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The four “rebel” Zimbabwean cricketers selected for the first Test against Sri Lanka, which starts at Harare on Thursday, have pulled out of the match after the Zimbabwe Cricket Union refused a request from the 15 disaffected players for independent arbitration.Heath Streak, Trevor Gripper, Sean Ervine and Ray Price had been named in a 17-man squad, but their decision to withdraw left Zimbabwe with a squad of only 13 to choose from. Mark Vermeulen and Vusumuzi Sibanda were later omitted from the final eleven – Vermeulen being ruled out on medical advice.”The ZCU did not accept our proposals and we do not accept theirs,” said Grant Flower, one of those to have initiated the boycott in April. “There is simply no agreement, and on that basis the four chosen for the squad are withdrawing. They have fully agreed to that.”Vince Hogg, the ZCU’s chief executive, said: “I am extremely disappointed by their decision. It is very sad that it has come to this.”With Stuart Carlisle, Craig Wishart and Andy Blignaut not considered for the squad, Zimbabwe now face the harrowing prospect of going into the Test series with more or less the same side that was routed 5-0 in the one-day series.”We’re back to square one, we are boycotting again,” said an unnamed player earlier, after they threw out the ZCU’s offer of non-binding mediation. “In effect, we’ve had three weeks of mediation, and we believe arbitration is the only route. We’re meeting at 10am tomorrow [0800 GMT on Wednesday] to write what will hopefully be our final letter, to say we’re rejecting this.”The players had resumed training as an act of good faith, and Streak – Zimbabwe’s former captain – had declared his willingness to play if the ZCU acceded to the rebels’ requests. But according to a report in The Guardian in London, a source was quoted as saying that the board was not going to be seen to be “bowing down to a bunch of whites – their egos won’t let them”.”It was unnegotiable that this matter had to go to arbitration to give it the seriousness and the respect it deserves,” said Chris Venturas, the lawyer representing the players. “Mediation doesn’t assist in any way. Regrettably, [the ZCU] feel they will pacify us with a mediation process. Even if the mediator finds in our favour on all three points, the ZCU don’t have to abide by his ruling.”The players have made it clear that they do not trust the ZCU to honour any assurances it gives. They have been given until May 7 – the second day of the first Test against Sri Lanka – to end their boycott, but face being fired if they are still holding out at that time.”Most of us are almost at the point where we wouldn’t bat an eyelid if they just fired us,” one of the players is quoted as saying. “We’re not getting through to these guys. If they say they want to mediate, maybe they think we’re bloody fools. They’re just not getting us. Mediation is going to take another three weeks, and Zimbabwe cricket can’t afford that.”We’re all sick of this, but we’re standing strong together. It’s very simple: arbitration with those three points and we’re all back.”Zimbabwe team for first Test
1 Dion Ebrahim, 2 Brendan Taylor, 3 Stuart Matsikenyeri, 4 Tatenda Taibu (capt and wk), 5 Elton Chigumbura, 6 Alester Maregwede, 7 Prosper Utseya, 8 Mluleki Nkala, 9 Blessing Mahwire, 10 Douglas Hondo, 11 Tinashe Panyangara.

