Where in the world is there a museum where you can watch a Test match?At the National Cricket Museum at the Basin Reserve in Wellington you can. And big plans are about to be realised to make New Zealand’s only cricket museum an up to date interactive experience.The chairman of the Board of Trustees, Don Neely sees the institution, which was opened on November 29, 1987, “developing into quite a sizeable museum.”Neely said: “It will never match the MCG, or be as steeped in history as Lord’s, but we have a mission statement to look after everything. We archive and preserve everything. It’s all tissue paper and waxed boxes. After all, we only get one chance.”Under the old Grandstand lies acres of unused space that the $220,000 needed for the expansion will develop before England play in the Test in March.Many years ago New Zealand Cricket Almanack Editor Arthur Carman showed Neely, then Wellington captain around the dungeons, of the 1920s building, which had fallen largely out of use even then.”Water was up to here,” Neely recalled, pointing to his knees. “Wisdens were floating, ruined.”This is why I will never leave anything to Wellington cricket,” said Carman, whose memory is perpetuated with the Arthur Carman Press Box at the ground.It has all changed now at the Museum. Curator Stan Cowman, archivist Donal Duthie, enthusiast Adrienne Simpson, and many more volunteers have struggled for years to keep the under-funded house of treasures afloat.In the last 10 years alone 285 boxes and suitcases of artefacts, including John Reid’s entire collection of albums, clothes and trophies have been catalogued, preserved and displayed when space allows.Now the money required to make a large safe storage area, a theatrette, an interactive room and a display of cricket clothing in the old function rooms beneath the long-abandoned marble staircase that visiting dignitaries were guided up to the best seats before the war.In the style of those pre-war days Martin Donnelly’s book collection will be displayed in the style of an English gentleman’s library, alongside the museum’s own collection of volumes.And that’s just the start. In a city that boasts Te Papa, the main drive of the National Cricket Museum will be similar to that great attraction – for educational purposes. Computer terminals designed for school groups to research recent events in cricket history.”Too many museums round the world stop in 1949.” Neely is referring to Bowral, where the Bradman Museum halts after the Don retired.”What happened here two years ago when [Mathew] Sinclair got his 214 on debut – that’s history. CricInfo is writing history everyday,” says Neely, author of Men in White, the history of international cricket in New Zealand.Work started before the Boxing Day Bangladesh Test. It will be unveiled in front of an audience of well-known players and the international media during the England Test.

Ashley Giles is not the sort of person who is afraid to stick his head above the parapet. When a youngster on the books of his native Surrey, he decided to change from being a left-arm seamer to become a left-arm spinner. Surrey did not want him to make the change. He was adamant, and moved to Warwickshire.For a young lad trying to make his way in the game, such a move showed courage and character. He has had one or two such tests of his mettle along the way. As a rookie international cricketer, he bowled an early spell of 2-0-19-0 in front of a baying crowd in Sydney in a one-day international.As Australia closed in on England’s total, Giles was brought back at the death. It could conceivably have marked the end of his international career, but he held his nerve, bowled the dangerous Greg Blewett who was on a one-man charge to victory, and England won by a mere seven runs.Giles enjoyed a winter on the sub-continent in 2000-2001, where he established himself as the country’s premier spinner in Test cricket as well as one-day internationals, and he was set for a successful summer when injury struck him down. A bulky man, he was let down by his Achilles and his international appearances were limited to one, at Edgbaston against Australia where he was patently unfit.After surgery, he was still by no means match-fit when he joined the England party in India before Christmas. However, he bowled himself back to fitness by taking five for 67 from 43.3 overs in the first innings at Ahmedabad. Having proved his fitness, he then faced another mental battle in Bangalore.Nasser Hussain, his captain, asked him to bowl left-arm over the wicket into the bowlers’ footmarks, first to contain and then to dismiss Sachin Tendulkar. It was a tactic that attracted much criticism, but it worked. Doubters – and there were plenty – need only look in the book, as the saying goes. “Tendulkar, stumped Foster, bowled Giles.” It was the first time Tendulkar had ever been dismissed in such a fashion in Test cricket.Mind you, one-day internationals will call for a different approach. For one thing, such a line of delivery would bring