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It has been six long years since England last embarked on a tour of the Caribbean. In that time West Indies have hit rock-bottom, bounced a couple of times, and now – typically – are beginning to show signs of that long-awaited renaissance, just in time for England’s arrival. True, they haven’t exactly set the world alight on their current tour of South Africa, but with Brian Lara in his best form for a decade, and a host of young and free-spirited batsmen following in his wake, the next couple of months promise to be a torrid time for England’s bowlers.John Etheridge was sounding particularly sceptical in . “England have unveiled the men they believe can tame the genius of Brian Lara,” he declared, before adding: “They are a mixed bag of confidence-challenged, injury-prone bowlers with just 326 Test wickets between them.” But, in keeping faith with the 15 men who were originally selected for the tours of Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, Etheridge was at least satisfied that the selectors were being consistent.”The Master Blaster’s current form is as sobering as a New Year detox,” announced Mike Walters, who feared that Lara’s “ramrod-straight bat” could cause England as much heartache as Muttiah Muralitharan’s “corkscrew arm” did before Christmas. “So reinvigorated is his appetite for harvesting runs,” added Walters, “that bookies William Hill are offering only 33-1 against Lara to break Matthew Hayden’s world-record 380 this year.””[England’s bowlers] will need to show as much nerve as verve to come out on top,” suggested Derek Pringle in . “Grounds in the Caribbean are small with demanding, urgent crowds and games can quickly slide away when batsmen throw the bat. Bowlers will need character and control, something in short supply since Andrew Flintoff’s workload was cut to save his groaning body.”Much of the comment surrounds the probable selection of Simon Jones – assuming he comes through England A’s trip to India and Malaysia without any further problems from the knee he injured so horrifically in the first Ashes Test last winter. “Jones could easily find himself playing in the opening Test at Sabina Park, Kingston, the quickest track in the West Indies,” said Pringle. “If he does, it would rank as one of the greatest returns from injury in any sport, given the grotesque angle that his leg bent at the Gabba.” Pringle, however, was less convinced about Jones’s fellow speedster, Steve Harmison: “He has the height and pace to be as effective as Curtly Ambrose, but will have to win over the sceptics within his team, who feel he does not always savour the ‘hard yards’.”England’s answer to Ambrose on that 1997-98 tour, Angus Fraser, was understandably tub-thumping about the need for accuracy as well as out-and-out speed. Writing in , he extolled the time-honoured virtues of line and length. “Pace has to be combined with accuracy if it is to be effective against batsmen who love playing shots against anything short and wide,” he preached. “And this is the challenge for Jones. In Brian Lara, Chris Gayle, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Dwayne Smith – who scored a magnificent century on his Test debut against South Africa on Tuesday – the West Indies possess five batsmen who can take apart a wayward attack.”Christopher Martin-Jenkins of agreed. “The lesson of Fraser’s success in the West Indies six years ago, and indeed of all cricket played on flat pitches down the years, is that against the best batsmen it is accuracy, extra bounce and an ability to move the ball through the air or off the seam that gets results.” But, with the experience of Martin Bicknell once again overlooked, CMJ feared for the success of England’s greenhorn attack. “Rapid improvement will be necessary,” he intoned, “both if England are to win in the West Indies for the first time since Harold Wilson was Prime Minister, and if a credible attack for the next Ashes series is to be developed.”The last word, however, must go to The Guardian, who were so unenthused by the squad announcement that they hardly saw fit to mention it at all. Instead, they offered a full-page feature on how tough life has been for Test bowlers in the last 12 months. “If you meet a Test bowler in the street, do not ask him how he is,” warned Tanya Aldred. “Do not seek to look at his figures or invite him home to watch a 2003 highlights package. This is a bad time for bowlers.”The worry for England, is that the good times remain some way away yet.