It was like taking candy from a baby.For the second successive day, Trinidad and Tobago were a mere imitation of a first-class team in their top-of-the-table Carib Beer Series match at Kensington Oval yesterday.On a day when the most prestigious horse race in the southern Caribbean was run off, table leaders Barbados flogged what seemed to be a "dead horse".The runs were flowing as rapidly as Thady Quill was romping to victory in the Sandy Lane Gold Cup at the Garrison Savannah.In the first session, Philo Wallace and Sherwin Campbell duly completed centuries and established a modern era record opening stand of 246.Between lunch and tea, it was the turn of Floyd Reifer and Ryan Hinds to inflict more punishment on the hapless Trinis.In the evening period, Dwayne Smith and Courtney Browne added more lashes.By the time Browne made the declaration at 4:35 p.m. after Barbados enjoyed the satisfaction of becoming the first team to post a total of more than 500 this season, 354 runs were reeled off in 66 overs at close to five-and-a-half runs an over.Trailing by 355 on first innings after Browne declared with Barbados on 502 for nine, Trinidad and Tobago suffered some uncomfortable moments in the 19 overs they faced before bad light halted play at 5:57 p.m. with three overs remaining.At 47 for one, a second successive defeat was staring the visitors in the face.It could come as early as today and it will allow them enough time to get back to their homeland to participate in Carnival celebrations.Trinidad and Tobago, second in the standings, were terribly flat in the field yesterday.Between the start and lunch, 132 runs were scored, and between lunch and tea, another 136 were added.Fast bowler Marlon Black and leg-spinner Dinanath Ramnarine, Test players in the recent past, came in for some stick against the rampaging Bajans.It was the same story for the youngsters, Ravi Rampaul and Dwayne Bravo.To his credit, teenager Bravo took his licks like a man and was eventually rewarded with four of the first five wickets. He finished with five for 95 off 16 overs, but his last scalp was taken in controversial circumstances.Wicket-keeper Navin Chan claimed a low catch to account for Ryan Hurley, but to those in the Peter Short Media Centre who had an excellent view, it appeared as if the ball had fallen out of the Chan’s gloves. Those in the Kensington Stand were even more certain.By then, Trinidad and Tobago had been fully deflated by Barbados’ enterprising batting.Campbell was the more aggressive in the first hour, his powerful driving through the off-side bringing him on even keel with Wallace after his partner started the day 16 runs ahead.Campbell arrived at his 24th first-class century at 11:10 a.m. and Wallace achieved the milestone for the 11th time in his career in the next over.Their stand broke the previous best by a Barbadian opening pair – 166 – since the sponsorship of regional first-class cricket in 1966.The previous record belonged to Gordon Greenidge and Desmond Haynes (who had two stands of 166) and to Robin Bynoe and Geoffrey Greenidge.Campbell fell soon after his hundred when his attempted cut off Bravo was caught on the cover-boundary.Wallace swung Ramnarine over backward square-leg for two of his three sixes before Bravo bowled him off the pads with a ball of fullish length.His 140 off 186 balls was made in four hours and was the highest of his eight regional first-class hundreds, while Campbell’s 103 included ten fours and a six from 150 balls in 217 minutes’ batting.Kurt Wilkinson’s wretched season continued when Ramnarine bowled him behind his back for six, but left-handers Hinds and Reifer enjoyed the syrup that was being served up by adding 82 for the third wicket.Hinds stroked seven fours in 43 off 72 balls, while Reifer’s 45 off 51 balls contained four boundaries and a towering six over long-off against off-spinner Mukesh Persad that cleared the Pickwick Pavilion.Reifer also had a thumping drive through extra-cover off Bravo that sounded like a gun shot. It was, without a doubt, the shot of the day.After Reifer skied a catch to mid-on and Hinds edged a catch to slip, the exciting Smith (46 from 41 balls) and Browne (35 from 23 balls) featured in a stand of 79 in next to no time before both fell to Black.Smith was prised out by a superb running catch by Daren Ganga at mid-on and Browne was lbw on the back foot two balls later.

