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.

Nantie Hayward, the South African fast bowler, has reconsidered his decision to quit international cricket, and has insisted he would like to play for South Africa again if selected.Hayward, 27, has played 14 Tests for South Africa, his last being against Pakistan in January 2003. Later that month, it was revealed that he had signed a deal with Worcestershire which precluded him from being released for international matches. At the time, he said he agreed to the contract because he had not been consistently selected in the national squad, and had therefore given up hope of future selection. He also felt he had to secure his financial and playing future elsewhere.However, Gerald Majola, the South African board’s chief executive, has confirmed Hayward has changed his tune. “I spoke to Nantie this week and he expressed a real keenness to play for South Africa again,” he said. “Nantie said he had acted hastily in declaring his international career over last year, and that he was now fully committed to regaining a place in the national squad.”He added, “I have also been in contact with my counterpart atMiddlesex, Vince Codrington, who has assured me that the county would not stand in Nantie’s way if he were required to play for South Africa during the period of his contract.”Speaking from London where he is playing for Middlesex, Hayward himself said: “I am very excited about the possibility of playing international cricket again. I made some rash decisions, which I have now put behind me and I’m totally focused on playing for South Africa again, I would love to get the chance to prove myself at the highest level.”Hayward’s rethink has also been given the approval from Eric Simons, South Africa’s coach. “This is good news,” he said, “we need committed, fit fast bowlers in the mix and to have a man of Nantie’s ability fighting for a place in the team can only be good for cricket. If he shows the right type of form he will definitely come into consideration for selection.”Meanwhile, Neil Johnson, the former Zimbabwe allrounder, has now qualified to represent South Africa after completing his four-year period of residency.Johnson, 34 and born in Zimbabwe, played 14 Tests and 48 one-dayers for Zimbabwe between 1998 and 2000. After he left Zimbabwe, he signed for Western Province as an overseas player and is now able to play for the national team. “I’m very excited, it would be a dream come true if I did actually get the opportunity to play for South Africa,” Johnson said. “I was lucky enough to play at the highest level for Zimbabwe for four years early in my career and now I have something to play for at this late stage in my career.”

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.

Australia’s Test series against India will be shown on live television following an 11th-hour TV rights deal.Fox Sports said it had finalised its rights to show direct telecasts of the four-match series, starting in Bangalore next Wednesday.The telecast – and the series itself – had been in jeopardy because of a legal battle over TV contracts.The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) completed a deal overnight which effectively froze out both initial bidders – Zee Telefilms and the Disney-Murdoch owned ESPN-Star Sports.Live feeds of the matches will now be provided by TEN Sports, with distribution and marketing handled by the BCCI’s old television partner Doordarshan.Fox Sports will pick up the feed for exclusive live telecasts in Australia, which will be hosted by Brendon Julian, the former Test allrounder.

