Moments after Sachin Tendulkar created a record for most centuries in Test cricket, Sunil Gavaskar, the man whose achievement Tendulkar surpassed, and Kapil Dev, the former Indian allrounder, heaped praise on the master.Gavaskar, a man who has been close to Tendulkar throughout his career, was lavish in his praise. “I have said it before that Tendulkar is the closest thing to batting perfection that the game has seen,” he told Press Trust of India. “Look at the stillness of the head, the straightness of his backlift, the ease of playing shots off either the front foot or the back foot and of course, the range of shots that he possesses against both pace and spin in all kinds of conditions.”What makes him even more special is his demeanour on and off the field,” he continued. “He is the perfect role model for youngsters who want to make a success of their lives. Congratulations are also due to his family who have helped him to stay focused. They deserve a big round of applause too for their part in his success. Well done Sachin, and keep that Champagne on ice.”Kapil, who was in the Indian team when Tendulkar made his debut as a 16-year old in 1989, was among the first to pay tribute to Tendulkar’s achievement. “I think it’s important he sets another target, another challenge, because it’s very hard once you achieve everything,” Kapil told BBC Asian Network Sport. “It’s entirely up to him now, how long he wants to play.”Gavaskar too was adamant that Tendulkar had much more to contribute to Indian cricket. “Make no mistake, he is not going to stop at 35,” he added. “He will score many more and give pleasure to cricket lovers all over the world … he is only 32 years old and should be able to play for another six years at least, if not eight. He could well finish with 50 centuries in Tests and be the first to score 100 international centuries. Congrats Sachin, and God bless.”Wasim Akram, the legendary Pakistani bowler, was convinced that the best was yet to come. “This guy will get more dangerous now. He will break many more records,” he was reported as saying by , a Mumbai-based tabloid. “The pressure is off and India will win more matches now.”Akram, who bowled to Tendulkar in the 1980-90 Test series in Pakistan, remembered him as being something special. “We bowlers did not fear him but we were wary of him. He is undoubtedly the most talented player I have seen,” he added. “This hundred had to come. He’s got plenty of cricket left in him.”Sourav Ganguly, who was at the non-striker’s end when Tendulkar crossed the milestone, was glad to have been there. “Today is Sachin’s day…I’m really fortunate to congratulate him first,” he told . “He’s a champion. I want to use the word genius for him because of his 73 hundreds, about 25,000 international runs, 17 years of play maintaining the consistency – only a genius can do that.”Cricketers aside, Tendulkar even received a message from Abdul Kalam, India’s President. “The nation is proud of you and may you achieve success in future in all your ventures,” President Kalam wrote in a special note to Tendulkar.Tendulkar finally fell for 109 early on the second morning, and departed to a standing ovation from the crowd at the Feroz Shah Kotla ground.