a host of the wide calls that might have occurred in Bangalore. For another, Giles rather thinks that Tendulkar might be gunning for him.”The one-day series will be a totally different thing to the Test series and I’ll have to be prepared for him coming at me because I think he will,”conceded Giles.”After that series when I bowled over the wicket a lot to him, I think he may just have a bit of a dart at me and if it goes my way, it goes my way, and if it doesn’t then so be it.”I’m not daunted by the prospect, I see it as a fantastic challenge for me and it’s one I’m really looking forward to. I know the sort of spinners he’s played against and how well he’s played them.”I would never say I’m one of the best spinners in the world, but to get him like that gives me such a nice feeling. His wicket was one that I wanted and it was a wicket I will always cherish – I’ll do well to get a better wicket than that.”Furthermore, Giles is looking forward to tomorrow as an occasion, with up to 100,000 people in the ground, not many of them hoping to see him succeed.”Playing at Eden Gardens should be fantastic,” he admitted. “You may never play in front of 100,000 people again and it’s an experience you should enjoy.”It’s something I’m sure I’ll remember for the rest of my life so I’m really looking forward to it – it’s something I’m going to savour.”Recalling the time he bowled at the death against the Australians, he said, “I played at the Sydney Cricket Ground in front of 38,000 a few years ago which was fantastic, but this will be totally different and I can’t even imagine what 100,000 people in a cricket ground will look like!”He is about to find out.

It could be said that the main business of one-day cricket is to produce an exciting finish. This was a classic of its kind by that reckoning as the pendulum of fortune swung first one way and then the other. The teams, and individual players, alternated between ecstasy and despondency and back again as England kept alive their hopes of squaring the series, winning by a mere two runs. That bald statistic, however, conceals a wealth of drama.Put in after a delayed start on a misty Delhi morning, England appeared to have opted for an entirely different strategy in their innings. The openers did not throw everything into a heady pursuit – some might say reckless pursuit – of a large total.The Indian attack allowed few liberties to be taken and, unlike other starts from both sides in the series, Nick Knight and Marcus Trescothick could not take the rate much above four an over. The total stood at 51 in the 12th over when Trescothick drove Ajit Agarkar in the air towards mid-off where Sarandeep Singh, making his debut, just clasped the catch as it died on him.Nasser Hussain announced himself with a majestic cover drive for a boundary. Although he did not appear totally at ease – he was breathing heavily throughout his innings – he stuck to the task in company with Knight as the pair registered the first century partnership for England in the series.Sachin Tendulkar had been brought into the attack to take the pace off the ball and, not only did he achieve that objective, he also took the wicket of the England captain. A shortish ball out side the off stump saw Hussain playing a favourite dab and Ajay Ratra took a smart catch with Hussain one short of his fifty.Andrew Flintoff waited for his second ball before clubbing it to the cover boundary and, unlike other times on the tour, went on to build an innings. And a rollicking knock it was. He took 13 off a Tendulkar over to see him out of the attack, and the same off Javagal Srinath when he came back to the bowling crease.Knight had not been his usual cavalier self, even if his steady innings was priceless for England, and he reached his hundred from 126 balls with seven fours. He was run out shortly afterwards thanks to a moment’s hesitation and slick fielding between Agarkar and Srinath. The partnership with Flintoff had produced 80 runs in ten overs as the pace picked up to the required level.Flintoff reached his fifty from just 36 balls with six fours and a six. He did not last for long after that, being caught at long-off, but he had been at his destructive best to lift England to what was considered to be about a par score in the conditions. The closeness of the finish confirmed that assessment.India got off to a flyer. Andrew Caddick had been out of international cricket for some time and must have wondered if he should have bothered to return as the first ball of the innings crashed into the extra-cover boundary via the middle of Virender Sehwag’s bat. With another of the same, ten runs came from the first wayward over.Knight put down a difficult chance off Flintoff at slip when Sehwag edged in the second over, before the batsman picked up another boundary. The first three overs produced 26 and by the end of the fourth the total stood at 32. And the batsmen were not even slogging.Tendulkar had been the quieter of the two and he was first to go. He fenced at a lifting