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The Delhi top three scored half-centuries to take their side within one shot of Tamil Nadu’s 268, with four wickets in hand. For Delhi, this is a definitive step towards the semi-finals as the other contenders, Mumbai and Maharashtra, have struggled to bowl their oppositions out.After Rajat Bhatia finished the Tamil Nadu innings early, Gautam Gambhir and Aakash Chopra put on their third 100-plus stand of the season. Gambhir missed out on what would have been his third century this season, as he and Chopra fell one after the other. Chopra was the first to go for 55, while Gambhir scored 84. Shikhar Dhawan, the No. 3, held firm even as Delhi kept losing wickets frequently. Dhawan was the last wicket to fall in the day, but his 59 had seen Delhi to within 16 runs of the Tamil Nadu score. For Tamil Nadu, C Suresh took 4 for 65.
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Piyush Chawla and Praveen Gupta took four wickets apiece to bowl Hyderabad out for 193, a first-innings lead of 143 runs, and thus laid a foundation for Uttar Pradesh to go for an outright win that will ensure them a place in the semi-finals.After an early blow, Hyderabad had proceeded to 69 for 2 when Gupta removed captain Arjun Yadav. In the same over, he got Amol Shinde and Hyderabad struggled for partnerships following that. Only a 46-run eighth-wicket stand between Pragyan Ojha and MP Arjun helped Hyderabad avoid the follow-on.Earlier, resuming the day at 293 for 6, UP added 43 runs before being bowled out.
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P Vijay Kumar bagged his maiden first-class five-for to bowl Bengal out for 98, a first-innings lead of 23 for Andhra. Andhra were 147 for 6 in their second innings, setting up an exciting finish to the low-scoring match at the Eden Gardens.Bengal needed an outright win to give themselves a chance of avoiding relegation and their abject batting performance didn’t help their cause after the bowlers had shot Andhra out for 121. They were 46 for 1 at one stage. Vijay Kumar struck twice in one over and triggered a dramatic collapse – nine wickets fell for 52 runs. Vijay Kumar also accounted for the crucial wickets of Manoj Tiwary and Laxmi Shukla.Hemal Watekar gave Andhra a quick start, but they they too collapsed from 88 for 1 to 109 for 6, thanks to Ranadeb Bose. After the middle-order caved in, MSK Prasad and AG Pradeep consolidated, adding an unbroken 38 runs for the seventh wicket.
ScorecardIn the relegation face-off match, Himachal Pradesh obtained a crucial first-innings lead over Rajasthan by bowling them out for 218. Vikramjeet Malik took four wickets, while Vishal Bhatia and Ashok Thakur took two apiece.The rot for Rajasthan started in the first over of the day when Malik claimed Vineet Saxena’s wicket. Although Shubhanshu Vijay put together two useful partnerships with Rajesh Bishnoi and Nikhil Doru, the rest folded easily. Vijay missed out on a maiden century by 12 runs when he became the sixth wicket to fall with Rajasthan 90 behind Himachal’s score. Malik, Bhatia and Thakur took a wicket apiece in quick time and Bhatia effected a run-out to take the last four wickets for 28 runs.
ScorecardShiv Sunder Das scored a painstaking unbeaten century to take Orissa close to a first-innings lead against Baroda which, if they hold on for a draw should be enough to ensure they don’t get relegated.After Orissa took the last Baroda wicket early in the day, their batsmen dug in and ground the bowlers down. Baroda had to wait for 15 overs for their first breakthrough, following which Das and Niranjan Behera added 65 for the second wicket in 32.4 overs. Although Baroda got the third wicket soon, Das and debutant left-hand batsman Payas Sinha batted the rest of the day out. Das ended the day on 100 from 275 deliveries, while Sinha had scored 43.
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The Shitanshu Kotak special continued for the second day running as he scored a personal-best unbeaten 162 to all but ensure Saurashtra would not lose the match, the only circumstance that can keep them out of the semi-final line-up.Barring the three overs that Mumbai took to get their first wicket, Kotak has now batted for the rest of the two days and has faced a whopping 514 deliveries for his 162. Resuming the day at 202 for 2, Saurashtra had lost three wickets for 43 runs, but Kotak found support in Ravindra Jadeja who also outdid his previous best of 53. When Jadeja got out for 87, Saurashtra were one short of 400, but Kotak was clearly not done.For Mumbai the medium-pacers Murtaza Hussain and Mun Mangela managed four wickets apiece.Karnataka 239 for 5 (Pawan 102, Raghu 67) trail Maharashtra 276 by 37 runs
Scorecard KB Pawan scored a century and C Raghu a half-century to take Karnataka close to a first-innings Maharashtra in Ratnagiri. After Robin Uthappa and Devraj Patil fell early, Pawan and Raghu consolidated the innings and added 156 runs for the third wicket. This was Pawan’s second first-class century.Although Maharashtra took three wickets for 28 to come back into the match, they met dour resistance from Yere Goud and Thilak Naidu who added 27 unbeaten runs for the sixth wicket. Maharashtra need no less than an outright win to stay alive in the competition, while Karnataka are already out of the semi-finals race.

