India's tour of West Indies

Sourav Ganguly was today retained skipper of the Indian cricket team for its two-month tour of West Indies starting April 2.

The teams for the West Indies tour and that for the remaining two one-dayers against Zimbabwe would be announced this evening, Cricket Board secretary Niranjan Shah said on television.

India will play five Tests and an equal number of one-day internationals in West Indies.

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A West Indies training squad will be chosen in Barbados on Wednesday for a one-week training camp in Trinidad from March 21-28 ahead of their five-Test series against India.

"We decided to utilise the break between the Busta Shield semis and final as best we could to prepare the team for the series against the Indians," said Michael Hall, chief cricket operations officer of the West Indies Cricket Board.

West Indies will play five Tests and five one-day internationals against India followed by a two-Test series against New Zealand.

England in New Zealand

First Test, Christchurch, day one:
England 1st innings 228 all out (81.2 overs); New Zealand 1st innings 9-1 (6 overs, at close).

Skipper Nasser Hussain produced one of the most valuable centuries of his career to put England in a good position at the Jade Stadium.

Being dismissed for under 250 on the opening day of a Test is not normally a positive start, but with the pitch still offering plenty of help to the seamers, England are very much in the match.

Hussain batted for five hours and 23 minutes after going to the wicket with his side on nought for two and was last man out for 106, the 10th century of his Test career.

Australia in South Africa

Second Test, Cape Town, day five:
Australia 382 & 334-6 beat South Africa 239 & 473 by four wickets.

Ricky Ponting scored an unbeaten 100 to steer Australia to a tense series-clinching victory against South Africa in the second Test in Cape Town.

Ponting smashed a six from the last ball to reach three figures and secure a four wicket win for Australia in the same blow.

He also struck 16 fours in his 160-ball century, and steadied the ship when Australia suffered a wobble towards the end of their run chase.

Ponting shared in a second wicket stand of 99 with Matthew Hayden, who just missed out on a fifth consecutive Test century, that provided the foundations for Australia.

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Man of the match Shane Warne described Australia's four-wicket win over South Africa in Cape Town as a great way to celebrate his 100th Test.

The leg-spinner completed figures of six for 163 in a mammoth 70 overs on the fourth day. And he was at the crease on 15 not out the following afternoon as Ricky Ponting pulled the winning six over square leg to clinch the series.

"It was great to win the Test, stay top of the ICC world rankings and take the series all in one," said Warne.

Warnie's Ton

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With captain Shaun Pollock ruled out of the third Test against Australia, starting in Durban on Friday, South Africa have recalled all-rounder Lance Klusener.

Pollock said on Tuesday that he hoped to have recovered from a side strain in time to play in the seven-match one-day international series that follows the Tests.

Klusener suffered from woeful form during the first two Tests in Australia last December, and a break at home over the New Year failed to lift his form with the bat.

But bowling figures of 10 for 107 for provincial side KwaZulu-Natal in a first-class match last weekend convinced the selectors to give him another chance.

The selectors look likely to turn their backs, though, on two youngsters who made their debuts during the home side's four wicket second Test defeat in Cape Town.

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Australian wicketkeeper-batsman Adam Gilchrist has moved to joint second place in the Pricewaterhouse Cooper Test batting rankings after his latest century.

Gilchrist scored 138 not out and 24 during Australia's victory over South Africa in the second Test at Cape Town.

He would have overtaken Sachin Tendulkar at the top of the list had South Africa's bowling attack not been so weakened through injuries.

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Former Australia opening batsman Michael Slater says he will strive to regain his Test spot after being recalled as captain of state side New South Wales.

Slater, who has scored 14 centuries in 74 Tests, was dropped for the fifth Ashes test at The Oval in August last year and replaced by Justin Langer.

Having struggled for form he was even discarded by the Blues two months ago.

And the right-hander was threatened with losing his Australia Cricket Board (ACB) contract after a spat with reporters during a Sydney club match.

Miscellaneous

Sussex seam bowler James Kirtley is free to continue bowling after making improvements to his controversial action.

Kirtley has spent the off-season working with a bowling advisor after he was reported for throwing during England's one-day series in Zimbabwe in October.

And the England and Wales Cricket Board's (ECB) bowling review group, meeting at Lord's on Tuesday, concluded that he had removed the question mark over his bowling.

"The Bowling Review Group concluded that James had significantly improved his action and that he should be free to continue bowling in county and international cricket," said an ECB statement.

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