ball outside the off stump from Caddick for James Foster to take the catch. Sehwag responded to the fall of his partner by bludgeoning 14 from the next over.At this point, England began to rein the batsmen in. Caddick produced the first maiden of the match, and then he and his old mate Darren Gough each conceded a single run off the next two overs. Sourav Ganguly took 13 balls to get off the mark, which he did with a straight four off Gough.The Indian captain should have been out when he had 14. Michael Vaughan had been doing a splendid job as a spinner, luring Ganguly down the pitch, beating him, only to see Foster fluff the take. Although the wicket-keeper got the ball back onto the stumps, the third umpire reckoned Ganguly had grounded his bat. Confidence in that official, however, had evaporated when he gave Flintoff not out in similar circumstances with his foot clearly not grounded.Foster did take a regulation catch to dismiss Dinesh Mongia off Flintoff to reduce India to 100 for 3 in the 22nd over, but he could do nothing but watch as Ganguly lifted his side right back into contention. He and Mohammad Kaif brought up the century partnership in 95 balls.Kaif was impressive but not chanceless. Foster put down a dab outside the off stump when Kaif got a face of the bat onto the ball. Vaughan failed to get a hand onto a simple chance despite moving well within reach in the covers. It looked as if those errors would cost England the game, but there were a few more twists to come.The pair had put on 111 in 19 overs when Ganguly lifted Ashley Giles to long-off. Giles had retired from the attack with figures of 4-0-32-0, but he returned now in spectacular fashion with five wickets in six overs.Kaif followed his captain two balls later after chipping into the covers. Giles accepted a caught and bowled from Hemang Badani. Foster, to his evident relief, found that he could still effect a stumping to dismiss Ratra, and then Giles bowled Anil Kumble. India 239 for 8 in the 47th over. Game over? Not a chance!Agarkar is dangerous with a short boundary. Sarandeep offered staunch support. Agarkar was particularly effective, hitting the ball cleanly to the boundary four times in his stay of 24 balls that left him undefeated on 36.They gnawed away at the total and England’s nerves so that nine were needed off the last over to be bowled by Gough. Summoning up all the experience of one hundred such matches, Gough delivered a dot followed by four singles. Five runs were needed off the last ball – it was no time to overstep or go wide – but the courageous Agarkar could manage no more than a couple. England had won by the narrowest of margins to set up a grand finale in Mumbai on Sunday.

The Queensland selectors have today named Stuart Law and Michael Kasprowicz in the XXXX Queensland Bulls team to contest Sunday’s ING Cup Final against the NSW Blues at the Gabba.Both players passed fitness tests this morning at training, with the team captaincy reverting to Law following his selection.Law batted for the second day in a row in the nets and then had a one-on-one fielding workout under the scrutiny of Chairman of Selectors Andrew Courtice.Following a discussion with coach Bennett King, he was given the green light to return from the fractured knuckle on his little finger that he sustained during the Bulls’ Pura Cup loss to South Australia three weeks ago.Kasprowicz also bowled solidly in the nets for the second session in as many days to satisfy Courtice of his recovery from a hamstring strain.Law’s inclusion sees left-hander Brendan Nash miss out of the squad while Kasprowicz’s availability meant the selectors did not consider rookie left-armer Scott Brant for the game, although the teenage paceman will be available for the Pura Cup match against NSW in Sydney next week.Pace bowler Ashley Noffke has not trained with the team this week after suffering the flu but is expected to join them on Saturday for the final”top-up” session from 9am at the Gabba.NSW today named a 13-man squad for the Final, with right-hand batsman Matthew Phelps coming in for Graeme Rummans and pace bowler Don Nash added. Former Queensland one-day spinner Dale Turner has also won a spot in the squad.XXXX QUEENSLAND BULLS v NSW Blues, ING Cup Final, Sunday, the Gabba.(9amstart): Jimmy Maher, Martin Love, Stuart Law (c), Andrew Symonds,Clinton Perren, Lee Carseldine, James Hopes, Wade Seccombe, AshleyNoffke, Nathan Hauritz, Michael Kasprowicz, Joe Dawes (all 12 to play).NSW Blues: Shane Lee (captain), Brad Haddin, Matthew Phelps, CoreyRichards, Michael Bevan, Michael Clarke, Mark Higgs, Dominic Thornely,Shawn Bradstreet, Don Nash, Nathan Bracken, Stuart Clark, Dale Turner(one to be omitted).Sunday’s Final will start at 9am with gates opening at 8am.Tickets will cost $14 for adults, $8 for children u/16 and pensionerswhile there will be a $28 family ticket (2 adults, 2 children). Ticketsare on sale through Ticketmaster7 on 1300 136 122, their websitewww.ticketmaster7.com.au or through Ticketmaster7 outlets.