The highlights of the second day’s play between Zimbabwe A and the WestIndian tourists at Kwekwe Sports Club were a fine century by AlistairCampbell and an exotic fifty by the maverick Bryan Strang, either side ofa dramatic middle-order collapse. The tourists finished the day 57 runsahead with all their second-innings wickets intact.Zimbabwe A resumed at their overnight score of 26 for no wicket in reply tothe West Indians’ 374. Campbell was soon playing the sort of innings thatmakes Zimbabwean cricket followers shake their heads in wonder andexasperation.Campbell has probably played as many “brief cameos” as any player in the world, but so rarely do they turn into anything substantial in Test cricket. Here he was playing the bowling with as much ease as Chris Gayle had on the previous day, driving and pulling with all the time in the world, completely unaffected by the swinging ball.Hamilton Masakadza less spectacularly matched him run for run, and this opening partnership had the potential to match that between Gayle and Daren Ganga the previous day. In theory, at least.Colin Stuart broke the stand, though, trapping Masakadza lbw with afull-length delivery, after making 33 of the 75-run partnership. Campbellby now had apparently run out of adrenaline, and he offered scarcely a shotin anger after morning drinks. He crawled past his fifty, and with Gavin Renniechoosing to fight his way back to form by defensive methods, the play wasfar from spectacular.The rather painful struggle continued after lunch against the West Indianspinners, the partnership coming to an end on 139 when Rennie (25) swungacross the line to Carl Hooper and was caught at the wicket. Campbellremained somnolent until he reached the seventies, whereupon he hit theunsuspecting Neil McGarrell for three fours in an over, and followed it upwith two more boundaries off Hooper.Soon afterwards, a delicate cut off Corey Collymore brought Campbell his20th four and his century, scored off 193 balls. He overshadowed thenormally lively Guy Croxford, who battled to score 16 before being bowled byStuart. He trapped Barney Rogers lbw first ball, and then bowled StuartMatsikenyeri in his next over to reduce Zimbabwe A to 236 for five at tea,Campbell still there on 133.Stuart struck again with the first ball after tea, bowling new batsman and homecaptain Mluleki Nkala with a ball that cut back in as he shouldered arms.Stuart was on a hat-trick for the second time in successive overs, but DonCampbell survived.Alistair had again run out of adrenaline and did little after tea beforebeing caught at the wicket for 140 off the second delivery with the secondnew ball, bowled by Marlon Black, who then had Don four overs later caughtdown the leg side for 12. Local ex-Academy player Travis Friend scored 17before departing to the same combination, a fine diving catch by RidleyJacobs this time.Then followed an entertaining last-wicket stand – no stand that includesBryan Strang ever fails to be entertaining – of 74 between Strang andRaymond Price. Strang as usual mixed the powerfully unorthodox with thealmost recognisable and the comical as he reached exactly 50 off just 34balls, whereupon Price (22) borrowed one of his partner’s strokes, only tomow a catch straight to mid-wicket. The tourists had their first-inningslead reduced to just 29. Black took three wickets for 49 and Stuart fivefor 58.As Strang injured a finger while batting, Price opened the attack with hisleft-arm spin opposite Friend, but to no avail. By the close the WestIndians had scored 28 without loss (Ganga 9, Gayle 17).

It was sweet revenge for Chemplast who trounced India Pistons by sevenwickets in the final of the Moin ud Dowlah Cup in Hyderabad today. Amammoth undefeated stand of 217 between Jatin Paranjpe and SujithSomasundar helped Chemplast make light of a target of 281 to canterhome with almost seven overs to spare in what finally transpired to bea ridiculously one-sided affair.JR Madanagopal added another sorry episode to his past with anotherfateful dropped catch to let off another Mumbaikar. A dolly miss atlong off from the bowling of Robin Singh relieved Paranjpe, then on 63out of a total of 177, who had already turned towards the pavilion, inall preparedness to walk off. Robin fumed, Madanagopal squirmed butChemplast just laughed all the way to the bank.It was not all hunky-dory for the victors in the morning after theleft-handed Hemanth Kumar pillaged a bustling century to lift Pistonsto an imposing 280/9. Yet to play in a first class match, Hemanthsurely on the evidence of his showing here, is just weeks away