An impressive hundred for Pakistan A against India by Imran Farhat has left Pakistan’s selectors with a tough conundrum as they prepare to select their squad for the series against India on Monday. Farhat was dropped after the Melbourne Test against Australia just over a year ago and despite a shortage of opening options – Pakistan picked only one specialist opener in the series against England – he has faded away from national reckoning since.Pakistan recalled Yasir Hameed, another opener dropped in recent time, for their training camp but he has since fallen ill with typhoid and is unlikely to participate in the first Test. With Shoaib Malik failing to entirely convince as an opener in three Tests against England, Farhat’s reminder to the selectors of his presence could not have been timed any better. Of Farhat’s two Test centuries, one came against India in Lahore two years ago. On the back of an impressive year, that restrained and matchwinning hundred seemingly sealed his place in the side. But a loss of form, culminating in a poor series against Australia left him on the sidelines, since when he has been left to impress at domestic level. Less than a month ago, against a PIA attack including Umar Gul, Fazl-e-Akbar and Najaf Shah, Farhat compiled a mammoth 242 and is averaging just over 80 after four matches in the Patrons Trophy.Wasim Bari, chief selector, admitted his panel had been impressed by the innings but refused to divulge whether he would be called up in light of Hameed’s likely absence. “We will discuss it when making the selection,” Bari told Cricinfo. “We all watched him bat today and it was a good innings but I don’t really want to say anymore on his chances right now. All players in this match are under consideration.”Bari did point out, revealingly perhaps, that captain, coach and selectors are reluctant to tinker too much with a winning team. It suggests, as Inzamam-ul-Haq has also hinted, that Malik may be persevered with as opener for a little longer. “We’re keen on sticking with a winning combination and Malik does also bring balance to our team with his bowling. But it will depend also on what sort of balance the captain wants in his team.”Pakistan has struggled to find a settled opening pair for some time now; some might argue since the left-handed days of Aamir Sohail and Saeed Anwar. In their last thirteen Tests alone Pakistan have tried ten different opening combinations and the emergence of Salman Butt – and that too only recently – has been their only success.Lower down, at number six, lies a more pleasant problem. Primarily, the dilemma is one of intent. In Abdul Razzaq, Shahid Afridi and Asim Kamal Pakistan have three options and endless possibilities. Afridi and Razzaq not only provide robustness to the bowling, their batting allows Pakistan opportunities to attack. Bari said, “The form Afridi and Razzaq have been in means it is very difficult to drop them from the line-up,” which suggests that Kamal’s stodginess in the lower-order may not warrant a starting place. With eight fifties in twelve Tests in his career thus far, Kamal’s plight highlights the current depth in Pakistan’s squad.Earlier in the day, while speaking to the press, Bari said Shoaib Akhtar was bowling as well as he had ever seen him bowl. Bari, along with team management didn’t select Shoaib against India and the West Indies last year. “Not just my view but that of the committee as well that he wasn’t fit when the tour of India was on. It is important for every cricketer to be fit. You can see he is fit, and I haven’t seen him bowl as well as he did against England. He was a complete team man and played brilliantly. He played in all the Tests and took crucial, important wickets for the team. He is now a total team man.”Bari also said he was expecting a keen contest between India and Pakistan. “They are two very good teams. Both are very balanced. No expert can say who is going to win the series. It depends on who plays better on the day. But both have their srengths. India have a formidable batting and very good seam bowlers. Pakistan has the edge in one of the fastest bowlers in Shoaib. If he bowls as well as he did against England, run-getting will be very difficult.”

