CRICKET ROUND-UP

It's not easy to bat at Number 6: Yuvraj

LONDON, July 14: Yuvraj Singh, the outrageously talented young Indian cricketer, sees success and failure as just two sides of one coin and hopes he may call correctly everytime he goes in to bat at number six in one-day internationals. "It is not easy to play at number six -- it is a position where you fail more than you succeed," said Yuvraj after he had played a winning hand once again in India's epic victory in the NatWest triangular series finals at Lord's on Saturday. Yuvraj aggregrated 254 runs from seven innings with an average of 50.80 in the series and measured everytime he was required to by his team in moments of crisis. The strapping young hulk from Punjab had scores of 64 not out, 31, 40 not out, 37, 5, 8 and 69 not out from his seven innings in the tournament and was a key figure in almost all of India's revival in the past three weeks. "Success and failure is part of life. Cricket is such a game that no matter how hard you work, the failure is bound to come and success is less," said Yuvraj who in a matter of two years has gone through the extremes of highs and lows in his fledgling career. Yuvraj first served notice with a magnificent 84 in his first international innings against world champions Australia in the ICC Mini World Cup in Kenya in 2000 and faded almost as quickly from the scene with a string of poor scores. Indeed, at one stage he had scored less than 100 runs from nine games. "I was not getting runs because I was not doing my basics right. I was not playing according to my strengths," said Yuvraj. "I was making the mistake of playing too many shots early and playing across which is not my strength." Yuvraj, after that heady start in Kenya was brought down to earth by Sri Lanka's magical off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan who tied him in knots in the following triangular series in Sharjah. "I hadn't played Murali or seen him before so I didn't have much of an idea." "He bowled a leg-cutter and I played straight and the ball went in between. In the other match, it was a short ball and I played it straight to a fielder." Yuvraj was soon put to the shelf due to a string of poor scores before he came back in roaring fashion, smashing an unbeaten 98 against Murali and his team in Sri Lanka last year. "I am comfortable both against pacemen and spinners. But only now I have started to get my basics right. I have followed my seniors' advice to hit down the ground and go for big shots only when needed." "That's how I made up my mind I would not play across and I will try and play straight and after 30-35 runs will see how the game goes. Now I have been playing for one and a half years. Slowly and slowly, with experience, you get to know a lot of things." Yuvraj said even when he was sitting outside, he was sure his time would come again and he would not go the way his father Yograj Singh, who played only Test, did in his career. "By playing and doing so well in my first international game against world champions Australia, I knew my time would come again." Batting master Sachin Tendulkar made an impassioned plea the other day to critics to leave Yuvraj alone and let him concentrate on his cricket without putting too much of pressure. "He (Tendulkar) has been through this stage and he knows what needs to be done. But I firmly believe if you are not doing well, it is not anybody's mistake but yours own. Nobody can put pressure on you," he said. "There are days when you are batting well and there are times when you are not. When you bat well, everything comes automatically. When not, you try too many things and they don't come off." Yuvraj, even though he has earned his reputation at number six, feels number three spot is the best to play in one-day cricket. "Most opportunities are at number three. At number six it is fifty-fifty. Accha karoge to taliyan nahin to galiyan (if you do well there would be bouquets, otherwise brickbats)." But Yuvraj is aware that a cricketer has a chance to corner glory too if he begins to do well at number six. "I am now getting the habit of batting at number six and looking at previous matches, I have an idea how to start at number six." Yuvraj said it was a part of his cricketing education when he went to South Africa with the Indian A team earlier this year and cracked a hundred in the second Test - in his estimation - one of his best knocks ever. "I was hit on the face by Pretorious in that Test. There are two things which happens to a batsman once he is hit -- either he gets determined or he is scared." "I was determined to hit him back if he bounced me again. I made a half century in the first and a hundred in the second which is one of my best knocks as it came against an international attack of Pretorious, Snell and Tebrugge." Yuvraj has many good scores in games of longer duration and thinks in due course he would have a chance to play in Test cricket. "It is a dream of any cricketer to play Test matches. They are the real test of any player. I have big scores in domestic and three-day games. I have a fair idea of how to play in Tests but the competition for spots is fierce in Indian team. It is good for the team though and my time would come in due course." Yuvraj is of the opinion he needs to work on his foot -- work if he is stay in international cricket for some years. "I need to work on my front foot technique. I need to get my front-foot out more often. I need to go a little forward and it will come with time." Yuvraj, besides his talents with the bat and ball, is also an eye-catcher in the field and was rated by West Indian captain Carl Hooper as the Jonty Rhodes of India recently. "I don't think I am in the same class as Jonty but I do work hard on my fitness and fielding ability." Yuvraj, though athletic, is also criticised for being a showman and is accused of diving around too much in the field and not being able to pick the ball cleanly enough. "I am not a showman in the field. I just want to reach to the ball early and hence the need to go for it. I want to cut the ball short and intercept it quickly." Tendulkar has complimented Yuvraj Singh as one of the hardest hitters of a ball he has seen in his career and Yuvraj himself returns the compliment to the little master. "It is the greatest compliment which could come to me . But he himself hits it so hard. Besides Tendulkar, I rate Lance Klusener and Chris Cairns as two of the hardest strikers of a ball in international cricket." Yuvraj said Glenn McGrath is the best fast bowler he has ever faced in his career though the bowler of his dreams is Wasim Akram of Pakistan. "McGrath is the best and he has real quality but I have yet to face the bowler of my dreams -- Wasim Akram."

Win erased painful memories: Ganguly 

LONDON, July 14: Indian captain Sourav Ganguly said India's win over England at the Lord's on Saturday erased the painful memories of the one-day series against that team at home early this year. "I have no words to explain. It has been outstanding," said Ganguly of India's victory after having remained literally glued to his seat throughout India's epic run chase in the afternoon.It was clear that not clinching the home series against England after leading 2-1 had rankled Ganguly. For, soon after Kaif and Zaheer completed the winning run, he took off his shirt in the manner Andrew Flintoff had done in Mumbai as England won the nerve-wrecker of a match in the final encounter. Ganguly admitted what happened that January evening was a painful moment for him as an Indian captain. He also said the Lord's win maintained the team's unbeaten record in a one-day series in 2002. "We have won every series we have played this year. The word final is missing but we have won the deciders," said Ganguly, making a reference to critics' point that India has struggled to win finals in recent past. Until Saturday, India had failed to win nine of the one-day finals they played on the trot since 1998. They were tied 3-3 by England in the six-match series at home early this year but beat the West Indies 2-1 in the Caribbean before arriving in England. But Hussain, who scored his maiden one-day century on Saturday, admitted everyone in the team was very disappointed. "It is a very hard thing to swallow... We will have to work on our game". Although, the skipper said his team had improved a lot from the time they had last played in the NatWest Series, there was still room for improvement. "Had we won today it would have been stupendous. But all credit to the Indians." Man-of-the-match Mohd Kaif said he was not too nervous even though he knew the chase was not going to be easy. "It is not very easy chasing especially after losing quick wickets. But I knew with Yuvraj Singh around - I have been playing with him for six years now - I had a partner who could play in tandem." For England captain Nasser Hussain too, it was the same memory of Flintoff's act that helped him and his team believe in themselves till the end but the result was a bit different this time. "We have some good memories against India and even when Flintoff came back and took those two wickets, we thought we could still win. We had memories from India where we hung in and hung in and pressure had told on the Indians." Hussain was wholesome in praise for Kaif and Yuvraj Singh and said India do produce talented youngsters at an early age. "India do produce a lot of young players. They have Yuvraj and Kaif and boys like Wasim Jaffer in the Test team. Yuvraj in particular played very well. We tried various things at him... but he seemed to hit it in all areas." Hussain put it on the inexperience of his bowlers to handle pressure when faced with the onslaught by the Indian batsmen. "We still lack experience in bowling. Nearly every bowler you turn to lacks experience. When they are up against a batting like that, it is going to catch you off a little bit." Hussain said Indians have shown great form in the summer so far and it would be some task to tackle this line-up in the upcoming Test series. "They have shown a lot of class in this tournament. All of their batsmen, whether at number seven or eight, have shown a lot of class and we can't take them for granted. Indeed, we have four more Tests to go against them and need to work out how to get this side out twice." Hussain was candid enough to explain his gesture of pointing out his gersey number in the direction of the media after he scored his maiden century in one-day internationals earlier in the day. "I was trying to make a pointed reference at one or two gentlemen. A few ex players. I had to prove a point and I did it on the biggest of stages." Former England cricketers, Ian Botham and Jonathan Angnew, both cricket commentators now, had repeatedly asked Hussain to leave the number three spot for someone like Flintoff and move to open the innings with Marcus Trescothick. "They have put pressure on me and that's what is disappointing. There was no disgrace in losing to India," said Hussain, who did not think the defeat should reflect poorly on his team. I have said we take two step forward and one back but I wouldn't say we took a step back today because India beat us well. It has been one of the great games of cricket in recent times especially when one-day internationals seem to fizzle out." Hussain chose the moment to raise the point of too much of cricket being played by England cricketers these days. "People are going to struggle in both forms of the game. You would have people retiring and things like that. If that's what cricket authorities want, fine."

Lord's knock my most memorable:Kaif

ALLAHABAD, July 14: ‘‘My knock at Lord’s will be one of the most memorable knocks of my life,’’ said Mohammad Kaif, the hero of the India’s stupendous victory in the NatWest Trophy final on Saturday. In an exclusive telephonic interview from London, Kaif, who hails from this city, said: ‘‘When I was at the crease alongwith Yuvi (Yuvraj Singh) I was sure we will carry the team to victory. I will try to do my best for the country in future also.’’ ‘‘Lord’s is my favourite ground as it was here that I came into limelight in 1996 in the Lombard U-15 World Cup when my knock helped us beat arch-rivals Pakistan in the final,’’ he added. Inundated by calls and messages after his spectacular show, Kaif lamented, ‘‘I have not been able to talk to my parents after the match’’. He asked this correspondent to tell his parents in Allahabad that he will talk to them later as he was busy with team celebrations. Speaking to the Times News Network at his Kydganj residence, his father Mohammed Tarif, himself a former Railways Ranji player, said: ‘‘After India had lost the wicket of Sachin Tendulkar, we switched off the TV thinking it was a hopeless situation. I then went to watch the Hindi movie Devdas at the nearby Vishwamitra theatre alongwith Kaif’s brother Saif (who plays for Uttar Pradesh) and my wife Kaiser.’’ A jubilant Tarif continued: ‘‘Midway through the movie we were surprised to hear from someone that India had won the match and Honey (Kaif’s pet name) had played a great role in steering the country to victory. When we came out of the cinema hall, thousands of cricket lovers who had gathered outside the theatre started congratulating us.’’ ‘‘He has definitely done us proud by proving to the world that his potential of playing under pressure cannot be overlooked easily,’’ the proud Tarif declared. Saif was elated with the way Kaif built his match-winning innings. ‘‘He played proper cricketing shots.’’ He further said: ‘‘He has proved that besides being quality Test material, he is also a very good One-day player.’’ The city wore a festive look as India lifted the trophy. People from all walks of life came on the streets shouting slogans in praise of the young Allahabadi.

