Zimbabwe in India

Paul Strang has been released from his professional contract with the Zimbabwe Cricket Union.

The 32-year old requested the release to take up a commentating job during the Zimbabwe tour of India and, thereafter, a club contract in the Liverpool Cricket Premier Division in England.

Although Strang would have left tomorrow with the Zimbabwe Board XI to tour South Africa, the selectors replaced him with Dirk Viljoen, saying that experience should be given to someone who will use it locally.

Strang has therefore been released with immediate effect. "It's a positive life decision for myself. I have had a couple of chronic injuries over the past two years, making every day a challenge" said Strang.

An all-rounder who will be remembered for his leg-spin bowling, Strang made his Test debut for Zimbabwe in the third match against Sri Lanka, in Harare in 1994.

He lists his personal highlights as scoring a century against Pakistan in a Test match, picking up five wickets in the same innings in Sheikhupura 1996/97 and 8 for 109 in the first Test against New Zealand in Bulawayo two years ago.

Australia's new captain

Tasmanian Ricky Ponting was today named Australian one-day cricket captain for the current tour of South Africa and Zimbabwe, with Adam Gilchrist as his deputy.

Australian Cricket Board (ACB) chairman Bob Merriman said the appointments had been a unanimous decision by the ACB selection panel of Trevor Hohns, Allan Border, David Boon and Andrew Hilditch.

"As you are well aware, the recent decision by the Australian Cricket Board national selection panel regarding Stephen Waugh has resulted in the need for the directors of the ACB to appoint a new captain to the Australian one-day team," Merriman said.

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The gulf between Australian coach John Buchanan and the national selectors has widened with Buchanan admitting he was "shocked and disappointed" at Steve Waugh's one-day axing.

Clearly unhappy with the decision, Buchanan spoke for the first time about Waugh's dismissal from the one-day side at Australia's press conference in Johannesburg after the Test squad arrived from Australia.

"Steve's omission from the one-day side has come as a shock and a great disappointment to all of us but that is the selectors' decision," Buchanan said. "It came as a shock to me as it did to Steve. It's pretty plain I felt disappointed probably like the rest of the side and most of the population.

"But it's the decision the selectors have made and we now have to build a new side.

Domestic

Left-arm seamer Zaheer Khan made a strong case for his return to the national squad as he led defending champions Baroda to a 136-run victory over Punjab on the third day of the five-day semi-final in Baroda on Friday.

Khan claimed six wickets for 25 runs to send Punjab packing for 82 in their second innings.

Baroda had earlier set Punjab a target of 219 runs, to be achieved in about two-and-half days, after their second innings folded at 233.

Baroda will now take on the winner of second semi-final between Bengal and Railways, currently being played in Delhi.

The final will be played from March 6-10.

Wisden's Top ODI performances

Viv Richards played the greatest one-day innings of all time. His dynamic 189 not out against England at Old Trafford in 1984 has been rated as the best performance in one-day International cricket according to Wisden.com. He is joined at the top of the rankings by Gary Gilmour, awarded the best bowling performance in one-day history for his 6-14 in the inaugural World Cup semi-final between Australia and England at Headingley in 1975.

Following the success and appeal of the Wisden 100, which assessed and rated every batting and bowling performance in Test cricket, Mr Yajurvindra Singh Bilkha, Managing Director of Wisden Online India said that "Wisden.com have prepared their Top 100 One-Day International innings of all time based on analysis of 31 years of one-day Internationals."
The complete list

Miscellaneous

In a major turn of events, Sony Entertainment Television has bagged the television broadcast rights for six years of international cricket for a huge $375 million package.

In the bidding, Sony beat ESPN Star Sports by a whisker as well as Prasar Bharti Corporation. The Prasar Bharti bid was far below the SET bid, industry sources said. The $375-million payment will be made instalments between 2002 and 2007.

Though official statements from Global Cricket Corporation and World Sport Nimbus and SET allude to the deal being in an "advanced state of negotiations," the parties also said they were confident they would successfully conclude this transaction. Industry sources said the deal was as good as done and only a formal announcement in March was awaited.

The package is for both satellite and terrestrial broadcasting rights. SET will be paying between $250m and $275m for the satellite rights, while advertising sources in touch with the arrangements estimate the terrestrial rights to be in the range of $90-100m.

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England's chairman of selectors, David Graveney, has confirmed that Darren Gough will not be selected for the forthcoming Test series in New Zealand.

Gough was omitted from the squad for the three-match series along with Surrey's Alec Stewart after both players decided to miss the first part of the winter programme in India.

Gough's recent good form in India and New Zealand had led to speculation that England might ask him to stay on.

"The players were offered a contract that encompassed two Test series in India and New Zealand," Graveney said.

"Darren decided he wanted a rest and that's up to him. Therefore the squads were chosen without him playing Test match cricket. He is an important guy but we have to stick to decisions that we have made.

Pakistan and West Indies in Sharjah

Mohammad Sami grabbed a hat-trick after a maiden century by Shoaib Malik to lift Pakistan to a 51-run win over the West Indies for a decisive 2-0 lead in the three-match one-day series.

Malik, sent in as a pinch-hitter, hit an unbeaten 111 off 130 balls as Pakistan recovered from 4-51 to post 232 all out.

Sami, the least experienced member of Pakistan's seam attack, then claimed the last three wickets off successive balls to bowl the West Indies out for 181 in 34.4 overs.

In what is becoming a frequent feature with West Indian batting, the last five wickets fell for just three runs after they appeared to be coasting to victory.

Chris Gayle smashed 62 off 46 balls to lift the West Indies to 1-101 by only the 14th over, before four middle-order wickets went down for 32 runs.

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The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) gave an ultimatum to the International Cricket Council (ICC) to be prepared for serious trouble if paceman Shoaib Akhtar was reported again for a suspect bowling action.

The warning came directly from PCB chairman Lt Gen Tauqir Zia, who threatened that the Pakistan team would be withdrawn and the tour would be called off immediately.

He was candid in saying that the PCB would drag the ICC to the court of law as the pacer had been cleared by the University of Western Australia, the same institution that also cleared Sri Lankan spinner Muthiah Muralitharan.

"The captain and the manager have my standing instructions to withdraw the team from the field, pack their bags and abort the tour if Shoaib is reported again," the general said.

He added that he feared Shoaib would be called or reported as the controversial fast bowler had found his rhythm and was bowling fast. "I fear he will be targeted again because he has again started taking wickets and the World Cup is not far away."

World Cup 2003

Lord Condon, the head of the International Cricket Council's anti-corruption unit, insisted yesterday that the game is on target for a corruption-free World Cup in 12 months' time.

He said: "I am very confident that the measures being put in place in South Africa and around the world will ensure the World Cup will be a tournament played entirely on merit.

"There will be a sensible but stringent security regime in place, which will act as a major deterrent to would-be corruptors. At the same time, it will be as unobtrusive as possible as far as players and spectators are concerned."

In June last year, Lord Condon set a target date of the World Cup in South Africa for corruption to be at an "irreducible minimum" throughout the international game.

"There is now much greater awareness of the problem among cricket authorities and players," he added.

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