Allrounder Dwayne Bravo and wicketkeeper Denesh Ramdin will join the Trinidad and Tobago side as they tackle Jamaica in their second match of the 2006 Carib Beer Series at the UWI ground at the St Augustine campus beginning Friday. But former West Indies fast bowler Mervyn Dillon has been omitted from the national line-up.Both Bravo and Ramdin had good performances on the West Indies tour to Australia, as Bravo impressed with bat and ball, recording his second Test century, while Ramdin shone with the bat and behind the stumps as well. The Ganga-led T&T squad also includes West Indies Under-19 vice-captain Jason Mohammed, who stroked a confident 117 against the Ganga XI last weekend, as well as allrounder Richard Kelly, who had a strong bowling performance in the same trial match.The regional fixture was originally scheduled for the Wilson Road Recreation Ground in Penal, but due to bad weather, the ground preparations will not be completed in time and the match has been shifted to St Augustine.Wavell Hinds, Marlon Samuels and Jermaine Lawson have been predictably included in Jamaica’s 13-man squad, named on Friday for the match. The 29-year-old Hinds will resume leadership of the team, replacing Tamar Lambert who led the unit for the first two matches of the Carib Beer Series while Hinds was away on West Indies duty.All three players, however, will suit up for the January 6-9 game with some question marks over their form.Hinds enters the match short of form after scoring just 17 in the three-day practice game that concluded Friday. In his only Test on the tour Down Under, Hinds recorded scores of 10 and 15.Samuels, who returned early from the tour of Australia through injury, will also enter Friday’s match in Trinidad with dodgy form after scoring 32 and 1 in the practice game. His four innings in Australia also yielded paltry returns, with 56 runs in just four Test innings, despite amassing 257 against Queensland in the opening tour match. Lawson also struggled on the Australian tour and was dropped after the first Test in Brisbane, where his 20 overs cost 120 runs with just one wicket to show for his efforts. West Indies opener Chris Gayle, who underwent surgery in Australia during the West Indies tour to correct a long-standing heart defect, was not considered.Barbados recalled Tino Best and Dwayne Smith to the team for the upcoming Carib Beer four-day match against the Windward Islands starting Friday at the Tanteen Cricket Ground.Chairman of selectors Joel Garner said the duo would replace left-arm spinner Sulieman Benn and right-arm pacer Antonio Thomas who were in the team for the first match against Guyana.”We have kept what we believe is strong team,” said Garner, who will accompany the side to Grenada. “The two West Indies players are back and we hope they will do well and add strength to the side.”The Barbados team has been on a break since the end of November, after taking first innings points from their drawn opening match against Guyana at the Everest Cricket Ground. They were slated to play against Trinidad and Tobago in early December but that match was put back until February by the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB). Since the Christmas break, the team has been training at the 3Ws Oval and the Carlton Cricket Club. Wendell Coppin, the WICB’s development officer, along with former West Indies players Vasbert Drakes and Ottis Gibson, has conducted the operations.West Indies captain Shivnarine Chanderpaul and his deputy Ramnaresh Sarwan will boost the Guyana team for their Carib Beer Series match against the Leeward Islands starting on January 13. Chanderpaul will take over the captaincy from stand-in skipper Reon King who led the squad in the first match against Barbados. Both Chanderpaul and Sarwan missed the first round game because of international commitments with the West Indies team in Australia.Batsman Sewnarine Chattergoon has also returned to the team after injury while fast bowler Rayon Griffith has been recalled after being overlooked for the first match. Steven Jacobs, Damodar Daesrath and former West Indies Under-19 captain Andre Percival have been omitted from the travelling 13-man party to Philipsburg, St Maarten. The team will play a four-day practice match against a Rest Team, skippered by Percival, from January 5-8 at the Enmore Community Centre ground.Jamaica squad Wavell Hinds, Marlon Samuels, Xavier Marshall, Shawn Findlay, Tamar Lambert, Brenton Parchment, David Bernard Jr, Carlton Baugh Jr, Gareth Breese, Nikita Miller, Jermaine Lawson, Andrew Richardson, Jerome Taylor.Barbados squad Ryan Hinds (capt), Ian Bradshaw, Dale Richards, Wayne Blackman, Alcindo Holder, Patrick Browne, Kurt Wilkinson, Floyd Reifer, Ryan Nurse, Ryan Austin, Jason Bennett, Tino Best, Dwayne Smith.Guyana squad Shivnarine Chanderpaul (captain), Ramnaresh Sarwan, Sewnarine Chattergoon, Krishna Arjune, Narsingh Deonarine, Travis Dowlin, Derwin Christian, Mahendra Nagamootoo, Neil McGarrell, Reon King, Esaun Crandon, Rayon Griffith, Imran Jafarally.Trinidad & Tobago squad Daren Ganga (capt), Tishan Maraj, Gregory Mahabir, Denesh Ramdin, Rayad Emrit, Sanjeev Gooljar, Imran Khan, Lendl Simmons, Dwayne Bravo, Jason Mohammed, Richard Kelly, Dave Mohammed, Amit Jaggernauth, Sherwin Ganga.

Mehrab Hossain, the Bangladesh batsman, has received an official reprimand for breaching the ICC Code of Conduct during his country’s match against England at the Under-19 World Cup in Sri Lanka.Hossain was found guilty of breaching 1.4 of the ICC code of conduct by the match referee, Roshan Mahanama, in a hearing after play concluded in Colombo on Saturday. The code of conduct clause refers to the use of language that is obscene, offensive or insulting and/or the making of an obscene gesture.The charge related to Hossian’s reaction to an appeal being turned down as England moved towards victory in the Super League quarter-final match against his side at the P.Saravanamuttu Stadium.Mahanama said: “The player pleaded guilty and apologized for his actions but he has been made aware there is no excuse for the way he behaved and it will not be tolerated.”All Level 1 breaches carry a maximum penalty of an official reprimand at the U-19 World Cup.The charge was brought by the on-field umpires, Asoka de Silva and Krishna Hariharan, and the reserve official Ranmore Martinez. The hearing was attended by the three officials, Roshan Mahanama, the Bangladesh team manager Golam Mohamed Nowsher, the captain Mushfiqur Rahim and Mehrab Hossain.