Sourav's boys make history at Lord's 

NEW DELHI, July 13: India registered a historic 2-wicket win over England in the final of the NatWest Series at Lord’s on Saturday. Chasing a record 325 posted by England, India romped home with three balls to spare. The spectacular Indian fightback was spearheaded by an unbeaten 87 off 75 balls (six boundaries and two sixes) from Kaif and a quickfire 69 off 63 balls by Yuvraj Singh. India began the chase in style, slamming 105/0 in the first 15 overs with Ganguly making a quickfire 60 from 43 balls and Sehwag scoring 45 from 49 balls. But the fireworks ended thereafter with India losing Mongia, Sachin and Dravid cheaply. At 146/5 in the 24th over, it looked curtains for India before young guns Yuvraj and Kaif put together a sensational 121-run partnership for the sixth wicket. Hussain and his men were left clueless as Yuvraj and Kaif interspersed big hitting with very well run singles. Just as India looked set for a historic win, Yuvraj was caught off a top edge by Tudor off Collingwood for 69 from 63 balls comprising nine fours and one six. With the score reading 267/6, an Indian victory looked distant but Kaif played the innings of his life to guide India to one of their biggest one-day victories ever. Kaif was well supported by Harbhajan who scored 15 off 13 balls. The winning runs were hit by Zaheer Khan after he got an overthrow. The most heartening factor about India’s miraculous win was that the victory was made possible by youngsters. Not Tendulkar, Ganguly or Dravid this time round. Youngsters like Yuvraj and Kaif herald a new horizon in Indian cricket. Gone are the days of almost medieval Indian cricket when they scored only in sixes and fours. Yuvraj and Kaif ran their singles hard to make the win possible. India has finally broken the jinx of choking in the finals. Before this final India had lost 9 times in the finals in a row. India last won a multi-team one-day series back in 1999 when they beat Zimbabwe in the finals. Hussain won an important toss for England elected to bat on flat track. Trescothick and Knight made the most of a wayward Indian bowling attack. Out of the first 18 runs scored, 10 came from extras. Zaheer Khan got the first breakthrough for India when he bowled Knight off a full toss. With the score reading 42/1, Hussain joined Trescothick in the middle. Almost immediately, the English batsmen changed gears. Hussain and Trescothick put on 185 for the second wicket from just 177 balls in what can be best described as a very torrid and frustrating time for the Indians on the field. Trescothick reached his 50 off just 40 balls with four boundaries and a huge six. Hussain has struggled right through the series but the English skipper had lady luck smiling for him. Playing cricket which cannot be termed pretty, Hussain nevertheless raised the scoring rate for England along with Trescothick. Leading a charmed life, Hussain plundered the Indian attack with some unconventional swipes at the ball. Meanwhile Trescothick continued to lord over the Indian bowlers with consummate ease. The left-hander’s strokeplay was both elegant and brutally effective. Trescothick raced to his 100 off 89 balls and was finally bowled by Kumble in the 37th over for 109 (100 balls; seven fours and six). But by that time England were already cruising at 227/2 with Hussain coming into his own. The English skipper reached his first one-day hundred off 118 balls and immediately pointed to the number 3 printed on the back of his shirt. There had been talk of Hussain batting lower down and Hussain promptly sent the message across. England had two centuries and the last time this happened was 16 years back when Gooch and Gower got centuries in the same one-dayer. Hussain’s amazing run of luck finally ran out when he was bowled by Nehra. Hussain scored 115 from 128 balls. Flintoff chipped in with 40 from 32 ball before yet another full toss from Zaheer uprooted the stumps. The Indian plot of playing two spinners backfired as Harbhajan and Kumble went for 107 runs in their 20 overs. In retrospect Agarkar would have been a better bet when Ganguly was in any case going to bowl Sehwag and Yuvraj. Chasing a record 326 was never going to be easy but India got off to a flyer with Ganguly leading the way. Gough’s first over bowled to Sehwag was a maiden but by the 10 over India were 60/0 with Ganguly on 42 from 28 balls and Sehwag on 21 from 35 balls. Tudor bore the brunt of the punishment with Irani slammed for four boundaries in his first over by Sehwag. Ganguly, the more adventurous of the two, stepped out to meet Flintoff and Tudor half way down the wicket and slam them over covers. But the blitzkrieg was too good to last and Ganguly having slammed 60 from 43 balls was bowled by Tudor, trying to hit the ball over mid-wicket. Ganguly hit 10 boundaries and a towering six over covers. Hussain introduced Giles into the attack and Sehwag reverse swept his first ball for a boundary. But Giles struck back when Sehwag tried to play cheeky late cut and was bowled. Sehwag made 45 (49 balls; seven boundaries). Mongia on the other end struggled to get off the mark and was finally caught behind off Giles for 9 (15). Much was expected from Tendulkar after his classy ton against Lanka but the Master Blaster playing an uncharacteristically high risk game to be dismissed for 14 (19 balls). Giles deceived Sachin in flight as the batsman tried to make room and cut him through covers only to see the ball crash into the stumps. But Yuvraj Singh and Mohammad Kaif won the match on their own, slamming a match-winning 121-run partnership to see India home to a famous victory in the 50th over. Man of the match: Mohammad Kaif Man of the series: Marcus Trescothick

Sehwag, Yuvraj and Agarkar India's future stars: Slater

NEW DELHI, JULY 13: Australian opener Michael Slater marks Virender Sehwag, Yuvraj Singh and Ajit Agarkar as the young Indian talents who would make it big in international cricket in future. "Sehwag has impressed me and there is no doubt that he idolises Tendulkar, he is of a similar stature and his technique, sort of models on Tendulkar, that's certainly how it looks," Slater said on 'Harsha Online' which was aired on Star Sports on Saturday. "Yuvraj Singh, the power with which that guy strikes the ball has really impressed me and the nature in which he plays, he makes it look easy. Agarkar has done well, but he is still relatively young, he's bowled well and used the ball when it has been swinging," Slater said adding "I think you will always find some good talent coming up in India." Slater was sorry for the controversial incident involving Rahul Dravid in the Mumbai Test on Australia's last series which India sensationally won 2-1 but was convinced that he had taken Dravid's catch cleanly. Recalling the incident the player from New South Wales said: "I have never been involved in an incident like that and it disappointed me later that I had behaved like that, there were a few reasons for that". "I had a poor start to the series, it had come around a time when I had a marriage split up and there was lot of pressure off the field and it was an instinctive reaction far too over the top and I was unable to put a lid. But I genuinely felt I had caught the catch", he said. "For all those people who thought I didn't catch it, well fair enough but I felt it was different," said Slater who was pulled up by match referee Cammie Smith for arguing with umpire S Venkatraghavan and Dravid. "I feel very sorry for it had happened, but what I feel and its something I feel very strongly is that Dravid should have asked me if he thought I had caught it and if then there is an element of doubt, then you go for the third umpire because I feel that to iron out all these problems the players have to take more responsibility to be honest about these dismissals. "With TV these days if you are trying to do the wrong thing then you are going to be exposed. I just felt bad from an integrity point of view. All of a sudden I had gone from a guy who played in a very sportsmen like way to being the bad boy of Australian cricket and having that tag really hurt me," he said. "That wasn't a happy tour for me on and off the field and that was seen in the middle and that's unfortunate." Slater, one the fittest players in Australia, was also keen to win back his place in the side. "There is no spot there and there is no way back in but what I have got to do is to go back this summer and score as many runs as I possibly can for New South Wales.

We will have to be at our best to beat India: Hussain 

London, July 12: England captain Nasser Hussain has asked his team-mates to dish out something special when they meet India in the final of the NatWest triangular series at Lord's on Saturday."They have been the form team in this tournament. Since they arrived, they have played some very good cricket. "We will have to be at our best to beat them. As it was at the Oval where we batted, bowled and fielded to our best potential", said Hussain referring to the penultimate league match on Tuesday where his side registered a 64-run win, their first victory over India in the current series. "The Indian batting line up keeps coming at you. We saw even number 10 and 11 get a few (runs) against us the other day," said Hussian adding "they are a very good unit and when they click, you are in trouble". He said India have benefitted from having some young players in the side. "This Indian side have some useful young players. They have selected well. People like Yuvraj Singh and Mohammad Kaif have added to the team. "They have got two good new ball bowlers and they are looking good." Hussain said referring to left arm seamers Ashish Nehra and Zaheer Khan. On inclusion of James Kirtley's replacement Dominic Cork in the final XI for Saturday's match, the England captain said the fast bowler was in the squad only as a cover and his inclusion was a remote possibility. "Cork is only a cover. If we wake up in the morning and feel five seamers is the best way to go, we will do that."Darren Gough's knee is still sore and Andrew Flintoff has a groin trouble. Graham Thorpe has a sore ankle so (by including Cork) we are just covering all our bases." The English side is full players in their late 20s or early 30s. But Hussain said that does not worry him a bit. "We have got to do what we believe is right. Our form players just happen to be in their late 20s and 30s. They are the ones who are getting runs and wickets. You are not being fair to them or county cicket, or to the team if you say you can't pick somebody because he is 30," he said. Conceeding that his team had a worrying habit of going two steps forward and then one backward, he said the side needs motivation to march ahead. "It is just nice to be going forward all the time. And it must come from our discipline and work ethics. Only because we had a good game at Oval, it doesn't mean we just slack off in practice and stuff", said Hussain. "We have to find motivation to keep going forward". Today was a memorable day for the England captain who received the Order of British Empire from Prince Charles at the Buckingham Palace. "It is a great honour for me personally and great honour for cricket. But I would say tomorrow is just as important", he said.

