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Shaun Tait has tested out his injured elbow in a novel way by joining an Indian chef in the kitchen. Experiencing heat of a different kind, Tait briefly added cooking chicken korma and fish curry to his rehabilitation programme in Melbourne, where he rated himself a “decent chance” of making the tour to South Africa.After having surgery in June, Tait has recovered well enough to be named in the Twenty20 World Championship squad, but he is still a few weeks away from his first bowl at the Centre of Excellence in Brisbane. “I’ll see how the elbow goes in the next couple of weeks to see whether I can get up for it or not,” Tait told .”It feels fine but obviously with bowling a fair bit of stress goes on it. I’m a decent chance but we’ll see how it goes.” He has no plans to tinker with his technique despite regular injuries since playing his first Test in 2005.If fit for the tournament in September, Tait will use the series to prove he is ready for regular action in the following seven-match one-day tour of India before focussing on adding to his two Test appearances. He played his first season of one-day internationals last summer and his 23 World Cup wickets were crucial to Australia’s overall success.”There’s going to be some pretty big opportunities coming up,” Tait said. “With Glenn McGrath stepping down I suppose there’s a new door that could be opened and if I get the opportunity hopefully I’ll do well.” Tait is also excited by the prospect of bowling with Brett Lee, who is due to return in South Africa from ankle surgery.Tait was in the kitchen to launch the general release of tickets for the upcoming Australian summer. Australia will face India in four Tests starting on Boxing Day after playing two matches against Sri Lanka in November. The three sides will also take part in the CB Series while Australia will attempt to regain the Chappell-Hadlee Trophy in December.Tickets go on sale in Sydney, Adelaide, Hobart and Perth on Wednesday while seats in Brisbane will be offered on Thursday and in Melbourne on Friday. “The team has had a great record in Australia for the past decade,” Tait said, “and a big part of that success is the encouragement we receive from our green-and-gold army of supporters.”

Kenya have announced a 13-man squad for the forthcoming Intercontinental Cup and one-day matches against Canada in Toronto.The squad is a mix of youth and experience. Hitesh Modi, who has not made a one-day international fifty for four years but averaged 48 in the 2005 Intercontinental Cup, and Brijal Patel are included, as is Kennedy Otieno, was dropped after the series whitewash in Bangladesh and subsequently threatened to retire.Timothy Muange and Hiren Varaiya, who are both uncapped, have been drafted in, and Tanmay Mishra, the 19-year-old who was so impressive in Bangladesh, is also included.Kenya will leave for Canada next Wednesday, and Steve Tikolo, their captain, will join them on Sunday after completing his club commitments in the UK. Modi, another overseas-based player, will fly straight from London to Toronto.Kenya, who drew their opening Intercontinental Cup match with Holland, need to beat Canada to maintain their interest in the competition.Squad – Steve Tikolo (capt), Thomas Odoyo (vice-capt), Brijal Patel, Kennedy Otieno (wk), Tony Suji, Tanmay Mishra, Collins Obuya, Peter Ongondo, Nehemiah Odhiambo, Timothy Muange, Jimmy Kamande, Hitesh Modi, Hiren Varaiya

