If ever there was a good time to be a first-class cricketer in India, itis now. In a mood to do the right things for the game, the Indian board summoned up 36 probables to train together at Bangalore. Almost everyone who was anyone rubbed shoulders with the big names, and trained under John Wright. From the training camp on to the real show. The four-match Challenger Series kicks off at Bangalore tomorrow, amid expectations that several promising cricketers will get a chance to showcase their talent.Sourav Ganguly, leading the India Seniors team, has a talented lot athis disposal, retaining VVS Laxman, Sanjay Bangar, Parthiv Patel andZaheer Khan from the national side. Ambati Rayudu has made waves with his batting over the last year and he will be watched closely. In addition, Ganguly also has the best spin attack in the tournament – Murali Kartik, Amit Mishra and Harbhajan Singh. Harbhajan was earlier being rested so as to give him time to recover from his finger injury, but he was so keen to play that the selectors had to induct him. Sarandeep Singh was shifted to India B to accomodate him.For India A, Anil Kumble will bank on Sachin Tendulkar to do the bulk of thescoring. Mohammad Kaif is the other member from the Indian team to makethe side. Mithun Manhas, a dangerous striker of the ball, and RameshPowar, who played a big role in Mumbai’s Ranji Trophy success, will aimto catch the eye of the national selectors.Without doubt, India B are the weakest of the three teams. Rahul Dravidleads a side short on stars – Yuvraj Singh is the only other big name in the squad. In Shiv Sunder Das and Satyajit Parab the batting has solidity if notstyle. The bowling looks sharp with Aavishkar Salvi and Irfan Pathancompeting to make an impact, and Sarandeep yearning to prove a point or two.It’s going to be hard for the players to make a big impression over justfour days. Yet, the Challenger series has always evoked plenty ofexcitement. After all, it’s not every day that the cream of the talentin the country is on display. Under lights, competing for the few slotsvacant in the Indian team, there just might be a few standoutperformances.India Seniors
Sourav Ganguly (capt), VVS Laxman, Hemang Badani, Ambati Rayudu, SanjayBangar, Parthiv Patel (wk), Amit Mishra, Murali Kartik, Harbhajan Singh,Zaheer Khan, L Balaji, Reetinder Sodhi, Akash Chopra.India A
Anil Kumble (capt), Sachin Tendulkar, Gautam Gambhir, Rohan Gavaskar,Mohammad Kaif, Wasim Jaffer, Sridharan Sriram, Ajay Ratra (wk), IrfanPathan, Ajit Agarkar, Mithun Manhas, Ramesh Powar.India B
Rahul Dravid (capt), Shiv Sunder Das, Satyajit Parab, Vijay Bharadwaj,Yuvraj Singh, Dinesh Mongia, Thilak Naidu (wk), Jai P Yadav, AavishkarSalvi, Siddharth Trivedi, Sairaj Bahutule, Amit Bhandari, Sarandeep Singh.Schedule
September 10 India Sr v India A
September 11 India Sr v India B
September 13 India A v India B
September 14 Final

The revised dates for New Zealand’s five matches in Pakistan have been released by the Pakistan Cricket Board and the later start will have an effect on the matches played on Pakistan’s tour of New Zealand in December.The New Zealanders, who will return to New Zealand on Thursday, and fly out next week will play their first match on November 29.The games are venues are:November 29 – 1st ODI at Lahore (D/N)December 1 – 2nd ODI at Lahore (D/N)December 3 – 3rd ODI at FaisalabadDecember 5 – 4th ODI at Rawalpindi (D/N)December 7 – 5th ODI at Rawalpindi (D/N)Pakistan were then scheduled to arrive in New Zealand and start their tour on December 8 with a three-day match against Canterbury. However, some changes are expected to be announced to the itinerary later today by New Zealand Cricket.