Greg Chappell, the former India coach, has sought to clarify his recently publicised comments about a “racist attack” on him in India, saying the comments were made at an “emotional time”. Chappell had alleged the attack on him in January, at the Bhubaneshwar airport, was a racial one.Chappell’s allegations came in an ABC documentary to be screened next week. In it, he hit out at the Indian authorities who, he said, attempted to play down a serious breach of security in the eastern state of Orissa.Asked about those allegations on Wednesday, Chappell himself preferred to downplay the incident. “It’s old news,” he told the Indian television channel CNN-IBN. “It was a very emotional time when I made these remarks. It’s a long way back and I’d like to talk about other things now. I’m looking forward to being involved with the Rajasthan Cricket Academy for the next three years.”Meanwhile the Indian board has denied Chappell’s allegations. “No way can it be called racist,” the Indian board secretary, Niranjan Shah, told Cricinfo. “We treated the issue just like we would have treated [it with] any other Indian player. I remember calling him and finding out the issue. We also enhanced security and provided adequate protection. The local police also provided us with support.”

Lalchand Rajput, the manager of the Indian team, has been appointed assistant coach for the tour of Australia which begins in December.”Gary Kirsten will confirm [his willingness to take up the job of coach] in seven days,” Rajeev Shukla, the Indian board vice-president, said. “Kirsten, if he takes up the job, will be with the team in parts during the Australia tour and hence Rajput will be with the team.”India have been without a coach since Greg Chappell stepped down in April after the World Cup. For the tours that followed, cricket managers were appointed to take charge of the side. Ravi Shastri managed the team in Bangladesh in May and Chandu Borde was in charge in England. Rajput took over from Borde for India’s victorious ICC World Twenty20 campaign and continued to manage the side for the recent home series against Australia and Pakistan.He will now travel with the team to Australia for four Tests and a triangular one-day series.

It was a tale of two sets of nerves at the post-match press conference: Stuart MacGill’s as he returned to Test cricket after ten months away and Shane Watson’s on debut. MacGill calmed his with the wicket of Younis Khan, after starting with 0 for 43 from six overs, and took four more on the way to 5 for 87. Stumbling through his first delivery, Watson bowled in support of themain men and finished with 0 for 28 from 10 overs:

