Pakistan’s preparations for their one-day series against Sri Lanka were disrupted after the ground they had planned to use for middle practice was booked for another game.The side nets at the Colombo Cricket Club had been reserved for the Pakistan squad, but they wanted to use the main pitch as they step up their training ahead of the series. The management tried to persuade Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) to stop the game, but were unsuccessful so the players returned to the hotel.”We went to the ground as scheduled in the morning but found out some others were using it and we had no other alternative but to return to the hotel,” the team manager, Zaheer Abbas, told AFP. “After we contacted SLC we were given a different venue to practice in the afternoon.”However, the mix-up did not appear to frustrate the players too much. While they hung around for about 40 minutes some of them, including the bowling coach Waqar Younis, sent down a few deliveries for the locals.SLC officials said the inconvenience was caused by miscommunication. “We had earlier allocated the side nets for the Pakistan team, but subsequently they requested for the centre wickets and we couldn’t arrange that at the last moment.”The first one-day international is on March 17 and the three-match series is then followed by two Tests.

Scotland avoided their third defeat in a row when they beat a Barbados XI by four wickets at the 3Ws Oval on Thursday. Barbados fielded seven regular players including Floyd Reifer, who has enjoyed several professional seasons in Scotland and has played for the Saltires. Jason Haynes, the Barbados captain, won the toss and decided to bat on a hot and sunny morning.Dougie Brown, the Warwickshire allrounder, was soon among the wickets, sending the two openers back for 31 and paving the way for Reifer. He batted steadily against some lively bowling from John Blain, Paul Hoffman and in particular Dewald Nel, who helped himself to four wickets – three of them lbw, including two in two balls.The introduction of spin continued to cause problems for Barbados, and the 21-year-old Ross Lyons had the satisfaction of bowling Reifer immediately after being hit for six. Barbados were bowled out for 146 in 32 overs, of which Reifer had scored 59.Scotland had to endure a tricky nine-over period before lunch, in which they lost Gavin Hamilton (7) and Kyle Coetzer (5), for only 29 runs. Fraser Watts then fell to the second ball after the interval for two and, at 26 for 3, Scotland’s batsmen were struggling to assert themselves. However, Brown and Ryan Watson steadied the ship with a half-century partnership from 99 balls in 61 minutes, going on to add 73 together.At 99 for 3, Martin Nurse returned to the attack and proceeded to bowl four wides before taking the wickets of Watson (30), Dougie Lockhart (4) and Darren Spink (0) off the remainder of his over. Blain (22*) then joined Dougie Brown (54*) and steered the side home with an enterprising stand of 45 and more than 10 overs to spare. This was a good solid performance with two of the youngsters in the team showing calmness beyond their years.

The PCB is currently in negotiations with Jonty Rhodes to hire him on short-term basis to help improve their fielding before the tour to England this summer.”A PCB official is in South Africa at the moment negotiating with Rhodes. It hasn’t been decided yet – we will know more about it by Monday. It will not be a permanent assignment as at the moment we are looking at it only as an appointment specifically for the England series,” an official told Cricinfo.According to the PCB, the aim is for Rhodes to work with the Pakistan senior and `A’ team. “We want him working with senior players before they tour England and also work with our younger players at the National Cricket Academy (NCA).”Rhodes played 52 Tests and 245 One-day Internationals between 1992 and 2003 and is widely recognised as one of the best fielders to have played the game.Though Pakistan have enjoyed a stellar season, defeating England, India and Sri Lanka in Test series at home and abroad as well as winning two of the three ODI series, concerns have been raised over the standard of their fielding. Despite showing initial improvement when Bob Woolmer was first appointed, standards have remained inconsistent since and reached a nadir in the ODI series defeat to India, particularly in the final game at Karachi.That performance, which some of the team management conceded was the worst in the field for some time, sparked off the search for a fielding coach. Rhodes’ name was mentioned a few times immediately after that series though, ultimately, only a bowling coach, in Waqar Younis, was hired.Bob Woolmer, who has first-hand experience of Rhodes’s skills from his time as coach of South Africa in the 90s, has also spoken to him about the assignment. Having informed him of the prospective dates for any stint, Woolmer is now awaiting a response from Rhodes.

