Vaughan- keen to start Photo CricInfo

It was said from a very early stage of his career that Michael Atherton was a future England captain. Now the same is being said about another Lancashire-born batsman who could well fill the place in the order vacated by Atherton’s retirement. The difference is that this Lancastrian by birth plays his cricket for Yorkshire.Michael Vaughan made his Test debut for England on the 1999-2000 tour to South Africa, and although he did not score as heavily as he would have liked, he did make an impression by his calm temperament and correct technique. That had been evident on the 1998-99 England A tour to South Africa where his leadership qualities shone through to earn him the ‘FEC’ tag.He has been unfortunate that the one period that has seen him suffer a number of injuries has coincided directly with his Test career. Having made his debut, he missed the first three Tests of the following summer, but came back to play a significant part in denying the West Indian attack in the gripping Lord’s Test – in company with Atherton. He missed the series in Pakistan through injury, but was back for the last Test in Sri Lanka. He recorded his maiden Test century at Old Trafford against Pakistan, but then missed the entire Ashes series.Now he is back, fit and hopefully in the form that saw him so successful in Yorkshire’s run-in to the CricInfo Championship title. Having missed so much cricket, there is little wonder that he was so keen to go on this trip. When there were doubts concerning personal safety expressed by some, Vaughan was at the forefront of those wanting to travel without hesitation.”The two years I have been involved with England I have picked up more injuries than during all the rest of my career. I’m really looking forward to a good trip now and hopefully I’ll find some form and score a few runs.”He is aware of the security implications, but now wants the side to concentrate entirely on cricket and not be distracted by other matters. “The one thing we’re going there for is to try to play some good cricket. We know it’s going to be tough. They’re a very good side on their own soil but, as we showed last winter when we went over there as underdogs, we can perform on the Sub-continent and there is no reason why we can’t do that again.”He added: “We’ve got to learn from last winter; that’s why you go to these places. Winning out there was a great bonus and the only way to improve on last winter is to take up all the hints, all the positive things we took from last winter and take them into this one. We know it’s going to be very tough. Their batting line-up is formidable, they’ve got some good spinners and a good opening bowler in Srinnath. So we know we’re up against it, but then we were up against it this time last year against Pakistan. There’s no reason why we can’t do well.”Asked if he really felt England could win this series, he was dismissive. “Of course. Last winter we went to Pakistan with everyone saying we stood no chance. Everyone is saying exactly the same this year, so there’s no reason why we can’t go and prove a few people wrong.”

Foster- Harbhajan Singh victim Photo CricInfo

James Foster has received the full support of the England coach, Duncan Fletcher, after his difficult Test debut in Mohali.Foster missed a catch and a straightforward stumping, and was out cheaply in each innings trying to sweep Harbhajan Singh as the tourists lost by 10 wickets.Foster also made a poor start to the recent one-day series in Zimbabwe, dropping a straightforward catch, but he recovered later in the series.”Obviously when some chances go down you are concerned but I have seen ithappen to other young guys,” said Fletcher.”People forget what Mark Boucher was like in his first few games. How welldid Rod Marsh keep early on?”Every time a young player comes in he gets compared to the old, experiencedguy going out. People don’t realise what the great players were like when they started out.”Did he (Foster) keep badly before this game? I thought he kept very well inthe warm-up games. In Zimbabwe, those last couple of games and those catches he took were great, he didn’t drop anything.”Fletcher added: “Our fielding overall was the one area I found strange inMohali. We dropped some simple catches. But it’s about confidence and the concentration levels have got to be up all the time.”At the end of the day you want to be saying `please Mr Batsman nick me acatch’.”There is no doubt that England also missed Alec Stewart, Darren Gough, Andy Caddick and Robert Croft, all of whom were unavailable for the tour.”I would like to have a full Test side all the time, Fletcher conceded.”That is why we tried to get these guys to play so we can put the strongestside out that England can put on the field. When you turn around and say `if you miss out on one set of Tests you may miss out on another series’ is that not enough pressure?”I wouldn’t say I feel let down (by their decisions), I am just disappointed. You are always going to be at a disadvantage if you are missing four or five players and the opposition are at full strength.”We know how difficult it is to play in India; Australia came with a fullside as the number ones in the world and they struggled. But for every negative there is a positive. These young guys have come out here and have the potential to grow in the game.”Meanwhile Ashley Giles, who took 17 wickets in Pakistan this time last year, isunlikely to be fit for the second Test at Ahmedabad next Tuesday. Despite cortisone injections his bruised heel, which has developed after his recent Achilles operation, is still not fully recovered.”We want him to play, he was and is a key figure and that’s why we brought him out here,” Fletcher said.”Hopefully he can be fit for the second Test, if not the third Test. But we won’t leave it too late before making a decision, he will have to bowl some balls in the nets first.”If Giles is unfit England will probably go into the second Test with two off-spinners, with Martyn Ball joining Richard Dawson in the XI.