Stuart MacGill
On the slow start to his comeback
I definitely didn’t start the way I wanted, but I think I can be forgiven for being a little nervous – I haven’t played [Test cricket] in a long time. As calm as I try to be, the first Test back each time seems to get me. I knew once I’d taken a wicket it would change, and fortunately it did.On his performance
Because I’d been bowling well I expected it to happen, and [I knew] I’d show everybody what I’ve got. But I’m happy, I wasn’t sure at the end whether the weather was getting cold or I was getting tingles.On the difference when he started getting wickets
When I was keen I was rushing through my action, and that was where the short balls outside off stump came from. Fortunately, at my age, I knew that and knewthere was nothing to panic about.On the satisfaction of five wickets
It’s important to maintain the same sense of satisfaction no matter what stage of your career. A five-for in a run of 10 or 12 Tests is every bit – sometimes more – important than your first one back. Because there’s the element of nerves you feel like it’s more important.On the need for a strong return
There were thoughts running through my mind that if I didn’t get wickets in this game you guys would all say “That’s it, there’s never going to be twolegspinners playing again in the same match.”On his confidence levelsI’ve been bowling so well this season that it couldn’t go wrong in a day, and it would happen at some stage. It was almost like being on the couch – workingthrough it myself, and it started to come right before tea. To get the first wicket is a very important moment.On bowling with Warne
I’ve said it enough now for somebody to believe me. I really don’t mind who I bowl with at the other end. In a team that is so talented it’s important not to let them down. When Warney came back on I was doing my job and we both looked like getting wickets.On when he could play next
Shane’s [Watson] emergence is going to help me play more Test cricket. It may predominantly be on turning pitches, but there’s also a possibility that teams who are perceived to play wrist-spin poorly may also get the same treatment. There’s a perception out there that New Zealand and England have deficiencies in that area.On the pitch
Batting tomorrow will be good, but as the game goes on there will be less and less bounce. It will be a little bit more difficult to score once the ball has lost its shine. I expect to do a lot of bowling in the second innings.On the Pakistani batting
While there were obviously some shots that weren’t great, it’s a wicket that’s hard to come in and bat on. You feel an obligation to keep the scoreboard going. I’m reluctant to be too critical, because I’ve seen it in other teams that I’ve played against this season.

Shane Watson
On his first-day nerves
It’s been a very nervous day, but after I got my nerves out of the way and fell over for my first ball I felt all right. I was happy with the way the ball come out, and got a bit of confidence in the field.On his bowling
I felt like I fulfilled my role and bowled fairly tight at times. I have to keep the pressure at my end so the other guys can keep plugging away.On bowling in a Test
The great thing is I’ve had a great start with my one-day career and bowling in front of those big crowds. I felt quite comfortable at the start bowlingwith the big crowds around me.On preparing to bat
I’ll probably be a bit more nervous when I bat, mainly because it’s two against 11. I look forward to getting a chance. I don’t know where I’ll bat, probably No. 6 or 7, it doesn’t worry me.On being picked ahead of Michael Kasprowicz
All I can do is play my best. It’s disappointing he’s missed out because he’s been bowling so well. I can’t really worry about those pressures because I’d goinsane.

Rain affected more than half a day’s play as Tamil Nadu and Hyderabadsettled for a tame draw in their KSCA Coca Cola Under-25 Tournamentmatch at the Maharaja Jayachamarajendra Wodayar Sports Complex inBangalore on Saturday.Play started only at 14.15 hours on the third and final day due to acontinuous drizzle in the morning. Resuming at the overnight score of262 for 8, Hyderabad’s first innings folded up at 290. Ravichandra(104), who was stranded at 97 overnight, completed his century in notime. However he was the first to go when he was caught at square legby K Velmurugan off DS Doss. Then Fatima Reddy (17 notout) andMallikarjun (6) took the score on to 290 when Mallikarjun foundhimself stranded out of his crease.Tamil Nadu in reply made a disasterous start to their second inningslosing opener Ravindra John (0) off the fifth ball of the innings whenhe offered a catch to Saberwal off Ghouse Baba. Then the other openerS Badrinath (3) and N Lokesh (19) took the score upto 26. Badrinathwas the next to be dismissed when he gave a chance to Fatima Reddy atmidwicket off the bowling of Ghouse Baba. Ghouse Baba claimed histhird wicket of the innings, that of Lokesh, when he shattered thebatsman’s defences.C Hemanth Kumar (11) and R Satish (10) then took the score on to 49for 3 when play was called off for the day. Tamil Nadu got 5 pointswhile Hyderabad had to be content with three. Tamil Nadu now take onKarnataka in the finals which is to be played at M Chinnaswamy Stadiumin Bangalore from October 9 to 11.