A haze hung low over the Bangabandhu Stadium, but the dark clouds of security threats had lifted enough for India’s first full tour of Bangladesh to get underway. The stadium was abuzz with activity, and both teams had an extended practice session even as the floodlights were pressed into service halfway into the morning. While the punters reckon that this series is unattractive, both teams have enough to play for.”It’s probably more important to us than it is to India, I would think,” said Dav Whatmore, Bangladesh’s coach. “We are very pleased that India have come to Bangladesh and brought their full team. Every game is tough, maybe with the exception of Zimbabwe, which we’re looking forward to.” But, for India, who lost at home to Australia, and did not quite thump a weakened South African team, this series is a great chance to get their act together. Barring Virender Sehwag, the batting line-up – the backbone of this team – has failed to put up big scores.Sourav Ganguly will be taking no chances. He made it clear that the newcomers – Gagandeep Singh and Shib Sankar Paul – would have to wait a while before they have a crack at the highest level, because India were likely to field the same team that played the second Test against South Africa at Kolkata. An attack with Zaheer Khan and Irfan Pathan sharing the new ball, and Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh taking up spinning duties is the combination that will best suit this pitch.”It’s a typical Dhaka wicket,” said Ganguly. “A bit damp, but otherwise a typical Dhaka wicket.” A typical Dhaka wicket offers opportunity for tall scores and liberal turn. “The pitches here are pretty good. There are lots of pitches around the world that you might worry about, but you wouldn’t worry about the pitch at the Bangabandhu Stadium,” said Whatmore. “It’s a very good pitch for batting. Even though it spins, it doesn’t spin that quickly. If you get set you get good value for shots as a batsman. But as a bowler, if you put the shoulder in, it spins.”But the return of Mashrafe Mortaza, the tall strapping fast bowler who has been out of the Bangladesh team since he suffered a knee injury a year ago, has done wonders to bolster the morale of the Bangladesh team. Recently, on pitches with a tinge of green, he had batsmen ducking and weaving in domestic cricket with his awkward rising deliveries. Habibul Bashar believed his team had no problems with steep bounce. “It might not seam, but it will have some bounce. We’re happier [batting] on bouncy pitches. We are more troubled by low bounce,” said Bashar. But he admitted that India’s spinners would pose a challenge on any surface. “Harbhajan and Kumble are the kind of bowlers who can exploit any wicket. They are two great bowlers. We just have to handle them.”For Kumble this series is certain to be a memorable one. It is inconceivable that he will not pick up the one wicket that will take him past Kapil Dev. Sachin Tendulkar also has an opportunity to draw level with and even surpass Gavaskar’s tally of 34 Test hundreds. But these are not the team’s primary focus. “You can’t go into a Test match like that,” said Ganguly. “If things happen in the due course of the game, then they do. But you can’t go into a Test thinking about records or about scoring this many runs or taking this many wickets. We have two guys in the team close to records – Anil and Sachin – so if it happens it will happen.”Probable teams
India 1 Virender Sehwag, 2 Gautam Gambhir, 3 Rahul Dravid, 4 Sachin Tendulkar, 5 Sourav Ganguly (capt), 6 VVS Laxman, 7 Dinesh Karthik (wk), 8 Irfan Pathan, 9 Harbhajan Singh, 10 Anil Kumble, 11 Zaheer Khan.Bangladesh 1 Javed Omar, 2 Nafis Iqbal, 3 Habibul Bashar (capt), 4 Mohammad Ashraful, 5 Rajin Saleh, 6 Mushifiqur Rahman, 7 Khaled Mashud (wk), 8 Manjarul Islam, 9 Mohammad Rafique, 10 Tapash Baisya, 11 Mashrafe Mortaza.

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.

South Africa 441 (Smith 74, Kallis 149, Boje 76, Flintoff 4-79) and 222 for 8 dec (Kallis 66) beat England 163 (Ntini 4-50, Langeveldt 5-46) and 304 (Pollock 4-65, Boje 4-71) by 196 runs, to level series at 1-1
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details

If 2004 was England’s annus mirabilis, they have come down to earth with a bump in ’05, losing that unbeaten record at the earliest possible opportunity. South Africa wrapped up a convincing series-levelling victory halfway between lunch and tea on the final day at Newlands, bowling England out for 304 to win by 196 runs. Nicky Boje and Shaun Pollock finished up with four wickets apiece.Considering England were only a fingertip away from going 2-0 up at Durban, this will be a shattering psychological blow, and they will need every minute of the six precious days coming up before the fourth Test starts at Johannesburg next Thursday. They will be fervently hoping that it isn’t a case of 1998 in reverse – seven years ago South Africa were inches away from going two up, but England somehow scraped a draw at Old Trafford and ended up winning that series 2-1.South Africa, though, will rightly be cock-a-hoop after a thoroughly deserved triumph. Apart from a couple of spells of turgid batting, which might have caused problems if the Cape Town weather had not been so relentlessly bright and sunny, they dominated this match almost from the start. Apart from the batting stumbling-block that is Jacques Kallis (who picked up his second Man of the Match award in a row), the bowlers were the main difference. Pollock was menacing throughout, Charl Langeveldt swung his way through England’s first innings despite a broken left hand, while Boje – who was treated with disdain at Durban – bounced back here with some testing flight and spin.There will be much soul-searching in the England dressing-room, where a supposedly strong batting sides has been bundled out for successive feeble first-innings totals of 139 and 163. And the fact that their No. 11 Steve Harmison top-scored in the second innings here will embarrass the early order even more. There were some signs of a last-ditch fight today, but the departure of Graham Thorpe early on, and the dismissals of Ashley Giles and Geraint Jones late in the morning session, meant that South Africa went in to lunch just two wickets short.England’s slim hopes of a draw had been firmly based on Thorpe surviving the day. But he perished for a two-hour 26 in Pollock’s second over with the new ball, nibbling a pinpoint awayswinger through to AB de Villiers (158 for 6).Jones dropped anchor, and was almost strokeless in the first hour, during which he collected only three runs. But the drinks interval perked him up – some of the beer from the nearby brewery, perhaps – and he twice clobbered Kallis for successive boundaries, two of them superb cover-drives. Jones and Giles settled in for a sensible stand of 62, and idle thoughts were just starting to turn to the Test century which Duncan Fletcher feels is within Giles’s grasp when he edged Boje to slip, where Kallis took a good low catch (220 for 7). Giles’s 25 had occupied 83 minutes and 65 balls.