The impossible dream ended under lights at the Premadasa Stadium last night but the depleted West Indies team that once more refused to succumb to significantly more tried and tested opponents were just two boundaries away from preserving it for one last hurrah tomorrow.In the last qualifying match of the triangular IndianOil Cup that would determine which team meets Sri Lanka in the final, India compiled 262 for four, the highest total of the tournament. It was based on a fourth wicket stand of 165 from 178 balls between Yuvraj Singh, who made 110, and Mohammad Kaif, who ended with 83.West Indies slumped in their chase to 112 for six midway through the 23rd over, then recovered through an impressive stand of 83 between Runako Morton, whose 84 was his highest score for West Indies, and Denesh Ramdin, who unbeaten 74 was likewise. Ramdin and Daren Powell, the last man, arrived at the final over, bowled by Ashish Nehra, the left-arm seamer, with 12 required but they could only raise four singles between them and India won by seven runs to the relief of the Sri Lanka board and the sponsors. A final without India would have been disastrous but they were made to fight all the way to ensure it.For the first 17 overs, the euphoria of West Indies’ previous night’s victory over Sri Lanka was sustained as four of the contemporary game’s finest batsmen were dispatched for 51 runs after India batted in bright, hot sunshine after winning the toss. Virender Sewag (117 ODIs, 3,429 runs), VVS Laxman (84 ODIs, 2,331 runs) and captain Rahul Dravid (254 ODIs, 8,238) were dismissed by conventional means while Sourav Ganguly (273 ODIs, 10,014 runs) retired to seek hospital attention after taking a blow on the right elbow from Powell. Sehwag was bowled off a no-ball then lbw to Deighton Butler. Laxman was caught behind off Powell and Dravid was bowled off his pads by offspinner Omari Banks’ first ball.Such a dominant position gradually, and then rapidly, unraveled as Yuvraj and Kaif, India’s young hopes for the future, took charge with their commanding partnership. It was a repeat of their matchwinning stand of 121 against England in the final of the NatWest Trophy at Lord’s three years ago that has gone into Indian cricket folklore. Yuvraj, 23, tall and commanding, counted a six and 11 fours in 110 off 114 balls – his third ODI hundred – before fatigue and cramp brought his downfall in the 46th over to a limp reverse sweep. Kaif, 24, the slim right-hander, carried through to the end for 83 from 103 balls with six fours. A muscular 28 off 13 balls from Mahedra Dhoni, the wicketkeeper, with two huge leg-side sixes off Narsingh Deonarine’s speculative offspin at the end, further boosted India.Sylvester Joseph, as he did for most of Sri Lanka’s innings in the pervious match, led the team in the absence of Shivnarine Chanderpaul who was down with a viral infection. This time, neither his tactics nor his bowlers could halt the advance of the Indian pair and he clearly erred by using Deonarine during the last few overs, as he did with telling effect against Sri Lanka. Deonarine’s last three overs cost 40 and 89 were plundered from the last 10 overs of the innings, 46 off the last four.Without the steadying guidance of Chanderpaul when they batted, the West Indies adopted such an inappropriate, helter-skelter approach in pursuit of their target that a disheartening end to a challenging, controversial tour seemed inevitable. They were 112 for six in the 24th over when Anil Kumble, India’s legendary legspinner, claimed the bamboozled Ricardo Powell as his third wicket. Earlier, Xavier Marshall was lbw and Joseph caught off a spiralling top-edge from a miscued pull, both to Irfan Pathan, one of India’s three left-arm swingers, Deonarine unsuccessfully tried to clear mid-off in the 13th over and Banks and Dwayne Smith had no answer to Kumble’s mysteries. Smith’s 26 included two clean, massive leg-side sixes in an over from Nehra that brought 17 – but it was only 26. A meek submission might have been anticipated but Morton, as much a born again cricketer as a born again Christian, and Ramdin, who has established himself in the past month as the long-term West Indies wicketkeeper and future captain, kept hopes alive with their partnership of 83 off 93 balls characterised by sensible batting.Morton, his clothing drenched in perspiration and his endurance tested to the limit in the enervating heat and humidity, showed his best form of the tour with an outstanding innings of 84 off 105 balls in the unfamiliar position of opener. It was characterised by assured drives down the ground that brought him most of his six fours and his straight six off Yuvraj’s left-arm spin.As he made his way back to the team room, another 68 were required off 11 overs, the 20-year-old Ramdin was on 32 and only the fast bowlers Tino Best, Butler and Powell remaining. Victory was surely a forlorn hope. Ramdin showed more than once on the tour that no hope is ever forlorn. He so skillfully manipulated the strike, ran between the wickets and smashed the loose delivery to the boundary that he contributed 38 of the 60 added once Morton left to a catch at midwicket.Hope was raised when Ramdin hit two fours off the 48th over from Nehra and it came down to 12 needed off the final over. Ramdin and Powell only managed four and India – not least new coach Greg Chappell – could breathe a sigh of relief. Success is all that concerns the ultra-critical Indian press and public.

West Indies have unveiled their new sponsor. Digicel, the Caribbean’s leading mobile-phone service, has signed a multi-million dollar five-year deal, with an option to renew, which will come into operation for the tour to Australia in 2004-05."Our partnership with Digicel represents a new era for the sponsorship of West Indies cricket," said Teddy Griffiths, the president of the West Indies Cricket Board. "We look forward to a long and rewarding partnership."Last month, the decline of West Indies cricket was underlined by the withdrawal of Cable & Wireless, their long-term sponsorship partners, who had been involved with the team for 19 years. But Digicel have accepted the challenge of taking on a side whose fortunes have been steadily falling in recent years."Digicel takes enormous pride in becoming the official main sponsor of the West Indies cricket team," said Denis O’Brien, the chairman of Digicel Group. "We believe in the future of the Caribbean and its cricket. Our intention is to enable West Indies cricket to get back to the top of world Test cricket and to success in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2007."We are delighted to make available this substantial sponsorship package to West Indies cricket," added O’Brien. "We will add new energy into West Indies cricket through our incentives and youth programmes. This will encourage more great performances and foster future cricket legends. We are excited about the future of cricket in the Caribbean. Our sponsorship will help enable West Indian cricket regain their dominance of the sport."