Muttiah Muralitharan, the newly-crowned world-record Test bowler, has returned home to a hero’s welcome in Sri Lanka. Politicians, cricket administrators, family and close friends welcomed him at the airport before crawling in a four-hour motorcade through rush-hour traffic to the cricket board headquarters in central Colombo.Thousands of fans, provided extra motivation by the ongoing controversy over his bowling, poured onto the streets to celebrate his return from Zimbabwe where he broke Courtney Walsh’s world record and became the highest wicket-taker in Test history.Muralitharan’s arrival was even broadcast live on national television with the cameras following his journey from the time the team’s Emirates airline jumbo touched down at Katunayake International Airport. He was garlanded as he led the team into the VIP arrivals hall before being mobbed by the media.Murali appeared slightly overwhelmed by the outpouring of affection. “I’m very happy to have achieved this record for the country,” he said. “It’s a huge honour and I am very grateful for all the support I have received. Everyone has done so much for me.””I would like to thank the public, my parents, all my past captains,especially Arjuna Ranatunga who stood by me during tough times, and myteam-mates, without whom it would have not been possible, and, finally, the cricket board, who have backed me all the way.”Behind the scenes, Murali’s arrival has prompted the government to get ever more involved in his doosra ban. Despite Eshan Mani’s plea for politicians to stay out of the controversy, the prime minister, MahindaRajapakse, has successfully lobbied for the Indian government to support Muralitharan.Murali has remained typically defiant about his outlawed delivery,claiming that he “was stronger than ever” and suggesting that he was the victim of an Anglo-Australian conspiracy: “The ban is because of pressure from Australia and England. There is no problem in Asia.”When the hullabaloo over his return dies down – on Saturday he will beparaded through the streets of Kandy, his hillcountry hometown – he will sit down with close friends and advisors to consider whether to confront the ICC directly with a legal fight.

Allan Donald allayed concerns over his fitness with a strong display in South Africa’s opening tour match against the ACB Chairman’s XI at Lilac Hill today.The Proteas opened their account with a strong bowling performance, winning by 47 runs.Donald, 35 and out of Test cricket since March through illness and then an abdominal muscle strain, stretched out nicely in two spells of six overs and two overs and took 2-42.He is most likely to play against WA in a four-day match starting on Friday with South Africa indicating it will play close to a Test strength line-up.South Africa made 9-256 in 50 overs against what amounted to the West Australian side minus its Test players but with some ring-ins – Andy Bichel, Michael Slaterand former Test stars Bruce Reid and Dean Jones.In reply, the Chairman’s XI was bowled out for 209 in the 45rd over.Donald made an inauspicious start to the match, with Ryan Campbell blazing shots around the ground.His first two overs cost 23 runs but he struck back in quick time, removing Campbell for 29 (off 20 balls) caught behind by Mark Boucher.Slater went soon after, caught at point by Herschelle Gibbs for 14 to have the home side 2-49 in the eighth over.The Chairman’s side was soon in deeper trouble, with captain Simon Katich falling to Steve Elworthy (4-27) for five as his side slipped to 3-68.Mike Hussey (56) kept his side in the contest and was joined by an evergreen Jones, who responded to his fanclub in the bleachers by making a dashing 38 off 41 balls.But the pair departed in the same over from Lance Klusener (2-15) as the home side dipped to 6-188 in the 41st over, Hussey providing Herschelle ‘you’ve justdropped the World Cup’ Gibbs with his fourth catch of the day.Earlier, Klusener and man of the match Neil McKenzie saved South Africa from some blushes when they provided some substance to the tourist’s innings in apartnership of 98 for the fifth wicket.McKenzie made 76 off 88 balls, hitting 12 fours and a six while Klusener took 75 balls for his 63, with seven fours and a six.Bichel, after serving as 12th man for Australia in the Test series against New Zealand, relished the chance to have a bowl and in an aggressive opening spell captured two early wickets before coming back to remove Boucher (26) late in the innings.He took 3-28 off eight overs.

Wisden Asia Cricket“Even if you give your best, you can always do better.”