The West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) will monitor events in Guyana on a daily basis before making any decision on the first Cable & Wireless Test between West Indies and Australia.In response to concerns by the Australia Cricket Board (ACB) over the increased crime and violence in the South American country in recent weeks, WICB president Wes Hall said the board would be considering input from its two Guyana directors ahead of the April 10 to 14 Test at Bourda."We just don’t want to count our chickens before they hatch. The WICB will look at it realistically," Hall said. "We have board members in Guyana who will apprise us of the situation. When that happens, we will deal with it."We don’t know what is going to happen from day to day. We have able administrators in Guyana and they will let us know what the position is."In a letter faxed to the WICB on January 13, ACB international cricket manager Richard Watson said his board was seeking guidance on the "reported deterioration in the security situation in and around Georgetown, which is of high concern to the ACB".The letter has been passed to Guyana’s Minister of Home Affairs, Ronald Gajraj.When asked if the WICB would be prepared to switch the venue of the match if the ACB’s concerns remained, Hall said: "It’s not a matter of being prepared to switch matches."What we will do is try and have a helicopter view of the situation. We will look and see what is happening. We will not be party to exposing anybody to violence."Hall, who is also chairman of the International Cricket Council’s steering group for safety, said the issue of violence and security was of paramount importance to the game’s governing body."I am very cognisant of the fact that violence is not necessarily gunplay and the things they are talking about," he said. "It is also inside the cricket ground. We have been looking at many areas where we can minimise any disturbances."Violence and security are buzzwords in world cricket. I am not minimising the whole aspect of violence, but as we look around in that corridor in Pakistan, India, Zimbabwe and Kenya, we’ve had some violence. It is very important that you look at security."

POTCHEFSTROOM, South Africa, Feb 3 AAP – Supremely confident Glenn McGrath has declared Australia can win the World Cup without losing a single match.McGrath, whose unwavering fast-medium bowling from a great height captured 18 wickets at the last World Cup, predicted Australia would not repeat the sluggish start four years ago that almost sent the team home early.Following losses to Pakistan and New Zealand in pool games, Australia strung together six wins and a tie to hold aloft the trophy on the Lord’s balcony.”After having to win the hard way in 1999, our goal for this World Cup is to go through the tournament undefeated, something I believe this team can do,” said McGrath.”With such tremendous talent in the squad and great faith in each other’s ability, I am convinced that special things are in store for us.”Australia is hoping to become the first nation to win back-to-back World Cups since the West Indies in 1975 and 1979.Australia’s Test and one-day domination in recent years has given it similar aura of invincibility to those legendary Windies’ teams.McGrath’s confidence is in stark contrast to the mood in the South African camp after an embarrassing seven-wicket loss to Western Province in a practice game last weekend.Furious Proteas’ captain Shaun Pollock has since read the riot act to his players.”Shaun was quite harsh on them, but I think all of them agreed that it was necessary,” said South African coach Eric Simons.”It was a very disappointing performance. It made a big dent to their pride.”They knew the Province guys had come to do well. They were actually embarrassed by their performance.”