frombeing blooded by Tamil Nadu in the Ranji Trophy this season.The match started on the hallowed lawns of the Gymkhana Ground onwhose precincts the first edition of the Moin ud Dowlah Cup had kickedoff in the season of 1930-31. In that year such exalted personages asJack Hobbs and Herbert Sutcliffe opened the batting for theMaharajkumar of Vizianagaram’s XI and a few years later the WestIndian Learie Constantine gave a well rounded account of his multipletalents.Just outside the main entrance there is a plaque which pompouslyannounces the structure beyond as the Hyderabad Cricket AssociationStadium. Well, stadium it may not be but the ground still retains apicturesque charm, surrounded on three sides by wide open spaces suchas the Parade Ground, the Polo Ground and a Hockey Ground, and thepanoramic view from what masquerades as a press box is a real steal.From 70/3, Hemanth and Madanagopal added 65 for the fourth wicket,the two looking in control and firmly milking the singles with fivemen stationed on the boundary. Then Madanagopal played a foolhardyshot against the grain of play, lofting the ball in the air knowingfull well there was a fielder at sweeper cover. Robin walked in at135/4 and was warned for running onto the wicket almost immediately.He put that behind him and added a brisk 110 for the fifth wicket withHemanth. The latter grew more innovative in his stroke play in Robin’sreassuring company, stepping two inches outside off stump andpersuading the ball away on the leg side on more than one occasion.All hell broke loose in the 44th over bowled by Dinesh Mongia, whichwent for 20 runs including two sixes over midwicket, Hemanth movingfrom 90 to 110 in the space of five balls. Soon after, Robin holed outfor 44 (51 balls, 2 fours) to deep midwicket just after beingcautioned a second time for trespassing onto the pitch. The score atthat point was 245 but Hemanth coaxed another 30 runs in the companyof the tail, audaciously running byes more than once when the ball hadbeen collected by the keeper. When he was run out from the last ballof the innings, he had accumulated an effortless 134 (126 balls, 10fours, 2 sixes). Veeranan had the best figures among some badly mauledanalysis, taking 2/34 from seven overs, but Ganesh Kumar had done afine job too, bowling ten overs on the trot in the middle overs for ameasly 37, without taking a wicket.Having beaten Chemplast by eight wickets in the final of the KSCADiamond Jubilee tournament a few weeks ago, Pistons must haveexperienced a feeling of deja vu at this point. Sujit Somasundar andGanesh Kumar kept them on their toes with some fairly frenetic runningas the 50 came up in 40 minutes inside eight overs. Ganesh Kumar wasthe more adventurous of the two, once picking Shahabuddin overmidwicket for six.In the 11th over, Shahabuddin, who plays his cricket for Andhra in theRanji Trophy, had Ganesh caught behind by the keeper Vasudevan. Andthree runs later, in his next over, the disappointing Badrinath wasconsumed by first slip. Dinesh Mongia walked in with a weight ofresponsibility on his shoulders. Flailing wildly at one outside offstump, he was snapped up by Vasudevan for a fourth ball duck tocomplete a double wicket maiden for Shahabuddin, who had scalped threewickets in eight balls at this stage. Mongia’s fall must have sentpanic waves through the Chemplast dressing room and at 67/3, Pistonswould have been licking their lips in anticipation of the kill, whichhad been well fattened up.They had reckoned without one Jatin Paranjpe. He signalled hisintentions immediately by picking on R Satish, who had replacedShahabuddin from the Plaza end, for three boundaries in his firstover. Railways leg spinner WD Balaji Rao was generating good nip andbounce off the wicket with an action that exuded vitality but hecontrived to floor a return catch offered by Paranjpe with the batsmanon 44. To be sure, the ball was fiercely driven back at him and Raocould not close his fingers around the ball in a one-handed parry.To add injury to insult, he went off the field to receive treatment onhis finger. Then followed the kindergarten miss by Madanagopal and afrustrated Robin bowled a rank bouncer off the last ball of the over,promptly called no ball. Indeed the bowling and fielding completelywent to pieces in the end, with wides, no balls, byes, even a beamerfrom Shahabudin, and fumbles in the field abounding.Just outside the ground a group of 64 city probables were limbering upfor their forthcoming Under 19 tournament and Paranjpe scattered themwith two clean hits over midwicket that landed in their midst, almostdecapitating