“When I finally made my official Test debut against Bangladesh I was not nervous at all. Past incidents had taught me that international cricket is harsh and patience is a useful bedfellow. It was a great privilege to represent my country – and then to top that by registering the highest score by a South African batsman on debut, with 222 not out.”Cricket came naturally from age three, owing largely to my father, who played club cricket. Growing up next to a cricket field helped hone my skills. I always dreamed of playing for South Africa, but it was frustrating to have to come as far as Chittagong to do so. I was disappointed when the match against India at Centurion in 2001 was stripped of Test status because of the Mike Denness affair. In my mind I regarded it as a Test, but when I got the double against Bangladesh, I realised I couldn’t have had a better debut.”Centurion was followed by another disappointment, in Sydney a few months later. As a youngster one always thinks of playing against the best and I would have loved to have made my debut at the MCG or the SCG. It was very difficult when things beyond my power took that opportunity away from me [Justin Ontong replaced Rudolph when the United Cricket Board intervened at the last minute to include a coloured person in the team]. It was not a great experience, but you learn from things like this and they build your character.”I have learned that you have got to be more patient, and that shot selection needs to be much better at this level. I am a great believer in the power of the mind. Even if you give your best, you can always do better.”

Fanie de Villiers, the former Test fast bowler, has appealed to the United Cricket Board (UCB) to "forget transformation" in an attempt to halt South Africa’s spiral of defeats.Sri Lanka beat South Africa by 49 runs in the fifth one-day international in Colombo on Tuesday to complete a 5-0 whitewash, and South Africa’s tenth consecutive one-day defeat. That equals South Africa’s record barren run, which they endured in 1994: the consequences then were Mike Procter’s sacking as coach and Kepler Wessels’s resignation from the captaincy.Sri Lanka also beat Graeme Smith’s team 1-0 in the two-match Test series.A scathing de Villiers said the flaws in South African cricket originated below international level. "Myself, Kepler Wessels and Pat Symcox have been warning for a long time that the systems are not in place, the fundamentals are wrong," he lamented. "We’re hoping that the mistakes we make won’t cost us too much, instead of being pro-active and working out those mistakes before they even happen. We are probably the only country in the game that is not pro-active, that simply hopes we are doing things right."de Villiers said he felt that South Africa’s United Cricket Board was squandering the experience at its disposal, and that, in its attempts to stop the slide, it should sidestep the hitherto untouchable goal of racial integration in all spheres and levels of cricket. "There is so much knowledge in the system that is not being used," he said. "Gerald Majola [UCB chief executive] loves cricket, Ray Mali [president] loves cricket. Everybody loves cricket. But the people need to know that there is knowledge in the system. The previously advantaged, if they want to call us that, have the knowledge that needs to be shared. You can’t not use those people."Let’s forget transformation and get the most knowledgable people involved. People like Kepler Wessels, Fanie de Villiers, Pat Symcox, Brian McMillan and Allan Donald. Let’s get them together in advisory situations, and when players like Makhaya Ntini and Herschelle Gibbs retire we can get them involved. We don’t need to go the transformation route and involve people just because they were previously disadvantaged."Let’s get the people who have played at international level for long enough to have earned the respect of the current players involved."de Villiers was also critical of coach Eric Simons’s pledge to review his position if South Africa did not show improvement, and he had sharp questions for Anton Ferreira, the UCB’s coaching manager. "The players have never been the problem. If the players lose faith or form, if they are too arrogant, or negative or scared, who do you point fingers at? The coach. If I’m a player, and the coach says, `I will jump ship if they want me to,’ I would pin that coach to the wall! Now that the chips are down, now you want to jump ship? What kind of coach are you?”But the problem doesn’t lie just with Eric Simons,” he continued. “The problem lies with who is running professional coaching: Anton Ferreira. Whatever he has done, in the schools and the provinces and right up to international level, hasn’t worked. The players are not coming through, and those who do don’t stay there long enough."How can we struggle for five years to make Neil McKenzie a fulltime international player? The same goes for Boeta Dippenaar, Andre Nel and Mornantau Hayward. Whatever Anton Ferreira and the coaching panel have done has taken South African cricket from No. 1 in the world to No. 6 [in the official Test and ODI rankings]."Ferreira could not be reached for comment.