During their 1984-85 tour of India, David Gower’s Englishmen lost first by an innings to the Under-25 side before going down in the first Test by eight wickets. This was after a unique `blackwash’ at home against West Indies in the summer. The side was hastily branded as the weakest English team to visit the sub-continent and only the margin of the Indian victory in the series was being debated. By the end of the five match series though, England had astonishingly won the contest by two matches to one, becoming the only team to come from behind to win a Test series in India – a honour they retain even now.

In the first place, there was a sense of complacency in the Indian ranks. This was something that Sunil Gavaskar’s team, 17 years ago, were also guilty of and they paid the price. The Indian squad this time was luckier in that they did not pay the ultimate price. But this overconfident attitude has allowed the visitors to come back into the series.

Memories of what happened 17 years ago come to mind now after England had the slight edge in the exchanges in the drawn second Test at Ahmedabad. After all, they did gain a sizeable first innings lead of 116 runs and frequently put India under pressure, even to the extent of setting the home team a formidable target of 374 in the fourth innings.This, coming from a rag tag outfit that had lost the first Test at Mohali only a week ago by ten wickets in four days, must be regarded as a commendable feat. Indeed, going into the final day, England looked the only team with a chance of victory after dominating the game for long periods over the four days preceding it. Hopes of a second successive clean sweep over England in this country have now vanished and the series remains alive, which may be the best thing to happen to what initially appeared to be a lop sided contest.How did this transformation come about? How did a side, branded the weakest English team to come to India, come up with the kind of heart-warming performance that moved Nasser Hussain to say, “We have got a lot of belief in our team and this was an exceptional effort”?After all, the players were much the same, and if anything, the home team had been strengthened by the inclusion of Javagal Srinath and Virender Sehwag. The answers to these questions are not hard to find.In the first place, there was a sense of complacency in the Indian ranks. This was something that Sunil Gavaskar’s team, 17 years ago, were also guilty of and they paid the price. The Indian squad this time was luckier in that they did not pay the ultimate price. But this overconfident attitude has allowed the visitors to come back into the series. The Indians were guilty of a lot of poor cricket. The fielding was sub-standard, the catching abysmal and there was a touch of indiscipline in the batting and the bowling.That said, one must credit the Englishmen with learning from the mistakes they made at Mohali. There was no doubt that the batsmen tackled the spinners in a more positive manner. Mark Butcher, Marcus Trescothick, Craig White and Nasser Hussain were ready to attack the bowling instead of being content with just playing from the crease. The bowlers, like they did at Mohali, again stuck to their plan and if they performed better, it was also because the fielding standards were a notch higher. Ashley Giles showed that he could be a tricky customer. Hussain, as he did in the first Test, put the Indian batsmen under pressure with his 7-2 offside field. Sachin Tendulkar got away with some innovative strokes on the leg side but the others were found wanting. There be no doubt, Hussain is a thinking captain, who relies much on strategy and tactical moves. But unlike at Mohali, the captain this time was not let down by his batsmen and bowlers. Indeed, so rejuvenated were the squad that they even made light of Graham Thorpe’s last minute withdrawal.The Indians finally drew the match comfortably, thanks to Tendulkar and Laxman, Kumble and Harbhajan and, Das and Dasgupta, to keep their lead in a series that they cannot now lose. There is little doubt that India is the stronger outfit but the problem is they are not playing up to potential. They can redeem their reputation, slightly dented by events at Ahmedabad, by winning at Bangalore and for this, the return of Sarandeep Singh is a must. Three spin bowlers on a pitch likely to aid turn and bounce, will not only be an attacking move but could also be a winning combination. If that means dropping a batsman, so be it. After all, isn’t it better to win a series 2-0 rather than 1-0? But then the selectors may adopt the safe approach and reckon that a 1-0 victory is better than sharing a series 1-1.