one unfortunate lad. He hit 21 off the over, the 36th, byMuthupandian and brought up his 100 off 81 balls with his fifth six,also in the same trademark fashion, this time off Balaji Rao.If Somasundar has been ignored for much of this chronicle, theoversight can be rectified here and now. Having accumulated his runswith stealth, Somasundar finally abandoned such a covert, eveninsidious, manner of run making for some more unabashed hitting. WhenRao tossed one up, he obligingly hit him over wide long off to enterthe nineties. Robin finally invited Hemanth for a bowl in a gesture ofsurrender. He bowled a short one that sat up and beseeched to be hit,Somasundar carted it way out of the ground to end the mismatch of acontest and take his individual score to 97 (129 balls, 9 fours and 3sixes). For his part Paranjpe had settled at a personal tally of 115(91 balls, 10 fours and 6 sixes).That brought down the curtain on a curious tournament in which neitherlast year’s winner MRF, nor runner-up, ONGC took part. The Moin udDowlah Cup was presented to Chemlpast captain D Vasu who promptlyraised it over his head with a violent gesture, only to watch inembarrassment as the cup rolled off its pedestal and plummeted to theground. But that was a minor and easily forgiven blemish in what wasotherwise a moment to savour for him and the entire Chemplast team.

Suriname provided a major upset on the final day of the ICC Americas Division 2 Championship, not only beating odds-on favourites Bahamas, but doing so so convincingly that they leapfrogged them to the title and promotion to Division One.On the eve of the match, we wrote that “Suriname will need an extraordinarily comprehensive win to have any chance of overtaking the Bahamas”, and that’s just what happened. Needing only 83 to avoid being pipped to the title on net run rate even had they lost, Bahamas were utterly woeful as they crashed to 57 all out and a thumping 146-run defeat.Suriname did well to post 205, but on a good batting track it looked a below-par total. Shazam Ramjohn made 48 off 48 balls, but nobody else really dominated the attack. Bahamas’ reply was bemusing in its incompetence, with no batsman managing to reach double figures. Troy Dudnauth (5 for 21) and Carlton Baker (3 for 27) bowled unchanged for 20 overs, and by the time they finished their quota of overs the same was done and dusted.In the other game, Panama, who also finished level on points with Suriname and Bahamas, eased past Turks & Caicos Islands by 95 runs. In reply to Panama’s 188 all out, Turks & Caicos only managed 93. Panama’s Munaf Kachalia took the Man-of-the-Match award with 4 for 19, while Irfan Tarajia chipped in with 3 for 33 and 31 off 42 balls.

Rumblings over the standard of cricket in the Logan Cup continued to grow at the end of the third round of the competition which saw more low scores and underprepared pitches.Westerns underlined their title ambitions with their third straight win, crushing a dire Northerns side by an innings and 71 runs. Westerns made 244, and then bowled out Northerns for 47, with Keith Dabengwa turning in a remarkable spell of 7 for 1. Following on, Northerns limped to 126. The failure of Northerns, who are largely the once-powerful Masonaland side, is a damning indictment of a hard-line selection policy which has driven away many players.At Mutare, Kenya Select went down to their second straight defeat, losing by seven wickets to Easterns, who now seem to provide the only challenge to Westerns. Easterns made 382, built around a hundred from F Mutizwa, and then bowled out the Kenyans for 199, with only Maurice Ouma’s 116 offering any resistance. Timycen Maruma was the pick of the bowler with 6 for 40. Following on, the visitors made 332, with David Obuya’s hundred the anchor innings, while Prosper Utseya grabbed 6 for 91. Set 140 to win, Easterns had few problems, Tino Mawoyo making his second fifty of the match.At Kwekwe, Centrals scored their second successive win with a 102-run victory over Southerns inside two days. As was the case last week, the pitch was not up to scratch – no batsman made an aggregate of 50 runs in the match – and despite being bowled out for 141, Centrals took a first-innings lead of 90. Set 271 to win, Southerns slid to 86 for 5 before some late resistance enabled them to post a respectable score. Michael Chinouya took 5 for 31 to give him seven wickets overall.To the shame of Zimbabwe Cricket, it continues to be unwilling, or more likely incapable, of proving scores to the media, thus ensuring that the tournament is played in virtual secrecy.