Wright pleased with India's fielding 

BRISTOL, July 12: More than anything else, Indian coach John Wright was happy with the two run-outs effected by Yuvraj Singh and Mohammad Kaif in India's 63-run victory against Sri Lanka in the final league match of the NatWest tri-series here on Thursday. "I was very happy to see that some of the work we have put in paid dividends with the run-outs. The two run-outs were very, very good piece of fielding," Wright said. Yuvraj Singh and Kaif dismissed Marvan Atapattu and Russel Arnold respectively with brilliant pick-and-throw, hitting the stumps directly, and were generally very ebbuliant in the field. "These things sometimes get you through those pressure situations," Wright said. He also made a special mention of Kaif's batting abilities. "Kaif was outstanding today. He supported Sachin Tendulkar at a time when we had perhaps lost one or two wickets too many. For the youngsters, such things does spell confidence and self-belief," he said. Wright also credited the youngsters with transforming the attitude of the team towards general fitness. "Creating awareness in the fielding and running between the wickets is a critical ingredient in putting up a good one-day side which is going to be competitive. "We are very fortunate with the youngster in India. I am very confident that in the future, the awareness from these players can drift down the whole learning process in India. "We do have players who are athletic and can be brilliant fielders. Kaif, Dinesh Mongia, Virender Sehwag and Yuvraj are all good athletes really," he said.

Sachin calls fans for support in final 

LONDON, July 12: Delighted over the amazing support that Indians are getting in England during their tri-series campaign, batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar has called on the Britain-based Indian supporters to back the team in the NatWest series final against England at Lords on Saturday. "The final will be a very important day for us. There is nothing like lifting a trophy at Lord's. We will be trying our best. We appreciate the support we have had here and we hope it is the same at Lord's too", Tendulkar said after his 102-ball 113 helped the team register a 63-run victory over Sri Lanka in the final league match of the series at Bristol on Thursday. Tendulkar said he was pleased with his match-winning knock against the Lankans and added he wanted to enjoy himself in the middle. "Since we were already in the finals, I decided to go out and enjoy myself".

We missed Murali, says Jayasuriya

BRISTOL, July 12: After bowing out of the NatWest tri-series in England with five defeats in six matches, Sri Lanka captain Sanath Jayasuriya said he missed the services of ace off-spinner Muthiah Muralitharan who could have helped the team win atleast two more matches. "If Murali had been there, it would have been a different game," Jayasuriya said after the 63-run defeat against India here on Thursday. "We could have won two games atleast." Muralitharan, a proven match winner for Sri Lanka and leading wicket taker for his side in both Tests and one-day internationals, is nursing a shoulder injury after playing in the three-match Test series against England. "Sometimes when we needed a wicket, it was very difficult to get. Had Murali been around, it would have been a different game. "At times when we needed to attack and Upul Chandana and others were introduced, they went for runs," said the attacking opening batsman. The Lankan captain, who is also a slow left-arm bowler, admitted that he underbowled himself in this tournament. "I think I did underbowl a bit after I have become the captain. I have to accept it." Commenting on his batting Jayasuriya said there was nothing wrong with his present form though he was disappointed for getting out in 20s and 30s on a number of occasions. "I am getting to 20s and 30s but not carrying on to get big runs. Most of our batsmen are getting out in the 20s and 30s. It is disappointing." Jayasuriya said against India yesterday, either Marvan Atapattu or Kumara Sangakkara had to bat through to guide the side to victory. "Either Marvan or Sangakkara, one of them, needed to bat 50 overs. Unfortunately both of them, who got runs, were out at the wrong time. If you are needing 300 or more, you need somebody to get a hundred," he said. He was particularly critical of the way Mahela Jayawardene got out trying to reverse sweep Yuvraj Singh. "It was a totally unnecessary shot at that stage. I don't think he should have played it. He tried to get the run rate up but it was highly unnecessary at that time." Jayasuriya said though the England tour was disappointi- ng, where apart from failing to qualify for the triangular final they also lost the Test series to England, there was no reason to write off Sri Lanka for the World Cup in South Africa next year. "If you notice, this is only the second time in the last two-and-a-half years when we have failed to qualify for at least for the finals. It happened in Kenya (the ICC knock-out tournament in 2000) and now here. "Just because we didn't do well in this series, doesn't mean we can't come back." He said to perform better his batsmen needed to be more consistent and bowlers had to contribute with the bat. The Lankan skipper also complimented India for their victory and said India's fielding looks vastly improved now.

Ganguly averse to 'favourite' tag

LONDON, July 12: Despite the team's dream run in the NatWest tri-series, Indian captain Sourav Ganguly said reading too much into his side's convincing performance in the league stage is not the right way to form an opinion on Saturday's final against England. "I have seen a lot of teams win the preliminary games and lose in the finals. I have also seen a lot of teams lose the preliminary matches and win in the finals. So I don't believe in the favourite tag", said Ganguly. India set a title clash with England at Lord's tomorrow after winning four out of their six encounters in the tournament with one being abandoned due to rain. Ganguly was also critical of his team's scheduling as it had to travel to London from Bristol this morning after playing a day-night game against Sri Lanka yesterday. "It is difficult when you play one night and wake up and then got to travel to play the next day", he said. He also asked people in charge to ensure scheduling is not done to give unfair advantage to any side. "Obviously these things need to be taken into consideration. These games need to be well spaced out because it takes a lot out of you," Ganguly said.

Favourite India ready to take on England at Lord's

NEW DELHI, July 12: India take on England in the final of the NatWest series after a comprehensive 63-run win over Sri Lanka on Thursday. With four wins under their belt and just one loss, India seem to be favourites ahead of the final at Lord's on Saturday. Make no mistake the Indians are on a roll. The last time India took such command of a series was back in 1985 when they won the Benson and Hedges World Championship in Australia. The batsmen have fired, the bowlers have struck and the fielders have taken blinders. All the ingredients of a winning combination are there topped with some shrewd captaincy by Sourav Ganguly. The ploy of playing Dravid as a keeper has worked wonders both for the batsman and the team. Ganguly now has the luxury of packing in an extra batsman. Dravid sees himself more as an all-rounder now and he has been the most prolific scorer in the side after donning the wicketkeeper's gloves. There has been much debate about where Sachin should play. The Master Blaster has evidently scored most of his runs at the top of the order. But such is the genius of Tendulkar, that he prospers no matters where he plays. Ganguly has been struggling to get going at number one and one would like to see Sachin and Sehwag open the innings. With Mongia, Yuvraj, Kaif, Dravid and Ganguly to follow, Sachin's early dismissal should not now be seen as catastrophic. India has not only gone to dominate both England and Sri Lanka but the manner in which they have gone about the task has a stamp of professionalism written all around it. Having said that, the final still has to be won and Ganguly's worst fears would come true if India were to come undone in the final on Saturday. Sachin Tendulkar could not have timed his 33rd ton any better. Hussain and his men are still reeling from the class ton hit by Sachin against them in the washed out match. In spite of a niggle in the hamstring, Sachin is most likey to play in the final. The bowling of Zaheer and Agarkar in the slog overs against England and Ashish Nehra's spell against Sri Lanka are excellent examples of the effort put in by the medium-pacers. Harbhajan Singh has also come back with a bang, claiming four wickets against Sri Lanka on Thursday. Ganguly has always bowled well in English conditions and even in the ongoing series he has not done too badly. With Yuvraj, Sehwag, Sachin and Mongia as back up bowlers, the Indian bowling has a well settled look to it. Great depth in batting and a balanced bowling attack should see India put it past England in the final but stranger things have happened in this game of glorious uncertainties. India might stumble over the last hurdle but let us face it - A one-off final is virtually a lottery game. But even then India is more formidable than England who have elected to bring in Dominic Cork to boost their bowling. England took away a lot of brownie points after the 64-run win in the rain-truncated match against India. But that is histroy now. Had India gone down to Lanka in the last league match, perhaps England could have enjoyed a psychological advantage in the final. But India won and won handsomely against Lanka. Led by Sachin Tendulkar's explosive 33rd one-day ton, India go into the final with fair amount of confidence. England would be looking at players like Trescothick, Flintoff, Knight and Hussain to get them off a flying start and Gough and Cork to take on the Indian batting might. Apart from being the final, the match will also set up the Test series quite nicely between the two countries. If India were to go ahead and win the final at Lord's on Saturday, England would be under immense pressure to defend the Test series in their own backyard.