Dhaka Division got full points in their 4-day match against Chittagong Division in Ispahani 3rd National Cricket League 2001-2002 held in M A Aziz stadium, Chittagong today. They defeated the hosts by 24 runs as Chittagong were all out for 179 in their second innings.Winning the toss Chittagong Division sent their opponents to bat first. Dhaka piled up 285 runs with the help of Mehrab Hussain (60), Halim Shah (57) and Neeyamur Rashid (37). Tareq Aziz Khan captured 5 wickets for 68.Chittagong failed to capitalize the advantage of the home ground and they managed only 237 thanks to veteran Minhajul Abedin’s 78 and opener Azam Iqbal’s 63. Ex-Bangladeshi captain Naimur Rahman claimed 4 wickets giving away 68 runs.Dhaka batted again having a 48 run lead, but could not fend off the hostile deliveries off Tareq Aziz. In the second innings they lost all their wickets having 155 runs on the board. Neeyamur Rashid top scored with 37. Tareq Aziz caused the havoc once again removing 5 Dhaka batsmen for 44.Chittagong Division, having a target of 203 to win, lost dependable opener Azam Iqbal for 4 only. Local hero Masum-ud-Dowla made the highest 38. Akram Khan scored 30. Spinner duo Naimur Rahman and Mosaddek Hossain made the task impossible for Chittagong. They restricted the hosts to 179 all out. Both naimur and Mosaddek captured three wickets each.Tareq Aziz Khan was adjudges the man-of-the-match for his 10-wicket haul in the match.

Tripura’s batsmen ensured that their side did not lose to Assam in their Ranji Trophy league match at Guwahati on Thursday.Overnight on 80/1 and facing a deficit of almost 200 runs, the visiting batsmen held their nerve to play steadily for a draw. Opener Rasudeb Dutta fell after almost 20 overs of play, making 45 off 145 balls.SD Chowdhury and A Sattar, however, proved equal to the task ahead of them. Putting on 81 runs for the third wicket in almost 30 overs, they proceeded to grind Assam’s bowling successfully. Chowdhury made 76 off 170 balls, while Sattar scored 69 off 190 balls.Both fell before the close of play, but Tripura ended the day on 288/6, with Sandip Bannerjee and R Dutta at the crease. With this draw, the visitors pick three points by virtue of their first-innings deficit, while the hosts pick up five points.

