Continuous rains and a heavy outfield forced abandonment of the sixth match of the NatWest Triangular one-day match that was to be played between Australia and Pakistan at the Riverside Stadium at Chester-le-Street in Durham yesterday. Both teams were awarded a point each. The two sides are scheduled to meet once again at Trent Bridge, Nottingham, in a day/night encounter on Tuesday before contesting the final at Lord's on Saturday, June 23.

Former Pakistan skipper Wasim Akram has denied reports that have been appearing in a section of the press, that he has been told by the team management to prove his fitness or else return home. Wasim has missed the last two one-day games, saying his left side was still causing him trouble despite taking cortisone injections. It has also been reported that although doctors have proclaimed that he is fit to play, Wasim has been buying more time with these excuses. He was on the team list to play the last match against England at Lord's but pulled out at the very last minute. Meanwhile, Saeed Anwar who missed the last game to be with his daughter, who is undergoing treatment at a Birmingham hospital, will be available for Pakistan's next match against England at Leeds today.

The first day at Harare saw 13 wickets fall, while the second day was in complete contrast - only five wickets fell while 270 runs were amassed by the Zimbabweans in an effort, that made the Indian bowlers look pedestrian. Andy Flower may have been deprived of yet another half century but his brother Grant made up for it with a patient unbeaten knock (80). Each batsman made his contribution on a wicket that seems to have eased out. That should be good news for the Indians as they attempt to wipe out the lead and set a target for Zimbabwe to chase in the last innings.

Statistical Highlights

Carl Hooper, the skipper of West Indies team, who are now in Zimbabwe to participate in the tri-series featuring the hosts and India said he felt that India would do very well under John Wright. Hooper, who came out of a self imposed retirement to lead a battered West Indian side earlier this year, said he had played for Kent in the English county when Wright was the coach for a long time before he took up the Indian assignment. He said Wright was a thorough coach and the results of his work have already started showing, with India defeating a strong team as the Australians and now forcing a win out of the subcontinent after almost 15 years. He also added that off-spinner Harbhajan Singh, who had tormented the Aussies at home, will be not be as effective in Zimbabwe since the conditions here are different.

With the creation of a new state of Jharkhand, the headquarters of the Bihar Cricket association (BCA) has shifted its activity from Jamshedpur to Patna, leaving the Jharkhand to form their own new associations in the state. The new state however saw not one but two associations being formed. The Cricket Association of Jharkhand (CAJ) and Jharkhand Cricket Association (JCA) are now at loggerheads with each other to establish supremacy in the state. The BCCI is still to approve the affiliation sought by the CAJ to the parent body.

The confusion regarding the leasing out of the land on which the Dambulla International cricket stadium was built, has been criticised by the Sri Lankan Buddhist Chief Priest Mahanayake of the Asgiri Chapter, the Most Ven. Udugama Sri Ratnapala Buddharakkitha Thera. He blamed the commissioner for Buddhist affairs for creating an unnecessary controversy over the issue of the lease of the land.
Briefing the media yesterday he said that all necessary protocol was carried out by then Sri Lankan Cricket Board before construction of the stadium. He was reacting to a statement by the ministry officials, a few days ago that said that the monks had no right to lease out the land to build the stadium. In the meanwhile, since this issue is pending in a Sri Lankan court no cricket can be played in the picturesque stadium until then.

The president of World Tel, Mark Mascarenhas, will be questioned by the Sharjah investigators later this month. Mascarenhas is believed to be a close friend of the former ICC President Jagmohan Dalmiya and the deals he had with latter for procuring rights for the 1996 World Cup and the 1998 ICC Knockout tournament are under scrutiny. Since last five years World Tel has the television rights to all matches that are played at Sharjah.

Sir Paul Condon, the head of the ICC's Anti Corruption Unit, has been trying to interview the present England captain Alec Stewart about allegations that the latter took money from an Indian bookmaker. The two met, this January, albeit briefly, when Stewart said he would co-operate with the inquiry. However Condon, it seems is annoyed that Stewart has not kept up with the date and would perhaps ask the ECB to drop him from the England team if he does not co-operate with ACU.