I’ve known Abhijeet Kale for quite sometime and I’m not too sure if somebody like him could do such a thing. I’m known him as a person for a long time, so I’ll have to wait and see. I still don’t believe it. – I am being hounded by the media, but all I can say is that I have no official information and I am not in a position to comment on this issue. – Without ascertaining facts, we just cannot voice our opinions. – It’s an absolute shock to me. I’ve never heard any such incident before. It’s clearly liable for criminal proceedings. – I am shocked, absolutely stunned! I don’t think it’s possible. – I am not aware of this and I am not in a position to comment. But it is good to hear that the concerned selectors have informed the board president. – After the match-fixing, this is the second major setback to the game. But as the game recovered from the match-fixing scandal this time too it will come out of it. –

Ricky Ponting pronounced himself "pretty happy" with the way in which he played on the opening day at the Adelaide Oval, though he admitted that Sehwag’s dropped catch at gully – when he had made just 17 – was "a big let-off". "It was a good wicket, and a good outfield," he said, "and you got real value for your strokes."He admitted that the Australians were in command, but cautioned against making too many plans ahead of tomorrow. "We want to get as many as we can, but we also know that it’s going to be hard work for the bowlers," he said, when asked about the possibility of enforcing the follow-on.Ponting’s century was his 19th, and the fifth this calendar year, taking his 2003 tally to a remarkable 1149 at 95.75. But he wasn’t too harsh on the Indian bowlers when asked what he thought of their display. "They missed Zaheer," he said bluntly. "He’s been their best bowler the past couple of years, and he bowled well up in Brisbane. They didn’t bowl as well as they’d have liked today, but you can’t judge them based on that."Of Irfan Pathan, he said, "I thought he might have swung it a bit more, having seen him play in India. But he ran in well and will certainly improve, no doubt about that."Ponting said that he enjoyed batting with Steve Waugh – "the crowd enjoyed it, the reception he got was sensational" – and said that lapses in concentration from Justin Langer, Damien Martyn and Waugh had cost only the individuals, and not the team. There was also praise for Simon Katich – "the way he played after he passed 20 was excellent."When asked where he rated alongside the modern-day batting greats, Ponting said he wasn’t particularly bothered. "Sachin’s been the standout player for a number of years, but I really don’t care too much about ratings and opinions."He said a more aggressive and positive approach had helped him to be more successful against the turning ball. "In India a couple of years ago, I didn’t back my technique enough, and that cost me," he said. Today, he certainly backed himself, and India paid the price.

The authorities at the MCG have vowed to clamp down on members after reports that Indian supporters were racially abused during last Friday’s VB Series match against Australia. The Melbourne Cricket Club (MCC) said that any members found guilty of such behaviour faced suspension or expulsion.The problems came in the southern stand – where members are temporarily housed during the extensive building works taking place at the ground – with several supporters reporting being subjected to abuse.Stephen Gough, chief executive of the MCC, confirmed that the club had received written complaints about racial abuse, drunkenness and bad language. “We just have to be vigilant about these things,” he said. “As difficult as it is due to the relocation, there is no excuse for poor behaviour, so we’ll be monitoring not only our members, but the public and others as part of that.”There were five arrests for drunkenness during the match, and a further 130 people were ejected from the ground.

The second Test between Zimbabwe and Bangladesh at Bulawayo could well be over and done with after only three hours’ play on the third day, the first two having been washed out. Heroic work by the ground staff enabled play finally to start an hour before lunch, but then a heavy and prolonged afternoon downpour undid all their good work, perhaps permanently.The play that did take place came in several clear segments. Zimbabwe were either taking clusters of wickets or none at all, while Bangladesh were either scoring runs freely or not at all. Phase one had few runs or wickets; the second chapter belonged to the free-scoring Bangladeshi batsmen; while the third and final phase of the day belonged to Zimbabwe.The pre-lunch hour involved few runs and no wickets, but it was absorbing cricket as Zimbabwe’s seamers, Heath Streak and Douglas Hondo, took advantage of the conditions and made the Bangladeshi openers fight for their lives. This they did with great determination, although the first run off the bat did not come for 37 minutes, and in the ninth over.The tide began to turn just before lunch, when a couple of overs by Blessing Mahwire and Sean Ervine offered some easy runs and several no-balls. For half an hour afterwards, the batsmen enjoyed themselves and appeared to be reaping the rewards of their hard work in sowing the seed early on.But again, in a matter of minutes the game underwent a complete metamorphosis. Ervine pulled himself together, bowled with more accuracy and quickly broke the opening partnership at 64. The next, and final, 90 minutes went all Zimbabwe’s way as they mowed down five wickets and the batsmen retreated into their shells, managing only 24 more runs.Streak’s decision to field certainly gave his team the best chance of victory in what had become a three-day match. He and his support bowlers, aided by fine catching, gave his team a strong advantage, only to be thwarted by typical February weather. Barring remarkable happenings, Bangladesh will secure the second draw of their brief career as a Test-playing nation – thanks to the weather … again.