Pakistan’s World Cup-winning Under-19 squad returned to Karachi on Tuesday from Sri Lanka to a worthy lunch reception arranged by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) at the National Stadium. The board immediately announced cash awards for the entire squad of 14 players as well as three officials (coach Mansoor Rana, manager Aftab Baloch and trainer Grant Compton) and also plans to further their careers by involving them in the upcoming Twenty-20 Cup as well as the next first-class season.Shaharyar Khan, the board chairman, announced awards of Rs 200,000 each and applauded the team’s achievements in becoming the only side to retain the U-19 title – Pakistan were the defending champions, having won the title two years ago in Bangladesh. He said “We must say that the team exhibited unity, discipline and hard work. We are extremely proud of what these youngsters have achieved and brought laurels for their country.”Anwar Ali, who ended with 15 wickets in the tournament and a five-wicket haul in the final, was a product of the PCB’s first-ever national Inter-school tournament and came in for special praise. “Anwar’s superb performance vindicated our decision to hold a national Inter-school tournament for the first time last year where this boy came into prominence while playing for Karachi’s GBSS Metroville.”Shaharyar also announced tentative plans for the further development of these players by saying he would advise regions taking part in the Twenty20 Cup to include them in their teams to give them further exposure. “That would enable the boys to get experience of playing in front of large crowds and handling pressure situations. Also they will benefit greatly from playing with the senior players.” He also added that plans were underway to field a team of youngsters – based loosely on the concept of the now-defunct Pakistan Eaglets – to play in next season’s Quaid-e-Azam Trophy to further their development.Two years ago, Pakistan, led by Khalid Latif beat West Indies in the final at the former Bangabandhu Stadium. Australia is the only other side to win the U-19 World Cup twice — in 1987-88 and 2001-02.

The Indian cricket board (BCCI) has announced that India could soon be playing home matches at a number of overseas venues as far a field as the USA, Malaysia and England.The BCCI said that various venues had been looked at. In North America, New York, Houston, Chicago and Toronto were possibilities, as were Birmingham and London in England, as well as grounds in Holland, Sharjah, Abu Dhabi, Singapore, Hong Kong and Kuala Lumpur. The thing all these locations have in common is that they are in areas with a large number of expats from the Indian subcontinent.The BCCI raised the possibility of playing overseas while announcing a tender for global media rights for five years for all matches that India play on neutral grounds. The rights comprise all television, radio and internet, and will include the two-match India-Pakistan series in Abu Dhabi April 18 and 19.”The global media rights tender is intended to streamline the process of match telecasting wherever the Indian team is playing,” said Lalit Modi, BCCI vice-president and chairman of its marketing sub-committee. “With the number and quality of matches growing, this streamlining becomes increasingly important.”Modi added that where matches were played in Full Member countries, the broadcasting rights will fall under the jurisdiction of the home board.

England’s stand-in captain Andrew Flintoff and Katherine Brunt were named the Vodafone England Cricketers of the Year for 2006 at a dinner in London on Monday night.”To be named as one of the Cricketers of the Year is a great honour,” said Flintoff. “It’s been a fantastic year for English cricket and I’m very proud to have been able to play a part in regaining the Ashes.”The support I’ve received from the British public has been very humbling and I’d like to take this opportunity to thank everyone for their words of encouragement. I’m now looking forward to building on this success during what promises to be a very exciting summer for English cricket as we head towards another Ashes series and a World Cup campaign this winter.”Katherine Brunt was equally thrilled. “I love playing for my country and am very honoured to have won this award. As a team we’ve enjoyed a fantastic 12 months and I’m delighted to have been able to play my part in ensuring we regained the Ashes. The women’s game in England is gaining in strength year on year and I’m looking forward to another successful summer.””Last summer’s Ashes series proved that cricket holds a special place in the hearts of the British public,” explained Lord MacLaurin, Vodafone’s chairman, “and we’re delighted to be able to officially recognise the talents and performances of two outstanding cricketers, both of whom were instrumental in ensuring England emerged victorious, in both series, at the end of what was a fantastic year for English cricket.”

