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Tatenda Taibu arrived in Dhaka on December 8 to play in the premier division cricket league starting from December 12 for City Club, last year’s runners-up. It will be Taibu’s second visit to Bangladesh after leading Zimbabwe earlier this year in a three-match Test series and five-match one-day international series.”I was supposed to play in South Africa in collaboration with Zimbabwe Cricket but after my retirement they just shut the window. There was no way out for me after the decision. It was painful for me that for quite sometime I couldn’t think about cricket; rather I had to concentrate on other issues. Then I got the proposal from Mamun (Reazuddin Al Mamun). Without cricket, life was so difficult to me,” Taibu told Dhaka-based For the past few days Taibu has been brushing up on his knowledge regarding the local league and his new club. “I came to know the domestic league here is very competitive. I spoke with Streaky [Heath Streak] as well as Steve Tikolo. I was told that players like Ganguly, Yuvraj Singh, and Akram played here. I thought that it would also be nice for me.”I have little idea about my team but now I know that my team finished runners-up in the last two seasons and the club boasts five national players including Rajin [Saleh] and [Alok] Kapali. I have also been informed about the other sides.”He, however, clarified that his main priority would still be Zimbabwe cricket and that he hopes to get back in action for his country soon.” I will return to my country after one month and come back to Bangladesh after three weeks. But you know my first priority is Zimbabwe cricket that’s why I am looking forward to play for my country in our next tour of West Indies in May and I believe things will be okay by then.”If Peter Chingoka and Ozias Bvute quit, the crisis will be resolved soon. I’m hopeful that everything will be back to normalcy. You know whenever Themba Mliswa [the man who made the threats against me] was involved in any sport he destroyed it. He destroyed rugby, soccer and a club and then came to cricket.”Replying to a query on whether the ICC should intervene, he said: “The crisis is so deep that there is no scope for them to do anything and it was already too late.”

The convenor of South Africa’s selectors, Haroon Lorgat, has warned the country’s top order that their performances in Australia have not been up to scratch. Lorgat’s comments follow their 94-run defeat against Sri Lanka, at Brisbane, which came two days after they beat Australia.The South African batting has not been helped by the withdrawal of Jacques Kallis, who has been replaced by Johan van de Wath, but Lorgat told that this is no excuse and other players should take responsibility.”van der Wath is a like-for-like replacement for Kallis, although he is obviously not in the same class as a specialist batsman,” Lorgat admitted. “But we still have plenty of senior batsmen available and, quite frankly, it is high time that they started pulling their weight.”Jacques Rudolph played well against Sri Lanka, but it is high time that [Graeme] Smith, [Herschelle] Gibbs and [Ashwell] Prince start making the sort of scores we expect from them.”I don’t think there is anything wrong with the personnel we have in Australia, but there is definitely something missing, and the team must sort themselves out quickly. What happened [at the Gabba] was simply not acceptable.”Smith’s form has been a concern throughout the tour. In the Tests, Twenty20 and one-day internationals he has failed to reach fifty in nine innings, with a top score of 39. However, for the head of the national selection panel to be making comments such as this mid-way through a tour is hardly going to inspire confidence among the players.

Inzamam-ul-Haq, the Pakistan captain, has been fined 10% of his match fees for a slow over-rate during the third ODI against India. The rest of the team was fined 5%.Pakistan bowled one over less in the stipulated time during their loss to India at Lahore. The Indians were pulled up for the same offence after the first game at Peshawar that Pakistan won by seven runs.India lead the five-match series 2-1 going into the fourth ODI at Multan on Thursday.

