,” explained Warne, who also took six wickets in Australia’s 239-run first Test win at Lord’s last month.”I’m bowling a lot more on day one, two and three these days so to spin the ball, as I have done at Lord’s, and in this game means I must be doing something pretty right. I’m not a big stats man but my stats over the last couple of years bowling on day one, two and three, stand up to any stage in my career.”Warne found himself upstaged at Edgbaston by Andrew Flintoff’s man-of-the-match winning display with both bat and ball. However Warne, who was the first Australian to congratulate the England all-rounder after bowling him for 73 in England’s second innings, had nothing but admiration for Flintoff, who himself was the first member of the home side to shake Brett Lee’s hand after he finished the Test on 43 not out. “I think he’s a guy anyone would want in their side. It’s always nice to see someone like ‘Freddie’ do well because he’s one of the good guys of cricket.”Asked how long he might continue, Warne, who is 50 wickets ahead of Muttiah Muralitharan in the list of leading Test wicket-takers, replied: “As I’ve probably said 500 times, when the enjoyment stops I’ll stop. At the moment the enjoyment is going pretty well. The way the Lord’s Test match was played, the way England have fought back here, who wouldn’t want to be involved and how can you not enjoy it?”

Yuvraj Singh says his century against Zimbabwe is all thanks to the hard work he has put in recently, under the watchful eye of India’s coach Greg Chappell and his assistant Ian Frazer.”I was short of confidence when I went to Sri Lanka,” he told PTI, “and Greg (Chappell) and Frazer worked very hard on me. My footwork improved greatly,” he added, after his 120 bailed India out of a tricky situation against Zimbabwe in a tri-series game on Sunday.”I worked very hard on my first 50 runs but once I got set I chose my bowlers to attack. It never crossed my mind that we could lose the game. I knew that if I could bat till the end, we cannot lose the game.”He said the pressure was definitely on India after an early flurry of wickets. “If you lose four early wickets, whatever is the attack, the pressure is on the opposition,” he added. “Our top order is one of the best in the world and if they were out, they must have bowled good balls.”

Roland Butcher, who in 1981 became the first black player to represent England – ironically in Barbados, the country of his birth – has been appointed director of sports at the University of the West Indies’ Cave Hill Campus in Barbados.Butcher was appointed to the role on a two-year contract in the hope that he would improve the profile of the centre. “He has international coaching qualifications in two of the leading sporting disciplines, cricket and football, so it’s like a double whammy,” Chelston Lovell, the centre’s media manager, told The Nation. “He will be working very intimately in the total preparation of Cave Hill Campus sports teams for major local and regional tournaments.”Aside from his cricket credentials, Butcher played a good standard of non-league football in England. But his experience as a coach in New Zealand, Bermuda and England will be his main asset.

While rain made the fifth Ashes Test its biggest casualty, poor weather also tried to hamper the Australians in teams pushing for County Championship honours or fighting to avoid relegation. Lancashire managed to avoid any serious interruptions to seal promotion back into Division One, and with only two rounds until the end of the season David Hussey’s Nottinghamshire are favourites for the main trophy ahead of Sussex and Kent.Notts gave themselves a ten-point boost at the top of the table with impressive help from Hussey in a two-day innings-and-54-run victory over Gloucestershire at Trent Bridge. Hussey stroked 157 from 187 balls in a sparkling innings that included 27 fours and three sixes. It was Hussey’s third century of a season that has produced 1220 runs at 76.25, and his fine effort was matched by Mark Ealham, who twice knocked into Gloucestershire with nine wickets.Middlesex, who were without the Australia A bowler Stuart Clark in the draw with Kent, are battling with Surrey and Warwickshire to miss the three-team relegation. The demotions of Gloucestershire and Glamorgan have already been confirmed.Boosted by a two-pronged Australian contingent, Lancashire earned Division-Two promotion with an eight-wicket victory over Essex at Chelmsford. Symonds made 98 from 135 balls – his Championship scores since joining after Australia’s one-day series are 134, 45, 121, 146, 1, 37, 4 and 98 – and Law added 14 and 13 not out after Murali Kartik collected ten wickets for the match. Lancashire are the first team to be promoted while Durham and Yorkshire currently hold the crucial second and third spots.Ian Harvey grabbed three wickets and scored 11 as the weather hindered Yorkshire’s push against Worcestershire at Headingley. Only five overs were possible on the final day as Yorkshire desperately tried to haul in their target of 203. When the match was abandoned they were 2 for 125 from 25 overs.Rain ruined the Northamptonshire v Somerset match at Taunton after three innings with the visitors on top. Martin Love contributed 14 and Damien Wright 71 as Northants cruised to 574 with centuries to Usman Afzaal and David Sales, while the home side managed 396 and 4 for 163 before rain intervened to force an early finish. Wright had a memorable match with seven wickets to go with his fourth Championship half-century of the year.Derbyshire confirmed they would finish last with a draw against Leicestershire that was limited to two innings because of the weather. Jon Moss managed 14 as Derbyshire were dismissed for 190 chasing the opposition’s 6 declared for 552 at Grace Road.

