Hurt by the loss in the second Test match at Harare, India struck back strongly with an easy ten-wicket win over a reasonably strong Zimbabwe-A side in a practice one-day match at the Sunrise Sports Club yesterday. Ganguly won the toss and inserted the home team who could only muster 103 against a bowling attack that consisted of Debasis Mohanty, Harvinder Singh, Reetinder Sodhi, Zaheer Khan, Virender Shewag and Hemang Badani. The Indians knocked off the required target within 17 overs with Shewag making a cavalier 75 of 52 balls including 10 fours and 2 sixes. Skipper Sourav Ganguly made a sedate 31 of 50 balls.

After Andy Flower, it is the turn of West Indian Brian Lara to pull out of tri-series tournament that begins today at Harare. Lara, will miss the Zimbabwe tour, which also includes two Test matches, due to a hamstring injury. Lara who was forced to leave the field during his side's warm up game against a Country Districts XI this week, has been troubled by this injury since a year now. Lara who will be leaving for home said he was not worried about the prospects of his side as there were plenty of fringe players waiting for an opportunity to prove their talent. The tri-series, which begins today, will certainly miss Andy Flower and Lara, perhaps the best two left-handers in the world today.

West Indies will take on Zimbabwe today in the opening match of the tri-series tournament at Harare. This incidentally is the first ever such tri-nation tournament to be held in Zimbabwe.

Australia and Pakistan will clash at Lord's in an action replay of the 1999 World Cup final. Both teams are high on confidence. Meanwhile, Pakistan coach Richard Pybus feels that the hurt of the loss suffered in 1999 final will spur the Pakistanis to an inspiring performance. Pybus, was then the assistant coach to Mushtaq Mohammad.

England fast bowler Andrew Caddick's place in the first Ashes Test appears in doubts after x-rays revealed a hairline fracture on his knuckle. Caddick suffered the injury while he was batting in England's last match at the Oval against Australia. He was struck by a ball from Brett Lee during his innings of 36.

After a dismal performance from the England team that has been performing well of late, chairman of selectors David Graveney is likely to meet up with the authorities of England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB). After two away series wins (in Pakistan and Sri Lanka) England went into the NatWest Triangular high on confidence. They however lost all six matches, extending their one-day internationals losing streak to a record eleven matches. Graveney, co-selector Geoff Miller and coach Duncan Fletcher will meet with the ECB's senior officials to try and explain England's dismal performance during this month. England are scheduled to take on the champions Australia in a five-match Ashes series that begins on July 5 at Birmingham.

The heads of the Asian Cricket Council have succumbed to the Indian pressure and have agreed that Dhaka will not host the Asian Test Championship final unless Bangladesh qualify for it. The Asian Cricket Council (ACC) chief Tauqir Zia, confirmed that it will be hosted by either one of the two finalists. The final is scheduled to be played from February 15-19, 2002. The 1999 edition of the Asian Test Championship was won by Pakistan when it beat Sri Lanka in the final at Dhaka.

The BCCI is to receive a proposal from the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) within the next few days regarding the Asian Test Championship. On receipt of the proposal the BCCI will be writing to the Government seeking permission to tour Pakistan for the league stage encounter. According to the tentative schedule India will play Pakistan at Karachi from September 13-17.

Banned former Pakistan captain Salim Malik said he would continue to fight the legal ban imposed on him over match fixing. Last week a Pakistan civil Court ruled against the former skipper saying the ban was rightly imposed. Malik however has filed another case in a Lahore sessions court with the first hearing being set for July 7. The 37-year-old Malik, was banned indefinitely from international and domestic cricket and was also fined by the PCB after a year-long match-fixing inquiry which was made public in May last year. Malik, one of Pakistan's prolific batsman during the 1980s and 1990s, has played in 103 Tests and 283 one-day games.

South African batsmen Daryll Cullinan who is Kent's overseas player for the season has been troubled by a knee injury. Cullinan claims the injury was picked up as he had trained too hard during South African's tour of the West Indies in March-April this year. Cullinan has made a hurried trip to see a specialist in Johannesburg. It now seems his contract with Kent will depend on the fitness test he will have to take before his county's next match against Lancashire.

The Pakistan team manager Yawar Saeed has ruled out the fact that fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar's mysterious illness was related to his consuming steroids or such banned substances. Yawar said tests carried out revealed a liver-stomach problem. The Pakistan manager said he had not been in touch with Shoaib since the fast bowler was released from the national side and was told to go home following his inability to bowl a spell of 10 overs during the NatWest one-day series, although the fast bowler did produce some of this fastest deliveries. Shoaib however chose to remain in England and is playing cricket for a village club Lashings, in Kent.

Meanwhile, Lashings, the village cricket club in the Kent county, made famous of late when it signed up many star internationals including Brian Lara and Shoaib Akhtar, has thrown a challenge to the Kent County Cricket Club. The two teams are scheduled to battle it out for the Intertops.com Titans of Kent Cup in a 40-over day-night match at the St. Lawrence Ground on August 6. Kent skipper Matthew Fleming is however confident his side will put up on a good show despite the presence of many stars in the Lashings side. Led by former West Indian skipper Richie Richardson, Kent will be facing a bowling line up that includes, Shoaib Akhtar, Allan Donald, Wasim Akram and Courtney Walsh. Lashing skipper Richardson in jest said that the only thing that could save Kent was rain!

In a desperate attempt to maintain the popularity of cricket in the desert with India no more involved, the CBFS has doubled its prize money for the next tournament to be played in Sharjah. A prize money of US$250,000 will be up for grabs when Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe meet for a tri series tournament from October 22 to November 4. This is nearly $ 100,000 more than previous years. The winner takes away $ 120,000, the runner up $80,000 and the third team $50,000.

Meanwhile, the CBFS are also inviting bids for the title sponsorship and television rights for the tournament. After the last tournament in April, the WorldTel contract with the CBFS for television rights has expired.

The two-member team from the ICC's Anti Corruption Unit (ACU) left India without meeting bookie Mukesh Gupta. The duo was looking forward to record a formal statement from the bookie on the involvement of cricket players in match-fixing. Gupta, who has earlier met the ACU on two occasions had volunteered to give information but had refused to give a formal statement. Meanwhile, the CBI officials in India said the ICC team had not sought any help from them to trace Gupta, who is currently in hiding. The ICC team left for Lahore yesterday to carry out inquiries there.

Zimbabwe 'A' vs Indians
Played at Sunrise Sports Club, Harare
Toss:Indians
Zimbabwe A: 103 in 32.4 overs (S Matsikenyeri 38; H Badani 2-8, Z Khan 2-18, RS Sodhi 2-21)
Indians: 108-0 in 17 overs (S Ganguly 31, V Shewag 75)
Result: Indians won by 10 wickets.

Yesterday's News                                   News Roll archive

Compiled by: Mohandas Menon