Skipper Carl Hooper’s masterful unbeaten 112 helped the West Indies put a daunting 260 on the board, and the Caribbean attack put enough pressure on Pakistan to rustle up a win by a whopping 110 runs. The victory didn’t alter the result of the three-match series, but salvaged some much battered pride for the West Indies.Predictably, Hooper walked away with the man-of-the-match award, as Abdul Razzaq bagged the man-of-the-series honours.After the West Indies had collapsed again and again in Sharjah, this time it was Pakistan’s turn. They lost their first three batsmen for only 18 in the fourth over and last four for 23 to manage a most disappointing 150. On a good batting wicket, this was a display unworthy of a team which had won nine one-dayers and six Tests on the trot.True, the target was stiff and Pakistan are not known to be good chasers. But it was the same attack they had mastered so thoroughly in the previous games. The only explanation for this shoddy show is that maybe the Pakistanis thought that the match was only of academic importance.With four Pakistan wickets down by the 11th over, it seemed to be all over bar the shouting. After the West Indian seamers had undone the upper order, Hooper and Gayle mopped up the rest with their off-spin, never allowing any resistance to take root. With no partnerships going, wickets falling at regular intervals and the asking rate climbing up with each passing over, the writing was on the wall.Gayle’s part-time off-spin was good enough to account for Inzamam-ul-Haq (who in contrast to the previous match when he opened the innings, came in at seven), Rashid Latif, Waqar Younis and to end the innings, clean bowling Shoaib Akhtar for a creditable haul of four for 19.Chasing a big target, Pakistan needed a quick and solid start. The man who could get them off to a flyer was Shahid Afridi. He clubbed Pedro Collins for a four at mid-wicket, but then perished trying to turn one to square leg uppishly, straight to Morton. Latif and Younis departed shortly afterwards. Youhana was the main hope, but when he too played a casual stroke, Dillon grabbing the caught and bowled chance, at four for 51 Pakistan could not have hoped to outscore the Windies.Razzaq tried to play himself in with Shoaib Malik, but when they were sent back, bowled by Hooper and run out respectively, Pakistan had lost the match. Only the last rites remained to be completed.Earlier, Carl Hooper (112, 127 deliveries, 8 fours and four sixes) played a great skipper’s knock. With Ganga, Gayle, Morton and Hinds gone for only 61 by the 14th over, yet another defeat stared him in the face. But Hooper and Shivnarine Chanderpaul had different ideas. By the time the stand for the fifth wicket was finally broken in the 45th over, these two had put together a West Indian record 154 runs in one-day internationals. The previous best for this wicket was 152 between Viv Richards and Clive Lloyd against Sri Lanka at Brisbane in 1982.More importantly this was the first time in this series that the West Indies managed to put more than 200 on the board. After a slow start, both Hooper and Chanderpaul started calling the shots, and devoid of Wasim Akram and Saqlain Mushtaq, who between them have nearly 700 one-day wickets, the Pakistan attack wilted under their clinical assault. They mixed caution with courage and mastery; the first 50 of the stand came off 90 deliveries while the next 104 consumed only 95. The last 13 overs produced 113 runs, as the Pakistani bowlers were hit around the park.Hooper and Chanderpaul both started slowly, milking the bowling for ones and twos until they were set. The Pakistanis had brought the run rate under four by the 23rd over, when Waqar for whatever reason brought the untested Naveed Latif to bowl military medium. Chanderpaul and Hooper took a boundary apiece, the former an imperious drive to long-on fence and the latter an edge to fine third man; 13 off an over. Sami and Afridi put the brakes on, but by then Hooper was really well set, and he stepped out to put Shoaib Malik beyond the long-on fence for a six to notch his 50 (5 fours, 1 six).Chanderpaul clubbed Afridi for a six over mid-wicket and then drove him for four to mid-wicket. As if trying to match him stroke for stroke, Hooper hoiked Mohammad Sami over long-off six and then square-drove him for four.As the two put their feet on the pedal, the figures of Pakistani bowlers took a beating. Sami had been miserly in his first spell, earning him a wicket for 18 runs off the first six overs. His other three went for 36. Chanderpaul (67, 93 balls, 4 fours, 2 sixes) ultimately fell to Razzaq, caught at the wicket. Looking for quick runs, Hooper cover-drove Waqar for six while Ridley Jacobs was promoted in the order. The two were unbeaten at the end as the last five overs yielded 40 runs.260 for five was a great deal more than what Hooper would have expected after his top order was gone for 61 after he had won the toss. Ganga was again gone in the first over, edging a Waqar away-swinger into Rashid Latif’s safe hands for a second successive blob. Inzamam at first slip failed to hold onto a Gayle edge off Shoaib Akhtar. To add insult to injury, Gayle unleashed two fours, pulling him straight back and to the mid-wicket fence.Shoaib once again induced the edge from Gayle in his next over, and this time it was Younis at first slip who pouched it with a sigh of relief. Waqar removed Runako Morton with a delivery that moved back sharply. Hinds and Hooper hung in there for a while but an innocuous looking Sami delivery was guided by Hinds to Younis at first slip for the second catch of the day.That brought Hooper and Chanderpaul together, and the two between them did a remarkable job to put Pakistan firmly on the back foot. The Pakistanis did not recover from the onslaught.

Kenyan coach Sandeep Patil admitted to being hurt by the manner in which hisside slumped to defeat in the second unofficial Test against Sri Lanka A inMatara, calling it the worst performance in his three-year tenure.He went on to complain that his players’ natural talent was being wastedbecause of their inability to play as a team.Speaking straight after the team had been defeated by an innings and 152 runsto lose the series with a Sri Lanka A side two-nil, Patil said: “Winning andlosing doesn’t matter, but the way we lost it does.”He added: “We have to start playing as a team. There’s no point in playersgetting hundreds if we cannot play as a team.””We have no excuses at all, the umpiring has been very good, the pitcheshave been absolutely brilliant, and the facilities tremendous.”I still don’t believe the kind of cricket we have played. This the worstperformance of the Kenyan team in the last three years I have beenassociated with them.””We’ve come here to educate ourselves, to learn and we have already wastedten days without learning.”His batsmen bore the brunt of his disappointment: “We have not beenselective enough in out shot making, playing too many shots. We have notbeen able to handle the pressure.”But Patil is also convinced that the team can perform much better.”I have seen these guys playing some brilliant cricket and I am confidentthey can do it,” he said.He now hopes they can salvage from the series in the final Test startingThursday at Dambulla.”Now it is up to us to wake up and pull our socks up and get back into theseries by playing some good cricket,” he said.”As long as we can learn from our mistakes and we take a step forwardtowards what we intend doing ultimately, then I’ll be happy. We can performto our ability in the next game.”Sri Lanka ‘A’ coach, Roshan Mahanama, was delighted with the performance ofhis players, whom he claimed had worked hard and to a plan.”I wanted them to get big scores and they have done so,” he said. “In thebowling, all the wickets have been shared. That’s a sign the team is playingas a unit and everyone is trying to do their best for the team. It hasworked out well for the boys and I am happy for them.”Commenting on Chandana’s contribution to the win, Mahanama said: “To be fairby Chandana, he has been labeled a one-day cricketer. He has played a lot ofone-day cricket and he hasn’t had the opportunity of playing the longerversion of the game. He’s clearly making good use of the opportunity givento him now.””I am sure the captaincy also would have given him that added confidence. Hehas done a fantastic job, not only with the bat and ball, but as captain aswell”.On Tillakaratne Dilshan’s century (164 not out), Mahanama said: “I was veryimpressed with him. He went through a lean period. He got two back-to-backhundreds against England but since then he has struggled a bit.”I wanted him to convert the fifties and sixties in club matches into bigscores and that’s exactly what he did. He batted for close to seven hoursand he showed his commitment.”