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Powered by Brenton Parchment’s 75 and Xavier Marshall’s 55, Jamaica reached the target of 209 to beat Barbados by six wickets to earn a consolation win in the KFC Cup at Bridgetown in Barbados. Despite the loss, Barbados finished second in the preliminaries of the KFC Cup. Jamaica, meanwhile have failed to reach the semi-finals for the second consecutive season.Batting first, Barbados managed a modest 208 thanks largely to an unbeaten half-century by the veteran Floyd Reifer. Gareth Breese, the offspinner, named man-of-the-match broke the back of Barbados with his figures of 4 for 24.
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Trinidad & Tobago, the defending champions, hurtled towards their fifth straight loss and ended their season winless as Guyana chased down their meagre total of 172 in the final round of the KFC Cup in Barbados.Sent in to bat first at the Windward Sports Club, T&T continued their dismal run putting up a paltry total of 172 which was never going to challenge Guyana. Sewnarine Chattergoon, the left-handed Guyanese opener, hit an unbeaten 78 and shared an opening stand of 131 with Krishna Arjune (55) to take his side to the top of the points table. Earlier, T&T were dealt a huge blow when Daren Ganga, the captain, had to pull out with a leg injury leaving Dinesh Ramdhin to lead the side.
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Windward Islands scored a comprehensive victory over Leeward Islands in their final round match of the KFC Cup at the Cable and Wireless Sports Club Ground to earn themselves a semi-final berth.Devon Smith, the West Indies opener, led the way with an attacking 59 off 48 balls to chase down the target of 145. Earlier, the Leewards were shot out for 144 in just 38.2 overs after an inspired opening spell by Darren Sammy and Deighton Butler, who picked two wickets apiece.Speaking to CMC Sports at the end of the match, Rawl Lewis, the Windwards captain, said, “We are now looking forward to the semi-finals in Guyana, I think the guys have worked hard and though we will be considered by many as the underdogs in the tournament, I think that we have performed well in the preliminaries and we will be hoping to do the same in Guyana in an effort to reach the final”.

Easterns pulled off a remarkable four-wicket win by successfully chasing 340 against Free State. After declaring overnight on 126 for 1, Free State would have been confident of winning after they had bowled Easterns out cheaply for 165 in the first innings. A magnificent 134 not out from Jaco Booysen, to go with his 40 in the first innings, took Easterns to the target in 83.3 overs.Having been put under pressure by Eastern Province from the end of day one, Boland could not manage to overcome a bad pitch, sticky sightscreens and a power failure and eventually fell 22-runs short of their 197-run target. The highlight of the match was Juan Theron who took 6 for 47 to go with his 3 for 12 in the first innings.At Kimberley, Griqualand West declared on 264 for 8, setting Gauteng a target of 264. Adrian McLaren scored 131, and Wendell Bossenger scored 53, and took Griqualand to a strong position, allowing them to set an almost ungettable target. Johnson Mafa had kept Gauteng in the game taking 4 for 79. Gauteng made steady progress and was on the way to victory when a spell of 4 for 79 from Nathan Arthur put a halt to the run chase. A run-a-ball 55 from Douglas Gain and 66 not out off 46 balls from Diaan van Wyk was at the end not enough and Gauteng fell 24 runs short.