First Division

This wouldn’t happen in the Premiership. Lancashire, newly promoted from the second division, set the pace on the opening day of their encounter with last season’s runners-up, Hampshire, at Old Trafford. By the close, Hampshire were clinging to the wreckage of their innings on 139 for 7, with Sean Ervine and Shaun Udal the not-out batsmen. Lancashire’s pacemen were the stars of the day, even without the services of their England pair, James Anderson and Sajid Mahmood. Glenn Chapple took two wickets and the England Under-19 medium-pacer, Tom Smith, picked up 3 for 29 in his second first-class outing, as Hampshire shipped wickets at regular intervals all day. Dominick Thorneley top-scored with 31.Second DivisionSomerset were made to struggle for their wickets after winning the toss and choosing to bowl, as Craig Spearman racked up the first Championship century of the season for Gloucestershire at Bristol. Spearman and his opening partner, Phil Weston, added 135 for the first wicket, before Peter Trego made his first breakthrough of the season. At 196 for 1, Gloucestershire were cruising, but a collapse of three wickets for 15 runs redressed the balance somewhat, with the old England team-mates, Marcus Trescothick and Andrew Caddick, combining to dismiss Matt Windows for 20. By the close, however, Gloucestershire were back on course, with Alex Gidman and Ian Harvey well set in an unbeaten 53-run stand for the fifth wicket.

New Zealand officials are prepared to bite the bullet and axe several senior players, according to a report in the New Zealand Herald.The news comes less than a fortnight before the annual contracts are announced on June 1, and the report suggests that Chris Harris, Craig McMillan, Paul Wiseman and Daryl Tuffey are all likely to be discarded.It is thought that New Zealand Cricket are keen to bring in some fresh blood, and to do that they need to create vacancies. While those mentioned are long on experience, the time may have come for them to give way to those who represent the future.Those mentioned as possible replacements include Peter Fulton, Jamie How, Michael Mason, Jeetan Patel, and Ross Taylor.

Chris Read admitted that he was surprised to be given a chance to resurrect his career as England wicketkeeper after thinking rival Geraint Jones had become “part of the furniture”.Read’s inclusion in the England side for the Headingley Test ended a run of 31 consecutive Tests for Geraint Jones, who himself usurped Read for the final match of the 2003-04 series in the Caribbean.”I was pretty surprised to be honest but delighted,” Read told the media at Headingley, where England gathered to prepare for Friday’s Test. “After someone’s played 31 consecutive Tests they are part of the furniture a little bit. He hasn’t scored the amount of runs the selectors have demanded. But they’ve stuck with him and supported him for a long time so I didn’t necessarily see any change coming midway through a series particularly after a victory.”The irony was that Read lost his place as Jones was considered the better batsman, although few doubt that Read is the better keeper. But one fifty in Jones’s last 15 Test innings led to him being left out.Read admitted after making 150 not out for England A against the Pakistanis at Canterbury last month that he was thinking of the challenges ahead. “I had half an eye on this winter, which is a phenomenal winter to be involved in – an Ashes tour and then the World Cup.”But now I’m not looking too far past this Test. Keeping to a high standard goes without saying, because I still believe that’s my number one role, but runs are crucial.”And Read insisted that despite almost constant comparisons in the press over the last year, there was no animosity between himself and Jones. “Geraint and I have always got on exceptionally well. But at the same time there’s only one of you, like a goalkeeper in football. I’ve been given this opportunity now and, if I’m ruthless about it, I’ll hopefully tie it down for the near future.”

Asked whether he thought that his public spat with Mushtaq Ahmed at Hove earlier in the summer had helped or hindered, he admitted that it might have “changed a few opinions, because in the past people have said ‘he’s too mild-mannered’,” before quickly adding: “But it didn’t help me. I regret what I did because it was wrong.”Almost inevitably, he was asked about his dismissal on his Test debut in 1999 when he was bowled ducking a slower ball from Chris Cairns. “The general public probably remember that but I’d like to think the cricketing public see me as a talented gloveman who probably needs to prove himself with the bat.”And what of Duncan Fletcher? The England coach has been a public supporter of Jones, sticking by him even thought public pressure on the selectors to ditch him had grown by the match, and Read was asked if he still needed convincing. “For sure. My average is under 16 in Test cricket. That’s not what they’ve picked me for.”