Caribbean Memories: VVS Laxman on 1996-97
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Streaming Audio: Real :: WMAIndia’s tour of West Indies in 1996-97 was VVS Laxman’s second overseas tour, and it came at a time when he wasn’t yet an established member of the Indian side. He was a reluctant opener, struggling to come to terms with his position in the batting order, and nevertheless made two fifties in what was a difficult series for India.Laxman chats about the series with Cricinfo’s Sidharth Monga, and tells him that while it was a great learning experience, the hard part of the tour was the Test at Barbados, where India, needing 120 to win, made just 81. Laxman top-scored with 19.Listen in.Download MP3 (right click and select “save target as”)
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Sri Lanka’s chairman of selectors, Asantha de Mel, is set to take control of selection issues when he arrives in England for the one-day series later this month, a move that is sure to increase the pressure on the coach, Tom Moody.de Mel, who was recently reappointed for a second stint after being sacked a year ago, is keen for the selectors to blend youth with experience, and to that end he persuaded Sanath Jayasuriya to come out of retirement to reinforce Sri Lanka’s Test squad.Jayasuriya has so far been overlooked in the five-day game, although he is set to take centre stage when the ODIs begin, as he builds towards his anticipated swansong at the 2007 World Cup in the Caribbean.”I did not insist on [Jayasuriya’s] inclusion as I take over my duties from the one-day series,” de Mel told BBC Sinhala. “I recalled him but he was just another option for the management. But from the ODI series the team will be selected by a resident selector rather than the management.”de Mel added that an independent enquiry should be set up to investigate the circumstances of Jayasuriya’s original retirement, after suggestions that he had been forced to quit before he was ready. “Jayasuriya [should] be allowed to speak,” he said, “otherwise rumours will always be there.”

Phil Jaques, the New South Wales opening batsman, doing a county stint with Worcestershire, is in Australia to play the Top End Series featuring A teams from New Zealand, Pakistan, India and Australia.Looking to this winter’s Ashes, Jaques felt that, if given a chance, he is ready to play a big part in the series. He played his only Test against South Africa at Melbourne last December and said that it was unfortunate that he played behind Justin Langer and Mathew Hayden – “the most successful partnership in history”.”My timing is not great from that point of view,” Jaques told . “But I have to bide my time and score as many runs as I can to keep the pressure on. Every time I walk out to the middle now, I’m trying to score a big hundred and make a statement.”Jaques is averaging 102 for Worcestershire with three centuries from six matches and scored a double hundred in the county’s innings victory over Northamptonshire in June.”This spell at Worcester is great for me. I wanted to work on my game. The pitch at Worcester seams around and it’s never easy to play. That was an attraction. I wanted to test myself. If I can tighten up my game and take it to the next level before the Ashes, then brilliant.” Jaques will be returning to play for the county this month after the Top End Series.”It would be terrific to be involved with the Ashes. It’s the biggest series ever from an Australian point of view. We definitely like beating the English, and you saw last summer they like getting one over on us.”Jaques is certain that Australia are looking for revenge. “Everything is geared up to make sure we hit England with everything we have got.”

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details

Inspired by passionate hometown support, Nottinghamshire crushed the international all-stars of Surrey to book their place in the Twenty20 final against Leicestershire. Charlie Shreck knocked the stuffing out of the batting with three wickets while Ryan Sidebottom produced a spell of extraordinary economy. After weeks of gorging themselves on county attacks, Surrey suffered a collective failure and slumped with barely a whimper.Nottinghamshire had built a useful total on the back of a thunderous 42 from David Hussey and useful lower-order power-shows from Chris Read and Mark Ealham. However, with Surrey packing the collective weight of Ally Brown, Mark Ramprakash, Mark Butcher and Rikki Clarke no total is out of reach.In the blink of an eye, though, the top order had been decimated as Shreck found bounce and movement from an awkward length to enhance a growing reputation. Surrey’s chase started on a unconvincing note when James Benning, who dislocated his finger in the field, opted to open the innings but was in considerable pain. It was brave decision to bat, but Benning’s hit-and-miss start set a poor tone for Surrey.When he was cleaned up by Shreck, Brown had already been taken by mid-on running backwards and Mark Butcher was quickly run out by Will Smith’s direct hit. When Clarke swung and missed at Shreck the score was 16 for 4 and the game was up. Though the wickets had gone to Shreck, it was Sidebottom who created the pressure with an outstanding spell which yielded just seven runs in four overs, narrowly missing out on joining Mark Alleyne and Johann Louw with the most economic Twenty20 figures of four overs for six runs.Surrey just didn’t have their mind on the game, as characterised by some lazy running between Ramprakash and Azhar Mahmood. A lacklustre Ramprakash was eventually run out but by then he had visibility given up hope of guiding Surrey to their target. Mahmood fell to a stunning, gravity-defying catch by Smith on the deep-square-leg boundary and Nottinghamshire played on different level despite the odd blemishes in the field. One of the mistakes ended with Chris Read losing a tooth after a missed stumping against Jonathan Batty, but even he was smiling at the end.Graeme Swann and Stephen Fleming had begun in measured fashion with the bat but it was Hussey who provided the real fireworks as he launched the Surrey bowlers into the stands – and sometimes over them – four times. Considering Hussey bagged a pair in the last Championship matches he struck the ball extremely crisply and nearly launched one six into the Trent Bridge Inn.Read briefly flourished through the off side and Ealham handed the innings late impetus by taking 17 off Mahmood’s last over. The winner of the Twenty20 cup has always come from the second semi-final and Nottinghamshire have the support of large sections of a sell-out crowd. The final with Leicestershire has the makings of a thriller.