Close England XI 152 for 2 (Vaughan 66, Hussain 76*) lead University of West Indies Vice-Chancellor’s XI 119 (Haynes 45, Harmison 4-17, Jones 3-40) by 33 runs
Scorecard

England’s bowlers enjoyed a comfortable warm-up on the opening day of their match at the Mona Oval in Kingston. Playing their likely team for next week’s first Test at Sabina Park, England ended proceedings in total control against the inexperienced Vice-Chancellor’s XI. Steve Harmison impressed with 4 for 17, and Simon Jones weighed in with three wickets on his return in a meagre total of 119. Michael Vaughan and Nasser Hussain then piled on 149, and England ended the day 33 in frontAfter much debate, the game was given first-class status after all, withboth sides allowed to field only 11 men. The big bonus for England was that Jones came through 10.2 overs unscathed, and with some wickets, but the bad news was that Graham Thorpe missed the start of play with a back strain. As a result of that, and Mark Butcher’s twisted ankle, Andrew Strauss will fly out this Sunday as cover for the first Test only.A preview of the match in today’s trumpeted that this “should be a real tester” for England, as the Vice-Chancellor’s outfitincluded “some of the region’s most-talented young cricketers”. It didn’tturn out that way, by any stretch of the imagination.Jason Haynes, the home captain, who is also in charge of West Indies B, did make the bowlers work early on, but that was about it. He batted throughout the morning session, smacking Matthew Hoggard for six over long-on, and later driving and cutting Jones to the boundary from successive balls. That was in Jones’s eagerly awaited – and expensive – first over back in full England colours, but he got his revenge soon after lunch, when Haynes shuffled too far across his stumps and lost his leg peg.That wicket sparked off a major collapse in the Vice-Chancellor’s ranksafter they had made a solid start to reach 72 for 2 at lunch. After Haynes departed for 45, the Kenyan captain Steve Tikolo, who scored a stylish 23, was trapped in front by Harmison (90 for 4), then David Bernard was rather unfortunate to be caught by Chris Read after the ball rebounded off Paul Collingwood at short leg (93 for 5). It was a lucky break for Ashley Giles, the bowler, but a deserved one after his tireless efforts wheeling away into the strong wind – his first ten overs cost only 16.Next to go was Tonito Willett, whose father played for West Indies in the 1970s. He slogged Giles to Hussain at midwicket for 2 (94 for 6), and in the following over Harmison clean-bowled Ryan Nurse to leave the Vice-Chancellor’s team blowing away with the strong Kingston breeze at 94 for 7. Things then got even worse for them soon after, when Jason Bennett was caught by Marcus Trescothick at first slip off Harmison (95 for 8).Ryan Cunningham and Darren Sammy stopped the rot with a gritty stand of 24, which was broken by Jones, back for a second spell. He got one to keep low and shoot under Cunningham’s bat. Jermaine Lawson was cleaned up first ball, leaving Jones on a hat-trick in the second innings.However, Lawson made an immediate impact in England’s reply after tea, bowling Trescothick with the first ball of the innings with a full delivery. Buoyed on by the small crowd, Lawson cranked up the pace, but Vaughan and Hussain were equal to it. Hussain, in particular, was in aggressive form, cutting and pulling anything off line. Vaughan, dropped at first slip off Nurse when he had made 44, was also in fine fettle until he was controversially given out caught at first slip off the left-arm spin of Cunningham shortly before the belated close – he felt the ball had only taken his pad.”Hopefully we’ve given the public a snapshot of what we can do,” Harmison said afterwards. “All the hype about Simon was understandable, considering he’s probably our fastest bowler through the air. Once he settled down, he did really well. It’s exciting to be part of this pace attack. Even though we’re competing for places, Simon and I are the best of mates. Hats off to him for the way he’s come back from that injury.”