The killer blow came just before lunch. Jones advanced down the pitch and spanked Boje back over his head for four, but next ball attempted something similar and edged it low to the right of Kallis, who took an even better catch in his outstretched right hand as he dived (225 for 8).The fast bowlers delayed the inevitable with some airy swishes. While Matthew Hoggard concentrated on defence – he dead-batted to 7 from 64 balls in the end – Simon Jones chanced his arm, belting Boje for two fours on his way to 19 before the return of Pollock set up another slip catch for Kallis (253 for 9). And then Harmison, not as his best with the ball so far in this series, threw the bat cheerfully, clubbing 18 off one over from the unamused Pollock, and also mowing a six off Boje on the way to his highest Test score.The last pair slapped on 51. But it couldn’t last, and eventually Harmison poked one out low to the gully, where Boeta Dippenaar clutched the catch that wrapped up the match.About the only good news for England on a dispiriting day was the injuries to Hoggard’s heel and Andrew Flintoff’s side are not serious and should not affect their chances of playing in the rest of the series. Fears that Flintoff had twanged an intercostal muscle were allayed by a scan that showed only a slight tear in an abdominal muscle on his left side.

ScorecardSylvester Joseph and Wilden Cornwall hit centuries to put Leeward Islands in a decent position and end the first day on 299 for 6 against Windward Islands in Grenada. After struggling at 68 for 4, Joseph, with 111, and Cornwall, with 105, added 181 for the fifth wicket to lead Leeward’s recovery. Electing to bat first, Leewards lost Shane Jeffers for 14 to Kenroy Peters, who bagged 3 for 55. Joseph, the Leewards captain, then hit 10 fours and three sixes after batting for nearly four hours. Cornwall, who has been in terrific form with the bat, brought up his second century of the series and struck 13 fours in just over four hours. For Windwards, Rawl Lewis, Deighton Butler and Shane Shillingford chipped in with a wicket apiece.
ScorecardOn a rain-shortened day at Shaw, Trinidad and Tobago were struggling on 196 for 8 against Jamaica with only Daren Ganga, the captain, providing some stability in a fragile batting display. T&T suffered an early blow when Jerome Taylor bowled Lendl Simmons for 0 in the first over of the game. Ganga, unbeaten on 104, held the innings together with modest support from Imran Khan, the opener, scoring 48 in a 103 run-partnership. After the dismissal of Khan at 102 for 2, there was a batting collapse that left T&T reeling at 138 for six. Taylor was the most successful of the Jamaican bowlers with 3 for 48, while Odean Brown took 2 for 20.Ganga, who brought up his first century of the series and his fifth regional hundred, dedicated it to his younger brother, Sherwin, who is recovering from a recent surgery following a facial injury suffered against Jamaica.Match abandoned
ScorecardHeavy rains forced a suspension of play between Guyana and Barbados at Georgetown. This was the second consecutive match for Guyana which has been affected by rain twice; the previous occasion being against Jamaica. Guyana is tied for third in the championship with Windward Islands on 38 points, while Barbados stands last on 20 points.