India beat Sri Lanka by 63 runs at Bristol

NEW DELHI, July 11: India defeated Sri Lanka by 63 runs at Bristol on Thursday in the NatWest Series. Tendulkar’s 33rd one-day ton powered India to 304 all out after Ganguly won the toss and elected to bat first. The Lankans with nothing to lose went on the offensive but caved in under pressure collapsing for 241 in the 45th over. India were already through to the finals but the win in the last league game will send them to the finals on a winning note. With this win India have now defeated Sri Lanka thrice in the series. In spite of losing skipper Jayasuriya cheaply Sangakarra and Atapattu took the Indian bowlers by surprise, slamming the ball to all corners of the ground. Jayasuriya was trapped lbw by Zaheer Khan in the second over of the day with the score reading 11/1. But such was the blitzkrieg unleashed by Sangakarra that by the 6th over Lanka were 53/1 with Sangakarra on 30 (18 balls) and Atapattu 17 (13 balls). Tinu Yohannan received the full treatment from the Lankan batsmen, as his first two overs were plundered for 24 runs. Zaheer did little better going for 32 runs in his three overs but accounted for the big wicket of Jayasuriya. Sangakarra raced to his 50 off just 33 balls with eight hits to the boundary and a six. Making full use of the fielding restrictions in the first 15 overs, Sangakarra mixed aggression with caution to help Lanka reach 82/1 in just the 10th over. Ganguly lobbed the ball to Harbhajan in desperation and the off-spinner responded by dismissing the dangerous Sangakarra. In his second delivery, Harbhajan invited Sangakarra to step out and hit him over the top. Sangakarra fell for the trap, stumped by Dravid. This was a vital wicket for India as Sangakarra (66 from 47 balls) had put on 85 with Atapattu from just 73 balls. Jayawardene joined the well-set Atapattu in the middle and the duo starting grinding the Indian bowling attack. Atapattu raced to his 50 off 64 balls with Jayawardene rotating the strike well and keeping Lanka in the game. Yuvraj Singh got the next breakthrough when he had Jayawardene attempting the reverse sweep. The ball ballooned in the air and Nehra took a comfortable catch. Jayawardene scored 31 from 43 balls. At 160/3, Zoysa promoted in the batting order came in and hit a massive six off Ganguly but the Indian skipper came back well to have Zoysa caught in the very next delivery by Mongia in the deep. At 171/5, only Atapattu stood before India and victory. Yuvraj Singh, a regular livewire in the field, conducted a brilliant run-out to send Atapattu back to the pavilion. The rest of the Lankan batting could not handle the pressure of a mounting asking rate and collapsed for 241 all out. Harbhajan returned the best bowling figures for India claiming four wickets for 46 runs. Earlier, Sachin Tendulkar’s polished 113 from 102 balls buoyed India to 304 all out in their 50 overs. Tendulkar hit 12 fours and a six in his innings. Other useful contributions came from Sehwag 39 (40 balls), Mongia 48 (63 balls) and Kaif 41 (43 balls). In spite of the academic nature of the game, Sachin’s innings was a dazzling display of power play interspersed with some great running between the wickets. The Master Blaster’s 33rd ODI hundred was reminiscent of his 140 made against Kenya at the same ground during the 1999 World Cup. Tendulkar was given good support by Mongia after Sehwag and Ganguly were run out. The Sachin-Mongia partnership yielded 99 runs from 99 balls. Earlier, Sehwag once again pressed the self-destruct button when he was dismissed to a mindless run out. The dashing player had taken the Lankan attack by the scruff of the neck, slamming 39 from just 40 balls with six hits to the fence. Mongia looked a lot more composed, looking for singles and not chancing his arm too often. The 99-run partnership between him and Sachin laid the foundation for the 300 plus total. Kaif made a disciplined 41 from 43 balls lower down with the Indian tail collapsing all around him. Man of the Match: Sachin Tendulkar Next Match: India vs England (Final) at Lord’s on July 13 (Saturday)

Musharraf to pressure Australia to play in Pakistan

Islamabad, July 11 : Pakistan's military ruler, General Pervez Musharraf said today he would personally intervene to pressure the Australian cricket team into touring this violence-wracked nation. Australia's three-Test series in Pakistan slated for October is in danger of being shifted to another country, possibly Bangladesh, because of widespread security fears. But Musharraf, while declaring his national team was the best in the world, said he would contact the Australian government to ensure that the tour would go ahead as originally planned in Pakistan. "There will definitely be a government (in Islamabad) to convince the Australians to tour Pakistan," Musharraf told the team during a reception to celebrate their one-day series win last month in Australia. Foreign teams have raised fears for their safety after two bomb blasts in May and June left 26 people dead in Karachi. The first blast was outside the hotel where the New Zealand team was staying and the attack forced the Kiwis to cut short their tour by one Test. Pakistan already seems to have accepted it has lost home rights for a tri-series one-day tournament between Pakistan, Australia and New Zealand slated for August-September. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said this week it was awaiting the green light from Australia and New Zealand to shift the series to Kenya.

India looking for win against Lanka to enter finals on a winning note

NEW DELHI, July 10: The Indian skipper Sourav Ganguly must be a worried man after the 64-run drubbing by England on Tuesday. Though the game was inconsequential as both sides are in the final, India’s winning spree in the NatWest Series was brought to an abrupt halt. England have gained a psychological advantage ahead of the final on Saturday and India will be looking to wrap up the last league match against Sri Lanka on Thursday at Bristol to go into the finals on a winning note. The Sri Lankans who salvaged some pride by beating England at Old Trafford will also try to improve their record against India in the series. India have already beaten them twice in the league games. Sri Lanka who are already out of the series will be under no pressure. The day-night affair promises to be a gripping match with Ganguly going in with a full strength Indian squad. In the match against England, Dravid who has been the most prolific scorer was replaced by Ajay Ratra while Laxman replaced an out-of-form Dinesh Mongia. Neither of the experiments clicked for India. Ratra botched up a stumping chance and was shoddy behind the stumps while Laxman looked uncertain in his 14 off 21 balls. Sehwag looked good for his 46 off 41 balls and Tendulkar chipped in with 36 from 19 balls. Ganguly once again struggled to get amongst the runs while Yuvraj Singh and Mohammad Kaif failed for the first time in the series. With rain predicted throughout the week, India might just encounter a rain curtailed final on Saturday. The Indian bowlers gave away too many runs in the 32-over a side match against England and the batsmen failed to delver under pressure. The Indian team management will have to think of a strategy in case of rain truncated final. In the bowling department Zaheer, Agarkar and Nehra have performed well though they have gone for runs initially. Kumble seemed to be limping in the match against England and apparently is suffering from cramps. But given the fighting spirit of the leg-spinner, Kumble will most certainly be seen trooping into the middle on Thursday. For the Sri Lankans, skipper Sanath Jayasuriya is the only batman who has looked like tearing the opposition bowlers apart. Then there is pocket dynamo Kaluwitharana who always poses danger at the top of the innings. Kumara Sangakkara (70) and Mahela Jayawardene (34) had a good match against England at Old Trafford. But the absence of Muralitharan will tell on the Lankan bowling, though Vaas will once again try to dismiss Sehwag in the first ball of the innings. In the last match between India and Sri Lanka, Vaas bowled a peach of a delivery that came in a long way, clipped Sehwag’s pads and crashed into the stumps. The Sri Lankan coach David Whatmore has not been happy with the tight schedule of the tri-series with back to back matches. Interestingly only India and Lanka have had to play back to back matches while England avoided such an eventuality. But India with two wins already under their belt against Lanka in the series, look favourites to wrap up the match under lights at Bristol on Thursday.

Sachin can still open in ODIs: Wright 

LONDON, July 10: Batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar's recent success at No.4 notwithstanding, he could still be opening the innings in one-day internationals, according to coach John Wright. "There is no reason why Tendulkar can't open the batting again, he might want to open at some stage, we might think it is a good idea for him to open," Wright said. Tendulkar moved to number four against the West Indies in the Caribbean recently and made an immediate impact with a match-winning knock of 65 in the final one-dayer at Trinidad. Now, in the ongoing NatWest triangular series, he has cracked a breathtaking hundred against England at Chester-le-Street last Thursday. But Wright wants to take his time to be absolutely sure it has been the right decision in the team's interest. "We are still working at that area to make sure it works. We have still got a few games to play to be absolutely sure that's the best thing," Wright said, underlining the team's new philosophy to be flexible in the limited overs genre of cricket. Wright revealed that Tendulkar as well as Rahul Dravid, on his added responsibility of a wicket keeper, had themselves offered to take the new roles in the team's interest. Both were keen to fulfil a role that may help the team become better and they made the decision which makes life a lot more easier, Wright said. "I think in our batting order we need players who are flexible, who can play certain roles for the team. I think flexibility is important. I try and stress you have got to play a role for the team, so if a team needs for you to play in a certain way, you have to identify what the team needs and plan to go accordingly," he explained. "That is something we are trying to get better at and work harder at. The game can change so quickly in one-day cricket that you have got to sometime think on your feet." Wright was pleased India's young pace attack - only Ajit Agarkar having some sort of experience in playing in these conditions- knows exactly what the team needs from them. "I think everyone in the world knows that the first 15 overs is like the last 10, I am happy at the way they have bowled at the death,", Wright said. "Change of pace is critical, you have got to be able to bowl slower ball and they are very natural at it. Ajit (Agarkar) has been very good and the other boys are learning how to work on a batsman." Wright, having praised his fast bowlers, proceeded to look at them individually. Speaking of the two left-armers, he said, "Zaheer is quicker than Ashish (Nehra). He is learning to bring it back a bit while Ashish is the whippier of the two. He has got lovely wrists, is very loose-limbed and he can swing it. He is a very natural bowler. I am pleased with Ajit and he has played a great role in the one-dayers. There are times when they get to him early but he has come back well," Wright said. "Tinu (Yohannan) is exciting as well. He has to keep on developing, but he works very hard." Wright was of the view that the presence of youngsters had given the team a lift, particularly in the fielding area. "I think we are aware it is necessary for us to be a better fielding unit and better between the wickets. Fielding tells a lot about a side." Wright said the 'A' team tours in the last six months have been really valuable. Yuvraj Singh and Mohammad Kaif went to South Africa and have gained a lot from the tour. "The team is getting the support we needed and we will get whatever we need (from the BCCI). Mr Dalmiya has been very good in this respect. Adrian (le Roux) has come and made an immediate impact. It has allowed Andrew (Leipus) to concentrate more specifically on his role," he said. Wright said the team has also got inputs from India's cricketing greats from time to time and there could be a possibility they would look to have a specialist bowling consultant somewhere down the road. "From my perspective, sometimes in seeking extra advice, it is good to bring in people like Bishan (Singh Bedi), (EAS) Prasanna or Sunil (Gavaskar) from time to time. I like the players to go and talk to other players. There are times when you don't have all the knowledge yourself," he said.

India to come out full strength against Lanka 

London, July 10: Following India's 64-run defeat to England, their first in the series, skipper Sourav Ganguly said his team will come out in full strength in the last league encounter against Sri Lanka to prepare fully for the final on Saturday. India were without their injured vice-captain Rahul Dravid whose abilities at holding the innings together was sorely missed. "Today, England outplayed us in every department of the game," Ganguly said. "We will come out in full strength in the next match against Sri Lanka. It will be a good practice before the final at Lords," he said.India have already qualified for the Saturday's final and will play their last league match against Sri Lanka on Thursday. Ganguly said star leg-spinner Anil Kumble, who was seen limping while batting against England today, had developed a cramp but there was no major injury. "Anil got a cramp in his leg. We've talked to the physio and I hope he will be fit for the remainig games," he said. Victorious captain Nasser Hussain said he was extremely pleased with his team's preformance "and the way we played today." "I hope we will be able to maintian this form in the final. "(Andrew) Flintoff, (Ronnie) Irani and (Michael) Vaughan batted really well and it altered the course of the match. The bowlers also stuck to the basics and bowled good line and length," Hussain said. "Irani really worked on his game and I hope he will repeat his performance in the final. "Final is a completely different game. We will have to go back to the basics of the 50 overs game," he said. Man of the match Ronnie Irani, who scored 53 and claimed five wickets, said there was nothing big about his being promoted to the number three in the batting order today. "It does not matter much where you are batting, everyone has got responsiblities to the team and I just did my duty. I am pretty happy that after a long time I got back the rhythm in batting," said the all-rounder who scored his first one-day half-century. He gave a lot of credit to wicketkeeper Alec Stewart who was instrumental in giving him three of his five wickets. "I am really grateful to Alec Stewart. Alec stood up to the wicket which helped me to bowl the wicket to wicket line," Irani said.