Thunder, lightening and a sharp shower brought an abrupt end to the Australian charge to take control of the second Test. Only 22.4 overs were possible on the second day, during which Australia managed to close in on the meagre Bangladesh first-innings total losing only one more wicket.Phil Jaques, was the only man to fall, but not before he had reached his maiden Test fifty. Singled out by Steve Waugh as one of Australia’s next-generation cricketers, he batted with Waugh-like purposefulnessJason Gillespie, the night-watchman, combined dour defence with occasional bursts for fours and Ricky Ponting merely carried on from his last innings before weather intervened.Though the sky cleared up for a while in the afternoon, the umpires found the outfield unfit for play. The match will now start half an hour early for the next days to partially make up for the seven hours that were lost today.Bangladesh appeared to go through the motions in the morning, confirming apprehensions they were treating this match as a lost cause. Only Shahadat Hussain looked threatening in a brief spell, during which he hit Jaques on the body and knocked out Gillespie’s bat.Once again, it fell on Mohammad Rafique to provide Bangladesh the breakthrough. He threw one up outside the off stump and Jaques, perhaps just to break the monotony of the day, went for a slog sweep but ended up top-edging to square leg. But so far, rains have provided the only comfort to Bangladesh.

How they were out

Australia
Phil Jaques c Shahriar Nafees b Mohammad Rafique 66 (120 for 2)

2nd day
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsKwaZulu-Natal completely outplayed Easterns at Willowmoore Park, nearlywinning inside two days. Was it not for an excellent 136, out of a total of 230 from Pierre de Bruin, Easterns would have been humiliated in their own backyard. In front of a total of seven spectators, maybe because the main public entrance was locked throughout the whole day, de Bruin’s lonely hand took the Natal attack by the scruff of the neck and pasted the ball to all parts of the ground. Seven towering sixes had outfielders craning their necks as they tracked the ball. Earlier Rivash Gobind, the Natal captain, had scored his debut first-class hundred, allowing Natal to declare at 300 for 7 after 85 overs when the bonus points stopped. Shiraaz Abrahams picked up three late wickets to make an impressive debut into first-class cricket. Natal need a further 63 runs when play resumes on day three.2nd day
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsCareer-best figures of 6-90 from Gerhard de Bruin helped Gauteng beat Northerns, who made a valiant attempt at saving the game at Wanderers. Being bowled out for 147, a deficit of 212 runs in the first innings was their undoing, but fifties from Kruger van Wyk, Nic van Woerkom, Gerald Dros and James Mokonyama nearly saw them attain the impossible. However, it was de Bruin who wrapped up the tail, leaving Gauteng ample time to score the 137 required with William Motaung undefeated at the end on 57.