Hashan Tillakaratne tendered his resignation as Sri Lanka’s Test captain after they were whitewashed at home for the first time in their history byAustralia on Sunday. Tillakaratne’s 10-match tenure produced only one win and four defeats, and he had been widely expected to stand down.”I am stepping down as captain because it is high time that someone should take over and I can concentrate on my batting,” Tillakaratne, 36, told reporters. “I have spoken to the selectors about how I feel about it and they have accepted my resignation. We lost the series and if someone is going to take over then this is the time to do it with so many tours coming up.”Talking about the Colombo game, which Australia won with just eight balls to spare, Tillakaratne lamented: “I thought we pushed them to the wall, but they fought back and they played very good cricket. We learnt a few lessons down the line. I thought we could have won the series, but that is how the game goes. We need to show a bit of character when the going gets tough, but we were so soft – and I am sure that we could have saved this match. You should be able to play according to the situation but we threw our wickets away at crucial stages.”He admitted: “Fielding is a big concern, and there were some soft dismissals in the first innings.”Marvan Atapattu, the current one-day captain, is expected to take over fromTillakaratne for Sri Lanka’s two-Test tour of Zimbabwe in April and May.Other contenders for the job include Mahela Jayawardene, Kumar Sangakkara and Chaminda Vaas.

Hampshire Cricket will leave their final selection for the opening Frizzell Championship Division Two match until the morning of the game, starting on Friday (16th April) against Durham.The have chosen a squad of 13 players, as manager Paul Terry and new captain Shane Warne will decide the final eleven after inspecting the pitch.Michael Brown, Hampshire’s new opening batsman from Middlesex, Michael Clarke the exiting young Australian and Billy Taylor who returned to Hampshire from Sussex are all hoping to make their first-class debut for Hampshire.The Hampshire 13 are: Michael Brown, Derek Kenway, John Crawley, Michael Clarke, Will Kendall, Nic Pothas )wicket-keeper), Dimitri Mascarenhas, Shane Warne (captain), Shaun Udal, Chris Tremlett, James Tomlinson, Billy Taylor and Alan Mullally.

Scorecard

An uncharacteristically dour hundred from Chris Gayle prevented another day of embarrassment for West Indies, but Bangladesh wasted a golden opportunity to press home the advantage built on the first two days as they spilt no fewer than nine catches. By the close of another damp day in St Lucia, West Indies were 262 for 5, with Gayle unbeaten on 110.The day began with Pedro Collins wrapping up Bangladesh’s innings early when Mohammad Rafique played on driving outside off for 111. Bangladesh’s total was their highest ever.Gayle, usually the flamboyant strokemaker, played a subdued innings with only rare sightings of his trademark drives and cuts. He was helped by Bangladesh’s generosity – he was dropped on 24, 28 and 47 – and his decision to adopt the anchor role was partially caused by his involvement in a farcical run-out at the top of the innings.In the second over, Gayle pushed Tareq Aziz to point and Smith called for a sharp, but feasible, single. But he was sent back by a late call from Gayle, and Faisal Hussain’s throw was well gathered by Aziz and Smith was left well short of safety (2 for 1).Ramnaresh Sarwan took up the challenge, and with Gayle took the score to 89 before he fell for a sucker punch. He hooked a bouncer from Tapash Baisya for six, and Habibul Bashar ostentatiously moved Rafique to deep square leg. Baisya sent down another bouncer, Sarwan top-edged the hook, and the ball went straight down Rafique’s throat. It showed a lack of intelligence bordering on the reckless and was the eighth time that Sarwan, who made 40, has perished hooking.Brian Lara gave every sign that he was going to entertain the small crowd, unleashing some crisp drives and cuts before he tried to run Mushfiqur Rahman to third man and edged behind to Khaled Mashud for 53 (162 for 3); when Shivnarine Chanderpaul fell to Rafique for 7, also caught by Mashud, West Indies were wobbling (183 for 4).But the catches kept being put down, and Dwayne Smith made a breezy 42 before undoing much of the good work by clubbing Rafique to Aziz in the deep as the gloom descended. The timing of his dismissal would not have pleased the coach even if his innings did.But Gayle remained, reaching his hundred near the end of the day, and in so doing ensuring that today wasn’t as wretched as it might have been.