Dominic Cork to play in tri-series final on Saturday

LONDON, July 10: England called swing bowler Dominic Cork into their squad on Wednesday for the triangular series final against India at Lord's on Saturday following James Kirtley's withdrawal with a fractured right hand. The Derbyshire bowler will join up with the squad for practice at Lord's on Thursday, the English and Welsh Cricket Board (ECB) said. "If the weather remains unsettled for the NatWest Series final and England wish to field a seam-based attack, we will require cover in this area as a result of the injury to James Kirtley," ECB chairman of selectors David Graveney said. "Dominic continues to be in fine form for his county and if he is called upon to play on Saturday, his 'big match' experience at international level will serve him in good stead." Cork said, "I am delighted the selectors have recognised that I have a role to play as a one-day player and it will be tremendous to be involved with the squad in the run-up to a Lord's final. Lord's has been a happy ground for me in the past and I feel that I have been bowling and batting well this summer," he said. "If I do make the final eleven this Saturday, it will be a good opportunity for me to show what I can do -- especially as there is a World Cup coming up this winter." Sri Lanka are the other team in the tournament. They play India at Bristol on Thursday but with only four points and one win from their five games so far cannot catch their opponents who have 14 points or England on 15

Irani stars in England's 64-run victory over India

NEW DELHI, July 9: England defeated India by 64 runs in a rain-reduced match of 32 overs at The Oval on Tuesday. Chasing 230 to win, India collapsed for 165 all out in the 30th over. Chasing 230 in 32 overs was never going to be easy and apart from Sehwag (46 off 41 balls), Tendulkar (36 off 29 balls) and Nehra's personal best of 24 (19 balls) none of the Indian batsmen looked equal to the task. In spite of the match being only of academic interest, England have gained a psychological advantage ahead of the final on July 13. India won the first match against England, rain robbed them of a possible win in the second and England have won the third. Ronnie Irani who scored his first one-day 50 and took five Indian wickets bagged the Man of the Match award. The Indian chase began on a bright note with Sehwag hitting booming boundaries and Ganguly content to rotate the strike. But with the score reading 31 in the sixth over, Ganguly was caught in the slips by Flintoff off Alex Tudor. Sehwag kept the momentum going for India by slamming Tudor for two fours through the covers and a six over mid-wicket in the 8th over of the innings. It took a splendid catch by Stewart standing up to Irani to dismiss Sehwag who made 46 from 41 balls with 8 fours and a six. Laxman who came at the fall of Ganguly’s wicket looked out of sorts and was caught by Hoggard off Collingwood when trying to hit over the infield. Laxman scored 14 from 21 balls with Indians reeling at 78/3. Tendulkar was joined by Yuvraj Singh and the stage was set for yet another Indian fight back. But Stewart having a splendid catch behind the stumps effected a superb stumping off Irani to send the left-hander packing. Yuvraj made 5 off 13 balls. Mohammad Kaif did not last long, bowled by Irani after scoring just one. Ratra (2) and Agarkar (0) did not trouble the scorers much and when Sachin (36) was caught behind off Hoggard it was all over for India. A late surge by Nehra 24 (19) and Kumble 21(19 balls) added some respect to the Indian effort. Earlier, Ganguly won the toss and elected to field first. England were off to a flyer with Nick Knight thrashing the Indian new ball bowlers with a rather subdued Trescothick at the other end. Nehra opening the bowling for India gave 7 extras to send the ball rolling for England. In the eighth over of the innings itself, England reached 52/0 with Knight batting on 27 and Trescothick on nine. Ganguly introduced Kumble in the 9th over and the leg spinner yorked Trescothick in his first delivery. Ronnie Irani promoted to number three gave little respite to the Indian bowlers. With score reading 72/1 in the 12th over, Kaif produced a brilliant catch at short fine leg to send Knight back to the pavilion. Knight was looking dangerous at 31 from 38 balls when he tried to sweep Yuvraj Singh. The ball took the top edge and Kaif running a fair distance, dived and produced a catch out of nowhere at short leg. With Irani playing big shots and the dangerous Flintoff in the middle, the Indian bowlers found it hard to restrict the scoring. England raced to 100/2 in the 18th over with Irani on 22 and Flintoff on 18. Some excellent power hitting by Flintoff livened proceedings as he bludgeoned Kumble for a huge six over mid-wicket and a thunderous straight drive past Sehwag the bowler. Agarkar also faced the music as he was dispatched through mid-on, covers and square leg. Kaif dropped a sharp catch off the bowling Agarkar when on 20. Flintoff raced to his 50 off 38 balls with six hits to the fence and a six. His extravaganza ended when Nehra took a well-judged skier at mid-wicket off the bowling of Agarkar. Irani, meanwhile got another reprieve when Ratra failed to conduct a stumping off Yuvraj. Vaughan who came in at the fall of Flintoff’s wicket, hit a massive six by clipping Kumble over square leg. But the batsman was caught shortly by Yuvraj at third man. Irani complete his first one-day 50 off 53 balls but was soon clean bowled by Kumble. Nehra and Zaheer both the last two overs well restricting the English tail but Gough hit a six off the last ball to guide England to a very competitive 229/8.

We were clumsy against Lanka: Hussain

Manchester, July 8: Nasser Hussain warned his "clumsy" England side against complacency after they slumped to a 23-run defeat to Sri Lanka in the triangular series one-day international on Sunday. Chasing a victory target of 230, England collapsed from 100 for two to 206 all out in 47.4 overs at Old Trafford. Although England have already qualified for the final against India at Lord's on Saturday, captain Hussain insisted the result was a blow. "Every player in our dressing room should be gutted by that," he told reporters. "It was a match we should have, and could have, won. "I believe everyone was up for it, but there is no question that every game we play is important, no matter what the circumstances. That's the way I look at it...you can't treat matches differently and now we have to pick ourselves up for the next one." England meet India at The Oval on Tuesday. Hussain was less than impressed by the manner of England's defeat, as Sri Lanka, who made 229 all out off 49.4 overs, recorded their first victory of the competition. "We were clumsy...their score was a good one, but we gave away soft dismissals when we batted," said Hussain. "We had a word beforehand and said we needed to make the most of the first 15 overs...we did that and we were strolling it at 100 for two. "We had them where we wanted but whether it was us giving it to them or them working hard for it, things changed." Sri Lanka coach Dav Whatmore welcomed the win but criticised the schedule imposed on his team in the series. Their defeat to India at Edgbaston on Saturday — their fourth in succession — ended their chances of making the final. "Playing back-to-back is hard. We tried to change the schedule before the tournament," Whatmore said. "We got to Manchester from Birmingham at 9.30 pm (2030 GMT) on Saturday night...all over the world we are trying to change that sort of schedule. "But the players did themselves proud."

India to tour New Zealand in December

NEW DELHI, July 9: India's cricketers will head to New Zealand in December-January for two Test matches and seven one-day internationals to prepare for the World Cup, officials said on Tuesday. New Zealand Cricket chief executive Martin Snedden said that both Tests would be played before Christmas with the limited-overs series starting on December 26 in Auckland. "Given the time frame that we are working within and the desire of both teams to gain some valuable World Cup preparation by playing an extended one-day series, we have decided to allow for this by scheduling the two Test matches before Christmas," Snedden said in a statement. "Both teams feel that, with the World Cup so close, an extended one-day series will be beneficial to their preparation," he added. New Zealand will be hosting a seven-match one-day series for the first time. India will also be playing seven matches against the West Indies at home before the New Zealand tour. India will play two warm-up matches, including a three-day game against the Central Districts, before the first Test starts at Wellington on December 12. The second will be at Hamilton from December 19. The limited-overs component of the tour will include five day-night games and see the first-ever one-day international played at the scenic tourist town of Queenstown, on New Zealand's South Island. The World Cup will be held in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Kenya in February-March next year. Itinerary: Dec 12-16: First Test, Wellington Dec 19-23: Second Test, Hamilton Dec 26: First one-dayer, Auckland Dec 29: Second one-dayer, Napier Jan 1: Third one-dayer, Christchurch Jan 4: Fourth one-dayer, Queenstown

India may change line-up for game against England 

NEW DELHI, July 8: With Sri Lanka out of reckoning, the India-England match in the NatWest Triangular series on Tuesday at The Oval is of academic interest. India and England are already in the final to be played on July 13th and India in all probability will make some changes to give a chance to players sitting on the bench. VVS Laxman is expected to get a game at the expense of Dinesh Mongia who has been struggling in the series so far. The Indian batting line up has a formidable look to it and there is stiff competition for berths. Ganguly and his men have yet to lose a match in the triangular series while England lost a match they should have won against Sri Lanka on Sunday. England will be looking to mend their record against India in the series so far. India has beaten England in their opening encounter and in the second match which was washed out due to rain, India were unlucky to be robbed of a win. Sourav Ganguly has marshalled his resources well in the series so far and the Indian players have responded in kind. Rahul Dravid, Yuvraj Singh, Sachin and Mohammad Kaif have given an excellent account of themselves and somehow the efforts of the Indian bowlers have been overshadowed by the willow-wielders. Ashish Nehra has been impressive, swinging the ball both ways. Zaheer and Agarkar have been very effective in the slog overs, bowling well up to the batsmen and cramping them for space. Rahul Dravid has been a revelation not with the ball alone but also with the gloves behind the wicket as well. After crouching and keeping wickets in the first two matches, Dravid showed tremendous stamina and determination to come in score important runs for India. Playing Rahul Dravid as a wicketkeeper-batsman has given the side an ideal balance for the one-day matches with the option of playing an extra batsman. Sachin Tendulkar came into his own in the washed out game against England slamming his 32nd one-day hundred off just 108 balls. This was when India were at one stage reeling at 52/3. For England, the return of Darren Gough has added that bit of bite to the bowling attack. Giles who had been so successful against the Indians in India has failed to keep the runs down or take wickets. For India the main threat comes from Andrew Flintoff who is one of the few English players who can win the match on his own with either the ball or the bat. Then there is the dangerous Marcus Trescothick who likes to get on with the game early on. If India are able to get this opener's wicket early on in the match, then the English can be deprived of a flying start. Skipper Hussain has had an average series and will be hoping to get some runs in what is a non-consequential match. In spite of having cemented their places in the finals both India and England would like to win Tuesday's match and get a psychological edge ahead of the finals on Saturday.