Master New Zealand batsman Nathan Astle should be a contender for the side’s October-November tour of India, after knee surgery last week.Astle was operated on for a long-standing knee problem, and a more recent hernia, last week and while he will be sore for the next two or three weeks from the hernia operation, he is expected to begin a rehabilitation programme soon after that.While the knee operation showed the expected degeneration in a tendon, as was seen in similar surgery experienced by Chris Cairns and Shayne O’Connor in recent seasons, because Astle was being treated as a batsman and not a bowler, his rehabilitation period should be quicker.New Zealand Cricket’s sports science medical co-ordinator Warren Frost said today that the surgery had revealed that it was correct for Astle to have had the surgery at this stage of his career.The surgery had gone well and Astle would be resting up for the next few weeks before starting his recovery programme.

Middlesex host Warwickshire in a crucial promotion tussle in Division Two of the CricInfo Championship.Third placed Middlesex’s hopes have taken a knock of late, and they will be without leading bowler Phil Tufnell, who has been recalled to the England squad. Warwickshire lie just 1.25 points behind Middlesex in fifth place”Our confidence has been knocked a bit by our two heavy defeats to Sussex and Gloucestershire,” Middlesex coach Jason Pooley admitted. “But we’re a young side, and I think if we can have a good first session and get into a strong position on the first day we can get back to winning.”Elsewhere Sussex take on Durham, boosted by the news that they have a fully fit squad and a comfortable cushion at the top of Division Two. Paul Collingwood and Nicky Peng are injury worries for the visitors.Worcestershire entertain Hampshire at New Road in a vital game for the visitors’ promotion prospects. Hampshire are without Chris Tremlett and Alan Mullally.”I think the game will be evenly matched,” Worcestershire coach Tom Moody reasoned. “Their bowling attack may be a bit light without Alan Mullally who has bowled really well for them all season.”Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire contest the other game in Division Two, at Trent Bridge. Notts are adrift of the pack, while Derbyshire will be anxious to try to avoid the bottom spot that they currently fill.In Division One Lancashire host seemingly doomed Essex in a match the Old Trafford team need to win if they are to ease their relegation worries.

There was a distinct smell of springtime around the County Ground at Taunton this afternoon where the sun was shining for one of the first times for several days.Head Groundsman Phil Frost who won the coveted Groundsman of the Year award for a record breaking number of times in 2001 was busy mowing and then rolling the square whilst one of his assistant’s was mowing the outfield.In another part of the ground a third member of his team was busy verti-draining the outfield with an elaborate piece of equipment that the club had hired from Torquay based Devon Garden Machinery.Phil Frost told me, “We verti-drain the field at this time of the year to aerate the outfield, and also to reduce compaction so that it will take any storms that we get in the season.”I asked Phil how things were progressing for the new season. He told me “It’s looking good for this time of year, and everything is taking shape but it’s still very soft so there is nothing worth covering up at the moment.”He continued, “This is the first dry day that we’ve had for three weeks, so I’m giving the square a light rolling which I always do at around this time of the year.I will then progress onto the heavier rollers, but you can’t rush these jobs, it’s all about time.”He concluded, “Assuming that the weather stays fine we should have everything ready for the one day friendlies against the Somerset Cricket League on April 8th and the Somerset Board Eleven on April 9th.”

You hit, I york
Karan Goel had already smashed Munaf Patel forsixes over midwicket and long-off when the forgotten man of Indian fast bowling produced a magnificent yorker at 139.5 kph. It uprooted the off stump before Goel’s bat was halfway down, and a pumped-up Munaf celebrated with a few expletives that won’t win him a Spirit of Cricket award.Daddy Cool?
Shane Warne is more than just captain and coach, he’s the elder statesman of this Rajasthan Royals team. Bringing himself on with Kumar Sangakkara going berserk, Warne landed his third delivery well wide of off stump. Sangakkara swung with the turn, but didn’t connect cleanly, and the return catch was nonchalance itself. Genius doesn’t burn out, or fade away.All fall down
Another Warne topspinner, and an ill-judged sweep from Yuvraj Singh. The ball takes the edge and goes high into the night sky. Darren Lehmann has enough time to eat a pie, sip on a pint and light a fag, but when the ball comes down, he drops it. Warne, his old mate, looks away.O brother, where art thou?
Five balls into his spell, and after being slammed for two sixes by Yuvraj, Yusuf Pathan comes face to face with his younger brother. It may have been the 16th over of the innings, but Irfan just quietly played out two balls. No sibling rivalry headlines then.Half a bat is better than none
When James Hopes, his Queenslandteam-mate dropped one a little short, Shane Watson decided on thekitchen-sink approach. The ball sailed over long-on for six, but half ofthe broken bat nearly cleared the inner circle as well. Lalit Modi, theIPL commissioner, was seen holding on to the pieces later.Young gun smokes away
Ravindra Jadeja was one of the stars ofIndia’s Under-19 World Cup win, and after Warne had raved about histalent, he demonstrated it with some dazzling strokes as Rajasthancruised home. Watson was content to let the young man be the mainaggressor and he did that to telling effect, thumping Piyush Chawla overlong-on for six before two deft deflections off Brett Lee had the crowddancing in the stands. The cameras searched in vain for Ms Zinta’s missingsmile.