The Tasmanian Selectors have today announced the Cascade Tasmanian Tigers team to play the Queensland Bulls in the Pura Cup match from Thursday, 19th December to Sunday, 22nd December 2002 at the Bellerive Oval in Hobart.CASCADE TASMANIAN TIGERS

Jamie COX (Captain)
Sean CLINGELEFFER
Michael DIGHTON
Michael Di VENUTO
Xavier DOHERTY
Adam GRIFFITH
Shane JURGENSEN
Scott KREMERSKOTHEN
Daniel MARSH
Scott MASON
Ben OLIVER
Damien WRIGHT

The 12th man will be announced on the morning of the match.The team is the same as the team that defeated Western Australia at the WACA on the first innings last week.Ben Oliver who is representing Tasmania at the ACB Cup match in Brisbane will return to Hobart today.

All-rounder Jacob Oram will take no further part in the National Bank Series.He broke his little finger on his left hand at catching practice yesterday, before today’s fifth One-Day International.Oram saw an orthopaedic surgeon last night who advised that Oram needed at least a week’s break.TelstraClear Black Caps manager Jeff Crowe said the aim was not to have Oram play a State Shield match before the team leaves for the World Cup.”Jake’s rehabilitation will be managed by the New Zealand Cricket medical team and he will continue with fitness work, including regular bowling, during the next couple of weeks,” Crowe said.

Can Shane play cricket for Australia, Hampshire, Victoria or St Kilda?
No.Can he appeal?
Yes. He has made a public statement that he will appeal.What is the appeal process?
Notice of his intention to appeal must be given to the ACB within seven days of receiving the decision. The notice must specify the findings of fact or law upon which the appeal is based.The appeals committee will be derived from the National Sports Dispute Centre (NSDC) – a group formed by the Australian and New Zealand Sports Lawyers Association, Sport Industry Australia and the Australian Sports Commission.What happens to his contract?
Warne’s contract is suspended for the duration of his suspension.Who were the witnesses?
The Committee heard evidence from seven witnesses: Shane Warne, his mother Mrs Brigitte Warne, Dr Peter Harcourt, ACB medical officer Dr Trefor James, Warne’s treating physician, Dr Greg Hoy, the director of the drug testing laboratory, Dr Ray Kazlauskas and Australian Sports Drug Agency education officer Mr Tim Burke.Five of the witnesses were called on behalf of Shane Warne. One was called on behalf of the ACB. Dr Peter Harcourt also gave evidence to the Committee.What did the witnesses say?
None of the evidence or testimony from the hearing is public as it is confidential to the hearing.The Committee has provided their oral reasons for the decision which will be provided in due course.Will this be made available publicly?
Yes.Why was the hearing closed?
The policy provides for hearings to be closed as they are commonly in other sports. This is by general rule and not exception.The testimony by witnesses is confidential to the hearing. However, the Committee will provide in due course a full and detailed account of their reasons for the decisions, and this will be available publicly.Will the ACB call up a replacement player to the World Cup and if so, when?
The ACB will make a decision on that matter as soon as possible.Will Shane Warne’s pending appeal affect that decision?
Yes. That factor will be taken into account when considering whether to call a replacement player.What does the “exceptional circumstances” clause mean?
The ACB included clause 4.5(b) in its policy in 1998, which was subsequently agreed in principle by the ASC.Clause 4.5 (b) states that –
“Exceptional circumstances exist if either:
(b) the player held an honest and reasonable belief in a state of facts which, if they existed, would mean that the player did not commit a doping offence.”This clause was adopted into the ACB’s policy to reflect a well-recognised legal principle and to provide a clear line of defence for a player/official who has an arguable defence.How often does ASDA take samples from cricket players?
All ACB and state contracted players are subject to random checks. 347 tests were conducted between the policy’s inception in 1998-99 and February this year.