India may change line-up for game against England

New Delhi, July 08: With Sri Lanka out of reckoning, the India-England match in the NatWest Triangular series on Tuesday at The Oval is of academic interest. India and England are already in the final to be played on July 13th and India in all probability will make some changes to give a chance to players sitting on the bench. VVS Laxman is expected to get a game at the expense of Dinesh Mongia who has been struggling in the series so far. The Indian batting line up has a formidable look to it and there is stiff competition for berths. Ganguly and his men have yet to lose a match in the triangular series while England lost a match they should have won against Sri Lanka on Sunday. England will be looking to mend their record against India in the series so far. India has beaten England in their opening encounter and in the second match which was washed out due to rain, India were unlucky to be robbed of a win. Sourav Ganguly has marshalled his resources well in the series so far and the Indian players have responded in kind. Rahul Dravid, Yuvraj Singh, Sachin and Mohammad Kaif have given an excellent account of themselves and somehow the efforts of the Indian bowlers have been overshadowed by the willow-wielders. Ashish Nehra has been impressive, swinging the ball both ways. Zaheer and Agarkar have been very effective in the slog overs, bowling well up to the batsmen and cramping them for space. Rahul Dravid has been a revelation not with the ball alone but also with the gloves behind the wicket as well. After crouching and keeping wickets in the first two matches, Dravid showed tremendous stamina and determination to come in score important runs for India. Playing Rahul Dravid as a wicketkeeper-batsman has given the side an ideal balance for the one-day matches with the option of playing an extra batsman. Sachin Tendulkar came into his own in the washed out game against England slamming his 32nd one-day hundred off just 108 balls. This was when India were at one stage reeling at 52/3. For England, the return of Darren Gough has added that bit of bite to the bowling attack. Giles who had been so successful against the Indians in India has failed to keep the runs down or take wickets. For India the main threat comes from Andrew Flintoff who is one of the few English players who can win the match on his own with either the ball or the bat. Then there is the dangerous Marcus Trescothick who likes to get on with the game early on. If India are able to get this opener's wicket early on in the match, then the English can be deprived of a flying start. Skipper Hussain has had an average series and will be hoping to get some runs in what is a non-consequential match. In spite of having cemented their places in the finals both India and England would like to win Tuesday's match and get a psychological edge ahead of the finals on Saturday.

Lanka beat England by 23 runs, mark first win in tri-series

MANCHESTER, July 07: When everything had been lost, Sri Lanka came up with their best performance of the English tour to register a 23-run victory over the hosts in the triangular one-day series here today. Sri Lanka's first victory in the tournament came a day too late as they have already been knocked out of the series following their defeat to India yesterday. Coming into the match with four straight defeats, Sri Lanka suffered another batting collapse, being bowled out for 229 in 49.4 overs after they had elected to bat. A fine 89-run third wicket partnership between top-scorer and man of the match Kumara Sangakkara (70) and Mahela Jayawardene (34) was wasted by the other batsmen, as Sri Lanka were bowled out inside their quota of overs for the second successive time in this series. However, the total proved to be more than enough in the end as England were restricted to 206 in 47.4 overs, thanks to some good bowling by Sri Lankan spinners. The tide was turned by the slower bowlers after England had got off to a good start. Following England part-timer Michael Vaughan's career-best effort of four for 22, Sri Lankan spinners, led by captain Sanath Jayasuriya himself, proved themselves a shade better than their counterparts and carved out their team's first victory on this tour of England. Sri Lanka had earlier lost the three-match Test series 0-2.

India take on deseperate Lanka at Edgbaston

NEW DELHI, July 05: India flush with two straight wins and a good showing in the washed out match against England have a definite edge as they take on Sri Lanka in the NatWest series at Edgbaston on Saturday. India defetaed England and Sri Lanka comprehensively in their first two matches and were robbed of a third straight win when rain played havoc wath the match against England. India's score of 285 was spearheaded by Sachin Tendulkar's 32nd One-day hundred, a fine 82 by Dravid and a whirlwind 40 off 19 balls by Yuvraj Singh. The Indian batsmen have been in superb form and find it easy to seal a place in the final by denying a win to Sri Lanka on Saturday. At present India is sitting pretty with 10 points from three games at par with England who have played an extra match. Sri Lanka on the other hand have yet to register a win in the tri-series with two losses to England and a defeat to India. The Lankans have their task cut out - Win all the remaining three matches to qualify for the Final at Lord's on July 13. The Indians will have to guard against complacency as they will be up against a desperate Lankan side who will go all out to stay in the tournament. A defeat for Sri Lanka on Saturday would mean a final betwen England and India. Unfortunately Jayasuriya and his men are up against a rejuvenated and confident Indian outfit filled with new players who are tripping all over themselves to outclass each other. The competetive spirit is so infectious that even Sachin Tendulkar has got into the mood by slamming his 32nd One-day century. Rahul Dravid has been surpassing himself in the series so far by rotating the strike and improvising to meet the demands of the shorter version of cricket. Some excellent power play by Yuvraj Singh has ensured that India do not lose the momentum in the last few overs. The Indian bowlers have been effective in providing the brakes in the slog overs. Both Zaheer and Agarkar have been mixing their deliveries well and cramping the batsmen for space in the end overs. Ashish Nehra bowled very well in the rained off match against England and with Kumble to follow, the Sri Lankans who do not enjoy batting depth will struggle to put up a big score. Having said that Sanath Jayasuriya is more than capable of winning the game on his own for Lanka. His swashbuckling 112 off just 87 balls against England was a great knock played under pressure with wickets falling from the other end. Marvan Atapattu and Mahela Jayawardene have been successful against the Indians in the past but both the batsman have been struggling with the bat in the series so far. The absence of Muralitharan has certainly reflected on the performance of the Sri Lankan team but Vaas and Zoysa have the ability to run through the side. Teams (from): India: Sourav Ganguly (capt), Virender Sehwag, Dinesh Mongia, Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Yuvraj Singh, Mohammad Kaif, Ajit Agarkar, Zaheer Khan, Ashish Nehra, Anil Kumble, Harbhajan Singh. Sri Lanka: Sanath Jayasuriya (capt), Romesh Kaluwitharana, Marvan Atapattu, Mahela Jayawardene, Russel Arnold, Buddhika Fernando, Dilhara Fernando, Upul Chandana, Chaminda Vaas, Nuwan Zoysa, Naveed Nawaz and Pramodya Wickramasinghe.

Sachin's 32nd ton goes in vain as rain plays spoilsport

NEW DELHI, July 05: Sachin Tendulkar’s sparkling 32nd one-day hundred went in vain as the NatWest one-day tie between India and England was called off due to rain. Chasing 286 to win after India made 285/4, England were 53/1 in the 13th over when rain stopped play. India and England have got two points each with Lanka’s hopes of making it to the finals taking another nosedive. Sourav Ganguly was dismissed off the first ball of the innings after he won the toss and elected to bat first. Darren Gough coming back into the England squad had the Indian skipper trapped leg before wicket. Sehwag and Mongia kept the momentum up for India before Sehwag suffering yet another rush of blood struck two boundaries and then again went for the big shot, holding out to Trescothick off Kirtley for 16 (19 balls). Mongia was looking good for his 27 (38 balls) before he was caught by Flintoff at short mid-wicket off Gough. That brought Sachin and Dravid together and the duo stemmed the rout for India. In a record partnerships for the fourth wicket against England in England, the duo piled up 169 runs for the fourth wicket with Sachin registering his 32nd one-day hundred and Dravid making a good 82 off 117 balls. Sachin looked like returning to his old self, playing his trademark inside out shot. With Dravid rotating the strike and hammering lose deliveries, Sachin paced his innings to a nicety. It was evident that the Master Blaster was hungry for runs. With the young brigade in the form of Yuvraj, Sehwag and Mongia coming good, the stage was set for Sachin to deliver. Tendulkar’s inside out stroke off Giles over extra cover summed up the mood of the Indian innings. Sachin reached his 57th half -century off 72 balls. This was his first 50 against England in England. Before this match Sachin’s highest score in the one-dayers in England against England was just 31! Sachin put his foot on the accelerator after reaching his 50. He reached his 100 off just 106 balls with seven boundaries and a huge six. Sachin remained not out on 105 (108 balls). Rahul Dravid on the other end was equally impressive and at one stage was scoring quicker than Tendulkar. Dravid reached his 50 of 86 balls and was dismissed for 82 (117) while going for the big shots in the final overs. Yuvraj Singh came to the middle and immediately set the ground afire with some power hitting. Favouring the leg side field and making the most of some ill directed bowling, Yuvraj slammed 40 off just 19 balls comprising four boundaries and one six. In the end it was a superb team effort by the Indians, which buoyed the team score to 285/4. England began the run chase in right earnest with Trescothick sending the Indian bowlers on a leather hunt. There was more drama in store as Zaheer and Trescothick exchanged words. With the score reading 30 in the eight over, Zaheer Khan who might have lost the verbal battle had the last laugh when he had Trescothick trapped lbw for 23 (26 balls). Knight tried to keep the momentum for England with skipper Hussain struggling to put bat to ball from the other end. England were 53/1 in the 13th over when rain ended what promised to be an intriguing day’s cricket.