Shane Warne’s mum and an exhaustive analysis of his urine sample will be key elements of the biggest drugs hearing in Australian sports history.Warne will front an Australian Cricket Board anti-doping committee on Friday morning and no verdict is expected until late afternoon, at the earliest.He will face a minimum two-year ban if found guilty of using a prohibited method.Warne tested positive to a banned diuretic on January 22 and the casehas attracted enormous interest since it became public early last week.The leg-spinner, 33, would have to think seriously about retirement if he received the two-year penalty.But even if he is found guilty, Warne could receive a lesser sentence or even escape penalty under an “exceptional circumstance” clause in the ACB’s anti-doping policy.A report from the board’s anti-doping control officer Dr Peter Harcourt could also help or hurt Warne in terms of penalty.Warne has said he tested positive because of a pill his mother Brigitte gave him, apparently to help his appearance. Brigitte is yet to comment publicly on the saga.Warne received the results of his B sample earlier this week and his legal team has since spent plenty of time pouring over the laboratory report.They will try to use the test results to show Warne has been telling the truth and the diuretic was not being used as a masking agent for something more sinister, such as steroids.The hearing will be closed, with Justice Glen Williams, medical expert Dr Susan White and former Test spinner and national selector Peter Taylor making up the committee.The ACB has appointed barrister Elizabeth Brimer to assist the anti-doping committee, while board chief executive James Sutherland and its legal and business development Andrew Twaits will also attend the hearing.Warne’s lawyer Ian McCubbin, plus a QC, and his brother and manager Jason Warne will most likely be with the star and his mother.West Australian Duncan Spencer received an 18-month ban two years ago after testing positive to the steroid nandrolone. Then a year ago New South Wales batsman Graeme Rummans was fined $2000 and was banned for a month after testing positive to probenecid.Earlier today, World Anti-Doping Agency chairman Dick Pound again weighed into the Warne saga.World sport’s top anti-drugs official said Warne should receive a two-year ban if found guilty.”The source is not relevant, the responsibility of an athlete is not take prohibited substances,” Pound said.”You cannot have an IQ over room temperature and be unaware of this asan international athlete.”This is original: ‘My mum gave it to me’.”He also dismissed as “nonsense” criticism from Australian Sports Drug Agency chief executive John Mendoza for commenting on the case before tomorrow’s hearing.

New Zealand captain Stephen Fleming raised the stakes ahead of Friday’s must-win World Cup clash against India by reminding his rivals of the drubbing they received three months ago.Sourav Ganguly’s men were thrashed 2-0 in the Tests and 5-2 in the one-dayers on the tour of New Zealand in December-January amidst complaints of poor wickets heavily tilted in favour of the bowlers.But the Indians put aside the disappointment of that tour to win seven of their eight World Cup matches so far and book a place in the semi-finals alongside Australia and Kenya.The Kiwis, meanwhile, allowed Australia to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat at Port Elizabeth and must now beat India at the Centurion on Friday to grab the fourth spot.Fleming, however, was unconcerned about the terrific form shown by the Indians at the tournament.”They’ll be confident but sometimes that can be a weakness. Hopefully we can open up some of the wounds we opened in New Zealand,” Fleming said.His Indian counterpart, Sourav Ganguly, however, refused to worry about the past.”History does not interest me, that’s over, it’s behind us,” he said.Ganguly stressed it was important to win to keep the momentum flowing.”We can’t take it lightly, it’s a World Cup game after all,” he said.”Moreover it would be great to go into the semi-finals with eight wins in nine matches.”India’s New Zealand coach John Wright continued the mind games, saying Kiwi pace bowling sensation Shane Bond will not pose any problems for Sachin Tendulkar.”Sachin can take care of anything,” Wright said.Tendulkar, one-day cricket’s leading batsman, has scored a record 571 runs in this tournament, while Bond scared the living daylights out of the Australians on Tuesday with a fiery burst of 6-23 at Port Elizabeth.”There is no grudge, we just have to play as well as we have been doing in the tournament and get through this game,” Wright said.”From 14 teams, we have made it to the top four because we have played very good cricket.”But we need to concentrate hard because no win is easy.”Ganguly said it was too early to think of the final.”We have to take it one match at a time. For that matter so have Australia. Even they have not qualified for the final yet,” he said.Teams (from):New Zealand: Stephen Fleming (captain), Nathan Astle, Lou Vincent, Chris Cairns, Chris Harris, Brendon McCullum, Shane Bond, Jacob Oram, Daryl Tuffey, Daniel Vettori, Craig McMillan, Andre Adams, Kyle Mills, Matthew Sinclair, Scott StyrisIndia: Sourav Ganguly (captain), Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Virender Sehwag, Yuvraj Singh, Mohammad Kaif, Dinesh Mongia, Javagal Srinath, Parthiv Patel, Anil Kumble, Harbhajan Singh, Ashish Nehra, Zaheer Khan, Sanjay Bangar, Ajit Agarkar