Uncertainty loomed large over the composition of the Indian team on the eve of the second Test against Sri Lanka at Delhi. Rahul Dravid, suffering from fever, did not practice with the team, but is likely to recover in time to play. It is not entirely clear if Virender Sehwag’s situation is as good. In bed with a throat infection, Sehwag had struggled to eat solid food, and was in a city hospital receiving treatment. He was on intravenous drip, receiving nutrition and medication in this manner. It looks extremely unlikely that he will play, although there was no clarity coming forth from the board-appointed media officer M Baladitya.Should Sehwag not play, Yuvraj Singh will get a go, although whether he will open the batting with Gautam Gambhir, or bat in the middle-order while Sourav Ganguly is promoted to do the job, remains unclear.Sri Lanka, on the other hand, were happy to announce that everyone was fit and available for selection. Marvan Atapattu stressed the fact that his team had taken all they could out of the Chennai match, and Tom Moody, the coach, was equally upbeat.One man’s burdenAs much as we would like to think otherwise, most tongues are wagging in the direction of Sachin Tendulkar. Yes, India must win, the fans tell you, but what about Sachin’s 35th Test century? Ever since he got to century No. 34, albeit with a little help from the butterfingered Bangladeshis at Dhaka just over a year ago, fans have eagerly waited for the one ton that would push him to the top of the heap, clear of Sunil Gavaskar. The rain-drenched Chennai affair provided a good chance for him to get the milestone out of the way, but it was not to be. Can Delhi do the trick?New, but improved?After the South Africa one-dayer at Kolkata this Indian team will not be thinking too much about getting the most out of the home advantage, but still, no team likes to play a big game on a largely untried ground. The Feroz Shah Kotla in Delhi is no young turk when it comes to stadia, but it has been in such a state of flux since the Delhi and District Cricket Association set out on a revamp in 2004 that no-one is really sure what to expect till the last moment. The teams have not even been able to practice on the ground, which is always a dampener. “It’s always nice to get a feel of the ground you are playing at, in the lead up. It’s the small things – just knowing where everything is, what the different stands are like, what the view is from different field positions,” one Indian player remarked. India have been practising at one ground, the Sri Lankans at a second, and the actual game will happen at the Kotla. Not ideal.No room even for blusterOne of the worst things in modern cricket is the death of the inventive sledger, the artful dodger of tricky questions, the witty manipulator of routine press conferences. Rod Marsh would rather ask the batsman who walked in, “how is your wife … and my kids?” than go “You can’t effing bat you effing effer”; Nasser Hussain would reply, “You’ve covered enough cricket, tell me how you’d bowl to Sachin,” when asked what his strategy was, rather than say, “I don’t want to reveal strategy before a match.” Nowadays the talk is all about the “psychological edge” Sri Lanka gained from bowling India out cheaply on an iffy Chennai pitch in a match that was shortened more than the skirts of airhostesses on gimmicky airlines. There’s talk of “moral victories” when defeat was not even in the realm of the possible. Let’s face it, any which way you look at it, this Test series begins here. What has passed is a lot of water under the leaking covers.What you did not seeA key factor in Delhi could be the manner in which India blunt Sri Lanka’s key bowlers. With all due respect to the rest of the crew, Sri Lanka’s success hinges largely on how badly opposition batsmen play Chaminda Vaas and Muttiah Muralitharan. If batsmen have to dig deep enough to give Vaas ten maiden overs on a day, then there’s serious trouble. Vaas needs just two wickets to hit the 300-mark in Tests, and will be only the second Sri Lankan to do so. If Murali reaches that eye-popping delivery stride unchallenged, without being seriously attacked, there’s a struggle on hand. India’s mastery over Sri Lanka in the recent one-day series could not have happened without their best batsmen taking on that strangulating duo. Can Sachin Tendulkar attack Vaas as he did recently? Will VVS Laxman have the wherewithal (and time at the crease before being tragicomically run out) to banish Murali to all parts? That we did not see at Chennai. That we must look out for.