India keen to seal final berth

EDGBASTON, July 05: A buoyant India will look to carry on with their stupendous form in the NatWest triseries and assure themselves of a final berth by denying the Sri Lankans a victory yet again on Saturday. Having lost all their three matches in the tri-series so far, Sri Lanka face the daunting task of upstaging India who, in contrast, are yet to lose a match in the series. India's third match against England on Thursday, was abandoned due to rains but they were in a winnable situation having piled up 285 for four in 50 overs. India have 10 points from three games, the same as England but the latter have played an extra game. The three defeats in a row have pushed the Lankans to the wall, and they must now win their remaining three league matches if they are to entertain any hope of making it to the final at Lord's on July 13. Knowing very well that any slip up now could knock them out of reckoning for the final, Sri Lanka are expected to go all out against India on Saturday. Unfortunately for them, they are up against a new-look Indian team which has shown tremendous character even in pressure situations. Sachin Tendulkar joined the list of batsmen in form as he struck an enthralling 108-ball 105 to steer the team out of trouble which was once reduced to 52 for three during the Riverside day-night match on Thursday. The flourish in the end was again provided by Yuvraj Singh who smashed 40 off just 19 balls and now has scores of 64, 31 and 40 in his three knocks in the tournament. India are also bowling well and it must be a source of worry for Sri Lanka who do not have a similar depth in batting. They still have some capable batsmen in Marvan Atapattu and Mahela Jaywardene though captain Sanath Jayasuriya, as he showed in his 87-ball 112 against England at Headingley on Tuesday, is also getting his act together. Sri Lanka though are missing the presence of their match-winning bowler, Muttiah Muralitharan, who has gone back home for medical attention to his injured shoulder. Teams (from): India: Sourav Ganguly (capt), Virender Sehwag, Dinesh Mongia, Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Yuvraj Singh, Mohammad Kaif, Ajit Agarkar, Zaheer Khan, Ashish Nehra, Anil Kumble, Harbhajan Singh. Sri Lanka: Sanath Jayasuriya (capt), Romesh Kaluwitharana, Marvan Atapattu, Mahela Jayawardene, Russel Arnold, Buddhika Fernando, Dilhara Fernando, Upul Chandana, Chaminda Vaas, Nuwan Zoysa, Naveed Nawaz and Pramodya Wickramasinghe. Umpires: Steve Bucknor (West Indies) and Neil Mallender (England) Third umpire: Peter Willey (England).

Pakistan recall Saqlain, Razzaq

KARACHI, July 04: Pakistan recalled off-spinner Saqlain Mushtaq and top all-rounder Abdul Razzaq for the tri-series at cricket’s newest venue in Morocco next month, officials said on Thursday. Pakistan will play South Africa and Sri Lanka at the One-day series from August 12-21. A final 15-man squad is to be announced in three weeks time. Both Saqlain and Razzaq missed Pakistan’s Super Challenge one-day series in Australia last month due to their engagements with English counties Surrey and Middlesex. Pakistan achieved a historic 2-1 win over Australia in the series. The International Cricket Council (ICC) last month approved Tangiers for limited over cricket, making it the first cricket venue in North Africa. Pakistani hopefuls will assemble in Lahore for a training camp from July 12. Team: Saeed Anwar, Imran Nazir, Younis Khan, Inzamam-ul Haq, Yousuf Youhana, Rashid Latif, Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis, Azhar Mahmood, Saqlain Mushtaq, Shoaib Akhtar, Shoaib Malik, Mohammad Sami, Misbahul Haq, Danish Kaneria, Shahid Afridi, Faisal Iqbal, Abdul Razzaq and Taufiq Umer.

Styris stars in Kiwis' historic series win over Windies

ST GEORGE'S, July 03: New Zealand recorded an historic away series victory over the West Indies here after drawing the second Test at Queen's Park. The Kiwis held out for a draw in the second and final Test to win the two-match series 1-0 yesterday, thanks to rain showers and a match-saving 99 run partnership between Test debutant Scott Styris and wicketkeeper Robbie Hart. New Zealand were 256 for five in their second innings when rain brought play to a close on the fifth and final day to seal the series win on the back of their equally historic 204 run triumph in the first Test in Barbados last week. Styris followed up his first innings century with a crucial innings of 69 not out, coming in when New Zealand had thrown away three wickets in the first hour of play yesterday. The players were on and off the field several times as the hosts tried desparately to get the last five Kiwi wickets and have a go at winning the match and levelling the series. The final day was frustrating for West Indian captain Carl Hooper, whose spinners snatched New Zealand's top five wickets on Monday evening and yesterday morning, when all hope seemed lost. West Indies replied to New Zealand's first innings total of 373 - mainly thanks to Styris's 107 - with 470, opener Chris Gayle scoring a mammoth 204. Hooper, under fire for electing to field on what has turned out to be a low and slow wicket even by Caribbean standards, had been hoping for a first innings lead of at least 150 but had to settle for 97. On Monday New Zealand openers Lou Vincent and Mark Richardson put on 117 for the first wicket before the West Indies spinners prised their way back into the match with two late wickets, those of Vincent for 54 and captain Stephen Fleming for just five. Resuming on 139 for two, a lead of just 42, panic set in for the first hour as three wickets fell quickly, leaving New Zealand effectively on 60 for five. Ironically, the most comfortable-looking batsman, Richardson, was the first to depart, caught behind by Ridley Jacobs off the bowling of leg spinner Mahendra Nagamootoo for 71 to follow up on his first innings 95. Astle followed without adding to the score, playing a limp nudge to Wavell Hinds at short leg from Hooper's bowling. Nine runs later it was Chris Harris's turn as he played an awful sweep shot off Nagamootoo and was caught by Sarwan. Styris and Hart joined forces with four fielders clustered around the bat as the West Indies sensed an opening for a victory to level the two-match series. However the 27-year-old Styris immediately showed his more experienced Test colleagues the benefits of positive cricket, playing technically sound strokes and keeping the scoreboard ticking over. His 50 took eight minutes over two hours and included four fours. Styris was selected for the Test squad after his success in the one-day series, which New Zealand lost 3-1. He scored two half centuries and then set a New Zealand bowling record by taking six for 25 in Trinidad.

India ready to rock England once again

NEW DELHI, July 03: Ganguly and his boys look unstoppable after the back-to-back wins in the NatWest Triangular series. Considering the fact that India are one of the worst chasers in the game, the twin triumphs coming with India chasing targets is a good sign for Indian cricket. With India seeming to have got the measure of the English bowlers and Sri Lanka hitting rock bottom, this would be India's best chance of winning a one-day series overseas. The reasons for India's recent success are manifold - to start with the selectors finally seem to have struck the right balance. The Indian batting looks awesome with great depth. With Dravid doing an okay job behind the wicket, India has the luxury of playing an extra batsman. The presence of Sehwag, Yuvraj, Mongia and Kaif has provided a new dimension to the Indian effort. No longer is India dependent on Sachin or Sourav alone. Even Dravid who used to struggle to win matches on his own now has the freedom to play his natural game and let Yuvraj or Kaif go for the bowlers. The problem of the fifth bowlers has also been taken care of to a large extent. Ganguly can use himself, Sachin, Mongia, Sehwag and Yuvraj to get over the 10 overs. As a build up to the ICC Knockout in September and the World Cup next year, the Indian squad at present is shaping up well. In fact the present Indian team resembles the 1983 World Cup squad with five mainline batsmen having the ability to roll their arms and take wickets. Virender Sehwag nicknamed 'Little Sachin Tendulkar" seems to be a player around whom the fortunes of Indian cricket will revolve for some time to come. With his debut hundred in the first Test at South Africa he then went on to confirm his status as the brightest young talent on the Indian scene. In fact when Sachin and Sehwag hit tons at Bloemfontein, South Africa, it was difficult to tell the two batsmen apart, so similar was their strokeplay. Already, the lad from Najafgarh coached by Bishan Singh Bedi is India's most prolific batsman after Sachin and has in fact usurped the Master Blaster on a few occasions. Shy, introvert and at times bashful, Sehwag loves to take bowlers by the scruff of the neck and dispatch them to all corners of the ground. Often criticised for giving away his wicket cheaply, Sehwag is a natural strokeplayer who likes to dispatch each ball to the fence. But wasn't that how Sachin played in his earlier days? Sehwag's critics would be well advised to let the player mature on own rather than force the issue. With Sachin, Ganguly, Dravid providing all the experience in the side, Sehwag should be allowed to play his natural game and come to terms with the demands of the game gradually. India take on England for the second time in a day-night affair on Thursday and with Gough back in action, the English bowling looks a lot more menacing. In spite of that Hussain will have to juggle his bowling resources really well to thwart the Indian batsmen who are on a roll at present. Indian bowlers have been going for runs in the initial overs but have been coming back strongly in the death to apply brakes. Both Zaheer and Agarkar have shown great maturity in bowling the slog overs while Yuvraj has fitted into the role of the fifth bowler quite well. For England, Giles might just resort to bowling Tendulkar down the leg side. He has been successful in the past in frustrating the Master Blaster. Ironically, for the Indians who play spin well Giles is the main threat. Then there is the unpredictable and dangerous Andrew Flintoff who is one of the few English players who can win the match on his own with either the ball or the bat. England played some magnificent cricket in the Headingley thriller against Sri Lanka to win with four balls to spare. Trescothick who hit a quickfire 82 from 60 balls will be a challenge for the Indian new ball bowlers with Collingwood proving to be an irritant lower down in the English bowling. All in all a humdinger is on the cards on Thursday with India enjoying a slight edge, though Ganguly and his men would be well advised to guard against complacency.

Styris stars in Kiwis' historic series win over Windies

ST GEORGE'S, July 03: New Zealand recorded an historic away series victory over the West Indies here after drawing the second Test at Queen's Park. The Kiwis held out for a draw in the second and final Test to win the two-match series 1-0 yesterday, thanks to rain showers and a match-saving 99 run partnership between Test debutant Scott Styris and wicketkeeper Robbie Hart. New Zealand were 256 for five in their second innings when rain brought play to a close on the fifth and final day to seal the series win on the back of their equally historic 204 run triumph in the first Test in Barbados last week. Styris followed up his first innings century with a crucial innings of 69 not out, coming in when New Zealand had thrown away three wickets in the first hour of play yesterday. The players were on and off the field several times as the hosts tried desparately to get the last five Kiwi wickets and have a go at winning the match and levelling the series. The final day was frustrating for West Indian captain Carl Hooper, whose spinners snatched New Zealand's top five wickets on Monday evening and yesterday morning, when all hope seemed lost. West Indies replied to New Zealand's first innings total of 373 - mainly thanks to Styris's 107 - with 470, opener Chris Gayle scoring a mammoth 204. Hooper, under fire for electing to field on what has turned out to be a low and slow wicket even by Caribbean standards, had been hoping for a first innings lead of at least 150 but had to settle for 97. On Monday New Zealand openers Lou Vincent and Mark Richardson put on 117 for the first wicket before the West Indies spinners prised their way back into the match with two late wickets, those of Vincent for 54 and captain Stephen Fleming for just five. Resuming on 139 for two, a lead of just 42, panic set in for the first hour as three wickets fell quickly, leaving New Zealand effectively on 60 for five. Ironically, the most comfortable-looking batsman, Richardson, was the first to depart, caught behind by Ridley Jacobs off the bowling of leg spinner Mahendra Nagamootoo for 71 to follow up on his first innings 95. Astle followed without adding to the score, playing a limp nudge to Wavell Hinds at short leg from Hooper's bowling. Nine runs later it was Chris Harris's turn as he played an awful sweep shot off Nagamootoo and was caught by Sarwan. Styris and Hart joined forces with four fielders clustered around the bat as the West Indies sensed an opening for a victory to level the two-match series. However the 27-year-old Styris immediately showed his more experienced Test colleagues the benefits of positive cricket, playing technically sound strokes and keeping the scoreboard ticking over. His 50 took eight minutes over two hours and included four fours. Styris was selected for the Test squad after his success in the one-day series, which New Zealand lost 3-1. He scored two half centuries and then set a New Zealand bowling record by taking six for 25 in Trinidad.