On getting to the milestone of 500 wickets
It’s a great feeling to reach a milestone like this. What makes it more special is the fact that only four other bowlers have got to the 500-mark and I am the first Indian to do so.On how he’d sum up his journey in cricket in 16 years
I’d say I’ve persevered. When I began people questioned my kind of bowling and even now people do. I guess after 16 years that has still not been answered and I find that strange. I’ve just gone into every game thinking I need to perform, to contribute something to the team.On what has kept him going all these years
I’ve always had the self-belief that I can perform at this level. There have been doubts created by other people over my ability to perform. When you play for 16 years people are bound to create such doubts. But I have never doubted myself. And nor have my team-mates and my family. Coming back from my shoulder injury [in 2000-01] was crucial.On what the next target is
Already the tally is 501. How many more wickets depends on my body and the schedule, so I can’t really say what the target is. Warne has 659, Murali just got to 600 yesterday, hopefully I’ll also scale those heights some day.On setting up batsmen
When I bowl I believe every ball can get a wicket. That’s my attitude. Obviously you try and set up a batsman, get him to play a few shots. Some days it works and some days it doesn’t. You’re always trying to play a mental game with the batsman. If you consistently ask questions of the batsmen you are bound to be successful.On how he continues to strive to improve after 16 years in international cricket
You need to constantly evolve and bring up some variations because these days even before you step out, the opposition knows everything about you. I still try to bowl the classical legspinner, the classical flipper and the classical googly. That’s the only way to enjoy yourself. The day I think I’ve had enough of trying out new things, I won’t be playing the game.On whether he had fears that he may never bowl again after his shoulder injury
There were fears that I may not bowl again, when I had the surgery. It took two months to just lift my hand. Playing cricket at the international level was a distant thought. That’s when my wife, Andrew Leipus, Omkar [yoga expert in Bangalore] and Ramakant [Karnataka team physiotherapist] constantly motivated me and helped me in my rehabilitation. Also the thought that one day when I bowl there would be no pain was enough motivation. Srinath’s coming back to international cricket after a similar surgery also gave me lot of strength.On how he seems to be bowling at his best in the recent past
The last couple of years have been good. The experience that I’ve gained over the years and the way the ball is coming out of the hand has been good. The number of overs I have bowled over the last 16 years have helped me in understanding what needs to be done. The last three years have been really good.On the memorable wickets along the way
The first wicket of Allan Lamb, which was where it all started. The 10-wicket haul against Pakistan in Delhi was special. Also the performance against Australia at Sydney [in early 2005] … There have been many special moments. When we won against Australia at Adelaide … the series win in Pakistan in 2004.On whom he dedicates reaching this milestone to
I dedicate this to all those players who have played with me. To the fielders who took the catches, the fellow bowlers who applied pressure from the other end, to batsmen who put runs on the board … I would not have got 500 wickets if they had not played their part.On what Matthew Hoggard, Kumble’s 300th victim, had to say when the wicket of Harmison fell
He suggested that I might have been more happy if I’d picked up the wicket of a batsman as my 500th.

Scorecard

If there were 2 000 spectators at Carlton Club for the third day of the Carib Beer Cup semi-final between Barbados and Guyana yesterday, more than 75 per cent appeared to be vociferously throwing their support behind the visitors.As Guyana resolutely recovered before going on the rampage, their followers screamed themselves hoarse, jumped up and down and waved their national flag with pride. In contrast, outnumbered Barbados supporters watched in disbelief with the knowledge that the match was gradually slipping away.From a lunchtime position of 112 for 4, only 77 ahead, Guyana consolidated to reach 192 for 5 at tea, but pressed on the accelerator in the final session to lash 124 runs at better than five runs an over before declaring at 316 for 9 with six overs remaining.Guyana, facing a first-innings deficit, knew that nothing less than victory will give them a place in the weekend’s final against Trinidad and Tobago or Barbados. They reached seven without loss at the close, and will face a stern test of skill and character after being set a target of 282.For two hours, Barbados wiped away the cream of Guyana’s batting and were into the last pair of specialist batsmen. For the next two hours, Sewnarine Chattergoon, who had defiantly survived the first session en route to a solid half-century, continued his resistance by showing immense powers of concentration in an effort that eventually spanned five hours.His impressive 82 off 219 balls, highlighted by his ability to present a straight, broad bat, followed his 51 in the first innings when he was similarly stubborn. His only mistake was to the ball that caused his downfall – a short, wide offering from Ryan Austin, the offspinner, which he tried his best to connect to and ended up giving a catch to backward point.Chattergoon led the recovery in a fifth-wicket stand of 75 with Assad Fudadin (33) and it was the first of three successive half-century partnerships. By the time Chattergoon was out, Neil McGarrell was already into a devastating act with the long handle. His 82, the identical score as Chattergoon, came from 98 balls and contained 16 boundaries.As McGarrell was into his element, the noisy Guyana supporters burst into chants of “Beast! Beast! Beast!” and the allrounder lived up to his nickname with a brutal assault on the hapless Bajans.His sixth-wicket partnership with Chattergoon was worth 61 and his seventh-wicket stand with Mahendra Nagamootoo was 60, a stand in which Nagamootoo was just as enterprising with a quickfire 28 off 37 balls. They took the attack to a flagging Tino Best, who was punished mainly for trying to hammer the ball in an unresponsive pitch.For the last two sessions, the Barbados attack, featuring three fast bowlers with Test experience, looked a trifle ordinary and the fielding became slightly ragged. In the circumstances, Dwayne Smith, with his bustling seamers, appeared to pose the biggest threat.It was a big turnaround from the first session when Barbados got rid of the cream of Guyana’s batting. Collins removed Krishna Arjune with a low catch by Patrick Browne, the wicketkeeper, and Steven Jacobs was caught by the diving Best, failing to pick the slower ball from Bradshaw. Narsingh Deonarine batted with Chattergoon for close to an hour before he gave the impression he was unhappy with a leg-before call against him off Smith.When Barbados removed Travis Dowlin 20 minutes before lunch with a catch at slip, it was advantage to the hosts. The same thing could be said at the close.