Pakistan 312 (Kamal 91, Balaji 5-76) and 496 for 9 dec (Akmal 109, Inzamam 86, Razzaq 71, Youhana 68) drew with India 516 (Sehwag 173, Tendulkar 94, Kaneria 6-150) and 85 for 1
Scorecard and ball-by-ball commentary
Photo gallery5th dayBulletin – Akmal and Razzaq save the Test
Pakistan Verdict – Razzaq conquers his demons
India Verdict – Where’s that desire?
On the ball – Easy for Inzy
Plays of the day – 450th time
Records – The Akmal factor
Quotes – Inzamam: ‘I felt a lot of pressure’4th dayBulletin – Inzamam’s valour keeps Pakistan alive
Verdict – A bare batting cupboard
On the ball – Kaneria’s accuracy
Plays of the day – Pressure, what pressure?
Quotes – Sachin decision fired up Kaneria3rd dayBulletin – India grind out healthy lead
Verdict – Kaneria keeps India in sight
Plays of the day – Not this time
On the ball – Sehwag’s offside majesty
Stats – Priceless partnerships
Quotes – ‘Our aim was to play out time’
2nd dayBulletin – Sehwag batters Pakistan
India Verdict – Sehwag: an original
Pakistan Verdict – Dropping like flies
Roving Reporter – A Begum and a Jaisimha fan
The Day in Numbers – Balaji’s control and Inzy’s cool
Stats – Pakistan’s butterfingers
Quotes – ‘I want to bat the full day tomorrow’
1st dayBulletin – Honours even on opening day
India verdict – A worthy beginning
Pakistan verdict – Asim shows Pakistan’s heart
Roving Reporter – The oneness of two countries
Stats – Dealing with hostility
Quotes – Lakshmipathy Balaji
Play of the day – A rivalry resumes
Stats – India’s faith in pace
Preview packagePreview – Mohali beckons as rivalry is renewed
Quotes – Ganguly relaxed ahead of clash
Quotes – Inzamam – ‘The toss will be crucial’

Titans 151 for 3 (Petersen 64*, Tshabalala 2-26) beat Eagles 150 for 8 by 7 wickets
ScorecardThe Titans exploded into form at SuperSport Park in Centurion with a devastating display of hitting, crushing the Eagles – the current title-holders.In an unexpected – and ultimately successful – move, the Titans opened with Albie Morkel and Alviro Petersen, who put on 75 in 8.4 overs in the chase for the 151-run target. Morkel was eventually caught for 36 while Petersen, named the “Master Blaster”, helped himself to 64 off 40 balls, including a six off the last ball of the 16th over to give the Titans a bonus point.Having sent the Eagles in to bat, the Titans made things very difficult for the batsmen, at least initially. After 15 overs they were 89 for 5. Only a late onslaught by Craig Thyssen (31 in 13) helped them to 150 for 8. Cliff Deacon was also no slouch as he finished not out on 21 off 13 balls. Alfonso Thomas and Albie Morkel shared the wickets with two each while Dale Steyn and Justin Kemp kept things tight, giving away only 17 and 16 runs respectively off their four overs.Western Province Boland 115 for 5 (Duminy 47) beat Warriors 114 (Jacobs 45, Kleinveldt 3-18, Hantam 3-25) by 5 wicketsWestern Province Boland cruised to an easy five-wicket win over the Warriors at Newlands in Cape Town. The Warriors’s innings never got off the ground despite 45 off 41 balls by Arno Jacobs. Rory Kleinveldt and William Hantam ensured that most batsmen did not even reach double-figures.The target of 115 was never going to be a difficult chase for WPBOL. JP Duminy once again top-scored with a run-a-ball 47. A 50-run partnership with Thami Tsolekile (30 not out) was enough to see the home side through with five wickets down and an over to spare.