Ehsan Mani of Pakistan to head ICC next 

LONDON, July 03: Ehsan Mani of Pakistan is set to become the next President of the International Cricket Council. Mani, who represented Pakistan at the ICC since 1989, was formally installed as Vice President of ICC at its annual Conference here last week, paving the way for him to succeed Malcolm Gray in 12 months time. He will have a two-year term in office. "I was honoured on behalf of Pakistan cricket to be nominated for this prestigious position and delighted to be formally installed as Malcolm Gray's successor at last week's Annual Conference. "I already enjoy a close working relationship with Malcolm, fellow Directors and Chief Executive Officer Malcolm Speed and look forward to the next 12 months and the build up to my own term in office," Mani said on Tuesday night. Mani, a Chartered Accountant by profession, became a director of ICC in 1996 when he took the chair of the ICC Finance and Marketing Committee, a position he held until last week, when the Committee was dissolved. Mani has served on a number of ICC Committees, including the Chairman's Advisory Committee, set up to advise Lord Cowdrey and Sir Clyde Walcott during their tenures. He also worked on the Rules Review Committee and the Governance and Organisation Committee. His paper on the sharing of World Cup revenues between the host and member countries had a major impact on the financial arrangements of the ICC and its members. Mani was also a member of the organising committee for the 1996 ICC World Cup in India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka and has served on the Asian Cricket Council. He is on the Board of a number of UK companies, which include banking and real estate. Mani's financial expertise was used to good effect when playing a major role in the sale of ICC media rights in 2000, negotiations which achieved a guaranteed income of $550 million for international cricket, up to and including the 2007 World Cup. He will follow a notable line of former ICC Chairmen and Presidents, which includes the late Lord Cowdrey, Sir Clyde Walcott of the West Indies, Jagmohan Dalmiya of India and Malcolm Gray of Australia.

Sanath's blitzkreig in vain as England beat Lanka

LEEDS, England, July 02: An exceptional batting performance saw England pull off a stunning three-wicket victory and inflicted the third consecutive defeat on Sri Lanka in the triangular one-day series here today. Sanath Jayasuriya's blitzkreig century, which helped Sri Lanka post a mammoth 240 in 32 overs in a rain-curtailed match, was nullified by the brilliant efforts of Marcus Trescothick, Alec Stewart and Paul Collingwood as England completed one of the finest run-chases ever. England, who had won the toss and put the opposition in to bat, reached 241 for seven with four balls to spare to register their second win in three matches. The third team in the series, India, have won both their matches so far. England's victory was made possible by a superlative knock from Trescothick, who made a 60-ball 82 with 11 fours, and a 66-run seventh wicket partnership between Stewart and Collingwood, both of whom scored 38 with Stewart remaining unbeaten. England scored at more than eight runs an over despite the early loss of opener Nick Knight and regular fall of wickets thereafter. But Trescothick never lost his cool and scored at a brisk pace without taking too many risks. The most remarkable aspect of his batting there was absolutely no slogging and all his runs came off perfect cricketing strokes. England had lost four wickets, including that of their captain Nasser Hussain who failed to score, for just 98 runs and it was an extremely uphill task after that. But Trescothick, first in the company of Graham Thorpe (15) and then Collingwood, fought bravely and brought the asking rate down to around 6.5 runs an over. The left-hander picked a boundary in almost every over and a couple of singles and twos following it kept England in the hunt. The hosts were also helped by some insipid bowling performance by the Lankans who erred in line much too often. When Trescothick fell at the total of 171 in the 22nd over, caught by Chaminda Vaas at long-on off Jayasuriya, England needed another 70 runs from 65 balls. Sri Lanka required just one wicket to get to the tail of England batting and they looked to have gained the upper hand. But Stewart and Collingwood did not attempt anything silly. They ran quick singles and with boundaries also coming freely, England were always ahead of target as far as the required run rate was concerned. In fact, in the last five overs, England needed less than run-a-ball and they romped home quite comfortably in the end. Earlier, Jayasuriya produced the fastest century on the English soil to lead his side to a commanding total. The powerful left-hander reached his 12th one-day hundred off just 78 balls and went on to make 112, tearing apart the English bowling to shreds. Having lost their first two matches, Sri Lanka needed a win to keep their hopes alive in the tournament and Jayasuriya blasted nine fours and five sixes in his 87-ball knock to set a highly competitive total. Jayasuriya's knock was well complemented by a 13-ball 30 from Upul Chandana who hit four fours and a six to give the finishing touches to the innings. However, their fine efforts went in vain, thanks to a thoroughly professional performance by the Englishmen. In the next match of the tournament, India take on England in a day night encounter at Chester-le-Street on Thursday.

Srinath rejects Ganguly's comeback plea

NEW DELHI, July 02: India's pace spearhead Javagal Srinath on Tuesday rejected an appeal by captain Sourav Ganguly to make himself available for next month's Test series against England. Srinath, 32, retired from Test cricket after the West Indies tour in June, saying he wanted to concentrate on next year's limited-overs World Cup in South Africa. The Indian selectors, however, snubbed the lanky seamer by ignoring him for the ongoing tri-series against Sri Lanka and England. Ganguly, who had earlier made an unsuccessful attempt to persuade Srinath to reconsider his retirement from Test cricket, pleaded once again for his strike bowler to return to the fold. "I've seen a lot of people come back from retirement and I have my fingers crossed with Jav," Ganguly said. "He's still got a lot of cricket to offer and I hope he changes his mind." But Srinath, whose 232 wickets in 64 matches make him India's second most successful fast bowler behind Kapil Dev's tally of 434, refused to take the bait. "I have taken a stand and I should stick to it," Srinath said from his home in Bangalore. "I will talk to Ganguly if he calls, but I doubt I will come back from retirement. I have made up my mind to quit." India are due to play four Tests against England at the conclusion of the tri-series. Srinath's absence has left India short of experience in the new ball attack with Ajit Agarkar, Ashish Nehra, Zaheer Khan and Tinu Yohannan having a combined tally of just 37 Tests. Ganguly's men, however, made a promising start in the tri-series, defeating both England and Sri Lanka in their opening matches over the weekend.

Mandela is ICC's hope for cricket peace

NEW DELHI, July 02: South African former President Nelson Mandela may be asked to persuade India and Pakistan to resume cricket ties amid border tensions between the South Asian neighbours, officials said Tuesday. India's refusal to play cricket against Pakistan in protest at Islamabad's alleged support of insurgency in Kashmir has quashed the most sought-after rivalry in the sport. It has also played havoc with the International Cricket Council's (ICC) ambitious 10-year Test calender, besides causing millions of dollars of lost revenues from sponsorship and television rights. The ICC first mooted the idea of roping in Mandela to mediate three months ago, and the proposal was taken up by the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) meeting in London on Sunday. "We will try through Nelson Mandela to convince India to end its cricket boycott of Pakistan," said the ACC's newly-elected president, Ali Asghar of Bangladesh. "The resumption of cricket between India and Pakistan is an issue of immense importance for the ICC and the ACC." ICC's media manager Mark Harrison confirmed that overtures had been made to Mandela, but it was not clear if the octogenarian Nobel Peace Prize winner had agreed to mediate. "Yes, this was discussed in the ICC meeting but I cannot update it further. The ICC is doing its best to get cricketing ties resumed between India and Pakistan," he said. An estimated one million troops are currently massed on the India-Pakistan borders, although the threat of war receded in recent weeks. India and Pakistan last played cricket against each other in Bangladesh two years ago, but the Indian government rejected subsequent proposals to play Test and one-day series. Two years ago when India refused to tour Pakistan for a scheduled Test series, the Pakistan Cricket Board said it was deprived of $15 million in revenue. At last week's ICC meetings in London, Pakistan declined to accept the 10-year Test calender till the governing body persuaded India to end its cricketing boycott of Pakistan. India's Sports Minister Uma Bharti said last month she had no objection to India playing against Pakistan at multi-nation events like the World Cup, but ruled out bilateral Test and one-day matches. Bharti confirmed that India will take part in the ICC's Champions Trophy in Sri Lanka in September and the World Cup in South Africa early next year. India are scheduled to play a league match against Pakistan in the World Cup in February-March next year. The two countries have, however, been drawn in separate groups in the Champions Trophy, but will have to face each other if they make the final. India and Pakistan played each other in the 1999 World Cup in England even when the Kargil conflict was at its height in Kashmir.

Ganguly lauds Dravid's keeping

HEADINGLEY, July 01: Ganguly's roll of the dice in terms of his deputy Rahul Dravid doubling up as a wicketkeeper in one-day internationals is beginning to show astonishingly good results. Dravid has got rid of five top order batsmen of England and Sri Lanka by way of catches or stumping in the first two games of the NatWest triangular series and Indians are over the moon at his tidy work behind the stumps. "Rahul Dravid has been a revelation," gushed captain Ganguly. "He is beginning to look good enough to command his place as a specialist wicketkeeper in the side." It is high praise from a man who is said to have coaxed his vice-captain to take over the additional role of a keeper besides the one of a dependable middle-order batsman. Ganguly may have another reason to go overboard on Dravid as the latter picked up a stunning catch of England's Marcus