“Better than imagination”, screamed the , the Dhaka-based daily, after Bangladesh’s best-ever opening day in Test cricket, when they amassed 355 for 5 against the mighty Australians. The man responsible for Bangladesh’s dream day out, Shariar Nafees, revealed that his inspiration was “playing against the world’s best attack”.”When you come out with a hundred against them [Australia], it’s simply a great, great feeling,” an excited Nafees told the reporters. “And when players like Adam Gilchrist and Ricky Ponting congratulated me saying that it was a well-paced hundred, joy knew no bound for me.” Nafees played the perfect team man, stating that the opening-day effort was the proof that “Bangladesh cricket is going upward. Scoring 350 runs in day against a team like Australia is not a joke.”Nafees, who was promoted to open the batting in this Test, said he was not worried about his batting position and only wanted to do well for the team. “It’s great that I made my hundred as an opener,” he said. “I am looking forward to serving my team as best as possible. I was not nervous at any stage even when I received a nasty bouncer off Brett Lee on my helmet.”Yet he admitted to nerves as his maiden first-class century approached. “But honestly speaking I was little bit tense when I reached 99.”The 20-year-old Nafees displayed a mature head and talked about learning from his previous mistakes, notably against Sri Lanka. “I was wrong in choosing the ball for the sweep shot against Murali,” said Nafees. “But I think I learnt from my mistake which reflected in the day against Warne. My main intention was to play according to merit of the delivery.”Nafees found praise from his captain Habibul Bashar. “It was one of the best innings from any Bangladeshi batsman. He played according to merit and never allowed the bowlers to get on top.”But it was never on our mind that we would score 350 runs on a day against a team like Australia. I want to say that it is a clear message that we are improving. If you consider the previous record, definitely it is the best day in our history and the most significant thing is not many teams in the world score 350 runs on a single day.”However, he had his feet firmly on the ground, conceding that Australia could fight back strongly. “There are still four days to go and you all know that Australia can bounce back from any stage. That’s why our first target would be to bat at least two more sessions tomorrow and then we can think about saving the match. There is no scope to be over excited. It would have been satisfactory had we finished the day losing one less wicket,” said Bashar, who himself was guilty of throwing his wicket away, something he regretted doing. “A century would have been good not only for me but also for the benefit of the team. Making a century against Australia is always special for any batsman.”John Buchanan, Australia’s coach, also praised the Bangladeshi batsmen for their pluck and skill. “Bangladesh played spin and quick bowlers very well,” Buchanan said. “There will be more opportunities for us tomorrow morning.” And he picked out Nafees’s contribution, who made the most of being dropped at fly-slip by Shane Warne on 66. “Nafees played very sensibly. We dropped a few catches and that opened up an opportunity for them.”

Division One

Points tableThis was a poor weekend for any office workers looking to spend a relaxing Saturday at the cricket. Only three games limped into a fourth day, and two of those ended before or immediately after lunchtime. Only at Cardiff did a match reach tea.David Alleyne’s defiant 109 not out was not enough to prevent defending champions Nottinghamshire slipping to a 60-run defeat by Warwickshire at Trent Bridge. Notts had seemed down last night when they slid to 77 for 5 chasing 377, but Alleyne and Mark Ealham added 113 by the close. They only put on another 10 this morning when Ealham fell for 56, but Alleyne found support from Graeme Swann (30) and Ryan Sidebottom (26) before running out of partners. Alleyne, who made his first-class debut back in 200, had never made a half-century before his first-innings 57 in this match.Sussex resumed at Hove needing 55 to beat Yorkshire with five wickets in hand, and they cruised home without any alarms thanks to Matt Prior, who scored 43 off those to finish on an unbeaten 55. Robin Martin-Jenkins (17*) was content to play second fiddle as Yorkshire slid to their second defeat of the season.

Division Two

Points tableAn early burst from a Welshman, Steffan Jones, appeared to have put the skids under Glamorgan as they fell to 69 for 7 chasing 213 to beat Derbyshire at Cardiff. Jones took the first five wickets to fall, finishing with 6 for 25. Nicky Peng and Robert Croft then swung the balance of the game again with an eighth-wicket stand of 91 before Ian Hunter removed Peng for 56. Croft kept Glamorgan creeping towards their target, but Jones returned to dismiss Andrew Davies, and Croft was left high and dry when Huw Walters fell to Hunter to give Derbyshire a 38-run win.