Alec Bedser has been fond of repeating Arthur Mailey’s bon mot that “the last bowler to be knighted was Sir Francis Drake”. Not any more because Alec Victor Bedser, now 78 and the 16th man to be knighted for his services to cricket, is also the first specialist bowler. A fierce patriot, his twin brother Eric will share his pride today, as always.The pedant might argue that Gubby, Sir George, Allen was abowler first and foremost but he made 11 first-class hundreds,one in a Test. Bedser, it is true, made a century himself, butin 576 first-class innings he passed 50 on only 12 otheroccasions.With a bat he did his honest best, as he has throughout anindustrious life. But with a new ball he was in his element, aholy terror whenever there was anything in the pitch and aformidable opponent even on a flat one. Sturdy as an oak, he hadthe perfect rocking action and his stock combination offast-medium inswing and leg cut brought him 1,924 wickets at 20runs each: 236 at 24 in his 51 Tests.A pillar of the all-conquering Surrey side of the 1950s, hecarried England’s attack in the years of rebuilding after thewar and made lifelong friends of opponents, especially his mostdemanding one, Don Bradman. He will be visiting Sir Donald inAdelaide shortly, as he does in most winters.Twice he was able to do so as manager of MCC tours, a reminderthat this honour reflects not just his bowling and his exemplarybearing on the field but also his work for English cricket sincehis retirement, including 13 years as chairman of selectors,1969-81, during which England lost only two of their sevenseries for the Ashes.His stern criticism of the current standard of English bowlingis understandable: when Bedser played on the same ground onwhich the second Test in Harare was drawn, his match figuresagainst a Rhodesia side containing three Test players were28-14-36-7.Cricketing KnightsFrancis Lacey (1926), Fred Toone (1929), Pelham Warner (1937),Donald Bradman (1949), Henry Leveson-Gower (1953), Jack Hobbs(1953), Leonard Hutton (1956), Frank Worrell (1964), NevilleCardus (1967), Garfield Sobers (1975), George Allen (1986),Richard Hadlee (1990), Colin Cowdrey (1992), Clyde Walcott(1994), Everton Weekes (1995), Alec Bedser (1996).Source :: Electronic Telegraph (https://www.telegraph.co.uk)

With a number of Australia’s top internationals nearing the end of their careers over the next couple of years, the forthcoming Top End series takes on greater importance as an opportunity for younger emerging players to stake their claim to the national side. So believes Allan Border, recently restored to the national selection panel.The series, due to begin shortly, is being played between A teams from India, Pakistan, New Zealand and hosts Australia in Darwin and Cairns and according to Border, it could not have come at a more opportune moment.Border believes performances over the next couple of years will help determine whether some of Australia’s older stars will be pushed out or go of their own accord. “That depends on the performance of the team generally and how good our young players are, and whether they’re pushing these guys,” Border told .Some of the A team players have already played Test cricket, all in the aftermath of the Ashes loss last year. Brad Hodge, Phil Jaques, Dan Cullen, Stuart Clark and Michael Hussey all toured Pakistan with the A team last October and have made their Test debuts since. Some – such as Hussey and Clark – have been immensely successful and become regulars.And, with the summer’s Ashes and next year’s World Cup expected to be among the last great challenges for Australia’s champion team, there can hardly be a better chance for Australia’s emerging players to make themselves irresistible.Others such as Shaun Tait, Shane Watson and Mitchell Johnson will also be keen to put forth their international credentials. Border, at least, takes heart from the strength of Australia’s back-up.”I’m very excited about the talent pool we’ve got. What we realise is that Warne, (Glenn) McGrath, (Adam) Gilchrist … and all these players, they’re in our best ever sides. But when Shane Warne started playing, I don’t think we envisaged a 700-wicket Test cricketer, and I played in his first Test match.”There are probably players out there right now that maybe fit that bill and we don’t know it yet. That will be the exciting process over the next couple of years.”