Wasim Raja, the former Pakistan batsman who went on to become an ICC match referee, has died while playing for Surrey Over 50s at Marlow in Buckinghamshire. He was 54.”Wasim had a big heart attack on the field,” a Surrey spokesman told Cricinfo. “He felt dizzy, and mentioned this to the slips, saying that he felt he had to go off. He was carried off but then collapsed on the boundary.”Wasim, the brother of Rameez Raja, was a bearded left-hand middle-order batsman, whereas Rameez was a clean-shaven right-hand opener. Wasim could bowl, too; brisk, flat top-spinners rather than legbreaks, pioneering the style followed by Anil Kumble and Shahid Afridi. Wasim also had one outstanding series when he proved himself the most effective of some very fine Pakistan batsmen in the West Indies in 1976-77.He might have made a good Pakistan captain in a rather old-fashioned amateur swashbuckling fashion, but coming from the country’s elite, studying in Durham and marrying an Englishwoman, he tended to be above the political battle. This, however, stood him in good stead in later life, when he was appointed as one of the ICC’s elite panel of match referees.”It is a very sad and heart-breaking news. As a teenager, I used to go and watch all the games in which Wasim Raja used to play,” former captain Wasim Akram said. “He was a crowd favorite not only because of his hard-hitting abilities but because he was a charismatic character. He was an idol of most of the youngsters in the 70s and 80s.””We grew together and played our cricket not only as team-mates but also as opponents,” said Javed Miandad. “He was not only a true sportsman but a thorough gentleman. We have been involved in some of the best matches. It is sad to lose a great cricketer, a good sportsman and a true ambassador of the country.”Wasim played 57 Tests between 1973 and 1985, scoring 2821 runs at 36.16 with four hundreds, the best of which was 125. He also took 51 wickets at 35.80 with a best of 4 for 50. Both his career-best performances came against India at Jalandhar in 1983-84. He also played 54 ODIs. He was subsequently a match referee in 15 Tests, the last of which was in 2003-04.

After weeks of speculation, it has been confirmed that Darrell Hair will not stand in the Champions Trophy in India next month.”Darrell Hair will not umpire the ICC Champions Trophy on the basis of safety and security concerns,” Brian Murgatroyd, the ICC’s media manager, said. “An announcement on the appointment of officials for that tournament will be made in due course.”Asked if this was nothing more than a convenient get-out, Muragtroyd replied: “Not as far as I am aware”.Malcolm Speed, the ICC chief executive, issued a press statement in which he said: “A decision has been made in consultation with the ICC president Percy Sonn, the ICC general manager of cricket David Richardson and myself that he will not umpire at the Champions Trophy amid concerns over his safety and security and also the safety and security of those around him during the tournament.”

Jason Gillespie has been rewarded for his fantastic service to Australian cricket by being named captain of the Prime Minister’s XI for England’s tour opener in Canberra on November 10. While Gillespie is excited to lead the team, he will also be able to use the match as another opportunity to hold his spot in the Test side following his double-century and Man-of-the-Series displays in Bangladesh.Gillespie, who has played 18 Tests against England, has said he has “no chance” of playing at the Gabba on November 23, but Michael Kasprowicz and Stuart Clark have since suffered injuries that have set back their preparations. “To be given the opportunity to lead such a young and exciting side in what will be my first PM’s XI game is a fantastic honour,” Gillespie said. “To be the leader of the first side to take on England at the start of what is shaping as a great series is a real privilege.”Six players who appeared for Australia A in the winter’s Top End Series were selected, including Phil Jaques, Mark Cosgrove and Ben Hilfenhaus, while Tasmania’s Tim Paine will be the wicketkeeper. Mark Divin, the ACT allrounder, was chosen as 12th man in the side picked with input from the prime minister John Howard.”Apart from Jason, we have a young side and we hope they display their talents against this high-quality international side,” Andrew Hilditch, the chairman of selectors, said. “There are some young players with international experience like Jaques and Cosgrove, but we have some exciting young batting talent as well.”Young bowlers Shaun Tait and Ben Hilfenhaus impressed during the Australia A series earlier in the year and also during their stints at the Centre of Excellence. They are both very much in our thoughts moving forward.”The match will be the tenth time the Prime Minister’s XI have played England, with the locals winning six games and losing three. Len Hutton guided his team to victory by 31 runs in the first match during the 1954-55 tour – Richie Benaud scored 113 for the PM’s XI – and Mark Waugh steered the home side to a four-wicket triumph in 2002-03.Prime Minister’s XI Phil Jaques (NSW), Mark Cosgrove (SA), Tim Paine (Tas), Travis Birt (Tas), Adam Voges (WA), Shaun Marsh (WA), Cameron White (Vic), Jason Gillespie (SA, capt), Ben Hilfenhaus (Tas), Adam Ritchard (ACT), Shaun Tait (SA), Mark Divin (ACT, 12th man).