Spectators in New York will get a chance to see Twenty20 cricket in the flesh when two teams of former West Indies greats go head to head as part of the city’s Caribbean Week.The match takes place on Saturday, June 10 at Idlewild Park on 223rd St. and 148th Ave. in Queens, New York, a popular venue that accommodates 2,000.Some of the players who have agreed to take part include Andy Roberts, Joel Garner, Irving Shillingford, Rawle Lewis, Omari Banks and Cameron Cuffy.

Mushtaq Mohammad, the former Pakistan captain, has rejected claims made by Allan Border, the former Australian captain and current national selector, that Mushtaq offered him $1million to lose in fifth Ashes Test at Edgbaston in 1993.Last week Mushtaq released a new book titled in which he wrote that he approached Border before the Test to get autographs for his two sons. “I respected him a great deal as a player and the way he played his cricket, and he was a hero to my sons.”That was the reason I approached him for the autographs in the first place. But I have lost respect for him as a man because he damaged my reputation and integrity.”If I wanted to do anything like that, which I never would have, I would have done it in my playing days when I might have had more influence. I retired in 1979 and I am supposed to have tried to fix a game in 1993, after 14 years? It’s laughable.”Mushtaq, however, does admit to having asked Border what he would do if some one offered him money to lose a match. “As we all know now, Dennis Lillee and Rodney Marsh had a bet against their own side [Headingley Test, 1981] with ridiculously high odds and made a lot of money from what was a pretty miserable result for them.”So I said, with Marsh and Lillee in mind, ‘What would you do if someone offered you big money to lose this Test match?’ He just laughed it off and said he had never played his cricket like that and had always played hard and honest, which I already knew.”That was it; tongue in cheek conversation you could call it. I never had any intention of inviting him to fix the match and he didn’t take it that way.” Border declined to make any comments on the book’s claims.Mushtaq has also written about his experience as the coach during Pakistan’s unexpected defeat against Bangladesh in the 1999 World Cup. “I didn’t want to say anything at the time and I kept quiet. If I had said something to the team or asked if it was fixed I would have rocked the boat and wrecked our whole tournament. I figured it was only one game and we had still qualified for the Super Sixes, although I had a very unpleasant feeling inside me.”I could have exploded, but I decided for the good of the team to stay tight-lipped. It was the flurry of wickets we lost and the manner of the dismissals that made me believe something wasn’t right. They were just such talented players and I couldn’t comprehend that these boys could get out in the way they did.”I was sick and it was very, very difficult for me to digest. I kept asking myself, `How could we not chase 223 against this lot? Was this pre-planned?'” Pakistan were bowled out for 161, with no batsman scoring more than 30.He also referred to the Melbourne Test in 1978-79, when Sarfaraz Nawaz took 9 for 86 and Pakistan won by 71 runs. Mushtaq, who was the captain for the series, says that though Sarfaraz bowled an exceptional spell, the entire team “worked on the ball” and gave the seam a lift. The victory is one of four out of 29 Tests that Pakistan have played in Australia.Mushtaq, 62, played 57 Tests and scored 343 runs at an average of 39. He was also a handy legspin bowler, and took 79 wickets at 29. He held the record of being the youngest centurion in Test cricket before Mohammad Ashraful broke it. Mushtaq now lives in Birmingham, where he settled down after retirement.

Canada have announced squads for their forthcoming ICC Intercontinental match, their first of the competition, against Kenya which gets underway on July 29 in Toronto.The selectors named a 14-man squad for the match against Kenya, the nucleus of which will also play against Bermuda in August; it was confirmed that Pubudu Dassanayaka will be replaced by Ian Billcliff, however.Kenya, whose team is a blend of youth and experience, recently recalled Kennedy Otieno and, after drawing against the Netherlands in their opening encounter in April, need to beat Canada to maintain their hopes in the competition.Canada recently signed a two-year sponsorship deal with the cricket manufacturers Slazenger who will provide their senior team with clothing, as well as supplying seven players’ equipment each season.Canada squad to face Kenya1 John Davison, 2 Qaiser Ali, 3 Ashish Bagai, 4 Geoff Barnett, 5 Umar Bhatti, 6 Ian Billcliff, 7 Pubudu Dassanayaka, 8 Sunil Dhaniram, 9 Haninder Dhillon, 10 Stewart Heaney, 11 Don Maxwell, 12 Henry Osinde, 13 Naresh Patel, 14 Puvendran Ravishankar