An astonishing week of success for Jermaine Lawson may be about to turn sour, after it was confirmed that he is to be reported to the ICC for a suspect bowling action.Lawson, 21, took a career-best 7 for 78 – the best figures in a Test in Antigua – as Australia were bowled out for 240 in their first innings on Friday. That effort followed swiftly on from his hat-trick in the closing stages of the third Test in Barbados, and he had been consistently recording bowling speeds in excess of 90mph.But he was unable to take the field on the third day of the Test after suffering a back strain, and the match referee, Mike Procter was asked to take a closer look at his action, which like that of Brett Lee and Shoaib Akhtar, appears to involve a certain degree of hyper-extension. The ICC requested footage of his action after the Barbados Test but this had not been followed up.Lawson will not be suspended immediately, but instead placed on stage onewhich requires him to work alongside specialist advisors to be appointed by hishome board. A human movement specialist appointed by the ICC will review his action during a six-week period.If, after that period, Lawson is reported again, he will enter stagetwo of the procedure which can lead to a ban of up to a year, or until theICC’s Bowling Review Group (BRG) is satisfied he has corrected his action.Australian cricket writers were quick to question Lawson’s action. In the Sydney Morning Herald Peter Roebuck wrote that “the raggedness of his action presented the game’s authorities with a challenge they do not want, but simply cannot ignore”. He continued: “Deterioration was evident whenever the bouncer was attempted.”Trevor Marshallsea, also writing in the Sydney Morning Herald agreed with his colleague’s view. “The pity is while Lawson has attracted suspicion throughout the series, the issue has only become a public controversy after his seven-wicket haul, no doubt raising allegations that Australians, who themselves have had Brett Lee go through a chucking scandal, are wont to deride an opponent’s action only when he is succeeding against them,” Marshallsea wrote. “The timing of the issue, however, should be of little consequence compared with the crux of the matter – the bowler’s action.”Roebuck similarly feared that the allegations could arouse accusations of double standards, but he insisted that was not the case. “No one need get upset about this suggestion,” he insisted. “Several bowlers, most of them spinners, have been dealt with in this way and most have returned with the problems ironed out.”

Lt-Colonel John Stephenson, the secretary of MCC from 1987 to 1993, died yesterday at his home in Salisbury, Wiltshire. He was 72.Stephenson, tall and ramrod-backed, started at Lord’s as assistant secretary in 1979 after 28 years in the army. He soon became a familiar sight marching around on the outfield during weather interruptions, either sheltering under a vast MCC umbrella or poking the turf suspiciously with it. In his early days he would arrive at the ground, immaculately dressed, on an improbably small bicycle.He took over as secretary at a difficult time, when his predecessor Jack Bailey (with whom he had been at school at Christ’s Hospital) was manoeuvred out at an early stage of MCC’s bicentenary celebrations in 1987. "The Colonel", a genial fellow, was seen as a safe pair of hands, and his outgoing personality helped mend many fences, both outside Lord’s and within, given MCC’s often-frosty relationship with the Test & County Cricket Board (now the ECB).Under his stewardship Lord’s became a more friendly place, although he was a stickler for tradition in the right place. Some of the staff wished they had seen a little more of him, but this may have been because of the endless stream of meetings – which he cheerfully loathed – that he was expected to attend. Initially he was secretary of the International Cricket Council as well, and oversaw its transition into a completely independent body, also housed within the confines of Lord’s.He took particular delight in the achievements of the MCC Young Cricketers, and captained them with enthusiasm during the annual Cross Arrows season in September. As a bowler, the term "military medium" was particularly appropriate in his case.Stephenson was supposed to retire at 60 in 1991, but the committee was persuaded to let him carry on for two more years (he himself had rather hoped for five). After his eventual retirement he served briefly on MCC’s committee, but was disappointed that no other companies seemed terribly interested in using his expertise.His obituary in The Times pointed out that he was "not a man of great intellect", but more charitably observed that he made up for that with common sense: "By his natural courtesy and charm he did wonders for [MCC’s] public relations. He would talk to anyone, from the man on the mower to the most exalted committee member. Media critics inclined to prickle at the traditions of Lord’s and the perceived stuffiness of a club that had once ruled the game were disarmed by his frankness and charm."He was married to his wife, Karen, for 41 years: they had two daughters and a son, who followed him into the army. He was appointed CBE for services to cricket in 1994.