Glenn McGrath has hit back at critics who have been keen to write him off as a player, claiming that he was fitter and stronger than ever after his enforced seven-month lay-off after an ankle operation.He returned yesterday in New South Wales’s 2nd XI match against Victoria at the MCG, taking 2 for 26 in 14.2 overs in front of 23 people. It was a stark contrast to Shane Warne’s much-publicised second-team comeback a fortnight ago.”I’ve been training harder than I ever have off the field, in the gym, on fitness so my strength and fitness has been a lot higher than in the past," McGrath told the Sydney Morning Herald. "I can only see positives out of this, and I think this or what I’ve had done over the last seven months will actually lengthen my career if anything.”Several former players – most recently Merv Hughes – have been quoted as saying that McGrath was as good as finished as a result of the injury. But McGrath himself was keen to dismiss such thoughts. “You see bad press saying, ‘He’s finished’, and they haven’t really spoken to me or seen what I’m doing,” he said. “I think it’s a bit early to be making a decision like that.He also rubbished articles claiming that he had made several aborted attempts in recent weeks to play, insisting that last weekend’s grade comeback was his first serious attempt to take to the field. “They basically just made it up," he explained. "There’s a lot of people out there reading it, and it’s so far from the truth it’s not funny."McGrath maintained that while some injuries are career-threatening, his was not. “I don’t look at it as an injury," he said. "I’ve had the spurs which caused all the problems removed. And the way the ankle feels, at the moment, it’s as good as it’s felt for years. It’s not going to be a recurring injury. It’s been totally fixed and each bowl I have it’ll get better and stronger.”McGrath’s aim is to make the Australian squad for the tour of Zimbabwe in May, and he was not too upset about missing out on the Sri Lanka series. "I look at the positive side of things and it means I could get a lot stronger, a lot fitter and finish the season off with NSW and hopefully be right for the Zimbabwe tour. So that’s my goal at the moment."And what of suggestions that at 34 he had lost some of his enthusiasm? McGrath smiled. “I think if anything, I’m fresher, keener, and looking forward to playing.”

JOHANNESBURG – The West Indies’ serious World Cup intentions were made plain last night when they maintained the same XI they used in the triumphant opener against second favourites South Africa for today’s match in Centurion against the weekend club cricketers of Canada, the bottom seed among the 14 teams.The recall of Pedro Collins, the left-arm swing and seam bowler who missed the last two matches with a back injury, is the only change from the team in last Tuesday’s abandoned match against Bangladesh from which they had to share the four points.Nixon McLean filled Collins’ place in the loss to New Zealand and Corey Collymore got the preference against Bangladesh but didn’t bowl a ball before rain ended proceedings.It means that the two youngest members of the team, batsman Marlon Samuels, 21, and fast bowler Jermaine Lawson, 20, are yet to get a match – and are unlikely to get one barring injury."We’re not in a position where we can say we have qualified for the Super Sixes," coach Roger Harper said by way of a straight-forward explanation. "We’re still fighting to qualify."And he indicated that there would be no shifting of the order in which four left-handers – Chris Gayle, Wavell Hinds, Brian Lara and Shivnarine Chanderpaul – fill the first four places."If we happened to have four right-handers at the top we might not have seen it as a problem," he said."While I appreciate it’s a benefit to have a left and right combination that makes it more difficult for the bowlers, you have to look at the batsmen you have as well."The implication was that the system has worked so far with right-handers Ramnaresh Sarwan and Ricardo Powell, down at Nos. 6 and 7, contributing important runs.Following the artificially shared points against Bangladesh, the West Indies must win their three remaining preliminary group matches – against Canada, Sri Lanka in Cape Town next Friday and Kenya in Kimberey, March 4 – to clinch their place in their Super Sixes.The table is so tight that every match is critical for every team.Sri Lanka are the only ones with a 100 per cent record and 12 points from three matches. Only defeat in all of their remaining three, against Kenya, the West Indies and South Africa, can deny them their spot among the final three.New Zealand, who forfeited their points to Kenya because they refused to go to Nairobi for the scheduled match, have eight points from four matches with only Canada and Bangladesh left.With the New Zealand donation and a win over Canada, Kenya have eight points from three matches but still have Sri Lanka and the West Indies, along with Bangladesh.South Africa, virtually out of contention following losses to the West Indies and New Zealand, were handed a reprieve by the West Indies’ misfortune with the weather against Bangladesh.They took their first step towards the next round with their comprehensive ten wickets victory over Bangladesh in Blomfontein yesterday but must still beat both Canada, a foregone conclusion but for the intervention of the elements, and Sri Lanka, an altogether more difficult task, to be sure.The weather remained true to the forecast throughout yesterday – hot and sunny – and more of the same is predicted for today. But the West Indies won’t be satisfied until victory and four points are safely in the book.